You've no idea the nightmares that lurked behind the shadows casted by the tall, ever growing trees and their bark, though you knew you weren't alone in that ignorance.

The Stranger–you'd so cleverly dubbed–was possibly the only friendly face you'd met thus far, aside from The Trader–very creative–that is.

Though neither of them spoke much–if at all–and The Trader wrote on himself with coal to communicate, so what could you do?

Of course, you'd awoken to The Stranger already gone, though The Trader was there.

You'd parted ways, heading out on your own to find anything that could possibly prove useful.

After a while you'd spotted–much to your surprise, and slight delight–the familiar sight of smoke dancing above the tree tops.

A good few minutes worth of walking led you to come across a camp, in a small clearing, with a lone figure standing in it.

"Even from afar I can smell your putrid stench...be glad I don't have an appetite for carcasses, Meat."

You'd taken a step around to speak with the figure face to face–though he moved to hide his own away from view, underneath the hood of his coat.

He smelt of wet soil and fur.

"I know what your little friend is after, Meat. I can help him...maybe even you, if you help me attend to a certain matter first. What do you say, comrade?"

He leaned towards you, small giggles escaping from beneath his hood, his Kalashnikov slung lazily over his shoulder.

He didn't even wait for a confirmation before he continued, "I knew it would interest you! Before we make a deal, you need to prove that you can do the job...I've no time for weaklings, follow? Get through to the Silent Forest."

He snatched your map into his strong grasp, before he scribbled on it, shoving it back into your hands after a moment, "You'll find me here when you get there...remember it."

He huffed, his hot breath fogging from his snout, that wide, wide smile that revealed rows of razor sharp, yellow teeth, ever present.

"The likes of you always come crawling back to me..."