"He's taken another one of mine! How could he?"

Farmer Jim was on his knees, sobbing as he beat against the hard ground surface with his hands. Any attempts made by Houren to appease the man had failed miserably, and as such, he had decided to just let the old farmer rant until he decided that enough was enough. The wolf had taken sheep from pretty much every farmer's flock, and Jim was no exception. It was sad, but the wolf and her family had to eat too, right? That was the stance that Houren took on this subject; as long as the wolf didn't kill every single sheep that Jim owned, what was one or two sheep? Of course, the sheep that ended up losing their lives would definitely complain about being unlucky, but that was life, wasn't it? Houren had not intended to do anything, and was just going to keep quiet, that is, until Farmer Jim offered him some money to kill the wolf. At that point, he just had to get involved. He found it quite strange though, that the market price for tilling the fields or crating cabbage was the same as risking your life against a vicious wolf with a record of being a man eater.

"I think I have an idea to lure the wolf out. If we go by the pattern, he'll be coming for your flock tonight, won't he? I'll hide among your sheep and jump him. Don't worry, I won't let him harm any more of your animals," Houren spoke in a reassuring tone, but it did not seem to cheer Farmer Jim at all. He seemed to be still mourning the sheep that he had lost only a few nights prior. It warmed his heart somewhat, that the Farmer Jim saw his sheep as more than just simple commodities. If he had 100 and lost one, he didn't think to himself that he still had 99, it was still worth mourning the one that he lost. That was the proper way to do it, it was the mark of a good farmer when he treated his livestock like his own children. Although he was busy crying, the farmer seemed to hear and acknowledge Houren's plan and nodded before heading back into his farmhouse. Meanwhile, Houren stood around, petted some of the sheep and basically just killed time until the sun began to wane slightly in the sky. Wolves didn't come out until late at night after all, so there was no threat of him being attacked while the sun was still out.

Once it was appropriate, Houren jumped into the sea of sheep and waited for the wolf to make his appearance. Farmer Jim would definitely be distraught if he ended up timing his rescue too late, so he had to be early, early enough so that the wolf wouldn't be able to get its bloodthirsty jaws on another sheep, but not so early that the wolf would be able to escape. Perhaps he could have suggested to Farmer Jim to get a sheep dog? That definitely would have been the best alternative; the wolf needn't die, the sheep would be safe and the sheep dog would have a good home and job. Houren genuinely considered going to Farmer Jim's farmhouse, knocking on the door and making the suggestion, but decided not to do so because there was absolutely no guarantee that the wolf would not strike while Houren was gone. With all that considered, it was too late, too late for Houren to do anything, and by the time the sun rose tonight, blood will have been spilled. The only thing Houren could do now was make sure that the blood spilled was the wolf's, and not the sheep that belonged to his employer.

A howl in the night.

That was definitely the cue for the wolf to attack. At that moment, the Fairy Tail mage could only commend Farmer Jim for living in a place like this and having to deal with that howl every single night. It was definitely scary, not enough to send shivers down Houren's spine but that was because he was a warrior who has seen his fair share of fights. The wolf was quite fast, but not as silent or stealthy as he wished he could have been, as the rustling of dead leaves beneath the wolf's claws could be clearly heard by Houren. His attempt to bury his teeth into one of the sheep's unsuspecting necks was stopped by the Fairy Tail mage though as he immediately made himself known, throwing his body in between the defenseless sheep and the bloodthirsty wolf who snarled at him as though to ask him to move aside. Clearly, it knew that it would not be able to fight Houren without sustaining damage, but as a simple animal, was incapable of coming up with some sort of compromise. It snarled again, and when Houren shook his head and refused to move, the wolf attacked but the Fairy Tail mage was already prepared. The beast was fast, but it lacked strength; Houren knew that if he could keep himself away from its jaws, then winning this fight wouldn't be too difficult.

The wolf's jaws could extend more than Houren had anticipated and he was forced to grab the beast's mouth in order to prevent it from chomping down on his head. Using his long elbow as a sort of wedge, Houren grabbed the wolf's tongue with his other hand and yanked it until it came out completely. This attack alone made the wolf want to retreat and it turned its back away, but the mage grabbed it by its tail and pulled it closer to him. A flint that he had spent some time sharpening went into the creature's throat and after one final yelp, it stopped moving. Houren dragged the fallen beast all the way back to the farmer's house and presented the corpse to him. Farmer Jim's features lit up, as he handed his livestock's avenger his money.

"When this beast tore my poor sheep's heart out, I promised to make myself a fine little coat outta this monster's skin. Farmer Jim always comes good on his promises, oh yes..." he pulled the wolf's corpse close to him as he shut the door, cackling while he did so.

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