DAY 1 - MIDDAY:
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Eigla and Rosa head into the woods together. After a good bit of searching, they come upon a deer. The warty mass on its head marks it as infected, but not so thoroughly as the one you'd killed before.



Meanwhile, Peggy and Klimt work on the crossbow. The girl is truly gifted, using six knives at once to carve the bow in record time, then making a reinforced string out of twine and wool.
There is no uncooked sinew to reinforce it with, unfortunately, but the branch she'd picked is strong and springy enough to make for a powerful weapon nonetheless. Klimt even has to help her nock the bowstring, seeing as her thin arms are rather unsuited for the task.

After testing it with a few wooden bolts, she dismantles two of her shivs to use as reinforced arrowheads, carring the rest within the folds of her poncho in case more ammo is needed.

Grabbing the crossbow, shotgun and knives, both of them head into the woods.

...

It takes them some time, but they find a trio of deer grazing on a clearing. They don't seem to be infected, either! Lucky!

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EVENTS:
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Eigla: "Should we take it? Or find another?"

Rosa: "They ate the infected one before, and this one isn't as bad.
And, they did not specify."

Rosa activates her ballistics computer, takes aim, then fires. The deer's head explodes in a shower of gore and yellow mucus.

Perhaps she overdid it a bit.





Meanwhile, Klimt begins to move away from Peggy, trying to cut the deer off from escaping, but she stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

Peggy: "Sshhh. You hear that?"

He didn't, but stops nonetheless. For a moment, there is only silence. Then-

*THWACK*

One of the deer is suddenly cut in half in a splash of gore, a huge chunk of steel burying itself onto the ground throught its corpse. The second attempts to flee, but is caught by a gigantic claw and slammed against a tree repeatedly, until only a pulp remains.

A huge, cloaked form walks onto the clearing. On one hand, it carries a large tree trunk, with an oversized sawmill blade stuck on one end. On the other, the crushed remains of the second deer.

Under its patchwork, bloodstained hood, you see the clear contours of a canine skull.

The Red Wolf.

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EVENTS:
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Eigla stops Rosa from approaching, then cautiously checks the state of the corpse. It doesn't look good, unfortunately. The head explosion covered most of the pelt with the yellow goo, and only the hind legs are untouched. You'd probably need to drag the corpse if you don't want to get any on your hands or clothes.


Klimt: "Mother of God.

We should get out. Quietly."

Peggy nods, but continues watching, seemingly frozen in fear. The Wolf pulls back its cowl, exposing an eyeless, scarred head, with canines as thick as a grown man's forearm.
It grabs the bisected deer with one of its strangely human-like hands, sniffs at the corpse for a moment, then stuffs half the carcass into its mouth without chewing. The creature begins to make strange, gurgling sounds, and you see its back and torso distorting, bones pushing out against its skin while moving in strange patterns.


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EVENTS:
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Eigla and Rosa grab the deer by its legs and begin pulling it across the muddy forest floor. It's a rather heavy beast, so the trip is not very easy, with strips of skin and meat being left behind every time it passes over a rock.

Once you finally breach the clearing next to the lumber mill, you see the area is silent. No sign of the prowling wolves of the other day, or the few biters standing guard. Still, you can't help but feel like you're being watched.
As you turn a corner and reach the front of the building, you see one of it ends is lined with large shed doors, probably for loading and unloading lumber. One of them seems to have fallen of its hinges, and a group of biters and howlers is lying under it, watching your every move.






Meanwhile, the Red Wolf starts coughing, then hacking, then vomits a sticky mass of Flesh and fluids.
Peggy: "...What the hell? Did it choke, or-"

The mass begins unfolding, four legs sprouting from its edges, two human and two from a deer. You suddenly recognise it for what it is: A biter without its pelt. It screeches for a moment like a newborn foal, then jumps onto the giant's back.

The cloak is lifted for a moment, and you see the wolf's shoulder blades are hairless and bizarrely sunken in, with double rows of mammary glands sprouting from its ridgy spine. Dozens of biters are drawing sustenance from them, and the newcomer happily joins them.

Klimt has seen enough. He lifts Peggy off the ground and runs with her until they're far, far away. He hopes none of the creatures noticed their presence.

Peggy: "Please tell me we don't have to fight that thing. I-I knew there were wolves, but- That's as big as lesser Archon! That's crazy!"

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