Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer or the Games Workshop products and I am not gaining any financial benefits from writing this story.

Hello everyone, just launching my newest project. This one was originally supposed to be part of a collection of short stories, but it is already larger than I would have liked so I have decided to do it as a stand-alone story instead.

A-A-A

IC.

The young girl ran into the clearing, little legs pumping madly and her breath coming in short, sharp gasps that froze in the cold night air. She froze fearfully upon breaking cover, noting with relief that the clearing was empty. The twin moons shone brightly, bathing the open area in in pale light. The little figure looked around nervously, listening to the faint rustling of creatures in the undergrowth, the faint hooting of an owl as it took flight. Everything outside the clearing into was encased in pitch blackness, not a single shape visible beneath the top of the canopy.

Not wishing to tarry here for long the girl began searching frantically, heaving a sigh of relief when her gaze fell upon a bundle of red cloth lying at the opposite end of the clearing. She ran forward to snatch up the little bundle. Freya would scold her terribly for stealing away from the group at this hour but it would all be worth it now that she knew that her little friend was safe tonight.

Suddenly a hooded shape darted out from between two bushes, loping lightly up the little figure. The child turned to look up into the dark face of the approaching figure.

The shrill scream rang out through the forests, scattering birds from their roosts and sending small animals running for cover, screeching in alarm. Then all was still and the curtain silence fell as abruptly as it had been lifted, the birds returning to roost and the animals creeping out of their bolt-holes to resume foraging.

Freya spun on her heel in alarm, dark frightened eyes roaming over the dark body of the woodland behind her. The two younger girls behind her came to a halt and with a jolt of horror she realised that one of them was missing.

"Where is Katherine?"

The elder of the girls looked up nervously, "oh, she went back to fetch her doll, said she had left it in the clearing. She said she'd catch us up."

"WHAT!" Freya seized the ringleader by the collar and pulled her closer, "how dare you let her go like off like that! Do you have any idea what could be out there?"

"I told her not to go Freya," the girl was close to tears, "but she wanted to get her doll, she knew you wouldn't let her go. I tried to stop her, she wouldn't listen!"

Freya slapped her hard across the cheek. "Don't give me that! You should have told me you stupid child! If anything has happened to her your mother will never forgive you!"

Although only twelve Freya was reckoned quite mature, certainly mature enough to look after the villages' younger children when they left to play in the forest, and she knew that ultimately the responsibility for anything that happened would be hers alone to bear. Seizing both children by the arms she began to run hard for the village, now only a mile distant.

"For your sakes we had better pray to Ulric that no harm has come to her."

A-A-A

"This way lads!" Gordo Leichbart led the way through the trees, two more men at his heals. Grunting with the effort the huntsman pulled back on the lead of Borgo, bringing the black mastiff to heal. The big dog waited for his master to step over the rotting stump of a long dead tree before setting off again, nose to the ground as he continued to follow the scent.

Leichbart gripped his hunting spear tightly, holding the long weapon poised to thrust should any threat present appear from the shadows. It had been less than an hour since the three girls had come running into the village in a panic, screaming that Katherine had been snatched away by the fay folk. Within mere moments the village had been roused into action.

Eighteen men had armed themselves and had set out with their dogs for the clearing that lay north-east of the village. Coming upon the clearing they had found it empty but a search of the surrounding area had located Katherine's little red-hooded doll, lying where it had been dropped in the branches of a low-lying gorse bush. Borgo seemed to go crazy upon sniffing the doll and had immediately made off through the trees, heading further north and dragging his master after him.

Now the men had spread out into groups of two and three on either side of him, all searching for signs of the missing child. In this way they would cover ground more quickly, essential if they were to find the girl before midnight. For with each passing hour the odds of finding the young girl alive diminished, the harsh winter weather would see to that.

Suddenly shouting broke out to his left.

"Gordo, over here!"

Pulling hard at the mastiff's lead the big huntsman pushed on to the left. The sound of flowing water reached his ears and he realised that they must have reached the river. That was cause for hope, children were taught not go beyond the river and if the girl had simply taken fright and run then she would surely have halted here.

Gordo felt his hopes evaporate when he broke through the last screen of bushes into the open area of the riverbank. Two men stood on the bank, their expressions grim. Without a word one man pointed downwards.

There on the river bank lay a single tiny shoe, identical to the ones given to the village children.

Beside it was the imprint of what looked like a clawed human foot.

TBC.