After pondering for some time, Jamie turned to Safila with a glint in his eye. "Now...hmm...let's see...aah...right...ahem! You'll be the teacher of my fellow wolf brothers and sisters from now on," he declared.
Safila's eyes widened in shock. "Teacher?!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with disbelief. "What are you expecting me to teach them?"
Fear, one of Jamie's loyal wolf companions, meekly chimed in, "She's correct, my lord. What can she teach us?"
Jamie's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Numerous things. Simply watch and see," he replied cryptically. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he added, "Oh! I'll be back soon." Without further explanation, he quietly walked away, leaving Safila and Fear in a state of confusion.
Once Jamie was out of earshot, Safila couldn't help but scoff. In a sarcastic tone, she retorted, "I suppose your lord has gone insane."
Fear's eyes flashed with anger, his hackles rising. "You arrogant woman!" he snarled, his voice dripping with indignation. "How dare you make fun of our Lord, even though he gave you almost little to no punishment for what you did? If you continue, I'll make sure you pay for it with your life." His eyes were bloodshot, a testament to his fury.
Safila, taken aback by the intensity of Fear's reaction, decided it was best not to escalate the situation further. She was already perplexed by Jamie's decision, and angering his loyal follower would only complicate matters. So she held her tongue, waiting anxiously for Jamie's return.
Just before midday, Jamie reappeared, carrying some unidentified black-spotted leaves. He approached Safila and held them out to her. "Here, eat these," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Safila eyed the leaves suspiciously. In a stern, threatening voice, she responded, "You want me to munch on leaves? As if I'll eat them because I'm not a cow."
Jamie's expression remained calm as he explained, "It's not just any leaf; it's a special leaf. Eat it; you'll want more, I promise." To demonstrate, he began to nibble on one of the leaves himself.
Fear, still bristling from their earlier exchange, spoke up. "Go ahead and eat it, woman," he growled. "If I were in charge, I would have put you to death for what you did. But my lord here is being kind by giving you the leaves of the Blacksoif trees to eat so that you can restore your vigour."
Safila's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How come I've never heard of it? Are you telling the truth?" She questioned, her expression skeptical.
Jamie swallowed the leaf he had been chewing and replied, "Because it is used by people, few creatures are aware of it. I can assure you that it is safe to consume."
With hesitation, Safila grabbed two leaves. She closed her eyes, as if bracing herself, and began to chew them. Almost immediately, her eyes flew open in surprise.
"How does it taste?" Jamie asked, watching her reaction closely.
"It's surprisingly excellent," Safila admitted, her voice filled with wonder. "It tastes like I'm eating the meat of a sheep." She gaped, never having eaten anything as tasty as this before.
Pleased with her response, Jamie reached out and gently petted Safila on the head. "Alright!" he exclaimed. "Now that you have eaten and restored your energy, I want you to teach my people about herbs so that they can distinguish what is what."
Safila agreed reluctantly, still processing the strange turn of events. Jamie gestured towards a group of waiting wolves, and Safila hesitantly made her way towards them to begin her impromptu lesson.
As Safila walked away, Fear approached Jamie, his voice low and concerned. "Are you sure we can trust her?"
Jamie's response was simple and cryptic: "Women." The two shared a laugh, but it quickly petered out as the gravity of the situation settled in.
Fear cleared his throat. "My lord, I suppose I'll go check on the hunting group then."
"Aah, alright!" Jamie replied, watching as Fear trotted off to perform his duties.
Left alone, Jamie walked to a nearby grassy field. He stood silent, watching the surrounding area with an eagerness to explore this world fully. The forest, once so familiar, now seemed filled with new possibilities and hidden wonders.
Suddenly, his contemplation was interrupted by a wolf named Shadow, who approached with urgency. "My lord!" Shadow called out, his voice tinged with concern. "The king of humans has supposedly sent soldiers heading our way, and they are closing in."
Jamie sighed heavily. "Oh! For the love of peace," he muttered, his newfound tranquillity shattered.
"I'm sorry!" Shadow quickly apologized, but Jamie waved it off.
"No, you don't have to apologize to me," Jamie assured him. "Just alert the others."
Shadow grunted in acknowledgement and left, seeming to vanish into thin air. Jamie stood for a moment, looking sideways before reverting back to his original, imposing wolf size. He knew he needed to create an aura of strength for the impending encounter.
Fear returned, his expression grim. "Should we kill them, my lord?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Jamie's eyes flashed with a mix of emotions. "Trust me, I want to kill them so badly, more than you guys do," he admitted, a hint of his past struggles with humans seeping into his voice.
Fear's tone softened, becoming apologetic. "I'm sorry if I intruded on your personal background with them."
"Nope, nothing like that!" Jamie assured him quickly.
Relief washed over Fear's face. "Glad to know!"
Jamie's expression hardened with determination. "Let's go and taste their inner fear," he declared, a hint of anticipation in his voice.
Fear nodded, his gaze lowered in deference to his leader. Together, Jamie and a group of his fiercest wolf fighters positioned themselves, waiting to greet the approaching humans.
As the sound of hoofbeats grew louder, a knight riding a horse with shiny black armour came into view. The knight raised a hand in greeting. "Greetings, Wolves!" he called out, his voice carrying across the clearing.
Jamie stepped forward, his presence commanding and regal. "Welcome, humans!" he replied, his ability to speak catching the knight off guard.
The knight, recovering quickly from his surprise, introduced himself. "Hi, the name's Gale, the Wind Knight of Nigga Kingdom."
Jamie paused, considering his response. In that moment, two words filled his mind: Black and Nyx. With newfound confidence, he replied, "With due respect, Gale, my name is Black Nyx."
Gale let out a hearty laugh. "You truly are one interesting wolf," he said, genuine admiration in his voice. "You can both speak and think, which is human-like. I like you!"
Jamie's response was measured. "Yeah, that's one way to say it."
Intrigued by this unusual wolf, Gale made an unexpected offer. "How about this? Will you work for the Nigga Kingdom as a Knight pet?"
Fear growled menacingly at the suggestion, but Jamie silenced him with a stern look. Turning back to Gale, Jamie replied flatly, "I'm not interested."
Gale seemed unfazed by the rejection. "That so! Anyway, it's an open offer whenever you are willing!"
Jamie's response was diplomatic but noncommittal. "Awesome, I'll think about it in the future."
With their exchange concluded, Gale turned and yelled for his soldiers to move on, taking the lead as they rode away outside the forest.
As the humans disappeared from view, Jamie stood still, his mind racing with the implications of this encounter. He knew that this was just the beginning of a new chapter in their lives, one that would require all of his cunning, strength, and existing previous human knowledge to navigate.
The forest, once their unchallenged domain, was now a stage for a much larger, more complex drama. And Jamie, now known as Black Nyx, was determined to ensure his pack would not merely survive but thrive in this changing world.