-Black Wolf POV-
The wolf drifted in and out of consciousness. Fiery pain burned across his leg, searing trails across his body. He could push past it, but-
There was no point. He was going to die. A horrible emptiness gnawed on his chest, and he closed his eyes, letting himself sink into the darkness. He was prepared to return home, but-
A blurry light slowly came into focus, forming into the shape of a window.
[White Bunny: I'll lead the eagle away. Be ready.]
Pack. He remembered. Why he was here, who had hurt him, who could still survive. He moved his paw weakly, trying to push himself up-
Your pack is dead, the shadows whispered back, cloyingly sweet. Singed fur, bloodied corpses. Just close your eyes, and you can go back to-
No. He staggered to his feet. The world was fuzzy, and not with warm colors. The bond tugged on his heart again. He couldn't let someone die again.
A shadow flew over him, and he looked up. The eagle soared through the sky, talons glinting like sharp blades under the dappled light. Swords arching through the air, light extinguished by blood-
The wolf forced the memories to the edges of his vision. He was no use like this, barely able to see in a straight line. He was dead weight; he was dead in five hours, too.
Be ready, she had told him, but he didn't know why. She should've just left him to the hunter. He was only slowing her down, so why-
Then again, she was long gone, wasn't she? His throat tightened, a familiar bitterness twisting in his stomach. He pushed it away. Be ready, he reminded himself. She had told him, and he would figure out how.
The wolf limped forward. The arrow hindered his movements, and he twisted around, biting down to pull it out. Dread washed over him at the prospect of facing that blinding pain again. He'd lose a lot of blood if he ripped the arrow out. Maybe it'd better just to...
Crack. The wolf glanced over. A huge branch crashed to the forest floor, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. Through the billowing dust, he could make out the faint outline of the bunny.
The eagle flew behind her. An ordinary bird would've been forced to maneuver through the branches, but the eagle- he soared lazily through the trees, bringing down entire trees with his invincible wings. The eagle's talons glinted when they caught the light, talons that matched the wounds he had found on her back-
The wolf spat the arrow into the dirt, the wood leaving a sour taste in his mouth. He had to get moving.
The eagle didn't even need to attack her himself. He wreaked impossible amounts of damage with [Wingblade], driving her towards the hunter.
It wasn't a coincidence that the eagle appeared the moment the hunter lost sight of them, the wolf thought. The two were partners.
The wolf moved faster, weaving between trees. Already, the nauseating scent of his blood was thickening in the air. He knew from- running blindly, the world crashing down around him- past experience that the blood loss wouldn't hit him yet.
The wolf wasn't any good at keeping his scent hidden or moving quietly, but staying out of sight- as long as the eagle and the hunter didn't notice him, his black coat could remain unseen.
But once they did… his chest tightened. Attack the hunter, and the eagle might kill the bunny before he could do anything. But attack the eagle, and the hunter might kill him before he could escape.
The hunter shot blindly at the bunny through the dust. None of the arrows landed- the wolf hoped, at least, his heart skipping a beat every time the arrow disappeared into the dust- but the arrows forced the bunny to dodge, slwoing her down. Trees toppled down behind the bunny, each closer to crushing her beneath.
The bunny sprinted straight through a thorn bush, tearing her wounds open in the process. The scent of blood filled the air. She kept running, desperately scrambling across the ground, but her strides grew shorter and shorter.
The eagle's eyes glinted with malice, knowing his hunt was about to come to an end. The eagle dove towards the bunny,accelerating through the air twice as fast as before-
She wasn't going to make it.
The wolf broke out into a full sprint, abandoning any thoughts of stealth. He ran faster than he'd run from the hunter, faster than he'd ever run before. Please please please-
The eagle tore through the air like an arrow, only this one would not miss. The wolf leaped into the air, begging the skies, the spirits, even the damned [System].
Just this once, please-
The eagle's talons stretched out for her neck.
[Lvl 19 [Jaws of Death] has been activated!]
The first thing he felt was a terrible flood of relief. Then, the pain.
Stolen novel; please report.
His teeth did not sink right through the eagle's wing. His teeth didn't slide off, either- instead, his teeth caught on the eagle's feathers, the horrible things cutting into his tongue.
[Black Wolf: Run!]
The eagle screeched, fighting to get loose. He bit down harder, forcibly dragging the eagle away from the bunny. His mouth tasted like copper, but it didn't matter.
As long as he didn't let go, the bunny would be safe.
The eagle rakes his talons across his neck. Pain erupted along his spine, but he forced himself to hang on. His vision disappeared into a wash of crimson.
The next arrow found its mark with a dull thunk, sinking through his chest and hitting bone. Dizzying waves of shadows swam before him. Blood spilled out of his mouth from between his teeth, and he fought of the urge to gag.
[Black Wolf: Don't... wait. Run.]
With the last of his strength, he shoved the eagle into the earth, pinning the creature beneath the weight of his body. The horrible feathers pierced through his coat, cutting bloodied patterns into his flesh.
The darkness reached for him again. This time, he fought against it, knowing he could not afford to fall unconscious. He had to buy her as much time as possible. His senses slowly dimmed, until he could barely notice the eagle struggling beneath him anymore. His eyes fell closed.
He hoped that she was already long gone, that the taste of his blood was faint on the wind.
━━━━━━━ ● ━━━━━━━
-White Bunny POV-
The bunny stood frozen. [Fear Paralysis] hadn't applied, yet she could feel the terror clawing at her throat, constricting her breaths.
Be ready, she had told him. She had led the eagle away, expecting to lose the creature in the trees- but of course, the creature was fucking invincible, bringing down the entire forest with his wings.
She ran faster. It was the only thing she could do. The [System] laughed at her, crooning and taunting, but-
It was fine. Her plan could still work, she just- had to run a little faster. Once the wolf killed the hunter, she would lead the eagle to him, and they would be fine.
But determination could only carry her so far. Her legs had trembled more with every root she leaped over, every arrow she dodged. The eagle had dived towards her again, and-
[System: I guess this is goodbye, little bunny!]
The [System] had sung gleefully, putting the window right in front of her to ensure her death-
Run, the wolf shouted to her, attacking the eagle instead. He fought the creature to the ground, and an arrow found its mark in his chest.
The scent of blood grew stronger, drowning out everything in her vicinity. The hunter was only a few trees away, and she could see the creature drawing back another deadly-tip-branch.
[Conditions have been met! [Time of Death] is now available. Activate?]
The wolf was as good as dead. His injuries, the quest. He had saved her- why, why, why- but she couldn't save him. It wasn't worth the risk.
[System: Aw. He's quite noble, isn't he? Certainly too noble for the beastly form he'll die in.]
The [System] crooned, talking of what they had no right to speak of. Her entire body trembled with hate, more than she'd felt against any eagle or predator she met before. But the [System] didn't matter, not any more than the wolf.
She would survive on her own. She always had. But she just-
She-
(She really, really didn't want to leave someone behind again.)
[Lvl 1 [Time of Death] has been activated!]
[Time Remaining: 0:29]
She inhaled, feeling her lungs expand with cool air, new energy flooding her veins. The deadly-tip-branch whistled through the trees, aimed towards the wolf's heart, and she sprinted forward to meet it.
[[Sixth Sense] has been enhanced by [Time of Death]!]
She leapt off the [Tutorial Quest] screen. The deadly-tip-branch neared her face, and she caught it deftly between her teeth. She landed on the [Time Remaining] screen, then leaped onto the [Tutorial Quest] screen again, utilizing both windows to move faster.
The hunter drew the next deadly-tip-branch. She saw the change in his expression- a tightening at his brow, a narrowing of his eyes- and read movement from the minute flickers across his face.
[Time Remaining: 0:24]
She ran straight at the deadly-tip-branch at full speed, unafraid of the certain death promised by the cruel tip. The forest air seemed to turn colder against her fur.
Throat, right side.
At the last moment, she leaped slightly to the left. The deadly-tip-branch whistled past her body, grazing close enough to send wisps of fur flying into the air, but not close enough to draw blood. She landed neatly on the next platform, and she kept running.
[Time Remaining: 0:22]
She wove between the torrent of arrows. She could anticipate where the deadly-tip-branch was fly, just by the twitch of his index finger and darting of his pupil.
It was almost unfair how easy it was, but she would seize any opportunity she had. The wolf bled out behind her, and she sprinted through the attacks with hurt and fury and rage.
[Time Remaining: 0:16]
Her paws barely grazed the [Time Remaining] screen before she leapt off again. This time, she would make sure that time was enough. Her leaps grew longer and longer as her mind recalculated how to move optimally through the air.
[System: Oh, just look at you go.]
The [System] murmured, voice sickeningly sweet. She would kill it one day, she swore it-
[Time Remaining: 0:12]
The hunter paled as she grew closer. He yelled promises to stop that she ignored, starting to back away.
No. Her eyes blazed with fury. She sprinted even faster, until she was moving nearly twice as fast as she did on the ground. She ducked under branches and tore through leaves, furiously calculating the fastest possible route.
He didn't get to run away.
[Time Remaining: 0:10]
The hunter fired another arrow towards her, so far left she didn't even have to dodge. He slung his crescent-shaped weapon across his back, turning away and breaking into a full run.
[Time Remaining: 0:08]
It was a fool's mistake. She crossed the remaining distance in a single leap, movements perfectly calculated so she would have the maximum possible momentum.
She had no claws and no fangs, nothing but the deadly-tip-branch clamped between her teeth-
[Time Remaining: 0:07]
But it was enough, she thought viciously, driving the deadly-tip-branch into the side of his neck.
The hunter fell with a cry of pain, dropping the weapon in his hand. She wasn't foolish enough to think that one blow was enough. More than that, she wasn't strong enough to be able to afford to let him get up again.
[Time Remaining: 0:05]
She ripped the deadly-tip-branch from his neck, shoving it in again, this time closer to his throat. His throat gurgled as he choked on his own blood, limbs flailing wildly as he struggled for air.
She had none of the deadly grace of a predator. Her attacks barely sunk an inch into his skin, carving a bloody mess but not doing enough damage.
[Time Remaining: 0:04]
She drove the arrow into his face again. His left eye, this time, and he screamed, the kind of sound that would make even coyotes skittish enough to stay away.
[System: And when I thought you couldn't impress me anymore…]
It was a horrible, messy affair. She was scarcely breathing. Blood sprayed in her face, drenching her fur. She stabbed him again and again, going for every vital, every possible way to kill.
It was a good thing, then, that she had seen so many creatures die.