Right at this moment is when she chose to strike. The woman leapt in front of him, a log that he had only just placed on the edge of the fire in her hand. She waved the fire stick from side to side, yelling at the wolf in her native tongue in an agitated manner. The man could see her arms and legs trembling, her wrists struggling to hold the wood outstretched in a mimicry of a sword stance. She was obviously terrified, and he was confused as to what she was doing. Objectively, she had not needed to get in between them, she could have run off and saved herself while he remained behind as bait. She also could have taken his sword and used that to defend herself while he was there. But regardless, he could not help but get that tingling feeling again as he saw her glance back at him before turning her attention back to the creature, her eyes filled with both fear and something else- an emotion he could not catalogue. 

Despite her trembling she maintained her position in between the beast and him, her shaking limbs displaying her obvious terror. He had no clue what her plan was, and he was starting to think that she had none either. The beast seemed to sense her fear, his confidence growing as he easily dodged the fire being swung at him and slowly stalking to the side. Watching the beast’s gaze, he realized that the monster was slowly making its way towards him, seeking out what appeared to be the easier target of the two. He struggled to his feet, the wound on his side no longer aching as bad- most likely thanks to those large leaves she had brought for him earlier. The man then refocused on the wolf-like being and simply thought, “Appraise.” What he read matched basically what he had figured from his original analysis of the creature.

Object: Slack Jawed Wolf (Poison Type)

Characteristics: A wolf imbued with poison often found in the Mystic Woods. Its jaw is able to unhinge to give it a wider biting ability, and its slobber and claws are filled with a potent poison. While the poison is highly fatal when untreated within several hours it is survivable if properly treated. 

Rarity: Common

The wolf had now made it halfway around the girl and was within leaping distance based on the length of its legs and the way its rear was lining up with him. He carefully drew his sword and prepared to face off against the beast. He knew that as long as he was not poisoned he would be likely to best the beast. He held his sword at the ready and prepared to dodge and then strike its open underside when it was close enough. Yet, as he went to shift his footing to dodge the creature, his foot suddenly twisted beneath him, caught on what appeared to be some sort of malicious vine attached to a wood chunk she had gathered earlier. It was actively wrapping around him and tripping him, and as he moved to slice it off of his foot, he realized that he had another threat that needed his focus. Turning back he saw that the wolf was crouching down now, preparing to launch at him now that he had been distracted by the vine.