Jake heard the angry growling and snapping teeth of the wolf. The other creature, hissing loudly, sounded like it was fighting back. The sounds of battle rang through the otherwise silent night, a cacophony of howls and angry hisses all that could he heard. Jake tensed up; the fight sounded close. What should he do? He could continue to hide in his small shelter, but if the fight moved in his direction, he could be caught directly in between the two wild creatures. He decided that inaction was the worst path to take in this situation. He called upon his strength and made his way out from his shelter.
The fight seemed to be happening north of his small camp, just past the spring providing him with fresh water. Jake crept towards the loud clash, trying to remain unseen. His eyes were sharp, seeing in the darkness better than he had as a human. He made his way past the spring, and further ahead he caught his first glimpse of the battle. The wolf was facing a large snake-like monster with nine heads.
“A hydra,” Jake whispered to himself.
He did not have time to think about the fact that monsters like hydras were real in this world. He slowly moved closer, creeping towards the base of one of the strangely colored oak trees. He took hold of a low hanging branch and climbed higher in the tree, ensuring his safety from the battle below and having a good view of the small clearing where the skirmish was taking place.
The wolf was large, nine feet in length and standing almost five feet tall, to Jake’s best estimate. Its mouth was dark red from the hydras blood, and it had multiple lacerations and bite marks around its body.
Even considering the wolf’s massive size, the hydra towered over it. Its snake heads swayed in a synchronized manner. Three of the heads hung limply at its side. The wolf was not an opponent to take for granted. The heads were not growing back, so at least that part of the myth from Jake’s world was not true.
In a strike as fast as lightning, two of the snake heads darted towards the wolf with a speed that seemed impossible.
Jake had a tough time following the movement.
The wolf fared better than him. With a rapid response, the wolf dodged one of the heads, and struck back with a paw strike that caught the hydra off guard. Blood sprayed from the rake of the claw, the hydra losing one eye and recoiling. This counterattack was not enough.
The second snake head, unnoticed by the wolf, bit it in the side as the first attack was countered.
The wolf yelped in pain and leapt back. A look Jake could only describe as resolve flashed across the wolf’s eyes. It seemed that the wolf was fighting a losing battle if it stayed on the defensive side of the clash. It lunged forward with blistering speed, dodging the six remaining heads of the hydra and targeted the middle one.
With a sickening crunch, the wolf’s jaws closed around the central head of the hydra. The light disappeared from its eyes, and that head fell limply down to hang with the other three that had been killed.
A newfound determination came over the wolf and it attacked over and over, forcing the hydra to defend with little time for counter attacks.
The battle raged on. With every attack, the wolf damaged the hydra more, slowly killing its many heads. It was not surviving unscathed, as the teeth of the hydra found purchase on the weak flesh of the wolf, leaving it coated in its own blood.
Jake’s eyes were locked on to the battle, in awe of the speed and power of these two strong creatures. After one of the wolf’s attacks, Jake saw a small movement in the woods behind the wolf. He looked closer and saw a small ball of fur cowering behind a bush. It was the wolf’s pup. The pup was a light grey color, almost silver, and it could not have been more than a few months old. It looked awkward, with a head and feet that looked too big for its body and the tips of its ears still flopping over.
The wolf’s motivations were clear. She needed to protect her pup.
The hydra only had two heads that remained alive. The wolf looked worse for wear, moving sluggishly. She was obviously feeling the strains of a prolonged battle with a powerful opponent. Jake shifted his weight in the tree. The small branch that was supporting his right foot snapped. He managed to catch himself before falling, but not without drawing attention to himself.
The hydra’s two remaining heads snapped in his direction, assessing the new threat that appeared. This proved to be a mistake, as the wolf took this chance for a desperate attack. The wolf dove at one of the heads, catching it in its claws and crushing its skull.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The hydras attention was immediately returned to its battle and struck out with its one remaining head. The wolf was too slow to react. The exhaustion of the drawn-out battle had overcome her and as she tried to leap back to safety, the hydra’s fangs snapped closed around her neck. The wolf slumped lifelessly to the ground, blood gushing from the lacerations.
The hydra hissed triumphantly, thrashing its remaining head around in a grotesque victory celebration. The singular head was the one damaged earlier in battle by the wolf, but not finished. The head turned and peered at Jake with its sole eye. Jake felt nauseous. He had just seen the gruesome death of the wolf and the killer’s attention was now on him. He knew he was safe in the tree. It was unlikely the hydra had the capability to climb to his level, especially without the use of its eight other heads. The hydra seemed to realize this as well and turned its attention to the other living creature in the clearing.
A feeling of dread passed over Jake’s body. The innocent wolf pup, just a few months old, was the hydra’s new target. The pup’s mother gave her life to protect it. It seemed like this sacrifice would be for nothing. Jake wanted to protect it but did not know how he could. The hydra’s gaze was fixated on the pup. It slowly inched towards the defenseless pup, an apex predator hunting its prey.
----------------------------------------
New Quest:
Urgent. Protect the wolf.
----------------------------------------
The words in Jake’s head shocked him. He was not used to the interface barging into his mind. What was a quest? Why was this the first time he received one? He didn’t have time for these questions. The hydra was almost upon the pup, its head looming over the bush. The pup shook in fear as it stared at the giant monster emerging above it. Jake had to do something.
Jake leapt from his outpost in the tree, summoning his small knife into his hand as he fell. He plummeted towards the remaining head, time seeming to slow down. In slow motion, he saw the hydra turn its head towards him, baring his fangs. It was too late. Jake plunged his knife deep into the hydra’s remaining eye. The weight of his body landed on the head and crushed it into the hydra’s body.
The massive hydra fell with a crash, and the forest was eerily still around them.
Jake was covered in the blood of the beast. He grimly stood up, looking at the monster he had slain. The hydra was a bloody mess. The wolf had done most of the damage. Jake had just enacted the final blow, completing the wolf’s mission of protecting her cub.
Jake moved towards the cowering wolf cub, pacing himself as he did not want to be seen as a threat. He held his hand out for the pup to smell.
The pup cautiously sniffed his palm and did not try to escape. This was a good start.
Jake slowly reached out and scratched the pup behind the ears. The pup relaxed some, as if it knew Jake was not a threat. Jake sat next to the pup, breathing deeply, as he gazed over the scene of the finished battle in front of him.
The quest reemerged in his mind. He forgot about it in the rush of adrenaline that came with slaying the heavily damaged hydra.
“Quests,” he said aloud.
This time, the interface responded.
----------------------------------------
Quest:
Protect the wolf.
----------------------------------------
Jake thought about the quest. Shouldn’t it be complete? He killed the monster that was the main threat to the pup. He considered the wording. Earlier, the interface had added the word urgent before the quest mission. Jake postulated that the urgent part of the quest was complete, as the hydra did not have the opportunity to attack the pup, but there was still something he needed to do. He realized that he had been slowly petting the pup, lost in thought.
The pup stood up, shook itself off, and looked across the battlefield at its mother. The wolf was a mess. Her fur, once thick and beautiful, was now matted and coated in blood, both her own and the hydra’s. Her head was twisted to the side unnaturally, made possible by the final bite of the hydra’s fangs.
The pup timidly walked towards its fallen mother, its tail drooping and ears pinned back against its head. As it reached its mother’s body it nudged her mangled head with its nose. It licked the wolf’s cheek as if trying to wake her up.
Jake could see the realization dawn on the pup’s face.
Its mother was gone. The pup howled at the moon, exposed though the dense canopy of the trees. The howl was considerably higher pitched than a full-grown wolf, but the haunting tone sounded of tragedy and loss.
A tear ran down Jake’s face. He walked over to the pup, still by her mother’s side. He did not want to leave the wolf’s body here. It felt undignified for such a noble death. He steeled his nerves. For now, there was no other choice. He knelt next to the pup.
“Come with me,” he suggested.
The pup looked at him with questioning eyes.
“I have a camp,” he said. “Its not far, just down the hill from here.”
The pup took another look at its mother, laying limp on the ground. The pup looked again to Jake and crawled into his arms.
Jake stood up and slowly walked away from the scene of the battle. With his new body, the pup was heavier than expected. A day ago, as a human, he would have no trouble carrying the small animal. Now though, he struggled to manage the weight.
The pup slumped in his arms, mentally exhausted after witnessing its mother’s death.
Jake did not want to make it walk in this state. He carefully made his way back to camp. He placed the pup in his small shelter, still warm from the fire. The fire he built earlier was beginning to die. He left the pup to rest and went over to tend to the flames. Jake added more wood to the fire. Soon it was roaring again, lighting up his small clearing and providing warmth to him and the pup.
Jake yawned. He made his way over to the shelter where the pup was already asleep. His stomach growled, and he hoped he would find something to eat in the morning. He was currently too tired to care. He lay down next to the pup. Jake placed a hand on the pup’s soft fur, feeling comfort and companionship in the small animal. The warmth from the fire and the pup’s body were comforting. As sleep embraced him, he fell into a deep slumber, grateful for the temporary relief from the chaotic events of the day.