Moments ago, when the wolves appeared, Catherine and Salina had their breath stuck in their throats. Cowering in fear, Salina squirmed behind Catherine, squeezing her gear. As Tejasv commanded, Catherine drew her katana to defend Salina. Although her hands trembled, she was determined to protect Salina with her life. She followed each move of Tejasv and Daemon, who were fighting the wolves, and imprinted them in her head. The fear that seeped into her bones transformed into awe and conviction. The blood-soaked, robust figure of the warriors inspired her, lighting a fire in her eyes. Soon as she laid her eyes on Salina, two beasts were peering at her. The wolves' slithering tongue and drooling sent chills down her spine, indicating they had painted both girls as their targets. Similarly, she noticed Tejasv and Daemon standing firmly between them, and a sigh of relief left her mouth. Her belief in companions shone brightly like a fire. Both wolves sprinted toward the girls, growlin
The first rays of sunlight lit up the sky. The rising sun cast a rosy hue across the morning sky while golden fingers of sunlight lit up the scene. The rumbling noises gradually faded as Tejasv and others basked in the warmth of the sunlight crown, tears flowing down their cheeks, and a bright smile appeared on their faces. It came as strands of light, free and united, flowing into a day. It reveals and unites, transforming the blackness of the night into something so beautiful. Each ray brought joy to their skin, and the creative self translated their emotions into lyrics and beats. The howling and growling of wolves muted as the first light penetrated the darkness. Eventually, Tejasv and others' hearts calmed from agitation. With a smooth radiant smile, Tejasv and his crew glanced at each other as they witnessed the sunrise, bringing hope and relief. Phew! Everyone fell to the ground and lay down while their flight and fight hormones settled back to normal. |We're saved!| Ad
This notification served as an admonition to Tejasv and his party. They had only four days remaining from five, which was concerning for their situation.Day 1 was already a hammer blow to them. The thought of the rest of the days made them shiver. Nonetheless, they had to survive somehow by hook or crook..However, time wasn’t the only tedious subject; it was the remaining teams' count that blew their heads.At least one team, mostly those moronic thugs, should have been eliminated by now. Moreover, after last night's chase, there should be even more eliminations.But none! Not even a single team faced annihilation.|How can this be possible? Not even the thug team, after whom the wolves must have departed, survived unscathed! Were the wolves only after us?|The more time passed, the more their thoughts grew louder in their heads. Their eyes were wide open and their minds almost blank.A clear voice pierced its way through the ghostly reticence, "Do not panic! This information is just
"We checked, there's no one around!" A voice tickled Tejasv's eardrums. He swiveled his head and found Salina behind him.She stared as her gaze fell on the girl lying beside Tejasv. Like Salina, the girl seemed to be the youngest of her group, so she must be curious about her.Tejasv held the girl in his arms and then laid her down in a comforting spot. Crimson blood on her body slowly turned black, indicating that it had been some time since her wounds had not been treated, accumulating toxins.The blood in our bodies turns black after a certain period if left alone. The wounds were now closing by themselves, while some were getting worse due to negligence in rinsing them.Furthermore, her hunger could be seen in her weak facial features.|They mustn’t have found something to eat all this time!|Tejasv instructed Catherine to take care of her wounds and clean them. Meanwhile, the men turned their gaze away from the girls and left them alone.Catherine removed her tattered gear and fe
(Mostly from Sally's perspective.)Sally swallowed and continued narrating her experience," as my vision adjusted to the bright flames shrouded in darkness, I noticed my sister and brothers in a defensive stance, pointing their weapons at someone.While cowering in fear of someone, their brows wettened when an animal growled from the shadows.To get a closer look at the being hidden in the darkness, I stood up and squinted my eyes. Although the figure was hazy, I could infer it resembled a beast with four legs.Gradually, the beast stepped out of the shadows, revealing a white-furred wolf-like figure. Its menacing appearance, sharp claws, and pointy canines were intimidating.Their eyes shone, reflecting the yellow gleam of flames, peering at us.We shivered when more and more of them surrounded us. Our immediate surroundings were filled with howling and growling beasts.Our minds turned blank as nothing passed through them. What to do? How to escape our predicament? These thoughts dis
(Sally pov continued)To our surprise, before us stood the glasses guy with his group of delinquents. In some other situations, we would be wary of them, but their appearance at that moment was no less than a miracle.I longed to meet some other humans and prayed they would help us. Fortunately, my wish was fulfilled, as we found a pretty strong team.Their neat conditions were also a source of relief and envy. There were almost no signs of fatigue or drooping as if they had enjoyed themselves in the jungle.|They can help us in that state!|While we were out there, facing wolves and looking for food, they had everything under control, as if someone had given them a map in advance.For a brief moment, we doubted and mulled over many facts. However, for the time being, we needed someone to save us. And if they had a way to evade danger, that could be a garnish on the dish for us.Before we could say anything, their leader, the glasses guy, hurriedly inquired, "What are you doing around
Sniff! Sniff!Sally wept again while narrating her experience. She felt betrayed, her heart torn apart by the denial that she would never believe in humans again.She said, "I felt hopeless and useless, to be specific. From the beginning, I had no talent like my siblings. They excelled in every field, whether it was archery, martial arts, or studying. In reality, I was at the bottom of the barrel, as if God had sent me to my family at last like trash. This was because I had nothing worthwhile to offer my parents.Moreover, my parents were called upon to the gods moments after my birth, offering my siblings the gift of grief and the responsibility of a younger sister.They had to live through those forced responsibilities while their peers enjoyed ordinary daily lives. Even through those times, I never saw their heads bent due to hardships. Although they suffered, their light shone brighter, and they never blamed me for anything.The love I received was greater than anything my parents
The moment Sally calmed down a bit, Tejasv commanded everyone to move while removing the traces of their camp. If Fred was after them, the traces would help him to narrow his search.Then Daemon whispered to Tejasv, watching the hustling, "The sun will set in a few hours. Do you think it's safe to search for Fred rather than forming our base to fend off the wolf pack that may attack tonight? "Tejasv hummed while rubbing his chin, "I know what you're worried about. Even though I'm concerned about the wolves, if we can find Fred's group, it would be beneficial in the long run.Wolves have powerful instincts with strong senses. They must have already pinned down our location by now, even including Fred's base.They’ll send separate packs after every team, so that's when my plan will be fruitful. If we find Fred and his group, it's easy to divert the wolf pack coming for us to Fred's camp.Our goal is to hide around his camp, and the wolves will go for them individually if they can't find