Kael didn't look back. "Move! Stay low!"
Behind him, the Alpha hunter stumbled, dragging one leg that left a smear of blood across the white ground.
And then came the sound.
Thump—scrape—thump—
Something heavy moved above them, darting from branch to branch with impossible speed. Each impact rattled the frozen bark, showering flakes of ice.
The Alpha hunter groaned, clutching his ribs. "Can't—keep up—"
"You'll die if you stop!"
A whisper of movement — too light, too fast — made Kael twist his head just in time to see the wendigo flash past, a blur of pale limbs and blue gleam, crawling sideways along the tree trunk. Its tails lashed out, slicing through the air where Kael's head had been seconds before.
He ducked and rolled, snow spraying around him. His breath came out ragged clouds. Every sense screamed danger.
The creature didn't run like a man.
It flowed through the forest — all motion and silence, bounding from trees, flipping midair, landing on all fours before springing again. Its tails cut through branches effortlessly, the shards falling like rain.
Kael's heart pounded. He'd fought monsters before, but nothing that moved like thought itself.
"Left!" he barked, grabbing the Alpha hunter's arm and yanking him toward a cluster of boulders. They dove behind one just as a tail slammed down, cracking a nearby tree in half.
The air erupted with splinters.
The Alpha hunter gasped, pressing a gloved hand to his bleeding thigh. His other hand gripped the sword, trembling. "It's—playing with us."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Then we make it choke on the game."
He leaned out, eyes flicking through the treeline — shadows, movement, breath hanging like smoke. He could hear the wendigo's claws tapping the branches, rhythmic, deliberate.
It was circling.
"Go wide," Kael whispered. "Head east. The thicker trees'll limit its speed."
The Alpha hunter nodded weakly.
They moved again, keeping low, weaving between tree trunks. Kael's mind worked despite the panic clawing at his chest — each step measured, each breath shallow to reduce their noise. But the wendigo followed without sound, just that faint rustle above, always keeping pace.
And then — crunch.
Kael froze.
A tail whipped down through the dark. He shoved the Alpha hunter aside as the tail embedded itself into the ground where he'd stood, leaving a crater of fractured ice.
Kael slashed instinctively — a clean, practiced cut — sparks flashing as his blade skimmed the creature's hide. It didn't bleed much, only hissed, eyes glowing in the dark like twin coals.
"Still running," it said. Its voice was calm — almost conversational. "You should stop. It hurts less when you stop."
Kael gritted his teeth. "You talk too much."
The wendigo tilted its head, crouched low, moving closer. Its two tails swayed behind it — slow, deliberate, like snakes hypnotizing prey. "You think I enjoy this? You think I wanted this hunger?"
Kael's breath hitched. That tone — almost human.
The wendigo's eyes narrowed. "I was cold. I starved while your kind built fires. Now I never feel cold again."
Then it lunged.
Kael sidestepped, parried — barely. The force rattled his arm. His boots slid backward through the snow, carving deep tracks. The Alpha hunter stumbled into position beside him, swinging at the creature's exposed flank, but the wendigo leapt sideways, climbing vertically up a tree trunk.
Its claws tore the bark in silence as it vanished into the canopy.
Kael's muscles tensed. He could hear it — the faint rhythm above, moving again. "It's tracking us by sound," he muttered. "Stay quiet—"
The Alpha hunter coughed blood. "Can't—"
Kael turned sharply. "Then move faster."
They sprinted again. Branches clawed at Kael's coat, wind biting at his face. He could hear the wendigo's movement shifting directions — it was keeping parallel now, matching their pace from above.
Then, suddenly — nothing.
No sound.
Kael slowed, scanning the trees. "Where—"
The snow behind them exploded.
The wendigo crashed down from above, landing on all fours, its weight shaking the earth. Kael spun, raising his blade, but the impact sent a wave of frost through the air that stung his eyes.
The Alpha hunter cried out as one of the tails swept low, cutting through his arm and sending him sprawling.
Kael's blade struck back — sparks flew — but the wendigo didn't flinch. Its grin widened, sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight.
"You can't win," it murmured. "But you can become. Let me free you from dying."
"I'll pass."
He lunged again, trying to aim for the neck. The wendigo twisted its body, one tail wrapping around his arm like a whip. Pain flared. Kael gritted his teeth, wrenching himself free, rolling aside just as claws slashed the ground where he'd been.
He rose, panting, his breath clouding the air. His shoulder burned where the tail had scraped skin.
He looked toward the Alpha hunter — the man was on one knee, gasping, sword half-buried in snow.
Kael knew it. They were done if they kept running blind.
"Cover your ears," Kael muttered suddenly.
The man blinked. "What?"
Kael struck the sheath on his belt — a small flare canister. He tossed it toward a frozen ridge to their right. A heartbeat later, it detonated with a crack, flooding the woods with harsh red light and a sharp screech.
The wendigo shrieked — not in pain, but anger. The flash distorted its eyes, forcing it to leap back into the shadows.
Kael grabbed the Alpha hunter, hauling him up. "This way!"
They darted through the trees. The glow behind them faded. Kael's lungs screamed for air.
But the silence came back.
Too soon.
Then — a rustle above.
Kael looked up. His gut dropped.
The wendigo was leaping through the trees again, bounding between branches like a blur of white. Each movement was so fast his eyes couldn't follow. It was circling them again — herding them.
"You smell of fear," it hissed. "It's beautiful."
"Keep moving!" Kael barked. They tore through the snow, ducking under low branches, weaving through the maze of frozen trunks. Kael's sword scraped against bark as he pivoted, checking every shadow.
The forest itself seemed to close in — branches tightening, wind screaming through the gaps.
The Alpha hunter tripped, hitting the snow with a grunt. Kael turned, grabbing his coat, dragging him up. The wendigo's eyes flashed between the trees — closer now, gliding from branch to branch.
Kael's mind raced. He couldn't outpace it. But maybe — maybe he could corner it instead.
He spotted a cluster of jagged trees ahead where the snow had piled deep, forming a natural sinkhole.
"Over there!" he shouted. "Follow my lead!"
He darted toward the hollow, slicing a path through low brush. The Alpha hunter followed, limping. Kael slid down into the pit, landing on one knee, snow spraying around him. He crouched, sword ready, back to the other man.
The forest went still again.
A whisper of claws on bark — closer. Then silence.
Kael tightened his grip on the sword. His pulse thundered in his ears.
Then — a flicker above.
He swung reflexively — sparks erupted as his blade met a tail. The impact knocked him backward. Another tail slammed down, missing by inches. The wendigo landed between them, crouched low, its claws sinking into the snow.
"You can't hide in your cage forever," it said softly. "The cold always gets in."
Kael lunged first — not to kill, but to move. He feinted left, drawing the creature's eyes, while the Alpha hunter swung from the right. The wendigo dodged both strikes — too fast — but Kael pivoted again, thrusting his sword into the snow.
"Now!"
He ripped the blade free — a wall of powder rose between them. The sudden cloud disoriented the creature for a breath, long enough for Kael to tackle the Alpha hunter out of the pit's far side.
They crashed into the snow, tumbling, rolling down a small incline before slamming against a fallen tree.
Kael coughed, pulling himself up. "You still breathing?"
"Barely," the man rasped.
Kael helped him stand — but the ground trembled. Above them, the wendigo perched on a branch, its body twisting unnaturally, head cocked in mock curiosity.
"You run well," it said, almost cheerfully. "But I can smell your heart slowing."
Kael lifted his sword again, his arm shaking. His thoughts were slipping between instinct and exhaustion. Every plan fell apart faster than he could make it.
He couldn't win. But he couldn't not fight, either.
The Alpha hunter wheezed beside him. "We can't—keep this up."
Kael glanced around — trees, shadows, snow. Then he saw it: a narrow ridge leading toward the cliffs east of the woods. If he could reach it, maybe he could make the creature lose footing or visibility.
He tightened his grip. "We move again."
The wendigo grinned, dropping from the branch in one fluid motion, landing in front of them with a soft thud. Its tails coiled like waiting vipers.
"Always running. Do you even know why you fight?"
Kael's voice came out low. "Because if I stop, everyone dies."
The wendigo tilted its head. "Then maybe I'll start there."
It lunged.
Kael pushed the Alpha hunter aside, barely avoiding the first strike. A tail whipped across his shoulder, tearing fabric and flesh. He grunted, spun, and slashed back. The wendigo's claws caught his blade, twisting it aside.
Snow and blood mingled beneath them. The forest echoed with the sound of metal and bone.
The Alpha hunter tried to rise, sword shaking. Kael yelled over his shoulder, "Stay down!"
But the man didn't listen. He charged, sword raised, screaming — a broken sound swallowed by the cold. The wendigo turned its head, smiling, almost amused.
Kael shouted, "No!"
The tail lashed out — and the man vanished in a spray of snow.
Kael's eyes widened — the impact sent him staggering backward. He saw the Alpha hunter lying motionless several meters away, blood seeping into the snow.
The wendigo turned back toward him, grinning through frost and shadow.
"See?" it whispered. "Fragile."
Kael's hands trembled on his sword. Rage and exhaustion warred behind his eyes.
The creature crouched again, ready to pounce.
The forest held its breath.
And Kael realized, coldly, that he was out of options.