(Flashback)
"Grrrrrrr!"
"Yelp!"
"Snarl!"
"Hiss!"
The sounds of intense fighting continuously rang out.
"Yelp!"
"Aargh!"
Then, suddenly, every sound seemed to cease.
What remained was warm blood—splattered and scattered across the cold soil.
Then came the low, slow sound of panting.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!" A beautiful, feminine white wolf stood there, tongue lolling, struggling to steady its breath. It turned its head in one direction, the moon hanging above it—casting a picture-perfect image, if not for the blood staining its beautiful face.
The contrast made some small, weak creatures silently observing from afar hold their breath, afraid to reveal their presence before such an apex predator. It seriously gave them the creeps.
"Be safe, child," the white wolf—beautiful as the moon—murmured as it steadied its breathing, its aloof expression turning far more tender.
After saying that, the only sounds to be heard were the rustling of the wind, the snapping of leaves underfoot, and the echo of hurried footsteps fading into the depths of the Eternal Forest.
...
"Huff! Huff! Huff!" every member of the black wolf's pack was laboring for breath.
A smirk appeared on the face of the cunning leader of the large pack.
Not even half of its pack had fought, and not even a quarter of those it had sent had fallen, yet on the other side, the seven wolves and their leader were already struggling.
At first, the cunning leader had sent its own pack members to the front lines to ensure its temporary allies would not become dissatisfied with it and consider halting the operation or abandoning the alliance. If that happened, they—no, it—was doomed.
Later on, it discreetly sent secret signals to its most trusted subordinates among the numerous pack members, instructing them to lessen their attacks while ensuring their aggression appeared not only maintained but even more intense. Because of the perfect performance led by its trusted pack members, it was able to dictate the intensity and direction of the battle.
Deceptively, through its own pack's feigned actions, it led the other packs in the temporary alliance to compete aggressively with one another. They tried to see who could kill more of the black wolf's subordinates. As a result, members of the other three wolf packs were dying at an alarming rate. Even against the three allied packs and the black wolf's pack combined, the cunning leader's pack vastly outnumbered the four packs by a ratio of 2:1.
The leader of the largest wolf pack chuckled to itself, very pleased with its own perceived cunning. It lifted its chin proudly. At this rate, in its estimation, it could kill two birds—or rather, four wolf packs—with one stone. With slow, deliberate steps, it moved forward and blended into the chaos.
...
"Yelp!" an opposing wolf croaked.
"Grraaaa!" Another one replaced the one that had just fallen. It lunged to bite the black wolf, only to be dodged by a slight sidestep and bitten cleanly in the neck.
Another wolf tried to launch a sneak attack from the black wolf's blind side, but it sensed the movement—a faint disturbance in the wind—and caught sight of a blur rushing toward it. Its body moved instantly, slipping aside with superior reflexes.
The black wolf stepped back swiftly, twisting its head just enough to narrowly avoid the attacker's fangs. With less than an inch to spare, the black wolf's jaws snapped shut-- tearing into flesh.
"Yip!" The sneaky wolf yelped in pain after missing its target. A surge of agony shot through its neck as its strength quickly drained away. It collapsed, its body twitching.
"Huff!" The black wolf took a deep breath as it noticed the next attacker would arrive half a beat behind the one that had just collapsed. Its body, which had felt numb for quite some time, now felt a bit lighter. The black wolf welcomed the slower attacker with renewed vigor.
The black wolf effortlessly tore down another wolf—by now, the number of wolves it had slain was long forgotten. Every time it killed, it moved efficiently, its minimal movements in complete contrast to the showy, forceful, and intimidating way it had fought at the beginning of this protracted battle. It was trying to conserve as much energy as it could. Although it knew it was a losing battle, it still fought to the very end, determined to come out on top of this war. No one in their right mind would surrender to death without putting up a fight to live and see another day.
"Wuh-wuh." A rarely seen wolf surrendering in this chaotic battle caught the black wolf off guard. It hesitated and failed to end its life in a decisive manner. As it tried to gauge the situation, it saw something in its peripheral vision that made the situation feel very serious.
That sly wolf was sneaking around in a relaxed manner, as if taking a stroll in the park.
The black wolf decisively turned in the direction the cunning wolf was most likely aiming for.
"Grrrrraaaa!" Another ferocious wolf was trying to get in his way.
"Attention! Form up into a circle!" the black wolf yelled at the top of its lungs in desperation, hoping that its few remaining packmates would hear its command.
The black wolf forced its way through the enemy lines with brute strength. At the rate it was going, it estimated that the sly wolf would arrive half a step ahead of it. It sped up its breakthrough, no longer attempting to conserve energy. This was not the time for restraint. It knew now was the time to decide the victor of this battle; otherwise, they would be annihilated.
Without so much as a glance toward the leader's barking command, the remaining seven members of the black wolf pack instinctively fell into formation, like a maneuver drilled into their simple minds and etched into their instincts through a thousand repetitions. They moved as one, tightening their circle and reinforcing their defense. The strain of the relentless assault eased, if only slightly. With their formation compacted, not even a needle could slip through, let alone an attack from the flanks or rear. Confidence and vigor swelled within them; this formation had saved them from countless deadly encounters before.
Freed from the threat of pincer attacks, the seven lunged into a furious counteroffensive. They cast aside all concern for their flanks, entrusting their backs—and their lives—to the comrades beside them, warriors forged through a thousand battles.
The seven proved that their reputation as the most elite wolf pack in the outer reaches of the Eternal Forest was not unfounded. They overwhelmed those before them, though each fallen foe was swiftly replaced by another. It did not matter. Whoever came, they killed.
Among the seven subordinates of the black wolf, two stood out even by their elite standards.
One was a wolf whose every snap of the jaw carried terrifying strength. So long as its bite landed, whether on the neck, skull, or any bone, it would crush it completely. Its body was robust, its muscles so thick that its veins seemed ready to burst at any moment.
The other was a smaller, more agile wolf. At a glance, it was clear that their formation was not the most suited to let its talents shine, yet its strengths were impossible to miss. The way it used its agility was mesmerizing. It slipped past deadly attacks with effortless precision.
...
The sly leader arrived near the seven wolves' circular formation yet did not dare reveal itself. Instead, it blended in among the surrounding wolves as they alternated their vicious attacks. Although it knew the defenders were exhausted and likely on their last legs, it also understood that strong prey tended to be most dangerous when cornered—a lesson it had bitterly learned through countless hunts.
From a single glance, it could already tell how elite the seven were. It could not deny the black wolf's brilliance; even a cursory observation revealed how it had trained its pack to such a formidable level. All the more reason to eliminate it, for it posed far too great a threat to the cunning leader's ambitions. If it wanted to bring all the wolves of the Eternal Forest under its umbrella, it knew it had to eliminate the greatest threat first, despite the risk of sustaining heavy losses. That was the only path to unification.
The cunning leader squinted, a dangerous glint flashing in its narrowing eyes. It began to notice cracks in the enemy's formation. The robust one in particular was sustaining far too much damage. Despite its tough body and powerful bites, it could not prevent its slower frame from accumulating wounds over time. The sly alpha wolf called the attention of a nearby subordinate.
"What can I do for you, chief?" the random subordinate asked the cunning leader respectfully.
A crooked smile slowly spread across its face at the question. It slowly opened its mouth.
The wolf obediently dipped its head in understanding.
...