The four people kept exchanging glances, trying to understand what he meant. Before long, they came to a wordless agreement and moved slowly to their positions. They were reluctant, but a plan was a plan. It was better than running around like a headless chicken. So, they did as Vali said.

With sweaty palms, they watched the enormous animal circle around them. It looked more careful than before after Vali’s blow. It was observing them, they could tell.

Vali had no intention to let the wolf take the initiative. He took a step forward, and another after making sure the others were following. After getting in range, he thrust his spear with his good hand.

The wolf nimbly dodged it but didn’t attack. Vali was expecting this. He repeated the same actions, and the wolf kept its distance without doing anything, almost ominous.

“What the hell are we doing?” Getting uneasy, the man to Vali’s right spoke through gritted teeth. He had questions, rightfully so. But questions were the last thing someone wanted. He felt a pair of eyes bore holes into the side of his skull, and he turned to meet the gaze. There, Vali, the mountain of a man, was giving him a death stare. ‘Shut up, or I will kill you before the wolf does.’ Vali didn’t speak; he didn’t need to. The message was delivered without any problems, and the man diverted his eyes to the, arguably, more dangerous thing in front of him.

So, they kept doing the same thing. The wolf’s actions seemed irrational at this point. It seemingly had no intention of calling it quits and going on his way. It didn’t attack either, preferring to dodge. They knew it was waiting for an opportunity. With no intention to give it one, they didn’t break their formation. Until Vali whispered a quiet ‘get ready’, before letting his spear miss on purpose. The spear’s tip dropped to the ground, giving the wolf a huge space for it to attack. ‘Come on,’ Dripping cold sweat, Vali thought. ‘Take the bait.’

And the wolf did. It leaped, aiming for the left side of Vali, which was utterly defenseless thanks to his wounded arm. Before teeth could meet flesh, Alex, the redhead woman, took a step forward and swung the metal piece she was gripping. The sound of metal hitting flesh resounded, the wolf’s head whipping away with the force of the impact.

It was enough to make to wolf back up without taking a piece of Vali’s skin with it. But apparently not enough to dissuade it into running away and leaving them alone. And thus, the stalemate continued, and like a moon orbiting a planet, the wolf kept circling them, not looking affected by the heavy hit.

“Why is it not going away?” The stranger spoke with a mix of wonder and fear. “It should have run away by now!” The others neither answered him, nor looked in his direction, but Vali saw them shift uncomfortably.

Vali grumbled before answering. “I don’t know.” He spoke while trying to ignore the pain his messed-up arm was causing. The adrenaline was starting to wear off. He didn’t dare even imagine the raw pain he would be feeling after this. “But I’m gonna make it wish it ran away.” Before anybody could speak, he acted. The spear missed on purpose once again.

The wolf saw the opportunity and decided to take it, only to be rewarded by another whack to the head. Yet this time, the wolf was ready for it. It had deemed the blows not a danger, its hide and thick skull providing enough protection. The animal tried to bite its attacker, Alex, only for Jonas to step up from the back before it could manage to do so and connect another hit to its head.

That triggered a chain reaction, and in the next instant, everyone was playing whack-a-mole with the animal’s head. Everyone except Vali, who watched the group use this opportunity to try and beat the wolf into a pulp. He met the wolf’s eyes, which were still observing him even while blows were raining on it. ‘Is it waiting for me to attack…?’ Hesitation made Vali unable to act as the abuse went on.

Some hits landed with a meaty thud, some hit bone. The animal struggled to regain balance, the blows definitely hurting but not doing any significant damage. The wolf growled, bared its teeth, and tried to bite their weapons to no avail. A swing missed, landing on the back of the animal. The sound of metal being scratched made everyone flinch, giving the animal the chance to retreat outside the range of the group’s weapons.

They watched the animal scurry away, a faint hope blooming in their hearts. It surely would go away after such a beating?

The wolf put a few yards of distance between them and sat down, drops of blood sliding down its bared teeth. The wolf’s blood. They managed to make it bleed, yet, it wasn’t enough. Right at that moment, it dawned on everyone that one party wouldn’t be leaving this forest alive.

Time stretched, and they regained their energy while watching the wolf. The forest started to feel more overbearing as time passed, every chirp of a bird, every rustling leave making the group jump. The animal wasn’t dumb; it wouldn’t approach until a chance arose to get someone alone. ‘Or worse,’ Vali thought, not voicing his fears. ‘Until its friends arrive.’

Vali decided it was time. “I guess it really did come down to this, huh.” He took a deep, loud breath, trying to get some oxygen into his tired limbs. He would need it soon. After making sure the grip on his spear was satisfying, he spoke, his words barely a whisper. “Run.” They heard him clearly despite how quiet it was, but nobody moved an inch. “Run! For the love of God, trust me and just run, now!” He roared this time, even the wolf flinching.

At first, nobody moved. He didn’t need to look at their eyes to tell they were filled with doubt. Mouths opened, questions dancing at the tip of tongues, yet silence prevailed after seeing Vali’s face. It wasn’t the look of a man who was choosing suicide by wolf to play hero. It was a face of pure hatred.

It made Jonas and Denny, who knew him, swallow their words.

The stranger that was standing to Vali’s right took a step back, deciding to do what he was told. And he ran. By the time he took his fifth step, everyone joined him.

Vali didn’t look back. He was fully focused on the wolf, and with sweaty palms, he waited for a reaction from it.

It didn’t take long for Vali’s expectations to come true. As if possessed, the wolf shot towards him, seeing the now lone man as an easy target.

Without hesitation, Vali turned his back and ran away.

He heard the clawed paws strike the ground and kick up dirt behind him. It didn’t stop him. The wolf, being way faster than Vali, rapidly approached his defenseless back. ‘Come on,’ His heart was racing, threatening to come out of his mouth. His muscles felt like limp noodles, but it wasn’t enough to stop Vali. Then he heard. A particularly strong step, way too close for comfort. The telltale sign of the wolf leaping at its prey, the sound unmistakable. The moment Vali was waiting for.

He threw himself down with the last ounce of strength left in his legs, turning to face the wolf before his back hit the dirt. He looked up at the leaping wolf, teeth and claw bared, ready to sink into his flesh. They would taste metal instead.

Vali raised his spear with one hand while using his armpit to hold it firmly. The deadly end towards the wolf, and the other firmly planted on the dirt.

None of its feet were on the ground. The wolf couldn’t dodge.

The weapon hit the wolf under its jaw with a satisfying ‘thwunk’, and metal cut flesh as the spear went through fur and muscle alike. Then Vali felt it hit something hard inside the wolf, and the weapon stopped. He stared up with wide eyes, as blood dripped on his face. His plan had worked.

He didn’t have any time to celebrate the fact as the wolf still wasn’t dead. It was bleeding profusely from the wound, but it would take some time until the animal dropped dead from blood loss. Time it could spend killing Vali.

The wolf struggled in an attempt to get itself free, to pull out the spear impaled on its jaw. It swung its paws around in vain, causing an ear screeching sound when its claws met metal. Not intending on giving it any chance of fighting back, Vali acted. Reaching up, his hand gripped the most readily available hold, the stuck open jaw of the wolf, courtesy of the spear impaling it. His fingers met a mix of saliva and blood, the sharp teeth sending jolts of pain through his hand. He couldn’t care less.

Vali pulled it down on the spear with all his remaining might.

He was rewarded with a sickening crunch as the wolf’s cranium shattered, the spear finally going through. The wolf stopped its struggle, now lifeless.

Vali flopped down onto the dirt. He was truly spent now. The copious amount of adrenaline in his bloodstream was starting to wear off, and everything hurt so much Vali almost wished the wolf had managed to kill him when it first attacked. The new wounds on his right hand weren’t making things easier. He shakily raised it, trying to inspect the damage caused by gripping the wolf’s sharp teeth so carelessly, but gave up halfway through.

Hungry, wounded, and tired, he lay next to the convulsing wolf, slowly losing consciousness. The last thing he saw before passing out was a bright blue screen that he didn't even have the mental energy left to comprehend.

You are now Level 3.