A hard bargain

Under a dark and cloudless sky, Xander trudged down the vacant mud-baked road that led out of the village. Dirty yellow eyes watched from the surrounding thickets, and the distant howls of feral wolves resounded through the woods.

A lonely traveler walking down a dark path sandwiched by dense bushes and leafy old Oaks would have been a perfect target for the wild animals prowling in the shadows. But the wolves and pumas skulking in the darkness could sense that this wasn't a helpless prey. 

Guided by the faint moonlight, Xander continued walking down the road, his revolver swinging at his side as he navigated the darkness. He wasn't afraid of running into the usual predators that roamed the woods, but being ambushed by some twisted Ethereal that had escaped from the veiled realm.