Miles never really got used to the feeling of transport via the rifts. It had always made him feel pretty queasy. So when he appeared on the side of a mountain in Requiem, he dropped to his knees, hit first by nausea and then by the cold.
After he regained himself, he began trudging down the mountain. In his typical blue jeans and chambray ensemble, Miles wished he had packed a serape to keep himself warm. Still, the jeans and long-sleeve shirt provided at least some protection, and he was thankful for that.
He was moving for a bit, every so often catching voices on the wind ( Is there a girl screeching down there? he wondered). He seemed to be catching up when he heard an entirely different sound: a metallic shriek, bestial in tone. And again, a human shriek.
Is she being hunted? he wondered. That certainly won't do. He picked up his pace until he overlooked the mouth of the cave. From his vantage point, he could not see the drider mere feet below him, attached to the cliff face.
What he could see, however, was a woman on the ground, and some mechanical wolf bearing down on her. The wolf was maybe 100 yards from him, and moving away. He drew his right pistol in a flash and released two shots, nearly in unison, both directly on target, despite the gun's considerable recoil.
Even if the .50 caliber bullets didn't kill the beast, he hoped they'd at least distract it so the woman could put some more distance between her and her hunter.