The forest shook from the sheer weight and power of the wolf's paw slamming onto the ground as it lunged at the two boys. Mark grabbed the boy by his collar without thinking, yanking him out of the way of the beast. The wolf snapped at nothing but air.
“C’mon we need to run!” Screamed Mark, who was dragging the young boy across the ground. The boy slapped Mark's hands away from his collar and picked himself up in a hurry.
“If you let go of me, I will!”
Even though they managed to make some distance between them and the wolf, its growls could still be felt. Neither one wanted to look behind them because they knew the second they turned around. It was all over.
The wolf began its hunt, taking no time to chase after the two boys. It shifted through the forest trees like it was nothing. Closing the distance quickly.
“Hey!” Yelled the boy. “I don’t know why you’re in the forest alone, but based on your uniform, ima assume you’re a student at that soldier academy right?”
“Why the fuck does that matter right now!?” Mark yelled back with ragged breath.
“It matters because this is something you are trained to deal with! Why aren’t you dealing with- WAIT!” The boy screamed out.
They both come to a halt. If they didn’t they would be plunging a few 100 feet down the cliff they stand in front of. “Now what?” Said the boy. But before Mark could even think of an answer, the wolf came charging from behind at great speed right for the boy.
“SNARL!!”
Mark didn’t hesitate to tackle him out of the way of the wolf, making it miss its target. The wolf tried to slow down but its momentum couldn’t stop and it ended up falling off the cliff into the forest trees below.
The boys get up and look down the cliff. They scanned to see if the wolf was there but it could not be seen through the tree branches. They both sighed from relief.
“Oh thank God.” Said the boy. “Thanks for saving me man. I thought I was done for.”
“No problem.” Mark replied. They both ended up taking a seat on the cliff out of exhaustion. Mark turned to look at the boy.
“One hell of a night huh?” Said Mark. “Yea. Why the hell were you out here anyway?” The boy responded.
“To hunt that wolf.”
“The wolf that we almost died to just now?”
“Not that one exactly but yea.” He took another look down the cliff and gave a small chuckle.
“I thought if I could take out a wolf I could prove myself capable to the academy. But that plan’s shot now.”
Mark glanced at the boy but was shocked to see the look on his face. The boy gave him a dumbfounded look. He couldn’t believe what he just heard.
“Wait, you thought hunting a wolf would make the academy think you're capable?” The boy asked. “Why the fuck would they think that?”
Mark's jaws clenched after hearing that. “Why the hell wouldn’t they?”.
“What the hell would a wolf prove, you're just as capable as the average man?”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“How the fuck would you know what they would think?”
Before the boy's argument could escalate, a loud scraping noise could be heard from the bottom of the cliff. They both froze, all they could do was wish and hope that what they’re thinking is wrong. But of course they both knew what it was.
The wolf was climbing its way back up the cliff with its claws. The wolf’s eyes locked onto the boys above them, hunger was all it could think about and it refused to give up on its hunt. The boy frantically stood up and backed away from the cliff in a panic.
“Hey, soldier boy. Even if we run now, that wolf’s gonna catch us by the time it makes its way up here. Please tell me you got something that can help us.”
Mark's thoughts were running rampant. Nothing today has gone well and now the wolf that’s trying to eat him is clawing its way up a cliff like it’s trying to escape out of hell. What could there possibly be that could help their situation.
“...MY WAND!” Mark yelled out.
“Wand? Oh no…” The boy muttered to himself. “You’re a mage?”
“Is that an issue right now?” Mark responded.
“Kinda but fuck it, let's see what you can do.”
Mark began to dig through his pocket, hoping he didn’t forget his wand. Thankfully he didn’t, he pulls out his trusty wand. The boy looked in awe, but not in a good way.
“You fucking with me right?” Said the boy.
The wand that Mark pulled out was sadly no bigger than a regular pocket knife. It wasn’t anything to gawk at either. It had no special design, just a grey little wand.
“Hey, I earned this wand when it was first discovered I was a mage. This thing has been my saving grace.” Mark exclaimed, trying to defend his wand. He knew it was pathetic looking but it was all they had.
“I could find a stick that would look and work better.” The boy responded arrogantly.
“Just shut up and stand back.”
Mark readied himself and got into a sturdy stance. He pointed his wand towards the cliff out to the trees. He closes his eyes and breathes in slowly and focuses his energy into the wand. Storm clouds began to form above the cliff. Electricity began to accumulate through the clouds. He opened his eyes and yelled out, “Strike!”.
A bright bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck the ground beneath the cliff. The crack of the strike left a deafening roar that rang across the forest. It was a powerful strike–sadly it missed its target, striking two miles behind the wolf.
The boys stand there in disbelief. The boy turns to Mark and stares at him disappointingly.
“There is absolutely no way u missed.” The boy said flatly.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Said Mark through his gritted teeth.
The strike shocked the wolf at first but it quickly shook it off and began its climb again. Mark pointed his wand again towards the cliff hoping he would somehow hit his mark. “C’mon Mark, get your head right and hit the damn mutt!” He thought to himself.
His mind was racing again, he couldn’t get his first miss out of his head. It was a pathetic attempt, if you could even call it an attempt in the first place. “What if I miss again, it’s all over then. God dammit just hit the fucking wolf Mark!” His thoughts were clouding him, he couldn’t concentrate his energy, he was wavering, falling into pieces.
But then…
“Here!” The boy yelled at Mark while shoving a stick onto his chest. “Use the fucking stick!” Mark was now looking at an 8 inch stick that was on the ground not even 2 feet away from them.
“The fuck is this going to do?!”
“Just shut it and listen, I don’t need you missing again for both our sakes!”
After Mark grabs the stick, the boy pulls Mark closer to the edge of the cliff. “Hey, hey!” Exclaimed Mark, he was now able to see the wolf climbing its way up. It was only a few feet away from reaching back up to the top. Its snarls were vicious, Mark could feel the heat of its breath as if it was right in front of him.
Before he could yell at the boy to pull him back, the boy grabs his hand and forces Mark to point the stick directly at the wolf.
“I don’t know who taught you how to hold a wand but never listen to them again! First, always point at what you’re trying to hit, especially if you’re as sorry as you are!”
“Hey!”
“Shut up and listen!!” The boy ordered “Concentrate all your energy, every last bit of it. We need to kill this thing in one strike, this stick may be better than what you had but it can only handle one spell.”
Mark had no choice but to trust the boy's words. He closed his eyes again and began to calm himself, he concentrated all the energy into the stick. Electricity began accumulating again in the clouds but also in the stick now. The glow of the electricity began to shine throughout the forest, the intensity of the light was even visible from the city miles away.
Mark opened his eyes and was shocked to see the power that was coming from the stick, was this his energy He never showcased this type of power before, it was amazing.
“No time for gawking at yourself!” The boy's words helped snap Mark back into reality. “Now this might sting a little but I'm sure you can handle it. When you yell “Strike”, make sure to scream like you actually want to live!”
Mark heard the boy's words loud and clear, he knew in order for this to be a proper attack, he had to yell with conviction. If he wanted to stay at the academy he had to yell with strength. If he wanted to become a God, he needed to yell with Power.
“STRIKE!!!” Mark screamed out, his voice roaring through the air and into the face of the wolf who was now no more than a few inches away from them.
A large bolt of lighting came screaming down from the clouds as if it was sent down God himself. The sheer power of the bolt came crashing down onto the ground, causing immense damage to the surrounding area, leaving a haunting roar throughout the city, shaking buildings and startling bystanders in cities nearby.