A Baby

Lya's speed reached the apex and in a single flash, she arrived in front of that basket. Before even looking at what was inside, she made a threatening stance and released her aura, making that small pack of wolves feel suppressed.

Those four wolves suddenly stopped, not advancing any longer, but they also didn't retreat either. A few seconds later, more wolves were coming to a stop at that same location. They eyed the contents of that basket, feeling a divine attraction that almost led them to attack; however, their animal instinct told them that it would be impossible to leave from there alive, if they were to charge in. And even though their numbers were already in the twenties, that instinctual feeling didn't change.

It wasn't common to see wolves at that part of the forest, so Lya and Dacia were really confused to seem them. What they didn't know, was that they had followed that white specter for more than fifteen kilometers, crazy to fill their stomachs with what was inside the basket.

Those wolves kept eyeing their enemy, staring with their sharp eyes, until one of them unconsciously took a step back. With a bit of cost, they all turned around one by one and left. Hungry, but still alive.

Tonight, they would have to hunt elsewhere or else, they would dine in hell. The Animus revolving around Lya was strong enough to alert their animal instincts, telling them that it was undoubtedly better, to just run away.

Normal wolves stood no chance against werewolves. However, in front of them not only there was a powerful female werewolf, but one that was able to just partially shapeshift.

The werewolves that could partially shapeshift, were a hundred times stronger than those that took a full animal shape. It wasn't a question of raw physical power, but because of something called Animus. Or more precisely, the werewolf essence.

The Animus not only acted as a formless energy, helping them in their partial transformation, but it also strengthened their bodies, enhancing their raw physical power and speed.

After making sure everything was alright, Lya finally turned around after noticing those wolves were already far away and wouldn't dare to come back. She was feeling tired after spending a bit of her Animus to scare them, but as she looked down, she even forgot about it.

When her eyes saw what was inside that basket, she actually got a bit lost.

Dacia looked at her expression and found it hard to believe, that something could make her friend feel even more at a loss, than that bullshit of a pact that was haunting their lives.

Inside that basket, there was a newborn child looking directly at Lya. He was a male baby, that looked just like any other baby, except for two very distinct characteristics.

The first one being that he was silent. Babies would never stop crying if they do not feel secure and well fed. The situation this baby was in, could be considered everything, less, be considered as safe. Lya realized that probably, he was left there to be eaten or die from starvation.

The second characteristic he had that immediately grabbed her attention, was the symbol of a silver moon in the middle of his chest. She couldn't understand what would make a person mark his or her newborn baby, with a silver tattoo. What she didn't know, was that it was a birth mark that no other werewolf living in that whole continent had; a special mark that would one day shake the whole continent.

Dacia ran towards Lya, totally confused by the motives behind her sudden actions and even though a curious person like her wanted to find out what was inside that basket, she seemed to have forgotten about it, being taken over by a flustered feeling, fearful of being discovered.

"Lya, why did you do that? What if anyone saw you? How would explain about your partial transformation to them?"

Dacia felt frightened, as if her heart was coming out of her throat, but even after a few seconds have passed, Lya didn't utter a single word to reply to her questions. When she noticed that her friend was lost in a trance while looking towards that basket, she came closer to her while quickly circling the basket, coming to a stop right in front of it. She was also curious to see what was capturing Lya's attention like that.

When her eyes met that silent baby, comfortably lying inside that small straw basket, the entire world exploded and she almost screamed in shock.

"Ah! A baby?! Why is there a baby here?!"

If any other animal or people were to be walking nearby, they would be able to perfectly hear her screaming those words, since it echoed through the whole area.

"I... I don't know." Lya finally replied while slowly crouching down towards the baby. Her hands and eyes had already returned back to the normality and her battle aura had swiftly transformed into one of care.

"Wha... What are you doing?"

Lya suddenly extended her hands and grabbed the baby in her arms, but since she had never been a mother, she didn't know how to hold him properly and her grip over him was rather clumsy.

Dacia felt totally dumbfounded at her friend's actions, rendering her speechless. She could only stare at her, as she started to doubt reality.

Lya looked at that child and couldn't help but contemplate. Even when she held him closely, he had no fear or doubts inside his black eyes and kept looking towards her, as if he tried to see what laid deep inside of her soul and it made Lya get bewildered and bewitched at the same time.

"Why are you not crying?"

Usually, everyone would treat a child or a newborn while talking in a very funny and embarrassing voice, but unknowingly, Lya was talking normally with him. It was not because she had zero affinity with children, but because the baby was able to pass her a feeling, that he was already an adult, even though he really was not.

There wasn't an adult soul inside that tiny body, he hadn't been possessed and it wasn't a case of reincarnation either; but there was an invisible aura around him, that brought a serious and fearless feeling.