The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

C00 - Silence

Chapter 0 – Silence.

It was quiet. The full moon hung in the starry sky, basking the rolling hills and lush forests with an otherworldly azure glow. The long shadows cast by the jagged trees and rough cliffsides contrasted sharply with the blanket of moonlight, dotting the land with pools of abject darkness.

A damp, chilly breeze gusted through the land, rustling foliage and scattering leaves in the darkness. Somewhere, an owl hooted, punctuating the soft rush of the wind as it danced among the leaves overhead. A small stream flowed nearby, its chuckling accompanying the chirping of crickets occupying the patches of grass on the forest floor.

The sudden snap of a branch rang out loudly in the tranquil forest, accompanied by the gratuitous rustling of foliage. In the dim, murky moonlight obscured by clouds and the canopy above, a wild animal padded out from the shadowed brush, halting soundlessly in the middle of the dirt path. Its ears were perked and alert, its eyes seeming to glow eerily in the darkness as it surveyed both directions up and down the road.

The warm glow of a distant city vaguely shone through the tree trunks and branches on the left side of the path, silhouetting the figure of the wolf as it cautiously sniffed the air. Its eyes suddenly widened in alarm, its hackles rising.

"Now, guys!"

All pretenses of tranquility were shattered as blinding flashes of vibrant colors erupted from out of nowhere, accompanied by deafening roars of power as mana flew through the air towards the wolf. Fire and water sizzled loudly as both artes impacted right on target, sending the animal tumbling backwards with a yelp of agony.

Despite the force of the initial attack, the wolf quickly found the ground with its paws and zeroed on its attackers. A grating snarl resounded from its belly as it found two human figures descending upon it with drawn weapons gleaming in the moonlight. The young man wielding a ceremonial sword was the first to let out a wordless yell as his weapon fell in a slicing curve down towards it.

With deft movements, the animal leapt to the side, cleanly dodging the attack. Not missing a beat, his companion jerked her metal lance forward, landing a grazing slice on the wolf's hide. Snarling heavily, the furious animal dodged the young woman's follow-up slash before lunging to get inside the reach of her weapon.

The other attacker was ready for it. Right as the wolf charged forward, the young man latched onto the grip of his sword with both hands, holding it horizontally in front of his companion.

"Begone!" he demanded, slashing forward.

A brilliant, otherworldly silver glow blasted out from his blade, illuminating the surrounding forest in stark contrast to the underlying moonlight. The harsh lighting framed his boyish features alongside his stark white ceremonial cloak that billowed behind him with the force of the mana charging through his body. With a roar of effort, the Shepherd slashed his blazing sword forwards, towards his enemy.

Blade and fang met in a brilliant clash of flame and malevolence.

A much higher-pitched yip of agony rang out as a completely transformed animal tumbled backwards into the mud away from the two humans. Residual embers of silver flame still clung onto its fur, evidence of its successful purification. Gasping for breath, the small fox glanced around, staring in evident confusion. It froze when it saw the two humans standing across the road from it, watching it. In a flash, it had sprinted off into the bush, vanishing into the night.

Sorey slowly untensed, catching his breath and willing the adrenaline to stop pumping through his veins. "...Whew!" he breathed, flipping the short sword around in his hand and sheathing it at his right hip. "Nice job, everyone!" he exclaimed, turning to the other three travelers walking up to him.