Wolf Hunt

Dark, scarlet liquid oozed down from the Night Wolf's head as he lay sprawled in a patch of torn-up vegetation. The upturned dirt heaped around him gave proof of the might of the Swiftwood Stag's kick.

Although dazed, the wolf was able to move after the crack in his skull slowly sealed. He staggered up on his weak legs, his paws slipping as he stumbled back into the scarred earth. His right eye ached horribly, and unbeknownst to the wolf, a drop of black floated down from his eye socket before fading from existence.

As the wolf gathered his thoughts, he realized that he had been kicked in the head. The fierce blow should have killed him. No creature could survive with its skull caved in, but the wolf was overjoyed. It appeared that wasn't the case, or he wouldn't have been able to stand again.

Facing off against another Enhanced Beast was always perilous and risky, especially when the Night Wolf didn't have his pack with him. It was truly a miracle that he had survived.

———

Looking down at his mountain, the Eye stared blankly at the pond.

He was no longer watching through the wolf. Right after he had seen a sparkling green hoof appear in his sight, his vision blurred out to reveal the normal scenery.

He tried reaching out to the wolf again, but no response occurred. His connection was lost.

The visual silence on the wolf's end led the Eye to slightly worry.

Did he lose a connection just like that? That'd be a slight disappointment.

Taking this time to look back at the human, he didn't see any change in its quiet rest. It lay there, facing upwards, taking in the vast sky above.

Its idle nature somewhat surprised the Eye. It meant that something was wrong with it. However, he was unable to determine what it was; the creature's eyelids were tightly closed, hugging its eyeballs in a smothering but protective enclosure.

At least the sun was still in the sky. The Eye could never get a good look at it. Due to the Eye's limited vision, he only saw the shape of it through its rays. He couldn't see farther, even though his sight in the sky was not as limited as compared to his sight of the land below.

Successfully sidetracked, the Eye's thoughts wandered back to attempting to connect with the wolf.

Luckily, his successive attempts bore fruit. His vision whirled out to reveal an up-close and expanding vision of dirt as the wolf's right eyelids parted.

The Eye was looking down at the wolf's wet, left paw. The sticky substance dripping from the claws revealed that the wolf was not out of luck. It still had a chance to catch its prey.

The Eye was also curious why his vision bounded around, slipping and changing sight. Could the wolf have been injured? The Eye remembered that the wolf had the refinement of [Superimposed Being], so it shouldn't die on him.

However, when he saw a speck of black with his aura fall and fade away, he felt that his connection to the wolf had weakened.

The Eye immediately wondered if his seal had lost some of its power. Since this phenomenon hadn't occurred before, he figured that the seal could have been damaged in the attack or that the area where the attack was made required such energy use. Nevertheless, it showed that his seals still required great care.

While the Eye was lost in thought, the wolf took some time to gather its bearings. Once it regained mental clarity, it realized it had some blood drizzling down its muzzle. Warm and wet, its tongue mingled with the scarlet rivulets until they were fully licked up.

After a brief analysis of its situation, the wolf took off in the direction the stag left in. The wolf's snout went to work in overdrive as he followed the scent. His pace caused the surroundings to blur as his paws kicked up dirt in the air behind.

As the Eye finished up his earlier thoughts, he watched the wolf with a little confusion as to how it determined where to go.

Similar to earlier, his sight only noticed the twitching of its black snout and the movements of it angling around, but the Eye soon deduced the correlation between the two, identifying that it was something that only other creatures could do.

When the Night Wolf covered enough ground and started to slow down, the Eye focused intensely with its limited vision. Although he couldn't smell, he could precisely pinpoint the twinkling of green.

"Over there. In the dense cluster of trees."

The wolf tilted its head at the sudden infusion of thought that whispered into its mind. After a moment, the wolf nodded, understanding that the being from above was helping him.

The Night Wolf took great care to sneak around the back. Although it was in the middle of the day, it did not need the significant boost of speed that running at night gave it. In a steady crawl, the wolf crept unnoticed.

As it took a large detour to the back of the cluster of trees and bushes, the wolf was not worried about being spotted.

After reaching the back, the wolf was able to quietly creep forward. The sound of twigs snapping was snuffed by its strategic placement of body weight and quick reactions, erasing its presence and allowing it to remain undetected.

Right behind the bush line, the Night Wolf pounced!

The struggle was over in a moment.

The Eye looked on as the Night Wolf made quick work of the meat. The brutal digging and tearing into the flesh caused blood to splatter all around.

The wolf was a messy eater.

The Eye let his thoughts roam. It must have been hard for a creature to live by itself, struggling for the short time it could endure.

Amidst the wolf's meal, the Eye didn't hear the sounds of ripping flesh and cracking bones. He didn't smell the pungent scent of blood in the air.

Instead, the Eye focused on the green sparkles. They remained on the Swiftwood Stag that was dead and being torn into.

When the stag lost in its fight, the flakes of twinkling green fell and sunk deep into the stag's flesh.

Now, they visibly disappeared into the wolf's gaping maws, sliding down into its stomach.

After devouring all that was edible, the Night Wolf grabbed the stag head that was earlier pried off. It still had a few green sparkles blinking deep within.

Satisfied, the wolf leapt out from the bushes, a head in mouth and crimson dribbling down from its jaws. Its furry chest was heavily stained.

Turning in the direction away from the Eye's mountain, the wolf ran off again.

The Eye wondered where the wolf was going.

As the day's end was heralded by the setting of the sun, the wolf came across a hill covered in trees, shrubs, and other vegetation. In the corner of its side, a hidden slit opened up and revealed an onyx pathway of rock.

The wolf walked inside and caused gentle echoes as its claws scratched against stone. The drops leaking from its prize didn't cause much of a disturbance, but the scent emanating from it did.

Rustling from deeper inside the cave preceded shadowy figures surrounding the wolf, all with black whips lashing the air behind them.

Then, the shadows came up to the wolf, gently nuzzling its neck, shoulders, and flanks.

The pack of Night Wolves eagerly welcomed their leader back, some prancing about and wanting to play.

Strangely, they seemed to ignore the wolf's new eye, including the faint disturbing sensation coming from it. It was as if they were unable to recognize any difference. 

The snack he brought back also caused some excitement and serious tail wagging, especially when the keener wolves recognized the meaning of the sparkles.

However, the unlucky few that neared the stag head were met with a deep, guttural growl from the leader. This food wasn't meant for them.

Walking deeper into the den, reaching cool temperatures and moist air, a tiny clamor of yapping could be heard.

A peerless snow-white wolf could be seen lying down, tending to four dusk-grey pups that crawled and rolled around. Their tiny paws and soft growls hinted at their future great strength.

Gently laying down his hard-earned prize, the Senior Night Wolf let the white wolf groom the matted and bloodied fur on his chest, cleaning up the stained mess.

The pups, driven by instinct, also went up to the Night Wolf's mouth, licking and muzzling it. However, it wasn't long before a tantalizing scent drew their attention elsewhere.

With great eagerness, all four pups charged at the valuable offering, their small teeth and claws digging in. The meat of an Enhanced Beast was a rare delicacy. After all, it was the best meat to nurture young pups with.

It tasted the best, too. Each bite was tender, succulent, and effortlessly melted into their maws. The rich flavors were infused with green twinkles, carrying sensations of energy and euphoria.

The pups' faces quickly became messy, distracting from their other features. Beneath their smeared faces lay eyes with striking resemblances to their mother.

Their clear and bright eyes originated from their mother's piercing, light blue eyes. No pup inherited their father's distinct golden brown eyes.

Surprisingly, all four pups' fur coats were smoky gray, unlike both their father's and mother's respective black and white.

After successfully greeting his family, the Night Wolf leader returned to the other pack members, ready to play and relax.

The den was soon filled with harmonious howls.