Noises from downstairs woke Raine. Plates and cutlery were banged and dropped, and every now and again a voice permeated the ceiling with calls of “more eggs!” or “the bacon is ready.” It appeared the tavern was having a busy morning. Raine and Lynn, now both awake and ready for the day, headed downstairs and watched as Vera shouted at someone who’d spilt their ale on the floor.

  She noticed the two boys and quickly manoeuvred between the full tables to reach them. “I saved a table for you two over here.” She pointed and continued. “Would you like to drink anything?”

  “Just some warm milk will do, thank you.” Raine’s gaze fell across the tavern, taking in its current occupants. It wasn’t just city folks here; many seemed to be merchants or visitors travelling through. There was even a dwarf; rarely seen as they preferred to stick to their mountain homes, far to the east. The dwarf had a thick orange beard, nicely embellished armour and a large hammer which sat perched against his table. A dark brown cloak was draped over the chair he sat on, and he was smoking a long wooden pipe.

  “Be careful not to stare too much at strangers.” Vera whispered as she brought their drinks, along with two plates of fried eggs, several slices of bacon, and a few slices of bread. “Here ya go.” She added just as another glass cascaded to the floor, drawing Vera’s angry attention.

  “Oh, for all that is holy! Can’t you eat like an adult?” She shouted as she rushed towards the other guest.

  Raine and Lynn exchanged looks, before tucking into their food. The bacon was crispy yet not dry, the eggs had a rich, runny yolk, and the bread was fresh from the oven, with plenty to spare for the road.

  “You know -.” Lynn stared at the bounty poster on the wall as he stuffed another slice of bacon in his mouth. “ - The shortest path-.”

  “You should learn not to speak with your mouth full.” Grinned Raine.

  “- Leads through the forest.” Lynn swallowed loudly, then levelled his gaze at his companion.

  “And?”

  “You think there’s a chance of running into that monster?” Lynn asked curiously, partly in jest.

  “With my luck so far, definitely.” Raine answered.

  The smirk on Lynn’s face disappeared.

  “You really think so?” There was genuine worry in the scrapper’s expression.

  Raine gave him a knowing, silent look.

  Once they were finished eating, they left the tavern. The sun was barely above the horizon, shining brightly across the sky.

  “Is today a festival of some sort?” He asked as they moved through the streets, bustling with people, carts moved in unbroken lines, while the main square had been transformed into a massive marketplace, filled with chatter and the occasional singing.

  “Not that I’d know of.” Answered Lynn.

  “The only time in Lobos it was this busy was during the Sacrament.”

  “Welcome to the city.” Lynn exclaimed, throwing out in hands in a welcoming gesture.

  Raine wasn’t sure where to look, with so much of interest to see. Stalls were selling exotic spices, weapons and even armour.

  Raine stopped at a stall run by a dwarven merchant, his eyes glued to the unique craftsmanship.

  “Anything I can help you with?” The dwarf asked.

  “I don’t know yet.” Said Raine, admiring a sword hung on one of the racks.

  “Thinking of buying a sword?” Lynn asked.

  “I was thinking about it last night. I mean, I do have a dagger and an axe but if we’re travelling, I wouldn’t mind having a sword.” His eyes filled with mirth, and it was obvious that he associated the idea of swords with adventure.

  Among the handful of swords displayed, one caught Raine’s eye. A sword with a straight double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped handle and a brass cross guard.

  Raine picked up the sword and feeling the weight. The dwarf watched closely and chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” Asked Raine.

  “You’d need at least a year of hard training before you could properly wield that.”

  Raine flushed in embarrassment but didn’t question the merchant.

  “Could you recommend something?”

  The dwarf nodded and pulled out a short sword, about the length of Raines' arm. Its hilt had a round guard with an ornate pattern.

  “Light as a feather, but still sharp enough to shave. Proper dwarven craftsmanship.” He said with pride.

  Raine held it in his hand, swinging it around a little. It was uniquely light.

  It just feels… right. Raine gazed at the sword, mesmerised by its beauty.

  The dwarf watched with a grin as he stroked his thick black beard.

  “I’ll take this.” Raine announced as he placed the sword back on the counter. “You don’t want anything yourself?” Raine glanced toward Lynn, while the dwarf counted the money.

  “I feel pretty comfortable with my set of daggers.” He said, tapping his chest.

  “Of course.”

  After they resupplied and picked up the rest of their gear, they set off. They entered the forest just over two hundred metres away from the city. It was easy to spot where the Ox had been snatched. Trees had been uprooted, the ground strewn with branches. A deep trail was carved through the forest floor, where the animal had been dragged to its fate deeper within.

  The forest was thick with greenery; it’s trees so tall they rivalled world trees. The air was dense, thick with the scent of damp earth, resin and moss. It would be a pleasant walk, if not for the anxiousness that plagued them both, eyes darting back and forth.

  “There are no animals.” Raine noted, glancing upward. “Not even birds.”

  Lynn shrugged, clearly uncomfortable, fingers itching toward his daggers.

  “These trees – they look sick.” Raine tried to explain.

  “They seem pretty normal to me.” Lynn shuddered.

  The forest was quiet, too quiet. No birds were chirping, no insects buzzing around, no scuttling paws from nearby wildlife. Raine drew to a sudden stop, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. He was certain he saw a shape there.

  He suddenly turned off the road, climbing over the thicket.

  “Raine, I think we should probably stay on the road.” Lynn suggested as he fought through the bushes following Raine.

  Raine pushed forwards as though possessed, stopping only when he reached a unique looking tree. Its bark was grey, almost black, and gauged into its were deep, red claw marks. Though Raine couldn’t tell, the scratches weren’t fresh, yet the tree showed no signs of healing. It seemed to Raine, as if the tree was bleeding. Though it was only midday beyond the canopy of the trees, this deep in, the sun’s pale fingers barely stretched beyond the leafy ceiling. The dim glow was as unnerving as the sight before them.

  “You ever seen something like this before?” Raine uttered in barely a whisper.

  “No, but I don’t think that was left by any wolf.” Said Lynn, nervously glanced around

  “What sort of creature does this, though?”

  “A monster.”

  Raine turned his attention back to the tree before him. “This tree - it feels like it's calling to me.”

  Crying.

  “I don’t doubt that, but we should definitely leave this place.” Lynn started shuffling back towards the path, shoulders drawn tight.

  They are all crying. Raine stepped around the large tree, only for the new sight to pinch his chest. The lush greenery had given way to blackened ground, as if under a curse; a rotten forest stood before them. The branches rustled ominously, as if death had taken over this part of the woods and was sleeping at its centre.

  “I don’t know why, but I feel like I’ve got to do something about this.” Raine announced.

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  “The hell? Did you not hear what the old man told us yesterday?” Lynn snapped in fear. “This thing was something big enough to carry an entire ox away, remember?”

  A sudden howl break through the trees, shaking the branches of the ghostly trees.

  “Not a wolf, huh?”

  They journeyed deeper into the ominous forest; more bloodied marks scattered against the sickly trees. They came across animal bones in the dirt and, a carcass of an ox stabbed through several decaying branches, displayed low in a tree.

  “Yeah, wolves definitely don’t do that.” Lynn inspected the hanging corpse, his lips a thin line. “We’re in its territory. I don’t really know why?” Lynn pointedly glared at Raine, finally removing the daggers from their sheathes, fingers stroking the worn hilts.

  The deeper they traversed, the fouler the stench of rotting corpses and infested trees became. Mixed with the humidity that came with the dense, close air, it was suffocating.

  “She’s calling me.” Raine suddenly said, whipping around as though someone were speaking to him.

  “Wh-what? Calling you? Who is? I can’t hear a damn thing.” Lynn’s frown deepened, turning to his friend in concern.

  “She says that it’s not safe.”

  “You’ve clearly lost the plot.” Lynn stopped. He looked down to see the trail of broken branches and signs of dragging end where they stood. This was where the creature had brought its prey, then feasted upon it.

  “Almost there…” Said the gentle female voice in Raine’s head.

  He took a deep breath and decided to climb a slope leading to a higher vantage point just before them. Reaching the crest revealed a babbling brook, a stream of water that led to a small lake in the middle of the forest. There, on the opposite side, stood a majestic figure. A gigantic wolf, snowy white in colour, towering over the lake.

  The wolf had been drinking from the lake, but stopped and lifted its head, as if sensing their approach. Raine and Lynn felt a shiver go down their spine.

  There was no hope of fighting it. Fixated on the beast, the air coiled around them like a snake, threatening to suffocate them. Out of pure fear, they both fell on the floor to avoid the intense gaze of the wolf. Though the wolf stood on the other side of the lake, it felt as though it could cross that distance instantly, killing them at any given moment.

  Raine quickly stood up, pulling Lyn off the ground with him and quietly said. “Run!”

  They dashed back down the hill, crashing through branches and around trees on the way, tripping and falling in their hurry to escape. When they reached the bottom, there was an enormous tree trunk lying on the floor. Jumping over it, they clambered behind it, their backs against its rough bark, stopping to catch their breath. Hearts pumping like crazy; they had just escaped guaranteed death.

  “What was that?” Quavered Lynn. “I’ve never heard of wolves growing that big.”

  “That – I think that was an elder wolf.” Raine panted heavily.

  “A primal? Aren’t those just myths?”

  “Did that look like a myth to you?”

  “But it’s still just a wolf, right?”

  “It looks like one, sure. However, if you must – think of it like a dragon. One wearing the skin of a wolf, it is essentially the forefather of all the wolves we know.” Raine explained. They were the worlds of his father. Though his heart rate had steadied, his hands still shook. Being on the verge of death was, unfortunately, not an unfamiliar feeling to him; he had never imagined he would encounter a forefather.

  “Why would a thing like this be here?” Lynn shuddered, fingers flexing against his daggers.

  “I don’t know, but the further we are from it the better.” Raine shook his head. “Thankfully, it seems it’s not following us. Let’s go back. This isn’t something we can deal with.” Raine reached for his sword, but the sword was not there. He looked over the log and saw that he dropped it just a few steps away. He stood and leaned to pick it up, when branches snapped. A low growl made him tense.

  “Death comes. Down!” Urged the female voice.

  Raine turned and instinctively hit the floor as the beast swung its arms towards him. He quickly recovered his sword and jumped as fast as possible, barely dodging the second swipe that ended up underneath him.

  As he landed, he finally saw what stood in front of him. It was a creature much like the one mentioned by the older man in the tavern, but he didn’t do it justice, as it looked far more dreadful than he had ever imagined.

  It was a hulking, malformed beast with an almost humanoid figure, stringy skin peeling from its bones like the branches of a willow tree. The mangled skin on top of its head veiled most of its face, and underneath it, a pair of glaring white pupil-less eyes could be spotted. Slimy drool mixed with blood was coming out of its toothy maw. It had thin arms that served as front legs, with long fingers and sharp claws capable of wrapping around an average tree trunk. It was very thin around the waistline, as if its spine was all that was holding the two halves together. The back legs were much longer than the front legs, as it had to walk with them bent.

  A black, oil-like liquid slowly oozed from its body, especially where its flesh or even exposed bone was visible, and it carried a foul stench of rotten meat mixed with rust.

  It let out a furious roar, realising the swipe had missed its mark. However, before it could swing again, Lynn had jumped and kicked it in the ribcage. Despite its great size, it was mostly bone and skin; its body felt almost weightless, and as the kick landed, it knocked it back towards a tree.

  “You know, after seeing that wolf, this one doesn’t even seem so scary.” Lynn grimaced, his expression not mirroring his words. “It’s do or die Raine!” Lynn exclaimed.

  Raine watched the beast as it observed them with an unbroken stare; its gaze jumping between the pair.

  Raine dropped his backpack, unsheathed his sword and held it in his hands, readying himself.

  The creature flailed its head, tossing the bloodied skin that veiled its face, its black sludge splattering as it bared its teeth.

  The cursed creature lunged, roaring as its arms cleaved at Lynn, who barely managed to dodge. It turned its attention back to Raine, charging forward. Raine raised his sword, intending to block but the claws wormed around the thick steel and into his chest.

  “Raine!” Lynn shouted, brutally attacking the beast. After a few hits to its body and a single blow to the head, it recoiled and stepped back. Yet for Lynn’s strength, the creature showed no visible damage, just agitation.

  “Don’t worry.” Raine chuckled painfully. “It didn’t hit anything important.” His tattered shirt was soaked in blood from the gaping wound on his chest, yet hauled himself upright, forcing himself back into a stance.

  Raine attacked from the front, clumsily brandishing his sword, whilst Lynn drove his dagger into its back, over and over again. The creature wrapped its claws around Lynn’s foot, tossing him into Raine.

  It screeched, swiping at them both with its right arm. Lynn scrambled to his feet, dragging a large piece of bark in front of them, using it to shield against the claws. Raine stumbled over his companion, swinging his sword downward, in a motion resembling the swing of his axe.

  It let out a ferocious roar of pain. The forest shook with its anger. Black blood dripped and spurted from its missing arm. Its once white eyes became black around the edges, the iris glowing a bright red. The flayed skin stood straight, almost like fur, pieces of rotten flesh still stuck to them.

  The creature leapt at Lynn, but Raine managed to push it away with his sword, stabbing it in its right hind leg. It attempted to retaliate; however, Lynn used a broken log to smack it across its face. The swing broke multiple fangs and it staggered backward. Lynn reached for one of his fallen daggers, but before he could reclaim it, the beast swung its head up, throwing him into the air. A sharp pain struck Lynn, as it bit into the side of his body. Panic took over as wave after wave of agonising pain caused him to let out an exhausted scream. Lynn passed out, caught between its teeth.

  Raine twisted the sword that was still wedged in the creature’s leg. It screeched, dropping Lynn to strike at Raine. It pinned Raine against a tree, its claws wrapped all around the log and it leant into bite.

  Raine’s sword fell from his hand, eyes wide. However, it was not the malformed beast that his gaze was fixated on. In fact, it had frozen in its ministrations as well.

  Opposite where they stood was the elder wolf, towering over both. Everything stood still, leaves floated mid-air endlessly, scattered droplets of blood hovering about the ground. As if time had stopped, before either could react in any way, the creature's head was gone.

  The elder approached Raine on all fours, a skulking beast. Raine pushed the headless body off him, letting it crumple to the floor, before looking up at his new enemy. The white wolf stood still and glared at Raine, who fell to his knees. Raine understood he had no chance, but rather than accept his fate and give up, he chose to meet those eyes with a steady, firm stare. He grabbed the sword and stood back up.

  Only now, without the fear of death and determination burning in his eyes, Raine properly took in the sight in front of him. The pure white fur glistened, even though the light was sparse in this god-forsaken place. It was at least eight metres tall, with deep blue eyes that looked like a beautiful, star-filled sky, and in that starry sky glowed golden irises.

  The elder wolf leaned in curiously. Raine, who was covered in the blood of his enemy, ally, and himself, trembled violently, close to passing out, sword beginning to slip from his grasp.

  “To think, staring death in the face would be this beautiful.” Raine murmured deliriously.

  He spread his arms in a welcoming manner, laughing. His sword fell back on the ground.

  “Don’t keep me waiting now, at least do it quickly.” With parting words, he closed his eyes and waited.

  However, it was not death that came. Instead, something wet and warm fell over him, shocking him into opening his eyes. It took him a moment to realise the sticky liquid he was covered in was saliva. A burst of sudden pain kicked in and he collapsed, hands grabbing at his wounds as he writhed on the floor.

  However, the pain diminished as quickly as it had come, the wounds he had sustained beginning to knit and stitch themselves back together beneath his shaking hands. Wide blown wide, he watched as the wolf turned from him, moving towards Lynn. It reached down to lick him too and moments later, Lynn sat up in a confused panic, hands darting about his body to find his injuries, and feeling none.

  The wolf howled, yet this time they didn’t freeze in fear, but in awe. Not only were they seeing and surviving a meeting with an elder wolf, but it had used its abilities to heal them. With a lasting look, the elder wolf turned and left them alone, heading back into the depths of the forests.

  “Are you alright?” Lynn immediately asked, his eyes snapping to Raine once the elder wolf disappeared.

  “Never better.” Raine chuckled in surprise, amazement in his voice.

  “Do you have any idea what happened?” Lynn asked in confusion. “Why are my wounds gone?”

  “It was the wolf. Its saliva must have healing properties.” Raine answered. “I don’t understand why, but it killed the beast and saved us.” Raine walked towards the rotten, toothy head, lifting it in his hands. The decapitated head twitched in its hand.

  “To think this thing almost killed us.” He scrutinised it intently, scrunching his face. “It’s ugly as hell.”

  “Let’s bring it back to the city. We might as well grab the reward since it's dead. Even though we didn’t kill it, I highly doubt that the wolf would mind.” Lynn got to his feet, already counting the coins in his head.

  “This place should be able to heal now.” Raine looked around at the sickly trees, feeling a sense of calm.

  It was then that he noticed a red arrow, a thorny vine wrapped around it, embedded in a nearby tree. He pulled it out, glancing at the inscription written on it.

  “Have you ever seen an arrow like this?”

  Lynn came over, inspecting the arrow in Raine’s hand. “I believe it’s used for a coming-of-age ceremony in some places. Once a child reaches fifteen, they must prove themselves to their family that they’re capable of living on their own as adults. So, they’re sent on a hunt with a single arrow, wrapped in a thorny vine.” Explained Lynn.

  “Someone must’ve missed their shot then.” Raine said, pocketing the arrow. He looked at Lynn, noting the torn clothing and the dried blood.

  “You fought like a beast, Lynn, where’d ya learn that?”

  “You know, just a brawl here and there. It’s not easy living on the streets.” Lynn shrugged, gazing up at the treetops.

  “Do you think we’ll meet other monsters like this along the way?” Raine wondered.

  “Probably.” Lynn grimaced. “There are a lot of strong creatures that roam this land. Monsters like that wolf and dragons.” Lynn shivered. “What happens with the wolf, though?”

  “All I know of it is from stories I’ve heard as a kid. It’s like a force of nature. You wouldn’t fight a storm or an earthquake if it struck, all you can do is attempt to deal with the aftermath. Yet given that it helped us, I don’t think it should be a threat to the city.”

  “Well, enough gawking around, we should leave this forest as soon as we can. I think today has been long enough for me.” Lynn was already heading the way they came, only too happy to leave.

  Raine secured the head beneath his arm and followed.