They climbed in silence, focusing on the ascent. Two couldn't help but tease, "Who knows? Maybe the others are already waiting up there, enjoying the view."
"True," Three agreed, glancing up at him. "And if they're not, at least we'll have the high ground to spot them."
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, they reached a wide ledge and pulled themselves up, breathing heavily.
"That was something," Three panted.
"Too fast for you? Sorry," Two said, his grin mischievous. "Didn't realize you were so slow."
Three rolled his eyes. Classic Two. "Everything's a competition with you, isn't it?" he muttered with a smirk.
They walked along the ledge, but then they froze as the faint sound of movement echoed nearby. Two signaled for silence, his gaze focused. They crept forward until they found a large cave opening. Just as Two peered around the edge, a screech tore through the air, the sound rumbling through the rocks. Both instantly recognized it.
"Damn. Not these wolves again," they both muttered as three Sonic Howlers prowled out of the shadows, their glowing eyes locked on them.
With a ferocious howl, one of the wolves lunged straight for Two. "Pesky wolves," Two muttered, stepping into the attack, grabbing it by the neck, and hurling it over the edge. The wolf's screech echoed as it fell, the sound fading into silence.
But Two's victory left his back exposed, and another Sonic Howler darted forward, claws reaching. "Watch out, Two!" Three yelled, springing into action. He delivered a powerful kick to the wolf's side, slamming it into the cave wall with a sickening crack.
Two didn't miss a beat, rushing forward to lift the dazed wolf and throw it off the cliff. They watched it plummet into the depths below, then turned to face the last wolf, which stood firmly in front of the cave, almost as if guarding it.
"Alright, last one," Two said, crouching, ready to pounce.
But just as he started forward, a soft voice echoed from within the cave, causing them both to freeze.
As they both looked at the entrance of the cave, they saw two Teenage girls with Long black hair and black eyes walking out of the cave
"SIX! FOUR!" Two and Three shouted in unison, relief washing over them as they spotted their friends unharmed.
"It's so good to see you two again," Three said, grinning as he took in their familiar faces—until his gaze settled on the wolf calmly sitting next to Four.
"Likewise!" Four replied, a warm smile lighting up her face. "We didn't expect to run into any other teams for a while." She was about to say more but noticed Three's fixed stare. Following his gaze, she chuckled. "Oh, this?" she said, giving the wolf a few affectionate pats on its head. The creature leaned into her hand, its metallic eyes softening under her touch.
Two and Three could only stare, jaws practically hitting the ground. Just yesterday, this thing had tried to tear them apart, and now it looked like a completely different creature.
Four burst into laughter at their stunned expressions. With a grin, she nudged the wolf forward. "Go on, say hello."
The wolf padded over, and Three instinctively took a step back. He glanced nervously at Four. "Are… are you sure this is safe?"
"Oh, come on," Four teased, "he doesn't bite. Well, not anymore." She laughed as the wolf inched closer.
But when the wolf got a little too close for comfort, Six stepped in, resting a hand on Four's shoulder. "Alright, I think you've traumatized him enough," she said with a smirk.
"Fine, fine," Four relented, calling the wolf back to her side.
"Thank you, Six," Three sighed in relief, casting a grateful look her way.
"No problem," Six said with a grin, amused by the whole scene.
The sounds of loud laughter echoed through the clearing as Two finally let loose. "Three, you should have seen your face! You looked terrified!"
Three shot him a glare, but Two only laughed harder, doubling over. He stopped abruptly when he noticed the seriousness in Three's eyes. "Okay, okay. But seriously, Four, what did you do to make this vicious robot obey you?" he asked, curiosity sparkling in his gaze.
Three, now having regained his composure, leaned in, eager to hear Four's answer.
Puffing out her chest with pride, Four replied, "I dismantled one of the robot wolves from that first night. Salvaged its transmitter and driver, and rebuilt them into this." She held up her wrist, revealing a sleek device.
"Whoa!" Two exclaimed, his eyes widening.
As they looked closer, they saw a slim, dark bracelet hugging her wrist. A transparent digital display glowed softly with a neon blue hue, while thin, pulsating light strips ran along its edge.
"This is amazing," Three said, his eyes fixed on the glowing gadget.
"It's made from a dark matte metal," Four explained, her confidence shining through. "Lightweight but durable. This display shows me everything I need—active signals, battery life, even robotic control stats. When it's on, it glows this cool neon blue."
"Okay, now that sounds awesome," Two admitted, nodding along, though he didn't fully grasp the details.
"And underneath, there are these sensor pads that connect directly with my nervous system," Four continued, enthusiasm evident in her voice. "They let me control the robots just by thinking about it. And see this little antenna? It tucks away when I'm not using it, but it pops out to send signals to the robot wolves."
"Seriously?" Three asked, impressed.
"Yep! And I've got a row of buttons here for manual control—color-coded for quick access," Four added, tapping the device. "And those thin light strips? They pulse to show the device's status. When it's ready, they glow steady; when it's in standby, they flicker. Pretty cool, right?"
To be honest, neither Two nor the others really understood all the technical jargon Four had just rattled off, but it sounded impressive, so they continued to nod enthusiastically. "Definitely cool," Two said, giving her a thumbs up.
"Oh, I forgot to mention! While I was building this little device, I found out what the name of these robots is," Four said, a gleam of excitement in her eyes.
Both Two and Three leaned in, anticipation written all over their faces. "Really?" they chorused.
Four let the silence stretch for a moment, enjoying the suspense. "Sonic Howlers!" she finally announced.
The name echoed in the air, reverberating in everyone's heads. Even Six, who had been with Four the longest, looked just as shocked as the others. "Sonic Howlers?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"So what do they do?" Three asked, shaking off his surprise.
Four smiled, clearly pleased that Three had asked. "The Sonic Howler may look and feel like normal wolves, but they're so much more. They emit high-decibel sound waves that can rupture eardrums, disorient targets, and even crack light armor."
"Wow," Two murmured, his eyes widening.
"They use their claws for swift, precise attacks and can move at incredible speeds to close distances quickly," Four continued, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "But that's not all! When they howl, the sonic pulse they create spreads over a wide radius, rendering electronic devices temporarily useless. It's ideal for creating chaos and disrupting enemy communications."
Three glanced at Two, both of them visibly processing the implications. "So they can take out our tech just like that?" he said, snapping his fingers for emphasis.
"Exactly!" Four replied, nodding. "We have to be careful around them. They're more dangerous than they appear."
"Great, just what we need," Two said, rolling his eyes but unable to suppress a grin.
"Well, at least we won't have to worry about our tech getting messed up since we don't have any—except for the control bracelet on Four's wrist," Three said, the seriousness of his words casting a brief silence over the group.
"Anyway, it's late. We should set up camp for the night," he added, trying to shift the mood back to something lighter.
"Right, come on, follow me," Four replied, nudging Six as she led the way back into the cave.
Inside, Four sent a mental command to the Sonic Howler, instructing it to stand guard and howl if anything approached the entrance. The cave was surprisingly well-lit, with small lights illuminating the rocky walls, each one crafted from parts of the Sonic Howler itself.
As they settled down near the entrance, Two dug into his backpack and pulled out a water bottle along with a few energy bars, laying them out in front of him.
Six's eyes lit up at the sight. "So, are you going to share those, or do you plan on eating them all yourself?" she asked, her gaze zeroing in on one of the bars.
Two hesitated for a moment, caught off guard. "Um, sure, fine, take one," he said, handing one over. He figured with four energy bars left, he could spare one.
Four's eyes brightened when she saw Two share with Six. In a flash, she dashed over and stood right in front of him. "I'll take one too, if you don't mind!" she exclaimed, reaching down and snatching another bar. She unwrapped it in an instant and started chomping away.
Two blinked in disbelief. "Wait, I only had four…" he mumbled, watching his energy stash dwindle faster than he'd planned. He had intended to keep one for himself, but now he was down to two and would have to hold off on eating.
Three chuckled at Two's predicament. "Looks like you've got a bit of a sharing problem," he teased.
"Yeah, yeah," Two grumbled playfully, but he couldn't help a small smile.
"Good thing I grabbed that extra bag from that nest of Vipers," Three said, reaching into his backpack and dramatically dumping out twelve energy bars onto the ground.
"Where did you get all those?" Four exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Oh, you know, we got them from a den of Toxic Vipers," Three said, a grin spreading across his face as he started the story. "We were running from the Sonic Wolves and thought, 'Hey, why not dive into a den of poisonous snakes?'"
"Seriously? You just ran in there?" Four asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep! We hoped the Vipers would go after the wolves instead of us," Three replied, laughing. "But what happened next was wild."
"Tell me!" Six leaned in, intrigued.
"Okay, so we rushed in, and the wolves howled. It made us feel light-headed, and it stunned the Vipers for a moment. I was confused at first about why they were so scared, but now it makes sense," he explained.
"Right, because of the sound waves!" Four nodded.
"Exactly! So while they were stunned, we spotted some bags lying near the larger Vipers," Two added. "We figured we might as well grab them."
"And how did that work out for you?" Six asked, glancing between them.
"Not great," Three admitted with a smirk. "The howls didn't affect the big ones at all."
"So how did you get the bags?" Four pressed.
"Well…" Three hesitated, glancing at Two, who rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Just say it!" Two urged.