He could sense weakness like a shark smells blood. The creature stood with hackles raised, odd-eyed gaze locked on the wolf who lay haplessly before him. He had been waiting for close to an hour now, tucked safely away in a small stone inlet. Just as he had begun to think perhaps his efforts were all for naught, he had come climbing clumsily up the slope and dropped to his belly a few meters away.

Devlin grinned, his teeth glistening in the dull winter light, his breath streaming from his curled lips in steady puffs. His tail was low and relaxed, displaying his open neutrality. He stepped from the shadows of his hiding place, his broad head lowered and his teeth bared in a cheshire grin.

Devlins slithered, his wiry body crossing easily over the rocky upward slope to where the stranger lay. He moved quickly and with purpose, entirely unafraid of the consequences. He feared the teeth of no wolf.

"My, my," he breathed, drawing near enough to the stranger to be within earshot. "Now that's a lonely soul if ever I saw one. Come, brother, what troubles you?" His words came bubbling like sweet bile from his throat, his voice dark and deep. There was a light of amusement and intrigue in his eyes as he watched the stranger carefully, waiting to see how the wolf would react.

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D E V L ! N