The alpha lunged first.
Not at Ryker.
At Randell.
Its massive body blurred through the trees with terrifying speed, claws tearing through dirt as its jaws aimed directly for his neck. Randell didn't retreat.
He stepped forward.
The instant the wolf snapped down, Randell twisted sideways just enough for the fangs to miss by inches. His dagger struck like lightning toward the beast's exposed ribs, But the second alpha moved immediately.
Too fast.
It crashed into Randell from the side before the blade could land fully, forcing him backward across the forest floor.
"Tch."
The wolves coordinated perfectly.
One pressured.
The other punished openings.
Ryker intercepted before they could follow through. His sword carved through the darkness in a violent horizontal arc that forced both beasts back simultaneously.
Steel screamed against claw. Sparks exploded beneath the moonlight. Ryker exhaled sharply.
"They fight smarter than bandits."
Then Randell replied.
"Because they've survived longer than bandits."
Randell wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
Not his own.
The first alpha's side now carried a thin crimson line where the dagger had partially connected.
The beast noticed.
Its growl deepened.
Angrier now.
Around them, the remaining wolves began circling wider, searching for another opening while the horses thrashed violently against their restraints.
One snapped free.
The terrified animal bolted blindly into the trees. Three wolves instantly broke formation and chased after it. Ryker cursed under his breath.
"There goes our ride."
"Forget the horse." Randell's gaze never left the alphas. "Focus."
The larger alpha suddenly lowered itself. Muscles tightened.
Preparing.
Randell's eyes narrowed instantly.
"It's coming again."
The beast exploded forward.
This time both alphas attacked together.
One low.
One high.
Ryker blocked the larger wolf head-on while Randell ducked beneath the second, his dagger slashing upward across its underbelly.
The beast roared in pain Then clamped its jaws onto Randell's arm.
Hard.
Blood splattered across the leaves. Ryker's expression changed instantly.
"Randell!"
But Randell didn't even flinch. His eyes turned cold. Inhumanly cold.
The wolf realized too late. Randell stepped closer instead of pulling away.
Closer.
Ignoring the fangs buried into his flesh.
Then drove the dagger upward through the bottom of the beast's skull. A sickening crack echoed through the trees.
The wolf froze instantly.
Dead before it hit the ground.
Silence.
Even the remaining wolves hesitated. The surviving alpha backed away slowly, pale eyes locked onto Randell with newfound caution.
Randell yanked the dagger free from the corpse with a wet sound before rolling his injured shoulder once.
Blood dripped steadily down his sleeve. Ryker stared at him. "…You're insane."
"It worked."
"That's not the point."
The alpha growled again. Lower now. Uncertain. Its pack shifted uneasily behind it. Predators understood fear better than most creatures. And for the first time since the battle began They sensed it from their prey.
No.
Not prey anymore.
The remaining alpha suddenly howled toward the forest. A sharp command. The wolves immediately began retreating into the darkness.
Ryker blinked.
"…It's retreating?"
Randell watched silently as the alpha slowly backed into the shadows last, never once taking its eyes off him. Then it vanished. The forest became still once more. Only heavy breathing remained.
Ryker lowered his sword carefully.
"…I hate this forest."
Randell crouched beside the dead alpha and examined the creature closely. His fingers brushed against something buried beneath the fur near its neck.
Metal.
His expression shifted slightly. "Ryker."
"What." Randell held up the object.
A broken iron collar.
Old.
Rust-covered.
But man-made.
Ryker's eyes narrowed immediately.
"…Someone trained them?"
Randell looked toward the darkness where the surviving alpha had disappeared. He became quieter.
.....
Ryker re sheathed his sword. His voice low and calm.
"Bandit's?"
The distant sound of another howl echoed far deeper within the forest.
Randell slowly rose to his feet. "....don't know and don't want to"
Ryker walked closer to Randell. his hand placed firmly on the hilt of his sword.
"We should go. staying here any longer is dangerous"
Randell tossed the iron collar.
Bushes rustled.
"Agreed"
Ryker switched his gaze at Randell arm.
bleeding.
Ryker's eyes narrowed the moment he noticed the blood still running down Randell's arm.
"…You're still bleeding."
Randell glanced at the wound without much concern. Deep bite marks lined the flesh just below his shoulder where the alpha's fangs had pierced through cloth and muscle alike.
Blood dripped steadily from the torn sleeve onto the forest floor.
Ryker stepped closer immediately.
"Sit down before you leave a trail for every predator in this forest."
Randell looked ready to argue for half a second. Then another distant howl echoed through the darkness.
Closer than before.
He exhaled quietly.
"…Fine."
They moved beneath the roots of a massive fallen tree where thicker shadows concealed them from open sight. Ryker knelt beside his pack and pulled free a small leather kit worn from years of travel.
Randell leaned against the bark while keeping one hand near his dagger. Alert even now. Ryker tore away the shredded fabric around the wound. The bite looked ugly.
Deep.
Bruised.
"You're lucky it missed the artery."
Randell frowned
"Luck had nothing to do with it."
"Right. Of course." Ryker poured a small amount of clear liquid across the wound.
Randell's jaw tightened instantly.
A faint hiss escaped through his teeth.
"That bad?"
"No."
"You almost broke the tree behind you."
Randell ignored him.
Ryker smirked faintly before wrapping the arm tightly with fresh bandages. Despite his usual sarcasm, his movements were precise.
Experienced.
Not the first battlefield wound he'd treated.
Once finished, Ryker tightened the knot firmly.
"Try not to fight another wolf pack tonight."
Randell flexed his fingers slowly.
"I'll consider it."
Ryker stood and glanced toward the deeper forest.
"…We still need the horses."
Randell pushed himself upright.
The forest had gone quiet again.
Too quiet. Only the faint creaking of branches moved through the darkness now.
Ryker retrieved a lantern but stopped when Randell raised a hand.
"Don't."
"Can't exactly track in the dark."
Randell's gaze sharpened slightly.
Then slowly, Aura gathered around his eyes.
Glowing.
Thin streams of pale energy flowed upward beneath his skin like veins of dim silver light.
The darkness around him shifted subtly as his pupils narrowed.
The night became clearer.
Sharper.
Every disturbed leaf.
Every bent blade of grass and bush.
Every snapped twig hidden beneath shadow.
Visible.
Ryker watched quietly.
"…Still creepy every time you kids do that."
Randell ignored the comment and crouched near the ground.
Tracks.
Fresh.
The horse had fled northeast.
Branches broken roughly shoulder height.
Deep hoof marks in damp soil.
Disturbed ferns dragged sideways from panicked movement.
"This way."
They moved carefully through the forest, following the trail deeper between the trees.
Randell walked ahead silently while Ryker remained several steps behind with one hand resting on his sword.
The deeper they went, the stranger the forest became.
The trees grew larger.
Older.
Twisted roots coiled across the earth like sleeping serpents while thick fog slowly crept between the trunks.
Then Randell suddenly stopped.
Ryker immediately tensed.
"What."
Randell stared ahead silently.
His enhanced vision focused on the ground several meters away.
Hoofprints.
But not only hoofprints.
Something else overlapped them.
Large.
Humanoid.
Dragged.
Ryker stepped beside him carefully.
"…Those aren't wolf tracks."
Randell's expression darkened slightly.
No.
They weren't.
The footprints were too long.
whatever made them had been walking barefoot.
A cold breeze suddenly swept through the trees.
Then—
The sound of a horse crying out echoed somewhere ahead.
Cut off abruptly.
Ryker drew his sword instantly.
Randell's aura sharpened around his eyes once more.
And somewhere within the fog ahead, Something moved.