This was repeated six times in quick, brutal succession.  Before I could even be certain of the cause, seven of the prisoners were down, broken and writhing in agony, barely twenty feet from the forest.  The black mane blurred again and Kenji was back with The Wizard.
    Only now, he was covered with blood.
    The remaining three prisoners had finally noticed something amiss.  They heard the screams of their companions and stopped, confused.  Seeing them lying, broken and moaning on the ground, their eyes widened and they tried to hurry to the forest.
    “Now, Sensei?” Kenji asked through bloodied lips.  He was not even winded.
    The Wizard paused, then yawned. “You know, Kenji . . .”
    Kenji smiled and shook his head, “Yes, yes, I know.  You are ‘a little tired tonight’.”
    The Wizard smiled a small smile, “Well, I am not as young as I used to be, you know.”
Kenji sighed, smiling and was gone again.
    Again.  Again.  Again.
    Three more splashes of blood and it was over.  All ten prisoners lay broken and dying in rapidly expanding pools of their own blood and Kenji was back at The Wizard’s side.
    “Thank you, Kenji,” he said. “The Hunt is not as easy for me as it once was.”
    “Nonsense,” he laughed. “You could take down twice that many in half the time.”
    “Perhaps,” The Wizard smiled and they walked towards their fallen quarry together like they were walking through the town square. “But it is so entertaining watching you do it.  Besides, you need the exercise.”
    As the pair reached the dying men, I watched, horrified, then shut my eyes tight to try and shut out what I was seeing.  Then covered my ears to shut out what I was hearing.  Even so, I feared the horrible sights and sounds--
    slurping, sucking, gurgling growls
    spurting, splashing gouts of blood
    agonized screams turning to death rattles
    black claws and white fangs rending flesh
    --of the two men(?) . . . FEEDING . . . would be with me to my dying day . . .