Outside of the cave, many of the hunters were walking around looking for more wolves to kill. Suddenly their communication crystals lit up as a voice came through.
"Hello? This is Ian. we're in trouble. Please send hel-'' The voice was only able to get a few words in before cutting off.
Many hunters tried to call Ian back but there was no response. One of those people was Erik. Hearing that Ian and his group were in trouble again made him panic. He held onto his crystal and he yelled into it, "Ian! Ian! Where are you?! But there was no response.
Erik acted quickly and ran towards the last location they were at. He was going to search around the area for them.
Back in the cave, the group was staring down the wolf, not sure what to do. Fear was slowly filling their bodies. But eventually, Kevin and Emmett decided not to wait for the wolf to attack. They both took action before anything happened.
Kevin sent a gust of wind at the wolf to push it back. Emmett closed off the cave by creating a wall between them and the wolf.
As soon as they blocked off the wolf, Emmett threw his communication crystal at Ian and said, "Call for help. Kevin and I will hold it off for as long as we can."
The cave shook as the wolf attacked the wall. Every few attacks, the wolf would break a hole in the wall but Emmett would close it immediately. Emmett was using most of his power to keep the wall sturdy. But he wouldn't last long against the constant barrage of attacks on the wall.
When Ian caught Emmett's crystal he activated it and said, "Hello? This is Ian. We're trapped in a cave near the northwest section. It's on the side of a hill. If anyone is nearby please come help us. We have encountered a high-ranking wolf and we are trying to hold it off. But I'm not sure how long we can last. Please someone help us!"
As Ian spoke into the crystal, many explosions were going off in the background as the wolf kept breaking the wall but Emmett continuously repaired it.
Emmett didn't look like he would last much longer. He was covered in sweat and his whole body was shaking. His reaction time was also getting slower. Thankfully Kevin was there to help.
Kevin would blast the wolf with air to stop it from jumping through the holes. This gave Emmett enough time to close the holes. But it was becoming harder for Emmett as time went on.
After a few minutes though, Emmett dropped onto one of his knees. He was on the verge of passing out. He had to use his powers at full strength just to hold off the wolf. But in doing so, he was draining himself extremely fast.
A moment later, Emmett collapsed to the ground. He had no energy left.
With that, the wolf finally broke through the wall after almost 15 minutes of Emmett stalling it. It opened its mouth and was about to launch a fire blast but Kevin stepped forth and blasted the wolf first.
The blast of wind pushed the wolf back but it did not stop it from launching its attack. The wolf sent out a large fire blast at Kevin as he put up his wind shield.
But when the fire blast collided with Kevin's wind shield, it sent him flying back. He crashed against the cave wall and was knocked out. Ian now stood alone.
The wolf turned its attention to Ian and walked slowly towards him. It emanated a fiery aura.
The wolf pups near Ian seemed happy to see the wolf. They barked and yipped at the wolf in joy.
Ian was a bit stunned. He wanted to do something but if Kevin and Emmett weren't able to defeat it, then how would he stand a chance. Regardless, he knew he had to attempt something. He quickly took a fighting stance before rushing around the wolf to attack it from the side.
The wolf didn't seem to be worried about what Ian was doing. It stayed in the same spot, paying him no mind.
Ian could tell something was wrong but he took the opportunity to attack. He raised his dagger up ready to stab the wolf. But when the dagger came in contact with the wolf's body, it broke.
The wolf's body was too hard for a copper-rank weapon to damage it. As soon as the dagger broke, the wolf smacked Ian away. He crashed against the cave wall, taking a lot of damage.
The wolf approached Ian once more, ready to tear him to shreds. It raised its claw into the air as Ian turned to face it.
"Well, this is the end. I'm sorry everyone," Ian thought as he watched the wolf bring down its claw upon him. But before the wolf's claw landed on him it stopped.
Ian closed his eyes, waiting for the claw to make an impact, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see what was happening.
The wolf still had an angry face and its claw was still over Ian but it didn't move. He looked towards the wolf pups and saw they were cowering in fear. He turned to the wolf once more but before he made eye contact, the wolf split in half.
The wolf's body split apart to relieve someone standing behind it. The cave was too dark to see who it was. But they were holding a blood sword in their right hand.
Upon closer look, Ian was able to tell that it was Erik who stood before him. "Dad!" Ian yelled out. A wave of relief filled his body.
Erik crouched in front of Ian, grabbed his shoulders, and asked, "Are you okay? What happened?"
Ian was still a bit shaky but managed to say, "W…we found this cave a…and we thought the…there would be wolves hiding in here. But we found something else." Ian took a moment before continuing, "Then that wolf showed up and trapped us in here." Ian pointed at one of the halves of the wolf Erik just killed.
"I see. So what exactly happened to the others?" Erik asked as he turned to face Kevin and Emmett.
Ian took a few seconds to calm down. Afterwards, he went on to explain how Emmett and Kevin held off the wolf for as long as they could. Ian also mentioned the wolf pups and their nest.
Erik listened carefully to Ian. After Ian's explanation, Erik stood up and walked over to Kevin. He grabbed Kevin's unconscious body and slung it over his right shoulder. Then he walked towards Emmett and placed him under his left arm.
"I'm going to take these two back to camp. You should finish up here and head back as well." Erik looked at Ian and then at the wolf pups that were still cowering together.
Ian was a bit confused and asked, "Wait, by finish up here, do you mean…"
"Yes. Kill the pups and head back," Erik said before Ian could continue.
"But why? They're just pups. I don't think I have it in me to do it." Ian said. He looked sorry at the pups.
Erik turned to face Ian and said, "Out of you three, you have the most hunting experience. This should be easy for you. But it's not just that. After taking a closer look at them they remind me of something."
"And what would that be?" Ian asked with a worried face.
"They share the same colors as the wolf leader I fought. The wolf leader had a green, blue, and white tail. If my guess is correct, then these are the wolf leader's children. We can't have them grow up and seek revenge." Erik spoke in a slightly angry tone.
"But why do I have to do it? Why can't you?" Ian was still confused about why Erik wanted him to kill the wolf pups.
"To teach you that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to protect those we care about. Also, I think it's only fair that one of my kids kills the wolf leader's children." Erik gave Ian a big smile when he finished.
Ian was going to say something, but before he could, Erik bolted out of the cave. Ian sat on the cave floor for a while thinking about what to do. He felt bad having to kill the wolf pups since they're so young and are only null rank. But he knew he had to do it or else.
He stood up and walked over to the pups. His sad gaze loomed over them. The wolf pups would be able to run even if they tried to.
Ian stood over them thinking about what would happen if he let them live. The thought of them growing up only to attack the village made him angry. That anger slowly began to build up within him. Eventually, the anger built up enough for him to take action.
"I'm sorry little ones, but it's either you or me. I'll make it quick and painless," Ian said with anger and sadness in his eyes.
He reached down and grabbed one of the pups. He grabbed onto the green pup, holding it down. The other two ran away, hoping to escape before they were next.
Ian held onto the green pup tight as he pulled out his other tusk dagger. He raised it up high over his head as he kept a close eye on the pup so he didn't miss.
The green pup squirmed in Ian's grip, trying to free itself as it let out cries of fear. But it was useless. Ian brought down his knife onto the pup's head, killing it instantly. In the end, all that could be heard was the sound of Ian's knife stabbing into the pup's brain, and the pup letting out a loud yelp as it was killed.
The other two pups were running as fast as they could, while their sibling was being killed. As soon as they heard their sibling die, the pups tried to move faster. Their eyes were filled with tears of fear and sadness. But no matter what, they had to keep running.
However, it didn't matter. As soon as Ian killed the green pup, he dashed towards the others, catching up with them almost instantly.
The white pup was a little bit behind the blue pup. Due to this, Ian grabbed the white pup first. He lifted it up by its neck so he could see it in the light of the lamp. He looked at the white pup one last time before stabbing it in the head through its left eye.
The white pup also let out a loud yelp when it got stabbed. But thankfully it died immediately after being stabbed.
The blue pup did not turn to see its siblings die at the hands of Ian. it kept running as fast as it could. It was only a few meters away from the cave's exit when it felt a hand grab onto its tail. The hand lifted it into the air. The pup thrashed around, trying to free itself.
Ian stared at the pup with sad eyes. The pup stared back into Ian's eyes, seeing the sadness in them. A chill ran down the pup's spine.
"I'm sorry." These were the only words Ian could say. He grabbed the pup by its neck, and with a simple flick, he snapped its neck.
Just like its sibling before, the blue pup let out a loud yelp the moment it died. Ian dropped its body on the ground and then turned towards the nest they were in. There was only one pup left.