Lying on the ground, she looks up at the stars, slightly lifting her head to see Jùnyǔ heading toward her with the two enormous wolves, followed by the small one.
Out in the wild, far from civilization, the sky was resplendent, displaying a magnificent palette of colors. yumiel truly enjoyed contemplating it. Jùnyǔ, riding on the back of one of the giant wolves, comes up beside her, then gets down from the wolf but does not approach her, letting the small wolf do so instead, stepping closer to her.
« I thank you for your help. »
The small wolf spoke perfect English, with no issue of articulation despite his bestial form.
« Are you the leader? »
« Yes, I lead all the wolves present on this territory. »
Getting up, yumiel looks at the small wolf.
« Would you be able to follow us, please? I would like to speak with you. »
« I warn you, I'm really not in the mood. »
At those words, she could have sworn she saw the wolf smile in response, before he turned and walked into the forest. yumiel controls her blood, filling her flask and creating eight daggers that follow her, then waits, but no one follows. It is only when she starts walking that the others begin to move behind her, leaving space between them.
The small wolf slows down to match Yumiel space, the others falling back a little, leaving even more space.
« Thank you again for helping us get rid of that woman; she claims that every forest in the world belongs to her, hunting Awakened and monsters like us. »
Yumiel could not hide her sneering, mocking laugh.
« Are you kidding me? I could have killed her. I hope you have a good reason for depriving me of my prey. »
« Blood only calls for blood. Our friend the werewolf and you—you resemble each other greatly. To win, there is no need to spill blood. »
She bursts out laughing; to her, all of that was nothing but Buddhist monk nonsense—the world had proven that only blood could avenge blood.
« Pwaaaahaha, yeah yeah, sure, forgive me, Gandhi. »
« Are you mocking me? » he said, slightly turning his head, looking her straight in the eyes.
Yumiel lowers her head slightly, tilts it, looking back at him with narrowed eyes before saying, « No… I wouldn't dare… »
The rest of the journey passed in silence; neither of them spoke anymore. Arriving at a pit where multiple caves were visible, outside cubs were running and playing, wolves were grooming themselves, eating, or sleeping.
« I present to you our current home. »
Suddenly, the two giant wolves transformed into humans, one of whom was Jùnyǔ's friend.
« Ah yeah, Yumiel, with all that I didn't really get the chance to say it, but tada—actually, from the start they've been on our side, something like that. Ah, and my friend Guo Ming was a human who was bitten by the pack leader and granted powers. »
A long silence followed; only the wind broke it, blowing softly through the forest. After several long seconds of thought, yumiel looks at Guo Ming, then at Jùnyǔ.
« What? »
« All of this is long to explain. Follow me, I'll explain. »
Following the small wolf into a cave where only she and Jùnyǔ were present, he stood before them and lay down on the ground. They did the same, sitting on the ground.
« Let me tell you how all of this happened. One day, while I was hunting with my pack… »
yumiel cut him off.
« I'm sorry, but can you get to the point? »
After a brief silence, he resumed.
« I awakened. I gathered all the wolves of the forest—needless to say, a lot of them. We rebelled against the humans who were oppressing us by destroying our forest, destroying a few cities in return, then I transformed those who wished to join us. From that moment on, I began to regret it; bodies piled up on both sides. And now they want us dead. »
« Ok, good luck. »
yumiel gets up and starts to leave. Jùnyǔ, not knowing what to say, looks at the wolf and then at yumiel, hesitating about whether to stand or not, but she finally stops at the small wolf's words.
« Didn't you come to find the werewolf? Are you going to tell me that now that you've found him, you're just going to leave? »
She turns back to face him.
« And what do you want me to do with him? He doesn't even speak English. »
« Come now, one must not judge an existence by its reflection but by its substance. He is reliable, sturdy, and above all trustworthy. Your companion Jùnyǔ told me you were looking for him, and I have also heard that a flesh monster rampaging across the southern battlefield is searching for him as well. »
Letting out a deep breath and crossing her arms, leaning against the cave wall.
« Ok, you win. We were looking for that werewolf to recruit him into our group, but now I'm hesitating—and besides, he has no reason to join us. »
The small wolf stands up and positions himself in front of yumiel before sitting down and speaking to her familiarly.
« You were right in thinking he already has a pack, but you're mistaken. This child was not born a wolf, but human. Raised among a family of wolves after being abandoned by his own family, he eventually developed bonds with us. Today, after obtaining powers, he finds himself a wandering monster between two borders. We are not monsters; he no longer has a place among us, which is why… »
« Which is why you want me to take him, right? But my question is, what do you want? You wouldn't have brought me all the way here otherwise—or you could've just told him to leave or banished him. You're going to make me believe you were waiting for an opportunity to pawn him off on someone? »
He stands up and looks at Jùnyǔ, who was listening, before approaching him and asking, « Could you leave us. »
Jùnyǔ gets up and leaves the cave, waiting a few moments before moving on.
« We are going to lose this war! »
Surprised, yumiel's eyes widen.
« I wasn't expecting that. »
As he was about to continue, a wolf suddenly appeared and began to growl and whine, moving its body as if communicating information. After a few minutes of both growling and whining while moving, it finally left. The small wolf returns to stand before yumiel.
« I've just received some information. The enemy troops have apparently moved all their forces to the city at the southern point, where your friend is. I asked all the volunteer wolves to gather there. »
« That's really great, truly, but what am I supposed to do in all this? »
« Nothing, precisely. Retrieve your friend there, then take the werewolf with you and leave. This is not your war; it is ours. I thank you again for the support you and your friend provided. I'm going to speak with Tāo. »
« Tao? »
« You pronounce it wrong. It's Tāo—the werewolf. »
Leaving the cave, she follows him, passing among all the wolves who step aside upon seeing the small wolf, stopping in front of a cave that he enters, telling yumiel to wait outside.