The escape was quiet, save for the rapid breaths Alypos could hear from Marina, each exhale an echo of his own fatigue. They'd pushed past exhaustion to reach a grove, and though they'd bought themselves a moment's rest, the respite felt borrowed.
They'd managed to avoid another direct encounter with the wolves, but Alypos's instincts warned him that their reprieve was slipping away. His gaze swept across the grove's edges, dark and shifting. Somewhere deeper into the thicket, they could hear chanting—a low, guttural hum that rippled through the air. They weren't alone.
To their left, a lake stretched dark and reflective. They ducked low and moved toward its bank, slipping into the shallow water. The cold, murky depths wrapped around them, and as they waded further in, Alypos felt the pull of fatigue settling deeper into his bones. Still, they pressed on until they were submerged enough to go unnoticed, using the water as cover.
A short swim later, they climbed out under the cover of thick trees, letting the shadows conceal them as they huddled under a low-hanging tree. Alypos adjusted his position, leaning his back against the tree's gnarled bark and signaling Marina to rest while he took the first watch. His eyes scanned the dense woods, every shadow a potential threat.
Marina curled into a tight ball, her body visibly strained. She'd exhausted much of her energy earlier in the skirmish. Alypos knew she'd need to recover, and it was his role to ensure that happened. He remained alert, his senses trained to catch any hint of movement in the darkness.
But as the hours crawled past, fatigue gnawed at him, his body longing for rest. A faint breeze stirred the underbrush, sending a ripple through the leaves. The night's silence was suddenly broken by a deep, primal howl. Alypos tensed, his eyes snapping toward the sound, and he knew without question— they had found their trail again.
He crouched, shaking Marina awake with a firm hand. "Marina, it's time."
Her eyes widened, and she stilled, catching the faint, heavy breaths on the wind. Shadows rippled through the trees as the wolves appeared on the edge of the grove. The pack moved with the precision of seasoned hunters, their formation tightened as they pushed past the last line of trees. The two teens walked slightly behind, their youthful eyes gleaming under the night's pale light. At the front was the Alpha—its massive form radiating an unnatural intensity, its presence warping the air around it with a deadly pressure.
The wolf's shadow seemed to pulse, bending and stretching with each step, its predatory gaze sweeping across the grove. Alypos could feel the weight of its aura, pressing on him like a suffocating fog. For a moment, even breathing felt laborious, as if the world itself recoiled from the beast's presence. Its fur was sleek, glistening with a cold, dark sheen, and its eyes held a searing intelligence.
He looked to Marina, giving her a nod. They'd discussed their plan earlier—strike fast, strike hard, and vanish before the pack could retaliate.
But before they could move, the chanting from earlier grew louder. Alypos turned his head just enough to see the goblin shaman on the far edge of the grove, bathed in dim, unnatural light. It had paused its ritual, eyes wide and fixed on the wolves. In its shock, the shaman let out a hoarse yell that quickly summoned a swarm of goblins, three goblin chiefs among them.
The two predators—the goblins and the wolves—had become aware of each other, and the grove was suddenly a battleground.
The goblin forces surged forward, their war cries merging into a cacophony of rage. The goblin chiefs advanced with brute force, backed by clusters of snarling foot soldiers, while the shaman unleashed its magic—a dark, rippling sphere that shot toward the Alpha. But the Alpha wolf didn't even flinch; it swatted the spell away with a flick of its tail, sending the sphere crashing into a nearby tree, which exploded into splinters.
Alypos seized the moment, signaling Marina to raise a shield. She closed her eyes, summoning her remaining strength, and a thick barrier of water formed between them and the nearest wolf teen. She nodded, her face tense, her focus absolute.
Alypos inhaled sharply, then slid forward, his movements fluid, almost serpentine. His steps were soundless as he approached his target. Water gathered around his hand, coiling and spiraling, until it solidified into a spear. He struck fast, the water spear piercing the wolf's side in one swift motion.
The wolf let out a strangled yelp, but Alypos's grip was unrelenting. His free hand twisted, summoning a tendril of water that snaked around the beast's neck, holding it firmly as it thrashed. The water tendril constricted, tightening until he heard a snap. The wolf's body went limp, collapsing into the dirt.
But his victory was short-lived. A savage growl ripped through the grove as the Alpha turned its blazing eyes on him. In one swift motion, it unleashed a volley of dark energy—a shadow ball, dark and pulsing with power—straight toward them.
"Down!" Alypos shouted, and Marina reinforced the shield, bracing against the impact. The shadow ball smashed into the barrier, sending a shockwave rippling outward. The shield shattered, dissipating into droplets as Marina stumbled back, the impact forcing her to her knees.
They barely managed to evade the worst of the blast, but Alypos felt the burn of the Alpha's oppressive aura, like iron bands constricting his limbs. The creature's sheer power made even the thought of countering feel insurmountable. He grit his teeth, eyes flickering to the goblin shaman, who seemed to have taken advantage of the chaos.
The shaman raised its staff, chanting with newfound fervor. Shadows converged around it, twisting and thickening, and a jagged line of dark energy lanced toward the Alpha. Seeing its opportunity, the goblin chief charged alongside its goblin horde, all focused on the powerful beast.
Alypos grabbed Marina's arm, urging her to her feet. "Now. Move!"
They darted away from the scene, slipping into the shadows as the goblin forces clashed with the enraged Alpha wolf. Marina's breathing was shallow, her steps faltering, but she kept pace, her gaze fixed ahead as they navigated through the grove's winding paths. They circled back toward the den's entrance, weaving between boulders and fallen trees.
Finally, they stumbled upon the ancient chamber where Alypos had once defeated the Goblin Elder. It was quieter here, though the distant sounds of battle still echoed faintly through the tunnels. He led Marina to the corner where the altar stood, offering a brief but sturdy shelter.
The chamber was empty, the goblins' usual guard presence noticeably absent. Alypos crouched, taking a deep breath as he began to heal their wounds. His hands glowed faintly as he cast Aqua Heal, the water's gentle light enveloping their injuries. The bruises faded, and their cuts slowly closed. Marina leaned against the wall, her face pale but determined, her gaze locked on the tunnel entrance.
They sat in tense silence, the air thick with unspoken thoughts.
Alypos broke the quiet, his voice barely above a whisper. "We won't have another chance like that. The Alpha's smarter than we thought. Next time, it'll be ready for us."
Marina nodded, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion. "But the goblins…they'll keep it occupied for now. We'll have time to recover. Just enough."
Alypos knew she was right, but he also felt the weight of the Alpha's fury, a rage that wouldn't rest until it found them. It would tear through every goblin in that den, and when there was no one left to challenge it, the hunt would begin again.
For now, though, they had a temporary haven. The chamber was theirs, and they huddled close to the altar, waiting for morning's first light. The darkness was their shield, the stone walls their sanctuary, and in that moment of quiet, Alypos felt the resolve harden within him. If they were going to survive this hunt, they would need more than just cunning and skill.
They would need to become as merciless, as relentless, as the beasts pursuing them.