Within

There was no change when Edrick came back. A few more days of observation revealed that the wolves either lacked the means or were not willing to bother freeing the plugged passages–Most likely because they still had a perfectly viable path at their disposal.

This was definitely a mistake. As smart as they may be, they were still beasts... Oswulf and Ansbach only appeared smart because the link between master and pet allowed for an understanding between them and Anoteros.

The Nature-Blessed Wolves lacked such a connection, and it was going to be taken advantage of…

Edrick employed the full extent of his stealth in the dead of night, climbing atop the orange monument.

Since they could be more easily smelled, his two followers would only come and secure the exit after a little while, once their master was already well inside the structure.

Peering down the shattered roof, Edrick had expected to be met by utter darkness, but it turned out that the inside was actually illuminated by ancient lanterns of the same kind as he had found in the secret basement.

The energy stones had continuously absorbed ambient mana throughout the many years since the abandonment of this place. It seemed like the pack did not mind the illumination in the least, not having done anything about the constantly shining, blue lights.

That was handy for the noble. He didn’t possess night vision or dark vision. Otherwise, he would have had to use his other senses... As a human, however, his sight was far more reliable for what he was currently doing.

With the agility of a Pygmy Sasquatch, he descended by moving from thick vines to branches, slowly sliding down an angled tree trunk.

There were three trees inside the temple. They were the same kind of trees that could often be seen standing by themselves amidst the Great Plains. They were rather mundane trees that had a strong tendency to be of the weeping variety, but here, only one of the three was of that sort.

Its excessive growth had made it a hazard, however. It obstructed vision, making it difficult to tell if wolves were hiding amidst its soft branches and leaves. Anoteros avoided going through that area for now.

He avoided the sleeping wolves sprawled across several areas. They slumbered in groups, but not huddled together, as the temperature was rather high even at night. However, they still stayed close, guarding one another even as they dreamt.

The scion was looking for clues. He wanted to determine whether the size of this pack was just a rare but natural occurrence, or if it was due to a specific individual that had caused the group to grow to such proportions…

Edrick leaned closer and closer toward the second option as he counted more and more Nature-Blessed Wolves. He had already gone over one hundred at this point. These wolves may be beasts with magical affinities, but even they abided by the usual rules of wolves. A group of fifty should be incredibly rare, and in a short while, Edrick had counted twice that amount… And it kept growing.

Using his keen sense of smell gained by transforming part of his face into a sasquatch, as well as his sense of observation... He soon noticed something that wouldn’t be odd in a regular pack, but was very much so in this particular situation.

A majority of the wolves–Both young and older–Were females who shared a similar scent to one another. As for the males, there were fewer of them, mostly young ones, and they also shared a similar scent to the females.

This seemed to indicate that they were all part of the same family. It was normal for wolves, but with the sheer numbers, it didn’t quite add up.

Especially since the smell was always very noticeably similar, indicating that at least one of the parents was consistently the same one–That, or the difference in smell between generations of mating pairs was oddly similar.

There was also the fact that some of the older wolves–As he had noticed on the roof before–Were clearly larger than average... But that wasn’t all. All of the wolves had the same streaks of darker, greenish fur in between their ears.

A mark which was even more prominent on those large wolves.

There didn’t seem to be a strong hierarchy between the large and the regular, as they slept in the same areas. If anything, the big ones were poised up in positions of protectors.

‘The energy within these ones is much stronger… Not that it isn’t oddly strong in the rest either…’

All of these wolves were clearly part of a lineage, and it made them stronger than the average member of their species.

Edrick carefully searched throughout the structure, going from room to room, exploring the interior without finding anything of interest... Only empty rooms after empty rooms… Everywhere he looked, vegetation was sprawling in excess despite having to grow through stone.

He encountered two hundred wolves throughout his searches before finally finding what he was looking for. Inside a room featuring a small tree bearing red leaves, a Nature-Blessed Wolf, unlike the rest, slumbered alongside several others.

This particular one was a bit larger than the big ones from before, but more noticeably, its streak of dark green was far larger, starting from the muzzle and going all the way to the end of the tail.

It was a female, and the wolves around her were all male wolves with noticeably different smells from the rest. They were wandering males from other packs.

It seemed like Edrick had found the leader and mother of the pack.

His bloodline only resonated slightly. It was neither a lord-type nor a bloodline that could be claimed.

That was fine. Edrick would just have to claim the beast herself… He had arrows on him. He could summon the Arm Of Depravity, turn it into a bow, and shoot to deal damage and be able to easily subdue and dominate her.

His guts told him not to. He was deep in enemy territory, and he knew nothing of her abilities. She had a special bloodline, and considering the strength of her offspring… It seemed like it was a good match to her affinity for nature energy.

‘I would love to make her mine and get all of the pack as a result, but… I have the feeling that it is best to whittle down their numbers first’

A wolf’s strength lies in its pack. A pack strong of more than two hundred could prove problematic, especially Nature-Blessed Wolves. Together, their healing capabilities could easily get out of control.

So, Edrick did not strike at the great matriarch tonight, and instead left a few surprises for her and the rest of the pack to find once they woke up… It might seem heartless, but it was just the rule of nature, and besides, many more would come.

When morning arose, howls rose from the orange monument.

Anoteros had been ruthless.

Not only were several members missing or found dead with a broken neck. But the young pups had been slaughtered. Such a thing was not uncommon for most packs. The young were always a prime target–Laughing Foxes in particular loved to target them.

But it wasn’t common for this pack. They resided in a strong lair. Their numbers were high. They should have been able to prevent this.

The matriarch of the wolf clan thought with clarity that did not fit her bestial nature. This was a declaration of war. She didn’t know who or the reason why, but something had just struck down mercilessly onto their pack.

She would make sure that this vile creature was eliminated.