Gasping for breath with the wind whipping through his hair, Ghen darted through the trees. Moonlight cast shadows among the leave which seemed to shift and swirl about him, mocking his desperate flight. The howl of wolves echoed in the distance, yet something far more dangerous was closing in. Ghen gripped a spear with a silver spearhead in his hands, holding it firmly to keep from tripping himself up as he ran. A bitter autumn wind snapped the edges of his coat, and for a bit this sound was accompanied only by the soft swish of his legs through the foliage.
The forest ended abruptly, and a few feet from the edge of the trees the ground dropped away in a deep precipice. He slammed the butt of his spear into the ground as his feet slipped on a loose gravel, barely arresting his momentum before being carried over the edge.
A strange scratching soon reached his ears followed by the a screeching clucking coming from the bushes behind him. A metallic black beak inched into view, the footfalls of a large animal crunching the leaves. Two murderous green eyes stared into Ghen's soul. A pointed long tongue hissed from between its opening maw. Spiked feathers stained dark by what appeared to be ink in the dim moonlight. Ghen knew in the sunlight the feathers would be red from the blood the condor bathed in.
It stood at five feet tall even with its head low to the ground as it stalked towards him. The beak could crush bone, and the bird would devour its prey completely, leaving nothing for scavengers to find. Its bones were hardened from such a calcium rich diet and this particular species, the Crystal Condor, sported a mutation which made its bones grow in strange crystalline structures which further increased their strength. Like many animals found in the forest it had incredible regenerative properties which let it shrug off even the most fatal of wounds, only a silver weapon would have a chance to bring it down.
Ghen's spear gave him a chance, if only a slim one.
Ghen ran his left hand along the spear handle muttering a prayer to the moon above. Beams began to bend towards the spear head and swirling symbols fueled by moonlight glowed along the shaft. One of the curling tattoos which crawled up his wrist also reacted to the moonlight, and lunar runes disappeared into his coat-sleeves which he had now rolled up to his elbows. The wind against his skin felt icy as his senses clarified, even the soft chirp of a cricket in the distance was clear to his ears.
The condor seemed unfazed. A puff of frost curled from its beak, as they eyed each other. Suddenly the bird rushed forward, head low darting towards Ghen's soft neck. he turned away, protecting his neck with his shoulder. The sound of ripping cloth combined with the screech of beak on metal. The tear revealed a gleam of protective armor hidden beneath his coat. His right hand shot out, and glowing symbols raced down his arm as his hand gripped the birds throat. The light blasted from his hand leaving the condor dazed, but far from incapacitated. Its long legs slashed at Ghen's stomach, leaving a long shallow gash through his scale-mail shirt and into his skin. Twisting away from those deadly claws he had no choice but to release the beast and slash his spear in a wide arc, making room for him to use the weapon.
The bird paced back and forth in a half circle, keeping Ghen's back to the cliff. The monster was intelligent, and an excellent hunter. It knew it could rely on superior speed to defeat him, and the cliff saved it some trouble chasing down its dinner. An earsplitting shriek ripped from its throat and it took all of his willpower to keep from clamping his hands over his ears and dropping his weapon. In the moment of struggle it leapt forward, leading with its razor sharp talons first, and striking with its beak in swift movements. The glow around his spear subsided as he used the moons energy to give him a defensive aura, and only this aura prevented a particularly nasty slash of claws to keep from disemboweling him.
Desperately he swung his spear in desperate blocking movements. Sensing the prey was panicking the bird surged forward, a hungry satisfied gleam in its eyes. At the last moment Ghen dropped on his back before the creatures body collided with his, at the same moment he swept the butt of his spear at its legs and kicked it in a graceful arc up and over himself. Flapping desperately the beast tried to stop itself from going over the edge, but its momentum was too great. One claw scraped the edge of the cliff as it began to fall. This birds body was too large for flight, but it managed to tumble into a glide as it headed for the forest floor. It may take more effort, but the beast would have its meal before the dawn arrived.
A gleaming arc soared through the air gracefully after the creature, and soon it plummeted, its body transfixed to a tree hundreds of feet below. Ghen sighed and began the arduous descent from the cliff. He needed his moonlight spear if he was going to continue studying the strange nightlife of this wilderness known as the Howling Forest, and the faint glow would help him find it, but this was only the beginning of a long hike back to his home.