The immense western forest of Yew was home to many threats, both untamed wildlife and the monstrosities that lurk within. It has been classified as a level-2 danger zone by the agreement of the guilds and the palace lore keepers.

The old myth and legend about this place was that as night drew closer, the risk of danger grew as well. It was as if the beasts and the ones residing in this forest grew stronger, more inclined to their bestial senses in the presence of prey. Natural selection at work here was inevitable for there are those that are reckless enough to seek what secrets lie inside the ancient forest that is also home to many hidden tapestries of the past.

But despite that, Noel Earle went here to see if Lear could overcome the task that was given to him in order to join the guild.

He ran faster than he had ever before. His pulse rose, and blood rushed to his head. He couldn't think clearly for he was too busy trying to survive. His instinct of flight kicked in before he even knew it, and all of his senses shut down instantly.

He turned around only to increase the terror he felt. He cried out loudly, causing a ruckus in the peaceful forest that was bathed in silence a while ago.

His pursuers only felt the thrill as they kept chasing their prey. Their hunger drove them insane to the point that they were going to give their all just to feast on this foolish trespasser.

There were four of them, wolves. There was nothing special about them other than their insatiable desire to consume the flesh of their prey. They snarled, howled, and called upon their pack members as they continued to increase in size the longer the chase ensued.

"Noel! What do I do?!" he yelled out, seeing the man in question catching up to Lear, leaping from branch to branch with his amazing dexterity and speed. The branches of the trees in the forest were thick enough to support one's weight. This forest was special for the trees that towered each other, but they only grew taller the further in the forest you got.

Noel shrugged his shoulders lazily, not seeming to care about Lear's predicament.

His sight started becoming blurry and his legs were starting to give in. He never knew that this would happen, and to his surprise, he froze in place the moment that it started. But most of all, he was amazed that he was able to outrun them for so long, managing to dodge the tree roots scattered all around, designed to trip some careless fool who dares not look where he or she goes.

He couldn't use his skills in battle, but he had good physique. It had gone on for longer than six minutes since their one round of tag started, but his predators didn't seem to lag in their pace, instead drawing closer bit by bit. His maneuvers didn't at all help either. Trying to dissuade a wolf's sense of smell just by running around trees had no effect.

He finally saw the end of the road for him. A tall wall of unascendable soil stood before him, and the trees had all but sealed any room for a last-minute escape. He had his backs to the wall and finally drew his sword at the pack of wolves.

He thought that if he were to go down, then it would be better to simply go down fighting. That was his train of thought, but his trembling body said otherwise.

"This is bad, it's getting dark. Soon we won't be able to see anything," he said to himself, backing away bit by bit as the wolves did the same. It occurred to him that Noel had vanished, not a trace left of him even when he saw him chasing a while ago. His panic only went up until he started to hyperventilate. There was simply too much of them already, at the very least, fifteen total, each snarling and growling viciously.

It had gone from killing wolves terrorizing travelers and passerby to escaping with his life in a split second.

But then one of the wolves leapt at Lear, causing him to leave things to fate, closing his eyes and shielding himself with his sword.

However, nothing happened. Within the past second, he had not felt anything body down on him, so he slowly opened his eyes to see what had happened. To his disbelief, the wolf that tried to pounce on him had been impaled to the ground with a gold and blue ornate looking spear.

Suddenly, Noel came down from behind him, landing gracefully as his long dark cape fluttered down. He held a cool but uninterested look at the wolves, standing between Lear and them. He took the spear from the wolf's carcass and spun it skillfully, holding it to his side with a stance.

"N-Noel! Thank you, I thought you had left me already," said Lear, heaving a sigh.

"It's too dangerous here. We're leaving now." He became silent and spoke in a hushed voice, pointing his open hand at the wolves, creating a blue pentagram circle which seemed to cast off a soft, cold mist. "Be on your guard." He followed up.

Lear admired the bright circle that Noel had created, losing focus on the most important part of what was around him.

As the blue circle appeared from Noel's hand, the wolves all howled and charged towards them with bloodlust in their eyes, waking Lear from his own world.

The circle grew in size and released a barrage of icicles towards the charging pack, hitting several of them and instantly killing them. The rest continued and met Noel head on, and he accepted their challenge, parrying the first challenger by stepping forward, hitting its neck with a chop from his left hand, followed by an impalement from his spear, which he took out to meet the next one, spinning it around him like a baton, but at a much faster speed, using it to beat down or scare away those that started surrounding him.

Lear, however, didn't know what to do at this point, so he simply brandished his weapon nervously and kept slashing at them with no purpose, causing many openings that the wolves took advantage of.

"Ah!" he cried out in pain as a wolf managed to scratch at his left arm which he used to block. He staggered back and felt the sting upon his fresh deep wound. The wolf's blood sputtered on his armor. But surprisingly, before it could continue to keep doing damage to Lear, Noel had thrown his spear at it, pinning it to the wall of soil. But even without that he continued to fight, using his own fighting techniques and magic to handle them with deadly efficiency.

Lear, amidst the chaos, felt useless for that was the truth. He wanted to show off, yet the realization of the hard and brutal truth hit him harder than any object would. He was simply astonished to see Noel handling his enemies with ease, using maneuvers that utilized his amazing dexterity and deft hands.

Just as he saw the battle rage on, more of them appeared and surrounded Noel from high and low places, not taking mind of Lear's presence anymore.

They all leapt at him, which the calm and collected adventurer took notice of. He pushed away those that he was occupied with and crouched, chanting words silently, causing a large blue circle to appear from underneath him, encompassing a rather wide area which the wolves that leapt at him were a part of.

"Devious mistress of the unforgiving winter, skewer these scourges with your prejudice. Brutal Banshee!" From out of thin air, numerous tall spikes made of clear ice rose from around Noel's position, striking at each and every single one of the wolves. Not a one of those that leapt came back down to the ground until the spikes dissolved. Their carcasses fell with numerous thuds.

Noel stood, dusting himself off and dislodging his spear from the wall as if nothing special happened. He reached his hand out to Lear, who was still staring at the grueling scene he had just bore sight to. He gulped and noticed Noel, taking his hand.

"Thank you..." and no other words seemed to follow. His jovial attitude had gone away for a while. He didn't know what else to say. He was disappointed in himself for not being able to do anything, let alone show what he had been taught all those years of toiling for this day.

"The Yew forest is home to many others, deadlier than these wolves. They were at the bottom of the food chain. You couldn't seem to strike them, why?" Noel asked.

Lear looked down at his feet and replied. "I was... terrified. I couldn't do it."

"Your blade trembled the entire time... had you thought only about death?"

Noel's words shook him. It was true, he was too afraid to act for he was terrified for his life. It was amazing to him that he drew his own sword at that moment, but right after, the purpose of the sword he had seemed to have lost its purpose in his hands.

"This could have cost you what you ran away trying to protect."

"You're right, unlike me, you're strong. We're worlds apart, I understand that... I'm sorry."

"Let's go back. You're not ready," he said bluntly. "You will only get killed, and will send to death the others that are with you." The spear he held with his right hand disappeared from thin air and left no trace. But Lear was too dejected to respond to it. Noel wasn't harmed at all, but still he could not recover from such a lackluster performance. 

The wolves had all tuck tails and ran away from them, restoring the peace to the forest.

No harm came to them as they walked back to the city, entering the plaza with the familiar fountain in the middle. The area was beautifully lit up by lanterns and lamps, and people wearing even more extravagant clothing and dresses appeared to be walking somewhere, dressed for a certain occasion. There were also carriages that were different from what he rode on coming here. They were in a way, fancy.

They arrived in front of the guild at the dead of night, but still the lively atmosphere could be senses from the outside. There were noises of loud cheering echoing, and the light from the nearby window showed the ones inside to be drinking happily to their heart's content.

The door opened, and Niere came outside, carrying a broomstick in her hands. She was surprised to see them and hurriedly greeted the two on their late return.

"Back so late? Thank goodness. It was a full moon tonight, too, so I was quite worried. How did you two do?" she asked, but she stopped upon seeing Lear's wound on his arm, only concealed by a cloth that Lear tore up and tied to his arm on the way. It helped with the clotting process, but the cloth was lightly stained red.

"What happened? Are you alright?" she frantically asked, gently seizing Lear's hand to take a closer look on it.

Lear's face changed, lighting up as he laughed, scratching the back of his head to find some excuse. "I just carried away and got a little scratch. Don't worry, it'll heal quickly with a bit of rest."

"No, I can't let you go after seeing this. Come inside, let me treat this wound before it gets worse."

"No, really, I'm fine, Niere. Thank you for everything, but this is nothing dangerous. The only thing I'm worried about is losing something else, something that comes second to my own life and safety, more or less. It's really important, even the person that gave it to me is important to me." He said shyly. He tried to take something out from around his neck but strangely enough nothing was there. It sent a panic surging to Lear's head.

His eyes widened and he dropped his bag immediately to search its contents frantically, surprising Niere.

"I-is something wrong, Lear?" she asked.

"I'm going to go on ahead," said Noel, entering as he waved goodbye to the two outside.

"No, no, I can't have lost it," he murmured to himself. "Where could I have dropped it?"

He quietly thought about it for a little while, and he recalled having dropped something that gave off a bright glint when the wolf pack surprised him from out of nowhere.

"What are you referring to, Lear?" Niere pushed on, trying to get his attention.

"It's not here, the necklace that Alice gave me!"

"Alice? Is that the person whose memento you lost?"

"Yes, she gave it to me before I left Walbur. I can't lose that. I need to find it as soon as possible!"

Without saying goodbye, he packed his things and ran away, retracing his steps and keeping a watchful eye on the roads he became slowly familiar with. He didn't want to take his time since someone might have found it already, or worse, so each glance he took was important as night drew on.

He searched and searched, his endeavors becoming fruitless. He was exhausted, hunched over with his hands over his knees. He huffed and puffed for air, thinking on where to try next, but the only thing that he had gone too today was the forest, which gave light to his search.

In truth, he had stumbled more than once during his escape from the wolf pack. He must have left it there, he thought. So he straightened his back and stretched himself out for one last try. He was terrified to go back after what had happened, but the thought of disappointing Alice after having given him that pushed him through his fears.

He passed by the gates, ignoring the guards, who tried to stop him for something that he didn't hear.

"Hey, where are you going?!" they shouted.

"What are you yelling about so late at night?" asked his annoyed companion.

"He took the road going to the Yew forest, and it had just been classified as a level-5 danger zone just this morning."

"Why? Anything happening to it?"

"Don't you know that it's a full moon tonight? One of the top five guilds in this city reported signs of a Great Dire wolf there. It appears every time there's a full moon."

"Then why let people in there in the first place then?"

"It's an important place to gather herbs, but that's not the point. He's going to die if no one stops him!"

Just as the two argued, a man passed by holding what seemed to be a bag of groceries in one arm and eating a piece of bread with the other. He had his mouth full, but overheard what they were talking about. He turned his head towards the Yew forest's road and remembered seeing the face of a man that ran by him.

He made a face as if he were in shock and approached one of the guards, handing him the bag of groceries that he carried saying, "Hold on to this, why don't you? Oh, and don't worry, I'll pay you for this when the job's done."

He left the confused guard started walking, gradually turning into a run as he paced himself, getting momentum the further he got. By then, he was fully sprinting after him.

His reason. It wasn't as petty as receiving something from her that made this necklace significant. To him, anything from her was important, and every promise they made to each other he made sure to never break. He owed it to hear a great deal, in fact, he would even stake his own life for her. But that was just reckless chivalry in a hopeless man's case. That didn't matter to him. It only mattered that the person who gave him the light of hope will be happy for as long as she lives. Plain and simple, he owed too more to her for saving him.

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It was many years ago, when Lear was still a child left by himself in a town that he was unfamiliar of. He remembered it clearly, but it wasn't the time for a heavy recollection. He simply remembered that meeting of theirs and how it all led up to that.

Back then, Lear kept to himself to a point where he never truly spoke with anyone or befriended them. He was lost, hungry, and alone. He didn't know where his parents go, but he remembers vaguely what they looked like before they left.

Due to his predicament, no one took pity on him. No one knew him after all. The guards also tried to get rid of those who were loitering the streets such as Lear for such reasons that he never knew. He always escaped and succeeded most of the time.

He had to resort to petty thievery to survive. Begging did nothing, of course. He was taught by some of the children who were also orphans that to survive, you must be ready to do anything necessary. And the decision to follow through with that came with a cost.

It was a dangerous life for those that were caught never seemed to make it back. No one ever heard from them again, and that worked to develop fear in others, preventing the rise of their acts. But those only made them even more desperate.

He was taken in by the other orphans residing in the poorer parts of the town. They often moved placed to not get discovered, and it didn't matter where. Behind the alleys, under the sewages, bridges, anywhere that they were safe in.

Soon it became more radical that they were ordered to be put down by the governor of that time, mercilessly hunted and sold secretly as slaves somewhere. There was no real need for them, and because of that, no one paid them any attention when they needed it the most.

The reason for the order was because of how innocents were being harmed at night when resistance was mounted. The ones who desperately clung to their skill in thievery favored brute force, using it not because it was necessary for most of the time, but because they wanted to. Maybe for attention, maybe to get revenge on them for ignoring them and not helping them. There could have been many reasons. Many questioned just how terrible this world is for allowing such once kind-hearted people to change because of something drastic such as clinging to a dim light of hope.

But the worst part came when their acts of brutality led to someone getting killed, and to their misfortune, it was a nobleman's son. The death of that man alone sparked a great flame which bore down on the unfortunate children who were abandoned.

Yet through all that, Lear chose to hesitate and refuse.

"You're weak!" said one of the children. He was older than the rest, so he acted as their leader in some ways. The older one always took charge and they made sure that everyone was able to survive through such a harsh life.

His image was a short, dark haired child with a thin body. He had blue eyes and a sharp glare, carrying an attitude of wanting to help those that he sees as friends and family. Lear never truly understood any other like him, but when they argued, it was as if that was all a lie. He was the first-person Lear trusted with his life for he had nothing else to offer when he had been saved that night he almost starved to death.

"We're supporting a lot of people, and you hesitate to do something for them. This isn't just about you, this is everyone... or what's left of us," he looked behind him to see the sulking children wearing tattered and dirty rags. They huddled over a small source of fire while some hugged their legs for warmth. Their faces and bodies were dirty beyond compare. Some had bruises, and some had defects that made them less likeable by the people.

There were truly a few of them to him, but there were at least seventeen of them. That was many for someone looking from an outsider's perspective, but there were more of them. Day by day more and more are found, caught, and taken away. Whatever happened to them they do not know, but what they do know is that getting caught is the last thing that you would want to happen to you. The guards would not hesitate to use their own form of brutality, so it became rough when they resisted.

The atmosphere was gloomy for the only noise was the two of them arguing one-sidedly. They spoke inside a sewage system so their voices echoed loudly. No one dared cross the leader for they would get nothing, so they let them do what they wanted.

"But this isn't right," said Lear, dropping the rusted makeshift knife he held to the ground.

He was still too young to understand much at his young age, but it just didn't sit right with him how the people who helped him were doing things. 

"What isn't right? Doing something so that we don't starve and die in the streets? What don't you understand? We're dying, we barely get to eat anything, and even when we do, it's either at the cost of our own lives, or someone else's. They said that this Empire is rich and wealthy, but look at us, we're nothing but trash being set aside. We are all the same..." he came up to Lear and pinned him to the wall using his arm. They both looked fiercely at each other and didn't say a word for a time.

"We're almost all gone. Those older than me were already caught, and this is what's left of us."

"I'm sorry, Rulis, but I can't. I'll do anything else besides that. I won't harm someone just because of that. We're better than this."

"Suit yourself," said their leader as he shoved Lear away. "I thought you were better than this, Lear. We used to understand each other so much that I thought we could be something like brothers. But apparently, we don't see eye to eye. If you're not ready to step in and make the change yourself, then what use are you, really?"

A rift had already formed on that night, and their situation only continued to grow dire. It was until Lear was faced with a difficult decision that he didn't care for those things he had said in the past.

They skulked about the area that they would usually steal food from, carefully making sure that they would not be seen. It was night, and the shops were just starting to close down their stores after a busy day. They found this as their greatest chance to get some food for the others.

There were four of them including Lear, him being the youngest. The rest of the three were the next oldest ones, and they were strong enough to fend for themselves if the worst happened, or so they believed.

It happened so fast that no one had time to react except for Lear, who lagged behind to keep watch.

Guards hurriedly surrounded the three of the skulking orphans, which included Rulis among them. The three couldn't resist as they were quickly overpowered by the adults, so it all looked grim.

"Gah! Let go of us!" cried out Rulis as he flailed his arms around in an act of hopeless escape.

"Shut up, you! You vermin, the lot of you, have been causing quite a ruckus. And killing a nobleman's son, you all only get death past this point. Now just accept it."

Lear watched in horror as the town guards tried to subdue and silence his friend by beating them senseless. No one seemed to care anyway because they were only seen as dangerous troublemakers. But he argued about that notion and charged at the guards with a pent up adrenaline.

He took their attention despite his lack of strength, only being able to shove the one holding Rulis, allowing him to be set free.

Rulis took advantage of the situation and kicked the rest in their groin, freeing the other captured children.

"Run!" he yelled, grabbing Lear's arm and dragging him away from the scene.

As they dispersed, Rulis and Lear heard the men shout for their allies, yelling to 'chase them' in a loud voice filled with irritation and anger.

Rulis took narrow paths, using dark alleyways and every secret entrance that he knew just to separate them from their pursuers who were hot on their trail.

They heaved heavy sighs and tried to catch their breath. By some miracle, Lear and Rulis managed to lose the guards, hiding momentarily under a bridge with good cover. They had to think of something before coming back empty-handed.

"Thanks, you saved me there, Lear. I owe you."

"Don't worry about it, we're friends, right? I just hope that the others got away safely. Why did you take me anyway? I thought you were still angry with what I said back then."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say. I'm sure that they're fine. I took you because you're slow. You would have been taken by them if I didn't do that. Be a bit more useful, why don't you? Your job was to be a lookout, right? ... Ah, just forget about it. That doesn't matter anymore. We just have to look out for each other."

Despite Rulis' ramblings, he was grateful for what Lear had done for him. After their last argument, he was sure that there was no way he would still watch his back like normal. Yet he was surprised to have heard that. He couldn't look Lear in the eye after his selfish acts and simply bit his lip in frustration.

"What do we do now?" Lear asked.

"Find a safe way to get back to the hideout. They'll be starving, but we have some reserves. We'll just have to tough it out and give them out portion for tonight, Lear."

"I don't have a problem with that. I'd give mine to you instead. I don't think I'm hungry."

"Stop playing the hero already, we're past that. The two of us won't eat anything, period."

"Deal. Let's get through this and live good lives. We promised that, right?" Lear smiled at Rulis, who couldn't refuse the handshake that had been laid in front of him. He laughed and shook it. "Now let's get out of here, Rulis."

Rulis nodded, but as they were just about to leave, he was grabbed from behind by his neck.

"Ack, Lear!" he said, choking on his words. He tried to pry the guard's arm off so that he could breathe, but it was futile.

"They're over here!" yelled the guard who subdued Rulis.

Lear tried to do something to free Rulis, but he stopped him. "R-run!" he forcefully yelled out, but most of his words were stifled. "I'll get out of here, so you do the same! I'll see you again, Lear! Don't forget that!" He continued flailing until he had hit the guard's face. But just when he thought that he was free, the guard tightly took hold of Rulis' wrist and dragged him back, beating his face without any regard for age and gap of strength.

All Lear could do was follow was Rulis had said, so he ran away in horror, tears streaming from his eyes. He never turned his head to look at the scene, and he kept running and running until he reached that place where he met her. He didn't even know where he was anymore. All he saw were brightly lit areas where people loudly sang and yelled their troubles away into the air like no one's business.

He turned the corner and went down a street, encountering her. He saw her as beautiful as she was in the present. The only thing that was different was that her brown hair and stature were less of that. She was also a child, wearing a beige dress for commoners. She carried a basket of what seemed to be bread and a few other knick knacks. 

As the two came into contact, she immediately smiled and said 'good evening', not taking mind of Lear's clothes and appearance.

"What's wrong? You look tired. Are you alright?" she asked, coming closer to get a good look at him from the dark. But just as she was about to place her hand on him, the sounds of the men pursuing Lear came into earshot.

"Stop right there, you!" they yelled.

Lear instantly bolted into a run, leaving the girl behind. But just he turned around just to take a last look at her, he saw something that surprised him. The girl had been grabbed by the guard. She frantically flaked about, yelling for help.

"You thought you and your friend were going to get away, weren't you?" said the guard who mistook the girl who he had just met as an accomplice. "Were going to get rid of vermin like you so no trash litters the streets any longer."

She didn't seem to hear since she kept flailing until it looked like the grip on her wrist was hurting her.

Without having any second thoughts, Lear bolted into a run towards the guard, having built up enough rage for what had happened to his friends, and used them against the guard, slamming into him full force, knocking the man down.

He helped the girl to her feet and he guided her into an alleyway, hearing the guard, whom Lear had tackled, yelling where they went to.

There was a moment of reprieve as they were crouched in an empty an empty alley of an obscure part of town. Both heaved sigh and caught their breaths.

"Thank you," the girl said next to him. "You saved me."

Lear shook his head. "No, I dragged you into this. They thought you were with me. You don't even have anything to do with this."

"They said some horrible things. They were meant for you? But why? Did you do something wrong?"

"I don't know anymore. I don't know whether living is wrong, but it's how we're doing it that made us bad people. I'll try to get you out of here, don't worry. I'll keep you safe, no matter what."

He hadn't noticed it until now, but he was still holding her hand. She had dropped the basket she carried, but she didn't seem to mind.

As soon as Lear noticed that he still held her hand, she smiled and looked at him, tilting her head as to ask what-is-wrong? He tried to untangle his hand due to the embarrassment he felt, but the girl made her hold tighter,

He was confused, but had to ask a question to break the awkward silence.

"W-what are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" she asked with an innocent smile.

He looked the opposite way as to avoid her face and raised his hand with was twining with his. "This. You can let go now."

"Are you scared?"

He staggered at the sudden question and fumbled for an answer, immediately coming up with one.

"O-of course not! What are you taking about?"

"But you hand is shaking, and it's cold. Are mine warm," she asked.

He didn't have the guts to push her away since her smile never waned. It was as if she was teasing him, but he never truly knew at that point.

"Yeah," he murmured.

"Good. My father once told me something that my mother told him. She said, to know when someone's scared, try holding their hand and being close with them. You'll know, rather, you'll feel, and it'll naturally come to you. What are you scared about?"

"Nothing. I'm not scared of anything," he said in an act to stay calm in this situation.

"It's alright if you don't want to tell me. Where are your parents? You shouldn't be out so late, it's dangerous."

"Shouldn't the same be said with you? You almost got caught for something that you didn't do."

"I'm safe now because of you, so that's fine."

"Has anyone ever told you that you seem like an airhead? Something really bad almost happened to you, and you're not even terrified."

"Answer my question, come on, you're trying to avoid it," she urged, poking at his sides causing him to flinch until he became annoyed by it.

"I don't have any parents!" he angrily stated. "I don't know where they are, but they abandoned me. I don't even know what they looked like... now we're all just getting caught and I don't even know what's going to happen to us if they find me and the others."

The girl sensed the empty feeling within him and looked genuinely sad, moving past the playful attitude she had and sympathized with him.

"Others?"

"Yeah, others like me who were left behind by their parents. They have nowhere else to go, nothing to eat, and no one to go to for help. We're the 'trash' of this town, it seems." He continued explained everything else that he had heard from the ones living here. 

The girls' expression changed upon hearing all of this and became saddened to a degree that she felt like she was affected as well.

"That's horrible... Everyone for their own lives. I never knew how worse others had it," was all she could say.

"So now you know how dangerous it is. Now come with me. It should have died down now. It'll be safe, but you'll have to try and find your own way back home. I'll help you get there by distracting the others. Just keep running, alright?"

She nodded her head and stood up.

But just as she could stand, three guards appeared from the alleys, blocking their path. The men smiled maliciously while sweat formed from their heads. They could no longer get away easily because of this.

"You made us run after you an awful lot, you little pieces of trash. I think I'm going to need to vent a little of my stress on you both before I wrap things up, right, boys?" they all laughed as he cracked his fists and came close.

"How did you find us?" Lear asked to himself, cursing his misfortune.

He remembered the girl being there and shielded her with his arm, separating them.

"Thought you could get away now, didn't you? you'll get what's finally coming to you runts." The men moved to grab Lear, who didn't resist. He instead told them that the girl who was with him wasn't involved in any way, and asked them to let her go.

"Who do you think you are, ordering is around? Know your place, trash!" the man struck a blow on Lear's head with the back of his hand. The rest of the guards laughed at the act. "Don't you know that everyone in town wants you all dead?"

He saw the girl struggle the moment one of the guards tried to take her. It ignited a fire in him that allowed him to break free of the guards' grip on him, for he gave up without any resistance, they thought he would not act.

He went for their groins, their weakest and most vulnerable spot, and placed himself in front of her as the men recoiled in pain in the form of an illusory shock of lighting towards your brain. "Don't you dare do anything to her!"

"You fucking kid!" Yelled out the guards in anger. The one who didn't get hit by Lear took and took him by the hand aggressively.

The girl looked at the child's back as he shielded her. She was surprised even after knowing that. He could have escaped on his own, but he chose to stay with her, even going as far as to turn himself in just for the sake of letting her go.

He was beaten harshly after that to the point that he had bruises which lasted for a few years, but he refused to allow any of them to get to the girl, giving his all into it. She couldn't understand why, but she wept for him on that day.

What happened onwards only cemented their friendship and bond, becoming a treasure that Lear kept with him at all times, never forgetting it.

But there was one other thing that he couldn't forget, and that was the friend whom he abandoned. The thought of him haunted Lear day and night for he never knew what had become of him up to this very day. All the children that had been taken under the custody of the previous governor had all been reportedly sold to slavers from many different parts of the land, just so the governor had a little pocket money to spend at night. Some were abused and raped, the others were killed. It was an atrocity on many levels, and it disgusted everyone even when they had a part in it.

But that was how they met, but that was not the end of it. He remembered up until that much and returned his focus in front of him as he came face to face with the Yew forest once more, entering the familiar roads, retracing his steps. It was odd that he could remember such details, but he had faith that he could find what he was looking for.

He looked around and couldn't see clearly. The thick leaves on the branches of the tall trees prevented much of the moonlight from entering. All he could hear was the hooting of the owls, and the singing of the crickets... until a howl livened up the forest, one so loud and blood curdling that it made Lear panic.

He looked around and found nothing. He did not even recognize where he was anymore. He stood in front of a spacious part of the forest, surrounded by tall overgrowths and roots. Though it was dark, he had ample visibility of what was close by him.

Further studying the area around him, he began seeing red dots from far across, slowly approaching him.

They appeared recognizable for their white fur.

Lear found himself surrounded by those red dots serving as eyes, but that wasn't what made him terrified. Something topped all of that, and it stood on all fours behind him, staring from an elevated position.

It was far larger than any of the others the surrounded him, in fact, it's frame surpassed them by a great deal. It was a giant among giants, bearing fur that was as white as snow, and eyes that were as shiny as gold. Its breath created a mist of air in front of it, and the vibrating noise came from its internal growling.

Lear stumbled to the ground as his head looked up further at the immensely large figure. His mouth was agape, but no words came out. He simply stared at the massive wolf that looked down on him with its bloodthirsty eyes.

It howled, allowing the sound to echo through the forest till its entrance. The other wolves around Lear followed suit and howled in unison. It signaled something, but he didn't know just what it was about. Instead, he had a guess, and he didn't like it one bit.