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Neal tapped his fingers lazily on a gnarled tree trunk as he awaited his students. He did not blame them for lateness, though punctuality was useful. He himself was useless at getting places on time, because he tended to start off well, then not want to be the first person to arrive. In addition, the forest was dark and treacherous, Neal was used to it and could navigate its twists and turns with ease, but he would bet a lot of money that the students had avoided this place. It certainly looked very foreboding, with trees so ancient they were bent over and competed with their fellows to block out light. The trees were marked with generations of claws and pack fights. It was part of the reason why Neal had picked this particular area.
The trees threw patterns of light on the leaf-littered floor, and Neal followed them carefully with his eyes, and the distraction meant that he did not hear the rustling of bushes and soft growls until they were nearly upon him. Sparing a glance to check for any unnoticed students, he realised a few had arrived, but shrugged and continued prowling. This wasn't Taming class, where you had to make sure you didn't hurt your 'project' too badly. These students ought to at least realise what kind of class this was going to be. He dropped into a half-crouch, and began to circle the clearing. He didn't bother to get out his wand. If this predator was half-decent, things would happen much too fast for him to think of a spell. He pinpointed the position of his 'prey', and began edging towards a thick, prickly bush. The growling intensified, and with a roar, a huge furry something shot out of the shrub.
The animal leapt and slammed full on into the werewolf. Neal snarled animalistically, fixed a strong hand around the creature's throat and threw it away from him. Before the beast could recover, Neal sprang after it, and hauled it up by the scruff. The animal snarled and thrashed, but a growl from deep in Neal's throat stilled it for now. The wolf was not stupid, it recognised an alpha when it saw one. Neal smiled brightly and shook the animal slightly as he addressed his class. "This," he said, indicating the beast, "is a Dire Wolf. This particular specimen is most likely a scout for the pack that lives nearby. They are frankly an awful nuisance, their howling keeps the entire prison awake at night now that they have moved from their summer den further away. It has been requested that we drive them away. The pack will arrive soon, but until then, how about a practice round?"
Neal's smile intensified. He was sure some would be squeamish, so he added, "I asure you, if this wolf is not dead within five minutes, the rest of its life will be far more painful." Neal tossed the wolf down into the leaf litter, where it lay for a minute, before bounding towards the nearest inmate. "Careful," Neal winked.
"They're very quick."
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