Quickly, the lupus unit forces the beasts back to the first line of trees, allowing the men to reorganize under Nila's command. But this leaves them isolated with considerable distance behind them, even for their swift legs, so Yheer doesn't hesitate to give the order for the fire arrows to be fired at his position the moment the main body of the horde strikes.
To his right and left he can see how his companions run frantically with a heavy breathing and forcing their four legs to bleed from the effort if necessary, despite being wounded and exhausted, they all run as tongues of fire explode a few meters from them the moment the arrows touched the oil. More than once Yheer sees how the lit oil exploded pouring into the skin of his companions forcing them to throw themselves on the ground in an agonizing attempt to put it out, but this sentenced his death since the beasts were on their heels and some took advantage of the opportunity, including with fire, to pounce on their bodies. These were the ones who were not afraid of the flames and knew how to respect them by keeping an appropriate distance and taking advantage of the time before the entire forest was engulfed by them.
When they finally emerge from the hell of fire regrouping with the army, they can look back and see how the beasts are engulfed by the flames generating panic for those who feared it and trying to escape at all costs, even if it was by trampling each other. This results in total chaos from which no species is able to evade.
Yheer can finally sigh to see how at least something in his plan works, it would be hours before the flames completely consume the trees and by that time the horde would have already dispersed. In any case, he doesn't need a count of the casualties suffered to know that not everything went as he had hoped, this may be a victory for many, but for Yheer it was a heavy defeat.
His muscles were exhausted despite the short but demanding battle, each movement he made was taking into account the greatest speed and effectiveness possible without giving himself time to breathe. At the moment when he decides to return to his human form, something catches his attention causing his ears to deviate towards where the sound that alerted him occurred.
From among the flames, as if a white demon emerged from hell itself, a huge bear makes its way, revealing its fangs at the same time as its roar is felt. Before Yheer could even turn around and face him, an explosion knocks him off balance, knocking several wolves into the air.
Yheer recalls an experience similar to the one he was undergoing at the time. As a young man, before he wielded a sword to defend others, he used to help the adults by cutting down trees for firewood or whatever was needed. It was dangerous work, not only because of the possible beasts lurking around, but there were also many stories of people who lost their lives when a tree fell on them. It was exactly that what happened to him, a tree turned on itself as it fell hitting the ground centimeters from where he was, although a branch big enough to break his collarbone manages to reach him.
The noise, the disorientation and the pain inevitably make that memory of the past resurface in his mind despite the situation he was in. His sight returns to normal as regains his balance, coming back from his memories that didn't last more than five seconds.
Although at the moment he does, he can see how the beast charges against the ranks of his men breaking them effortlessly, a couple flying into the air while the others are either crushed or killed by the fast claws that disfigured their faces. He doesn't seem to mind being surrounded by swords and spears, but Yheer soon understands why.
Several times the edge of the wrought iron cuts the thick skin of the bear, but it only manages to do that, no soldier manage to deliver a blow that penetrates the flesh of the beast. Yheer takes a moment to analyze the enemy noting that the lack of lethal wounds was not a coincidence, despite being surrounded, the bear dodged with surprising skill any attack that could be deadly.
Noticing this, the soldiers move away, linking their shields and swords in one direction out of fear rather than plan. The bear takes advantage of the moment to get up on its hind legs and sniff the air several times by turning its neck, at that moment Yheer thinks he understands what the objective of that beast could be.
“So you are looking for someone, but he is not in this place.” Yheer had as much information as the Alpha since he received most of it, so he knew a lot about the things that happened in the mountains.
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"We will hold him… No, we will kill him in this place." A howl breaks the silence of the nervous soldiers who enclosed the beast in a circle.
As Yheer gets closer he can see that there are a little more than a dozen wolves inside the circle waiting for his orders. Pain is reflected in his eyes as he notices the number of missing companions, but he doesn't let it affect him and refocuses on the white mass in front of him.
"I guess I can't save myself this time." Nila, who quickly approached, begins to throw her weapons and clothes on the ground, the soldiers who initially averted their gaze seduced by her appearance, now focused on preserving their life without paying attention to her even though she is completely naked. It was in their culture to know how to respect the place and time, there were very few who had the ability to be part of the lupus and they were seen with respect for it.
Nila doesn't let her skin feel the cold for a long time, her body undergoes a transformation that lasts a few seconds allowing her to rest comfortably on her four legs just like Yheer does next to her.
The beast finishes sniffing the air dissatisfied and watches the wolves around him without concern, his front legs touch the ground again and at that moment he runs around, attacking whatever gets in his way.
The wolves dodge and immediately counterattack as the soldiers back up to give them more room. Lupus act with a single mind, some distract and hold the beast back, while others leap from its back, penetrating its skin with claws and teeth. This time the attacks prove to be deeper due to the amount of blood oozing from the wounds, but it was still not that significant compared to the enormous size of the bear.
The fight seems to be in their favor, although this changes when the beast suddenly roars and, in less than a second, the chest of one of the wolves is crushed by an invisible impact, launching it meters away. The bear performs the same movement again forcing all his attackers back to avoid an attack that never comes, he clearly outwits them taking the opportunity to escape easily breaking the circle of shields to retreat into the burning forest.
“It's fast .” Yheer lets him escape knowing that he would take more lives if tried otherwise, his army was in disarray and this last attack only aggravated this.
"How long do you plan to show your fangs? That bear is already gone. I'm surprised by his strength, it's the first time I see something like this... Where are my clothes!?” A torrent of words flows from Nila's mouth as she returns to her human form displaying her intense personality. “Ahhh! I hate the cold.” She dresses as fast as she can almost losing his balance in the process.
"Regroup the troops, we'll stay until we make sure there are no stragglers." Yheer ignores Nila's complaints, taking the clothes that one of the soldiers brings him. Before leaving, he looks once more at the burning forest behind him, hoping that the white bear does not find what he is looking for.
On the opposite side of the forest, engulfed in flames unfolding for what anyone would be hell, the beasts that did not disperse began to fight among themselves creating a death show that was only accentuated by the red glow of the flames. In the midst of all this, the bear walks undaunted without anyone daring to even get close, his skin was stained with dried blood from the wounds that were never serious.
“They saw through my plan, there's no way I'd get close to the village like this. And prepare another wave…” The beast looks at the chaos around him. “It is impossible, that boy will have to leave sooner or later. When he do, I will exact revenge for my brother.” The bear walks away from the hellish scene at a slow, carefree pace.
It happened a short time later, the white beast should not have feared anyone but the abnormal beings that slept or hid, but for the first time he feels a true sense of danger above him and searches for it desperately. He peers through the leafless branches with good visibility in the moonlight, although he also had no trouble seeing in the dark, noticing a small blue bird staring at him.
“What you are looking for is not found in this place.” A voice resounds in the bear's head, alarming him immediately, he thinks to escape, but the bird's words hold him back.
“What you are looking for is not found in this place, it moves south to cross the mountains.”
“Who are you? The bear could not communicate with other species easily, but the fact that the bird can speak in its mind ensured that it also heard his.
“What you are looking for is not found in this place, it moves south to cross the mountains.” The same words come back to sprout inside his head.
“What you are looking for is not found in this place, it moves south to cross the mountains.” Wait a moment waiting for some change that never comes, the bird repeated those words over and over again. In addition to that, for some reason, the pressure he felt earlier no longer existed on the bird, making it seem like an ordinary one. This did not reassure him, on the contrary, it disturbed him even more, although he decides to follow the words of that bird anyway, having nothing to lose.
He is forced to take a long detour because of the army that was blocking the way, when he starts the road he looks back again to see how the bird disappeared completely.