Heading toward the edge of the forest where the fighting was raging, hundreds of wolves were engaged in a bloody, brutal clash against some fifty agents. At first glance, the wolves were losing. That's when Jack intervened, charging into the battle like a bull, grabbing one of the soldiers and slamming him to the ground before shattering him into a thousand pieces.
Alan hesitated to enter the fight, keeping his distance in the forest and firing from time to time at vulnerable soldiers. Jack unleashed himself in this endless chaos, breaking the limits of his legs several times and replacing them.
Despite the many soldiers killed, the balance of the war was not tipping in their favor; there were still too many soldiers, and Jack lacked crowd control compared to Yumiel.
Even so, he never stopped fighting like a beast in the middle of the fray. During the battle, he was struck and thrown back several meters by a soldier whose bluish energy was concentrated in his fist, but he got back up, bracing himself for another attack from the soldier moving behind him.
Jack pivoted, raising his arms and taking the blow head-on. The soldier chained attacks, channeling energy into his feet to reposition in front of Jack. Then the bluish energy shifted into his fist, driving it toward Jack's face.
Jack broke the limits of one of his legs, lifted it, and struck the soldier's arm, tearing it off. The arm flew through the air; the soldier screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground. Jack detached his own leg and tore off the soldier's, replacing it with his own, leaving him to agonize on the ground.
Seeing the many bodies, he thought about fusing, about entering one of his forms, but quickly abandoned the idea. To fuse, he needed time—and above all, he was defenseless during that time—so he simply plunged back into the melee. Thanks to Jack's frenzied effort and the wolves' nameless ferocity, he slowly began to see victory ahead of them.
Although the losses among the wolves were immense, Jack couldn't care less, having the time of his life. Only after dozens and dozens of minutes did he finally gain the upper hand, eliminating the last soldiers. Beginning to take his due, he sat atop a mound of corpses mixing wolves and humans, eating their brains, savoring his victory. Yet…
A saying goes… never declare victory too soon. When Jack saw about ten helicopters appear on the horizon, replacing the last rays of sunlight, their arrival marked the beginning of night.
Despite the reinforcements on the way, Jack couldn't help but smile, his mouth full.
« Ahahahahaha, I can feel we're going to have a lot of fun, oh yes. »
Emerging from the forest, an enormous wolf—almost four or five times the size of a normal one—approached Jack and Alan, who had just joined him. It spoke in English, fluently.
« You, do you want to be part of the pack? »
Looking at these gigantic wolves standing before Jack, staring at him with bloodthirsty beastly eyes, yet tinged with a certain wisdom…
« And you, the werewolf? »
« Werewolf? No, his family. You are strong, do you want to join the pack? »
You could feel the beast struggling to form clear sentences; yet compared to his experience with the fox, there was clearly a difference.
Jack looked him up and down. He indeed didn't resemble the werewolf from the video—a werewolf already stands on two legs and has a half-man, half-wolf appearance. He sighed inwardly.
« I'm not very good at making that kind of decision, but a temporary alliance against those guys over there, I'm in. » He pointed at the helicopters, now not far from their position.
The beast thought for a moment, turning around on itself before coming back to Jack.
« Alliance? »
Alan, beside Jack, lit a cigarette while looking at the helicopters, then turned back to the immense wolf.
« All this brings back so many memories. I don't know if you have a name, but my friend here is proposing an alliance—a sort of temporary pack, if you prefer. »
« Temporary pack? »
The wolf paced in circles again before returning, this time not toward Jack but between the two, as if addressing them both.
« Term alliance temporary pack accepted. »
« Great. Let the show begin. »
The giant wolf howled; all the others followed, joining its howl. Jack, meanwhile, began to fuse with the bodies, amassing flesh and growing larger, grafting on four additional arms and two legs. Caught off guard, Alan stepped back and looked at him in astonishment, raising an eyebrow.
« Ahah, surprised? I can understand—it's, let's say, exotic. »
« Mostly disgusting, yeah. »
Jack was about to finish taking on his new form, which he had called "tank." It was the same form he had taken in the cemetery against the Hunter. Armed with six arms and four legs, his clothes tore under the mass he had accumulated, making him bigger and stronger. He hid Alan's photo beneath his skin.
When he finished, even the giant wolf was surprised by Jack's new appearance. Alan recoiled because of the smell and the monstrous form; the other wolves did the same, even the giant one.
« Well damn, buddy, looks like you've put on muscle—and limbs too—but above all, you stink. »
« The advantages outweigh the drawbacks. »
The helicopters went into standby above them before dropping grenades below. Everyone fled into the forest before the soldiers rappelled down.
Fleeing with the wolves, Jack could feel it among them—some stood out. Not just newly awakened soldiers, but pure Awakened.
Back in the forest, he waited patiently. The soldiers formed a line, aiming their rifles at the forest. The helicopters departed, and among the sixty soldiers, one stepped forward and began to speak.
Giving some kind of speech to these men, motivating them—some began to shout, others to cheer him on—he was rallying the troops. Alan drew his pistol, lined up his sights, and fired a bullet straight into the commander's chest. The bullet flew, and the moment it entered the commander's range, it was caught midair, just like that.
Seeing this, Jack shuddered with pleasure at the mere thought of eating that brain.
« Why are you shuddering like that? »
« For us monsters, eating Awakened—or other powerful monsters—gives us a feeling of power and ecstasy, extremely intense. It's kind of like a drug. »
The commander continued his speech, dropping the bullet to the ground. The giant wolf beside Jack bared its teeth, ready to fight.
« Hey, big wolf? Who's your leader, the werewolf? »
« Werewolf family, chief other more wise. Now time for the massacre! . »