The sun had set when the monsters started wreaking havoc in the mining area. Vicious roars and growls could be heard in the distance, as countless beasts came forward to fight those creatures.
Howling Wolf pack and Blue Moon pack were neighboring packs, as they shared the mining area during those days before the horrifying attack, and behind the mining area was the Goffa mountain, where those monsters lived.
There would be a monster hunt event that would be held every three months, where they would kill the monsters around the mountain.
But, ever since Blue Moon pack enslaved Howling Wolf pack people, they used to send them away to do the job, where Cane would lead his own people to do it.
Though Cane could run away during that time, he couldn't do it, since alpha Gerald swore he would behead all of the members of his pack and put their heads on the spikes. He would lose his people forever.
Cane knew that the nefarious alpha would go through with that plan, more so, he didn't have anywhere to go. Going through Goffa mountain, which was practically a monsters' lair, was not an option when you didn't do thorough preparation, it would be suicide.
Therefore, the mining area was the most risky place to be attacked by monsters.
Iris felt like her lungs would explode as she ran. Her head was so dizzy and her limbs were numb.
There were only beasts that charged in different directions to where Iris headed and also the mining slaves, who were trying to escape that she could see around her.
But then, her eyes caught sight of a little girl around the age of five. She was crying, not knowing where to go and the loud noises around her were so scary to her. This was the first time for her to see monsters and they looked terrifying.
Iris rushed toward her and grabbed her small hand. "Come… here! Come here, come with me!" Iris breathed heavily when she spoke, her lungs were burning.
Not knowing where to go, the little girl followed her. Her stubby legs couldn't bring her fast enough and she stumbled a few times, crying and asking for her father.
"Ssh… ssh... we will look for your father later, okay? But, not now…" Iris panicked when she noticed became out of hands. There were loud of vicious growls, but this time it didn't come from the beasts, but the monsters.
The horde of monsters managed to hit back the beasts and they went deeper into the residential area.
This mining area was so vast and stretched across the territories of the two packs. Iris was at a loss as to where to go since this was the first time for her to be here and she had been ordered to move from one place to the other all this afternoon.
"It hurts…" the little girl whimpered. She didn't want to run anymore because she lost her slippers and now the hard ground hurt her legs.
Iris looked around her and saw a huge rock not too far from them, they could hide there, until the beasts managed to beat the monsters back to the mountain.
"I will carry you and hide, but you can't cry, okay?" Iris picked the girl in her arms. She was not heavy, but she was exhausted, there was no way she would be able to run, while carrying her for long.
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"INFORM THE ALPHA AND GET MORE GUARDS TO THE MINES!" Stone roared at his men, he was agitated because he couldn't find his daughter. He took his daughter to the mining area because his mate died after she gave birth to their second child not so long ago and no one was there to look after her today.
But, who would have thought that a horde of monsters would attack them and his daughter would go missing during the chaotic situation.
He felt like he would go insane.
"Yes, sir!" One of the guards went to inform Alpha Cane and the others went to ask for more help, while Stone coordinated people there to fight the monsters, trying to buy them some time.
Stone looked around, there were a lot of slaves behind him, especially those, who were of the age able to fight.
"Bring them to the front lines! Let them fight!" Stone pointed out his finger toward those men.
"What!? No!" They all protested and huddled up together.
For ten years, this job had been done by people from the Howling Wolf pack, thus they didn't have any idea how to fight monsters.
Yet, when they were piled up into the carriage to be sent to the frontlines, back to the spot where they were running from, there was no amount of protest that could change Stone's decision.
He needed to move too, so he could find his daughter.
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Iris hugged the little girl tightly, she didn't know whether she made a loud noise or not, but she kept crying, while they were hiding behind the huge rock.
"Please, don't cry…" she saw the little girl mouthing something, but she couldn't make out what she was saying.
She was afraid that those monsters would come in this direction and never did she feel so terrifying like she felt right now.
She couldn't hear what was happening and all she could do was to pray, though no Gods ever heard her.
And just like before, her prayers remained unheard when she felt something warm breathing above her head and the girl in her arms lifted her head and let out an ear splitting scream the moment she saw the monster behind Iris.
All four of the monster's arms raised up and his red eyes gleamed in the dark of the night. Its body was as tall as the huge rock, behind which they were hiding and its mouth was so wide, it could swallow them whole.
Above them, the moon shone so brightly.
Iris immediately turned around and felt her heart drop to the ground, instinctively, she hugged the girl tighter and used her body to shield her.
This was it…
Her life would end like this.