The cold night wind blew through the forest, carrying the smell of damp soil and gently brushing the hair on Kale's forehead. He stared at the silver bloodstains on the ground, his brows furrowed tightly, and the roaring sound of the black wolf from earlier echoed in his mind. That deep growl seemed to be engraved into the depths of his soul, making him feel a sense of threat he had never experienced before.
After the woman left, Kale stood alone in the forest, unable to move for a long time. His shoulder ached sharply, and the blood seeped through his clothes. However, the questions in his heart tormented him even more than the wound.
What on earth was that? An ordinary wolf would never have such intelligence and speed, and it was even less likely to avoid his arrow.
Kale took a deep breath and squatted down in front of the bloodstains on the ground. He extended his fingertips and touched the blood. It was cold and had a strange sticky feeling. He put his fingertips to his nose and sniffed. A faint, fishy-sweet smell filled the air, which was completely different from the bloody smell of an ordinary wolf.
This didn't smell like any beast he was familiar with.
Kale wiped the blood off his fingertips. After thinking for a moment, he decided to follow the bloodstains all the way. The black wolf was injured and couldn't have run far. If he could find it, he might be able to uncover the truth about these strange disappearances.
But if it really wasn't a wolf... what would be waiting for him?
Kale suppressed the doubts in his heart, held a short dagger in his hand, and quietly sneaked into the depths of the forest with silent steps. The night grew even darker, and the tree shadows in the moonlight were like twisted ghost hands. From time to time, the sound of broken branches came from the darkness, as if reminding Kale that he was walking towards the abyss of danger.
The bloodstains under his feet were intermittent, as if deliberately guiding him forward.
I don't know how long he walked, but Kale finally stopped by a small stream. The stream gurgled, reflecting the bright moonlight, with rippling waves. By the stream, the black wolf lay quietly by the water's edge, lowering its head to lick its wound. The blood spread in the water, like a blooming silver flower.
Kale held his breath and quietly hid behind a thick oak tree, carefully observing the black wolf's actions.
However, at this moment, the black wolf suddenly stopped licking its wound, slowly raised its head, and its blue eyes stared straight in the direction where Kale was hiding, as if it had already sensed his presence.
Kale was shocked and suddenly realized that his whereabouts had been exposed. He quickly drew out his short dagger and stared at the black wolf warily, not daring to relax for a moment.
But to his surprise, the black wolf didn't pounce. Instead, it slowly backed away, and there was actually a trace of complex emotion in its eyes, as if it was struggling with something.
Did it want to leave?
Just as Kale was about to step forward to pursue it, a sharp horn sound came from the night sky, echoing throughout the forest. The sound of the horn was desolate and ancient, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression, making people's hearts tremble.
Upon hearing the sound, the black wolf suddenly turned its head, let out a low growl, and turned to run wildly towards the deeper part of the forest.
Kale watched as the black wolf gradually disappeared into the night, and his doubts grew even stronger.
What secrets were hidden in this forest?
He looked up at the night sky. The sound of the horn echoed for a long time and seemed to be announcing that some ancient and mysterious ceremony was about to begin.
Kale knew that the matter was far from over.
In the morning, in the town.
The sunlight shone through the gaps in the wooden house. Kale sat by the bedside, looking down to check the wound on his shoulder. The claw marks left by the black wolf last night had already scabbed over. Although the pain was still there, fortunately, the wound hadn't been infected.
There was a knock on the door. Kale responded, and Reiss pushed the door open and came in, with a look of anxiety on his face.
"Kale, something's wrong!"
"What's the matter?" Kale stood up and quickly put on his coat.
Reiss gasped for breath as he said, "Alan... Alan disappeared last night!"
Kale was stunned, and his brows furrowed sharply. "Alan? I saw him drinking in the tavern yesterday."
"Yes, but when he was on his way home in the middle of the night, he suddenly disappeared. His family looked everywhere but couldn't find him." Reiss's voice was low. "They only found a pool of blood outside his house."
Kale's heart sank. The black wolf from last night and Alan's disappearance seemed to be faintly related.
"Let's go and take a look."
Kale quickly followed Reiss to the town center. There were already a lot of townspeople gathered in front of Alan's house. They looked terrified and were talking among themselves.
On the ground, a pool of still-damp blood was particularly eye-catching. Beside the bloodstains, there was a broken dagger scattered, and there were also a few strands of black wolf hair on it.
Kale squatted down and carefully examined the bloodstains and the wolf hair. The moment his fingertips touched the wolf hair, his heart skipped a beat - that strange cold feeling was exactly the same as the bloodstains left by the black wolf last night.
"It's it again..."
Kale slowly stood up and scanned the surrounding townspeople with a solemn gaze. "Did anyone hear any noise last night?"
There was a moment of silence in the crowd. After a long time, an old elder said in a trembling voice, "I... I seemed to hear a horn sound coming from a distance last night..."
Kale suddenly looked up, and he immediately had the answer in his heart.
That wasn't an ordinary horn sound, but a signal of summons.
Alan hadn't disappeared; he had been taken away.
Kale clenched his fists, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. He knew that the only way to rescue Alan was to find that black wolf and the secrets hidden in the depths of the forest.
And all of this was just the dark overture that was about to begin.