The Warden ran. A warning siren blared behind him as he vaulted over logs and ducked low hanging branches, heading deeper into the darkening woods. He flicked a switch on his belt and felt the personal field generator powering up. He hoped he wouldn’t need it, from what he knew about the creatures who guarded the interior of the forest, if he let it get close enough to rely on the PFG, he wouldn’t be alive for long. He slid down a hill and corrected his trajectory, following the intercept course the warning system had provided.

Something had escaped, and the Warden was all that stood between it and the villages on the outskirts of the Forest. He reached a clearing and heard thunderous crashing coming through the woods in front of him. The Warden readied his weapon and waited.