DnD Fiasco

The Lone Traveler

Birds sang in the forest as an half elf sat on a fallen log by the riverside. She removed her brown cloak and her clerical bonnet, revealing curly pale golden tresses that goes up to her shoulders. She yawned and stretched, her muscles aching from hours of walking. She took off her external dress and armour, sighing in relief from losing the excessive weight on her. Donned in her simple white and gold camisole dress, she walked towards the shallow side of the river reaching up to her knees. She splashed her face a couple times then stared at her reflection in the slow flowing water, her icy blue eyes looking back at her until a small school of fish looping around her ankles for a bit distracted her from her still silence.

As she went back to the log, Vanya opened up her small backpack, fetching her wornout notepad and taking note of where she could be in the tiny slightly smudged map that's sketched out in one of the pages there. Her basket filled with rations and her few incense shook a bit at the wind and a piercing howl made its way onto her pointy ears.

She looked at the direction the sound came from and squinted her eyes, seeing a singular wolf trekking towards her. Out of fear, she froze.

The wolf is no match for her small stature and it sighed, its breath pushing a few hair strands away from her face. It loomed over her but made no move to attack.

She closed her eyes and listened to the wolf, hearing its heartbeat a bit frantic from where she's sitting. Looking up, she slowly tilted her head at the wolf and it moved a bit to the right, showing a nasty wound with an arrow still embedded into it, something she didn't notice when the wolf first approached.

She gasped and looked at the wolf's face before getting her amulet, a small heart locket and staring at the wolf for approval. It sighed once more and sat up, showing its' side more over to her.

She tentatively touched its fur, her hand with the amulet in it slightly sinking into the silken gray as she hold the arrow with her other. She softly counted and yanked the arrow out, the wolf howling out in pain, the sound almost thundering against her ears. The wolf shook for a bit before laying down, its breath a bit heavy.

Vanya wasted no time, holding the amulet up against the bloody fur.

"Wounded by metal,
Forsaken by wood,
Heal this creature,
Save its course."

A small glow of light with wisps of teal green appears on the amulet and surrounds the wound, almost flowing into it like water before it dissipates into nothingness. Vanya sighs and slowly touched the bloodied area, finding it being almost back to normal beside from the stained fur.

She looks at the wolf who seems to regard her with gentle approval before closing its eyes, seemingly to head to sleep. She smiles and sits back into the log as quiet as she could as to not disturb the sleeping giant.

As to how the wolf knew that she could help, she has no clue. And without her druidic friends, she would have no way of knowing it. But she sat back and relaxed, eating her bread and cheese in silence as she listen to the peace and quiet by the riverside.

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The night fell and Vanya didn't realize that she got too comfy and fell asleep. The river reflected the stars above when something moves closer to her thuds muffled by the grass and sand.

Something huffed in front of Vanya's face and she opened her eyes slowly. Only to be face to face by a few inches with the giant wolf.

Her eyes widened, waiting and staring back at the wolf's eyes. It huffs once more before sitting back, showing at least half a dozen bunches of grapes that has been hapzardly plopped on top of her basket, a few of them still has a few inches of vines on.

She blinked for a bit before chuckling.
"You didn't steal this, did you?" The wolf just stared before picking up one of the grapes and gently putting it on her lap.

She sighed, picking a piece of it up and checking it for safe from poison or any magical effects. Deeming it safe, she bit into it, the sweetness bursting in her mouth and she smiled, eating and chewing a few more before handing some to the wolf who wagged its tail and gobbled it up in one go making her chuckle. The two ate their fill and the wolf sat by her again, listening to every sound and swish in the forest in front and behind them every now and then before deeming it safe and slept.

"Guess I'll keep watch."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Morning came and Vanya stretched and did some warm up before donning her armour, clothes, clerical bonnet and cloak once more.

"Time to find another civilization then. The dear Goddess knows how I took too long to reclaim some of her magic once more." She muttered in amusement as she adjust her bonnet in place. She was packing her things back to the backpack and basket when the wolf nudged her with its nose. She stared at it, watching as it nod towards her, then sitting down right in front of her.

Confused, she stood still in front of it and Vanya could swear that it rolled its eyes at her when she wore her backpack instead of doing whatever its trying to make her do.

The wolf walked around to behind her, ducking its giant head right between her legs, lifting her up, making her land on its back and she yelped, almost falling off but managed to get her balance. It picked up the basket with its mouth and stood up slowly.

Vanya marveled at how she's almost like riding a horse, with the exception of silken grey fur that seems to cushion her gently. The giant wolf took a few steps and crossed the river keeping her dry from the flowing waters and peeked up at her, gesturing its head forward and she nodded, holding onto its fur just in time as it dashes onward to the trees.

She held onto its soft fur, marveling at the speed they're travelling through the now dark forest, everything, from poison ferns to assassin vines going past them in a blur. They continued on like that for like a few hundred more meters before she start seeing the trees open up more, the miasma of the dark forest fading behind them.

The wolf slowed into a trot, letting her see the few beautiful herbs, flowers and trees untouched by the miasma. She looked back at a few daffodils and lily of the valleys dance in the soft wind when the wolf stopped making her look ahead.

Beyond the trees she can see a building in the distance, a few people bustling about a big mound of well... something and a tent propped up outside. She smiled at the prospect of finally seeing other people after being in hiding for a year.

She slowly slid off the wolf and waited as it gently put down her basket in front of her. She smiled and curtsied in respect and thanks, showimg her gratefulness and it bowed its head down, kneeling on one leg before turning around, running into the safer area in the forest once more.

She picked up the basket, noticing it much heavier with the grapes now and she smiled at the unexpected but nice encounter before turning towards the pathway.

She walked albeit a little slowly before she was halted by a voice before she even reached the fence of the building or whatever it is that obviously something human made.

"Stop right there! You might wanna stay in a safe distance from here." A guy with a lute said and from where she is, she can easily see what the mound is. Her eyes widened at the sight.

'A dead manticore?'