The howl came before the beast. It was a horrible and unexpected noise, especially in the daylight of the woods. Wenna, the mushroom picker, had only a few moments of thought, and within that time, only her hands moved, tightening on the handle of an empty wicker basket.
There should have been running, yet she stayed on the path. Wenna did not wish to die, but if she had to choose, it definitely would not be this. It took the increasing sound of unknown footsteps for her to finally move, gathering her skirts in a desperate bid to flee.
However, by then, it was too late. The beast-like creature burst from the trees. It was massive, towering over her, with matted fur and an unholy smell. The monster's body landed with such force that the ground rumbled, and Wenna almost fell.
"By the Gods..." she yapped without thought, stiffening once more. She had no weapon, only a wicker basket. Somewhere beyond this wood was her village. Would they even find her body? Would a beast like this leave any opportunity for a proper burial?
Perhaps she should drop her wicker basket; the creature probably wouldn't eat that. Maybe they could find it, and perhaps this could be buried instead of her. The beast lunged before the thoughts could grow deeper, its jaws opening.
With a piercing scream, Wenna instinctively raised her arms to shield herself. The wicker basket slipped from her fingers and crashed to the ground. Her heart and mind soared up-wards toward the Gods, hoping for a saviour in these final moments.
The beast's menacing growl suddenly shifted to a startled yowl, its focus snapping away from Wenna as if a lightning bolt had struck them from above. She blinked, eyes wide with confusion, and then she saw it.
A small figure, no taller than her chest, stood between her and the beast, brandishing a colossal hammer. The figure was stout, with a wild mane of unkempt auburn hair under a hamlet. It wasn't human, but that didn't matter now, not when it stood between her and death.
"Damnable mutt," With a menacing jeer, the newcomer swung the hammer. "Get your stinking teeth away, ya little shit!"
Wenna's knees buckled as she collapsed to the dirt path, unable to comprehend the blood-shed.
The beast panted, struggling to regain its footing in battle. It was no match for the dwarf's strength. After several more blows, the beast crumpled to the ground, its massive form twitching for a moment before becoming still.
The small saviour poked the dead creature with his foot, hands still gripping the hammer, yet the rest of the body appeared relaxed.
"Your coat could use some work," the newcomer muttered to no one in particular.
Wenna rested on the ground, watching the strange sight as her heart continued to thankfully beat.
"Thank you, kind sir." She uttered to saviour in the sweetest tones that she could muster. It caused a deep and unfeeling guffaw.
"Listen up, miss. I'm not a sir, and I definitely ain't no small human." The saviour looked down with a scowl that could've turned stone to dust. Wenna studied the thick, auburn beard on the mostly hidden face. The broad features didn't look quite right.
"You're a woman?" The words came before common sense could find her.
"I'm a dwarf," The saviour retorted sharply, letting her hammer drop to the ground with an unceremonial thud. "But, aye, I guess that's what the humans would call it. We've got the same bits, but yours are clearly bigger."
The dwarf's eyes dropped away from Wenna's face, moving onto the large features of her chest without shame.
"I bet you're popular back home." The eyes lingered, smouldering with an unsettling inten-sity that made Wenna's skin itch with unease. She tried to change the subject.
"I'm Wenna from the village of Windle's Hollow. It's quite near."
"Brynja from a place that you don't bloody know." There was another unfeeling guffaw. "Right. Now, the niceties are done. Don't suppose you've got any coin on you?"
"Coin?" The word caught in her throat as if it were a stubborn lump, refusing to be spoken. "I mean, I wasn't exactly planning on... No, I don't."
Brynja rolled her eyes, muttering to herself in what Wenna could only assume was a dwarf-ish curse.
"Monsters don't just kill themselves, you know." The dwarf leaned on her hammer, huffing with impatience.
"But I am grateful!" Wenna implored, rising to her feet and brushing off her skirts. "Truly, I am! If it weren't for you, I'd be..." She didn't finish the sentence, glancing at the beast's massive, unmoving body.
"Aye, you'd be dead," Brynja said, unphased. She jerked a large, round thumb toward the creature. "So, seeing as I just did you a life-changing favour, I'll take payment for whatever you've got."
"But I don't have-"
"Then I'll take your firstborn, I suppose," The dwarf said without a hint of humour. "A goat will do, too."
"I collect mushrooms and herbs." Wenna looked down at her empty basket, which was still lying abandoned on the ground, and a sense of embarrassment came hurtling towards her.
"It's just me and my brother's family at home. We barely get by as it is."
