[center][img=http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm243/jelost/reus.jpg]
[img=http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm243/jelost/R_zps8d428bff.gif][/center]

[quote=Kituo]The wolf whined and so did he.

Oh to hell with it.

[i]Either way...I guess I'm going to die.[/i]

Closing his eyes, Kituo dove for the lantern.[/quote]

The lantern was soon in Kituo's possession, clinking and rattling as he withdrew it from the metal platform. The glass had been chipped, but it was in fair condition, if old and a bit mossy. It was clear now that there was no flame inside the artifact: it was an egg, secured within the lantern casing, that was glowing a bright green from within. A rune was carved into the rigid shell, and it shone brighter than the rest.

The platform underneath Kituo's feet had begun to hum; it vibrated and clicked, as if something mechanical below was struggling to lift it.

Now that the lantern was closer to the ground, the reach of its light was not at all as far as it once had been. The darkness encroached all around; the silhouettes of the trees began to shift, and something skittered in the darkness just beyond Kituo's sight. There was a distinct multitude of [i]something[/i] watching him from the shadows, but nothing made its appearance.

The great wolf stared down at him with eyes that seemed to glow yellow in the night. It panted quietly, and its ears pricked in curiosity. It sat down in the grass at the edge of the platform and whined again, watching Kituo, and made no movement that suggested it would attack at all. In fact it lowered its head, blinking and snuffling at him, not at all bothered by the light of the lantern.

[center][img=http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm243/jelost/stock-footage-old-lantern-hanging-on-the-tree-full-hd-video-x.jpg][/center]