Standing on the top of the cliff, Elias could see very well just how intelligent these wolves were. Unlike lions or tigers, wolves did not rely on surprise elements coupled with explosive power. In this regard, wolves were very much reminiscent of humans. They were endurance hunters. They would tire their prey out, force it into an unfavorable position and then finish it off.
AWOOOOOOOO!
A howl filled with bloodlust resounded once again. Wolves that were attacking the caravan were split in two parts as well. Two teams would exchange once in a while to make sure their prey would have no time for rest.
Alpha wolf looked at Elias once again. Elias wasn't sure if his imagination was playing tricks on him or this wolf's gaze really had a hint of contempt. It was as if the wolf was saying something along the lines of "What could a coward that only knows how to hide in high places do to me?". Elias could swear the wolf was challenging him. Too bad it did not know what kind of misfortune it brought on itself and it's pack.
Elias picked up several rather sizable stones, each around one hundred to one hundred and fifty grams in weight. On top of this cliff, with wind eroding the rock and plants loosening it as they were looking for every opportunity to take root, there was no shortage of stones.
It was important to note that human athletes are incredible at throwing things. Humans in general always were good at this task, in fact, no species could come close to humans in this regard. It was possible for an above average athlete to accelerate an object to the speed of over one hundred and forty kilometers per hour consistently, just with the power of their arms and shoulders. And that was with a normal human body. Elias, on the other hand, was able to exert power that exceeded that of normal human's by almost two and a half times.
Elias smirked.
*Let's see if you are going to show this kind of contempt ever again.*
His vision had a small red dot right on the Alpha's head. He made a step forward and threw the stone overhand as if he was a baseball pitcher throwing out a fastball.
AWO-
Crack!
A sound similar to egg cracking, but way louder, appeared as Alpha wolf dropped dead. This caused younger wolves to panic immediately. They began to make sounds between whimpering, howling and barking. Such a sudden turn of events made adult wolves freeze up for a moment. Their leader that was howling just a moment ago now lied dead with its head mangled.
Confused and startled, they fell into chaos. Some of the wolves retreated, while others tried to resume attacking. Surprisingly enough, in just several seconds one of the wolves attempted to take over the newly vacant role of an Alpha, and try to organize the now chaotic pack. Younger wolves that were supposed to watch and learn were panicking and whimpering, while adult ones were even worse off, but as soon as the new leader appeared, wolves started to calm down and regained some of the lost order. New Alpha seemed to understand that its position was shaky at best, so instead of continuing the attack, it decided to sound retreat. It was better to try again after regrouping.
AWOOOOOOOOO!
This howl sounded different from the previous ones. It lacked the bloodlust and killing intent from the ones before. Attacking wolves were startled again, but this time, they retreated in an orderly manner, back to the tree line. New Alpha assumed an imposing stance as it looked over the retreating wolves. Elias wasn't sure if it needed that to show its leadership or courage, he only knew that today he would have two wolf pelts instead of one.
Xiu!
Crack!
Once again, an Alpha dropped dead. This time, however, it was witnessed by all the adult wolves. Instantly, a mix of barks and whimpers broke out as the pack started to run away with their ears down and their tails between their legs. Elias watched as their grey hides gradually disappeared among the trees.
"Father! Father, are you alright?"
Young man that Elias met running in the forest dashed down to the caravan.
"Nannar? Nannar, my boy, thank gods you are alive! I was about to think of the worst!"
A voice as loud as a foghorn, ringing and rather pleasant, but with a taut undertone, sounded from the caravan.
A fluffy head poked out of Elias's clothes. Little tiger looked around, and then turned to Elias and yawned.
*Did he sleep through everything?*
Elias continued walking down. As he approached the caravan, he was able to get a good look at the aftermath of the siege. Several dozen dead wolves made little hills in between the carriages. He did not expect to see so many wolf corpses at first, but thinking back to the size of the pack, it was a reasonable number. Considering the fact that the pack was willing to attack humans in the middle of the day, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that they were hungry to the level of desperation.
Elias walked through the only cleared gap between the carriages, when a spear appeared in front of him. He was about to say something, when he heard a shout.
"Stop! This man is our benefactor, don't you dare to wave a weapon in front of him."
The orotund voice from before sounded out once again.
Elias turned to see a big man, somewhat round, but it was easy to see he was in great shape in the past. He was dressed in high quality clothes, similar to Nannar, and by the sound of it, he made decisions here.
The guard retracted his spear and got back to standing watch. The big man, accompanied by Nannar, approached Elias.
"Young warrior, my name is Safar, and I thank you for saving us today. May I know the name of my benefactor?"
Safar was talking in a polite tone, but his eyes betrayed his excitement. Maybe it was his opportunistic nature, or something else, Elias did not really care. All he cared about was that Safar and his words felt genuine. Considering his last few interactions with humans, Elias wasn't really in a mood to make friends, but he did not pick up any malice from the man, and that was good enough reason for Elias to take a friendlier approach.
"Elias, nice to meet you."
"Haha, see Nannar? Even in mountain tribes people know manners, yet you are slacking in your etiquette skills, what is your excuse now?"
Nannar was somewhat embarrassed by his father's sudden remark, but managed to keep his composure.
"Father, could we talk about it later? We have much more pressing things at hand. For example, how are we going to repay our benefactor?"
"True, I Safar Emek, owner of the Southward Winds Trading Company, take my debts seriously."
Safar turned to Elias.
"However, I am afraid that me and my small trading company won't be able to offer much to an expert of your level."
Elias was shocked a little. Just two days ago he was chased like a rat, he could only escape and pray for his life, and now he was an "expert". The feeling was rather bizarre, but it only confirmed Elias's belief in how this world works. You will only be able to have both safety and peace if you are strong enough. If you are not strong, you could only dream about obtaining those.
"Father, how can you say something like that? Elias saved our lives."
Elias wanted to just play the issue down and negotiate some agreement for them to bring him necessities each time they pass or something like that. There was not much use for money in the mountains, plus, the people of this caravan were rather weak, so Elias did not have much hope that they would have something good in their possession.
"Nanner, I know what I'm talking about. Our benefactor is a Strength Building stage warrior. We don't have anything that can be valuable to a warrior of this level."
Safar's words successfully grabbed Elias's attention. "Strength Building" was something he has heard before. According to Feron's memories, the Strength Building stage was a second stage of the first level of warriors in local classifications. First stage was called True Breath and it was likely the level the bald guy was at. Second was Strength Building and third was Heart Calming. They were followed by Tendon Strengthening and Bone Tempering. By the time one reached the peak of the Bone Tempering stage, one would be as strong as eight men. Then came the Ferocious Warrior level, which was even stronger. Feron's memories were vague, but Elias has gotten the rough idea.
Elias thought for a bit and remembered something.
"Safar, I know what you can do for me..."