While the snowy fields are almost pearlescent with the light of the waxing moon, tree branches turn the forest floor into a spiderweb of shadows, perfect for disappearing. This horse-thing is even bigger than you in your dire wolf form, and while you suspect it's faster in open terrain, the woods are right there. You duck a scything hoof and bound over a patch of dirty snow, then slide on all fours under a fallen pine, showering your pursuer in snow and then vanishing into the darkness.
It's completely black here, forcing you to rely on smell. But that horse-thing has a nose, too, so you creep carefully backward over the hard-packed snow, not making a sound as you maneuver upwind. But the monster knows you haven't fled. It ranges back and forth, snarling through bloody lips, stamping its sharp hooves.
It'll find you soon. Knowing you have to act fast, you circle around an old pine, then accelerate, all four claws digging into the snow. The horse-thing hears you and starts to turn, but it's big, and you hit its flank, sinking your fangs into its side.
The monster reacts with fury, twisting around and biting your cheek, forcing you off. Spitting blood, you circle through the snow, wince as a blind kick clips your rear leg, and come in even lower. Your fangs pierce fur and muscle, rip into guts. You wrench your head away, scramble back onto an embankment, and watch as the horse-thing stumbles.
You spit more blood and test your wounded leg. You're hurt, but your foe…can it regenerate? Some of these accursed things heal faster than a werewolf.
The monster takes a step toward you, then its stomach empties out through the hole you ripped underneath it. Smoking hot gore and entrails pour onto the icy snow. It slips in its own guts, then collapses. You wait until you're sure it's dead. The air is cold as it whistles through the rip in your face.
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