"Ha...ha."

Zi Ming was taking deep breaths. The state he was in had gone beyond simple fatigue.

"I don't think I've ever been this tired in my thirteen years."

Thankfully for him, he had finally managed to claim victory against the terrible group of wolves. He didn't want anything to do with this species for a long time.

Bruises, cuts, and bites were all over his body. His originally brown and black attire was unrecognizable. The pants were black, to begin with, so the red color of blood didn't affect it much. However, the top was brown; at least it was three hours ago.

If somebody had told him that his day would finish in such a manner, he wouldn't have believed it. He examined his injuries and exhaled a sigh of relief as he noticed that none of them were lethal. It wasn't the first time that his body took a beating, but it sure as hell was the first time that he had felt such pain and despair.

He looked over at the corpse of the wolf commander. Unlike the rest of the wolves, his fur was red except for its stomach which was yellow.

"What a weird creature." He thought. "This guy was as smart if not more than a human."

"I know I shouldn't dally here too long, but don't tell me I'll really have to leave from here empty-handed?" Zi Ming was baffled. This drawn-out battle had to count for something.

"I've never seen wolves that don't run away when their pack gets completely slaughtered..."

Indeed, Zi Ming had analyzed the wolves' behavior during the battle. None of them was attempting to flee from the fight, even after most of their comrades fell. He knew there had to be a hidden meaning or significance to the way they acted, but he still couldn't put his finger on the reason. He sensed he was close to unearthing it, but he was missing an important detail.

Wolves were creatures that lived extremely long and could endure hunger for extended periods of time. They valued the survival of the pack over the achievement of their objectives. For wolves, a successful hunt wasn't done at the expanse of their well-being.

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There were different species of wolves living in these mountains, but none of them exhibited an inclination towards foolish bravery. They were cut-throat and cold like the local weather, but also, and only worked as one unit for each of their daily activities.

For them to go after Zi Ming in this reckless manner, there definitely had to be an issue. While the young man was in deep thought, he suddenly heard the rustle of leaves behind a nearby bush.

Zi Ming panicked. He had spent too much time on this spot. The smell of blood had already wafted through the air. He was preparing to run away and find a place to hide before disaster befell him.

"Wuwu..." A small creature rushed out from the bushes and looked towards him. It then proceeded to trot and rub its head on the corpse of the red and yellow wolf.

"Hm?"Zi Ming was taken off guard. The small creature's sounds only got louder as time went on. It seemed like it was crying.

It was too dark for him to determine its definite silhouette but it had to be black since he couldn't even make out its features.

The small creature once again turned its eyes in his direction.

"Sniff, sniff." The black ball of fur approached Zi Ming and snuffed his clothes a bit. It didn't seem dangerous so he decided to catch it in his hands.

"Wuu!" The furry thing made a short ruckus when it was lifted. However, it once again sniffed the boy and decided to lick the bloody face.

"Stop! Haha. It tickles." Zi Ming was enjoying this outlandish encounter with this furry little thing until he recalled he had to leave here.

"We're making too much noise." He looked in the surroundings as he said.

Little thing what are you?"

Zi Ming wasn't sure if this was a wolf pup. He needed to examine it some more to be sure. He wanted to take it back with him, but he felt conflicted since he didn't know if it had a mother or a family somewhere close by.

Zi Ming fought beasts for a living almost daily, but it didn't mean he hated animals. On the contrary, climbing these mountains, and entering these forests on a daily basis since he was a child, allowed him to develop of sense of closeness with nature and the multitude of beasts roaming in its bosom.  

His attitude towards people and beasts was the same. He treated both with the same respect and kindness they showed him. They also had quite a number of dogs and wolves they bred in the clan. Wolf meat wasn't something that his people ate, to begin with.

He put the little beast behind the bush where it came from, before deciding to leave with a bit of reluctance.

But, as he started to run back, he felt as if something was following him.

"That little beast from just now, surely can't be this fast." Zi Ming mused. "I'm probably imagining things."

The boy felt he was being silly for entertaining such thoughts. But as he kept running, he failed to notice that some of the cuts he previously had on his face were healing at a conspicuous rate.