Elder's Forest

Da-da Da-da

A heavily injured Star Dusklight Wolf charged through the forest with a strange bundle hanging from its mouth. The Star Dusklight Wolf's eyes were red with pain as its joints creaked with each step taken. Normally, it would have stopped to rest and heal, but it did not dare slack off. Its pursuers weren't far behind. It had managed to throw them off, but they would surely catch up if he wasted too much time.

So, with determined eyes that disregarded its own life, the Star Dusklight Wolf continued its charge through the forest.

Thankfully, the Star Dusklight Wolf eventually found its way to the clearing it used to call home. It sensed something wrong as it weakly jogged through the clearing to the cave at the center. However, maybe because of its injuries, the Star Dusklight Wolf could not think clearly. The only clear thought in its mind was getting the bundle in its mouth to safety.

"Rrraff!!!"

The Star Dusklight Wolf froze when another Star Dusklight Wolf charged out of the cave and sent a warning bark its way. Normally, the intruding Star Dusklight Wolf would have dropped the bundle and assumed a defensive stance. This time, however, it gently dropped the bundle on the ground, then let out a weak howl and collapsed to the ground.

The defending Star Dusklight Wolf was naturally Midnight. Her wariness quickly gave way to concern when she recognized the Star Dusklight Wolf’s scent. That was Twilight! A deluge of old memories suddenly rushed past. Midnight and Twilight grew up as part of the same wild pack. Only, when they were three years old, their entire pack was killed in a hostile takeover. They were then saved by a soul trainer who took Twilight as his soul pet.

Many years had passed since then and Midnight had already assumed Twilight had passed, but then both he and the trainer returned three years ago.

Twilight had much more freedom than most contracted soul monsters, and so was allowed to visit Midnight whenever he wanted. One thing led to another, and the two old friends blossomed into lovers which consummated in the birth of an extremely rare monarch-ranked Star Dusklight Wolf cub.

Unfortunately, the humans somehow learned about the future Emperor, and thus undertook a great operation to steal the cub.

Thud!

Twilight's sudden collapse snapped Midnight out of her reverie. She hurried over, and her eyes wavered with worry when she saw Twilight's heavy injury. She knew he didn't have long. Midnight was about to move Twilight when her gaze accidentally traveled to the bundle on the ground.

Twilight had risked life and limb to deliver this bundle to Midnight. Even when they met, rather than say anything, he dropped the bundle, signaling he wanted her to take it. That action proved how highly Twilight regarded whatever was wrapped in the bundle.

Midnight hesitated, but eventually, curiosity won over her urgency. She nudged the bundle with her paw, and the cloth unraveled a little to reveal a bloodied child. Midnight's breath caught in her throat when she saw the heavy gashes and bite marks on the baby's face and arms. Clearly, something had tried its best to kill the child. In fact, Midnight estimated it would die from blood loss in the next few minutes.

Midnight's eyes gleamed with a strange light as it looked at the child and then at Twilight. Both Twilight and the child were in critical condition. Six months ago, she would have been forced to pick between both of them. However, she knew that if she saved Twilight, he would probably hate himself for eternity. The fact that Twilight ran this far and still offered the kid up to be saved first was clear proof that he valued the child's life above his own.

Thankfully, Midnight was spared this choice. Six months ago, she mastered a new skill during her evolution. Aura spread around Midnight as she swiftly enacted her secret technique.

Fshhh...

Dark smoke seeped out of Midnight's pores and was then absorbed by her shadow. Suddenly, the shadow split off from her feet, and then rose to form a smoky, mirror clone. Midnight ordered the shadow clone to take the bundle and run into the cave, while she bit into the nape of Twilight's neck and then gently dragged him into her cave.

The task would have been so much easier if Midnight called the Steelback Apes for help. Unfortunately, healing Twilight involved her deepest, most sacred secret. She did not share this secret with her fellow Dusklight Wolves, let alone soul monsters from other species. If the secret got out, let alone the Steelback Apes, even the amicable fairies would begin a slaughter for sole possession.

Thus, Midnight gently dragged Twilight through a deep network of maze-like tunnels, until they were so far down that no light seeped through. It was so dark that even a monster with night-vision could not see a feet ahead. At this point, Midnight relied on her instincts to guide her through the pitch-black tunnels.

Then, just when Midnight was roughly 300 meters below the surface, small patches of light once again began to seep through the darkness. Midnight hurried her footsteps until she reached a wall with a small hole through it. A small boulder, which usually covered this hole lay just beside the opening, confirming that her clone had already been here.

Relieved, Midnight squeezed through the tunnel with Twilight, and then emerged in a magnificent cavern. Shiny, green luminescent stalactites hung overhead, bathing the beautiful lake below with their light.

The lake, while wide, was surprisingly shallow. Even at the center, it was only about 2-meters deep. Midnight dragged Twilight to a point where the water reached her jaw, let him go, and then watched as he submerged beneath the surface.

Midnight then retreated to the edge of the lake and began counting down in her mind. Sure enough, a few seconds later, a spluttering and coughing Twilight shot to the surface. Shockingly, other than the most grievous injuries, his injuries healed and scabbed over at a rate visible to the human eye.

Even the most grievous injuries, at the rate they were healing, would be completely fine in a matter of hours.

"Rrwuuu..." Midnight let out a relieved cry and then sat down as she observed Twilight. This lake was the reason she could not allow anyone to help her save Twilight.

If the humans saw this lake, their eyes would pop out of their sockets. The Eternal Spring Wine Taylor Wu used to heal his soul was a concoction made from diluting water from the exceedingly rare resource, Eternal Spring Lake with a few herbs to lessen its toxicity.

The Eternal Spring Wine could heal even the most grievous injuries to the soul and body, making it one of the most expensive and exclusive items in the entire continent. Bloodbaths and rivers of blood accompanied the discovery of any new Eternal Spring as it was a resource that turned the lowest commoner into the richest overlord in the blink of an eye.

That's right. The small lake Twilight was submerged in was an Eternal Spring Lake. This lake played no small role in Midnight's evolutions to the monarch rank. No matter how dangerous the fight, as long as she had breath in her afterward, Midnight could return here and heal up after a brief bath. This insurance allowed her to fearlessly challenge her limits during battle and training, eventually pushing her to the esteemed Monarch rank.

Of course, unlike Midnight, humans could not bathe in the Eternal Spring. As they say, too much of anything is bad for the body. For humans, the Eternal Spring's healing properties were too potent, which then resulted in a negative backlash in the body. This was why humans needed to dilute the spring's waters before use. Direct consumption surpassing a few drops was very toxic!

Wait! Toxic!

Midnight suddenly did a double-take when she realized she had forgotten something extremely important! The baby her shadow carried! She quickly looked to the side and saw the shadow sitting over a floating, soaking wet bundle. Midnight linked with the shadow and suddenly suffered from a headache when she saw the shadow's previous actions.

Midnight only learned the Shadow Clone technique a few months ago. She had not yet perfected the skill, and as a result the shadow only followed the basest of instincts instructed by Midnight.

Midnight had told the shadow to heal the baby with the lake's water. She meant 'put a few drops in its mouth and on its wounds,' but because she was in a hurry and her mind wasn't in the right place, Midnight failed to clearly lay this out.

As a result, the shadow clone indeed took the baby to the lake, but then submerged the baby with her paw till it instinctively gasped for air, causing it to swallow a huge gulp of the spring's waters. If this wasn't bad enough, by submerging the child, the lake's waters also seeped into the open wounds.

Midnight hesitated. Even with all that punishment, the baby wasn't crying. Did that mean?

With tepid steps, Midnight walked over to the bundle and then peered down.

"Ak-ga-gha!"

Surprisingly, not only was the child fine, but its eyes lit up with excitement when it saw Midnight. It grinned, revealing its beautiful baby whites and then raised its arms as if summoning Midnight. Intriguingly, a small jade ring was wrapped around its left ring finger, but as soul monsters could not access spatial rings, Midnight chose to ignore it.

Midnight bent her head, and sure enough, the child grabbed her nose and laughed as it rubbed her nozzle. 'It's not afraid of me?' Midnight carefully examined the child. It had dark-chocolate skin, and a pair of very light, gray eyes like an evening sky. From its size, she estimated it should be about 2 years-old.

"Ah-choo!"

Midnight stared at the child that rubbed its red nose with a distracted expression. Hilariously, the child seemed annoyed by the snot coming out of its nose. It vigorously rubbed its nose and then once more raised its hand to rub Midnight's fur.

Of course, Midnight was not having that snot-covered hand touch her fur. She quickly retreated and then had her shadow clone gently undress the child with its teeth. The Star Dusklight Wolf knew that children were susceptible to the cold, and to prevent further snotty episodes, proceeded to quickly get the wet clothes of the child.

'A boy.'

Midnight confirmed the child's gender, but her eyes were drawn to a pair of cute fluffy fox-like ears that peaked out of the child's head. The clothes wrapped around its head had previously covered these ears, but when she saw it, Midnight's eyes finally flashed with understanding.

The Eternal Spring Lake was toxic to humans, yes, but it wasn't to soul monsters. This child was half-beastman. The beast genes in its body might not be that strong, but it was luckily enough to process most of the Eternal Spring Lake's waters, greatly reducing the toxins that formed.

The beastman blood was the only reason this child was still alive.

Midnight stared curiously at the child. Was it lucky, or unlucky to have been born a beastman?

Splash!

Midnight turned around and her eyes lit up when she saw Twilight stumble out of the lake. His eyes likewise lit up when he saw her, but there was an undeniable deep sorrow and self-loathing buried behind the relief.

Twilight let out a soft howl and then limped over to Midnight. Her eyes watered when she saw Twilight's limp. Even with the Eternal Spring's waters, his injury was too deep. Most likely, he would never fully heal. His fighting days were over. Still, Twilight's proud eyes did not permit any pity or help as he stood before her.

"Rruuwuu..." Midnight whimpered sadly as she licked Twilight's broken leg.

"Rraff!" Twilight sharply barked, causing her to retreat. He did not regret his decision. He would have happily sacrificed all his legs as long as he delivered Rao Wu to safety. The proud wolf then staggered over to Rao Wu's side. Its eyes were filled with solid determination as it looked at the child.

Midnight's eyes watered as she looked at Twilight's back. The Twilight in her memories was always immature and playful. He never took anything seriously and often landed himself in messes that she needed to clean up. Even after he returned, although he had matured with age, his mischievous and playful nature never left.

However, when she looked at Twilight's back right now, Midnight saw a raging inferno barely held back by the thinnest of walls. There was no joy or happiness in his eyes, only a solid determination. Fearing that she might lose the Twilight she knew forever, Midnight walked over and nudged him with her head. She gently licked his fur and nestled her head in his chest in attempts to placate him.

Twilight was not made of stone. Even though he was immeasurably enraged, he could not take it out on the innocent Midnight. Hell, he hadn't even thanked her for saving their lives yet.

"Rrrwuu..." The anger in Twilight's eyes mellowed and he gently nudged Midnight. He apologized for his rage and thanked her for saving them. He then revealed the truth about his appearance. His trainer and closest friend, Rao Taylor had been killed. Sensing his death, Rao Taylor sent Midnight to flee with his wife Hua Xun and their child, Rao Wu.

"Grrr..." Twilight's eyes were red with determination as he revealed he planned on raising the child like a cub. He would not leave Rao Wu's side until he was old enough to protect himself.

"Rrrwu." Midnight was concerned. Raising a human child was not easy. Any wrong move and the child, or perhaps even they would be in danger. She wanted Twilight to rethink his decision. It would be better to drop the child at a human settlement. They were far better equipped to handle raising a child.

"Rraff!" Twilight shot down that idea. He had seen how humans treated beastkin. Sending a defenseless Rao Wu to a human settlement was no different from delivering to a mediocre life of servitude at best, or even more likely, an early death. No, it would raise Rao Wu to pursue the path of the strongest soul trainer in existence. Only then could Rao Wu trample on the humans that killed his parents.

Twilight failed in his duty to protect Taylor. He would not fail Taylor's son.

Midnight hesitated but then nodded. She then looked at Rao Wu who had fallen asleep at some point. A human child raised by Star Dusklight Wolves? What kind of future awaited this human?