How? How did he cover the distance so quickly? I suppose that I should have known better. Sure, he may be big, but he doesn't come off as overly bulky or clumsy. Maybe it was just foolishness or dumb hope that convinced me that I would have had the speed advantage. Either way, it hardly matters now.

I'm amazed that I'm still alive. For whatever reason, the wolf decided to inflict non-lethal damage which, as we all know, is incapable of killing, even by accident. Still, I suspect that I won't be alive for long. I'm sorry, Master. I guess that, in the end, I was too weak after all.

I look up, barely conscious, only to see the alpha wolf pad away, walking towards the remainder of his pack. "Aren't you going to finish her off?" the feminine wolf who had spoken up earlier asks him.

"Why bother? I'd feel weird eating dog meat. I got to have a little bit of fun. I figure she's earned her life in exchange."

Fun? Is that all that my efforts amounted to? It's bad enough that I couldn't win, but I didn't even put up a proper fight? That I wasn't even a worthy foe? That my desperate efforts and ambitions amounted to nothing more than a game for this wolf?

I shakily rise to my feet, panting heavily, my sword feeling particularly heavy in my jaws. My vision is blurred and I feel like I could collapse at any moment. Still, I make my best effort to a growl through my gritted fangs, the leather bound handle of the weapon slick with my blood. My opponent casts an apathetic glance over their shoulder, clearly unimpressed. "Get lost. These woods are a place for survivors, not pampered pets."

I rush towards him to attack, or at least I intend to. My weakened legs have other ideas, however, and I instead collapse after only two paces. I close my eyes, hearing more slowly fading canine laughter as the pack withdraws. I have no doubt that they'll return to finish me off if I keep advancing deeper into their territory, but even if I wanted to, I can barely move. It takes a few minutes to even regain the energy needed to use Lay on Paws, and even after using it twice, I still feel both sore and exhausted.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I want nothing more than to finish this fight, but if I'm going to do it, I need to do it right. I'll need to become much, much stronger. I pick up the scent of humans not so far away. It must be another village, naturally in the opposite direction of the wolf territory. I was planning to avoid human settlements and continue forward, but I need a safe place to rest, recover and plan. Even if I wanted to, trying to circumnavigate the pack territory isn't an option. I'd lose my scent trail, and might never be able to find it again. Sneaking through? Even less of an option. Even putting aside how dishonorable that it would be, there are too many eyes, and too strong noses. I'd never make it through undetected, as I have a sneaking suspicion that their territory is quite large.

The only option that remains is to challenge the alpha again. He made a mistake, both in challenging me one on one, and dismissing me as not worth killing. A mistake that I vow that he'll pay for.

The village is larger than my home town, but still rather rustic and low population, built along a river. There are no shortage of floating exclamation marks, not to mention people wandering beneath them, but I had no intention of stopping here, anyways. Quests don't give an abundance of experience points, at least not compared to fighting, and most physical rewards are, for obvious reasons, designed to aid humans, not dogs. There will be plenty of time to help people after I find my master. For now, however? Now I need to get as strong as I can, as quickly as possible.

---

Wolfess1: "I still don't really approve of the whole 'alpha' thing. It's just so... basic."

Wolfess2: "Oh, maybe we should try a sort of toxic masculinity analogy? It would fit great with the name, and give him a little more dimension as a villain!"

AbyssalWood Alpha: "What? No, you're over-complicating things! There's nothing wrong with a simple opponent that acts as a sort of wall for the character. Adding a lot of extra unnecessary detail will just slow things down."

Wolfess1: "Ugh, he's always like this, isn't he? Completely dismissive of our suggestions."

Wolfess2: "Yeah, he's being downright chauvinistic, in fact. Maybe my idea hit a little too close to home."

AbyssalWood Alpha: ...