His face was covered in sweat.
Have we fallen into their trap?
Suddenly, the sound of branches breaking behind him caused Saugrar to snap and look back. It turned out to be Fernris and the other members of The Lone's Guard.
"Saugrar, what happened?" Fernris asked.
Saugrar slowed his pace, allowing Fernris to get side by side with him.
"We're in danger–" Saugrar said.
"Huh? What are you saying?"
"We're in big trouble right now. They're here... Kaelar's Army–"
"What?!" Fernris said in shock. "B... But how?"
"I don't know either, it seems they're behind Makari's disappearance." Saugrar said.
Fernris clenched his fist.
"Damn it... we've made a mistake."
"What should we do now, old man... Are we heading for an all-out war?"
Fernris was silent for a moment and looked upward. The rain kept getting heavier. His gaze dropped downward, following the falling rain until he looked at the shallow puddle beneath their feet. In an instant, the shallow water turned into blood, staining everything around it.
His eyes widened and clenched his teeth.
"No!... We will not sacrifice anyone." Fernris said firmly.
"Huh? So... What's your plan to face them?"
"We will retreat–"
"Retreat? How many times have we run from them? And are you saying we're going to run again... like cowards?" Saugrar muttered. "How long are we going to keep bowing to Kaelar and his Army? Our honor is being trampled as if it means nothing... Today, this very moment, we will fight them in an all-out war."
"Don't just think about yourself, Saugrar! Think about everyone."
"But we need–"
"As the leader of this tribe and the one who bears the burden of the lone wolf, I command you to obey my orders!"
Saugrar froze for a moment and turned his face away with a dissatisfied look. Suddenly, Makari clutched Saugrar's shirt tightly while staring at the sky.
"They're coming..." He whispered.
Saugrar looked at the sky and saw a few bats flew above them in circles, as if revealing their position.
"Damn it. Old man, look upward..." Saugrar said.
Fernris raised his head up.
"They're getting closer," Fernris spoke. "There is no other choice."
He then turned back to other members of The Lone's Guard and shouted;
"Move! We've fallen into a trap. Kaelar's Army is here; they're hunting all of us. Head back to the main group and wait for my command!"
Immediately all their expressions changed and looked at each other.
"Y... Yes, sir." Someone said.
Everyone transformed their legs into a hybrid form and ran at full speed.
"Saugrar listen here... From now on, you will obey every order I give. Do you understand?"
Saugrar turned toward Fernris, something was different. It was the first time he had ever seen Fernris this serious, as if something terrible was about to happen.
"What are you trying to do?" Saugrar asked.
"Do you understand or not?" He snarled.
"Understand, sir."
They are getting closer to the main group. Everyone who saw them shouted in cheerfully and in relief.
"Look, it's The Lone and members of The Lone's Guard, they've returned." Someone said.
"They also managed to bring Makari back."
A wave of cheers rose as everyone heard that. But, something was different, completely different from what they had expected, and everyone realized that; their faces were not displaying any signs of happiness, but rather the opposite.
When they arrived, none of them spoke. They only looked down, waiting until Fernris broke the silence.
"Everyone listen to me. This may be the last time I will speak and give orders to all of you."
Saugrar's eyes and everyone else widened as they froze.
"Kaelar's Army is coming to hunt all of us. Therefore, there's no other choice, we need to run as far as we can. But we won't have enough time if everyone runs at once—"
"Why don't we just fight them?" Someone said.
Fernris took a deep breath.
"None of you deserve to die."
"Now is the time to defend our honor, Fernris." Someone shouted from the crowd.
"And then what? Even if we win, half of you will die… and we will still remain wanderers without a place to call home. Many of you will be wounded, slowing our journey and when Kaelar's Army comes again to attack, you won't be able to do anything… and all of you will be slaughtered." Fernris said.
At that moment everyone fell silent.
"So I beg all of you… obey this final command of mine; transform, and run. Even if this makes us look like cowards, even if it seems like we lack the courage to fight them… at least you will live on. You will live to continue this journey. And when the time comes, when the world needs us, then we will reclaim our honor and strike them down without mercy. So I ask you once more… set aside your pride… and leave me behind."
Everyone lowered their heads; some covered their mouths, their eyes already welling with tears. They all knew what was about to happen… except Saugrar, whose face was filled with shock, still unable to understand.
"Hey... What do you mean you're going to stay behind?" Saugrar said trembled.
After a moment, everyone raised their hands, offering their thanks united before bowing in one final gesture of respect… all except Saugrar.
Still dazed, he gently lowered Makari from his shoulder, where another member of The Lone's Guard caught him. His face showed nothing but disbelief, his hand lifting slightly, as if trying to reach for Fernris.
A smile crept onto Fernris's face.
"I should be the one thanking you for obeying my final command… thank you, everyone."
Suddenly, an arrow came hurtling down from the sky and landed near them. Everyone's gaze turned towards the direction from which the arrow came.
"They're here."
Fernris spun around and shouted.
"EVERYONE TRANSFORM AND RUN!"
In an instant, they all began to transform into wolves and the sound of howls filled the entire area. In that moment, all of them flee into the forest... except for Saugrar, who did not move at all from his place.
"You need to run too, Saugrar." Fernris said.
Saugrar's head was down and his hair covered his eyes as he clenched his fists tightly.
"Why?... Why, Why, Why, Why, Why... Why are you the one who has to sacrifice yourself?" Saugrar trembled.
"Because someone needs to sacrifice... so others can live on."
"B... But why you?"
"It seems you haven't realised it yet, Saugrar... This is my burden, since the beginning of my time as The Lone, this has been a burden for me as the one who stays behind."
Saugrar's eyes widened.
"B... B–"
Tears began to well in his eyes.
"But who will teach me after this?"
A smile crept onto Fernris's face and let out a little laugh.
"I have taught you everything I can. There is nothing left for me to teach you… from now on, time and nature will be your only teachers."
"Then let me fight alongside with you, The Lone."
"I don't need your help. You'd only slow me down."
"But–"
Tears flowed down Saugrar's cheeks as he struggled to hold back his emotions.
"Your life is still long, Saugrar… bring your dream into existence. Only then will the curse of the one who stay behind be broken," Fernris said. "Now, go!"
Fernris shoved Saugrar back.
"From this moment, the next The Lone Wolf will be yours."
Saugrar ran forward and tightly embraced Fernris, tears streaming down his face.
"I can't!"
Fernris broke free from Saugrar's embrace and pushed him back.
"You need to... Now go, run!"
Saugrar walked away slowly, still looking at Fernris. He could do nothing but obey, though doubt still lingered in his heart.
"Go!" Fernris yelled.
Tears continued to flow. Suddenly, an arrow fell from the sky, piercing Fernris's left shoulder and causing blood to spurt and splatter out. Saugrar's breath stopped.
"The Lone!" Saugrar shouted.
Fernris endured the pain. Startled, Saugrar tried to run toward him, but Fernris snapped at him with a deadly serious glare.
"I said, go away! God damnit... don't worry about me. Go!"
Saugrar slowly stepped backward, then turned his back on Fernris. Little by little, his pace quickened until he was running as fast as he could, wiping away his tears; yet the heavy rain seemed to urge him not to stop crying. He nearly stumbled, but managed to steady himself and kept running.
Damn it, damn it, damn it. Why this always happens to me?
Fernris pulled the arrow out of his flesh, enduring excruciating pain as he yanked it free. Suddenly, a group of black-winged humans descended from the sky, each holding bows. One of them began to speak.
"Oho, look who we got, the leader itself... lucky, lucky, lucky."
"It seems everyone has already escaped."
A smirk formed on Fernris's face.
"You're too late."
***
Some time had passed, and everyone had already arrived at their destination—a vast open area with several shelters and a few mountains rising in the distance. They all waited for someone to arrive, and the last to reach them was Saugrar, his face completely empty.
A group of people ran towards him, waving their hands.
"Saugrar, are you okay?"
He did not answer.
"What were The Lone's last words?" Someone from the The Lone's Guard asked.
"I... I'm the next The Lone..."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"So you–"
"I'm tired. Can I rest for a while. Give me some space..." Saugrar said.
"S... Sure."
The crowd parted, allowing Saugrar to walk through.
A day had passed since they arrived at their new place. The people worked together to build a new settlement suited to their kind, while two men stood at the edge of the crowd.
"Hey, did you see where Saugrar is?" He said.
The other man pointed his finger toward the mountain peak, where Saugrar stood alone.
"I see, is he still grieving?"
"Maybe, he has been keeping himself to himself ever since he got back yesterday, refusing to talk to anyone."
"I still can't believe he was entrusted with the position of The Lone. I think he's still too young – he might even be the youngest The Lone in history."
"Is that so, I don't mean to criticize him, but it seems he's still holding on to the hope that Fernris will return and he's not ready to take on the role of The Lone yet."
"Maybe we should give him a little more time before officially making him The Lone."
"Yeah, that's should be enough."
The wind howled.
Night fell, the sky adorned with countless stars, streaks of meteors, and the Milky Way stretching across its heart. Beneath it all, Saugrar stood alone atop the mountain peak.
He raised his hand as if trying to catch one of the stars. Tears flowed down to his cheeks.
Old man... I don't think I can make this dream come true… I… I can't. All this time, I believed because of you, but now… I'm too weak to hold the position of The Lone, let alone break his curse… I… I'm a failure.
He cried, with only the sky and stars as his companions.
Two days had passed since their arrival at the new place. Saugrar remained alone at the mountain peak, and no one dared disturb his sorrow. People began to talk about him, and everyone had already accepted it; giving up hope that Fernris was gone and would never return.
Except for Saugrar, who still faithfully waited for Fernris' return, even though deep in his heart he knew that Fernris would never come back. Three days passed… then four, five, six, and seven. Morning turned to evening, and evening turned to night. Time kept changing, yet Saugrar still waited for someone who would never return again.
Makari climbed the mountain alone and eventually found Saugrar at the summit.
"Saugrar... Everyone needs a new The Lone, and they have all agreed to make you the next one, in accordance with Fernris' final words." Makari said.
Saugrar remained silent. Makari took a deep breath before continuing to speak.
"Everyone feels the pain of loss, Saugrar–"
"I accept it... I am the next The Lone." Saugrar said.
Makari's eyes widened and slowly a smile crept onto his face.
"T... Thank you so much... our new leader, The Lone..."
"Wolf."