The forest surrounded them once again, a living, breathing entity that pressed in from all sides. Towering trees stretched high into the night sky, their branches interwoven like the fingers of giants, forming a dense canopy that blotted out much of the moonlight. What light did filter through cast the path in an ethereal glow, turning the dirt road ahead into a ribbon of silver winding through the blackness down the valley. Not far ahead, the jagged peaks of the larger mountains loomed, their snow-capped tips glistening faintly against the star-studded sky.
The world of dense forest and occasional mountain.
The valley was alive with sound, an eerie symphony that played on Ryan's nerves as their convoy made its way deeper into the mountainous wilderness. The soft thud of hooves on the dirt path, the rustle of leaves in the breeze, and the distant calls of nocturnal creatures filled the night air. Every shadow seemed to shift, every flicker of moonlight through the trees a potential threat.
Ryan tightened his grip on the saddle as the horse stumbled slightly over uneven ground. A sharp jolt shot through his abdomen, stealing his breath. He hissed quietly and leaned forward, one hand instinctively pressing against his stomach as a dull, lingering ache spread beneath his ribs.
Damn it…
Whatever the healer had done had kept him alive, but it hadn't made him whole.
Captain Myna rode in front of him, a silent figure of authority, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. The other soldiers calm, their heads turning subtly as they too kept watch.
What am I even doing here? Ryan thought, a wave of anxiety creeping in. Just a month ago, I was sitting in an office, buried in paperwork and deadlines. And now... He swallowed hard, the absurdity of his situation hitting him like a bunch of bricks. Now I'm riding through a dangerous forest, surrounded by elite soldiers, evading an entire species determined to kill me and a woman who worships water.
Absurd.
The group traveled in silence, save for the occasional quiet command from Myna, directing the soldiers as they traveled through the forest. The path ahead was narrow and winding, the trees crowding in on either side felt suffocating. The moonlight barely penetrated the thick canopy overhead, casting long shadows that danced in the periphery of Ryan's vision.
Suddenly, a distant howl broke through the night, freezing Ryan in place. His heart skipped a beat as he strained to identify the source of the sound. The soldiers immediately tensed, their hands instinctively moving toward their weapons. Myna held up a hand, signaling the group to halt.
For a few heart-pounding moments, there was nothing but the sound of the wind in the trees. Then, another howl, closer this time, followed by an eerie silence that seemed to stretch on forever.
"They're testing us," Myna murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. Her voice was calm, but Ryan could hear the edge in it. The Captain murmured to the group. "Stay alert."
The soldiers nodded, and the group resumed their march, moving with a sense of urgency. Ryan swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing. The ground was uneven and wasn't acting kindly to his injury.
The underbrush on either side of the path suddenly exploded in a flurry of movement. Four massive direwolves, easily twice the size of a normal wolf on Earth, burst from the shadows, their eyes glowing with a malevolent red light. Their fur was matted and dark, almost blending into the night, and their fangs gleamed in the moonlight as they charged toward the group.
"Direwolves!" A guard shouted, his voice cutting through the night.
The soldiers reacted instantly. Without dismounting, Myna raised her hand, her expression calm and focused. With a swift motion, she thrust her hand forward, and the ground beneath the lead wolf erupted. A spear of rock shot up from the earth with incredible speed, piercing through the direwolf's open maw and exiting the back of its skull with a sickening crunch. The beast didn't even have time to howl before it collapsed lifeless, its momentum carrying it a few more feet before it lay still, the life draining from its eyes.
The other three direwolves skidded to a halt, their blood-red eyes fixed on their fallen packmate. For a moment, the forest was deathly silent, the only sound the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze. Then, as if on some unspoken command, the remaining direwolves turned and bolted back into the forest, their massive forms disappearing into the shadows as quickly as they had appeared.
Direwolves were vicious-but they were not stupid. They knew when prey was far too dangerous.
Ryan let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, his heart hammering in his chest. The speed and efficiency with which the soldiers had neutralised the threat left him in awe. They made that look easy... he thought, the massive power gap between him and these warriors becoming apparent.
Myna, still on her horse, gave a quick glance at the fallen direwolf, her eyes narrowing as if making sure it was truly dead.
"Let's keep moving," Myna commanded, her tone as calm as ever, as if a pack of direwolves hadn't just tried to rip them apart. "They might return."
The group resumed their march.