A pair of green eyes snapped open as a soft crack echoed through the trees. The leaves' rustle reached the hollow of the tree that the owner of those eyes slept in moments before. Octavius focused on keeping his breathing quiet as he focused on the sounds of the forest. He listened to the wind whistling, branches swaying, and the other sounds of a forest at night. He listened until he heard something else, something that didn't belong, the sound of breath.

Octavius stayed perfectly still as he heard whatever it was approaching his position. As it got closer, he could make out at least one set of sounds to his right and another to his left. That meant a group. His mind raced; he thought that he ran far enough that the group wouldn't be able to find him in the dark. Suddenly, the breathing turned and started towards his hiding spot. Octavius didn't know how they knew where he was; he immediately thought of the mana stat. Maybe someone discovered a tracking spell of some sort? That would be bad.

As the breathing grew closer and closer, Octavius slowly drew his knife and gathered his legs below him. He didn't know how many there were, but he could hear more breathing around his tree. He cursed himself for not running farther after the events the night before. Without knowing how many there were or their armament, his best chance would be to surprise them and flee while they weren't prepared.

He waited until the breathing was directly in front of the tree and readied himself. He couldn't see, so he would have to trust his other senses and his instincts. He took a deep breath and dove forward, aiming his knife at the figure's chest. The wind rushed past his ears as he put his weight behind the thrust, except there wasn't a person there. Instead, his shins impacted a warm body near the ground, and he fell forward. He broke his fall with a roll and quickly couched, spinning to face whoever it was, only to come face to face with the bright yellow eyes of a wolf.

Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 8)

His eyes widened in surprise, and the wolf growled and pounced. He flinched away from the wolf and lost his balance. The wolf's open jaws entered his field of vision, aiming to tear out his throat. He hooked an arm under the snapping jaws, putting all of his considerable strength into keeping his neck intact. With his right hand, he desperately stabbed into the flank of the animal bearing down on him. To him, it felt like an eternity before the animal began to lose strength.

Suddenly, the wolf went limp, knocking the air out of him. He tried to push it off him, but the wolf weighed too much. He leaned left slightly and thrust upward with his hips, using his whole body to roll the body off him.

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 8) and gained 250 EXP (1/4)(8)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

A sudden chorus of growls coming from all directions caused his head to snap up and dismiss the window. Wolves surrounded him, multiple ranks deep. Now that he had a moment, he studied them in the faint moonlight. They looked exactly like normal wolves but had a muddy green coloration. Most likely to blend in with the forest.

He slowly spun around, careful not to show weakness that would provoke a mass feeding frenzy. His mind finally began to catch up with the situation, and he began to plan. He was wearing his rucksack, so he didn't have to get back to the tree. He slowly walked towards a tree with a low branch. The wolves growled and barked, trying to intimidate him into showing weakness, upon which they would attack.

He positioned himself under the branch and waited. Keeping his movements slow, he bent his knees before exploding upwards, hauling himself up the branch, and the wolves jumped at him. He heard the sound of two crashing into each other as he heaved himself to lay horizontally on the branch.

With more time to think, he inspected the situation. He could make out maybe fifteen wolves, some smaller and some larger, but all staring at him with malevolence. He looked up the tree but was disappointed when he noticed that the next few branches wouldn’t be able to hold his weight. In fact, he was lucky that the branch he was on could, though it was bending from his weight.

His mind raced through idea after idea, discarding each one after a moment’s thought. I could just try to stay here until daylight, see if they leave maybe. He thought to himself. He edged closer to the trunk of the tree and settled down to rest. After a few minutes, the wolves apparently decided that he wasn’t leaving, so they laid down under him. Fuck, it looks like it will be a long wait.

Octavius couldn’t sleep surrounded by hostiles on a branch that could barely hold his weight. He didn’t want to be surprised in his sleep again.

After a few minutes, he looked around himself again as an idea came to him. He looked around to find a long but thin branch within reach. After finding one, he drew the saw blade attachment on his multitool and cut a portion a few feet long. He then switched to the normal blade and took shavings off one end until it formed a point.

He leaned over the side of the branch and targeted the closest wolf under him. He drew his arm back and threw with all of his considerable strength. A loud yip broke the night’s silence, and the wolf jumped to its feet, the makeshift spear falling to the ground beside it. After a closer inspection, he realized that the spear was not truly effective. It penetrated at most half an inch into the wolf flank after being slowed by its dense fur.

His action stirred up the wolves once more as they all stood, barking and howling at him. He really did not like his situation. He tried to do at least something productive and inspected each wolf individually. All of them seemed to be similar. The message he got from each inspection was either :

Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 8)

or

Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 7)

All of them, except the wolf furthest away.

Uncommon Forest Wolf Alpha (Lvl 10)

He blinked and looked over the alpha. It appeared to be slightly larger than its pack, but in the low light, that was the only distinction he could make with confidence. He thought that it might have a slightly darker coloration but couldn’t be sure. This was the first creature he found that was labeled as “Uncommon.” He knew the definition of uncommon but wasn’t sure what it meant in this context. Maybe it is stronger? Or maybe it has special abilities. I better be careful of any surprises, he thought.

He went back to trying to think of a way out of his situation. No matter how many ideas he discarded, he kept going back to the throwing spear he fashioned. It did some damage, but there wasn’t enough force behind it. Maybe I could make one heavier? No, what would I use to do that? What can I use to increase the force behind a throw like that, maybe a sling? Wait! There’s something ancient people used to use, like a lever for throwing things. What was it? Ah yes, an atlatl.

He immediately went about inspecting the branches around him. He collected two dozen branches that he could sharpen before he found a branch that was naturally bent just right. It looked like an elongated ‘S,’ similar to the symbol of an integral. He spent minutes cutting the ends and chiseling out a hole on one end to place the spear ends into. After fiddling for another minute, he put away his multitool and admired his handy work. He would probably have a blind toddler's accuracy with it, but the wolves were large and only a few feet away.

He smiled as he removed a wooden javelin from his bag and placed it in the notch. He drew back his arm and then whipped it forward. He was rewarded with a satisfying thunk and the low keening one of the wolves. The rest of the wolves, already alert, howled and barked like mad. A few even tried jumping for him but missed the branch he was on.

He loaded another spear and launched it into the mass of wolves. After launching a few more, he got the message he wanted to see.

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 7) and gained 218 EXP (1/4)(7)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

He smirked and continued launching javelins.

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 7) and gained 218 EXP (1/4)(7)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 8) and gained 250 EXP (1/4)(8)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 7) and gained 218 EXP (1/4)(7)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 7) and gained 218 EXP (1/4)(7)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 8) and gained 250 EXP (1/4)(8)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

You gained a level!

You are now Lvl 5, 54/4000 EXP to Lvl 6

+5 Free Stat Points

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 8) and gained 250 EXP (1/4)(8)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

You have killed Common Forest Wolf (Lvl 7) and gained 218 EXP (1/4)(7)(1)(1)(1.25)(100)

He reached for another javelin, noticing that half of the wolf pack was now dead. Just as his hand closed around another wooden shaft, the branch he was on shook mightily. He struggled to regain his balance but fell when it shook again. He landed hard on his shoulder and scrambled to his feet. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn’t being swarmed by wolves. The second thing was the massive beast in front of him. It was a quarter again as large and the next largest, and was clearly recovering from a jump. Octavius immediately understood what happened. Somehow, the alpha was able to jump up and knock him off. He was confused about why the alpha didn’t do that earlier but had bigger problems at the moment.

He chanced a quick look over his shoulder, only to find a total lack of growling wolves. He immediately put the new five points he got into agility, turned, and ran.

Agility +5 : 28 > 33

He heard the wolf pack burst into pursuit as he ran. Barks and howls followed him into the woods as he focused on keeping his feet under him. He turned slightly to the right and hopped over a log. He ran as fast as he could, trying to outrun the animals. He knew that endurance was his best chance. If he could stay ahead of them just until they became tired, he was off free.

Branches lashed across his face, and wind burned his eyes as he ran, the ground a blur beneath him. He made a sharp turn left and squeezed between two trees, then pushed through a bush. He ran the most difficult route he could find, making sharp turn after sharp turn. Suddenly, he made a bad step and stumbled. He quickly recovered, only for a massive weight to slam into his back. He rolled to his feet and spun to find the alpha growling at him.

The massive beast pounced, and he danced to the left, stabbing the javelin still clutched in his hand into its side, only for the wooden javelin to fail to get past the dense fur coat of the animal. The javelin bent in a “U” shape before straightening as he withdrew it. In a moment, the alpha had recovered and attacked again. He tried to dodge to the side again but was too slow. The burning pain of the wolf’s claws down his left shoulder and bicep made that abundantly clear.

He bit back a scream as his eyes teared up slightly. He forced himself to focus. He had been trained to overcome worse than some scratches from an animal, and he followed his training. He compartmentalized the pain, locking it into a deep corner of his mind. He drew his combat knife and watched the wolf sail through the air towards him once more. The wolf overshot, and he ducked under the lunge, slicing his knife along the hind leg closest to him. The alpha stumbled, failing to catch itself with its injured leg. A crashing sound to the right drew his attention to three wolves entering the small clearing before a low keening from the alpha drew it back. He watched, heart hammering, as the alpha yipped twice before limp-running back the way they had come, the others turning to follow.

Octavius stood stock still for a moment before starting to chuckle and then laughed as he collapsed backward into a seated position. After he had control of his nerves again, he looked down at himself and began to laugh again. He was soaked in blood, mostly from the first wolf most likely. His left sleeve was torn open at the bicep, and three parallel cuts ran down his arm.

His first thought was to use another health potion, but he didn’t know if he would be able to get more, and he could treat an injury like this on his own. He leaned against a tree as he withdrew a trauma kit from his rucksack. He used a flashlight to illuminate the wound as he cleaned it with antiseptic wipes, covering it with some quick clot, and bandaged it.

He leaned his head against the tree and watched the first rays of the sunlight up the sky in pinks and purples.

James yawned and stretched his arms to his sides as he sat up. He rubbed his eyes before looking around. The campsite they had commandeered from the soldier was lit by what little sun made it through the leaves above and the dense mist around them. What remained of the fire was a smoldering pile of ash. On one side, Adrian sat. He probably had the last watch rotation.

He stood and looked to see if Thomas found the soldier's gun after James had gone to sleep. It had to be around here somewhere. The guy was level 4. James used fourteen out of the fifteen rounds to kill the crazy beasts, with his group only getting level 2 and him at level 3. The only other thing he could think of was that the man only had a sidearm with a few extra magazines. In which case, he hoped Leo could hunt him down.

After a moment, he walked over to where Thomas laid on the hard ground and nudged him with a boot. “Hey, get up.“

Thomas groaned and rolled over, “What?“

James leaned down closer, “Did you find that guy's weapon?“

“Nah,“ Thomas said as he finally sat up, “There is nothing here. There is a patch over there covered with sand, but there is nothing but dirt under it.“

James cursed quietly under his breath, “Get the others up; we are out of ammunition, and waiting here isn't going to help us.

A week had passed, and the six of them were doing very well for themselves. But not Leo. Leo was a mess. James figured that soon enough, he would be too much of a burden to keep with them. He had Leo share the status effect with him again.

Withdrawal - Your body has become dependent on a substance. Without that substance, you have entered withdrawal. You feel severe pain and other effects. If untreated, you may die.

Even without a gun, James had reached level 4, almost level 5. His group now ranged from level 2 to level 4.

The five healthy members of his group stood and began to shovel dirt onto their fire. James grabbed the pointed stick he used as a weapon from leaning against a tree. It was dried out and hardened in the fire, and while not a gun, it could do the job. Suddenly, Adrian called out behind him, "What the fuck is that?!"

James spun quickly and followed the line of his pointing finger to a pair of yellow eyes peeking through the leaves. He stared wide-eyed as the massive wolf entered the clearing. He quickly identified the wolf.

Uncommon Forest Wolf Alpha (Lvl 11)

He didn't even have time to react as a brown-green colored blur slammed into Thomas from the side. He stood frozen as blood splattered over him as the other wolf tore off Thomas's throat. When the wolf looked up at him, he shooked himself out of his daze, turned, and ran. The three others who could move followed him, along with Leo's begging for help. His begging echoed through the woods before cutting off abruptly.

James ran and ran. He watched his stamina bar creep down and wished he hadn't added most of his points to strength. The other three surviving members of his group caught up to him and passed him slightly as they ran. He heard the massive wolf crashing through the undergrowth behind him and poured all of his will to survive into running faster.

Suddenly, he crashed into the back of one of his companions and stumbled to a stop. He watched in surprise as two men he had never seen before raised pistols and shot past him. He spun and watched the massive wolf take bullet after bullet as the two unknown men unloaded into it. After covering another fifteen feet, the wolf finally seemed to take damage, stumbling, sliding, and coming to a stop and James's feet.

He spun back around to look at what appeared to be a camp of some sort. There were dozens of people, and many were either old or young. In front of him, the two men slowly lowered their guns, brass shell casings littering on the floor. He inspected them.

Robert - Human (F) (Lvl 3)

Louis - Human (F) (Lvl 3)

Robert was tall and young. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He would be handsome if not for his nose, which was clearly broken. Louis, on the other hand, appeared to be middle-aged, with salt and pepper hair. He was plump, much like James himself, and had hard hazel eyes.

The two of them seemed to be reading something that nobody else could see. James assumed they leveled up from the wolf. After a moment, the older man turned to him and spoke, “Hello stranger, I am Louis. Who are you?”

He held his gun down slightly but still at the ready. James looked around before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of metal. “Hey, I am Officer James Robinson, NYPD.”

Louis scrutinized the badge before relaxing, “Officer, huh? I am glad to see you. What happened?”

James didn't hesitate to tell his story or at least a version of it. “I was off duty, hanging out with some friends when we were transported to this place. We hunted for ourselves but ran out of ammo recently. We were just waking up when that wolf attacked us with a few of its buddies. It got Leo and Tommy before we could make a break for it. We ran until we ended up here.” He made sure to appear disturbed and waited for a reaction.

Louis nodded his head sadly, “I'm sorry for your loss. If you have experience hunting, you are welcome to join us. We are trying to make a sanctuary for people. The young and fit were not the only people to be brought here. If we want to survive, we will need to bring back civilization. We could use more hunters, especially one who was a police officer. You would bring valuable experience.”

James rubbed the ring on his left pointer finger, a nervous tick he picked up, and didn't care to stop. He looked at the people around campfires, a single green tent marking the center of the camp and a few blankets on the ground. He noticed a stream running along the far end of the clearing and realized that it must be further upstream than where his group was getting their water. He then examined the guns in the men's hands, then down at his own Glock 17, useless without ammunition.

He reached out his right hand and smiled, “I would be happy to join you.”