บท 35: Irregularities of Wolf Island
The team leader, a muscular spearman named Baro, gathered the group. "Alright, listen up. There's bound to be wolf packs roaming this entire island. We'll sweep methodically through the valley, using these hills as vantage points to spot them."
He stabbed his spear firmly into the earth. "Gin, you're on point with me up front. Your shield and my spear make us ideal to confront beasts head-on." The blonde warrior he indicated nodded, hefting his tower shield.
"Next, our sharp shooter Emma will take the high ground and provide supporting fire with her bow." Baro gestured to the lithe archer who gave a mock salute, already scaling a nearby tree.
"Behind her goes our healer, Danielson. Keep a sharp eye and don't let Gin or me drop!" Danielson, a slender man with a shaved head gave Baro a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Finally, Baro turned to regard Klauss with a mixture of contempt and amusement. "As for you, pretty boy, just try not to fall behind or get eaten. We clear?"
Klauss simply blinked blandly as chuckles arose from the group. Clearly they intended to exclude him from any meaningful role, relegating the mysterious youth to being essentially dead weight, stuck at the rear.
Baro took Klauss's silence as submissiveness to the plan. "Right! We move out immediately. I want to bag some pelts and loot before sundown!"
The expedition was underway. Klauss trailed several meters behind the main group, keen eyes scanning their surroundings.
Thus far the team moved with precision, communicating using hand signals while Emma guided them from her treetop perch.
Before long, her whistle sounded sharply. She had spotted something. Drawing nearer, the group discerned tawny shapes prowling through a distant bush of trees upstream - a pack of four standard wolves. Baro flashed a savage grin and signaled the attack.
The wolves scarcely had time to react as the hunters closed in swiftly. With a roar, Gin bashed into two wolves with his massive shield, scattering them sideways.
As they found their feet, Baro's spear whistled through the air, impaling one beast through the ribs. It perished instantly.
Meanwhile Emma rained arrows into the fray, dropping another wolf whose neck was now decorated with fletching. The last two beasts turned to flee but a blast of flame caught them both, Danielson's fire finishing the fight.
As the echoes of battle faded, Klauss watched the Stormbringers expertly harvest fangs, fur and claws from their kills. Their teamwork was impressive albeit predictable.
Clearly they had hunted many gates together. It was a nicely built team who cooperated decently enough in gates but were complete arrogant pricks outside.
"Hah! Child's play!" gloated Baro, holding three bushy wolf tails triumphantly. "That's just a taste of our skill, greenhorn. Try and keep up!" More arrogant chuckling followed as the emboldened group pressed deeper into the woods.
Hours passed uneventfully until Emma gave warning of another pack - six gray blurs streaking through a distant glen. Baro immediately led the charge and Klauss observed carefully as the two sides clashed.
It quickly became apparent this was a much closer contest. The wolves harried constantly, refusing to let the warriors pin them down.
When Baro overextended his spear thrust, a wolf latched savagely onto his thigh with iron jaws until Gin battered it away.
Arrows and fire kept the wolves scattered but they refused to break. Eventually through attrition the hunters overwhelmed their lupine foes, albeit narrowly.
Painted in wolf blood, the team rested atop a hill watching the valley shadows stretch long.
"We should set up camp soon," suggested Danielson, tending everyone's various bite wounds. "It'll be dark before long."
Nodding, Baro grimaced as the healer wrapped his raked leg. "Aye...that scrap took more out of me than expected. We'll shelter here tonight."
Suddenly Emma cried sharply from her perch, "Wait! I see one more wolf prowling the riverbeds." She focused intently then gasped. "Great Goddess...its fur is red!"
The party instantly tensed. Occasionally some alpha specimens within a species would manifest irregular traits, making them deadlier than their kin.
A red coat typically signaled such a beast - stronger, faster and more vicious.
This wolf wandered slowly upstream, powerful muscles rippling beneath its ruby pelt mottled with scars on its face - clearly a seasoned veteran of many savage fights.
The beast seemed to have been monitoring the previous pack before Baro and his group took them all down. That was his dinner.
Baro grit his teeth, spear poised warily. "We're in no shape to tackle an alpha wolf after that last brawl. We-"
His words choked off as the red wolf's ears suddenly pricked towards them. In a heartbeat it broke into a sprint directly at the party with alarming speed!
"Brace yourselves!" roared Gin, raising his shield as Baro and Danielson hastily prepared defensive spells. But their fatigue dulled reactions and the wolf was nearly upon them!
Abruptly it pounced with a snarl, mighty jaws clamping fiercely onto Gin's shield arm. Crying out, the warrior beat at its ribs with his free fist but its bite only tightened viciously.
Then a sharp crack resounded as Emma shot the beast through its left eye. Howling in fury, it released Velius and rounded on her, muscles bunching to spring.
"Fall back while it's distracted! We must regroup!" yelled Baro, supporting the badly mauled Gin. The team quickly scrambled downhill out of sight, leaving Klauss alone still observing quietly from his rear, unfazed.
Nursing its blasted eye, the crimsoned alpha wolf soon refocused on Klauss. Blood and spittle flew as it emitted a bone-chilling roar of challenge. Its injuries only enraged the monster further.
Several meters away atop the grassy hill, the Stormbringers watched Klauss from cover. "Let's see the cocky runt try and handle that beast alone!" spat Baro viciously around the tree sheltering them.
"Maybe it'll tear his guts out! What a sight that will be. I'll swoop in just when he's about to die and claim the spoils."
Stone-faced, Klauss evaluated his lupine opponent, now prowling dangerously close. He observed its coiled power barely restrained, seeking any opening.
This would likely be over swiftly if fought seriously. But keeping up appearances of a D rank hunter meant dramatically limiting Klauss's full offensive options.
With startling speed the red wolf pounced but Klauss sidestepped the gnashing jaws fluidly. Spinning, it immediately lunged again, snapping fiercely at his torso only for steel claws to swipe empty air.
The deadly dance continued - the wolf attacking ruthlessly as Klauss dodged artfully, unable to counterattack without arousing suspicion by displaying his true skill.
Tiring of this tedious exchange, his eyes narrowed subtly. Time to finish this. He suddenly pulled out his sword from his dimensional bag and entered the battle stance.
As the alpha wolf hurled itself at his throat again, Klauss countered by piercing the top of his sword up under its ribcage timed precisely.
The blow landed like a thunderclap, literally lifting the beast airborne momentarily. It crumpled awkwardly, uttering a strangled whimper, bleeding..
Klauss strode forth and pinned the dazed creature under one boot, sword raised menacingly for the finishing stroke.
Yet perhaps some shred of mercy stirred for the valiant fighter lying helpless before him. Instead, Klauss simply drove his weapon sharply into its stomach.
With a final choked cry, the wolf shuddered and laid still forever, its remaining lifeblood staining the earth crimson.
Standing silently, Klauss retrieved a fine red pelt in good condition, deadly curved claws, sharp fangs and the beast's blood from the worthy fallen enemy. He kept the spoils of his battle to himself and stored them in his dimensional bag.
Gathering the spoils, he glimpsed the Stormbringers peering out in disbelief from their hiding spot. As Klauss descended the hill towards them, Baro stepped forth scowling while the others shuffled almost fearfully.
"So you killed it. Got lucky most likely!" he spat bitterly. Behind Baro, Gin nursed a mutilated arm and wounded pride. Their arrogant bravado now rang hollow after abandoning Klauss against the deadly red wolf.
Halting before Baro, Klauss wordlessly extended some of the valuable items taken from the alpha wolf corpse, its blood and crystalline eyes like rubies.
For an instant Baro stared speechless at the offer then flushed angrily at this display of mercy towards former tormentors. Swatting the rewards aside petulantly, he growled "We need nothing from you! Not now or ever! Know your place which is at the rear!"
He turned towards his group in annoyance and exclaimed, "We camp here tonight, get some rest, the hunt has only just begun!".
Despite Baro's dramatic pronouncement, the reality of their situation meant the team had little choice but to rest. Injuries, exhaustion, and night swiftly falling necessitated camp.
With wounded pride, Baro set up shelter in the valley while casting the occasional dark scowl towards Klauss. His bluster proved empty boasts in the end.
For his part, Klauss simply observed the sullen group silently tending their injuries and igniting a small cook fire in the gathering darkness. The night breeze carried scents of seared meat from the fallen animals as they prepared a meager meal, pointedly ignoring the interloper in their midst.
Klauss cared little.
As full night enveloped the island in a veil of black, Klauss opted to distance himself further, settling high atop a sturdy oak. He cared not for sleep this particular night, instead immersing his senses into the vibrant backdrop of nature surrounding him.
Below, the fragmented team stood guard by turns, fatigue eroding their diligence. But Klauss remained vigilant, honing his awareness to detect the slightest irregularity stirring in the shadowy jungle.
Leaning against rough bark, he regulated breaths to stillness and dismissed all distraction until a meditative calm descended upon his mind. Hours flowed by unheeded.
When silvery pre-dawn light gradually illuminated the slumbering hunters below, Klauss finally stirred from his elevated perch. Limbs energized after a night of refreshment drank deeply from mother nature, he soundlessly dropped to the soft loam.
Gathering some wild roots and mountain water,Klauss skillfully crafted a very humble meal, a clear reflection of his seasoned hunter's expertise, as movement arose from the camp.
The Stormbringers emerged haggard and gloomy from their uneven rest, nursing wounds and burnt pride. Yet another day of hunting in the company of an enigma awaited them within wolf island.
Klauss spared a wayward thought for Cassius back home beginning his first lessons with alone. Perhaps that innocent soul at least was being spared unnecessary hardship this day.
With that comforting notion, Klauss bit firmly into a fibrous root and turned a piercing gaze once more towards the hunters his fate entwined with for a while longer.
This trip held hidden potential yet worth unearthing through patience. Steeling himself, he strode soundlessly downhill towards the fractured group bathed in new dawn's light.
Their time here was not yet done.
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