Chapter 11: Traps & Feral
The elder's question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. Jiho felt a slight chill despite the warm morning sun filtering through the trees. He met the elder's gaze, his mind racing. Should he tell the truth? No—he had to tread carefully.
"I'm just a wanderer," Jiho replied cautiously. "I don't remember much from before I came here. I woke up one day and found my way to your village. Everything after that has been... new to me."
The elder's eyes, sharp and probing, seemed to weigh Jiho's every word. His grip on his walking stick tightened, his voice growing colder, like the winds of a harsh winter night.
"You carry a strength that's new to us," the elder began, his tone low and deliberate. "But know this—if you ever become a threat to our tribe, there will be consequences, even if the spirits favor you."
Jiho swallowed, his gaze unwavering despite the tension in the air. The warning was clear, though the elder's tone lacked immediate hostility. "I understand," Jiho replied, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
The elder studied him for a moment longer, his expression unreadable. "The spirits may favor you now," he said, his tone softer but still laced with suspicion, "but their favor is fickle. Remember that. If you harm this tribe, you will not live to see another sunrise."
Jiho nodded slowly, the gravity of the elder's words sinking in. He was an outsider, and while he had earned some respect from slaying the Grimclaw, that respect was fragile, balanced on a knife's edge. Any wrong move, and he could lose everything.
The elder turned away, signaling the end of their conversation. Jiho followed in silence, his mind racing with thoughts of what had just transpired. He had hoped to gain more information, but it seemed the elder was still testing him, waiting for him to prove his worth—or his danger.
As they walked back toward the village, the elder spoke once more, his voice a low rumble. "You may think you know this world, Jiho, but there are things older and more dangerous than you can imagine. Tread carefully."
With those final words, the elder continued walking back toward his hut, his pace slow and steady. Jiho watched him for a moment, the weight of the elder's warning pressing down on him like a heavy mantle. He knew now that his time in the tribe would not be easy. He would have to earn their trust, but more importantly, he would have to survive long enough to do so.
When Jiho returned to the village center, he found Kwan and Rakan waiting for him. Kwan gave him a questioning look, clearly curious about what had transpired with the elder, but he didn't press for details.
"Everything alright?" Kwan asked casually, though his eyes searched Jiho's face for any sign of trouble.
Jiho managed a small smile. "Yeah, just a... chat with the elder," he replied, keeping his tone light. There was no need to burden Kwan or Rakan with the elder's warning. Not yet, anyway.
Rakan chuckled, clapping Jiho on the shoulder. "A chat, huh? Well, if you're still standing, that's a good sign!"
Jiho laughed along with him, grateful for the brief moment of levity. The elder's words still lingered in his mind, but he pushed them aside. There was work to be done, and he wasn't about to let the elder—or anyone else—see him falter.
"Ready to check those traps?" Rakan asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Let's do it," Jiho said, nodding. His earlier use of the Primordial Beast Blood Essence had left him feeling stronger and more attuned to the world around him. The subtle enhancement to his senses made every sound, every movement in the village sharper and clearer. He felt prepared for whatever lay ahead.
As they made their way out of the village, Jiho noticed how the villagers still cast cautious glances his way. The respect he had earned from slaying the Grimclaw was tempered with suspicion—he was still an outsider, and trust would not come easily. The elder's warning echoed in his mind, a constant reminder of the delicate balance he needed to maintain.
The forest surrounding the village was alive with the sounds of nature—birds singing their morning songs, leaves swaying gently in the breeze, and the distant murmur of a stream cutting through the dense greenery. As they ventured deeper, Rakan led the way, his eyes sharp and focused, scanning the ground for signs of prey.
"We set the traps just a little further ahead," Rakan said, glancing back at Jiho. "Hopefully, we'll have caught something by now."
Jiho nodded, feeling the reassuring weight of the Grimclaw Fang Dagger at his side. The forest seemed to pulse with energy, every rustle of leaves sending a thrill of anticipation through him. The heightened senses from the Primordial Beast Blood Essence made him hyper-aware of his surroundings, as if the very air around him was charged with potential danger.
When they reached the first trap, Rakan crouched down to inspect it. "Looks like we got lucky," he said with a grin, lifting the trap to reveal a small, struggling creature—a rabbit, its fur sleek and glossy under the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy.
Jiho watched as Rakan expertly dispatched the animal, his movements swift and precise. "Good catch," Jiho said, admiring the clean kill.
"Let's check the others," Rakan said, his tone eager. They continued through the thick foliage, the forest's symphony enveloping them. It wasn't long before they reached another trap, a simple yet effective snare. Jiho crouched down to inspect it, noticing the faint tracks of a small animal nearby.
"Looks like we might have caught something," Jiho remarked, pointing to the disturbed ground.
Rakan nodded, moving forward to check the snare. As he bent down, his expression shifted from casual to alert in an instant. "Hold on… something's off."
Jiho tensed, his hand instinctively moving to the Grimclaw Fang Dagger at his side. "What is it?"
Rakan gestured to the snare. "It's been triggered, but there's no sign of the animal… and look here." He pointed to the surrounding area, where the ground was churned up, as if something larger had struggled and broken free.
Jiho's eyes narrowed as he scanned the scene. "Something else was here," he muttered.
Before Rakan could respond, a sudden rustling in the nearby bushes snapped their attention forward. The sound was too loud, too deliberate to be just the wind. Both men froze, their instincts honed, hearts beating faster as the forest around them grew unnervingly quiet.
Jiho and Rakan exchanged a tense glance. Whatever was out there, it wasn't small.
Slowly, they began to back away from the disturbed trap, their senses on high alert. The rustling grew louder, and Jiho tightened his grip on the dagger, every muscle in his body coiled like a spring.
Then, without warning, the bushes parted with a sharp crack, and a low, menacing growl reverberated through the trees. Jiho's breath caught as he caught sight of a shadowed figure lurking just beyond the treeline, its form massive and predatory.
"Run," Rakan hissed, his voice barely a whisper as his eyes widened in fear.
But before they could move, the creature lunged, its hulking frame emerging from the shadows with terrifying speed. Jiho barely had time to react as the beast—a massive, snarling wolf with fur as dark as night—charged toward them, its fangs bared in a vicious snarl.
Jiho's instincts took over. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's snapping jaws, and rolled to his feet, drawing his dagger in one fluid motion. Rakan, too, was already moving, his spear in hand as he circled to the beast's flank.
The wolf snarled again, its eyes gleaming with a feral intelligence as it sized them up, clearly unafraid of the two men standing against it. This was no ordinary animal—it was a predator at the top of the food chain, and it had just found its next meal.
Jiho's mind raced as he assessed the situation. They were deep in the forest, far from the safety of the village. Running would be useless—the beast was too fast, too determined. They would have to fight, and fight smart, if they were to survive this encounter.
He tightened his grip on the Grimclaw Fang Dagger, the blade glinting ominously in the dim light filtering through the trees. "Stay sharp," Jiho muttered, his voice low and steady. "We can take it down if we work together."
Rakan nodded, his expression grim but resolute. "I'm with you."
The wolf growled again, its muscles bunching as it prepared to strike. Jiho could feel the tension in the air, a palpable sense of danger that set his nerves on edge. This was it—a battle for survival against a creature born of the wild, untamed and deadly.
With a final, feral snarl, the wolf lunged once more, and the fight for their lives began.