“The weather sure is moody today…” Arou glanced at the sky as it began to darken once more, several clouds beginning to cover the already descending sun. She knew not about her two-legged friend, but the thought of her fur getting wet was not something that appealed to her. As such, she was quick to voice her thoughts out aloud the moment she turned her eyes back towards the human. 

“Mind if we return to my den?” her tone was light, for regardless of the circumstances, it could not ruin her mood. On the other hand, her newfound human friend in question was nothing but grateful. He could not remember the last time he had felt so… unrestricted, it was almost alien to him. To simply wander through the flourishing forest in the guidance of his wolf companion, it almost felt as though he were looking at the world in an entirely different light. 

For once he witnessed that the sun was setting, he couldn't help but to feel disappointed. How could it be that the beginning of the night, which had always granted him the opportunity to escape reality by drifting off into the realm of dreams, now caused him to feel so… sad…?

Arou smiled slightly as he gave her a small nod in agreement, and her eyes scanned their surroundings for a brief moment to see where exactly they were, creating the best route they could take in her mind. Thus, it was not long until they began to set off together to return to their shared den, all while the clouds began to take over the sky bit by bit, indicating that it would not be long until the rain would start pouring down upon them once more. 

However, once they arrived, Arou suddenly halted in her movements. Puzzled, the human was not yet familiar enough with their surroundings to see that they had arrived at their destination. But the sound of a sudden and low growl in front of them caused him to freeze as well.

Arou's body tensed, and her crimson eyes glared at the dark entrance of their den where a growing shadow was beginning to emerge. Slowly but surely, the form of a snout became visible, the black nose sniffing the air for a moment before the unknown assailant growled once more. And thus, a gasp escaped the human once it emerged in full from the entrance, revealing a giant cave bear that was staring at the pair with piercing eyes. Its fur was a dark shade of brown, and its size was enormous even for the standard of its kind. 

With a shift of its forelegs, it raised itself briefly to stand upon its hindlegs and roar menacingly, its sharp claws nothing to be sneered at. Even while Arou remained steadfast despite the odds, returning it with a threatening growl of her own, he could not help but stare at the opposing bear with uncertainty. This was Arou's den, but the mere thought of her getting hurt…

If all of the living beings were sentient, could they not…?

“Forgive us if we intruded in your space, but this den does not belong to you…” he spoke as calmly as he could, not allowing the piercing glare of the bear to intimidate him. It was unfair, and if it belonged to Arou, then he would not care what it was that stood in front of them!

Even though Arou didn't move, her growl persisting as she glared back at the bear, she glanced back at the human out of the corner of her vision for a brief second. She appreciated the sentiment dearly, however, once she shifted her eyes back towards the imposing bear, she suddenly witnessed something entirely else. Not even a small space away from one of its large paws, there was a crumbling plant, emitting a faint, dark mist. Entirely out of place amidst the usual flourishing and lively parts of the forest, it didn't take her long to witness several more of the dead plants directly behind the one she just observed. 

And for the briefest of moments, her form relaxed as realization lit up in her eyes. 

She noticed how her friend wanted to take another step forward, intent to speak to the bear once more in the hopes of settling this peacefully, but she quickly stopped him. 

“Don't. It will be of no use.” staring back at the bear, her suspicions were quickly proven to be correct once she witnessed the same kind of mist that the plants were emitting near its snout. 

How could it have already spread this far…?

“We need to leave, quickly.” she could feel the way the human stared back at her with wide eyes, but she couldn't care less about a single den if it meant to get away now. She did not want him to get hurt simply for a single den-

Before either of them could say something, Arou witnessed with shock as, suddenly, the dark mist near the bear began to spread towards it. And before long, it growled once more with rage, and the colour of its eyes began to change. 

Without restraint, Arou pushed the human back slightly with her muzzle, her intent evident.

“Run. NOW.” refusing to move without him, he realized that he had no other choice if he didn't want her to get hurt. But either way, both of them began to flee as soon as the bear let out another rageful roar, immediately setting out to chase after them in a frenzy. 

Arou scanned their way ahead as she dodged every single hindrance and tree in her way, periodically looking back towards her companion to assure herself that he was still right beside her. Despite the fact that several other routes and paths would have been a lot better to shake off the raging bear behind them, she tried her utmost to stick to a more simple route with less hindrances, one that her human could follow more easily without the risk of losing him. 

However, that also meant that the bear had an easier time to follow them as well, barging through the trees behind them with another piercing roar. All until the path in front of them came to an end, interrupted by a large cliff that was leading down into a torrent. 

Arou quickly came to a halt, panting slightly as she scanned their environment and every single option that they had. However, her train of thought was swiftly interrupted once their aggressor came to a stop behind them as well, having caught up to them. 

Settling down onto a single thought, she growled once more as she glanced back at the bear before she stepped in front of the human, earning her a gasp from him. 

“Stay behind me, I will protect you.” she didn't look back at him, knowing that his eyes were filled with disbelief.

“You can't fight it alone, I… I will help you somehow…!” it was only then that she turned her head back ever so slightly, and the sheer amount of conviction within her crimson gaze caused any last words that he might have had to remain unspoken.

“You have suffered enough before you entered this world, and I will not allow this to happen here. I promise.” without waiting for a reply, she shifted her eyes back towards the encroaching bear, eyeing it closely. There was no other option anymore.

Slowly but surely, the rain was starting to fall from the sky, more and more droplets falling upon them. She eyed the gaze of the cave bear, clouded by an unquenchable and unreasonable rage. And before long, a dim and faint glow suddenly began to emanate from within her. 

With shock written upon his face, the human watched as it only began to grow stronger with each moment that passed. Small, glowing orbs in a green light coursed around her, much like the ones he had seen before as he came to learn about the life force. But this time, they placed themselves upon her form and enveloped the dark wolf in their light, all before she growled at her aggressor once more. But this time, it was nothing like the one he had heard just a moment ago, for it was far more primal, almost echoing in the air with a force that the bear could not even hope to match. 

“Arou!” with a growing concern, he watched as the bear recklessly charged towards her despite her new appearance before it all but jumped at her, intent to rip her to shreds. The only thing that he could witness was the light growing brighter than ever before, another ear piercing growl escaping the wolf before she lunged forward as well. The ground beneath him began to tremble, and before he knew it, it collapsed entirely beneath his feet.

And the last thing he could remember was his fall into the depths, his vision turning black entirely.