章 266: CHPT 266: The Difference Between Bronze and Silver, The Difference Between Night and Day.
The shaking....
It rattled the cold grounds like a steadily climbing earthquake. An earthquake joined by monstrous voices and violent bellows that echoed like distant war cries.
The sounds fell on Claude's Lupine ears but failed to fully reach his clouded mind. It seemed like ever since he stepped foot out of SkyHaven, the discovery had been nonstop. And now it seemed like it was on the uptick again at the revelation of Rollan's power and future unveiling of his motives-- motives that would become Claude's motives as the stand-in protector of the forest.
The thoughts swirled within his mind, blending with his own issues concerning Fenrir, saving Ursula, retaining his rational mind and staying out of reach of Ronin and his squad of Detectives. Those were just his immediate issues. It was too much.
For a moment, he just wanted to be a wolf in mind and body. A creature of simple complexity and beauty left to run eternally with his pack in the expansive green maw of the wild.
It was a nice thought, but the idea of revenge never strayed too far from his thoughts.
It didn't matter how cluttered his life got, he'd sift through all the madness until he faced Remus and his growing progeny.
The madness he had to sift through in the current moment was only getting closer. They wouldn't hold up on his account simply because he felt "Overloaded". In fact, they probably wouldn't have ever come if he had better control over his Lupine instincts.
At the end of the day, his current source of added weight was his own doing. There would be no running. Only fixing, and defending. Maybe a little ripping and tearing as extra...
With a sigh he centered his thoughts, letting the moments before battle bring its usual unnatural calm and silence as he faced the dark evening forest. "Focusss...." He whispered with his snout aimed to the sky.
The bulk of tertiary sounds that rattled his ears faded in response to his forced internal focus. All he heard were the approaching combatants. All he felt were his own Wild Magic infused limbs and the rumble of the ground that shook his vision lightly. Even his sense of smell honed in on the growing scents of male musk, body odor, blood, fur and metals.
The Phantom Wolves paced in a circle around him anxiously while Frosty and Gil sat at his left and right like feral sentinels.
Sure the sight would be unsettling to many. But, he didn't know what he was dealing with and standing around waiting for them to show was somewhat brainless.
"Go. Hide." Claude spoke to Frosty through their Companion Link.
Through the social connections of the pack. Members knew who to follow. Shadow and Onyx bounded after Frosty to hide within the bush on the right side of the forest.
Ashe gave him a all too human parting nod before huffing at the others to lead them to the other side where they blended into the shadows as if they'd always been there.
He felt his body begin to tense in preparation for battle. Adrenaline heated his chest and made his claws itch as a welcomed heat fell on his left hand.
Gil stood comfortably beside him, spitting balls of green flame from his wounds and back covered in quills while his eyeless face aimed straight ahead in preparation to shoot a flaming javelin through anything that moved.
"So, you've decided to stay?"
Gil let out an array of animalistic barks hisses and low bellows, but Claude go the message. It was a simple response, "You're damn right I did."
He accepted the Hound's decision with no real choice for one simple reason. "They're here."
The ground shook like repeated lightning bolts graced the earth in a shower of thunderous chaos in response to what he assumed was the sheer number of them. The sounds of their footsteps were many-- like a medium sized band of raiders.
He assumed that until the first one emerged.
Coming out of the shadows at a height tall enough for the branches of a tree to break on his head. The eerily human-looking Monster had to be around 8ft tall. Same height as Claude. Only his features were more human.
His skin was dark, a chestnut brown that came as a shade lighter than Rollan's even under the veil of shadows. The humanoid Monster's face was matured-- worn, by the elements. Covered in jagged scarring that ran across his thick flat nose and square jawline. The rest of his head and face disappeared behind the ferocious maw of the Wolf-Pelt he wore over his head, adorned with tribal paints and glowing silver-coated fangs. Despite being changed in death, Claude knew a PitWolf when he saw one.
A low growl rumbled from his chest and curled his black lips as the Monster emerged further, now silent with what seemed to be a matching level of interest.
The humanoid-beast's walk was odd. It's gait was unnatural. He couldn't see it's legs but there was little flow in the Monster's movements. Each massive hulking arm covered in brown fur stayed still. Stiffly holding an axe in one hand and a crudely crafted singled edged sword. Under the small flecks of evening light, he could see a line of human teeth stuck onto the blade.
In the Monster's wake, more emerged. At least six more, growling and murmuring amongst each-other as they looked from Claude and Gil to the seemingly unprotected house.
They all looked similar to the first. Muscular, covered in light fur, strikingly humanoid and fiercely primal. Some wore the pelts of Lions, or scaled armor crafted from Kobolds. Others were nude, brandishing mane-like mohawks, spiked ears like his own and face-paint that smelled of berries and animal blood.
He was ready to admit a rare instance of not knowing the Monster he was looking at until his brain put two and two together in a matter of miliseconds.
"When they approached.....it sounded like there were at least twenty-five just by the footsteps. I only see seven. I can't hear any hiding. Meaning they either have incredible stealth....or more than two feet."
In response to his thoughts, the one wearing the PitWolf Pelt stepped closer, now a mere feet away from his bushes filled with wooden pikes.
Under the dim evening light, his eyes lowered to the cloven legs covered in sinewy muscle and thicker stripped fur that had bald-spots from scarring. Behind the creature's two cloven-footed legs, another pair stamped the earth in response, leaving him to witness the humanoid creature's lower body that strongly resembled that of a horse.
"Centaur--"
Before he could finish speaking, the beast raised his axe at him and began mouthing off in a language that sounded otherworldly. His voice was unnaturally deep, blending intricate vowels with monstrous neighing sounds while he aimed from Claude to the house behind.
He was so shocked that it took him a moment to react. He didn't speak Centaur, but he knew what the creature was saying.
"Get the hell out of the way, before I make you my next pelt."
If he didn't have such acute senses, his freeze in shock would've been deadly. But it wasn't, since he was able to hear the pulling of a bowstring in front of him off to the left.
He didn't bother responding to the leading Centaur, they knew his answer. That's why one was moving to run him through with an arrow.
So, he responded with actions. They tend to speak louder than words.
FWOO!
SPTOO!
In a flash, he raised his arm in the direction of the bow wielding Centaur. Gil copied his movements, spitting a javelin across the field to illuminate the forest in a lightshow of green.
Deeper in the forest, one of the pikes hidden within his protective bushes erupted from the green fluff and pierced flesh with a wet and grisly crunch before the sizzling of flesh overpowered the previous sound. Two strikes in a flash.
SHNK!
SHHHH!!!!
"AAAAAIIIGHHHH!!!"
The sudden explosion of movement shocked the others into action, causing a cascade of movements to shake the forest as the rest took flight.
He could hear Ashe and her group ripping into the Centaur he just wounded as the others began moving and communicating through loud roars and neighing sounds.
Despite this, the leading Centaur stayed for a moment, watching him with a deep sense of disdain. He could even smell the pain radiating off the creature as it listened to it's comrade be rended to pieces.
A fierce level of sentience lined his eyes as he flicked his head off to the right beckoning Claude and Gil to follow in a high-speed battle that would take place mid-run.
Claude obliged with a snarl before they all took off.
As he ran, he couldn't help but remember Prof. Raizen's words.
The Silver Rank was when your mind and your teachings came into play. You were no longer facing mindless Monsters at every corner. The beasts that came with the Silver Rank had a chilling level of intelligence and there own array of motives. These Centaurs had a motive.
クリエイターの想い 
_Avatar0FFury_
_Avatar0FFury_ Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think. Sorry to those that wanted the chapter earlier. Anyways it's mad late, so it's time for some shut eye. Hope you enjoy!
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