It was time for the Hunter Squad to head out once again. Yesterday they had returned from the village after 10 days of rest. This would be Vayu's first mission as the new Squad Leader. At dawn, the squad assembled at the village gates — twenty-eight hunters in total — and departed in a single line. As the hours passed and the terrain grew harsher and denser, six members quickly spread out in pair of two as their patrol perimeter's came, leaving twenty-two members to continue. From there, the formation shifted into an arrowhead: four teams of three forming the head, while the rest followed in a straight column. Whenever beasts ambushed them, one of the forward teams would break formation to engage while the others pressed onward — a fluid, practiced motion that balanced attack and defense.
Eventually, they reached the familiar stone — the one marked with two deep lines. Beyond this, only the top ten were permitted to tread. But there was still one team left as they cannot cross the line, they turned back to assist the others at the rear. The remaining ten, led by Vayu, pressed forward into the forbidden zone. Inside the air grew heavier and the forest got quieter. One by one, the hunters spread out, surrounding the area as Vayu advanced alone, guided by the vague memories of the path. Soon, the temple came into view — weathered and ancient.
He dismounted, guiding his horse to a hidden cave nearby. After tying it securely, he left some food and water for the horse. "Stay here," he murmured softly to the creature, then turned toward the temple.
As he approached the gate, a deep roar echoed through the forest. Vayu instantly knelt, bowing low with his forehead to the ground. A second roar followed — lower this time. Only then did he rise and step inside.
Within the temple stood the great bell. Vayu rang it three times, the sound reverberating through the stone halls, then stepped back outside. He began the ritual — gathering the animals from the outer forest, driving them one by one toward the inner chamber. The task took nearly half the day. When all was ready, he rang the bell again three times and retreated to a small hill nearby to observe. Moments later, the beast appeared, its eyes gleaming as it looked towards Vayu for a moment. Then it turned its head and started devouring the carcasses one after another, leaving nothing behind. Then, as always, it drank from the nearby stream and went back to the inner chambers of the temple. Only then did Vayu descended. He cleaned the area thoroughly, leaving no trace behind and began his return to rejoin the others — his first mission as leader was completed .
Soon, the squad was back at the camp.
Vayu sat quietly that night, staring into the fire, deep in thought. If only I had more time, he mused. He had just twelve months before he left hunter squad — twelve months to deal with the beast were not a long time, he had to do many preparation but the time was very less. Because each hunting expedition consumed nearly a month, followed by a ten-day rest. Time was slipping through his fingers faster than he wished.
On their next mission, when Vayu reached the temple again, Vayu followed the usual routine. He gathered the hunted animals, laid them beneath the great bell, rang it three times. But this time, instead of retreating as always, he stayed.
He remained seated before the temple gate, silent and still. Moments later, the wolf emerged — massive and menacing. It growled lowly at him, warning him to back off. Yet Vayu didn't move. After a tense moment, the beast turned away and began devouring the carcasses. When it was nearly done, Vayu stood, holding a bucket of water. The wolf raised its head, its glowing eyes fixed on him with suspicion. Without a word, Vayu filled the bucket and set it down before the beast, then calmly returned to his spot. The wolf watched him for a moment, its gaze sharp and curious — then lowered its head and drank.
The next time they returned, Vayu lit a small fire near the temple entrance and cooked some of the meat before offering it to the beast. Slowly, over the next three hunting trips, an unspoken bond began to form. The beast no longer growled when it saw him. It no longer regarded him as an intruder. Instead, it simply watched — wary, but calm — letting Vayu do whatever he wanted. In time, it seemed almost to accept his presence. Vayu had already completed six hunting expeditions — only three remained before his time as Squad Leader came to an end. Three more trips, his year would be over.
It was the third evening of their rest period when, after finishing dinner, Vayu quietly said, "Mother, I'm going out for a while."
"Come back soon," his mother replied with a gentle smile. The night air was cool as Vayu walked through the village streets, lanterns flickering softly around him. Soon, he stopped before Aspen's house. The attendant standing guard at the entrance recognized him immediately and gave a respectful nod, tapping his fist lightly against his chest in greeting.
"Can you call Aspen?" Vayu asked.
"Yes, sir" the attendant replied and quickly went inside.
Moments later, Aspen stepped out, his expression curious. "What happened, Leader?" he asked.
"Come with me" Vayu said simply.
They walked in silence until they reached a quiet stretch away from the houses, where only the sound of crickets filled the night. Then Vayu stopped and turned to face him.
"I have a news for you" he said.
Aspen's face tensed immediately "What kind of news?"
Vayu explained everything — about the time he had left in the Hunter Squad, about his approaching retirement. Aspen's expression soured; he didn't like the thought of Vayu's losing his leadership. But when Vayu revealed that the First Elder intended to make him the next Village Chief, Aspen's demeanor changed completely. His eyes brightened, his lips curling into a satisfied grin.
After a while, Vayu asked, "Do you know what your responsibilities will be when you become Squad Leader?"
"Me??" Aspen was even more surprised and showed a big smile.
"YES I recommended you, so do you know?"
Aspen shook his head. "No, not exactly."
So Vayu began to explain, what to do after crossing the marked stone, how to conduct the rituals at the temple. He told Aspen every detail of his duties, everything he had done during his missions… except one truth. Instead of telling him about the beast that dwelled beyond the temple, Vayu altered the story. He told him that there was a great serpent, that he had seen carved into the temple walls — a symbol of their village's guardian, not the wolf that actually stayed there.
"The serpent spirit protects our village. During every hunt, we prepare offerings for it — to keep it content, that's the tradition and it must never be broken."
Aspen listened intently, nodded slowly. By the time they parted, it was already late night. Aspen walked home as Vayu watched him go, felt a faint shadow of guilt crossed his face.
Soon the eighth hunt had ended, Vayu returned to the camp with blood spattered across his clothes and exhaustion etched into his face. That night he called Aspen quietly to his room and told him, "Something's wrong with our guardian. A new beast has appeared" then Vayu told him the story he had prepared in last months, that how he saw those two beasts fighting and how we rushed in to help the guardian but the wolf was too strong and how Vayu had barely saved himself and if it could defeat the guardian, soon the next will be their village.
Aspen trusted Vayu, but a felling of unease lingered in his mind— "Vayu wasn't telling him the whole story" he thought.
Back in the village, Aspen sought out the former Squad Leader, Bhudhar "Sir, I'm going to be the next Squad Leader" he said.
"I know," Bhudhar replied.
"Can you tell me what a Squad Leader's work is?" Aspen asked.
"Ask your current leader," Bhudhar said.
"He told me to ask you," Aspen lied.
Bhudhar eyes narrowed and he answered plainly, "Your duty is to present offerings to the village guardian deity. That is the tradition. The rest you must learn from your squad leader." His explanation matched Vayu's version, so finally accepted that Vayu was telling him the truth. That evening Aspen returned to Vayu's house "So what do we do now?" he asked.
Vayu leaned in "We cannot risk the life of villager's I have a plan, listen and prepare according to what I say"
Together, they laid out a strategy to kill the beast and put an end to it once and for all.