Chapter 110: First Challenge. Wolves

Chapter 110: First Challenge. Wolves On the other side of the portal, they found themselves in another forest. The only difference was that this forest looked and felt different. It was alive. With their sensitivity from training, they could sense the animals scurrying about and even larger ones that hid in their surroundings. One more thing stood out in this forest—A path that led straight from where they stood. It stretched far back as well, but Lynnor’s instructions were to go forward. Aramith smoothly transformed into the wolf. The runes around it pulsed with a rhythm, and his eyes glowed softly. Darkness emanated from his back as well, creating a soft steam of black smoke that dispersed. At the moment, he’d grown to control it better and now has his form stand at six feet at the shoulder. "We should get going," he growled. Mozrael nodded and climbed onto his back. This was the fifth time she’d done this since he learned to control his ability. His fur always dispersed like dust when she tried to grab on to it, which made it uncomfortable, so she hugged his neck, which was also too thick for her to fully wrap her arms around. He looked around, feeling like someone was staring at him, but no matter how much he stretched his senses, he couldn’t sense anything. With a howl, Aramith broke into a run. Mozrael could fly faster than him, but only for a short while. Aramith, on the other hand, could keep his wolf form active for a long duration. The longest he could stay in this form was two days. Anything longer than that, and he’ll start to fight himself and lose control. After a few minutes of endless running, Mozrael sat up, feeling stable and comfortable on his back. It felt very peaceful for them—the wind blowing around them, the sound of animals in the forest, the sun shining through, and the gentle rustling of leaves. The path curved and twisted after a while, climbing up a steep hill. Mozrael held tighter again, shutting her eyes to prevent falling particles. The forest air thickened as they climbed, the rustle of leaves and chirps of birds fading one by one. A hush settled, unnatural in the way it completed the place. Aramith’s ears twitched, trying to catch even the faintest noise, but the world had gone still. Shadows seemed to shift at the corner of his eyes, flickering behind trees. Mozrael gripped him tighter, her gaze darting across the trees. "It’s too quiet," she whispered, though her voice was nearly swallowed by the silence. Aramith’s nose twitched. Something was there. It felt heavy, musky, and wild. He drew a low growl deep from his chest, acknowledging the new presence. They weren’t alone. "Mozrael, do you notice anything?" He asked. Mozrael looked around with confusion in her eyes. Everything seemed alright, but she could feel it as well. Something didn’t add up. It was like all of a sudden, the smaller animals they saw had all become quiet. "The place is very quiet," she said. Mozrael had sharper eyes and senses, but Aramith could smell things better than she could. And in this situation, he could sense what she could not. It was moving quietly and carefully, but Aramith could smell it. He hadn’t exactly identified what it was, but it was close, and it didn’t smell friendly. He made a mental note to be alert and continued the climb. Just as he reached the peak, he was greeted by a low growl and a slash. It was a wolf. Though smaller than he was, it acted aggressively toward him. The top of the hill was flat and very spacious, so he jumped away from it and studied it carefully. This was the first time he’d faced an opponent other than Lynnor and Mozrael in his wolf form. But things just didn’t add up. A wolf wasn’t a stupid animal. They were very intelligent, and though they would always stand to defend their territory, a wolf was smart enough to only attack something it was confident in defeating. Aramith was much larger and more intimidating than he was. Any normal wolf would back down immediately. Unless... Suddenly, there were several howls from all around them. More wolves appeared, cutting off all exits. Or so they thought. I can easily jump over them and outrun them, he thought, but this also served as a good opportunity to test out his strength. He quickly counted them—fifteen in total. But one fact worried him. Their scent was very strong, but he hadn’t noticed them till they were right beside him. He couldn’t understand how they could hide their presence so easily and sneak up on them. This seemed a dangerous challenge he was taking up. What if he misjudged their strength and got injured instead? Mozrael could understand what he was thinking. She knew he wanted to test himself out with them, but what if things went downhill? She didn’t know how to gauge the strength of an opponent. Lynnor never taught them how to. Her sharp eye caught a movement Aramith didn’t see. "Aramith!" She shouted. His head snapped up just in time to see one of the wolves leap up at him. Without waiting a second, he raised a paw to strike it, but the effect of his action confused everyone there. The seemingly simple strike he’d given the wolf didn’t just stop the attack. The world detonated into a boom that echoed across the hilltop as the wolf was launched like a ragdoll, vanishing into the trees below. The ground quivered, sending loose stones tumbling down the slope. Leaves and dust burst into the air like the startled birds that scattered in all directions, and Mozrael had to shield her face from the shockwave. "What the..." Aramith’s voice was hushed, disbelieving. "That... wasn’t supposed to happen." They all couldn’t believe that they’d just seen a wolf fly off into the distance, and even the wolves couldn’t hide their shock. They still stared at their fellow member who had just died with one strike from the ’prey they’d cornered’. "Mozrael, did you see that, or am I dreaming?" He asked, unable to believe he’d just killed a wolf with so much ease. She hesitated a moment, then passed her hand through his fur just to be sure it was real. "You...killed it with one blow?" She also asked. "So it’s real, then." He turned his attention to the remaining wolves, but they all shrank back in fear. Aramith just took a step forward, and they all grouped as far away from him as they could. In all their lives, they’d never faced anything like that before. "So they’re scared now." Of course, we’re scared! You just came here out of nowhere and killed one of us with a casual swing of your paw. You didn’t even mean to hit him, and you’re asking if we’re scared? You weren’t even our target. We just wanted that human. She’s lucky to have you. They made a note to find Mozrael the next time they saw her alone, but would they get that second chance?