The mid-day sun filtered through the dense Azure canopy of the forest, its flickering light glinting off the menacing fangs of the encircling direwolves. Ren let go of his Knife, and instead pulled out his twin daggers, spinning them through his fingers before grasping them in a firm throwing grip.
Up above, the caws of scavenger birds filled the air, their beady eyes flashing with impatience for the bloodshed to begin. A few had attempted to sneak in a quick mouthful of entrails from the human carcass while the wolves were focused on Ren, but the female alpha had stayed back to protect its pack's meal. In one smooth motion, it darted forward, its massive jaws closing over the panicked feathers of the green scavenger, breaking its spine in one crunchy bite.
Meanwhile, the rest of the direwolf pack had surrounded Ren. The male alpha had accompanied its pups as they encircled him, but it sat on its haunches a few paces away, letting its offspring work out the attack. Ren's cheek twitched at being used as a hunting prop for the young wolves, but he kept his guard up, formulating a workable battle-plan.
The humongous pair of adult direwolves were obviously the biggest threats. They had to weigh upwards of three hundred pounds but the most dangerous thing about them was the unmistakable glint of intelligence visible in their eyes. If Ren could take them out first, mopping off the rest would become trivial. Maybe if he was careful, he could get a few good rugs out of this ordeal.
'Hmm, gotta aim for the eyes if I want to get the best furs. I guess ears work too—'
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud chorus of growls echoing through the forest. The cadence of yips and growls had changed—the pitch a mixture of high and low tones—as the ravenous beasts decided to finally begin the attack. With calculated precision, the eight young direwolves initiated a series of false attacks, leaping forward in feigned lunges from different directions. The jarring sounds of snapping jaws reverberating inches away from his skin was enough to throw off even the most veteran of hunters.
Fascinating! To Ren, this was a novel experience and with his advanced processing speed, keeping track of each of the snarling creatures was easy. Well, enough sightseeing. Time to see how well his blades matched against direwolf claws.
Taking the initiative, he burst into action running towards the right flank of the encircling direwolves. An overeager direwolf on his left lunged in, eyes gleaming in the perceived opportunity to rip into his unprotected thigh. Ren noticed its approach and responded in kind, flicking his hands in practiced ease and releasing the dagger. It soared through the air spinning on its axis, and buried itself hilt deep in the young wolf's eyes.
A loud yelp resounded through the clearing as the sudden pain and partial loss of sight disoriented it, causing it to lose its footing and tumble into the uneven forest floor.
Ren was surprised to note that the creature was still alive, even as it struggled to get back up, whimpering and leaking brain matter out of its punctured eye. The sight stoked his bloodlust and he would have loved nothing more than to finish the job. Unfortunately, the other wolves were closing in on him as he continued his run, malice etched in their very visage.
A direwolf jumped in his path, jaws snapping forward in a vicious bite aimed at his ankle. Speeding up, Ren sent power into his leg and delivered a bone crushing kick to the creature's exposed neck, crushing it and leaving the direwolf to choke on its pinched windpipe. Jumping over the dying beast, he skidded to a halt as movement in his periphery warned of imminent danger.
The male alpha had apparently seen enough and could not stomach any more of its offspring injured by this dangerous prey. In one great leap, it caught up to Ren and swung a massive claw tipped paw at his midsection, aiming to disembowel him. Ren jumped away from the deadly swipe, diving into a controlled sumersault as a gust of wind followed in the wake of the attack.
His escape brought him toward another small direwolf which immediately lunged for his throat. With his danger-sense flaring, Ren raised a forearm, pushing the rabid snout away, as his other hand buried his blade into the direwolf's neck. Its menacing growls immediately shifted into gurgling sounds as it choked on its own blood.
Grabbing the dying wolf by the scruff of its neck, Ren swung it towards the chasing alpha. The huge wolf stepped aside, its eyes glowing red as it traced the falling arc of its dying offspring. The few precious seconds it wasted by avoiding crushing its kin, gave Ren the time he needed to move further away.
Both alpha's howled in fury. The red glow of their eyes turned deeper, more sinister. The rest of their pack howled in response, picking up their alpha's warcry and redoubling their attacks. The female alpha was so infuriated that she left her post, defending the pack's previous meal, and instead dashed over with tremendous killing intent.
Ren laughed in pure bliss as he increased his speed, moving quickly to avoid another encirclement. His lone remaining dagger flashed as quick as a viper, stabbing, piercing and slicing into the bodies of the attacking beasts. He moved like the wind, jumping over vicious snouts, and sending devastating punches to redirect snapping jaws. His favorite golden knife remained sheathed for now, as he was enjoying leading the group of enraged direwolves around the clearing.
He made sure to stay well ahead of the alpha's, always keeping a buffer of a few pups to prevent the alpha's from a straight line lunge. With the pack now a bit disorganized, Ren angled his trajectory towards the short sword he had spotted lying beside the human carcass. A flock of the scavengers had finally landed and were gorging themselves as Ren made his way over. However, the male alpha that had been paces behind, noticed this and moved to cut him off.
What smart creatures.
Ren threw his last remaining dagger towards the male alpha dashing towards the sword. The dagger made two full rotations in the air before sinking into the flank of the huge direwolf. The direwolf yelped in pain, immediately trying to pry the weapon out. Despite not being fatal, the dagger was embedded deeply enough, to momentarily distract the alpha. Which was just long enough for Ren to reach down and grab the short sword.
As his fingers closed around the sword's hilt, Ren brought it up in a deadly arc, bisecting the young direwolf to his right flank that took the opportunity to pounce on him. His sword buckled in his grip as it tore through the abdomen of the leaping direwolf, blood gushing out like a tidal wave as ropes of intestines spilled onto the ground. Ren jumped away from the mess and spun on his heels, sweeping the shortsword's blade in a wide arc across the snout of the injured alpha that was moments away from ripping his limbs off.
The alpha's movement was hindered by the dagger sticking in its muscle so it barely managed to rear back, letting the razor sharp blade bite into its coarse neck fur. The thick fur resisted the sword slash, much like chain-amor, leaving the alpha to only deal with the force of the blow. It barked in surprise, limping away in retreat as its mate barrelled into Ren, giving it the reprieve it so badly needed.
The force of the charge threw him across the clearing, and ended with a loud crash against the massive trunk of an Iroko tree. The flock of green scavengers cawed in excitement as they flapped above the bloody fight. The stench of spilled guts intoxicating to the flying opportunists.
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Oof.
The breath was forced out of Ren from the impact, and his HUD blared with notifications that he promptly ignored. He rolled away from the snapping jaws of the first young direwolf to reach him, stabbing into its flank with the sword as he moved. His eyes frantically searched for the real threat, and he was happy to see the female alpha had stopped by its mate, letting its offspring continue to harry him.
A quick count showed him that there were now only six direwolves to deal with.
Moving the sword to his left hand, he reached for his gold dagger but hesitated. He really did not want to risk getting it nicked on the bones of these wolves. He would never forgive himself. But thinking of how beautiful it would look covered in their blood, he relented and drew the blade out with his right hand.
Ren changed his fighting style slightly, determined to use the dagger to parry while the short sword would carry out his primary attacks.
The uninjured female alpha howled a command and the direwolves stopped their advance on Ren and instead worked to surround him, resuming their sinister dance of feints and lunges. With its kin working together once again in a well-orchestrated dance, pincering him in and searching for weaknesses, the uninjured alpha circled its mate as it ineffectively tried to pull out the dagger.
Licking the snout of her mate, the alpha walked over and bit the dagger's handle, yanking it out. The male alpha grunted in pain as blood leaked out of the wound, its lips curling up in a hateful snarl as it limped forward to join its kin in dispatching Ren. It only made it a few steps before its mate bumped into it, rubbing her neck against as she pushed him back. Ren was busy swinging his sword to ward off any serious attacks from the direwolves, but he witnessed the affectionate reprimand and shook his head in amusement.
The injured alpha nuzzled its mate then limped off to a corner to tend to its wound. After making sure her mate was not going to rush back in, the female alpha turned around and growled. It was a deep menacing thing, laced with primal dominance, shaking the loose leaves scattered around the forest floor. The smaller direwolves howled in response as their alpha's growl reverberated through the dense foliage, sending a shiver down Ren's spine.
Huh. That's a first!
It began as a low, guttural rumble, like thunder echoing in the distance. As it intensified, Ren noticed a blue glow bloom across the crystal embedded in the alpha's forehead. The resonant tones of the growl rose and fell, evoking images of sharp fangs and bared claws. That was when Ren noticed the strange way the energy in the immediate landscape shifted.
Like a mirage, the number of wolves encircling him doubled, then halved, shifting like smoke as they continued lunging towards him in feigned attacks. The difference now was that he could not tell which direwolves were real and which were the illusions.
He stepped aside avoiding the first wolf to reach him, slicing into its side as it ran past. He jumped backwards avoiding a bite to his ankle from another wolf, then impaled a lunging wolf with his right forearm and knife. Using the sword in his other arm, he gutted the impaled wolf, making it howl in renewed pain as it watched its innards spilling onto the forest floor.
‘5 wolves left’ Ren mentally counted.
He kicked the dying canine off his weapons just in time to block the swipe of another direwolf that materialized beside him. A cold breeze brushed past as a direwolf dove in from behind, jaws inches away from biting into his forearm. Ren shifted the arm away and swiped at the approaching snout. The direwolf yelped, pulling back its head from the swinging sword as another direwolf from Ren's front took the opportunity to lunge for his throat.
He was in a very compromised position, having committed to attacking the canine behind him. Ren's scanner blared in warning as the salivating jaw inched closer, the deadly fangs gleaming in preparation of piercing through his neck. His eyes widened at the coordinated attack, and with a burst of energy, he sent power through his body, twisting backwards at an improbable angle and sending his shin into the flying canine.
His leg tore through the air with devastating certainty, bringing forth tremendous force that would shatter the canine's ribcage, sending the broken fragments piercing through its innards. At the last second, the direwolf dissolved into smoke as his leg passed harmlessly through the illusion.
What? It fooled my scanners?
Before he could adjust to mitigate the dangerous position he was in, the nine inch fangs of the female alpha sank into his calf, her powerful jaws clamping shut around his appendage and then all hell broke loose. Like a ragdoll, she shook her head, smacking his flailing body against the stony forest ground, sending plumes of dust into the air.
Ren's knife jackhammered into the attacking alpha, aiming for the eyes but the wily canine shifted subtly tanking his attacks on her hardened fur. The next few seconds were a confusing mess of glimpses of the blue forest canopy, to abrupt views of the incoming forest floor. Leaves, stones and sand matted his face as he was battered repeatedly and the younger direwolves snuck in to nip at his flailing limbs in the brief lulls between smacks.
He eventually got lucky as his golden knife managed to pierce into the nose of the female alpha, surprising her and causing inbred instincts to loosen her jaw and throw him across the clearing. Ren was sent flying but he controlled his fall by tumbling backwards and landing in a crouch.
His HUD blazed with alerts, his sight inundated with overlapping notifications of the damage he had received and the re-prioritization of his repair nanites. His arms quivered and his joints groaned as he fought to prevent the force of the fling from pushing his weapons into his torso. That would be annoying as he would have to wait for hours for his overworked nanites to repair the damage. Also this wasn’t on earth anymore, so he had no idea how he would go about replenishing his nanite stock once they were completely depleted.
The huge alpha continued its attack jumping towards the crouching Ren. He rolled to his left dodging the attack then swiped at the neck of the direwolf. It reared backwards but Ren followed up with a lunge of his sword, stabbing into the front shoulder. The alpha swung its maw to rip his head off but Ren leaned backwards more than any human should be able to. He saw the surprise in the direwolf’s eyes but it was already too late.
Quicker than thought, he plunged his golden knife into the left eye of the beast, blinding it. He left the blade there as he rolled over to its blindside with inhuman speed then sending all the power he could into his arms, he plunged his sword into the direwolf's neck. This time, its natural defenses could not prevent the sword from its assigned task. The female alpha choked up in a death gasp as warm blood gushed out onto Ren's hands. The surviving wolves began to rush in to save their alpha but Ren ruthlessly pounded on the hilt of the dagger in the direwolf’s eyes, driving it deep into its brain. The female alpha collapsed on the ground in a pool of its lifeblood accompanied by sad howls from the surviving direwolves.
Seeing their matriarch slain before their eyes, overwhelmed what little sanity the young direwolves had. They threw themselves at him in increasingly reckless abandon as he danced away from peril by the smallest of margins. Ren cackled with glee, stabbing and slicing with the blood drenched knife and inflicting minor cuts on the direwolves, in an effort to prolong the fight. With one alpha dead, he could savor the fight with less risk.
The surviving male alpha limped over to its dead mate, nudging it without response, before letting out a sorrowful howl towards the uncaring cosmos. Its eyes traced the dead corpses of its kin littering the clearing, then lingered on the remnants of its offspring being systematically cut to ribbons by the humans' steel claws. Steeling its resolve, it howled out a retreat, physically having to pull one of its three remaining offspring away from the grinning human.
The Alpha stood guard as its pups ran past, snarling at Ren who stood still, waving at the retreating direwolves.
"That was fun!" he called out. "Maybe we can do this again some other time?"
The surviving Alpha direwolf, though incapable of comprehending the precise meaning of the uttered words, sensed the malevolence that emanated from the figure before it. Locking eyes with the enigmatic being dressed in human guise, a chilling understanding gripped its primal instincts. It was convinced that the demonic presence would stop at nothing until every last member of its pack was eradicated.
Driven by a mix of sorrow and dread, the Alpha turned away from the blood-soaked clearing, its tail drooping in desolation. Following the trail of its kin, it trotted with a sense of sorrowful resignation, knowing that their shared fate rested in the hands of an unrelenting fiend. The direwolf's instincts urged it to flee, seeking refuge from the humanoid monster that threatened the very existence of its remaining family.