[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/bvzQ52V/New-GUy-RHIbanner.jpg[/img][/center] [i][b]Two weeks ago[/b][/i] The chilling wind whispered through the trees that swayed blissfully in the moonlight. The grass was lightly covered in snow and every breath Ryder took came out as a small vaporous cloud. He tried to breathe as little as possible as he remained perched high in one of the trees, his body eclipsed in shadow as his eyes remained glued to the ground below. He was waiting for his prey. The cold temperature didn't even faze him as he remained still, finding comfort in his stewing hatred. It was only a year ago that she was taken from him. His fiance, Alice, was a good and generous woman. She was kind to a fault and it costed her everything. There was once a time when Ryder was a simple tradesman. That time had passed. And all of this, everything, came to a halt because of one man... one [i]thing[/i]. Ryder's eyes blinked rapidly, his attention sharpening, as his ears heard the sound of crunching snow below. In the distance, he could see the silhouette. It was massive... [hider][center][img]https://i.ibb.co/WDL1QLw/God-i-love-wendigo-art-favorite-monster-in-mythology-by-058b8be34241c8d505990e5743c4e21f.jpg[/img][/center][/hider] As a man, Ryder learned, he went by Godwin Thomas. Now, however, he was known only as the Wendigo. Many, many moons ago, while Ryder was out on a hunt, a withered looking Godwin came knocking on the door of Ryder's cabin. Alice, being the sweetheart she was, quickly brought the man in to warm up by the fire. Godwin thanked her for the hospitality and mentioned that he was ravenous. She offered him a place at their dinner table to dine of whatever game Ryder brought back with him. Little did she know that Godwin preferred a different kind of meat. Perched in the tree, Ryder stopped breathing altogether as the hulking creature came closer, it's haunting yellow eyes staring straight forward. Ryder wasn't entirely sure of the best way to kill this thing, but he imagined his sword would be a good place to start. He just needed it to get closer... When Ryder had returned from the hunt, he walked back to his cabin and immediately noticed the door was open. "Alice?" His voice was laced with concern. His fears turned to reality as he made his way to the doorway and peered inside. There she was... in pieces. Her flesh was ripped, her musculature was torn. Eaten. Blood covered the floor and within it were footprints. Shoe prints. This was not the work of an animal, this horrific scene was orchestrated by a man. Ryder wasted no time in trying to track the man down, but he had no leads other than his target was a cannibalistic drifter. The trail went cold until he heard whispers of a man that was possessed with a demon who stalked the woods and hungered for flesh. Ryder managed to find him and nearly died in doing so. He was not equipped for the task, so he found an outfit who could teach him, train him. He became a red hood and, tonight, he would have his long awaited vengeance. The Wendigo was directly under him now. It was time. Ryder swiftly pulled out his sword and leapt down, his blade positioned like a nail that drove down into the creature's head with a sickening [i]CRACK[/i]. The beast roared and bucked, but Ryder's grip on the embedded blade held true. Eventually, the thing fell to the ground, completely off balance. Ryder, with rage in his eyes, planted a foot on its horned skull and withdrew his sword, crimson fluid springing out of the wound like a geyser, covering the man's face and torso in blood splatter. He raised the blade and began hacking away at the Wendigo's head, screaming at the top of his lungs as he did so. Small craters to the skull soon grew into one big cavernous opening, flesh and brain matter flying as the Red Hood's passion hit a climax. The Wendigo stopped moving long ago and eventually Ryder ran out of steam and collapsed in the red snow. All he could do now was stare at the corpse and weep. Softly at first, but it soon grew. She was still gone. He finally destroyed her murderer, but it changed very little. He then looked up at the moonlight and screamed out a challenge, as if to God. His teary eyes drifted back down to earth as he stared passed the giant corpse off into the far distance of the woods, his mind unable to ease itself. Suddenly he noticed some movement that looked like a group of men slowly approaching. "[color=f7976a]Ho there,[/color]" He called, forcing himself to swallow his sorrow and regain composure. "[color=f7976a]I have to warn you, you're in for a sight. I've just slain the-[/color]" His voice trailed off as the group of men walked under the light of the moon, their faces illuminated.. their lipless, dead-eyed faces. More of them began to appear, coming in from another direction. In the dark, Ryder couldn't really tell how many there were in total, but they were certainly still coming. Too many, for sure. He looked to the corpse of the Wendigo and spat upon it before running off in the direction of his horse, whom he had left at the nearest town over. This was something that would need to be reported. It was time to go back to the keep. [i][b]Present Day[/b][/i] Commander Rouge was sitting at her desk in her private chambers when she heard the knock at her door. As she got up, she grabbed hold of a rather large knife before answering. She prided herself in always being prepared for a fight. As the door opened, she found herself face to face with Ryder Shaw who looked older than he actually was, his face weathered. The man looked as though he had never known sleep in his life. "[color=ed1c24]What is it, Shaw?[/color]" "[color=f7976a]There's something you ought to know.[/color]" Ryder proceeded to tell her about the undead and how their numbers had grown to what appeared to be the size of a small army. "[color=ed1c24]Why were you there? Who was with you?[/color]" Commander Rouge's face was nearly impossible to read, but Ryder already knew where this was going. His mission was not a sanctioned one. "[color=f7976a]I was handling some personal matters.[/color]" "[color=ed1c24]The Wendigo.[/color]" She stated it as a matter of fact. She clearly knew the answer before even asking the question. "[color=ed1c24]And you did it alone, violating our law.[/color]" Ryder just stood there. A response at this point would just be a gesture of obedience. They both already knew what went down. "[color=ed1c24]We make these laws, Shaw, to protect our people and our investment in them. If you were killed, that's a year of dedication to you and your craft that would have been for nothing. Vengeance is a dangerous thing. Taking on a creature of that magnitude by yourself is a [i]stupid [/i]thing. I don't employ stupid people, Shaw. Is that understood?[/color]" Ryder bit his lip and nodded, forcing himself to remain silent lest he say the wrong thing. Commander Rouge was not one you wanted to anger. "[color=ed1c24]You've forgotten how to work with people. You need to be retrained.[/color]" Ryder scoffed and was about to object but suddenly Commander Rouge's hand was around his throat and he found himself up against the wall. He barely registered the move, she was so fast. "[color=ed1c24]This is not up for debate. If you want to keep wearing that hood, you're going to play by my rules.[/color]" She hesitantly let go of his throat before continuing. "[color=ed1c24]The trials are underway. Finlay and Trent have their groups going through them now. The groups are big, or at least they were before the trials. You're going to go over there and help mentor them on working as a team. You're going to show them how to act as a unit and hopefully it will serve as a reminder to you as well.[/color]" Ryder's face contorted with disappointment, but he dared not speak on it. "[color=ed1c24]If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with Zeke. In the meantime, your pupils are in the trial hall. You best go meet them.[/color]" With a snide leer, Ryder took his leave and began heading to the trials, his frustration growing with every step.