Silver could not believe what he was seeing, nor could he believe his luck.
He had observed and checked the perimeters of the savage wolf's territory for beasts and also any danger.
He had made sure to attack the savage wolf when the number and strength of beasts in the savage wolf's territory was low.
He had even covered the edges of the savage wolf's territory with a powder that would mask the scent of the savage wolf's blood, and also the scent of the poisons he used.
He had taken a lot of precautions to make sure another beast would not be drawn to the fight.
But
BUT
BUT!
'WHY IS A CRIMSON LION CUB HERE!!!!'
Silver felt like pulling all his hair out of his head as he stared at a lion that was twice as big as a normal lion, and was also much much different than a normal lion.
The lion did not have a mane and if one observed closely, one would notice that the lion had a young face and its behavior was similar to that of a child.
Also, the lion had crimson lines running all over its body which was also partly crimson.
If one without knowledge saw this lion, they would think this lion was already an adult. However, due to his mother's teachings, Silver knew that this lion was just a cub due to the lack of a mane and the lack of well defined muscles on its body.
This lion cub was called a Crimson Lion, and it was one of the species that his mother had repeatedly and repeatedly warned him to stay away from no matter what.
His mother made sure to drill it into his head that if he ever encountered a crimson lion, even if it was just a newborn crimson lion, he was to run away no matter what.
Run away and never attack a crimson lion cub.
The number of times he heard these words could not be counted. It even reached a point where he started mumbling crimson lion in his sleep.
The reason why his mother repeatedly told him to steer him away from a crimson lion, especially a crimson lion cub was due to just one reason.
Power.
A crimson lion cub was usually a Savage Beast, and it was much stronger than most Savage Beasts due to its high physical capabilities, and also… elemental abilities.
But it was not because of these two factors that made his mother drill into his head how dangerous crimson lion cubs were.
No
It was because of a much much more scarier ability.
Parental Connection.
A crimson lion cub had a very powerful connection to its parents, and if it should ever die or have grievous injuries, its parents would be notified, and they would instantly start running towards their cub.
And most of the time, an adult crimson lion was a Nightmare beast.
A Nightmare Beast was as strong as a Sage, and Silver's father was a Sage.
This was the main reason why his mother repeatedly told him to run the instant he saw a crimson lion cub.
Imagine if he attracted the interest of a crimson lion cub and he had no choice but to kill the cub or grievously injure it to save his life.
He would have to face two Nightmare Beasts.
That was basically a death sentence.
But now!
A crimson lion cub was just a few meters away from him, sniffing around in curiosity. In fact, it seemed like the cub had not yet noticed him.
But Silver had a feeling that he was wrong. His instincts told him that the cub had noticed him and its senses were in fact watching him.
'What in the world is a crimson lion cub doing here? Shouldn't it be in the deepest parts of the greenbelt or even the Heartwood?'
'What kind of shitty ass luck is this?'
Silver almost cursed out loud as he observed the crimson lion cub with sweaty palms.
His body wanted to move, wanted to run, wanted to escape.
The thought of having to face two Nightmare beasts scared the shit out of him. His heartbeat increased and became louder.
Huuu
Corey exhaled softly, calming his fearful and tense nerves.
Despite the anxiety and fear he was feeling, he knew that falling into it would not help him in any way possible. He had to remain calm and think of a way to survive.
He observed the cub, and to Silver's heartache, he saw it walk towards the corpse of the savage wolf.
'My hard-earned prize.'
He felt his heart ache the more he thought about how much time and effort he had put into killing the savage beast.
His heart was unwilling to depart with something that was his. But his mind knew the consequences of acting foolishly.
He stood still and didn't take a single step forward.
Meanwhile, the crimson lion cub approached the corpse of the savage wolf with curiosity.
It could perceive a certain scent coming from the corpse, and it was one it had never perceived before. His curiosity was at its peak, and after sniffing the corpse a couple of times, he came to a decision.
He was going to have a taste.
His senses told him that the corpse was harmless, and since it trusted its instincts, it took a bite out of it.
His jaws reached the spot where the smell was immensely concentrated, and when Silver saw this, his heart skipped several beats.
That was the spot where he had initially stabbed the savage wolf.
On one hand, he was hoping that the poison would be able to kill the crimson lion cub so that he could quickly escape.
On the other hand, he was hoping for the crimson lion cub to survive so that he wouldn't have to encounter and face two Nightmare Beasts.
Silver was stuck in a limbo, and he felt like crying.
What crimes had he committed in the past for him to be in such a situation?
Silver watched with bated breath as the crimson lion cub took a huge chunk out of the savage wolf.
The cub chewed a few times, and after three seconds, it frowned and immediately spat it out with a disgusted expression.
It was extremely bitter.
The crimson lines on his body flickered, and a second later, the cub opened its mouth and a small flame came out from its mouth and burnt everything it spat out.
The crimson lion cub released a discontented growl, and then it turned to Silver.
Silver felt his heart skip a beat.
The cub calmly approached Silver, and Silver's mind raced on what to do and what not to do.
He didn't know. He was afraid.
His gaze never left the cub, and before he knew it, the cub was at arm's length. The pressure and anxiety he felt increased.
Just as Silver was thinking of how to escape his current predicament, something totally and completely unexpected happened.
The wind howled, and in the blink of an eye, an arrow lodged itself in the head of the crimson lion cub, its blood landing on his face and body.
The cub's expression changed to one of shock and confusion. It released a growl of confusion before the light in its eyes was snuffed out and it fell.
Silver's eyes were beyond wide.
The cub was… dead?