In the dead of night, Cole Garrison paced restlessly in his tent, consumed by worry and anxiety. He had drunk cup after cup of tea, even chewing on the leaves at the bottom to calm himself, but nothing seemed to work.
Connor was a hero in Cole's eyes, bravely standing up against Aaron's tyranny despite the risk to himself. Cole knew he had to protect this young man who embodied true courage.
He had planned to secretly escort Connor out of Gates' reach and bring him under his own protection in the capital city. But now it seemed all efforts were futile - Connor refused to leave his carriage or see any visitors.
Despite countless attempts by emissaries sent from outside, Connor remained shut inside his carriage, refusing to budge or entertain any visitors. It was frustrating and stubborn, but also admirable in its own way.
Cole sighed deeply as he finished yet another cup of tea. "Oh well," he muttered under his breath. "I suppose we'll have to do this my way."
His subordinates looked at him with worry etched on their faces. They had thought they were going on a paid vacation by the sea, only to end up risking their lives in the demon king's lair.
"What should we do now?" one asked timidly.
"Tonight, when Connor falls asleep, we'll set out for Sentinel Mountain," Cole replied calmly. "According to our insider information, Crimson Standard Gang won't be active for the next few days so we should have a clear path ahead of us."
As he spoke, Cole closed the tent flaps and began briefing them on their mission for tonight - how they would travel through rough terrain and avoid detection from enemy forces along the way.
Meanwhile, inside the swaying carriage, Connor stirred awake from his slumber. Lilith was curled up next to him like a tiny ball of fur - she had shrunk herself using magic so that she could stay close and protect her master while sleeping soundly herself.
As they rolled onward through what felt like endless darkness punctuated only by moonlight spilling into their little space through a slit in the curtain coverings one window panel - Connor couldn't help but wonder if people feared demons so much that they would go these lengths just to avoid them.
But then again...he wasn't sure if it was fear or something else entirely that drove people's actions sometimes.
Connor gently lifted the carriage curtain and saw a round moon high in the sky. He had no idea how far they had traveled.
Suddenly, from afar, a wolf's howl pierced through the quiet evening breeze. It sounded like it was getting closer by the second.
They were currently at a relatively high point on Sentinel Mountain called Watchtower Hill - a place notoriously difficult to defend and highly dangerous.
Through the small gap in the curtain, Connor could see several pairs of glowing green eyes staring right back at him - unmoving and terrifying.
"All units, listen up! Form a defensive formation and protect the carriage," commanded Cole Garrison's voice.
One by one, all of Garrison's Guards arrived with machetes in hand, standing back-to-back around the carriage to form a circle formation.
"Be alert, there may be wild animals nearby. They're not likely to attack us if they see we have numbers on our side. They should retreat within minutes," Cole explained calmly as everyone locked their eyes onto those eerie green eyes staring back at them from beyond the darkness.
The silence didn't last long before another wolf howl echoed through the air - this time even louder than before. The wolves began howling one after another in succession until there were more than double their original number present outside.
All of these wolves' fur shone with an iridescent blue hue under moonlight like silk woven with glittering threads. They gradually emerged from shadows while slowly closing in on the group of people guarding the carriage.
"There must be over 100 of them!" someone exclaimed out loud as Garrison's Guards took several steps backward involuntarily. But every step they took backward only pushed those wolves further into their territory until eventually it felt like there was no space left to retreat anymore.
"These are no ordinary wolves...they're members of Lan Ya Wolf Clan - rulers of Thorn Forest," said someone else worriedly.
"But why are they here on Sentinel Mountain?" asked another person confusedly while looking up at that full moon hanging high above their heads tonight.
"Ah I see now...on nights when the moon is full, Lan Ya Wolf Clan would flock to Watchtower Hill for some sort of 'moon bath'. They consider this area as their territory."
"That explains why bandits never dare come near here and why Connor needed to leave so urgently..." muttered someone else realizing what was going on just now as he spoke aloud what everyone else already knew inside their hearts and minds too late...
"We've been set up!" "Don't panic guys! As long as we can take down that leader wolf, we still have a chance!" exclaimed another member suddenly trying hard to rally his comrades together despite overwhelming odds stacked against them all now...
But just then, a gusty black wind swept across them without warning followed immediately by heavy rain pouring down quickly thereafter. This head wolf had shining blue fur with white eye-shaped spots scattered throughout its coat along with an inch-long lone horn growing atop its head - it was none other than Lan Ya Wolf King himself!
Everyone gasped collectively among themselves upon laying sight upon such imposing creature right before them...