"Bad doggy! BAD!"

Stella wrestled against the rogue pup. He pinned her to the trunk, taunting her by baring his deadly rows of teeth.

He chuckled. "Lien told me you're weak! She wasn't exaggerating this time!" Saliva trickled down her cheek, prompting her to keep her mouth closed.

Their hands were locked in a battle for domination. One Stella was undoubtedly losing. However, his taunting ignited a flame inside her, akin to the Lads. She couldn't yield to this jerk, no matter what!

The memory of the Ogres reminded her of something else. Wolves had balls, right?

"OUCH!" Stella struck his strawberry basket with a powerful kick!

Yep, they do.

The pup quickly recoiled, squirming while clutching the damaged area. "W-Why...?"

The Human gazed upon her dirty work for a few seconds before running away. "Smell ya later!"

After descending through a vertical trunk like a firefighter pole, Stella tried to run for the next, only to be intercepted by two more pups, slightly smaller than her.

"Would ya look at that? Of course, he has minions..." Her bravado shone through her fatigue.

"Stay back and follow my lead." One of the Wolves, a female, said to the other.

"Hey! I want to do the Pounce and Bounce this time!" The male one protested.

"Who did the last time?" She asked.

"Maro."

"And the time before that one?"

"Uh..." He trailed off. "Can't remember."

The female lackey scratched her head. "Fine. Rock, paper, scissors?"

"Bet."

And so, the two pups engaged in a fierce stalemate for about a minute. By all means, Stella should've taken advantage of this huge opening, but her curiosity spoke louder. Who would emerge victorious? Stay tuned.

"Yes!" The female one cheered after her rock smashed the male's scissors beyond recognition! Let me clarify that this was a metaphor. "Finally!"

The victor pounced at Stella, but she dodged by crouching just in time. So much for the Pounce and Bounce...

"If it were me, I wouldn't have missed!"

The other started a flurry of punches, forcing the Human to block them all with her arms. Each strike painfully reverberated through her skin, muscle, and bone.

For some reason, they weren't using their claws. At least they weren't going for the kill, it seemed.

After the assailant prepared another punch for a second too long, Stella took it as an opportunity. She caught their fist, then twisted it, redirecting them away from the platform. If the fall was deadly, the tukutim wouldn't be there in the first place.

Unless the adults here were extra irresponsible. But that was a risk she'd have to take.

Before Stella could run, someone got a solid grip on her leg, making her fall face first on the rigid wood. She must've been a lumberjack in a past life.

When the Human turned her head, she saw the pouncing Wolf as the culprit, followed by the emo pup, who made the impressive jump from the other tree trunk. "Fine. You're tougher than I thought."

Finally, Stella yanked her leg free, but not before striking them with a well-placed kick on their snout, making them whimper. The supposed leader's scowl worsened.

"You think you're enough for my cousin?!" He shook his head. "My younger brother punches harder than you!"

The Human gulped. Her low blow only worked once, most of the time. If he was as strong as her cousin, then there wasn't much she could do.

Nevertheless...

"You think you're enough for my cousin?!"

Those words struck a nerve in her. At this moment, she had forgotten her aching arms and prepared herself for round two. Her determination flared in the shape of a golden aura covering her like a blanket. She wasn't sure how she pulled off without the aid of the pego fruit, but she sure as hell wouldn't complain.

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The cousin's scowl turned into a smirk. "Finally! Show me whatchu got, weakling!" He returned the gesture by flaring his transparent, whiteish aura.

The light of the two auras made the bully fully visible to Stella. His chocolate-colored fur, pearly white rows of sharp teeth, the way his fringe followed the flow of energy coursing from him, his cocky grin...

His grin... It matched Stella's...

Even though she knew she would be curb-stomped, excitement pumped through her veins. After encountering multiple demi-gods with strength above her league, the girl was starving for a confrontation against someone to who she could inflict some damage.

The rhythm of her breathing and her heartbeat became one. Her eyes were crystal clear, locked on him, analyzing his every move.

His leg shifted forward.

"YAHOOIE!!!"

Lien's cry broke her attention. A white comet crashed onto the thick bark, forcing everyone else to hold onto the tree so they wouldn't plummet to the ground.

Boy, was that futile!

CRACK!

The loud, tearing sound was excruciatingly audible. But not enough to linger as the vertigo flooded Stella's brain with terror. She screamed her lungs away as someone held her tight.

"Why're you screaming for?! Enjoy the ride!" Lien's child-like giggle somehow soothed her nerves.

As the broken trunk bashed against the intact ones, Stella unwillingly entered a deadly carousel. Her eyes closed in fear as she clung tight to her Wolf friend.

Before the floor greeted them in a violent crash, the Human was swept off her feet by Lien, who picked her up bridal-style, then jumped the second before impact!

CRASH!

The pup effortlessly fell on her feet.

"Phew! I wish my first day were this exciting!" She giggled. "Are you okay, friend?"

Stella was fine. More than fine...

Her heart fluttered like a maiden rescued by her prince in shining armor. Under normal circumstances, she would've hated receiving this treatment. But when Lien was involved...

"THIS is Lien's packmate?! What a joke."

Great. The three bullies were all unscathed... Even the one Stella threw off the tree.

The Human jumped off Lien's arms, preparing herself for yet another duel. However...

"Maro! I thought you didn't want to meet Stella!" The pup ran at him for a tight embrace, which he gladly returned.

"I changed my mind. I needed to know the Human who formed a pack with you..." His malicious smirk was pointed at Stella, taking full advantage of his cousin's blindness.

The two pups broke their hug. "You guys wanna play with us?! We can try some tug-of-war next!"

Cold sweat trickled down Stella's forehead.

Thankfully, Maro declined. "Seriously, Lien. Shouldn't you stop playing around like a young pup?" He snickered. "Also, your buddy can barely keep up with me. Maybe you should return her to whatever hut she's staying." His lackeys joined in his mocking laughter.

As much as she loathed to admit it, those bullies' comments echoed through Stella's mind. Her feelings of inadequacy sprouted and grew by the second.

Maybe she should've spared Lien from the effort and-

"Absolutely NOT!" The pup wrapped her arm around Stella's shoulder. "My packmate is one of the coolest people around! Did you forget she rescued me from Grýla, and we fought her TOGETHER!"

The mention of the Giant Witch brought worried glances to the two lackeys. Maro rolled his eyes and scoffed. "If The Silver Knight and Aunt Tash weren't there, she would be with her tail between her legs." He glimpsed at Stella's back, noticing the inaccuracy of his words. "Shut up! It was a metaphor!"

Lien retorted. "Maro, we know you'd never have stepped a paw on their lair in her place." Her cheeky smile was not something Stella had seen from her yet, and she already craved more of it. As she met more sides of the pup, the Human swooned more and more.

The cousin snarled as his companions snickered. The Human held the urge to do the same.

Lien's voice took a more serious tone. "Besides, I'm not stupid, Maro. I saw you bullying Stella and siccing your pals at her! Not cool!"

The last remark made the cousin flustered. "It was just a test! You have your first packmate, and not only she's a human, but also a weak one! You need-"

The pup unwrapped her arm around Stella, and a noticeable change in the air around her was felt. Lien's teeth were visible as she growled at the bully trio, making them apprehensive, as shown by their stiff posture.

The leader gulped. "C-Cousin, I-"

"I had enough of you for today, cousin." With each slow step Lien made towards the three, they returned with a step backward. Stella hasn't seen her friend so angry since...

...The assassins...

"If you think I'm so weak, let's settle this. Right here! Right now!" A white halo radiated from the pup's body. The similarities with Stella's near-death experience were alarming.

After shaking on their (metaphorical) boots, the lackeys fled on all fours. Maro didn't seem much braver without them around, whimpering and lowering his posture in respect for his cousin.

"I-I'm so sorry, Lien! Please, don't fight me!" His shaky voice betrayed his true feelings, coming from a place of fear rather than mercy for the blind relative.

The aura subsided, and she turned her back on him. "You owe me your next venison. Boar, actually."

He hung his head in submission. "Yes, cousin."

"And if I see you being rude with my packmate again, we'll settle this in the arena, got it?!"

"Yes... cousin..."

"Hmpf." She walked back to Stella, who was baffled at what had transpired.

"Lien? Is your cousin gonna be fine?" She pitied the bully as he shyly walked away from the playground.

The pup shook her head, still upset. "Don't mind him. He likes meddling in my life, that's all." After a few seconds and a deep breath, Lien's mood returned to its default setting. "You know what? How about I show you my favorite place in the village?!" She patted Stella's back.

"O-Of course!" The Human eagerly accepted. "Uh. Where's the kids?"

"Their parents picked them up while you were fighting my jerk cousin," Lien explained. "I was talking about just the two of us."

Stella's cheeks burned hot. She wasn't sure her skin tone allowed anyone to see, much less Lien. "Alone...?"

"Yup!"

Namadi's light had shone upon her.