Adventure of Hentrix 1

Wet leaves slick the forest path as Hentrix steps into a break in the trees. Ahead, a tavern keeper bursts from the undergrowth, iron-bound ledger clutched tight to their chest.

Behind them, low wolf growls roll through the brush. Sickly light glints from half-seen eyes between the trunks.

The keeper stumbles toward Hentrix, shoulders hunched, turning their body to shield the ledger from snapping jaws just out of reach.

A wolf pads into view on the path, then stops short, hackles raised. More shapes shift in the dark behind it, circling instead of charging.

The pack tightens its ring around the clearing. The keeper backs toward Hentrix, the ledger trembling in their grip, while the nearest wolf lowers its head and fixes on the book.

The keeper flinches, cheeks burning, but the wolves hesitate at the bite in the words. Hentrix's focus slips between the trunks like mist.

The nearest wolf's stare dulls for a heartbeat, caught inside Hentrix's spell. The pack's ring loosens by a step.

A sting of magic burns behind Hentrix's eyes, and the bells at their waist give one bright, traitorous jingle.

The wolves hold back, reading the keeper and Hentrix anew, while the path narrows around the ledger like a question.

Hentrix draws the spell tight and lets it go. The air tastes of crushed herbs and old laughter.

The nearest wolf recoils as if a flame has licked its whiskers, then the whole pack breaks formation.

Branches snap. Pale shapes vanish into the undergrowth, driven off by the spell's sting and the jingle of Hentrix's bells.

The tavern keeper sways, still clutching the ledger, but the immediate ring of teeth is gone.

A sharp nosebleed warms Hentrix's upper lip, and the magic focus feels suddenly heavy in their hand.

From the trees, the last wolf's eyes linger on the keeper and the ledger, then it slips away, leaving the path open but uneasy.