Entry 5

I fled in horror from the billowing curtains and chased patches of scorched earth to our doorstep. With a mixture of relief and concern I found that Dianne was gone - hopefully in town - and our home appeared undisturbed. I gathered a few items before heading back out to follow the tracks further. I took dusts and dried leaves to sharpen my senses, a dousing measure, and a cask of aged pitch that would aid in my spells to hinder the Hound if I was unfortunate enough to find it.

I rushed outside to coax water from the well, the pump bearing what weight my shaking legs were not sufficient to support. It was there that I first heard it – a distant howl that began as a low rumble and grew in volume until the clouds themselves seemed to tear. My mentor was on the hunt, but it was not until I ran to the kitchen that my composure was truly shattered. I reached into the cupboard to find that the bread, which had been palatable the night before, was hard, shrunken, and ridden with weevils. Days, perhaps a week had passed! Dianne….