The cold breeze bit deep into their skins as they paved slowly through the thick snow. Two men known for their exploits in unearthing mythologies, it would have been a mystery if they had ignored this very one. Finding one myth that would hang up in their wall of discoveries proving that it's not just a myth.
THE VANDOLSK.
It probably was the reason for their motivation to embark on such a journey through the harshness of the icy winds of the northern hemisphere across the lands of Brondx and Sessis.
The reminiscing would stop as they stood alone right in the middle of the snowy woods with little or no footprints except theirs underlying through the grey of the already snow covered mountains. A loud roar some distance and it was enough to urge them to stop and cautiously watch their next steps.
Something bigger was with them there no doubt or could it be the VANDOLSK? Or was it just another bear like the one they had encountered a while ago?.
With a sigh that let out a puff of smoke from his mouth, Vandorr Brensk squeezed his gloved hands to wake them up as the cold bit them into hibernation. The cold breeze howled more this time suppressing the already frightening surrounding into a cringe.
"What's this feeling?!" Armando Indie asked in a cool voice as he looked around before wriggling the snow off his woolly cap. "One that makes you regret ever coming?"
"C'mon ! Armando it's too late now..." Vandorr said staring at his hands suspiciously. "Don't be silly, Vandorr. I alone took down the hairless Yeti of Zaroboa. I can take care of myself don't you think?!" He replied him with a scoff letting warm air wheeze from his snow flaked mouth.
"And while we reminisce on past glory, let us beware of this mystery charging at us literally!" Vandorr said sharply as he pulled out two revolver guns from their holsters hanging from the sides of his thick black trousers. His leather coat swung immediately as he pulled and without hesitation, fired some rounds at the charging creature. A pale one that took the resemblance of the mix of a man and a mountain lion, it's eyes shone red as it roared louder and charged forward faster. "No one told me the VANDOLSK was a werewolf?!!" Armando said out so loud as the gunshots seemed to overwhelm the surroundings.
"I'd be damned if this was a werewolf, Armando! God forbids this abomination!!" Vandorr replied as he walked briskly towards the charging creature some distance away still shooting at it. It shrieked in pain but seemed to not be bothered by the assault, roared even more as it's eyes grew wider and redder, this time jumped from one tree to another in order to dodge every hit that it became hard for Vandorr to keep up.
The VANDOLSK charged relentlessly changing directions faster than before and in no time it was only a matter of time that it would get to them as the distance between them had reached just a few metres. With Vandorr being the one in front, it was only logical that he would be first to experience the undying wrath of a creature that spelt doom. His bullets seemed to be useless as the VANDOLSK dodged every hit with swiftness and in a blink of an eye, it stood face to face with him that the only space between them was enough for him to feel the warm rage of the creature. He grasped at the VANDOLSK's hand as it grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up some considerable height that his feet dangled carelessly in the air.
"Armando....a little help here.." He managed to say through stutters of little breath he could rummage. The VANDOLSK stared at him as though he were strange, bending it's neck from left to right like it had never seen such a creature before.
Something would happen that would become a mystery for these two explorers, something that would have them rethink their already made up thoughts, that will alter their sheer will - what it was?! No one knew for sure but it was likely as it would turn out to be that the actions of the other man would decide the fate of who won the battle.
"Armando! Any minute now!" Vandorr gasped more as the scaly firm hand on his neck grew tighter. Armando's knife had hooked on his belt and he struggled even harder to pull it off. "Just one minute! In what possibilities of events is this even acceptable??" He said and grumbled as he pulled the knife harder out of his teeth edged belt made of almost steel.
The creature fidgeted immediately at the sight of something. The Knife on Armando's hand. In a flash, it dropped the already choking Vandorr and prepped backwards letting out groans and shrieks as though disturbed leaving the two men standing in confusion at the strangeness of things that was happening.
"Of course, it's the Knife!" Vandorr said sharply as he massaged his neck softly and traced the direction of the VANDOLSK'S reason for fear which was no other than Armando's knife. "Your knife is forged from silver. Am i right?!" He asked again this time stepping slowly towards the VANDOLSK.
"Of course, Forged from the steeping silver outcrops at Enliecht. It's one of the finest in the entire--"
"That's good to hear, Armando but can i see it?!" Vandorr cut in as Armando wabbled on his successful forgery quest. "Maybe if you speak nicer sometimes i would give you things" Armando spat with irritation as he handed over the knife. "God has favoured us today! We might become gods after this Armando!" Vandorr said excitingly as he watched the VANDOLSK cower in fear some distance away, without hesitation and with the rage of an angry bull, he charged at it and dug the knife deep through the creature's bare chest and watched it give it's final wail and soon fall silent as it's body grew limp and lifeless ,laying dead in the thick snow.
"Who could have thought...?!" Armando Indie stared at the lifeless creature as it laid on the freezing blanket of snow. He had not finished speaking when something else happened, the creature had began to morph into something, a human. A woman who laid naked on the damp ground with a green shiny object in the shape of a small diamond pendant in her hand. "Should we be touching that Vandorr?!" He said again sternly as Vandorr had crouched to take a look at the attention seeking object. "I'm sure the Yeti of Zoroboa will agree more. If only you knew what you killed that night" Vandorr Bresk said with huff of smoke escaping his mouth through his bushy brown beard. "Don't you dare take that one from me..!" Armando rubbed his hands together trying to keep them warm. He didn't have a beard like Vandorr but a moustache stuck on his evenly smooth face.
"What is it..?!" He asked as Vandorr held the pendant in his hand, caressing it carefully as he examined it.
"The right question is why a very ugly creature would turn into this beauty" Vandorr replied as he stood to his feet. His full brown beard was already full of snow as they had started falling again. "I'd have blushed if I hadn't seen a werewolf become human as well or even a human become a two headed Chimera.." Armando put his knife in it's sheath. "We aren't going to leave her here right?! We should bury her" Vandorr said staring at the pale figure of the woman.
"The snow will..." Armando turned to walk away. "Armando...bloody hell! Look!" Vandorr beckoned as something unusual was happening, the wound of the stab from earlier had begun to heal and the once lifeless girl had coughed back to life.
Armando hurried back, bustling through the thick snow to see what had happened. "What the hell?! We should kill her again, she could be dangerous" He panted and said as he neared him. "And what sort of man would you be?!" Vandorr stared at the girl, still in her early twenties from his guess as she sat up immediately staring left and right in confusion and terror. He had hit a spot on Armando as he left him speechless.
"Let's help her up! The cold even frightens the bears, how much more humans" He said as he bent down once more to help her to her feet.
She stared at him with fear, muttering words that couldn't be understood. "Come now, we won't hurt you" he said stretching his big hand to her. "Where would we put her then?!, the sledge is two miles out from herd" Armando asked as he supported Vandorr in lifting up the girl.
"I must remind you that she is a shapeshifter, Vandorr" He said again as Vandorr Bresk put her on his back. "Until you show me a better way, make sure our journey back is worth going" Vandorr responded with a snort.