[center][h1]Jarek[/h1][/center]

As he silently approached the beast-like creature, Jarek noted that he was probably overreacting. It was just that he had never really seen anything like the creature before him. Strange creatures, yes, but never dog people. Maybe it wasn't even a dog, but the only creature he had ever seen with a head even slightly resembling that of the figure was a wolf, but even that wasn't near that of what stood before him. Maybe it was friendly, he thought to himself, but he had no way of knowing for sure. He was on a strange path where an evil wizard was said to live, so he wasn't taking any chances just yet.

As he moved closer, he saw that the beast was now standing before two people. The people looked frightened, one of them an old man and the other a rather beautiful young woman. Strange. How many more people would he find on this path? Was this mage really so popular that he received numerous guests on cold and miserable days such as this? He shrugged. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to make himself known to the group. Or perhaps all of those that stood before him were servants to a wicked master.

His thoughts were cut short though as the very air before him began to open up, as if reality was ripping apart at the seems. Both the woman and the old man were enveloped by the light, leaving the beast looking rather dazed and confused. Jarek stared at the portal in awe. In his short life he had never seen anything like what he had just witnessed. If this was the power of magic, then it was probably a power that could help him achieve his quest. Though on a darker note, if this was the power of magic, the man who killed Jarek's master probably had such power. Either way, Jarek had to figure out what he had just witnessed.

His eyes drifted past the creature standing before the portal - for it had to be a portal. Why else would it still be there? Where else could the two others have gone? (Burned to ashes, he thought, but he quickly pushed that idea out of his mind). Either way, there was something about the woman that caught Jarek's attention. He had only just glanced her, but he assumed that she was responsible for the portal that now stood before him. Maybe she was a wizard (or witch. Jarek had never learned the proper terminology for magic-users). Maybe she had the power to help him. At the very least, maybe she was in trouble and needed assistance. If that was the case, maybe he could walk out of the whole situation with a few more coins to spare.

He cursed his brashness. His master had always said that it would be the death of him. With a shrug of his shoulders, he gave the beast creature a charismatic grin as he ran by and leaped through the portal dramatically.