Dark, ominous clouds hung over Flatner Forest as bolts of lightning occasionally lit up the night sky releasing thunderous booms, shaking the ground.

Being the first time they had experienced a thunderstorm, the litter of dire wolf pups, which were taking shelter in their pack's den, jumped in alarm and ran to the strongest member for protection.

Normally this would have been Felln, the pack's alpha male but tonight it was the lone, humanoid figure that was leaning against the back wall of the cave.

The avalanche of puppies bowled into him, a few hidden in the space between his lower back and the wall while the others jumped into his lap or tried to snuggle into his arms or beneath his legs.

Frowning for a moment, Mors slowly smiled as he released a soft laugh before lifting his tattered shirt and letting the shivering pups curl up next to his stomach.

He had been here a little over ten days, and although his recovery speed had been miraculous, he was still only at around 10% of his strength.

Leaning on the rock wall behind him, Mors'eyes hardened. "I need to head to a town and get some herbs and healing potions. The closest one begins with k or something if I remember correctly."

In the dark cave, the only thing that could be clearly seen were Mors' glowing red eyes. "I am not strong enough to face them yet... but in a few days... Oh, I am going to make them pay."

A tiny, frail, white-coated female, walked over to Mors, slightly shaking from the storm.

-"Ahh, the outcast of the pack... If it weren't for the old grey wolf sharing its food, she would have died off a long time ago." Thought Mors as a pang of sympathy resounded from his body.

The young female jumped when Mors raised his arm, but when it was apparent he wasn't going to strike, but welcoming her over, she shuffled towards him and lay down before curling up.

Mors let out a sigh as he slowly rested his hand on the white wolf's back. "I have always had a soft spot for dogs. Shame, the dog beastkin don't appear to have kept the loyalty trait. I think dog ears on a girl could be kind of cute."

Towards the entrance of the Cave, Felln and the grey elder were watching.

Felln was obviously upset at the white wolf's actions. "What the hell is Kirn doing? I forbade any of the pack from interacting with it... what if she angers him."

"You have done this yourself, you have made my daughter an outcast, and she has no one to seek comfort from. She is only two cycles old..." Growled the elder, a slight amount of hatred seeping into her voice.

"It's the way things have always been; we can not carry the weak. You know this as much as me." Replied Felln in an exasperated tone. "It would have been kinder for you to let her die when she was born. Do we really need to have this argument again?"

The elder lay down in a semi-defeated manner. "The creature at the back of our den is only a pup himself and already has the power to wipe us out, even in his injured state, yet he has looked after the pups and is even comforting Kirn. Are you saying he should kill us just because we are weaker than him? You could learn a thing or two. Strength isn't always about raw power."

Felln lay down as well, keeping an eye on the entrance. "Hmmph, Monsters like that need no pack to survive. When he grows, he will be a terrifying entity. I just hope if our paths ever cross again he remembers our kindness as well as understands that Kirn is destined to die."

"Our kindness? Or the fact we didn't want to die?" The grey wolf chuckled. "And I wouldn't worry about Kirn; I have a plan."

It was early Morning three day's later when Mors rose to his feet and picked up Morrigan for the first time since entering the cave. -"I can't hold it in anymore... first to the toilet and then to a town. Those idiots haven't attacked, so I am guessing they are running for their lives."

Examining his body, Mors let out a disappointed sigh. -"Looks like I am only around 12%. I can just about manage walking and maybe a single shadow step... I guess I will have to follow them until my strength returns as I have no way of tracking them down. I just hope they are still going to try and complete the trial so I can find them again."

Stiffly walking to the entrance of the den, the surrounding wolves cowered in fear and tried to sink into the floor avoiding his gaze.

Although physically they looked no different, since the bandits' attack, Mors' eyes and voice had gained a passive skill causing immense fear to all who saw or heard them. This was partially due to the brutal way he killed his opponents and the pure terror they felt when they died. However, the main reason was the mana cores he had consumed which had unknowingly, partially melded with his body.

Monsters, like the Dire Wolfs, could sense this change, one that only alpha predators had, and knew that now he had healed somewhat, they had no chance of defeating him.

The pups had grown close to Mors over the last few days and decided to follow him out of the den resulting in Mors' brow furrowing. -"This won't do."

Letting out a menacing growl Mors slowly turned and watched the pups race back into the den with their tails between their legs making him chuckle. -"It's so cute when they run in terror like that! Good job the other species don't have that effect on me. I doubt I would be able to kill them after watching it... If I didn't feel so rough and have people to kill I would have stayed and chased the around a bit more."

A whimper brought Mors out of his thoughts as he focused on the young wolf that was laying on the ground with her ears pinned backwards. "Runt... didn't you get the message. Go back now." Hissed Mors as he let out another growl, causing the wolf to visible shake but she still did not move.

Mors had given the young wolf the nickname of Runt due to her small size and outcast status of the pack. A healthy dire wolf's head would easily reach the chest of an average sized human. However, Runt was no bigger than the wolves in his old world enabling him to realise why the others were shunning her. -"Even in my world, a powerless runt was nothing but a hindrance."

After the thunderstorm, Mors noticed that the grey wolf had stopped sharing its food with Runt, and the others had turned even more hostile to her. Thinking it was to do with him and his actions, Mors began sharing the food brought to him and even let the small wolf sleep next to him.

When the pups noticed this, they joined in, resulting in Mors looking like a massive hairball during the night.

Crawling over, Runt slowly approached Mors before she began licking his boot while pitifully whining.

Mors turned around and started walking. "I get it; I get it... I guess it's my fault for making your life harder so I guess you can come with me... You will probably regret it though."

When Mors reached the edge of the small clearing, he turned around and noticed that Runt was laying where he left her quietly whining. -"Urg... I thought they were meant to be smart. I guess I will need to find a tamer to form a bond so we can understand each other."

Slapping his hand on his thigh, he tried to emit a pleasant voice. "If you don't come now I am leaving you to your fate."

The voice Mors released was terrifying enough to make a saint cry. However, Runt understood the intent behind it and with a happy yip, ran after him.

"I guess your still quiet young as your still making those noises... that or dire wolves are not the same as the wolves in my old world." Muttered Mors. "By the way, I am going to the toilet... watch, and I will skin you alive."