Finna froze as she locked eyes with whatever it was, ahead in the gloom.  It looked big.  A dog?  A wolf?  As a shepherdess her job was to scare predators away, but coming face to face with one in the dark was still frightening.<br/><br/>"Raagh!" she yelled a vague and primal threat at the beast.  But instead of slinking off it just hissed louder.<br/><br/>The adrenaline was flowing through her, just like it had when she'd chased away the bear.  It felt terrifying and exciting at the same time.  Quickly she lay her crook down on the path, slipped a stone into her sling, and set it whirring.  In the quiet darkness her weapon hummed with a reassuringly menacing volume.  "Raagh!" she yelled again, trying to scare it off.  "Raaagh!"