The dawn slowly spilled down. Flaming Stone Village was enveloped in the broken ruins and gunpowder smoke. The battle last night was like a nightmare, leaving behind a mess. The shattered wooden houses toppled over on the scorched earth, and the broken fences were silent, as if telling the village's suffering.
Kale slowly opened his eyes. The intense sunlight made his vision blurry. Azure Claw in his arms was still asleep. Although it was covered in blood and scars, its breathing was steady, and it still had signs of life. Kale let out a slight sigh of relief, raised his hand to stroke Azure Claw's fur, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
"We won..."
Kale murmured to himself and looked around. The wolf pack was scattered among the bodies of the black wolves in twos and threes. Their gazes were heavy, but there was a trace of relief. The body of the Black Wolf King lay not far away. Its dark red pupils had already lost their luster, and its fierce body no longer posed a threat.
However, Kale knew in his heart that this victory was just a temporary respite. The shadow of darkness still loomed ahead, and a new threat was only a matter of time.
"Kale!"
A familiar voice came from a distance. Kale looked up and saw Alan hurrying over with several surviving villagers.
"You're still alive!" Alan couldn't hide his excitement. He quickened his pace and ran forward. His gaze swept over the wolf pack at the entrance of the village and the bodies all over the ground. His eyes were filled with shock and awe. "You actually fended off the Black Wolf King..."
"Just temporarily." Kale stood up wearily and looked at the grayish forest in the distance. "The darkness won't recede easily. They'll be back."
Alan was silent for a moment, his expression solemn. "There are fewer than thirty people left in the village. How long can we... hold on?"
Kale didn't answer immediately. He lowered his head and stared at Azure Claw's sleeping face, as if thinking about something.
"I'll find the answer." After a moment, Kale said slowly, his gaze firm.
"Find the answer?" Alan frowned. "Where are you going?"
Kale looked deeply towards the north. Deep in the distant mountains, there was a long-buried history in legend, a secret about the true origin of the wolf clan.
"The Wolf Soul Mountains."
Alan's face changed slightly. "Are you crazy?! That place has long been a forbidden area. No one can come back alive..."
"Precisely because of that, I have to go." Kale interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "If we just stay trapped in the village, we'll eventually die under the erosion of the
darkness. Only by finding the true power of the wolf clan's bloodline do we have a glimmer of hope."
Alan opened his mouth but didn't retort in the end. He understood that Kale had made a decision, and he couldn't deny that the future of the village was in a precarious state.
"I'll stay and protect the villagers." Alan sighed and patted Kale on the shoulder. "Go with peace of mind. We'll wait for you to come back."
Kale nodded and turned to look at the wolf pack. "Azure Claw and its clan will leave with me. The safety of the village is temporarily in your hands."
Alan forced a smile. "I feel more at ease when you're here."
——
In the evening, at the forest boundary outside Flaming Stone Village, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the mountains and fields. The embers floated in the air, carrying a trace of warmth.
Kale stood in the forest. Azure Claw had regained consciousness and stood beside him, its eyes bright and alert, as if it had already foreseen the upcoming journey. The wolf pack silently followed behind, steady and orderly.
Kale looked back at Flaming Stone Village. Every piece of rubble and every fence on that land were memories of his growth. Now, he had to leave here and embark on a journey to find the answers.
"You must hold on." He murmured in a low voice, as if making a promise to the village.
As the sun set in the west, Kale led the wolf pack into the dense forest, and their figures gradually disappeared at the end of the golden light.
——
When night fell, the forest was silent, and only the leaves gently swayed in the night wind. Kale walked on the path in the forest, and the wolf pack around him was like a shadow, vigilantly observing everything in the darkness.
Azure Claw suddenly stopped and let out a low warning whimper.
Kale immediately stopped in his tracks. His gaze swept around, and he vaguely sensed a faint aura wandering in the night. That aura was cold and ancient, sending a chill down one's spine.
"Come out." Kale said in a deep voice, his hand slowly gripping the long knife at his waist.
After a moment of silence, the bushes in front swayed slightly, and an old man wearing a gray robe slowly emerged. His face was wrinkled, and his eyes were deep, as if he could see through everything.
"You are... a descendant of the wolf clan." The old man looked at Kale, his voice low and hoarse.
Kale frowned slightly. "Who are you?"
The old man grinned, revealing his missing teeth. "I'm the guardian of the Wolf Soul Mountains. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Kale was shocked. "You know me?"
The old man nodded. "You have the blood of the ancient wolf king flowing in your body. Sooner or later, you will embark on this path. Since you've chosen to go to the Wolf Soul Mountains, it means the time has come."
Kale stared at the old man warily. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Can I really find the answers there?"
The old man smiled but didn't answer. He turned and walked into the depths of the dense forest. "Come on. The darkness won't give you much time."
Kale took a deep breath, nodded to Azure Claw, and led the wolf pack to follow behind, gradually disappearing into the night.
And behind them, in the night sky of Flaming Stone Village, a wolf shadow slowly rose against the moonlight, as if quietly watching these brave travelers.