Strange creature

The wind howled through the trees of the White Wilds, a biting chorus that steadied Areius's nerves. Snow crunched beneath his boots as he led the hunting party forward, his breath curling in the frigid air like smoke from a dying fire. Behind him, the other Krags moved with practiced stealth, all but one.

Talon.

The younger warrior lingered a step too close, his presence a thorn in Areius's side. He didn't need to glance back to feel the weight of Talon's gaze, sharp as a blade testing its edge against his spine. He wants my place. The truth coiled in his gut like a serpent. A challenge would come, if not today, then soon.

But a war chief did not cull rivals out of fear. He tested them.

"The forest is hungry," Areius growled, halting at the edge of a frozen thicket. His voice carried just enough to reach the others without echoing. "We hunt the stripped stag. Its meat will feed the clan; its hide will honor the ancestors." A worthy task, one that would force Talon to prove his mettle or expose his frailty.

Talon's lips twitched, a flicker of defiance. "And what if we can't find the stag?"

Areius turned slowly, meeting the younger Krag's gaze. The others stilled, tension thickening the air. Snowflakes dusted Talon's shoulders like a mantle, as though the Wilds themselves sought to crown him. A bold thought, one Areius crushed with a smirk.

"Then we hunt whatever the forest offers." His hand drifted to the hilt of his blade. "Beasts... or fools."

A beat of silence. Talon's jaw tightened, but he dipped his head in submission, for now.

Satisfied, Areius turned back to the trees. The hunt was on. And so was the game between them.

---

Areius's boots crunched over brittle snow as he trekked through the dense woods, but yet even as Areius led the party deeper into the Wilds, his mind couldn't help circling back to the ratling in their camp. Those eyes were too clever for a rat. They didn't belong in something so frail. And Vagra's interest in the creature gnawed at him. What does she want with it?

Behind him, two hunters muttered, their voices low but carrying.

"He won't last a day," one said.

"Vagra's got him now," the other replied with a dark chuckle. "You know how her kind plays with prey. Doubt there'll be enough left to bury."

Areius's lip curled, exposing his tusks further, and a warning growl rumbled in his throat. The chatter died instantly. He exhaled sharply, forcing his focus ahead. Yet the ratling's face lingered, the unbroken gaze, even in bondage. There was something there. Something… interesting.

I'll see what Vagra makes of him, he thought, pushing deeper into the forest. Either way, the creature wouldn't be his burden for long.

The trees thickened as they pressed deeper into the forest, their branches clawing at the sky. The snow here seemed to sparkle, a pristine shroud over the land, until now. Areius crouched, his fingers brushing the faint indentation in the powder. A hoofprint, fresh. The stag had passed this way recently.

He raised a fist, and the hunting party froze. Only Talon shifted, boot scuffing ice. Impatient and reckless. Areius shot him a glare before tracing the trail.

The wind died, plunging the forest into silence, the kind that magnified a man's heartbeat.

Then—a snap.

Every Krag stilled. Something moved ahead, a shadow darting between trees. Too large for a hare, too nimble for a bear. The stag.

Areius unslung his spear and gestured a sign — fan out, flank it. The Krags obeyed, melting into the forest like ghosts. All but Talon, who hesitated, grip tightening on his weapon.

Testing me again.

Areius bared his teeth and jerked his chin toward the eastern thicket. "Go." For a heartbeat, Talon seemed poised to refuse. Then, with a resentful glance, he slipped away.

The chase began.

The stag wove through pines, its pale coat blending with snow. Areius tracked it by shuddering branches, the occasional flick of its tail. His breath burned, muscles coiled. This was the heart of the hunt: the moment before the kill, when the world narrowed to predator and prey.

Then—a shout

Talon's voice.

The stag bolted. Areius cursed, lunging forward, but the beast vanished into white. He whirled, ready to throttle the fool, when a second cry ripped through the forest.

One of pain.

The Krags sprinted toward the sound. Areius burst into a clearing and froze.

Talon knelt, clutching a mangled arm. Blood streaked the snow in crimson arcs. Standing over him, muzzle dripping, was a wolf.

No—not a wolf.

The creature's ribs pressed against its mangy pelt, eyes burning with feral intelligence. Too large. Not a direwolf. Its lips peeled back, revealing fangs longer than a man's Palm.

Elders whispered of such beasts. The White Wilds' hunger given teeth.

A mutant.

The wolf's gaze locked onto Areius.

It charged.

---

The beast moved like a white blur of matted fur and snapping jaws, closing the distance between them in three terrifying stride. Areius planted his feet, ramming his spear haft into its mouth as fangs snapped shut. Hot drool splattered his face. The impact drove him backward, boots skidding through bloodied snow.

To his left, one of the younger Krags, Vorsk let loose his spear. It struck the wolf's shoulder with a wet thunk, but the beast didn't flinch. Its yellow eyes flicked toward the boy, and Areius saw death in that glance.

"Scatter!" he roared.

The hunting party broke apart, but Talon was still on the ground, clutching his mangled arm. The wolf's bite had torn through his green flesh, leaving deep punctures that welled crimson. His face had losed it's colour, his breath ragged, but his free hand gripped his spear.

Fool. Still trying to prove himself.

The wolf lunged again, this time at Vorsk, who stumbled back, his blade still in his belt. Areius didn't think. He wrenched his spear free and drove it into the beast's flank.

A mistake.

The wolf whirled, its claws raking across Areius's chest. Pain seared through him, but worse was the unnatural strength behind the blow, no direwolf could strike like that. His skin split open, and warmth spilled down his ribs.

The beast twisted with unnatural speed, its claws slashing toward his face. He barely jerked back in time, feeling wind part before his eyes. It landed with a snarl, already coiling to spring again,but Talon was moving now, spear flashing as he stabbed for its ribs.

The wolf bent like smoke mid-air, evading the thrust. A paw hammered Talon's chest, hurling him into snow.

The other Krags fired arrows. One grazed the wolf's shoulder. Vorsk charged, knife raised, but the beast caught his wrist in its jaws. Bones crunched. Vorsk screamed,but the sound cut off as the wolf shook him like a ragdoll, sending him flying into a tree.

Areius didn't wait. He charged forward, then drove his spear straight for the wolf's eye. The beast dodged, but not fast enough, the point scored a deep gash across its muzzle. Black blood sprayed, sizzling where it hit the snow.

Enraged, the wolf lunged. Areius barely got his spear up in time, the shaft cracking between its jaws. He kneed it in the throat, to no effect. Claws tore at his legs, shredding leather and flesh. He gritted his teeth against the pain and shoved, using the broken spear to force the beast back.

Talon was up again, breathing hard but moving fast. He snatched Vorsk's blade and swung it one-handed at the wolf's spine. The blade bit deep, but the wolf rounded on him with a snap of its jaws that would have taken his hand off if he hadn't let go of the blade.

The embedded blade slowed it. Areius seized his chance.

He abandoned his shattered spear and drew his curved blade from his belt. When the wolf turned toward Talon again, Areius leaped onto its back, locking his legs around its ribs. The beast bucked violently, but he held on, driving it's blade into its neck once, twice—

The wolf howled and rolled, crushing Areius beneath it. Ribs cracked. White pain flashed behind his eyes. The blade slipped from his grip.

The Krag hunters didn't waste this opportunity they charged. with their spear, having abounded their bow, they stabbed the beast sides. It managed to struggled away, allowing Areius to get free and charge at the mutant again this time, grabbing his blade to slash at the eyes of the wolf. The mutant injured, was still able to step back in time.

One of the Krags, Ova charged with his spear behind the wolf, his spear seeking tendons. The wolf kicked out like a stag, its hind claws scoring deep grooves across Ova's thigh. The warrior went down hard, but as he fell, he threw his spear—

only for Talon to snatch it mid- air and plunge it into the wolf's side of its rib, it howled in pain The beast rammed its shoulder into the boy's chest. Talon flew backward, skidding through the snow until a tree trunk stopped him with a sickening thud.

Areius saw red.

He drove his blade at the wolf's throat. The beast jerked its head aside, but not fast enough, the blade grazed its throat, shearing off a chunk of it's flesh. The beast gazed at Areius with hate and opened its mouth, a frosty force formed within it, but before it could do anything.

It staggered, then collapsed. Its massive body, battered and bleeding, finally still.

Silence.

Then,a wet cough from Vorsk. A groan from Talon. Areius spat blood and hauled himself hauling himself upright, every breath stabbing his ribs.

The mutant lay dead.

The forest seemed to exhale. The wind returned, whispering through the pines.

The other Krags crept closer, weapons still raised, as if expecting the beast to rise again.

Talon slumped back into the snow, his breath fogging the air in quick, pained bursts. His gaze met Areius's, no challenge now, just exhaustion. And something else. Respect maybe.

Areius wiped his blade clean on the wolf's pelt. "Bind his wounds," he ordered, nodding at Talon. "We leave."

The hunt was over.

But as they dragged the carcass behind them, its long limbs leaving furrows in the snow, Areius couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't an accident caused by a lack of grace by the gods.

"Seems like he was right," Areius muttered, then grinned savagely. "Means I must prepare as planned."