The sign came soon enough, with the rustling in a bush right in front of the group attracting the attention of the wary hunters. The leading members immediately readied their weapons, pointing them straight at the source of the sound. However, the beast that had leaped out of hiding made an unexpected move by emerging behind the team, dealing its first blow on the last individual. Startled cries were let out by the rest of the group as the werecreature tore through several of them, while the rest scrambled away after several attempts to incapacitate the creature had failed.

Shamira quickly glanced around at the bodies of her fallen companions, or what was left of them, angered. Not just at their deaths, but how the scene before her reflected the situation of not only the hired hunters of Lightstal but its people in general. It only took one, one werebear to eliminate half a team of trained fighters and send the rest running. Were they truly that pathetic? Were the humans really that helpless against these monsters?

A mixture of rage and fear stirred inside her, each emotion fighting for control as she glared defiantly back into that soulless white pupil that showed the creature its next target. She thought about her duty to the town and its citizens, and aimed her loaded crossbow straight at the werebear before firing. The creature let out a deafening roar of pain and proceeded to yank the bolt out with its paws. Shamira flinched slightly at the bellow, but continued shooting at the furry predator. All she had done was to create a small distraction, but she knew that she would run out of ammunition if she did not think of something else soon.

Deciding to conserve her remaining shots, she had allowed the werebear time to remove the bolts from its hide and turn towards her once again. Looking into the savage eyes of the creature once again, her flight response took over this time, and she decided that it was time to book it, realizing that there was a chance to fulfill her duty to Lightstal only if she was still alive to do so. With the bloodthirsty monster hot on her heels, she took off through the trees, only thinking of getting to a safe place where she could collect her thoughts. After a short while of sprinting and leaping over fallen tree trunks while the large creature barreled through obstacles to get to her, she found herself heading towards a rock formation mostly covered in vines, offering a small orifice that she could probably just fit through.

As any opening she could use to get away from the werebear was currently more than welcome, she dove forward, sliding in through the crack a split second before the snout of the creature slammed against the rocks. She landed on what felt like a pile of dead leaves, while the formation shook and pebbles rained over her as the roaring monster continued to aggressively ram its body against the formation, clawing at the opening. Shamira took a moment to catch her breath and then felt around her, finding the area to be enclosed except for the opening she had entered through. She had bought some time for herself, but she was now trapped.

She could try shooting the creature through the hole, but with her limited ammunition, she had to ensure that she would hit a vital spot, which would allow her to escape. However, the werebear's movements were currently too erratic for her to get a good shot. She did not know what good waiting it out would do, but she figured it was worth doing anyway.