I woke to darkness, my heart still pounding. The air smelled thick and sharp—like metal and something worse. My paws scrambled against the cold, hard floor beneath me. I tried to stand, but something soft, something wrong, brushed against my fur. It was warm, wet. I pulled away, but I couldn’t get far.

I stumbled and fell into a heap of fur and flesh. The smell hit me first—death. I yelped, trying to push away, but my paws slipped on the slick surface. Blood. It was everywhere, sticking to my fur, matting it down. I tried to howl, to cry for help, but my voice came out in a weak whimper, swallowed by the roar of the moving vehicle.

I pushed against the walls, desperate to find a way out, my claws scraping against the metal, but the vehicle just kept going. No one was coming. No one was stopping. The world outside was speeding past, and I was trapped inside with the dead.

Sigh. Enough panicking.

I sat down, trying to calm myself.

“How did I end up here?”

The last thing I remembered was dangling in front of the hunters, and the female of them had approached me, smiling. Soon after, my memories cut off.

Had she tranquilized me or something?

This place was most certainly a carriage for transporting their hunts, which meant I was covered in blood. Not the first time, but still gross. At least I wasn’t a corpse, so there was that.

But I was still hungry.

A weird thought crossed my mind. I gulped.

“No. No way I’m eating these…”

But why not? Wasn’t I a wolf now? What was the problem? I didn’t know; it just felt wrong. Besides, I wouldn’t know what I was eating in such darkness, and there was a chance I could damage something valuable for the hunters, which could put me in more trouble.

I decided to wait.

Not long after, the carriage jerked to a stop, throwing me against the cold, hard wall.

Yelp

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I heard footsteps, muffled voices. The door creaked open, letting in the pale light of early morning. A figure loomed over me, blocking out the sky. The same female hunter.

“Herald, I’m taking the black one to my house. You both take care of the rest.”

She reached in, her hand rough and calloused, and grabbed me by the scruff of my neck. I snapped and snarled, trying to twist free, but her grip was iron.

"You are too weak for a wolf cub. Have you not being eating well?"

She lifted me up to her eye level. She said something in her language with shining eyes. I tried to resist, but she was way stronger.

“Grrrr... is she really a woman?”

She dragged me out, and the world spun around me. The stench of death lingered in my fur, but now there was the fresh scent of earth, water, and firewood.

A village came into view as she carried me across a dirt path. It was small and rough, nestled along a wide, slow-moving creek. The water shimmered in the light, babbling softly as it wound between large rocks and gnarled tree roots.

Around the creek, wooden huts stood haphazardly, their roofs patched with straw and hides. Smoke curled from the chimneys, the air thick with the smell of cooked meat and wet fur. More hunters moved about—some sharpening blades, others skinning carcasses or tending to drying racks strung with pelts.

Two men from before were unloading the lifeless bodies of other animals, tossing them carelessly into the mud, while others shouted orders.

Children ran barefoot along the creek’s edge, their laughter jarring against the grim work of their parents. Dogs barked from the edges of the village, their eyes tracking every movement, but none came close. The whole place felt tense, buzzing with the energy of the hunt, of survival.

A tribe of hunters and gatherers? Oh well it's good to see that this world has humans too.

She pulled me toward a house, a squat building of timber and stone, its windows covered with thick animal hides. I kicked and bit, but she didn’t flinch. Her grip was steady as she pushed through the door and hauled me inside. I was thrown onto the floor. I bolted upright, immediately taking a defensive stance, but she just waved her hand in front of me, and my eyes grew dark, my body weak.

Was this some sort of magic?

After an unknown amount of time, I stirred from my sleep, my nose twitching at the enticing scent of cooked meat—something unfamiliar yet irresistible. My fur ruffled gently as soft caresses woke me further, and my eyes fluttered open in surprise, blinking against the sunlight filtering through the trees.

Confusion coursed through me as I took in my surroundings. I wasn't covered in blood any longer neither I was smelly. Someone has bathed me while I was unconscious. We were in some kind of barn. Hay and staw spread around the floor. My neck was tied up with a to a hook in the wall.

But the most surprising thing was, beside me, Cub A ate eagerly, its jaws working through the tender meal.

Relief.

If I could I would have hugged him.

But I quickly collected my thoughts

I hesitated, wary of what I didn’t understand. My gaze shifted upward to a woman, now that I see her properly, she is quite charming in appearance, her presence calm and gentle. A complete 180 from last time. She held a plate filled with food and looked down at me with warmth.

"Go on. What are you waiting for...Your little friend is already eating."

She extended her hand, petting my fur softly, her touch soothing the unease that lingered. My instincts tugged at me to be cautious, but the allure of the food and the comfort of her hand won over. Slowly, I inched forward, my nose sniffing at the plate, and after a moment’s hesitation, I began to eat, my wariness melting away under the woman’s gentle care.

Her hands weren’t soft, but her touches were. And she was smiling. I knew what was going on.

A small wolf like me wasn’t profitable enough dead. It was better to let me grow before they killed me.

That meant I had some time. Might as well enjoy this delicious food as I waited for my end day.

I kept eating until the plate was empty. It was delici

ous. Finally I felt at ease since that morning.

[Consumed deer flesh: +15 energy]