The bitter cold wind whipped down from the towering Heaven Spire Mountains assaulting the struggling wagon as it made its way through the vicious snow storm. Horace Chetum pulled his furs tighter as the snow battered him. He had to journey to Farnum to purchase cattle for his inn, the Snow Dove. When he left yesterday it was a pleasant January day, granted it was cold and there was four feet of snow in the fields but this was Belak and winter lasted almost seven months a year. This storm had ran through the mountains almost over night, the day Horace reached Farnum it was clear and crisp, but now he could barely see five feet in front of him. It was good Horace had followed this exact path twice a month for the last twenty nine years or he would probably be at the bottom of a ravine.
Horace passed the crossroads, it was an easy landmark there was a giant oak tree at the point where the road split. Horace steered the horses down the left fork and started for home.
After twenty more minutes of suffering through the terrible storm Horace's ear twitched. He turned in the wagon seat and looked into the swirling darkness. He thought he had heard howling through the wind. He lifted the lantern off its hook on the side of the wagon seat and tried to peer through the blinding snow storm. He stayed in place for several moments trying to see if he could hear the howl again. After several minutes he decided to get going again and whipped the horse to continue their trudge through the ever deepening snow.
Horace was now almost home, he could almost smell his wife cooking and feel the warmth of the hearth when he heard the howl again. It was closer this time and no doubt that it was an animal howl not just the wind. Horace gripped the reigns tighter and looked around. He looked down at the axe sitting on the floor of the wagon. He was no warrior but wasn't going to be eaten without a fight. He heard something running through the snow making a swishing noise. There was a much louder howl this time. Horace picked up the axe and whipped the horses to go faster.
The horses struggled on trying to go faster through the snow. He heard the swishing of the snow again, these weren't wolves, he was use to their noise in the snow. This was different, and it filled him with dread. The noise disappeared again, like the animal had sprouted wings and began to fly silently above him. Horace stopped looking and concentrated on the horses.
The horses began to pick up speed sensing that home was close. This made Horace feel much safer as he started up the narrow road to his inn. Through the darkness he saw the welcoming lights of his inn and the faint smell of burning pine filled his nostrils.
Amelia and her mother Beatrice heard the wagon coming to a stop and both rushed out to help Horace with the new cattle. They both emerged into the snowy night and saw Horace just standing by the back of the wagon. They hurried over to his side and they too saw that both ropes that had tethered the cattle to the rear of the wagon has been torn and their cattle where missing.

Dawn broke clear and cold, the terrible storm had finally passed through Farnum and was heading elsewhere. Aurora Moonshadow watched the sun rise over the snow covered streets and watched life in the town begin. It had not been a good night for her, she did not care for the cold and this was too much. " Morning" said her partner, Bethany Drake, nothing but an opening in a great pile of blankets and furs, " when is the meeting with the Baron?"
" 9" said Aurora, pacing about the small room trying to keep warm, " I'm going to head downstairs to find some warm food."
" Give me a second" said Bethany, " I have to figure a way out of this."
The pair, wrapped in several heavy layers of clothing, walked into the dining room of the inn and sat with the others in the inn at the table nearest the fire. " Some storm last night huh" said Bethany, always the more social of the pair.
" It was" said one of the merchants, " the southern pass will be closed for at least a week."
" Yah" gruffed another, " now we're trapped here with that beast."
" Beast?" asked Bethany.
" There have been some disappearances from the outlaying villages and farms" said a third, " Baron Maher hasn't made any announcements but everyone knows it is a werewolf."
" Bullshit" said the inn keeper, " it's just bandit problems, we've always had bandit problems. It is just gossip and our Baron being so young makes him an easy mark."
" Yah right, bandits" said the first merchant, " then why aren't the troops out scouring the countryside?
" Your greed is getting the better of you" said the quiet man at the end of the table, " the only reason why you're questioning Baron Maher is because he rose the pass tariff two Tyries per pound."
Everybody else in the inn had a laugh at the three merchant's expense, " Maybe it is a werewolf" said Bethany, " these nasty storms could have driven him down from the mountains."
" I doubt it" said the inn keeper, " we haven't seen a werewolf in these parts in my entire lifetime."
" Any thoughts?" the first merchant asked Aurora, a slightly subtle attempt to try and sneak a peek at her wonderful figure through the several layers of clothes.
" I don't gossip" said Aurora, " it is what it is and I will only have to think about it when I encounter it."
" Good response" said the old man at the opposite end of the table, " at least one of us here isn't hysterical over it."
Aurora and Bethany both knew precisely what it was, they hadn't come to Belak because of the pleasant winter weather. They ate the warm and filling me, along with great quantities of hot tea before pulling on their large fur lined cloaks and venturing out to meet with Baron Maher.

Maher Castle sat on a large hill north of town. It was a modest stone castle, built more with defense than luxury in mind. The ramparts were bristling with troops, and several were standing guard at the gate when the pair approached on their horses. " Aurora Moonshadow here to meet with Baron Maher" said Aurora to the officer commanding the gate.
" The specialist huh" he said, " I'm Colonel Arthur Beck, and I'm here to escort you to meet with Baron Maher."
" Thanks you" said Aurora.
The pair dismounted and followed the heavily armoured Beck through the main gates and towards the keep. The number of guards milling about the battlements trying to keep warm was a sign of how worried the Baron was. Normal castles would had barely an eighth of the soldiers, this castle looked ready for war. The entered the main keep and were led up the spiral staircase all the way to the top of the highest tower to meet Baron Adolphus Maher.

The short thin Adolphus Maher was sitting at a great table close to the roaring hearth wrapped in several heavy layers of brown fur. " Aurora Moonshadow is here my lord" said Arthur.
The Baron turned and looked at Aurora, a look of pure joy came over his pale features as if a great weight had just been lifted from his shoulder, " Excellent" he said, " this is just the miracle I was hoping for. I fear the storm would have delayed you."
" We prevailed even through the storm when we heard of the trouble you where having" said Aurora.
" Please come here, and let me tell you about the dilemma that has befallen my province" said Adolphus, motioning for Aurora and Bethany to join him at the table.
On the table was a large and detailed map of the entire province marked with several red Xs on the outskirts of most of the populated areas. " We started having the attacks shortly before winter began" said Adolphus, " some farms in the outlying areas were reporting livestock would vanish and then later farmhands were vanishing. They would venture into a field to start the harvest and never return. At first we thought bandits, the southern end of the valley has had bandit trouble in the past but soon people began to see a very large wolf running through the fields and the woods, sometimes on four legs but sometimes on two. Now you know I couldn't announce that we had a werewolf in the valley, it would cause panic. So Colonel Beck and his best men have been scouring the entire area, each time we hear of a disappearance or an attack they are sent out to track down the beast."
" But we've had no success as of yet" said Arthur, " but if his excellence gives us more time we won't need people such as them to do the work for us."
" I understand your position Colonel" said Adolphus, " it has been explained to me several times but it doesn't hurt to have all the help we can get. Wouldn't you agree, Colonel?"
" Yes, I guess your right" said Arthur, very reticent in his response, " but the Mountain Battalion will be here soon, their skilled trackers will be able to hunt this beast down and do away with him shortly."
" What is this structure?" asked Aurora, pointing to a lone building along the main road.
" That is an inn, the Snow Dove I believe" said Adolphus, " it is mid way between Farnum and the neighboring town of Snowfield."
" Look at the attacks, they seem to radiate from there" said Aurora, " I think that would be a good place to start my investigation."
" Very good, your reputation has not failed you" he said, sounding very excited, " I will have half your fee paid when you leave the other half waiting for when you return."
" That will be more than sufficient" said Aurora, " thank you for your generosity. If that is all we shall be on our way we have a lot to accomplish."
" Certainly, by all means I will have Colonel Breck retrieve your payment" said Adolphus.
Arthur nodded and dutifully went to retrieve their payment. He returned looking he was giving the keys of the kingdom to an invading army. Aurora took the payment without any relish or joy, the bags of gold Tyras were heavy and would keep the pair in excellent accommodations for sometime. " We shall leave you now milord" said Aurora as the pair stood and bowed.
" Best of luck on your hunt" he said, " may you capture this foul beast before he does anymore harm."
The pair left and found their horses waiting. " You think that we'd come to take Colonel Beck's job and leave him to starve in the snow" said Bethany.
" Calling in people like us means that the local forces are incapable of doing the job" said Aurora, " it would be like calling in some else to do our job."
" I don't know, would be nice for a change to let somebody else go on these insane missions" said Bethany with a wry smirk.
" We wouldn't get paid then" said Aurora.
" True, and judging by those fat purses this is a dire problem" said Bethany.
" Baron Maher is young, word gets out that he had werewolves running free in his province will damage if not destroy his position on the Baron's Hall" said Aurora.
In Tyradora there was a council of the Barons from all the provinces that met four times a year to discuss the general state of the kingdom and then this was relayed to the king who would review it and help it guide his judgment. Some kings followed the opinions of the Hall to the letter, others dismissed them entirely and followed their own judgment but it did allay the fears of the king becoming a power mad dictator like other the rulers of other kingdoms and that made everyone sleep better at night.
The pair rode out of the castle and started down again for town. Farnum was quiet, only the hardiest and most desperate were outdoors and were hurrying about their business, the sky was turning bluish black once again snow was returning. " We best hurry" said Bethany, " I don't like our chances if the snow returns."
The pair spurred their horses on and they quickly galloped out of Farnum into the rolling snowy fields of Belak. They did their best to follow the road, which was nothing but a depression in the snow.

They followed it the road as it rose up into the foothills of the mountains that ringed the province. " Now if we're on the right road" said Bethany, looking at the small map she'd purchased earlier in the day, " we should come up to a cross roads and we should take the left fork up to the Snow Dove."
The pair crested the hill and saw a giant oak tree and a fork. " So how are we going to play this?" asked Bethany.
" We're travelers" said Aurora, " I have a suspicion that the werewolf might be staying there, too damn cold even for something covered head to foot with fur to stay out here for any length of time."
The pair slowly rode towards the large wooden inn. Smoke curled from the several chimneys perched on the steep roof filling the cold air with a sweet smell of pine. The inn looked extremely cozy and welcoming. The pair stopped by the front door, under the large sign with a white dove painted on it under which where the words, Snow Dove Inn, Horace Chetum 4th Generation Owner.
The doors to the inn opened and a burly man and his wife walked out. " Welcome to the Snow Dove travelers, it is good you arrived when you did, it looks like another storm is brewing" he said, stroking his long black beard streaked with grey.
" Where are you headed?" asked his wife.
" Apriche" said Aurora, " we're returning to my husband's home from visiting my sister who just had twins."
" I'm Horace Chetum the owner and this is my wife Beatrice" he said, " we have two warm rooms for you two."
" Aurora Moonfern" said Aurora, using her pseudonym, " this is my best friend Bethany Drake."
Bethany pushed down her scarf and smiled before pulling the scarf back over her mouth. " Let my son stable your horses" said Horace, " we're about to serve lunch."
" Please set two more places in that case" said Aurora.
The pair dismounted and a younger, fitter version of Horace came out of the door and took charge of the horses. " Hello" Thomas Chetum said.
Aurora and Bethany walked into the inn and saw several more guests sitting at the main table close to the roaring hearth. A fine elderly man stood up, " Hello, I am Dr Peter Tarkin formerly of Greenknoll" he said offering his hand.
" Aurora Moonfern, and Bethany Drake" said Aurora, " what brought you from Greenknoll to here?"
" When my wife died I decided to leave my practice in the hands of my son and daughter and travel the world" said Peter, " my medical skills help pay my way. I have been in Belak for a few months, the snows have certainly slowly my travels. I was on my way back from delivering a baby at a distant farm when the snow forced me to stay here. I was planning on returning to Farnum today but it looks like more snow is coming so I guess I'm extending my stay. Let me introduce you to the other snowbound guests."
Peter motioned to a thin priest wearing his traditional black attire, " This is Brother Albert Cassoli" said Peter, " a traveling priest from Isabdor, I don't think he has many years of traveling under his belt yet."
Aurora and Bethany waved a friendly hello and got a cold stare in return. Peter motioned to the richly attired group that took up the rest of the table, " And this is the Muse's Harp, a traveling theatre group that got waylaid here" he said.
" Joseph Barnaby, director, and manager of the troupe" said a man with a thin greased up moustache and a totally bald head, " let me introduce you to my players."
Joseph first motioned to a young teenager, he couldn't have seen 14 summers. " This is my nephew Seamus Sterben, this is his first year traveling with us" said Joseph.
He next motioned to a blonde man balancing his knife on the tip of his finger, " Bruce Fairhair our acrobat" he said.
Bruce flipped his knife high into the air and caught it in his teeth. " He is a show off" gruffed a fat man.
" Pay no attention to him" said Bruce, " for a clown he has a very sour disposition."
" That is Tobin Fielding" said Joseph, " he doesn't like the cold."
The fat man drained his large tankard of ale and motioned for a second. The next man Joseph motioned to was a handsome muscular man with a warm smile for Aurora. " I'm William Hertzen, the main actor of this troupe" he said, his white smile stretching from ear to ear using all his charm.
Aurora politely smiled back, " The girl next to him is Violet Wolhpol, our tailor, she is a wizard with a needle" said Joseph.
" Hello" she said, " if you have anything that needs mending just find me and I'll be glad to do it."
" And I'm Serafina Murray" said the statuesque woman with shining raven hair that spilled down her shoulders like waves of black silk, " this is my troupe."
" Hello" they both said, floored by the woman's beauty.
" It will be good to have newcomers to share this hotel" said Serafina, " let me introduce our newest member, Aldus Harker."
Aldus slowly looked over through his long black hair, " Hello" he said, a smile slowly crossing his thin lips.
" It is very nice to meet all of you" said Bethany, " where are you heading?"
" We were heading for Apriche to perform there" said Serafina, " the wagon broke its axel and we've been trying to get it fixed for two weeks now."
" The weather has slowed the repairs considerably" said Violet, " but at least it didn't break on the pass, we would have all frozen to death by now."
" This is a terrible winter" said Joseph, " I've traveled across Andrakka for almost thirty years and I've never seen snow like this."
" Plus all those attacks, we really came to the wrong place" said Violet.
" Attacks?" asked Bethany.
" Last night two of Horace's cattle he was bringing back from town disappeared" said Peter, " and there have been rumors that outlying farms have been attacked by wolves. I assume they're Black Wolves that have been driven down from the higher elevations due to the snow and are starving."
" Where were the cattle attacked?" asked Aurora.
" Down by the fork" said Peter, " at least that is where Horace thinks they were attack, the snow last night was rather harsh. Can I ask why you're so interested."
" My friend is an amateur naturalist" said Bethany, " strange happenings always interest her."
" The locals are saying it is a werewolf" said William, " I'm inclined to believe them."
" Werewolves" scoffed Albert, " they are nothing but myths."
" I believe them" said Aldus, " there still is a lot of mystery in this world. Your religion doesn't have all the answers."
" What do you believe in?" asked Albert.
" I believe in my music" said Aldus.
Albert scowled, he finished his meal and stormed off. " He is not the warmest priest I've met" said Serafina.
" He needs to spend more time on the road" said Violet, " the walls of the abbey were a little to thick I think."
Aurora and Bethany sat down and were served a delicious warm meal of chicken and carrots which was quickly consumed. One by one they finished their meals and left to their own until it was Peter, Aurora and Bethany. " So what are you really here for?" he asked, a wily grin on his face, " I know you aren't from Apriche."
" We're here investigating these attacks" said Aurora, " but keep it under your hat."
" My lips are sealed" said Peter, " I was in Greenknoll when you brought in Blade Snider the highwayman and you proceeded to go to the tavern across from my practice to drink the night away."
" Oh, you owned that blue walled building with the white door" said Bethany.
Peter nodded, " I always meant to paint that door blue" he said.
Aurora and Bethany finished and went to their room. " Aurora" said Bethany, " why don't I get a fake last name?"
" I just don't" said Aurora, " Aurora Moonshadow is too catchy."
" I guess" said Bethany, " so any ideas?"
" A few, nothing concrete" said Aurora.
Aurora removed her cloak and gently slipped eight nine inch long silver needles from their resting places in her cloak under the mattress of the first bed. Those needles were Aurora favorite weapons and the weapons that gave her the unofficial nickname the Silver Needle. She kept only two on her, those hidden in her knee length black boots. She laid on the bed, not bad, not too hard but not too soft. The sheets were soft, a nice touch, most rustic roadside inns had sheets as rough as sandpaper. Aurora looked over to see why Bethany had become so quiet. She was laying on her bed, wrapped in all her clothes softly breathing. " Good idea" said Aurora, laying back.

The snow started up once again late in the afternoon just as the sun disappeared behind the jagged mountain peaks. The pair went down to the main room, enticed by the smell of a wonderful dinner. The guests were gathered around the table waiting to see what delicious food made such smells. Aurora and Bethany found their seat next to Violet, and across from Peter. " This smells wonderful" said Bethany.
Three women came out carrying plates piled with food. One of the girls resembled Beatrice, the other two were definitely sisters. " The lead girl is Amelia Chetum" said Peter, " the other two girls are Sarah and Janet Milton. Only person here you haven't met is Cynthia Reece, Thomas' rather fetching fiancée. Thomas hides her away from the dashing actors that have besieged the inn."
" They are indeed dashing" said Bethany.
The food was laid out before them, beef, red and oozing with juice, steaming hot loaves of bread, rich warm soup, and piping hot sweet potatoes. " Please enjoy the meal" said Amelia.
Moments after the words escaped her mouth the guests attacked the food. Amelia slowly circled the table stopping at Aldus, " I made sure I cooked some of it nice and raw for you sir" she said.
" Thank you" said Aldus before grabbing a fist full of Amelia's butt.
Amelia giggled, god she hated that but she had to keep up appearances. Amelia was more interested in Serafina, she could only dream about being that pretty. She wanted to pick her brain about how to make her hair so shiny. The one that worried her was that creepy Tobin, the guy never smiled and just drank. The traveling priest wasn't much better, he just read his Holy Tome and gave her strange looks.
Dinner was finished and everyone looked up as Beatrice entered holding a large pie in her hands. " It is blueberry" she said, " I hope you all enjoy."
The pie was consumed quicker than the dinner, there wasn't a crumb left. Now that everyone was full they got up to enjoy watching the snow while inside a warm inn. Aurora and Bethany joined Serafina in the next room that was filled with numerous stuffed trophy animals and a large crossbow over the crackling fireplace. " Hello" said Bethany, " Bethany Drake, and my friend Aurora Moonfern."
" Hello" said Serafina, " Serafina Murray."
" I saw you once when you were at the Royal Theatre in Vellis" said Bethany, " it was in Jellison's Murder at Rock Abbey."
" Oh yes I remember that" said Serafina, " that was one of my last performances in Vellis."
" Why did you leave?" asked Bethany, " you were the lead actress, you were a star in the biggest theatre in Andrakka."
" I was" said Serafina, " but it was nothing but infighting, alliances and betrayal. It was more politics than acting. I left and stared this little theatre company, we've toured all over. Acting is fun again for me and that is why I'm here."
Violet came into the room, " Serafina" she said, " could I borrow you for a few minutes so we can try your new costumes on?"
" Certainly" said Serafina, " excuse me ladies."
Both women slightly bowed as Serafina exited leaving the pair alone. " Nasty evening" said Bethany looking at the snow fall outside.
" Indeed, nice to be in a such a warm place" said Aurora, " I wonder if our furry friend is out there?"
" Probably" said Bethany, " its been awhile since we tangled with one of these. You know what happened last time."
" Let's not talk about that" said Aurora, " we're both still alive, we were both young and stupid in those days."
" Four years ago?" asked Bethany.
" We've dispatched many creatures since then" said Aurora, " I like to think we've learned something from all of it."
Bethany was about to make her usual smart ass remark when the front door burst open and a man coated in a heavy layer of snow stumbled in. " Horace!" he groaned before collapsing on the floor.