The Talking Wolf
Emrys heard the wolf speak clearly, making his fear intensify.
Was this a kind of demon?!
It was likely similar to the legendary forest creatures, monsters kept by sorcerers, black mages, or high-level demons. Or it could be a stray monster, or worse, the king of this place, meaning he had no escape, no matter what he did.
"P-please. Don't kill me." The young man whispered repeatedly. Even though he knew his plea had no chance of working on this ferocious monster, he still tried.
After a few minutes of the monster not moving him, he tried to open his eyes.
He looked at the wolf lying there. He carefully stood up and silently took a step to get a better look at it, and he immediately understood why the monster couldn't kill him right now.
On the wolf's chest, blood flowed continuously. It had a large wound, seemingly a claw from a wolf of its kind, leaving it injured.
The wolf was unconscious. It snored loudly, and leaves flew whenever it exhaled through its nose.
Emrys observed it for a moment, and he felt a sense of relief. He was lucky. If the wolf wasn't in this state, he would likely be torn to shreds right now.
Slowly, he turned around and decided to leave, to return to the normal path. He wouldn't return to his clan, but would continue on to the White Temple Institute.
He had to pursue his dream of becoming a student at the Institute, and in his own way. He would take revenge on those who took advantage of his defenseless ignorance.
But before he could get far, the monster groaned. Emrys froze and stopped walking. He slowly turned to the wolf, and his soul almost leaped out of his body in shock.
How could it be? The wolf was staring at him. It was so cold and terrifying that Emrys swallowed nervously, not knowing whether to continue or pretend to be a tree where he stood forever.
"Help me..."
Emrys was surprised at how it could speak in a language he understood. According to the books he had read, monsters like this used a different kind of language.
No one could understand them except their own kind and the person who created them, but not everyone who brought them to life knew that language, so what was happening now was truly strange to Emrys.
"Help me..."
Again, the monster spoke in a deep, weak voice. Then, it slowly closed its eyes and fell back asleep.
Emrys stood there for a few minutes, dazed. He didn't know whether to help it, and if he did, how and why would he do that?
Until he finally decided to leave, but again, he heard the monster's groan.
It sounded like a creature's groan that desperately needed help, but it was a monster, so he was also afraid.
"Ugh! Whatever!" Of all the confusing and annoying situations piling up in his mind, he decided to explore the forest.
He wandered around for an hour until he found all the ingredients he could use to make medicine and then returned to the secluded part of the forest where the dying monster lay.
Using the little fire magic Emrys had learned as a Rat Level Cultivator, he created a very small fire with ten minutes of concentration and heated the herbs using a black, old cauldron he had found while wandering earlier.
"You're lucky. Because if I wasn't kind, I wouldn't help you here." Emrys stood facing the monster, carefully applying the crushed herbs around its large wound, while waiting for the herbs he was heating to boil on the side. "You're also lucky I found a clean stream nearby. And the cauldron. Ugh. What am I doing? Whatever! Don't you dare eat me when you get better, okay?"
He talked to it, but it didn't speak back because it was sleeping very deeply.
It wasn't dead yet because he could still hear its weak breathing.
"Just a moment and..."
The water boiled, and the medicine was ready.
Emrys' smile widened because of that. "Here it is!" Even he was confused about why he was so happy to realize that the medicine was ready. He wasn't even sure if he wouldn't be harmed after healing the wolf.
He woke the wolf, and while holding the hot cauldron full of medicine, he poured it into the monster's mouth.
It groaned and obviously got burned, but Emrys just smiled. "Elder Morem said this medicine is more effective for wounds if you drink it while it's still hot."
And it didn't take long. After only half an hour, the wolf's wound stopped bleeding. And thanks to the crushed herbs he had applied, the wound was no longer swollen and was ready to heal with enough time to rest.
Emrys sat in front of the wolf's mouth, smiling and folding his arms. He was happy, but also tired. But the important thing was, he had saved a life for the first time. He was content with that.
When the wolf opened its eyes, it immediately felt the strength returning to its body. It looked at Emrys and smiled, seemingly bowing in front of the young man.
"Thank you. Young man."
"My name is Emrys."
"Emrys. As a thank you for your kindness, accept my gift in exchange for my life."
Really? A gift? Emrys thought he would be killed by the wolf as soon as it could move.
The reason he stayed there was that he just wanted to hear some answers from this monster. But of course, he could only ask those questions if it didn't bite him on the head first. And he was grateful that wasn't happening, instead, he received a gift he never thought possible.