The eruption of fire and noise ripped through the night even before the mutated beasts loped their way into the firelight.  Howls of pain and anger echoed through the dark shortly afterwards, but none of the twisted things chose to flee.  Of course, the expectation of such things to do so should have been minimal, given how they were already ignoring a standard animal's fear of fire.  Fur smouldered, and flesh sizzled in the aftermath, even as a bolt of brilliantly blue light lept out and smashed into the side of the bitch leading the trio.<br/><br/>As soon as it had all begun, the burro, panicked already from the scent of the unnatural that clung to the attackers, and now singed with tiny fragments of the leftover explosion, startled even further by the noise, bolted into the night with a terror-filled braying that echoed across the heath.<br/><br/>The tumbling appearance of Aaric served to sufficiently blunt the charge of the wolves, interfering with their obviously well planned harrying tactics of those who would cause them pain.  While his blades did not yet land the stinging blows that they surely could, they were enough to hem in the three, and force them to concentrate on his form rather than the less protected shapes of the spellcaster and alchemist.<br/><br/>Without pause, the three wolves circled their new prey, foaming jowls snapping, flecked spittle spattering against Aaric's leathers, leaving the impression of hissing, even if there wasn't any.  It was this circling that allowed the smallest of the three, the flayed monstrosity, to sink his teeth into the haunch of the thief, biting down hard, and shaking slightly.  thanks largely to Aaric's incredible reflexes, he was not pulled down to be savaged, but maintained his footing, at least for now.  the same could not be said of the integrity of his skin.  Blood not of the beast's body now joined the pink tinted froth at its lips, and it chewed at the small strips it had managed to rip free.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Aiden and Emerald - Damages applied.<br/>Aaric - take 4 damage, trip attempt failed<br/></div></div>