Pugot

"Did heard that?" Caith said quietly.

And they both turned around and drew their swords. Caith untangled the shield from his back and put it on his arm.

The sound of foot steps running towards them could faintly be heard. It sounded like a medium sized dog moving at a speed impossible for an ordinary dog.

"What is is it?" Sionna asked? Eyeing the forest suspiciously.

"A shapeshifter maybe? I don't think it can read minds. Maybe it just hasn't figured it out yet like you." At his statement Sionna gave Caith a sharp look.

"Hey it's not my fault." He said a smile on his lips as they could hear the creature getting closer.

Suddenly a black dog appeared with dark eyes and a yellow marking on his shoulder similar to Sionna's.

"Are you a shifter that was marked?" Asked Caith staring at the markings.

"No, I am something else entirely. Shifters come from a small green island in the north. I come form a larger island in the south." The dog said while its mouth moved yet both of them were very aware that a shifter could not talk in animal form.

"Then what are you?" Asked Sionna her eyes burning with curiosity.

"Let me see if my keeper has given me permission to change yet." The dog said before a black smoke surrounded him. And from it emerged a giant human like figure without a head.

"Hellhounds for breakfast and an Pugot for lunch." Said Sionna recalling the mythical beasts her Papa told her stories about.

"It's just a slave to the keeper we can't kill him." Caith said and Sionna looked at him in shock.

"He doesn't wish us any harm he's under a curse it's not fair to kill him." He continues putting his sword back in it's sheath.

'That's true,' said the headless monster to himself. 'I would prefer to spend my days eating insects and snakes.' He continued feeling the sharp teeth surrounding the gaping hole between his shoulders.

"We do not wish to harm you, is there something we can do to help you?" Caith asked his pale eyes glowing in dim lighting.

'Not that I am aware of,' he thought to himself.

Sionna stared at the pair of giants staring at each other not saying a word. She wondered if they were communicated telepathically.

"Then what are we going to do about him?" Asked Sionna after the continued long pauses.

"We need to capture him. That's they only way to stop him from hurting us against his will," Caith answered.

"How are we going to do that?"

"The same way Sullen captured you." Caith replied reaching into the backpack and pulling out some blue stones.

"Ice stones from the Himalayas." He said said placing them in a square for the Pugot to enter. 'I stole them from a man who curses Sionna,' he said explaining to the Pugot and he nodded entering the square.

Immediately blue light filled the air, buzzing with the usual sound of magic. He was frozen in place and now Sionna could see the monster in front of her. It looked like a giant man, but instead of a head it hand large jagged teeth and a large whole where the base of his neck should be. He was covered in deep scared across his dark mangled body.

His arms were much larger than his arms and almost reached to the ground. He had three claw like fingers that grazed the forest floor. His legs were muscular but short compared to the rest of his body. He stood motionless under the blue magic of stones.

"I hope I can figure out how to free you, until then I hope I will never have to fight you." Caith said as the pair disappeared into the forest.

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A band of horsemen trumped through the forest. Eventually they could see a dull blue light ahead of them.

Ciall's dark eyes shined from the light emerging form the woods.

Her eyes burned in the darkness looking at the towering headless figure submerged in the blue light.

"Remove the stones," she commanded the horsemen who dismounted and obeyed he orders.

"Turn into a form that allows you to speak to me."

As soon as the stones are moved the monster tuned into a hog.

"I changed," said a spot of smoke that turned into a hog with snarky horns.

"What happened here?" Asked Ciall her eyes glaring at the hog in front of her.

"Shapeshifters are sneaky," squealed the hog. It's black eyes shinning in the yellow light of the marking on its shoulder.

"Kaori, since Kang failed us. Could you visit the shifters in their sleep. We can't be to far."

The pale woman appeared among the other horse riders and spoke.

"Dear master I thought you would never set me loose." She said before dismounting and vanishing into the darkness.

"The rest of you. We will set up camp," she said peering into the colorful sky of sunset. "We will pursue them first thing in the morning. As for now set up camp." Then she turned to the Pugot who was standing at her feet.

"As for you Kang, let's have a talk in private." She said dismounting and pulled the tent from her saddle bag. "After all, I want hear about the monstrous wolf you encountered."