As Leo looked around, he started noting down the creatures he saw.
From afar, he could only make out a few features.
He saw something resembling a bear, but it had strange stripes—were they blue, or red? He really couldn't tell. He also spotted a group of deer with slightly glowing antlers, boars, birds, and other creatures he couldn't even compare to Earth's wildlife.
However, they all had one thing in common: their size. Each one of them was gigantic. In comparison, Leo felt small.
As he looked around, Leo suddenly felt something behind him that sent goosebumps all over his body.
'What is this and how did it get behind me without me noticing?'
Leo, however, remained composed. He had already realized that fear wouldn't really help him in this place.
He slowly turned his head, ready for a confrontation. He tightened his grip on his spear. However, on seeing the creature, he calmed down, letting out the breath he had been unintentionally holding.
It was the golden-eyed alpha wannabe.
'Shit, that scared the hell out of me. What is this guy thinking, and is that a smirk?'
The wolf was smirking, as if mocking him. Leo felt his mouth twitch.
Leo didn't know why, but ever since he met the wolf, it seemed to have some beef with him.
Just then, he heard the vegetation shifting as more wolves emerged.
'What the hell, why are they still following me?'
Leo had thought that, after his conversation with the pack leader, they would go their separate ways, but apparently not.
Leo felt a migraine coming on and rubbed his forehead in frustration.
'Whatever, I'm not gonna stress over this. Breathe, just breathe.'
But even as he was trying to calm himself, he still felt irritated, especially when he looked at the smirk on the wannabe leader's face.
'How can a wolf even smirk?'
Leo wouldn't have minded their company before, since they offered some protection and seemed friendly. However, after the conversation with their pack leader, he really didn't wanna stick around until they discovered he was a fraud.
'This is so frustrating.'
He didn't know what to do at this point.
With a sigh, he turned back towards the river.
The creatures at the bank stayed a considerable distance away from each other, so Leo wasn't really worried about them attacking him. However, he still didn't want to stay here for long. It was too open.
Without wasting time, Leo approached the water and started scrubbing off the dried blood and dirt covering his body. The water felt cold against his skin, but he got used to it after a while.
The river was pretty calm, so much so that he almost doubted it was even moving. It was also pretty clear, so he didn't need to worry about any underwater ambush.
The scrubbing took a while since he didn't have any soap or anything in particular to rub the filth off, but when he was finally done, he felt refreshed.
He also took this time to check his body's condition. His wounds were all healed up with no scars left behind.
When he looked at his reflection in the water, he almost didn't recognize himself. He wasn't extremely handsome like some protagonists in wish-fulfillment harem novels, where the female leads are almost brain-dead and only care about looks. He was just slightly above average, not handsome enough to catch everyone's attention but not average enough to be dismissed.
He had blue eyes that, though unique, weren't that eye-catching. His skin was pale but soft, and his hair was brown.
"A good upgrade, if I do say so myself," he muttered smugly, admiring his new look.
After posing for a while and flexing his muscles, Leo was finally satisfied.
'Now that I've found a water source, I don't have to worry much, though I should probably find a small stream to build my base near it,' he thought as he walked away from the river.
Leo had decided to stay in the forest for a while. He didn't know anything about this world, and it would be idiotic to venture out into the unknown without any knowledge or understanding. It was better to stay where he was since he understood the dangers here somewhat.
As for the wolves, he decided not to bother with them; he couldn't escape if they were dead set on following him anyway.
'For now, I should probably find some shelter—maybe a cave.' Leo thought as he looked up at the sky. The once clear sky was now choked with dark clouds.
The wolves also seemed restless as they all stared at him, even the wannabe alpha.
'Why are you guys looking at me like that?' Leo's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
With a sigh, Leo picked up his spear and walked towards the forest.
The wolves, as if tired of pretending, followed right behind him.
The group—one naked human and twenty wolves—trudged forward, unaware that this was the beginning of a legend that would go down in history.
_______
In the northern mountains, the once cold region had become a wasteland of miasma and heat.
The snow that once covered the mountain had melted away.
The ground was scarred with pits several kilometers wide.
The mountain that had seemed unshakable was no more. What remained was just a plain.
It seemed like a natural calamity had hit the area.
In the middle of all this destruction, a snake about one kilometer long could be seen bleeding all over. It had burn marks all over its body, yet its ferocity could hardly be hidden.
In front of her lay the body of a silver-furred wolf about two hundred meters long. Its eyes were lifeless yet held a quiet resolve even in death.
"You are even more cunning than the fox Fenrir," Arora muttered, looking at the corpse.
"Who knew you had something like that up your sleeve? You really cause me trouble even in death." There was a small hint of regret in her voice.
"Goodbye, Fenrir."
With that, Arora opened her jaws, which stretched unnaturally wide, and swallowed Fenrir whole.
The body seemed to disappear when it entered her body as her wounds started healing rapidly.
She lay down and coiled her vast body, the simple movement destroying the terrain around her. She then closed her eyes and went into a deep slumber.
As she slept, a green gas shot out of her body, covering the area in seconds.
________
Leo had been running through the forest for a while. Overhead, dark clouds thickened, the air turning heavy and damp.
He still hadn't found a cave. The wolves were running beside him. Some were carrying their pups in their mouths, while others had wood tied to their backs.
Leo needed dry wood for a fire, and with the coming rain, it would be hard to find any. Since carrying anything heavier would slow him down, he decided to make use of the free labor at his disposal.
Claps of thunder could be heard as if to remind him that his time was running out.
'Come on, Rio, do your thing.'
Leo was getting desperate. But as if the gods had heard his prayers, he spotted a cave about 100meters away.
'Yes. I knew you would never let me down, Rio.'
He increased his pace as he ran towards the cave.
But since when had it ever been that easy?Just as they neared the cave. A deep roar came from within, and a five-meter-tall bear walked out, growling.
It had blue stripes all over its body that seemed to glow faintly.
The whole group froze and came to a stop a few meters away from the cave.
The bear just stared at them and let out another roar. A warning not to get any closer.
'Fuck, why now of all times?'
Leo knew he couldn't back down or leave, for that matter. The cave was right in front of them, and they didn't have time to look for another one.
Just as he was wondering how to deal with the bear, the wannabe alpha walked forward, growling.
The other wolves, those with nothing, started surrounding the bear.
They circled it for a while, then Wannabe lunged forward at incredible speed, leaving behind only afterimages.
The bear, sensing the attack, swung its paw with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for something that big.
Wannabe dodged to the side as the paw smashed into the ground, spraying dirt and stone all over and missing him by an inch.
Wannabe, however, didn't seem to care. He lunged for the bear's throat.
Leo, watching from the side, thought it was over—until something incredible happened. The air seemed to cool down a few degrees as a layer of ice formed on the bear's throat, stopping Wannabe's teeth from sinking in.
Realizing it couldn't bite through the ice, Wannabe hurriedly leapt back as a paw crashed down where it had been.
The two creatures stared at each other as if reassessing the other.