The elk migration was a sacred time for the Raven Clan.
For three weeks every spring, the great herds moved through the valleys, heading for summer grazing grounds in the high mountains. It was a chance to replenish the clan's stores, to gather meat and hides and bone that would last through the coming year. Every able hunter joined the chase. Even those who didn't hunt—the old, the young, the infirm—helped with processing the kill, preserving the meat, stretching every resource to its limit.
Kaelan had never hunted anything larger than a deer in his old life. But the barbarian template provided instincts he didn't know he possessed, and Sigrid proved to be an excellent teacher.
"Stay downwind," she whispered, crouched behind a boulder. "They can smell you from a mile away."
Kaelan nodded, staying low. Below them, a small herd of elk grazed in a meadow, their antlers gleaming in the morning light. A dozen animals, maybe more. Magnificent creatures.
"We only need one," Sigrid murmured. "A big one. That bull there, with the dark coat. He'll feed the clan for a week."
Kaelan studied the bull. It was massive—easily a thousand pounds, its antlers spreading wide. A challenging target.
"How do we do this?"
"We separate it from the herd. Drive it toward the ravine. Sten and the others are waiting there with nets and spears." She glanced at him. "You're the distraction."
Kaelan raised an eyebrow. "Distraction?"
"You're fast. Strong. If you charge the herd, they'll panic and scatter. The bull will run toward the ravine—it's the only escape route that makes sense. We just need to make sure it doesn't change direction."
Kaelan considered. It was a simple plan. Crude, even. But simple plans often worked best.
"Alright. When do I move?"
"Now."
Kaelan stood and ran.
---
The herd exploded into motion the moment he appeared.
Hooves thundered. Elk bugled in alarm. The animals scattered in every direction, just as Sigrid had predicted. The dark-coated bull hesitated for a fraction of a second, its instincts warring between fight and flight—then it turned and ran toward the ravine.
Exactly as planned.
Kaelan pursued, not trying to catch it, just keeping pressure on, herding it forward. The bull was fast, but Kaelan was faster. He stayed close enough to be a threat, far enough to avoid its antlers.
The ravine loomed ahead—a narrow gap between two cliffs, barely wide enough for the elk to pass. Sten and the other hunters waited on the far side, nets ready, spears poised.
The bull plunged into the ravine.
And stopped.
Something was wrong. The animal stamped and snorted, refusing to go forward. Its eyes rolled with fear—not the fear of pursuit, but something else. Something ahead.
Kaelan slowed, frowning. "What is it?"
Then he heard it. A low growl, deep and rumbling, from the shadows of the ravine.
A cave bear.
Not the smaller brown bears that sometimes wandered near the village. A true cave bear—twice the size of the one Sigrid had killed, its fur matted, its eyes ancient and hungry. It had denned in the ravine, and the elk had stumbled into its territory.
The hunters on the far side saw it too. Sten shouted something, but his words were lost in the sudden chaos.
The bear charged.
---
Everything happened at once.
The elk bolted, trampling one of the hunters in its panic. The bear ignored it, focused entirely on the new threat—the humans who had invaded its home. It moved with terrifying speed, its massive paws swiping at anything in reach.
Kaelan didn't think. He moved.
The Leviathan Axe was in his hand before he knew he'd drawn it. He threw himself between the bear and the hunters, the axe swinging in a glittering arc. The blade bit into the bear's shoulder, and the creature roared in pain and fury.
But it didn't stop.
The bear's paw caught Kaelan across the chest, sending him flying into the ravine wall. The Volkán armor absorbed most of the impact, but the force was still staggering. He hit the ground hard, gasping.
The bear advanced.
Kaelan's eyes flickered gold.
Not yet, he told himself. Not here. Not in front of them.
He forced the Wolf down and raised the axe instead.
---
The fight lasted three minutes.
It felt like three hours.
Kaelan dodged and weaved, using the ravine's narrow space to his advantage. The bear was stronger, but he was faster. He landed blow after blow with the Leviathan Axe, each one drawing blood, each one slowing the beast. Frost spread from the wounds, ice forming on the bear's fur.
Finally, with a roar that shook the cliffs, the bear collapsed.
Kaelan stood over it, breathing hard, the axe dripping with blood. His chest ached where the bear had struck him. His arms trembled with exhaustion.
But he was alive. And so were the hunters.
Sten appeared at his side, pale and shaken. "Is it... is it dead?"
"It's dead."
Sten stared at the massive corpse. Then at Kaelan. Then back at the corpse.
"You fought a cave bear. Alone. And won."
"I had help." Kaelan nodded toward the other hunters, who were tending to their injured companion. "Is everyone alright?"
"Gunnar's leg is broken. The elk trampled him. But he'll live." Sten shook his head slowly. "You saved us. All of us. If you hadn't been here..."
Kaelan sheathed the axe. "Then it's a good thing I was."
---
Sigrid found him that evening, sitting alone by a small fire, staring at nothing.
"You're hurt," she said, kneeling beside him.
"I'll heal."
"Let me see."
He pulled aside the Volkán armor, revealing the bruise spreading across his chest. Sigrid hissed through her teeth.
"That's bad."
"It looks worse than it is." He pulled the armor back into place. "The bear is dead. The elk escaped, but we'll find it tomorrow. The hunters are safe."
Sigrid was quiet for a moment. Then: "I saw part of it. From the ridge. You fought like..."
"Like what?"
"Like a god." Her voice was barely a whisper. "You moved so fast. The axe... it was like watching a storm."
Kaelan shook his head. "I'm no god."
"You could have fooled me."
They sat in silence for a while. The fire crackled. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled.
"Why didn't you change?" Sigrid asked finally. "Into the wolf. You could have ended it in seconds."
Kaelan considered the question. "Because if I start relying on that, I'll forget how to fight as a man. And if I forget that, I'll lose something important."
"What?"
"Myself." He looked at her. "The Wolf is part of me. But it's not all of me. I need to remember that."
Sigrid nodded slowly. Then she leaned over and kissed him.
"You're strange, Kaelan Ragnar."
"So you keep saying."
She smiled against his lips. "And I'll keep saying it. For the rest of my life."
They sat together by the fire, wrapped in each other, while the night stretched on around them.
---