The Great Black Hound of Britannia

Mathilde wakes to the screaming of warriors and the growling of a ferocious and large beast. She lifts herself up from the ground, the smell of smoke, and burnt corpses fill her mind and the once beautiful village is now littered with rubble and bloody bodies of both the people of the village and the Vikings that had attacked them. The vikings bodies aren’t burnt unlike those of the village people, but instead have large scratch and bite marks and some are torn apart by some large creature.
Not wanting to run into the beast when it returns, Mathilde searches through the remains of the village for any food and weapons she could take with her and finds a small sack of apples, a large cloth, a small dagger and a bow with some arrows tied around it. She straps the bow around her and carries the sack over her shoulder. As night begins to rise and the sun sets, a storm creeps onto Mathilde, and she must find some kind of shelter to stay safe and warm. She gathers some branches and places them in a way so they support one another, then she ties the large cloth to the sticks using the string. Although she’s out of the rain the ground is wet, and she’s cold, so she gathers some small sticks and rubs them together until they catch a lit and the flame comes to life. Although small, the fire is able to keep Mathilde warm at least until day breaks and Mathilde takes a bite of the apple.
Mathilde was never a good hunter and usually just stayed inside the village and cooked the food for everyone to enjoy, but she had run out of apples and if she wants to survive she’ll have to learn quickly. During the three days that Mathilde had been out in the wilderness, she discovered a stream that many animals would come and drink from, so Mathilde equips the bow and arrows and makes her way to the stream. Once there, sits and waits for anything to appear and with time a large buck appears so she takes aim. With luck on her side, she’s able to land a well-placed arrow which injures the buck just enough that it’s not able to flee, which allows Mathilde to finish it off. She carries her kill back to her camp, where she thanks the bucks for its sacrifice before skinning it and cooking it over a large fire. She takes a bite of the meat, and her mouth waters from the taste that she’s missed. This buck solves her food problem for just a while longer, but she must practice hunting, as she won’t always be so lucky.
Weeks turn into months and Mathilde is now a skilled hunter and even learns how to use a sword. One day she’s waiting for a decent size animal to kill for her next meal and a medium size buck appears out of the woods near the stream. Mathilde aims her bow just as she has hundreds of times before and lands an arrow in the back of the deer, but all it does is look up at her before its eyes flash blood-red, and its body begins to distort and deform and what was once a clueless deer ready for slaughter becomes a dangerous and monstrous beast. A black hound the size of a large home, with large teeth and sharp claws. It stares at Mathilde with bloodlust eyes before taking a step towards Mathilde with a ferocious growl.
Mathilde, full of shock and fear, holds her bow up at the monster, knowing that this will be her last stand. Her bow seems to do nothing to the hound, and she’s not skilled enough to fight it off with her sword. Just as the beast attempts to strike, a woman charges and slashes the monster with her blade, which causes the beast to hit her before running off into the woods. Mathilde takes the injured woman to her camp, where she helps her to regain her strength.
Mathilde and Lora, the women she saved, had become trusted companions to one another over time they spent together. During a hunt, they stumble upon a strange village hidden in the woods. The village is populated by strange creatures such as humans with pointy ears and small bearded men no taller than a child. Mathilde and Lora make their way to the village with caution and tell the village people of the hound they discovered. The village people take our heroes to a dweoragr inside a strange looking blacksmith. The dweoragr listens to their story and tells them the beast is called a barghest that the people have named Kakó. The dweoragr gives the heroes armor and weapons that they can use to defeat the beast.
Mathilde and Lora are given a map to Kakó’s den, which they find easily thanks to the help of the village people. They go inside the cave to see the hound sleeping. Lora takes the chance to get close to the beast and stab it in the eye. This angers the beast, which attacks Lora and throws her against the wall of the cave. Mathilde draws her bow she gained from the Dweorgar and shoots an arrow at the hound with a failure to break skin. The hound then scratches Mathilde’s armor open and easily cuts her stomach open. Kakó runs out of the cave and disappears with a howl of victory. Lora uses the last of her strength to crawl over to Mathilde and holds her hand as they both succumb to their injuries and nature welcomes them back to once they came.