The Lupus Woods…
The large expanse of vegetation about five hundred meters west of the village—an area brimming brightly with life.
Within the forest, a loud crunch startled a grazing rabbit. It fled quickly into a bush, hiding from the two figures that walked by.
Walking ahead, Dae looked around, his eyes taking in the calming scenery of nature, his ears picking up the gentle wind that blew across them. He then turned to Dom, who frowned as he stared at the dirt ground beneath their feet.
"It's not like you to think so much," Dae said.
Dom's gaze rose to meet Dae's. "Really? Now?" He asked, his tone irritated.
Dae raised a brow at Dom's agitated mood. "If this is bothering you so much, then why are we still here?" He asked.
Dom sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know, man." He stopped and gave Dae a quizzing look. "Don't you feel bad about all this?"
Dae stopped, turning to stare at Dae side-ways with a slight shrug. "Of course I do…" He said, folding his arms with his brows furrowed. "… but for the sake of gaining recognition as knights, we have to do this. Besides, you're the one who wanted this subdivision in the first place, remember?"
"I know. I know." Dom grumbled, scratching his head in frustration. "Since the Capital has already stationed some soldiers near the village, it's not like we're actually putting civilians in harm's way by taking their protector away, right?" He glanced at Dae, silently hoping for encouragement.
"And we were told to capture it. Not kill it." Dae added.
Dom nodded stiffly, though his frown deepened. "I still feel bad about this." He muttered.
Dae rolled his eyes. "We were always trained to handle morally challenging jobs. You can get over it." He said as he continued forward.
"You know how much I hated those classes," Dom scoffed as he followed.
Dae smirked. "Of course. It's the one subject you always failed. But the trainers all knew you did on purpose." He said, earning another scoff from Dom, but the smile quickly faded. "There is… one thing that has been bothering me, though."
"What's that?" Dom asked curiously as they pushed through some bushes, startling tiny creatures nearby.
"Why is the Capital so fixated on hunting the wolves if they aren't causing any harm to the civilians?" Dae asked, rubbing his chin in thought as he watched a nearby deer flee.
Dom raised a brow. "I thought it was to investigate the monster alpha." He commented.
Dae shook his head. "According to the reports, they only knew about the alpha from the second team's survivor." He muttered, then shot Dom a skeptical stare. "If the village never sent a request and they only learned about the alpha during the second attempt… why did they come in the first place?"
Dom's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't even think about that." He said.
"They even tried to evacuate the village beforehand," Dae said, stopping to examine claw marks carved into a tree nearby, his fingers filling the deep grooves. "It's almost as if they're saying the villagers are in the way of something."
"Or they're in danger if they stay," Dom said, his gaze just as serious.
Dae nodded, then turned towards Dom with his hands on his hips. "So… are we calling this off?" He asked.
Dom stopped, thought for a moment, then sighed heavily. "Well, if they're this serious, then it must be important, right?" He said, then turned to face Dae. "Let's get this over with."
Dae nodded—then flinched as Dom suddenly jumped, soaring several feet into the air before landing on a tree branch.
"Why do you always jump around like a monkey whenever we're in a forest?" Dae asked irritably as he dusted his shirt.
Dom answered as he casually swung through the trees. "One, because it's fun!"
He smirked as he stopped in an inverted position, legs hooked tightly around a branch while he pointed ahead.
"Second, it gives me a better view."
Dae followed Dom skeptically, then stopped once he reached the spot. His eyes widened at the footprints below him.
"I'm surprised you noticed this from that distance," Dae said as Dom dropped beside him.
"Hunting was part of my training as a kid. It's why I got so good at navigating places like this," Dom replied as he crouched, examining the different-shaped prints and picking up some silver fur mixed in the dirt. "These definitely belong to our wolves."
They calmly followed the tracks, scouting their surroundings for any sign of them until Dom stopped again, crouching lower.
"It's like a junction," Dae said, noticing the scattered footprints meeting at one point.
Dom nodded, his trained eyes catching a difference in the patterns. He pointed to the right. "These tracks are deeper…" He said, which allowed Dae to notice the more rugged tracks. "… like they were dragging something."
Dae's eyes narrowed. "Prey," He said.
"That's correct, my hunting novice friend," Dom commented with a smirk as he stood. "Follow that trail, and it should lead you to their den."
Dae raised a brow at him. "What about you?" He asked.
Dom gestured in a different direction. "These tracks are soggy. Probably a watering hole. I'm going to scout it for a good place to trap the alpha."
Dae shot him another skeptical look. "You do know this is possibly an S-class beast, right?"
Dom clicked his tongue and waved a finger teasingly. "We don't need to fight it head-on, my young pupil." He said, deepening Dae's scowl. "All we need to do is lure and trap it once it's distracted."
He tapped his backpack confidently.
"The waterhole it normally visits should be familiar enough to lower its guard." He said.
Dae folded his arms, his expression still doubtful. "So that's why you said it was easy back then." He muttered.
Dom smirked as he slowly backed away. "No matter how dangerous a beast is, the rules of hunting still apply. You find their den, and I'll set the trap. When I'm ready—" He paused, removing his communicator from his jacket.
"I'll lure the alpha to you, right?" Dae finished, pulling his comms out of his pocket as well.
Dom stopped some distance away, his smirk firm. "With this place and your speed, you should be able to without getting caught, right?"
"Of course," Dae said, placing his comms back into his pocket, then turned away. He paused after taking a step, then looked over his shoulder. "This better work, Dom."
Dom's grin widened. "It will. Trust me." He said, beating his chest.
Dae narrowed his eyes at Dom's smile, the same confident grin he bore when he faced the Reflezard back then. With a trusting nod, he turned to his path and followed the trail.
As Dom turned to follow his, he paused once he finally noticed among the multiple four-legged prints in the dirt, one print stood out--Human footprint. One person judging by the number and most likely barefoot.
Another hunter He thought, wondering who this person could have been before pushing the thought aside as he followed the trail.
Some minutes later…
Dom easily navigated through the forest, his body blurring through the branches and leaves while he tracked the path of the muddy footprints below. Then, his ears caught the sound of running water in the distance.
He picked up the pace, following the growing sound until he came to a stop on a branch.
"Bingo," He said, spotting a clear stream dividing the forest clearing ahead.
As he scanned the area for signs of life and a good spot to set his trap, the sound of splashing reached his ears. He quickly hid among the tree's leaves as the splashing grew closer.
Soon, he felt the presence of two figures before finally hearing the sharp yips of a young pup… and…
A girl?
He thought as he heard a woman's laughter. He quietly slipped down from the tree, carefully pushing through the bushes with the noise as his guide… until he emerged headfirst into the clearing.
In the middle of the stream, two figures were playing. The first was a small, wolf cub, yipping happily as it shook the water off its silver fur.
The other was a young woman who giggled as she shielded herself from its spraying water.
Dom remained still, his eyes widened as he stared at him.
She was a beautiful lady with almond-colored skin. Her large, unkempt afro of black hair was soaked with water from the wolf's splash. As she lowered her arms with a laugh, her slender yet curvy physique came into view—made more pronounced by the water clinging to her body…
And the fact that she was completely naked.
The realization finally hit Dom all at once.
He stumbled backward, snapping a branch loud enough to catch their attention.
"I—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't see anything!"
He stammered as he shut his eyes and quickly retreated into the forest before either of them could react.
A considerable distance away from the stream…
Dom leaned back against a tree and let out a heavy sigh, with his hands covering his face. He then tilted his head upwards, his eyes peeping through the gaps in his fingers to stare at the blue sky.
"So that's what a girl's body looks like, huh?" He muttered mindlessly.
Then, once he realized what he said, he blushed furiously and shook his head sharply.
What you did was a crime, Dom. A serious invasion of privacy.
He pushed himself off the tree, arms folded as a deep frown settled on his face.
If I think about it any more, that makes me a pervert. Just forget it. Just… forget…
But as hard as he tried not to think about it, the more the image returned anyway—her unfiltered, feminine physique vividly replaying in his mind.
He let out a defeated sigh and closed his eyes—
Crack.
Dom's eyes snapped open, glowing faintly blue as he sensed a presence watching him. He clenched his fists and scanned the now quiet forest until the soft rustling of leaves reached his ears.
He turned, his body already taking a stance, then froze once a figure emerged from the bushes. The same woman from the stream.
He lowered his fists as he stared at her again.
She was still soaking wet, but now, she wore a damp shirt and shorts, both torn in several places and clinging to her body, revealing patches of her supple skin. As she approached, Dom caught a better look at her rough—but still beautiful—face through strands of her wet hair and glowing silver eyes.
He slowly raised his hands in a gesture of peace.
"Look. I didn't know you were there," He said carefully as he backed away. "I'm really sorry I looked at you."
She didn't respond, continuing toward him in silence while her eyes glowed menacingly.
Dom's ears suddenly caught movement from the side. His expression sharpened as he turned back to her.
"Look, I know this sounds weird coming from someone who just kinda peeped on you, but you need to get out of here. There's something dangerous—"
She suddenly dashed at him, closing the distance in an instant.
Instinctively, Dom weaved, her hand slashing through the air in front of him before leaping away to a safe distance. As he skidded to a stop across the dirt, he felt a sting on his cheek and reached up, his eyes widening once he felt the long, shallow cut bleeding along his cheek.
As she turned towards him again, his gaze fell to her hands, where long, sharp claws extended from her now blackened nails. He also finally noticed the bushy silver tail swaying slowly behind her.
A Beast Mage? He thought, meeting her glowing eyes, then quickly weaved again, narrowly evading another slash.
"I said I was sorry!" He snapped as he backed away, hands still raised in surrender.
She answered with a deep growl and charged again with another sharp slash.
Dom dodged with a side-step, watching in shock as her claws gouged into a nearby tree instead, leaving deep claw marks in its hard bark.
"Yikes," He muttered before springing into the trees, evading another slash.
She looked up, growling in frustration as she watched him hold onto a branch with one hand while staring at her.
"Look, I know you're mad, but don't you think you're taking this a little too far?" He asked, his glowing eyes meeting hers.
She grunted as she suddenly jumped, reaching his level in an instant.
With a quick twist, Dom swung upwards, her slash tearing through the branch before digging her claws into the trunk and chasing after him.
Using the branches as footholds, Dom bounced and swung rapidly through the canopy, his movements unpredictable—but the beast girl easily kept pace, relentlessly slashing as he dodged again and again.
What's with this girl?
He evaded another slash, then landed feet-first against a tree trunk and kicked off, rapidly changing the direction of his momentum.
This sudden maneuver sent him flying past her, and in that brief moment, their eyes met.
Dom's calm gaze narrowed on her round, beast-like pupils, glaring at him with territorial intensity.
Then he whistled past.
Midair, she twisted effortlessly, landed on all fours against the same tree, and launched after him again.
Is she really this mad about the peeping? He thought as he grabbed a branch, swinging upward to avoid another slash. But even with that…
His thoughts trailed off as he watched her move—bouncing through the trees with terrifying ease before surging towards him with a growl.
"She knows the area too well." He muttered as he leapt sideways, dodging another strike that sliced through his backpack, spilling its contents into the forest below.
He quickly tossed the bag in her direction, using it as a distraction while his eyes searched for an escape.
But she slashed the bag to shreds and suddenly shifted her trajectory with a few rapid bounces, then appeared directly above him.
Dom instinctively raised his arms just in time to block her surprisingly heavy kick.
"Shit," Dom grumbled as the force sent him tearing through branches and leaves until he crashed back-first into the dirt floor.
The impact rattled the ground, causing nearby trees to tremble and startle the creatures hidden among them.
Dom effortlessly sprang back to his feet just as she landed a short distance away with a heavy thud.
"Wait. Can we just talk about this?" He asked, backing away.
She advanced on all fours, her posture and gaze more beast than human. "No… talk… Human… die…" She said, her voice dark despite its strange allure.
Dom frowned at her simple, animalistic words. Human?
The sound of rustling exploded around him.
He turned—and instantly found himself surrounded by large silver-furred wolves, their green-glowing eyes fixed on him as they crept out of the bushes.
"Just great," Dom sighed, recognizing these wolves from the reports-- The biggest predators that ruled this forest.
Despite still bleeding from the cut she caused, Dom turned his back to her, holding out an arm to shield her from the wolves now growling at them.
"Okay. Look." He said, glancing at their hostile gaze. "You can try to kill me later. Right now, you really need to get out of here before—"
The lady suddenly howled, cutting him off.
Dom froze as the sound echoed through the forest—then the wolves joined in, their voices harmonizing in a dangerously beautiful unity that seemed to command the entire forest itself to listen.
When the howls faded, every glowing gaze locked onto him, including hers.
"Seriously?" He muttered as they closed in on him.
Dom took a stance, his weight perfectly balanced as his gaze shifted between the dozens of wolves and one mage watching his movements.
One wolf suddenly leapt first, fangs bared as it rapidly closed the distance. Dom turned and instinctively raised his arm, which the wolf bit into… only to whine once it realized that its teeth failed to break his skin.
With a grunt, Dom swung the wolf off, slamming it into a tree like a harmless toy.
Three more wolves lunged at once from behind.
Planting one foot firmly, Dom swept his other leg in a wide arc, sending all three flying with a single kick.
As his foot hit the ground, he suddenly weaved—his face passing mere inches from the girl's claws. For a split second, he saw his reflection in her laser-focused eyes.
She's the only one who can actually hurt me. He thought as he leapt away, where six more wolves simultaneously pounced.
Once his feet touched the ground, he jumped, leaving them to crash into each other below. His eyes widened once he sensed the girl now airborne beside him, her claw already aimed at his side.
Gritting his teeth, Dom grabbed her arm mid-strike and spun, hurling her straight into the pile of wolves below.
He pushed off a nearby tree and slid to a stop at a distance, eyes narrowed as wolves rushed to her side—whimpering and licking her body as she picked herself up, while others growled defensively at him.
"Look, lady." He said as he straightened, calmly wiping the blood from his cheek. "I don't know who you are, but I am not your enemy."
The wolves growled at him, ready to attack again.
Then she barked. The sudden, chilling sound was enough to make them freeze, then back away, a sight more akin to whimpering pups than deadly beasts.
Dom raised a brow at their behaviour. Is she controlling them? He thought.
"Human…" She growled, drawing his attention back. "Strong… Kill." She added, her words primitive and simple as she dropped onto all fours again, her resolve unmistakable in her eyes.
Dom took a defensive stance, frowning. "I don't want to hurt you."
She answered with a low growl as silver-colored mana erupted from her body. The sheer pressure made the nearby wolves tremble while Dom stepped back as his body instinctively braced itself.
That's when he noticed the change.
Her body began to grow.
Dark skin vanished beneath glossy silver fur. Her limbs stretched, claws lengthening into black dagger-like talons. Her nose pushed forward into a snout with razor-sharp teeth filling its maws, her ears transforming as they migrated to the top of her head—mirroring her wolf companions.
Dom's eyes widened as she stood, her now eight-foot-tall wolf-humanoid body rising as she stood on her thick hind legs.
Drool bubbled along her elongated jaw as she released a deafening howl, with the wolves responding with their unified howls.
As the forest trembled under their war cries, Dom's eyes narrowed once the realization hit him. Her movement, control of the mana beasts, and her current form matched the description of the monster he was sent to hunt.
"You're the alpha," Dom murmured, his eyes glowing brightly.
The alpha stopped howling and fixed her similarly glowing gaze on him. As she dropped to all fours, her entire body conveyed her objective—
His demise.