In the middle of the night, a sudden strange noise woke Mark from his sleep. He sat up suddenly, his heart beating violently, as if it was about to jump out of his chest. He pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the movements around him.
"What sound?" Mark whispered to himself, his eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings. The fire had been mostly extinguished, leaving only a few pieces of firewood still burning tenaciously, emitting a faint light, barely illuminating a small area near the entrance of the cave. The depths of the cave were pitch black, and nothing could be seen clearly. Only the strange sound continued to come, which was particularly clear in the silent cave.
He picked up the ice sword and held it in his hand. The cold touch made him feel a little more at ease. He stood up gently, walked lightly, and walked in the direction of the sound. As he continued to go deeper into the cave, the strange sound became louder and clearer.
He found that the sound came from the depths of the cave. The sound sounded like the whimpering of some animal, mixed with the sound of claws digging the ground.
"Is it the Ice Abyss Beast?" Mark's heart tightened, and he quickened his pace and walked towards the depths of the cave.
He found that the Ice Abyss Beast was whimpering uneasily and constantly digging the ground with its claws. Its huge body twisted back and forth in the darkness, appearing restless. There was a hint of fear in its whimpering, which was completely different from its usual calm character.
"What's wrong?" Mark walked to the Ice Abyss Beast, asked with concern, and gently stroked its head with his hand.
The Ice Abyss Beast raised its head and looked at Mark with its green eyes, which were full of anxiety. It continued to dig the ground with its claws, making a low whimper, as if warning Mark.
Mark realized that there might be danger, and immediately stoked the fire to illuminate the depths of the cave. The fire dispelled the darkness and illuminated the scene deep in the cave. Mark only then discovered that a crack appeared on the ground, the crack was constantly expanding, and the surrounding rocks began to loosen and fall off.
"Not good! The cave is going to collapse!" Mark's face changed drastically, and he immediately realized the urgency of the situation. He grabbed the mane of the Ice Abyss Beast and shouted, "Go!"
The man and the beast quickly evacuated the cave. They ran along the way they came, and gravel and dust kept falling from the top of the cave, hitting them behind them, making a deafening sound.
When they ran to the cave entrance, the entire cave collapsed, and gravel and dust poured out like a mountain torrent, completely burying the cave entrance. Mark and the Ice Abyss Beast stood outside the cave entrance, looking at the scene in front of them, and couldn't help but gasp.
"That was close!" Mark said with lingering fear.
"Woo..." The Ice Abyss Beast also let out a low roar, as if it was also glad that it had escaped.
"Let's go." Mark patted the Ice Abyss Beast, and the man and the beast turned around and left this dangerous place.
Mark patted the Ice Abyss Beast's thick back, looked back at the cave entrance buried by gravel, took a deep breath, and the white mist he exhaled quickly dissipated in the cold air. "Fortunately you found it early." He whispered, with a hint of fear in his tone. If it weren't for the abnormal behavior of the Ice Abyss Beast, I'm afraid he and it would have been buried under the rubble now.
The Ice Abyss Beast nuzzled Mark's shoulder and made a low response, as if to comfort him.
Mark looked up at the sky, which was gray and without a trace of starlight. After identifying the direction, he decided to find a safe place to spend the night. "Let's go, we have to find a place to shelter from the wind." He said, taking the lead and walking along the path at the foot of the mountain. The Ice Abyss Beast followed closely behind, and the figures of one man and one beast gradually disappeared in the night.
After walking for about half an hour, Mark found a depression in the rock that could barely block the wind and snow. He stopped and signaled the Ice Abyss Beast to rest here. The Ice Abyss Beast seemed to feel tired and lay down obediently. Mark took out some berries from his backpack, gave some to the Ice Abyss Beast, and ate them himself.
He looked up at the Ice Abyss Beast and found that it was watching the surrounding environment vigilantly, twitching its nose from time to time, as if sniffing the smell in the air.
Mark swallowed the berries in his mouth and whispered, "Do you smell anything unusual?"
The Ice Abyss Beast turned its head and looked at Mark with its deep green eyes, then turned back and continued to observe the surroundings vigilantly. It made a low gurgling sound in its throat, as if telling Mark that it felt something, but it was not sure.
Seeing this, Mark also became more vigilant. He clenched the ice sword in his hand and carefully observed the surrounding environment. There was silence all around, only the whistling sound of the wind blowing over the rocks. The snow covered the ground, and no animal footprints could be seen.
"Maybe it's my illusion." Mark whispered to himself. He stuffed the remaining berries into his mouth, then stood up and moved his somewhat stiff limbs.
Suddenly, the Ice Abyss Beast stood up, ears erect, and nose sniffed the air vigorously. It suddenly let out a low roar in one direction, and its body was tense, as if ready to pounce at any time.
Mark immediately became nervous. He held the berries tightly and stared at the direction of the Ice Abyss Beast's roar. "What's wrong? What did you find?"
The Ice Abyss Beast didn't answer, but its body language said it all. Mark's heartbeat quickened, and he knew something might be approaching.
The Ice Abyss Beast suddenly roared in a direction outside the rock depression, raised its front paws and dug the ground, and the snow splashed. Mark immediately drew out the ice sword vigilantly, followed the Ice Abyss Beast's gaze, and found two points of green light flickering in the dark. The wind and snow were stronger, and the rolled snowflakes hit Mark's face, causing a sting. He squinted his eyes and tried to see the source of the two points of green light.
"Something is coming." Mark whispered, and his palm holding the ice sword was slightly sweaty. He unconsciously approached the Ice Abyss Beast, one man and one beast leaning against the rock, as if this would bring a sense of security. The rocks in the depression blocked some of the wind and snow, but the whistling wind still echoed in his ears, like a ghostly whisper.
Mark held his breath and slowly approached the edge of the rock depression. The two green lights were getting closer and closer, and gradually revealed the outlines of two huge snow wolves. Their bodies were covered with thick white hair, almost blending into the surrounding snow. If it weren't for the eyes flashing with green light, Mark would hardly be able to detect their existence. In the wind and snow, the figures of the two snow wolves appeared and disappeared from time to time, like ghosts. The snow on the ground was blown everywhere by the wind, forming pieces of white mist, blocking the view.
The snow wolf growled threateningly at the man and the beast, revealing its sharp teeth. Their fangs flashed cold light in the dim light, which made people shudder. White breath sprayed out of the snow wolf's nostrils, quickly condensed into ice crystals in the cold air, and then dissipated in the wind and snow.
Mark held the ice sword horizontally in front of him, posing a defensive posture, and gently soothed the restless ice beast. "Calm down, let's see the situation first." He whispered, his palm tightly holding the hilt of the ice sword, and his knuckles turned slightly white because of the force.
The Ice Abyss Beast responded to Mark in a low voice, uttering a low whimper, but still stared at the two snow wolves vigilantly, ready to fight at any time. Its huge body was slightly arched, and its limbs firmly grasped the ground, ready to attack at any time. The surrounding wind and snow seemed to have sensed the tense atmosphere and became more violent. The snowflakes cut on the face like a knife, bringing bursts of stinging pain.
One of the snow wolves suddenly jumped forward and pounced on Mark. It was extremely fast, like a white lightning, and it was in front of Mark in the blink of an eye. The sharp claws passed through the air, bringing a sharp sound of wind.
Mark dodged the attack of the snow wolf sideways and swung the ice sword to stab the snow wolf's abdomen. The ice sword cut through the air, making a sharp whistling sound. The snow wolf also reacted quickly. It twisted its body in the air to avoid Mark's attack, and then fell to the ground and let out an angry roar.
"That's a close call!" Mark said in his heart. He didn't expect the snow wolf to be so fast and react so quickly. He stared at the two snow wolves more cautiously, not daring to relax at all.
"Go!" Mark shouted.
"Woo!" The Ice Abyss Beast responded and rushed out.
The Ice Abyss Beast let out a deafening roar, and its huge body shot out like an arrow from a bow, crashing directly into another snow wolf that had not yet taken action. Its huge claws waved, bringing a gust of wind, and snowflakes flew, covering the sky and the sun. The snow wolf was obviously frightened by the momentum of the Ice Abyss Beast, took a step back slightly, and let out a terrified whimper.
Mark did not relax at all, he stared closely at the snow wolf that had attacked him before. After the snow wolf landed, it did not rush to attack again, but paced around Mark and the Ice Abyss Beast, looking for the opportunity to attack. There was a cunning light in its green eyes, as if it was evaluating the strength of the opponent. The wind and snow were even stronger, and the visibility in the rock depression was very low. Mark could only barely see the figure of the snow wolf looming in the wind and snow.
"Awoo--" The snow wolf that was hit by the Ice Abyss Beast before let out a painful wail and fell to the ground struggling. The Ice Abyss Beast did not give it a chance to breathe, and pounced on it again, opening its bloody mouth and revealing its sharp fangs.
Mark's eyes were always locked on the other snow wolf. He saw the snow wolf's eyes moving back and forth between the Ice Abyss Beast and himself, as if hesitating which target to choose. Suddenly, the snow wolf moved. It no longer circled, but pounced on Mark, faster than before, and its attack was more fierce.
Mark took a deep breath and held the ice sword horizontally in front of him. The snow wolf's claws scratched the ice sword, making a harsh metal friction sound and splashing a string of sparks. Mark felt a huge force coming, and his tiger's mouth was numb. He clenched his teeth and pushed the snow wolf away with force.
After the snow wolf landed, it roared again, and did not attack again, but confronted Mark. Its front paws dug the ground, making a "rustling" sound, and snowflakes splashed. Mark could feel that the snow wolf's aggressiveness had not weakened, it was just waiting for the opportunity and looking for flaws.
Mark turned his head to look at the Ice Abyss Beast and found that it had suppressed another snow wolf to the ground, and roared in victory. He felt a little more at ease, but he also knew that the battle was not over yet.
"Come back!" Mark shouted to the Ice Abyss Beast.
The Ice Abyss Beast heard Mark's call and immediately stopped attacking. It got off the fallen snow wolf and walked to Mark step by step, making a low whimper, as if asking for credit. Mark gently patted the Ice Abyss Beast on the head to encourage it.
The snow wolf confronting Mark saw its companion being subdued and let out a wail, with fear and anger in its green eyes. It no longer hesitated and pounced on Mark again. This time, its attack was more fierce, with a madness of dying together.
Mark was prepared. He dodged the attack of the snow wolf sideways, and then quickly swung the ice sword and slashed at the snow wolf's neck.
With a "swish", the ice sword cut through the snow wolf's fur, and blood splashed.
The snow wolf let out a shrill cry, fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and then stopped moving. In the rock depression, the wind and snow were still howling, but the battle was over. Mark stood there, breathing lightly, and his hand holding the ice sword trembled slightly. He looked down at the two snow wolves lying on the ground, and then looked at the ice beast beside him, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Mark took back the ice sword, and the blood on the blade was particularly dazzling in the snow. He bent down and checked the injuries of the two snow wolves, confirming that they were dead. The ice beast walked to Mark's side, rubbed Mark's body with its huge head, and made a low whimper, as if to comfort him.