Romanoff Dukedom: The Valk League (10)

The enormous wolf bared its fangs at the woman, enough to urge an adult human to scream out of pure horror. However, the mysterious entity didn't move as to a meager flinch. They just stared at Herkel with an ambiguous look in their eyes.

At first, there was curiosity, then mirth in the next second.

Herkel didn't concern himself with how his enemies looked at him. Their opinion of him wasn't a measure of strength -- the only thing he cared about during confrontations.

"Oh, aren't you a lost wolf? Want me to take you on a walk?"

A soft, almost feathery, voice of a woman landed on his perked-up ears, tickling it. Although, the statement that came out of her mouth did nothing but sting his ego.

'Damn it! I can't talk to a different race in this form!' Herkel lamented, growling as he did so.

Further aggression might not be productive, so he wanted to converse with the woman. Be that as it may, if he switched to his human form at that very moment, the young man would be in an immobile state for a few minutes.

That short moment of immobility could cost him his life. Ergo, he refused to take the risk.

'If anything, I should be taking her for a walk! I want to say that. Damn it, damn this form, damn this alleyway!'

Unbeknownst to him, the woman was grinning, her eyes shining with a rascal glint.

"Poor you, what seems to be the matter?" She uttered in a coaxing manner, irking the young man even further.

As improbable as it might seem, Herkel chose to calm himself down rather than to surrender to the woman's taunts. He was impulsive, yes, but only when the matter could be easily solved by his aggressiveness.

The main reason why he wanted to keep his calm was because of the woman's aura. There was simply an ambiance surrounding her that's forcing him to be cautious.

'Since there are no visible aspects that would indicate they're a demi-human, it's either this person is a shifter or a human. But why can't I figure it out exactly? Their scent is too, I don't know, amalgamated? I can't unriddle their identity.'

Herkel continued to deliberate while he could since he couldn't sense hostility from the woman yet. He slowly retreated to the pole behind him, stopping once his tail could touch the cement. It wasn't sufficient to secure a way for his escape, but that's the least he could do.

To his dismay, the woman responded by taking a few steps forward to maintain their distance. Her movement slightly lifted her hood, revealing such festive glowing eyes that flaunted her delight.

"Don't be so uptight, you poor little dog. I will not hurt you."

'I'm not a dog, you woman! I'm a wolf! A gracious wolf!'

Herkel then growled at the woman who covered her mouth with her hands all of a sudden. She acted as if she was shocked, crying false tears.

"Why do you hate me so? Have I done anything wrong? Who raised you to be a bad dog? Who told you to question the identity of someone you just met? It's courtesy to speak. What a bad dog."

It was not her insulting giggle that bothered Herkel. It was one of the queries within her lengthy dramatical speech.

'Did this person just read my mind?!' The wolf screamed inside his head upon arriving at a realization, 'She wouldn't raise that query unless she could do so. Now, now, this is traversing a more dangerous route than I previously assumed.'

"Well, you're not wrong to think that. You see, I'm harmless, so please let me comb your flowy fur." She said in a tone that showed her mirth, joining her hands together to beg insincerely.

The woman didn't even wait for Herkel to start thinking. She began her approach, every single one of her steps echoing loudly within the young man's heart. In turn, he retreated double the length of her marches.

The two continued their little exchange without saying a word. Their eyes were adept at conveying what they were feeling at the moment.

Soon after, Herkel was unable to reciprocate. His hind legs duly touched the cold cemented wall blocking his path behind. He did not take his gaze off of the woman who did not stop in her tracks.

'What do I do? What do I do? Do I turn around and run? But what if this woman follows me? I should've just called the others before it became like this.'

Herkel frantically searched through his spontaneous brain for his next course of action. His options were limited granted the fact that he was alone and his opponent's identity was still shrouded in mystery.

That was the first time in months that he was using his brain rather than his muscles.

Eventually, he opted to embrace his brute propensities. He was more skillful in that aspect, so he would be able to maneuver his way out of the situation.

Lowering the front-half of his body, Herkel prepared for his subsequent move. At that instant, he put a spring on his legs and vaulted towards the woman. Thereupon, Herkel widely opened his jaws mid-air, sharpening his teeth while he was at it.

As a response, the woman snappily placed her right arm in front of her to welcome the wolf's set of sharp fangs.

Herkel's fangs embedded themselves on her slim arm, penetrating the bones that ere long shattered. Blood spurted all over Herkel and the woman.

However, the lady did not seem to be in pain. She still had the most blissful visage she could muster.

"You bad doggie. Didn't your owner teach you that you shouldn't hurt a stranger? How uncultured."

Herkel wanted to take another bite. In spite of his efforts to re-open his jaws, his teeth appeared to have been stuck in the woman's arm.

"Oh dear, you were trying to bite me again, weren't you? That's no good." The woman cheerfully spoke as she hoisted his arm to get a better look on Herkel's eyes, "You need to be disciplined."