Hoof it back to town

From Create Your Own Story

No time to lose! Gotta get back to town before dark!

You put out your lamp (but bring it with), and exit the castle. You start down the path at a steady jog. You're racing the sun, and you know it. The downhill nature of your journey helps, too. Unfortunately, you can't keep that pace up the whole way. You're starting to gasp for breath, and you slow to a walk. It's getting dark, and the forest seems somehow wilder. You can't tell how far you've gone.

When you've caught your breath, you run again, but soon it's gotten too dark for that. Fortunately, the full moon gives enough light to make out the trail. That doesn't reassure you at all. Neither does that howl. You try to tell yourself that it's just a wild animal, but you can feel panic rising. What if it's not just an animal? Another howl, and this one's closer. Whatever it is, you're getting out of here. You flee down the trail toward the town, but you trip over something and fall. The fall stuns you for a second, and you lie there, just breathing. Something moves through the brush. You can't tell if it's getting closer to you or not. You fumble for your lamp.

You're shaking so much it takes you three tries to light it. When finally it flares to life, you almost wish you hadn't. Two huge, yellow eyes stare at you from a dark patch in the forest. They step out from the brush, and you get a full view of the creature. It stands on two furry legs, and has a snout baring the sharpest teeth you've ever seen. Werewolves too? you think, despairing. You run, but you're not fast enough.

You have died.