"By the way, I want to ask something about the wolves" Auel said
"Yes… though I'm not sure how much I can tell you" The chief replied
"Do you know how big they are?"
"I'm sorry. I've barely even seen the wolf with my own eyes"
"…Then how about the frequency?" Auel continued "How often do they come?"
The chief thought for a moment
"The first time it appeared, it came back almost every three days" he said slowly "But recently… it only shows up once a week. Sometimes even once every two weeks"
Auel paused
"…So, they've been coming less frequently?"
"Yes… I believe so"
"I see…" Auel muttered
I don't have enough information… I'll have to confirm it myself
"I'll check the forest tonight" he said, already walking toward the door "My friends are at the barn, right? Where is it?"
"Follow the path and turn right. You should see it immediately"
"Thank you and can you keep this for me" Auel gave the caravan bell to the chief
Auel stepped out of the hall
Left alone, the chief lowered his head while handling the bell
"Oh Gaia… please protect them"
On the other side of the village, near the barn
"Look at them," Owel said with a small smile. "Aren't they cute?"
Several lambs huddled together, their soft bleats filling the air
Erin gently patted one of them
"Yes… they're really cute"
Rikka crouched down, observing them more closely
"…These are good lambs" he said
Owel blinked "You can tell?"
"Yeah" Rikka replied casually "Their wool is clean, their eyes are clear, and they're calm. Someone's taking good care of them"
Owel looked slightly surprised "…My brother used to take care of them"
Rikka glanced at him "Used to?"
Owel's expression dimmed
"…He always came here every morning" he said quietly "He said animals are honest… so if you treat them well, they'll trust you"
He gently stroked one of the lambs
"They used to follow him around all the time"
Owel fell silent
"…When the wolf came" he said, his voice lowering "my brother tried to protect me"
Rikka didn't say anything at first
"I couldn't do anything" Owel continued "I just stood there… while he…"
His voice broke
"…He didn't come back"
Silence filled the barn, even the lambs seemed quieter
Rikka slowly stood up and placed a hand on Owel's head
"…Hey," he said softly
Owel looked up
"We're here now, right?"
"…Huh?"
"That wolf" Rikka continued, his tone firm "we'll take care of it."
Owel stared at him
"So, you don't have to worry anymore" Rikka added with a small grin
"…Really?"
"Yeah" Rikka said "That's what adventurers do"
Erin nodded gently beside him "We'll do our best"
Owel's eyes began to water, but he quickly wiped them "…Thank you"
From behind them, Auel approached
"I've spoken with the chief" he said "We'll investigate the forest before Black Turtle arrives"
"A-Are you sure?" Erin asked
"Yes. We have permission, but if we encounter the wolves, we retreat immediately"
"Got it" Rikka said confidently "Let's get rid of these wolves"
They headed toward the forest
"Good luck, big bro! Big sis!" Owel shouted, waving at them
As they walked, Rikka glanced at Auel
"So, what did you talk about with the chief?"
"Nothing important" Auel replied "But I did notice something strange about the wolves"
"Strange?" Rikka frowned
"Yes. When they first appeared, they attacked frequently about once every three days"
"And now?" Erin asked
"They appear less often. Sometimes once a week… or even once every two weeks"
"Wait, isn't that a good thing?" Rikka said "The village gets attacked less"
"Yes," Auel replied "But it also means something else"
"What do you mean?"
"When the wolves attack, the village calls for adventurers, right?"
Rikka nodded
"Those wolves beat the adventurers, and then the next day they attack again, and the village keep asking for help from the adventurer guild. It happens again and again"
"…So, what does that have to do with the attack pattern?"
Auel's gaze sharpened
"It means the wolves may have realized that attacking the village brings adventurers, and they change their strategy"
"…What?" Rikka froze
"At first, they attacked often. But over time, they reduced the frequency" Auel continued "As if they were… thinking"
"Thinking?" Erin's voice trembled
"After they taking care of the adventurers" Auel said quietly "They are taking rest for another attack"
"B-but that doesn't make sense" Erin confused "Wolves are just animals… right?"
"I thought the same" Auel replied "But considering the amount of lambs this village has… it's strange they would ignore such easy prey, so they have to adapt with the situation"
Rikka frowned
"I still don't fully understand it" Auel admitted "That's why we're here, to find out what's really going on"
After a while, they reached the edge of the forest
"I-is this really okay?" Erin asked nervously
"It's fine" Rikka said "We're just investigating"
Without hesitation, he stepped into the forest, Auel followed. Erin trailed closely behind
"Look for signs" Auel said "Scratches, tracks, anything. It should lead us to the pack"
They searched the area carefully, but nothing
No tracks. No marks. No signs of movement
"Hey" Rikka said "does the chief even know how strong these wolves are?"
"No," Auel replied "He's never seen them"
"But considering they wiped out a party of six…" Rikka muttered "They must be strong."
"With Black Turtle, we should be able to handle them" Auel said
"Y-yeah…" Rikka replied, though something in his voice wavered "Of course we can"
Time passed, and the forest grew darker
Still, no clues, until
"Hey… look!" Erin called out
Auel and Rikka rushed over
A single footprints lay pressed into the soil
"…Isn't this too big for a wolf?" Rikka asked
Auel crouched down, studying it
"…It looks more like a bear's footprint" Auel analyzed
"But it's not deep" Rikka added "A bear's step should sink deeper, right?"
"…Are there more tracks?" Auel asked
Erin shook her head. "No. Just this one"
"…Then we follow it" Auel said "Let's see where it leads"
They followed the faint trail
After some time they heard a noise
"…Do you hear that?" Rikka asked
Auel focused
"…Water?"
Moments later, they stepped out of the forest
Before they stood a waterfall, its water crashing into a clear river below
"Wow…" Erin's eyes sparkled as she ran forward, dipping her feet into the stream
"This village really has everything" Rikka said "Fields, lambs, forest… and even this"
"…Yeah," Auel replied
For a moment, everything felt peaceful
Then
Both Auel and Rikka froze. They felt danger
In the same instant, they turned
Rikka drew his katana
Auel shifted into stance
No footsteps, no warning
The sound of the waterfall had masked everything
Standing before them
It was a massive red wolf, at least four meters tall
Its claws were long and sharp. Its upper fangs curved downward like blades. And beneath them… six jagged lower fangs protruded from its jaw
"…What is that?" Rikka whispered
Auel's eyes narrowed
"…I had a suspicion" he said "And I hoped I was wrong"
He exhaled slowly
"…That's not a normal wolf"
He stared at the creature
"It's a Bloodmoon Wolf"