章節 12: One boy One wolf
Disappearing into the fog, Dan tried to chase after Valerie but ended up back where he started. He began to wonder if he was dreaming, as nothing seemed real. First, a mountain over six thousand feet tall appeared out of nowhere, then a thick fog, and now he couldn't go back to the house, as if he were trapped.
Dan noticed the weather changing, growing darker by the minute. "The sun is setting," he said, looking up at the fog-covered sky. After much thought, he gave up on leaving and focused on completing his training. As he journeyed up the hill, he swept his gaze up and down, taking cautious steps with an annoyed expression. The Ryo around him was too dense for him to pinpoint anything, even the trees, causing him to bump into them at times.
As he ascended further, the temperature dropped rapidly. He was freezing, his teeth chattering as he wrapped his arms around himself in a futile attempt to stay warm.
Dan began to hear the sound of a small waterfall, a stream. He tried locating the Ryo but failed, so he followed the smell with his nose. Approaching the stream, Dan fell to his knees and dipped his hands into the water, scooping it up to drink. He noticed something strange.
"It's warm!" Dan exclaimed, eyes wide open. Despite the freezing environment, the water was warm. He considered taking a warm bath in the stream but realized that the longer he kept his hands in the water, the colder they felt when removed. He shook his head, dismissing the idea.
He braced himself to continue his journey when he heard wolves howling nearby. Terrified, he remembered Valerie's words that the wolves were blind. With a sigh, Dan tried to relax and continued his journey, taking gentle and silent steps.
Suddenly, Dan felt a tingling sensation at the back of his neck, his survival instincts kicking in. Hearing a tree branch break, he immediately bent down just as the sharp claws of a mountain bear slashed through the tree in front of him. Realizing the danger, Dan got up and ran for his life up the hill.
"She said they were blind," Dan cursed as he hid behind a huge tree, thinking he had lost the bear. But the bear kept following him, attacking where he hid. Dan dodged by a hair's breadth and continued running uphill.
The temperature was dropping rapidly, and Dan could no longer feel his fingers or legs, but he refused to give up. After ensuring he had lost the bear, he rested against a tree, recollecting his thoughts.
"She lied to me. While being blind, it was still able to sneak up on me. Right now, I am the one being hunted," Dan muttered, gasping for air. "Wait a minute…" He sat upright, realizing something vital. The fog was so thick he couldn't see the trees, yet the bear could see and chase him down. This left two possibilities: either they were blind but could sense Ryo energy, or they could see and sense Ryo energy. Either way, they had the ability to perceive Ryo skillfully.
"Haa, this is rough," Dan sighed exasperatedly.
The bear roared and attacked Dan, who was resting behind a tree. This time, Dan didn't expect the attack and was thrown by the bear's blow, rolling on the ground before coming to a stop. He dragged himself up, feeling a sharp burning sensation in his side. He touched it and felt a thick liquid—his blood. The bear's claw had caught him, but thankfully, it wasn't a Dusk prowler.
The injury wasn't deep, so he endured the pain and continued running uphill. After running as far as he could, Dan rested again, thinking of ways to either kill the bear or hide from it.
"At this point, hiding is far better than killing the bear," Dan said weakly, holding his side. His clothes were drenched in blood, and he was losing it rapidly. He wrapped his clothes around his body to reduce the bleeding.
"It's coming. I need to hurry," Dan said, picking up his pace and dashing uphill. His senses were sharpening by the minute.
Finally, Dan arrived at the mountaintop. The moonlight was vivid and bright, breaking through the thick fog and illuminating the peak. Dan stood there, looking at the moon. Although he couldn't see or sense it, he could feel it. Thoughts flooded his mind about how he ended up in this situation and why he was so desperate to survive, but he had no answers. The sound of howling wolves brought him back to reality, reminding him that he was running away from something.
He descended the hill, sensing some beasts nearby. He decided to hide and check what he was up against. "Wolves," he exclaimed, seeing a pack of twelve. A risky idea sparked in his mind: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?" Dan grinned. He turned and noticed the bear still coming after him. "Tsk, persistent," he muttered, closing the gap between them.
"Hey, you guys, come get me!" Dan shouted, waving his hand. The wolves looked at Dan in unison and began chasing him. "Nice," Dan said, turning to see the bear also coming after him.
"Here goes nothing," Dan leaped up and grabbed a branch, pulling himself up. The wolves and the bear collided, fighting each other. At first, the bear had the upper hand, but gradually, the wolves subdued it. Dan watched from the branch, knowing the victor would likely come after him next.
After a long fight, the wolves emerged victorious. The bear took nine wolves down with it. Now, with the battle over, Dan faced a new problem: escaping. The remaining three wolves gathered at the base of the tree, looking up at him. Dan tried to jump to another branch but slipped and fell due to a sharp pain in his side.
One of the wolves rushed at Dan, who used his left hand to block it. The wolf bit his hand, making him scream in pain. Dan grabbed a dried tree branch with his right hand and began stabbing the wolf's eyes. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the remaining two wolves backed off and ran. Dan continued stabbing until the wolf finally let go and died.
Covered in blood, Dan staggered to his feet. His breath was faint, and his eyes closed as he fell into a deep slumber.
"Oh my, what do we have here?" A voice rang out from within the forest, hoarse and unclear. "A human child here after so many years. What is that old hag plotting?" The voice said, then fell silent. A tree began moving, wrapping a branch around Dan and carrying him down the hill before leaving him there.
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