CHAPTER 965: TO SEE THE QUEEN (5).

As they cut through the dense forest, they had encountered several lone creatures, some small and shrewd, other large and capable of causing destruction on massive scales.

And yet, they had all been cut down in equal measure.

Most Mutant Creatures within the forest had evolved gradually into monstrosities of all sizes and manner.

However, the most special of all these creatures; those that were a cut above the rest...

The most dangerous, and most lethal of all predators in the dark forest...

The very top of the food chain, were those beasts that had evolved to possess stealth-like abilities.

The reason being, that not only did stealth make it hard for them to be targeted, they could also sneak up on their prey, ensuring a near perfect hunting success rate.

Because of this, they were much more powerful than the average beast.

Like an assassin’s blade, they had drunk on the blood of many.

One such example, was the {Willow Direwolf}.

A creature built not only for speed, but also with the ability to completely dissolve its presence.

They were nocturnal creatures, which meant they slept during the day in their caves and came out to hunt only at night.

Cain stared at the pack of humongous humanoid wolves that pushed past the tall tree branches , snapping them like twigs until they fully surrounded them, spittle dripping down their furry chins.

Their glowing eyes seemed to contain wild hunger as well as an uncanny desire to murder and destroy. However, there was also the presence of a chilling intelligence.

"Humans..."

His gaze drifted up.

Standing right in front of him, was the largest wolf in the pack. Cain was mesmerized by the creature.

It had golden eyes that seemed to glint with a metallic light.

Its fur was of a magnetic silver hue, moving like platinum waves on an ocean.

Blaze took a step forward, his eyes filled with a dark murderous glint,

"You..."

Cain raised a brow and turned around,

"You know this thing?"

Blaze’s expression was rather ugly as he nodded,

"Yes, I do. This damned thing and its pack have eaten many comrades of ours."

Cain was a bit surprised,

"Why didn’t you mention any of this?"

Blaze grit his teeth,

"It happened only once. We led a large team into the forest at night a few months ago. It was supposed to be a quick mission, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. We were attacked by this things. We had been unable to sense them in time. It had all happened quick too. By the time I could register what had happened, I was only able to see a flash of silver. Like a radiant beam of moonlight. And that damned glare. But this was much further to the west. This part of the route shouldn’t be part of the {Willow Direwolf} territory"

Cain hummed, "Is that so..."

Then he turned and looked back up at the Direwolf,

"So have you come here to eat us?"

The big silver wolf grinned.

Seeing teeth that were almost as large as his torso, Cain couldn’t help a complicated feelings from blossoming in his heart.

"That had been my intention. These are my hunting grounds, and I do not kindly upon tresspassers."

The voice of the wolf was regal and carried a heavy sense of pride, dignity, but also bloodlust.

Cain could see very clearly that this was a creature that had lived for the very top of the food chain for a long time, defeating and consuming all that had ever challenged it.

A powerful creature. A king amongst its kind. The {Willow Direwolf Lord}.

However, regardless of how powerful it was, it was also a cautious creature.

It could smell when another dangerous hunter had entered its territory.

Cain couldn’t help his admiration for the creature growing.

However...

"You say these are your lands, but I don’t recall giving any to you."

The Direwolf seemed a bit surprised,

"Human, your words are rather audacious. This entire forest belongs to my tribe. It is the land given to us by our god, Sentry. The God of the Silver Moon."

Cain chuckled,

"Is that so? In that case, I have to apologize. Your god might be a swindler. How can he give you something that doesn’t belong to him?"

The {Willow Direwolf Lord’s} eyes narrowed and a deep growl came from its throat

Cain’s grin widened,

"You finally get the picture I am painting. Screw your god. If you want to take a bite, you can very well try."

The silver Direwolf stood still whilst the rest of them howled with rage, the glow in their eyes increasing in intensity.

Standing on two legs, some of them were even taller than the surrounding trees, casting rather terrifying shadows on the three humans.

However, none of the humans seemed to be bothered by this at all.

The {Willow Direwolf Lord} growled,

"Human, I recognize your strength, which is why I decided to warn you. Do not test my patience."

The Mutant Creatures were no longer wild beasts. However, even in the past, when mana had not yet come to this world, and they were no different from creatures ruled by their desire, the apex predators had known not to clash with one another.

Battle scars were one thing, but losing the ability to hunt die to injuries from another powerful beast was something completely different.

From what he could tell, {Willow Direwolf Lord} didn’t look like it wanted a fight.

However, it had to keep up appearances in front of its kin.

This was exactly what Cain wanted.

He had no interest in the other Direwolves.

But he was very interested in this little king.

And what it could do.

So he had to goad it into action. If he acted now, there was a very large chance it would decide to just run away. And he didn’t want that happening at all. If it could approach without him sensing it, it could very well slink into the dark forest undetected.

The golden-eyed {Willow Direwolf Lord} seemed to sense something strange about the human standing before him.

It was hesitating...

Cain clicked his tongue,

’Looks like I have to take this a step further.’