A scream rose behind Aydin. For some reason, while he was running, he could tell what kind of scream it was.

He didn’t know why he knew that, or why that information was important to him now. He could tell the gender, approximately its age, or how distant it was to him.

That was a scream of shock to be discovered by a beast, in this case a Gorf.

What followed that scream was another scream, which was asking for help.

How could anyone help that female—between twenty and thirty years old, based on what Aydin guessed——while all the capable men were massacred in the village below the castle.

That scream of hope was produced while she was being mauled by that Gorf.

Finally, what followed that scream was the scream of resignation. It wasn’t as loud as the other two, it could be said much quieter than them, but it was loud enough to be heard.

That was what awaited Aydin if he was captured by one of those Gorfs.

Those bastard of Siaak Army weren’t happy by just killing those peasants, royalties, and lords. No. they set free those trained Gorfs to seek whoever dared to escape their massacre.

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Aydin, the eleventh child of lord Ashkin and the youngest, who was only ten years old, was running for his life with a heavy cloth that was braided with gold and silver pattern. From the knee below, the cloth was ruined by all those dirty water and mud.

He didn’t mind that. Actually, he welcomed it.

It is because while he was catching his breath before resuming his running, he noticed that his cloth was glittering in moonlight. As if, the Gorfs needed more assistance to catch him.

Another scream rose behind him. This time much closer to where he was running. That was voice of a much younger girl.

The problem with Gorfs trained by Siaak Army was that they didn’t hunt for eating. They hunt for the thrill of killing. And they hunt in pack. That’s what Aydin knew.

There were stories told by elders, or begrudged mothers, to young children about the viciousness of those creatures.

Aydin liked those stories. It was full of excitement, thrill, and adventure.

Now, not so much. Now that he was running for his life, it didn’t seem fun for a bit at all.

Aydin heard another victim of Gorfs. It was much closer to him now. Its victim was a younger boy than himself. That one’s scream went straight to resignation scream. He could hear the tearing cloth by Gorf’s teeth, or even worse, when it was shaking his head to get inside its victim faster. Aydin could tell that by the shaking voice of that young boy, or the breaking of twigs or such on the forest floor.

Aydin was so scared that he didn’t notice that he was running knee-deep in water, and to his horror, it wasn’t even water. It was something between mud and water.

Tears of fear were running down on his face. Behind him, he heard the noise of breaking twigs again.

In an act of desperation and resignation, Aydin dove into it.