Chapter 5: Beneath the Shadow of the Wolf

Kaler carried Alan on his back, following closely behind the mysterious woman. Moonlight from deep within the forest filtered through the canopy, barely illuminating the path ahead.

Alan continued to murmur in his delirium, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his pale face flickering with restless agony. Kaler could feel his body twitching slightly, as if he were being tortured by some unseen force.

"How much longer can he hold on?" Kaler asked in a low voice. The burden on his back grew heavier, but his stride remained steady.

"If we are quick, we might be able to temporarily suppress it before it fully takes hold," the woman replied, her voice calm. She moved through the woods with a light, fluid grace, as if she knew this forest intimately. "But you must be prepared; if the curse cannot be contained, you may have to end his suffering yourself."

Kaler faltered, his jaw tightening. "I will not let him die."

The woman caught the determination in his voice and cast a brief, sidelong glance at him, but she said nothing more.

The silence of the surroundings was suffocating, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind. Suddenly, a low, long, and sorrowful wolf howl echoed through the night.

Kaler instinctively tightened his grip on his short blade, his pace quickening despite himself.

The woman stopped, scanning the shadows with alert eyes. "They are here."

Kaler looked up. In the distance, between the silhouettes of the trees, pairs of ghostly blue eyes began to emerge, flickering like swamp fires, staring fixedly at them.

The black wolves closed in silently, radiating a murderous intent.

"Keep moving. Do not stop," the woman whispered, drawing a dagger from her waist. The silver blade shimmered in the moonlight. "If they attack, guard Alan. I will hold them off."

"Can you handle them alone?" Kaler frowned, his voice dropping.

"We shall see." A cold smirk touched the woman’s lips, her gaze sharpening.

Kaler did not argue. He pressed on with Alan on his back, his hand never leaving his hilt, ready to meet the assault.

Dark shapes emerged, and the killing intent spiked.

Just as Kaler took a few more steps, a black wolf lunged from the side, its fangs bared, aiming straight for his flank!

"Damn it!"

Kaler jerked aside, dodging the claws, but Alan’s weight slowed his reaction. The wolf grazed his arm, its sharp claws leaving three deep gashes on his sleeve as blood began to seep through.

Before Kaler could recover, a second wolf lunged toward Alan!

"Get back!"

Kaler roared, spinning around to plunge his short blade into the wolf’s belly. It let out a pained howl and collapsed, its blood staining the earth.

Yet, more shadows emerged from the darkness, circling them, inching closer.

The woman’s dagger had already felled two wolves. Her movements were spectral and swift; amidst the flash of silver, the beasts could not even touch her.

Kaler stared ahead, his breathing ragged. "We cannot drag this out. We will be surrounded and killed."

The woman dispatched another wolf without looking back. "Go! I will cover you!"

"You..."

"Don't worry about me!" she interrupted coldly, her eyes as sharp as blades. "If I fall, keep going. Do not look back."

Kaler felt a tremor in his heart as he looked at her solitary figure standing between him and the pack. But he had no choice.

"Alan, hold on!" Kaler gritted his teeth and ran deeper into the dense forest.

Behind him came the roars of the wolves and the sounds of steel clashing, but Kaler did not look back. He knew that if he hesitated, Alan would surely lose his life.

At the edge of the forest, moonlight poured over a set of ancient ruins.

Kaler stumbled out of the woods, gasping for breath. Alan, on his back, had lost consciousness entirely, his body unnaturally cold.

Under the moonlight, the ruins appeared desolate. Broken stone pillars and toppled statues lay scattered across the ground, like a long-forgotten sanctuary.

Kaler gently laid Alan on a flat stone platform and dropped to one knee, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

"You arrived just in time."

The familiar voice rang out again. The woman stepped slowly from the woods. Her grey cloak was stained with blood, and her shoulder trembled slightly; the battle had clearly taken its toll.

"Are you alright?" Kaler asked, eyeing her injured shoulder.

She shook her head, walked to Alan’s side, and pressed her palm to his forehead. "I can only suppress the curse for now. You must be prepared."

Kaler stared at her. "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

The woman was silent for a moment. "I was once a hunter. I hunted werewolves to protect the town. But now..." Her voice wavered, her gaze dimming. "I can no longer return."

"Why?" Kaler asked, searching her face for the answer.

She lowered her head and pulled back her sleeve, revealing a black scar on her arm—identical to the curse afflicting Alan.

Kaler’s pupils contracted. "You are cursed too?"

She smiled bitterly. "Yes. Like him, I am fighting the beast within."

Kaler fell silent, his heart heavy with complex emotions. He had never imagined this mysterious woman shared the same fate as Alan.

Looking at the sleeping boy, she whispered, "I cannot save myself, but I can help him. At the very least... I do not wish to see anyone else repeat my tragedy."

Kaler looked at her, feeling both the warmth and the sorrow in her words.

"Thank you," he said softly.

The woman shook her head and returned her focus to the suppression ritual. In the moonlight, her profile was soft yet resolute, like the only light in the night.

In the dark forest, some chose to succumb, while others chose to become the light.