The procession continued past the towns gate, a small cloud of dust hovering along their path on the dirt road.
Inside the carriage, Thorsten struggled to keep his tired eyes open as he gazed out of its window at the disappointingly ordinary scenery along their path; it was simply a large, open field and a forest in the east.
The clear skies above were empty save for the sparse clouds drifting along and bore no signs of any magical avians or winged reptiles with body's large enough to dwarf busses.
He likened it to when he'd driven cross country, where the majority of his surroundings were just an open expanse with only farms and the occasional herds of grazing cattle.
From what he recalled, all of the enchanted and physics defying landscapes were either not fit for human settlement or simply not withing the empires boarders.
This was to be expected, and as disappointed as he was, there was also a sense of relief at being at what could be considered the countryside of the Baylith family's territory.
And although he was safe from the beasts that inhabited those mana dense landscapes, the threat of magical beasts was still present even here, even if their power was significantly lower.
—Rattle. Rattle.
Thorsten let out a barely stifled yawn and turned his attention to one of the knights riding withing his view.
The armour of the escorts riding nearby also caught his interest, but they were maintaining their distance which made them hard to get a proper look at.
Seeing nothing as there was nothing for him to do, he simply gave up his search and resigned himself to catching up on the sleep he had put off until now.
"Please wake me up if something interesting happens."
"Don't worry about that and get some rest, young master."
Rowena replied in a soft voice, while her hands moved to gently guide Thorsten's head from leaning on her arm to lay in her lap.
"Have a good rest." She added in a gentle voice, her hand tenderly combing through his hair.
After several minutes of being rocked by the carriage's movements, Thorsten's breathing eventually slowed to a slow, steady rhythm as he fell into a light slumber.
Rowena looked down at his sleeping face, gently pocking at his sleeping face with a warm smile on her wrinkled face.
It was only after getting her fill of playing with his face that Rowena finally directed her gaze to see the passing landscape.
Beyond the carriage window, a small herd of yellow-stone bison was grazing peacefully in the open fields.
She glanced down at the sleeping Thorsten before ultimately deciding to not wake him.
There was little to see from them during this time of year.
'A few more months until their next mating season…'
If they happened to come across two competing bulls, then perhaps it would have been worth pointing out.
Otherwise, the bison were no different from ordinary cattle, safe for their infamous tempers and—
"Oh?" A curios murmur escaped before she realised it.
The bison were not alone.
Rowena narrowed her eyes in on the movement, her vision sharpening to a superhuman level as she focused on the sea of swaying grass surrounding the herd.
Slowly, the indistinct shapes became clear.
Wolves. Nearly a dozen of the grey furred beasts were closing in on the unsuspecting bison.
But rather than rushing them outright, they moved with unsettling patience, spreading out until they had almost completely encircled a smaller bison that had unknowingly wandered too far from the herds security.
As they approached, the air around them started to distort.
The leaves drifting in the breeze were swept into unnatural currents, as though the wind itself was flowing to aid in their hunt.
'Mana beasts…'
As if sensing that something was wrong, the let out several anxious bleats before hurriedly turning back to its herd.
But before it could even face them, a silver blur leapt out from the grass to nip at the young bison's foreleg before disappearing again almost as quickly.
Startled, the yearling reared violently, stumbling slightly as it lashed out in the direction of its attacker.
With each frantic stomp, the earth under-hoof warped slightly and then rippled outwards by a force beyond its physical might.
But panic was not enough; the meagre strength that it brought amounted to nothing when faced with the wolves' superior agility and numbers.
They manoeuvred swiftly around each response, positioning themselves to strike at its unguarded limbs to lead it further from the herd as it grew more exhausted with each desperate outburst.
Rowena watched it all with an unreadable gaze.
Be it by men or beasts, she had seen many hunts that had ended with once such result; their prey cornered and alone, each of their remaining breaths no different to a countdown to their deaths.
Soon, the wolves stood towering over their trembling prey. The trail of trampled grass stained the same crimson colour that stained their hungry maws.
Perhaps it was the blood, or maybe it was due to the angle, but from where she was sat, it looked as though the wolves were smiling.
A perspective that caused her brows to draw closer, a hint of disgust mixed into her gaze.
She already knew how this would end.
Yet despite that, there was nothing she could do for the yearling except for pray in her heart for a…
—MWOOOOOO!
Suddenly, a deafening below exploded across the plains.
The force behind it was strong enough to rattle the carriages windows. Even the horses of the procession grew somewhat agitated when the rage filled cry reached them.
Rowena's head snapped back towards the herd, or rather, to the herds matriarch that was already nearing the wolves' encirclement.
With each thunderous hoofbeat, the earth rippled beneath her as soil and stone began climbing up her powerful limbs. It flowed over to her body, hardening into a solid armour when it covered her shoulders and head.
The matriarch tore straight through the dome of twisting wind; its stone hide unshaken as it charged unhindered.
The first victim of her charge was a smaller wolf hovering near the edge of the barrier, which was bulldozed through without any resistance as it continued forward towards the yearling.
Frightened, the other wolves' formation broke down as they scattered in a panic to avoid being caught in the path of her locomotive charge.
Their disorganised attempts to fighting back yielding miniscule results against her stone armour.
But the matriarch did not stop; her charge only growing fiercer against their resistance.
Eventually, she planted herself between the yearling and the remaining pack, her broad frame shielding the trembling bison as the herd closed in behind her.
Only then did the once triumphant wolves hesitate. with their leader signalling for
With a single, commanding bark, their leader signalled for a retreat as their resistance proved futile.
Several of them already had their backs turned before the command was issued, but to the ones that were slow to receive the instruction—their fate was already sealed.
The ground beneath them softened without warning, the solid earth morphing into a viscous mud that entrapped the less agile of the pack yet doing nothing to hinder the movements of the armoured bison.
What followed was a no different from an execution as the herd finally reached them; their desperate whimpers doing nothing against the wrathful hooves that fell again and again until the wolves fell silent, while those fortunate enough to have escaped disappeared into the distant woodland.
The yearling limped towards its mother's side, pressing itself against her side as though to disappear in her warmth as she licked her wounds.
Silence gradually returned to the plains, and the procession started again on the path.
Only then did Rowena release the breath she had been unknowingly holding.
A quite sigh escaping her lips as the herd disappeared behind a series of hills.
"… I'm glad."
Her voice was little more than a whisper inside of the carriage.
For a few moments longer, she let her gaze linger on the scenery passing by before lowering her gaze to the sleeping Thorsten resting his head in her lap.
Thankfully, he had peacefully slept through the entire ordeal.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips before she gently brushed the loose strands of hair away from his face.
A/N: Fun fact, bison herds are led by a matriarch, similar to elephants, but their social structures aren't as sophisticated nor emotional as deep as those between mammals like orcas and whales.
… I don't even know why I included this, but its here now. So, your welcome?