Disclaimer:- This is just a short three part story, that was all inspired by the 15minute challenge on Live Journal. Each part was written for a different challenge. Some of you may have read this on Live journal, but the title was the other way around. Don't own LXG, Germany or anything else. Enjoy;

Beast and Man

Chapter One: To Slay a Beast

It screamed.

The sound tore at his heart and soul, but his hand did not waver. Carefully he raised the Winchester rifle again and took aim. It was a bloody battle to the end and while, in his heart, Tom Sawyer pitied the beast in front of him, he would not let it maul either himself of any other human.

Blood trickled down his right arm, where the large wolf had clawed at him, creating a deep gash. Silently Tom offered a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening that the wound was only on his right arm and not his left, which held the rifle steady.

The grey wolf screamed again, the cry sounding more human than animal, a long, loud primal scream that stirred Tom's blood, bringing to mind half forgotten memories of times when he too had been in great fear and distress. He had made similar sounds of pain... yellow eyes stared at him, as the wolf lifted it's shaggy head to look at the American. Tom stared back, transfixed at the wounded creature as it whined, a low sound deep in it's throat, the yellow eyes seeming to stare mournfully at the human. Tom blinked slowly as the rifle was lowered by suddenly limp fingers, the weapon becoming heavy in his grasp. Part of him knew that this beast, already mad by whatever it had faced it the wild had already killed three humans and one had been an innocent infant. The gunshot wound it carried in it's leg would only serve to anger it further still and the best course of action was to put the wolf out of it's misery.

Yet still the barrow dipped. The look in the yellow eyes changed and suddenly became cold and cruel. The male beast threw its head upwards and howled loudly, sending a shiver down Tom's spine. It's claws dug into the soil under it's paws as it tensed before charging towards the Agent, the creature seeming to ignore the pain it must be feeling in it's leg as it ran towards Tom, snarling and snapping it's teeth. Only the years of training he had undergone saved Tom as his instincts snapped to attention and the rifle came flying back up to point directly at the animal's chest. It did not falter in it's crazed charge and Tom knew he had no choice. With a grunt, Tom pressed the trigger, firing a bullet deep into the wolf's body a mere second before the animal would have been upon him.

It's death howl made Tom shudder as he tried to sidestep the beast, realising to his horror that even as it's died, the force of it's movement carried it towards him. The right paw rammed into Tom's chest, the claws impaling the young man. He gasped in shock, his mouth dropping open.

And then the pain came. Oh, the pain. It shot through him in waves, first ice cold and then poker hot. He jerked slightly, his mouth dropping open in a silent scream. All the air had been stolen from his lungs along with his voice and for a split second his mouth twisted in a pain that was unable to be expressed in sound.

The beast crashed to the side, it's now limp claws retracting from Tom's body. He blinked heavily, still standing upright. The fingers grasping the Winchester slowly uncurled themselves, the whole hand becoming limp. The weapon rolled off Tom's hand and fell to the ground. Tom watched it fall, as if he was a distant spectator, as everything retreated from himself, even the all consuming pain.

The Winchester hit the ground and bounced slightly, rolling down the slight curve of the land. Tom Sawyer blinked again, watching with detached interest as the blood seeped through his crisp white shirt, slowly staining it with the dark red. As if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, Tom's hand crept up to the wound, his fingertips just touching the edge of the blood stain.

Then he was falling, falling to his knees as his strength gave out on him. He knew his knees had hit the ground long before he felt it. The jolting sensation sped up his legs from where his knees had impacted on the ground and he blinked, trying to rid himself of the hazy veil that covered his eyes. A long sigh escaped his mouth and he felt himself fall forward, air brushing past his face as his body fell.

Weird... I didn't think being stabbed would make me feel fuzzy...

Tom hit the ground face first, the ground feeling cold against his skin. He gasped as the wound connected to the ground, the presser taking him by surprise. The pain came back in full force and he screamed, his mouth becoming full of loose soil. Gagging he pushed, his arms trembling as he tried to move. Tom only succeed in rolling over on his back and he stared up at the sky, twitching in pain.

He could feel wet blood under his back and he wondered at the large amount that already seemed to have seeped out of his body. With a sicking feeling he realised that the League didn't know where he was... nobody was coming to save him.

To Be Continued...

There you have it, part two will be posted soon.

The word was; Painful