[center]Luchia Dorret[color=00aeef](Main)[/color]

[h1]Somewhere in The Wilds of Denegrim[/h1][/center]

Luchia sat on a stump that was part of the campsite. She had a few other companions, but they were temporary. A dwarf, two humans, and a halfling. She didn't remember their names. They were here to take down dire wolf that was terrorizing a merchant's trading route. She didn't exactly know what part of the wilds they were in, and she didn't remember where the wolf was. Luckily, that wasn't her job. The halfling had the map and the quest. She was getting a fifth of the contract. Everything was split equally, something Luchia thought unusual. Normally, the leader of the group got two shares. 

While they waited for nightfall, when the beast came out to attack merchant camps, they told stories of their past adventures. Luchia thought she had the best stories, but she hadn't had to chance to tell them. The dwarf, who she assumed was drunk at four in the afternoon, kept talking. He had many stories to tell, and wouldn't shut up about it. 

[color=#DF7401] "I was on that beach for four days, all alone. The rest of the crew was dead and I had to live off of crabs." [/color] As the dwarf told his story, the human woman swooned. 

[color=#8000FF] "How did you survive?" [/color]

[color=#DF7401] "Coconuts. First day I got hit en the head with one, and I figured out they had water en 'em. Gave me a bad headache, but my head was hard enough to crack it open." [/color] The dwarf gave a hearty chuckle. He smelled like old ale, and his shirt had many stains on it. He was a slob, but he was good with an ax. 

[color=#2E9AFE] "I was stuck on an island once too. It's not as difficult as he's making it out to be. A shelter can be made out of palm leaves. Water, yeah, can come from coconuts, food is fish and the like. You could survive on an island for years.[/color] The other human poked at the sand, upset that his companion was paying more attention to the mess of a dwarf than him. 

[color=#DF7401] "Thing is, Benauld, there was only one tree. Can't do much with one tree."  [/color] 

[color=#DBA901] "How'd you even get stuck on the island in the first place?" [/color] The halfling raised an eyebrow. He started the story in an odd place. 

[color=#DF7401] "Oh. We got attacked by pirates and I had to row away 'cause the ship was sinkin'." [/color]

[color=#00FFBF] "That seems like a better story than this one." [/color] Luchia joined the conversation. She was facing away from the camp, technically on the look-out. The wolf was usually out after sundown, but it didn't hurt to watch out. They were in its territory after all.

[color=#DF7401] "What'd you know about a good story, Luchia? Last one you told was 'bout rocks!" [/color] 

[color=#DBA901] "At least her story had flare. Not everyone gets to fight earth elementals. Getting stuck on an island is a common thing." [/color] 

[color=#DF7401] "But it was a real small island!" [/color] The dwarf huffed. Only one person was enjoying his story, and that was because they fancied him. He had no argument. His story was boring, plain and simple. 

Luchia saw something move in the forest. 

[color=#00FFBF] "Wait, shut up." [/color] Luchia stood on her stump, looking into the forest. 

[color=#8000FF] "Is it the wolf?" [/color] The lady human whispered, but it was still too loud. Wolves had great ears. 

[color=#00FFBF] "I think so. Let's go get it." [/color] Dorret hopped off her stump and grabbed her bow from the ground. 

The group gathered their things and crept into the forest. The male human was a tracker, and was head of the group. The dwarf and the human were behind him. Luchia and the halfing were in the back. The wolf was worth more alive than dead, but they had heard it was a dangerous thing. It had killed many other hunters that went after it. The one that issued the bounty on it wanted to keep it as a pet. Like that would happen. 

As they tracked the wolf, Luchia saw another blur. She wanted to ask if it had been proven that the wolf was a loner, but any noise might give away their position. Luchia suffered from delusions sometimes, and this might just be one. She began to doubt that the dire wolf was alone. What if it had gotten a mate since it had been last seen? What if it joined a pack? She didn't think they could handle a pack. Dorret looked around, tense. 

The group stopped. The human pointed into a clearing, at the target. It was larger than Luchia expected. It had midnight black fur and was about the size of a horse. It was eating a deer. Luchia felt bad for the deer, it's death would mean nothing. The wolf would be dead and the food probably wasted. 

Dorret climbed into a tree, getting into position. She aimed at the beast. She wished she could see the wolf's face. An arrow in the eye would be a huge disadvantage for the wolf. The back would have to do. A butterfly landed on her knocked an arrow, but Luchia ignored it. She couldn't mess this up. She breathed in, aimed at the wolf's heart, and fired with her exhale. The arrow was made to tear all the way through someone while ripping out their organs. It had a heavy tip, but it was a powerful head. 

It hit the target but didn't go through. One of the arrow's downfalls was that it had trouble going all the way through bone. The wolf, who Luchia had dubbed Dutch, spun around. It spotted the little group on the ground. The halfing sent out a firebolt, catching Dutch's black fur on fire. The beast yelped and ran into the forest, burning. It would create a forest fire if they didn't deal with it soon. Luchia wasn't thinking about that. She was surrounded by blue butterflies. They blocked her vision and were all over her. They smothered her, and she fell out of the tree. They covered every inch of her, getting into her mouth and nose. She couldn't breath, they would suffocate her. But, no one else could see them. 

[color=#DF7401] "What the Hell?" [/color] The dwarf cursed as he watched Luchia spasm. She was hitting herself, trying to crush the invisible butterflies. 

[color=#8000FF] "I'll deal with her, get the wolf!" [/color] The female human came to Luchia's aid. 

The rest of the group didn't question her orders. They ran after the wolf, following it's blood trail. Luchia prepared for a non-lethal hit and had poisoned the tip of her arrow. It would make the beast sleepy, slowing it down and making it easier for the others to cut it's head off. 

Luchia was beginning to black out. Her brain was shutting down from lack of oxygen. The human desperately searched through her pack, looking for her antipsychotic. It was a small brown fungus. A mushroom like that was easy to overlook. It blended in with the trees it grew on. It's considered poisonous since it makes healthy people see horrible monsters. Although, if taken in small amounts and given to people that normally hallucinated, it could be a powerful antipsychotic. It works immediately since it's toxin is administered through the skin. 

The healer must have found it since she began putting on her gloves. Luchia could only see darkness and blue butterflies in varying sizes. She pulled the brown mushroom out of her bag and placed rubbed it against Dorret's arms. The butterflies began to disperse, and Luchia could finally breathe. She gasped for air and grabbed the healer's shirt. She didn't save Luchia's life, as soon as she passed out the illusion would fade, but she certainly kept her from passing out.  It wasn't often that the hallucinations attacked her, but when they did it was devastating. They couldn't do any real damage, but the brain tricked itself into thinking they could. Luchia owed the healer, and that fact alone made her feel bad. 

After a few minutes, Luchia was back on her feet. She dusted herself off as the two of them made their way back to camp. The other three should have no difficulty taking down Dutch because of the poison. Dorret went back to her place on a stump, waiting for the others to return. She mumbled a thank you to the healer, hating herself for letting her mind get the best of her yet again.