The wolves did not howl.
They emerged from the forest's edge like shadows with teeth, silent and deliberate, slipping between tree trunks and snowbanks in a tightening arc. Ten in total—nine grizzled followers and one monstrous alpha, its silvered fur streaked with black scars, eyes aglow with a primal knowing. They did not need to make noise. Their intent was clear.
Kai stood between them and the fire, body tensed like a bowstring. The flickering flames cast his shadow long and twitching over the snow. Behind him, the river whispered beneath its frosted surface, black and swift. To his left, the slope to the rocky overhang offered only a few strides of cover. And behind him—his mother, Asha, her breath ragged, hands clenched to her cloak.
Being greatly outnumbered and surrounded like this, Kai instantly felt his heart drop. After finally enjoying a delicious meal after so long, he grew careless.
He had thought that after surviving the harsh, frozen mountains that things would become easier. However, nature is never forgiving, and a slight lapse in judgment landed them in this dire situation.
These thoughts only flashed through his mind since he had to focus on not becoming prey to these hungry beasts.
"Mother," Kai said, not taking his eyes off the wolves. "Get ready to move. When I say run, you run to that overhang."
She said nothing for a moment. He could feel the weight of her hesitation behind him, the knowledge of how little strength she had left.
"Kai," she finally murmured, her voice steady but cold with dread. "Don't do anything foolish."
"I already am," he muttered under his breath.
The spear in his hands was just a sharpened branch, barely longer than his own height. It flexed with every grip adjustment, the point barely hardened over the last fire. Against one wolf, it might've been enough. Against a pack? It was hope made of wood.
The alpha stepped forward, baring fangs, a low growl rippling from its throat. The others spread out, some slinking wide, others stalking straight toward the firelight. Their paws didn't crunch the snow. They moved like they were born to it.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still for Kai as adrenaline pumped ferociously through his body. All his senses are focused on every little detail around him, his mind clear of any distracting thoughts.
With eyes narrowed to a deadly glare, Kai struck first.
With a focused silence, he lunged at the nearest wolf to the left—young, lean, hungry. He aimed at its throat, but the wolf tried to dodge so the spear rammed into its shoulder, not clean enough to kill, but deep enough to stagger it sideways with a yelp.
Another wolf darted in from the right, jaws open, aiming for Kai's leg. With his honed senses, he was able to react in the nick of time.
He pivoted on his left foot to spin his right leg around, dodging the bite, and kicking it in the ribs with all his weight, the blow knocking it into the snowbank with a pained grunt.
"Go!" he shouted. "Now!"
Jolted awake, Asha turned and bolted up the slope, feet slipping in the loose powder, cloak trailing behind like a dying flame. Just as she had begun to relax after overcoming so many trials, now she was awash with worry and fear all over again.
Yet again, she had to leave her son behind as he protects her while all she could do was flee. Her heart felt heavy yet there was nothing she could do right now except to not get in his way.
Kai whirled back just in time to parry a third attacker with the shaft of his spear. The beast's weight slammed into him, teeth snapping inches from his face. He grunted, twisting his body and shoving the wolf off—only for the spear to snap halfway down its length.
It wasn't a weapon anymore, just a broken branch now.
However, that wasn't going to stop him. While stepping to the side as the spear snapped, Kai struck with the upper half and buried the sharpened tip deep in its eye. Hot blood sprayed on his face as he spun back, ignoring the wailing wolf that tumbled forward from its momentum.
Three wolves down for now. Seven left, including the alpha.
This intense dance between death made his heart thump like thunder. Kai had fought beasts before but never with such deadly odds.
He would always plan things out, set up traps, and prepare escape routes in case things didn't work out.
However, now he didn't have a choice but to fight with everything he had. And it was a bit thrilling.
Kai dropped the splintered shaft and drew the stone axe from his sash in one swift motion. The stone blade was rough and slightly chipped from months of use, but its edge still bit. His fingers curled tight around the haft, knuckles white from the cold and tension.
He could feel his heart hammering in his throat. Not fear. Not quite. More like pressure, the rising boil of instinct pushing him forward.
The observing wolves were a bit stunned at Kai's quick turnaround, but then growled loudly in anger at hurting their brethren.
Two wolves charged at once. He dodged left, ducking under a lunge, and buried the axe into the second wolf's flank. It shrieked, thrashed, then went limp. Blood sprayed across the snow like ink on parchment. The stench hit him, hot and iron-rich.
The first wolf turned for another strike, but Kai caught it with a blind backswing of his axe, scoring a gash across its face and driving it back into the dark. A third rushed him in the chaos—this one older, tougher. It sank its teeth into his thigh.
"Aaagh!" Kai yelled then quickly held it in. He had to focus.
Pain tore up his leg, but he didn't stop. He smashed the axe down on its skull, again and again, until the wolf fell away, jaw slack, twitching in the bloodied snow. His leg throbbed. He limped back, breath heaving, vision swimming.
Three down. Three injured. Three circling. One still watching.
The alpha hadn't moved.
Until now.
It understood. It watched Kai's desperate gaze flicker to the overhang, to Asha, to the fire and river. It saw the rhythm of protection, the pattern of defending the slope up to the overhang. It had hunted longer than he had lived. It knew what to do.
Four wolves, including the alpha, moved. Three dashed towards him while the alpha bolted to the flank to get around.
This immediately put Kai on high alert as what he feared most was happening.
He had been making a big show of resistance to attract their attention just so that they would avoid Asha, but the alpha wolf was smarter than he thought.
"Mom!" he screamed as fear finally gripped his throat.
No time to think. He ignored the three lunging after him as he turned around and sprinted with all his might.
Kai tore off, blood soaking his leg, axe clenched in his fist. Every breath was flame in his lungs. He didn't feel the pain. He didn't feel the cold. Only the distance closing, too slow, too slow.
Asha was stunned as she could only watch as all of them were making a mad dash toward her. She reflexively backed up but realized she was already at the edge, the deep waters of the river below her.
The alpha was already making its way up the slope.
Asha turned as the alpha crested the ledge. Her eyes went wide. From up close the wolf was much larger than she expected.
She could feel death approach her as she stared into the vicious eyes of the incoming predator.
"Kai—!"
The alpha leapt.
"Ahhhh!" Kai screamed and dove, exerting all his power.
He reached her just in time to shove her back.
Claws tore down his back. Deep.
Agony exploded through his nerves as the alpha's weight bore down on him. But Kai kept moving. His momentum didn't stop. He wrapped one arm around Asha's waist, twisted his body—
—and the two of them plummeted over the edge.
The river swallowed them whole.
The cold was absolute.
It slammed the breath from his chest like a hammer to the ribs. For a moment, he couldn't tell what was water, what was blood, what was sky. Asha's cloak tangled around them both as they sank.
The scarred wolf glared from atop the ledge, anger aglow in its eyes from having its prey slip away at the last moment.
Then, the other wolves caught up and silently watched from behind.
Kai kicked up with the last of his strength, dragging Asha's limp form with him. They broke the surface together, gasping, choking. He clung to her with one arm, but with his body weakening from the pain, Asha tried to help.
While supporting each other, the two tried to paddle over to the shore, but they couldn't overcome the current pulling them toward the rapids with their weakening strength.
Once sucked into the rapid currents of the river, there was no escape.