Chapter 336: My pet
What differentiated a good hunt from a great one?
A good hunt was something Luke could detect with his eyes closed and from a safe distance. And that was boring. The worst part was that the forest had been filled with such boring hunts lately, courtesy of the recent hunting contest organized by the honorable chief.
But a great hunt?
You never knew where the attack would come from.
And right now, Luke had expectations from the predators lurking in the darkness.
The forest was awake.
Something was running through the trees in endless circles, always watching him, always keeping just beyond his reach.
It was barely visible, moving too quickly for the eye to follow and hiding far too well for ordinary senses to catch.
In his own backyard, Luke was having trouble keeping his eyes on it.
And that made him excited.
[Host, it is advised that you use your skills to locate your foe.]
’Yeah, I know. But I won’t. Not yet. Don’t worry, though. I ain’t stupid enough to risk his life just for some fun.’
Fortunately, Luke knew the line that separated bravery from foolishness.
He stood directly on that line, perfectly capable of leaping to either side.
For today, however...
’Echolocation.’ he chose caution for the sake of his lover’s safety.
A pulse of energy spread through his surroundings.
For several meters around him, the world revealed itself through waves. Every living creature, every breath, every movement that disturbed the air or sent vibrations through the ground became something Luke could perceive.
Even the slow, almost imperceptible crawl of a snail entered the range of his consciousness.
So something as large as the beast lurking in the shadows?
It was like a dark stain spreading across a white sheet.
Luke snickered, shifted his stats into Strength, and hurled the dagger straight at the hiding beast.
It moved.
Krhiak!
The creature shrieked, and that was all Luke needed to hear.
The dagger had drawn blood.
Luke knew the hunt would be easier now, so he lunged after it.
From bush to bush, he followed the direction in which his dagger had gone. He couldn’t pinpoint the beast’s exact location, but the movements of a wounded creature should not have been too difficult to predict.
Graaah!
Or so he thought.
"Tch!"
Luke clicked his tongue and threw himself into a roll.
Thump!
A moment later, the dire wolf’s jaws snapped shut on the patch of dirt where he had been standing.
Luke rose to his feet and finally got a proper look at his prey.
Majestic.
The beast stood at least two meters tall at the shoulder. Its exact length was difficult to judge from this angle, but Luke had already decided that its thick grey fur would make an excellent coat for his mate.
The dire wolf lowered its head and bared its fangs at him, its intent unmistakable.
It was wounded and murderous.
His dagger was still embedded near its left hind leg, blood staining the surrounding fur.
And yet, the beast barely seemed to care.
If anything, the wound appeared to have made it even more aggressive.
"I would have ran if I were you," Luke said before pulling the dagger back to him, causing the creature to howl in pain.
Blood immediately began to soak through its fur.
"Not good. I’m going to have to clean that."
He rolled his shoulders, then grinned.
"Okay, doggy. Let’s see how fast you really are."
He invested a few points into Speed and burst forward.
The wolf watched him approach before suddenly leaping.
Luke’s eyes widened slightly as the beast sailed over him. Nearly five meters of muscle and grey fur cleared his body in a single bound.
Luke chuckled.
Then crashed straight into a tree.
CRACK!
The impact uprooted the tree from the earth.
Luke barely glanced at it before turning toward the fleeing beast.
"Not so fast."
He lunged forward.
With his increased Speed, his pace was far beyond what his normal body could manage. The distance between them began to close rapidly as he chased the wolf through the forest.
He summoned the spear he had recently commissioned and searched for an opening.
’That’ll do.’
His lips curved upward when he spotted a large rock protruding from the ground ahead.
Luke stopped pursuing the beast directly and changed his trajectory.
On all fours, the dire wolf was a swift giant. But judging by its expression, it wasn’t simply running away.
It was luring him somewhere.
Perhaps toward its pack.
Luke didn’t give a damn.
He liked that fur.
And he needed it.
’More points into Speed.’
At his command, his body surged forward.
His feet became a blur as he rapidly gained ground. Within moments, he was almost parallel with the beast.
He could have closed the remaining distance and forced it to stop.
But that would no longer be a hunt.
Luke wanted the thrill of the chase.
He reached the protruding rock and planted a foot against its surface.
Then he launched himself upward.
His body spun through the air.
The spear rested firmly in his hand.
For one brief moment, everything seemed to slow.
Luke’s eyes locked onto the dire wolf.
With every ounce of strength concentrated into a single arm, he hurled the spear.
It flew like a judgment from the heavens.
THUNK!
The beast came to an abrupt halt.
The spear had pierced straight through its skull.
The dire wolf collapsed, its massive body sliding across the forest floor before finally coming to rest.
Luke landed lightly and stared at his prize.
"Now that’s a hunt."
The spearhead held firm as it carved through the skull, half the shaft buried within the beast’s head.
Blood pooled beneath the corpse as the dire wolf lay motionless.
Luke exhaled slowly and approached.
The spear was not a rewarded weapon, meaning he couldn’t simply summon it back to his hand. Nor did repairing it seem worth the cost. From now on, it would remain behind as a mark of the hunt, forever remembered as the first weapon to bring down a dire wolf.
"Something this massive, though... Why was it here?" Luke wondered, crouching beside the corpse.
Then a cry rang through the forest.
"Hollow!"
Luke immediately rose, dagger in hand, his gaze snapping toward the source.
A young man emerged from between the trees.
And behind him came an entire fleet.
Luke’s brows tightened.
More than thirty men sat astride horses, weapons drawn as they followed the young man toward him.
The young man himself had nothing particularly remarkable about him.
Except for the tears streaming down his face.
Luke lowered his dagger.
He could understand grief. Whatever the relationship between the boy and the beast, Luke had no intention of denying him a final goodbye to his fallen companion.
At least, that was what Luke assumed.
The young man had other plans.
Before reaching the corpse, he suddenly pulled a mace from his side and raised it high.
"I’ll kill you for killing my dog! Aaaaaah!"
Luke rolled his eyes.
Then casually swung the back of his hand.
THUMP!
The brat went flying.
With that much immaturity and not even a trace of magic in his attack, Luke wasn’t surprised when the blow connected.
The young man landed hard, his face now level with the corpse of the beast he had been mourning moments ago.
"Agh!"
A cry of pain escaped the young man before rage overtook him.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!"
He struggled to his feet and pointed at Luke.
"KILL HIM! KILL HIS ENTIRE FAMILY! How dare he insult me! Your lord!"
Luke growled as he looked around.
The fleet had spread out, flanking him from both sides.
And then he noticed something that made the situation considerably worse.
Half of them were magicians.
Now this could be difficult.
The moon was still a few hours away.
And his potions...
’Ah, damn this turn of events.’
Luke sighed internally.
’Guess it’s another battle that ends in bruises... and maybe a few cuts this time.’
Luke had never been unprepared enough to die against anyone, not even if he stood before a god itself. The difference was in his preparation.
His preparations determined how much it would hurt.
And this battle?
It would undoubtedly earn him days of warmth, followed by an equally long scolding from his mate.
Summoning his hammer he made his choice clear to them.
The nearest rider spurred his horse forward.
The beast charged toward him.
Then...
"Halt."
A cold voice cut through the battlefield.
The horse stopped instantly.
Not because its rider pulled the reins.
It simply stopped, as though the animal itself recognized that there was another command it could not disobey.
Luke’s gaze shifted toward the source.
A woman approached them on a black horse.
He looked at her.
And that day, for the first time...
They met.
~~~
A/N:- 🤐
Published a new story, go and check it and save it in your library.