"Awooooooooo!" The wolf's howl echoed all around the clearing, a chilling noise that triggered something primal in the subconscious of all the humans that heard it, raising the hairs at the back of their necks.
"F***!' Frederick swore, and with arm, gently pushed the mother and child back, sending her stumbling away, as the three wolves closed in on Fredrick.
'Come on, come on, come on!' Zac urged his Mana Core, as the sound of distant howls answered the wolf.
He kept closing his eyes one moment to focus on his Mana Core, hoping he would transform, and then opening them to see what was happening in the clearing the next.
Even after all Zac's efforts, only a skinny teen remained crouched near the clearing, hidden behind a cluster of bushy ferns.
The wolves, having stalked and attacked prey hundreds of times together, immediately fell into a formation, with the two wolves on either side coming forward, within range to leap at Fredrick, whilst another remained behind, waiting for the enormous M-type to drop his guard.
There was a flash of gray fur, as the wolf on Fredrick's left leapt at him, jaws open, ready to bite, there was loud crunching noise, as the wolf's jaw closed onto the arm that Frederick had offered up.
Zac smiled, seeing that Frederick was unharmed, but even as the first wolf's jaws closed in on the gray haired Augmented's arm, the other two were leaping into action.
Next, the wolf to Fredrick's right struck, running low to the ground, before leaping up, at an impossible angle that no wolf on earth could manage, heading right for Fredrick's throat.
The wolves may have had teamwork and coordination on their side, but Fredrick had years of experience on his, and there was a loud hiss, as his right arm thrust out, punching the wolf in the jaw, and sending it rag dolling across the clearing.
But the wolves weren't about to give Fredrick even a moment's rest, the last of the trio of wolves was already leaping though the air, aiming for Fredrick's neck like the first wolf that had attacked him.
Frederick's right arm was extended, and a wolf hung from his left, making it awkward for him to swing either of them at the last wolf.
However, Frederick still had both his legs, and Zac watched in wonder as rather than bending at the knee, there was a loud hissing as both Fredrick's legs shortened, bringing him lower to the ground, and then giving him a perfect angle for his next move.
Frederick's left leg sunk into the ground as the pistons hissed, anchoring him firmly to the soil, his right leg roasted forward at an unnatural angle, spinning as it struck the wolf that had leapt for Fredrick's throat, sending it flying backward.
"Yess." Zac cheered under his breath, Fredrick had repelled the wolves' attacks. But Fredrick knew well that the battle was far from over.
The wolves that he had sent flying were picking themselves up, and the one that had crunched onto his arm had disappeared from his arm amongst the confusion, joining the others in snarling and growling at him, even as its own blood dripped from its jaws.
The wolves may have been predictable for Fredrick, but they weren't stupid. All the while, the larger of the wolves had been circling around the clearing, waiting for a chance to attack the mother and child behind Fredrick.
'I can't let them get hurt! And what am I doing, hiding in here, while Fredrick's fighting with his life on the line.' Zac chastised himself, standing up from where he had been crouched, forgetting all about his Mana Core for the time being, and pushing his way through the thick mesh of leaves and branches that surrounded the clearing.
The wolves' ears pricked up at the sound of breaking branches, from Zac pushing through the undergrowth, but they were too honed in on Fredrick and the two survivors to investigate the source of the noise.
As Zac slowly circled around the clearing, the fight within the clearing continued, the three wolves darting in and out the range of Fredrick's arms, and Fredrick only managing to hit them with blows strong enough to knock them away, struggling to lock onto and finish any one of the wolves.
If he hadn't been guarding the woman and child, then Fredrick would have easily taken out the wolves, but he couldn't commit to fighting them, since he also had to keep an eye on the final, larger wolf, which stared greedily at the two humans.
Then, the wolves paused for a moment, as another round of howls answered them, this time far closer, and they began to bark at each other, giving up on attacking Fredrick, now moving their focus to making sure their prey didn't escape..
"Sh**. sh**, sh**!." Fredrick swore, and then he yelled out. "Kid! If you're still out there, either climb up a tree, or run the hell away from here!"
But Zac was still circling around the clearing, growing closer and closer to the mother and child, the sounds of the wolves drowning out the noise he was making.
"Awooooooooo!" Another howl sounded out, this time sounding as though it was mere meters away, and a look of desperation appeared on Fredrick's face, if the wolves arrived before his team, everything was over.