I start to head west once again after my little feast. Teste wasn’t anything special but it was still my first meal after coming here. But only after walking for a twenty more minute I come across another dire-wolf.

This one is snow white. After being seen through so much I’m beginning to suspect that my camouflage is pretty much useless.

But this time dire-wolf doesn’t attack me seeing that I’m not taking any action it simply turns left and disappears into the forest. And as I watch it l see little cubs emerging from nearby shrub and follows the wolf. There are five of them and they are adorable.

Last one is the smallest and slowest of them all. And on top of that it seems to be blind of its right eye. Runt of the litter I presume.

Still the little guy does its best to not to be left behind by its mother and other siblings. Even though it is half blind it still run with all it got to catch up with its family.

Even though it is very unlikely I hope that little guy will survive. After that surprise meeting I keep heading west all the while keeping my camouflage up even though I know it is most likely useless around here.

Don’t know if it is my smell or sound. Whatever it may be, every wolf I run into just looks at me and goes along their way. At least for now.

It’s been a week since I met the wolf family. For no everything is pretty much same. I sleep at night on the tree and continue walking west during the day.

But right now, I’m facing something new. Something I never saw or heard before. A shadow in a shape of a four-legged beast.

And I’m not feeling any kind of life sign from it. Only thing I’m feeling from it is hostility. And I see wolf family I met week ago, laying motionless behind it, bleeding.

It seems my hope for the little guy was pointless after all. Now how do I kill a shade. Just as I was thinking of a way to kill it, it simply vanishes and fuses with the forest’s shadow. But I can still feel its hostility.

“Hey tree, what is this thing and how do I kill it.”

“That is shade wolf just another type of wolf that only lives in this forest. As for how you can kill it, figure it out yourself.”

“Tsk.”

Just as I finished my pointless conversation with the tree, I suddenly feel something from beneath me more precisely from my shadow. As soon as I got the feeling I jump as high as I can.

And after jumping I look down and see the fucking thing clawing out of my shadow. If I was even a second late I would have at least lost my foot.

It dives back into my shadow after failing its surprise attack. This wolf is way too troublesome for me to kill. But since I got no other choice I got to kill it.

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After landing I push my perception to its limit and wait for its next attack. And just as I felt the same feeling I jump once again but this time I cast my fire breath.

Just before my blue flame hit the ground wolf’s claw swipes from my shadow once again. But it still manages to go back into the shadow after failing again.

I land beside the dead dire-wolf and its cubs. As I took a closer look I see that all the cubs are dead except the runt of the litter. But it is clinging to its last breath.

As I get near the little guy I feel the same feeling again I immediately jump to my left and dodges the wolf’s third attempt.

As if it understood that it can’t attack me from behind it comes out of the shadow next to the runt of the litter. While staring down hard on the wolf I notice the little guy struggling to move. After standing up it lunges at the shade with its last strength and bites its left hind leg.

Shade suddenly let’s out a small whimper after getting bit. It jerks its leg and throws the little guy away. I jump to action while it was distracted but fail to reach it before it dived into shadows again.

As got where it was I see a something else. There is a black drop of blood on green grass. So, this means I can kill it like I kill other wolves. Only problematic part is this one can escape pretty much anytime. That means I need to trap it so it can travel through shadows anymore.

But problem is that we are in a forest. Where there are shadows everywhere. So, I only choice I got is to attack it the moment it tries to attack me.

This time it simply materializes in front of me and waits for its chance to strike. And its hind leg is still bleeding a little bit. Seeing that almost dead cub could injure it to this extent, this wolf seems to be weak physically.

Only one good punch will kill it. Of that I’m sure. Ah screw it. Thinking of a good way to kill it is too much work. So, I will just wing it.

As we were staring down hard while waiting for a chance to appear I suddenly hear a low whimper from where the cub was thrown and loses my focus for a split second. Wolf takes that chance and vanishes into its shadow and materializes behind me with its full body and bites down on my shoulder.

Its teeth sink into my shoulder. My shoulder starts to bleed profusely. But I endure the pain and finally get hold of the fucking shade. I open its mouth and slams it on the ground.

It vomits black blood as it hits the ground and starts to whimper. And it fails to dive into its shadow with me still holding its snout.

I pull it out of its shadow and rips open it mouth. Just as I did that light bulb lights in my head and certain scene from a monster movie comes to my mind.

After opening its mouth, I unleash my fire breath down its throat. As my flame goes down its throat it starts to burn to cinders.

Ha-ha. That was oddly satisfying.

This time I didn’t feel its life force being absorbed. Well I suppose that makes sense since I didn’t feel anything from it.

After killing the wolf, I go to where I heard the whimper from. Behind the small bush there lays the runt of the litter. Still fighting for its life. But I can already feel its life leaving its tiny body.

I pick it up and look into its eyes. there aren’t intelligence or fear. There is only unwillingness to die. And since he is the reason I managed to kill the shade I want this little guy to live.

So, what can I do for it.

I close my eyes and concentrate inward. And feel for that warm stream that is flowing through my body. Healing my mangled shoulder right now. After grabbing that warm stream, I direct it to this little guy’s body.

As my vitality flows into cub’s body, his body starts to heal. His little bones getting back into their proper places. Wounds on his body closing. But after closing his eyes he fails to open his eyes again.

Still, for now I managed to save him. I’m sure he will wake up soon enough. But stronger.

His tiny body suddenly disappears from my hands. As this scene was oddly familiar I enter my Soul Palace and open the fourth door.

Entering the fourth room I see my egg same as before and next to it little cub, sleeping soundly. I don’t know if our meeting was destined or just plain coincidence but I’m sure we will be together for a long time, little one.