A muffled chorus of footsteps echoed through the dark forest, a symphony of coordinated movement. The wolves' paws crushed dry leaves and fallen branches in varied rhythms—some so light and fluid that they barely made a sound, while others were more audible, like the improvised beats of drums marking the pack’s pace. I was still riding on Dr. Wolf, the pup cradled in my arms.

The darkness was almost tangible, swallowing the landscape in its oppressive density, save for the faint patches of light filtering through the treetops. Every shadow seemed to shift, forming shapes that played tricks on the imagination. The air was thick with the scent of damp moss and fresh earth, mingled with the distinctive musk of the pack.

We had been running deep into the forest for several minutes. The white she-wolf, leading the pack, had decided it would be safer to cut directly through the mountainous region rather than skirting around it as we had been doing before.

A tightness settled in my chest. I knew what it meant to head toward the mountains—it was the territory of one of the strongest beasts in the Black Forest.

I recalled the words Alexander had read aloud back in the family library:

"In the Black Forest, the beasts follow only one law—the survival of the strongest. No mercy, no hesitation. That is why they are the ultimate hunters."

My stomach twisted at the thought. The creatures in that region weren’t just wild; they were monstrously powerful. The strongest among them could easily rival knights or mages of level 3 or 4. Some, the most feared, reached level 5.

Dr. Wolf, running beside me, was a level 2 magical beast. Even with his strength and skill, he felt small compared to the hostile environment surrounding us. The white she-wolf leading the pack with steady, determined strides was a level 3 beast—a formidable force, but still no match for the true monster of this forest.

At the heart of the Black Forest resided the creature that maintained the delicate balance of this deadly ecosystem. A level 7 beast, the absolute ruler of all others, it was the apex predator and the true terror of the forest. Fortunately, it rarely left its territory, just as the other creatures remained within their own domains.

This order—or what could pass as order in the wild—was a direct result of the Dracknum family's influence.

The Dracknums, a lineage of hunters, had not only conquered the forest but shaped it to serve their purposes. They established a fragile equilibrium, turning the forest into a training ground for their descendants. Even the strongest beasts acknowledged the unspoken rules imposed by the Dracknums’ ancestral presence. It was a coexistence enforced by the law of the wild and sheer, undeniable power.

But now...

I looked at the white she-wolf running ahead. Her ears were lowered, and her body was more tense than usual. She moved with precision, but something in her demeanor had changed.

"Stay close, pup," her voice echoed in my mind—firm, yet tinged with concern. "Something is very wrong with the forest. I feel a call... a force I can't entirely ignore."

My heart pounded.

"A call?" I asked, my voice unsteady as I struggled to remain calm.

"It’s like a silent command," she replied without slowing down. "A constant pressure, pushing us toward the central area."

I swallowed hard, my mind racing to make sense of it.

The strongest beasts in the forest could be responding to the same call. That would explain why I hadn’t seen a single creature since we entered the mountainous region.

The white she-wolf continued:

"Even I am struggling to resist. Something—or someone—is manipulating the forest. And if this continues..."

“...The beasts will abandon their territories,” I finished, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut. "And they'll converge on the central area."

‘So that’s why she chose to cut through the mountain,’ I thought, gripping the small pup tightly in my arms to keep from falling.

The wind lashed against my skin as we pressed forward, the sound of leaves and branches crunching beneath our feet the only constant in the growing chaos around us.

BOOM!

A thunderous crash, like an explosion, echoed from the direction we had come.

BOOM!

More followed, distant but unmistakable, erupting from different points within the forest.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...

The thunderous booms echoed relentlessly, each one closer and more intense than the last. The sound reverberated through the ground, making even the air tremble around us. My heart was pounding, my instincts screaming at me to run.

"What’s happening?" My voice was barely audible, cut short by my ragged breathing as I struggled to keep my balance, holding the pup tightly in my arms.

"I’m not sure either," the white she-wolf answered, her voice slipping into my mind, laced with the same confusion I felt.

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Then, without warning, she howled—a deep, resonant sound—before launching herself forward at full speed.

I barely had time to react before something strange happened. A thin layer of air seemed to form around her, as if the wind itself was responding to her urgency. Her movements became impossibly fast, almost imperceptible.

‘What is that?’ I thought, sweat dripping down my forehead.

She moved with the precision and power of an arrow loosed from a bow. The ground beneath her paws seemed to give way, and the trees nearby bent slightly from the force of her movement.

And then, I heard it. A sound that made my stomach churn.

BOOM!

A violent explosion of crimson liquid splattered across the landscape ahead.

‘Blood?’ My mind reeled. ‘Something’s there.’

Before I could fully process it, the rest of the pack surged forward, chasing the trail left by the white she-wolf.

But she was suddenly stopped. Her incredible speed sent her crashing into something solid—an invisible wall that sent her recoiling from the impact.

Then came the sound that froze my blood.

A tearing of air.

A massive claw slashed through the space where she had been just moments before.

And that’s when I finally saw it.

A colossal figure began emerging from the shadows of the forest, its form outlined by the dim glow of the Blood Moon.

It was a bear—but nothing like any I had ever seen.

Its pitch-black fur gleamed like polished coal, dense and uneven, with a wild mane around its neck that made it appear even larger. Its silver claws, long and curved, reflected a deadly shimmer. And its eyes—deep, abyssal black—radiated the presence of a predator that ruled over all.

My heart pounded.

‘I really have the worst luck with bears’, I thought, struggling to maintain my composure as I analyzed the scene.

The black bear wasn’t alone. More bears began emerging around it—these had brownish fur and softer eyes, but their sheer size and the weight of their presence only added to the tension. They seemed to be marching toward the central area of the forest, but now, our presence had shifted their focus.

"cub," the white she-wolf’s voice echoed in my mind, laced with urgency. "Stay alert. There’s no avoiding this fight."

I tried to respond, but my body froze as I realized something.

The black bear, clearly the leader, wasn’t just looking at me. His abyssal eyes were locked onto me—but not with the gaze of a predator sizing up its prey. His focus was on something else.

I followed his line of sight, lowering my eyes.

‘The pup?’ I wondered. But then, something even more important caught my attention.

I was looking at myself.

‘My clothes?!’

That’s when it hit me.

The rough, crudely worked pelts covering my body—the tribal-style skirt reinforced with sturdy vines, the thick fur draped over my torso, resembling a wild mane—looked eerily similar to the black bear’s own features.

‘Shit… don’t tell me that bear that was killed months ago was his offspring.’

The realization drained the blood from my face.

My mind raced for an explanation, but there was no time to think.

The black bear let out a deep, resonating roar—a sound that seemed to vibrate through my very bones.

The other bears stirred at the call, their massive paws crushing the earth as they began to move toward us.

And then, the black bear lunged.

Straight at the white she-wolf.

She dodged at the last second, her agility astounding, but the sheer force of his attack was enough to rip small trees from the ground and send splinters flying in every direction.

I tightened my grip on the pup in my arms, my heart hammering as I scanned my surroundings. Chaos had begun.

The group of brown-furred bears was charging toward us, their massive paws pounding the earth like rolling thunder, shaking the very foundation of the forest.

I knew fighting wasn’t an option. Not while I was holding the pup.

"What do I do?" I asked, my voice weaker than I intended, yet still edged with urgency.

Before she could answer, one of the smaller bears broke formation and lunged at me, its claws glinting under the moonlight.

For a split second, time seemed to slow.

I couldn’t react—not with the pup pressed against my chest, its tiny, innocent eyes still closed in deep sleep.

Fortunately, I wasn’t alone.

Dr. Wolf moved.

With a grace that contradicted his massive size, he twisted to the side at the exact moment the bear’s claws slashed through the air, missing us by mere inches. I felt the wind from the attack graze my face, sharp and cold.

The bear barely had time to recover before Dr. Wolf used the momentum of his spin. His powerful hind legs struck the bear’s flank with brutal force.

The impact was thunderous.

The smaller bear was sent flying backward, its body crashing into the ground.

Before it could fully regain its balance, one of the pack wolves seized the opening. Silent and swift, it lunged, its jaws locking around the exposed throat of the fallen bear.

A muffled, desperate roar escaped the bear’s throat—but it was already too late.

The wolf bit down hard, its fangs sinking deep. With one decisive, practiced motion, the struggle was over.

The bear’s body collapsed, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

I swallowed hard, feeling my pulse gradually slow as I processed what had just happened.

"Thank you, my friend," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper, my gaze darting across the pack.

They were already repositioning, their movements sharp and precise, bracing for the relentless wave of bears still surging forward.

The pounding of heavy paws grew deafening, accompanied by the deep, guttural roars of the advancing beasts.

I tilted my head toward the sky, searching for answers, for guidance—anything.

The twin moons still shone above, but the red one pulsed with an ominous energy, thickening the air around us. Its crimson and silver light intertwined, casting distorted, grotesque shadows over the uneven forest floor.

‘At this rate…’

I held the pup closer, instinctively shielding it.

The bears didn’t falter. They were an unstoppable tide, crashing into our defenses with ruthless ferocity. One by one, the weaker members of the pack became targets, attacked without mercy.

And I knew—it was only a matter of time before all their attention turned to me.

‘I have to do something.’