Henry Warren's Encounter

         It all started in the forest, too deep for a soldier or guardsman to go in most situations. Especially for guardsman Henry Warren. A howl from a wolf had spooked his horse, and he ended up lost in the woods heading steadily deeper, and sore from being thrown. He was tired, frightened, and lost, unable to see the stars to navigate due to the thick canopy of leaves. “Why oh why did I leave the path?” he lamented to himself again. After his horse spooked and ran into the trees, he had tried to follow, even though he had known that it was a stupid idea. Henry continued to move in what he thought was a straight line, hacking and slashing through the brush. He jumped at every sound he heard that wasn't made by him, and some that were, thoughts of never seeing the light of day again torturing his thoughts. He had more or less convinced himself that if the wolves didn't kill him, the faery would. He was after all, just a simple fool, far, far out of his element. He suddenly heard a scampering in the bush to his left and he swung around holding his sword in front of him.  Nothing that he could see in the darkness of the trees was the source of the scampering, and now, all he could hear was the frightened thumping of his heart, beating furiously in his ears. Then behind him came the low growl of a wolf. He turned slowly and saw the emaciated beast, foamy saliva dripping from his bared fangs as he watched the terrified guardsman. Henry's hands were slick with sweat and he gripped his sword, knowing full well that the stupid piece of metal would not help him, and that he was staring at Death incarnate and that there was nothing he could do to change his fate. The pair stared at each other for  what seemed like an eon, before the creature lunged. At the same time, the guardsman was blinded by a sudden flash of light. When his vision cleared, he saw a child straddling the prone body of the now dead wolf, a knife wedged deeply in the throat of the beast. His bladder now empty, and bowels cleaned, Henry Warren realized that he was saved.