The hunter stood observing the papa wolf from several feet away, who wouldn't hesitate to unsheathe his claws in a threatening manner.
Just a meter and a half away, between the roots of a dry tree, one of the wolf's cubs was hastily trying to get out.
However, it looked more like a Shiba Inu.
The hunter pointed his staff at Tenma, trying to remember where he had seen him before, while a green glow emanated from the magical orb of his weapon.
"Woof!"
The papa wolf would have crossed the distance between the hunter and himself in an instant, biting his arm to make him drop the staff.
Tenma and the cubs were stunned, but just as the hunter was about to fall, he disappeared from his location, reappearing in front of Tenma, crouching down to observe him more closely.
The growl came from behind again, and the hunter called his staff lying on the ground to make it levitate to his hand, with which he struck the chest of the papa wolf, pushing him back several meters.
"An orange and whitish cub... Then there was... another."
Tenma was astonished to hear this, listening to the frightened growls of his siblings hiding behind a rock, trying to call their father.
The hunter reached out his hand for him to sniff, but Tenma let out a fierce growl, trying to bite him, being too slow.
"You better leave here right now! Leave our father alone!"
But the hunter just pulled a tuft of fur from the cub, making him squeal in pain, manifesting a small smile as he passed the hairs through his fingers, storing them in his pocket.
"... You are the perfect ingredient."
"WOOF!"
The papa wolf had returned, this time grabbing the hunter's neck and removing his hood, who immediately took his staff and struck the canine's chest, letting out a howl of pain.
Immediately, the papa wolf fell to the ground, trying to get up again.
Realizing how his hind legs were being petrified, moving up to his tail and spreading across his chest at a great speed.
The hunter fell to the ground from the wound, bleeding and groaning, now breathing heavily.
Seeing the wolf lying there, trying to move as best he could while each hair of his was being petrified, the hunter, in a fit of rage, stepped on the head of the now defenseless wolf, clearly enraged.
The cubs retreated completely terrified, whining as they looked around for help.
On the other hand, Tenma had been petrified with fear, watching the scene up close.
Noticing the glamorous ears of the race he only knew from fantasy stories.
An elf.
Blood continued to flow from the elf's neck, so he tapped his staff on the ground twice, drew a quick circle, and looked at the cub, coughing.
Tenma trembled, unable to take his eyes off the elf. The brutality with which he had treated the papa wolf left him paralyzed, and he couldn't fully comprehend what was happening.
Despite his fear, Tenma knew he had to do something. He couldn't let the hunter hurt his new family.
The papa wolf lay on the ground, his body partially petrified, but he still maintained a defiant look towards the elf.
The cubs, though terrified, tried to hide as best they could.
The atmosphere was tense, and the air filled with the sounds of leaves whispering in the wind and the heavy panting of the papa wolf.
The papa wolf turned to look at Tenma, who gazed at him with tears in his eyes, trembling.
"Little one..." gasped the papa wolf, his eyes fixed on Tenma. "Just... Run... protect your siblings..."
The elf, still holding his staff, watched Tenma with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. He wiped the blood running down his neck, his green eyes shining with a dangerous intensity.
"Stay there... kid," the elf repeated, his voice resonating with a threatening tone.
He took a step towards Tenma, but at that moment, one of the braver cubs jumped from his hiding place and bit the elf's leg.
"Don't go near him!" shouted the cub with unexpected bravery, speaking his first words.
The elf let out a grunt of pain and kicked the cub away, but that distraction was enough for Tenma to get out of the hole, pulling the hunter's robe to knock him over.
The elf, furious, raised his staff, grabbed Tenma, and threw him towards his cub siblings, pointing his staff at them with a sneer of disdain.
"You have as much determination as your father... but you, little one, are special."
However, before he could cast a spell, a powerful howl resonated in the distance.
Mama wolf had arrived.
With incredible speed and ferocity, mama wolf appeared between the trees, leaping directly at the elf.
Her fury was palpable, and her fangs gleamed with a deadly light as she attacked mercilessly.
The elf tried to defend himself, but mama wolf was relentless. Her claws and teeth tore through the elf's flesh, who could do nothing but retreat and try to conjure a protection spell.
However, the speed and strength of mama wolf were overwhelming, and soon the elf fell to the ground, unable to hold himself up any longer.
"Get out of here!" growled mama wolf, her voice filled with fierce hatred. "Never dare to touch my family again."
The elf, now severely injured, tried to retreat, his staff glowing weakly as he tried to conjure a portal to escape.
With one last effort, he disappeared in a flash of green light, leaving behind a trail of blood and a bitter smell in the air.
Mama wolf started coughing a bit, and cleared her throat.
She turned towards her cubs and Tenma, panting heavily. She approached the papa wolf, using her fangs and claws to free her mate from the petrification.
But the petrification was getting worse.
"You're okay, love," she whispered, gently licking the papa wolf's face. "He's gone. He's gone... how could this have happened?"
The papa wolf, though still weak, stretched his head towards his partner, giving her a warm lick on her snout, never taking his eyes off her clear eyes.
The cubs huddled around their parents, still trembling with fear.
Tenma, still shaking a bit, approached mama wolf, his tail moving slowly as he tried to calm down.
"The hunter... comes for the pup."
"... Honey..."
"... I was going to walk the cubs as I promised you... I'm sorry..."
As the petrification turned him into stone, the wolf's eyes lost life, looking at his cubs with a sad smile.
"... Papa... will just sleep for a while... Okay...?"
However, the petrification had finished.