I'm the wolf Boss adopted. Ichiro. That's the name he gave me."
A lone wolf sat beside a stream, looking at its reflection in the waters of the Gorge of the Beginnings.
"It's been a few days since our first meeting.
When I first saw him, my first thought was that it was my lucky day. A big piece of meat had just fallen into my palms... or rather, my paws.
Can't help it. My stomach was churning at the time. When I thought about my audacity toward my boss, I felt a strong urge to punish myself. I wanted to rip my chest open, tear out my heart, and offer it to him-- but I'm sure he'd just scold me. He's too kind. Even though his kindness can be annoying, I can't do anything about it. His kindness is the reason I'm still breathing.
So when he invited me to be his servant, I gladly accepted. What right did I have to refuse? I was just a fool who had tried to take his life, yet he repaid my evil with kindness. He saved me from certain death. At that time, I wondered if he was an angel or a god.
It didn't take long for me to realize that he wasn't either of those things. He was just a normal person, but that wasn't a reason for me to rebel. The truth is, I admired him even more.
He is weak, but he didn't think twice about saving me. He didn't give much thought to whether I would try again, in reckless audacity, to attack and devour him.
My loyalty is always to him. I vowed to protect him, even if he were to change and become cruel to me or ask me to jump off a cliff. Even so, I would still obey and serve him.
That's even less likely than the resurrection of my former comrades," Ichiro said, his gaze lowering slightly.
The wolf's sadness lasted only for a moment. Suddenly, it became alert. Ichiro cautiously moved one foreleg forward. Less than a second later, he snapped his jaws shut in front of him. It was as if he were performing magic. A fish from the stream was drawn straight into his mouth, between his sharpened fangs. The fish, caught between his jaws, was still moving. It was a miracle that it was still alive, held tightly yet somehow gently between the predator's sharp teeth.
The wolf walked away from the stream.
As he walked across the lush, grassy land, he mercilessly clamped his jaws down on the fish. Ichiro tasted the intoxicating rush of blood as his sharp fangs sank in. His chest heaved as he chewed his meal. His round eyes shifted into sharp, diamond-like shapes.
He continued walking forward, eating his prey with evident relish.
The wolf curled its long tongue around its furry snout to lick it clean, repeating the motion a few more times to make sure no blood or remnants of its meal remained.
"Should I go back to the Eternal Forest again?" Ichiro seriously considered the idea.
He could hear a tinge of fear in his own words.
The wolf hesitated at the thought of returning to that dangerous forest that had left deep-seated wounds in his heart. His trauma prevented him from going back, but his new desire was just as strong, leaving him torn and faltering at the idea of reentering the Eternal Forest.
As Peter's only companion he could truly rely on, the two of them formed a strong bond when they mutually used the Crest of Friendship. Even though his master didn't tell him directly, he could feel his intense desire for strength, so they could leave and travel the world of Skylark without worrying about their safety.
To prove his loyalty, Ichiro wanted to grow stronger so that his master would have the confidence to begin their journey.
Something whispers to him, urging him to enter the Eternal Forest, where the answer he seeks lies.
There was just one major problem: he could not enter the magical forest, for the Eternal Forest had left him with deep-seated trauma.
When Ichiro was young, much younger than he is today, he lived in the forest. However, due to several incidents, he was forced to leave it.
"I'm not a coward! I'm not afraid of that damn forest!" Just like that, the wolf made one of the most important decisions of his life. At that moment, Ichiro did not yet know that a simple act of courage would open the door to many possibilities.
Ichiro turned around.
He made his way along the path to the Village of Beginnings.
Ichiro rested for a moment opposite the entrance to the Eternal Forest, his intended destination. The wolf sat watching the wide, evenly spaced trees at its threshold, their leaves gently swaying as a trace of melancholy lingered in his gaze.
These trees add an element of mystery to this magical forest. Each tree was so thick that even ten full-grown adults could not enclose it by stretching their arms to their limits and linking them together to hug the trunk. They completely block the view from outside the forest, causing those who intend to enter to hesitate.
These very thick trees surround the entirety of the Eternal Forest. They are perfectly arranged in a linear pattern, causing people to wonder whether it was artificially built or simply a wonder of nature. However, one thing is certain: these trees have served as the forest's bastion since time immemorial.
The wolf stood on all fours, stretching its body as it extended its forelegs forward.
With some hesitation, he stepped forward, then again and again, his pace gradually quickening until the wolf's lean figure disappeared into the depths of the forest.
...
(Flashback)
"YOU SCOUNDRELS!"
"YOU JUST RELY ON NUMBERS!"
"IF YOU'RE ALONE, NONE OF YOU IS A MATCH FOR ME!"
A furious roar erupted from the giant.
Those around it responded with loud, boisterous laughter.
"Are you crying, fatty?" a voice sniggered.
"Remember, we're in the forest," it said after a brief pause, its tone turning serious.
"Survival of the fittest. That's the law in this lawless place." the voice added.
"You're not meant to be fair if you want to survive this damnable place. Even the weak can kill the strong if they band together."
Hearing those words, the giant fell into deep thought, its breathing growing heavy.
"If you want to live a safe life, leave the Eternal Forest and let yourself be enslaved by the weak creatures that walk on two legs-- but I doubt anyone would even want to take care of you."
"You'll probably end up as a roasted pig, served at a human feast, before that happens," the other party's leader said with blatant mockery, his scarred face twisted in contempt. To this creature, those scars were something to be proud of, like a badge of honor among humans. In truth, the scarred-faced figure bore scars not only across its face, but over its entire body. They were proof that he had been the strongest in every battle he fought, always emerging victorious.
The taunts cut into the giant creature's heart, followed by derisive laughter from the scarred leader's rowdy subordinates.
Veneration was evident in the subordinates' eyes as they looked at their wolf leader'.
"YOU DAMNABLE WOLF!" the giant roared in rage, its body riddled with wounds and bleeding profusely. The giant's true form was that of a wild boar of impossibly enormous size, far beyond what nature would allow. It looked especially intimidating, with its enormous body covered in additional wounds. Even though the two-meter-tall giant stood bravely with its head held high, ready to kill and take most of the wolves with him, not one of them showed any fear or respect.
"Get ready!" the leader of the wolves ordered coldly.
Every wolf in the pack lowered itself into a crouch. These were signs that the hunt, which had been delayed due to the exchange of words, was about to start again.
The fierce hunters closed in on the gigantic wild boar in two sweeping crescent formations, forming a near-perfect ring that enclosed it like a tightening net. Confident in their numbers, they believed the lone beast had no means of escape as they prepared a pincer attack.
Each wolf stretched its front legs forward, its head lowered as close to the ground as possible. Their eyes began to turn diamond-shaped.
Their buttocks rose high, bodies trembling as their tails wagged in restless anticipation. Their hind legs were fully flexed as they awaited their leader's signal. The instant the command came, their coiled legs would release, launching them forward.
"START!" the alpha barked, his voice carrying across the pack.
The hunt began.
At the signal, the fierce wolves moved like dominoes, their attacks unfolding one after another but never at the same time.
BAM!
The first wolf to attack was hurled into a thick tree with a deafening crash. It struck the ground and lay still, unmoving and without a twitch. Whether it was dead or merely unconscious remained uncertain.
The gigantic wild boar roared in pain. After thwarting the attack of the first wolf, it lost its ability to attack or defend itself for a short time. The pack of wolves took advantage of that brief moment. Some of them climbed onto the giant boar's back. They bit into its hard yet fleshy body and tore at it. They chewed on it, finding its fresh meat very tasty.
The lower part of the wild boar's body was under the same assault. Most of the wolves concentrated their attacks on its belly, while others clung to its legs and feet, biting relentlessly. One broke through and sank its fangs into its neck, delivering a fatal blow. Enraged, the wild boar swiftly recovered. With a violent surge, it threw off the wolves clinging to its back.
They crashed to the ground, and the thrown wolves howled in pain like wounded dogs as the crackling sounds echoed on impact. They struggled to rise again. Some managed it, though their bodies swayed and their legs wobbled beneath them. Others were less fortunate, convulsing like fish torn from water and cast onto the forest floor of the Eternal Forest, the sound of breaking spines marking their fate.
While some avoided a grim fate, their condition was still severe. They tried to get up but only managed to slump onto the hard ground. No matter how hard they tried, their broken legs could not support them. Some were in even worse condition, with fractured ribs. Even wounded, with some on the verge of death, they still could not bring down the tenacious giant wild boar.
"Just a little more. Rush in and finish it," the alpha ordered. The scattered wolves rotated their attacks against the wounded enemy.
The wounded beast swung its massive body once more, throwing several more unlucky wolves and killing them instantly.
"Go for the kill." With that final command, the giant beast's fate was sealed. After a long and grueling struggle, the giant wild boar finally fell, overwhelmed by the wolf pack's coordinated assault. The area known to outsiders as the entrance to the Eternal Forest trembled as the wild boar's massive carcass crashed to the ground.
Those nearby immediately began feasting on the giant carcass of the wounded wild boar. Even the wolves farther away, still barely able to move, struggled toward the hard-won feast. They buried themselves into its plump flesh, tearing at it hungrily. They jostled, fought, and competed among themselves, desperate not to lose the hard-won food they had risked their lives to claim.
Around the gruesome scene, the bodies of wolves with their tongues hanging out and no longer breathing were scattered. As for those still alive but incapable of joining the feast, some were hunched over, aware of what their injuries meant, while those with only moderate wounds licked them. The wolves became alert. There was a deep rumbling sound coming from somewhere, and the worst part was that it seemed to be coming toward them.
Most of the wolves winced when they finally saw the source of the rumbling, a sight they wished they hadn't seen.
Another monstrosity stood before them, far more menacing than the previous one.