"Once we cross that hill ahead, we'll be there," exclaimed Ken, the wolfman, with palpable excitement. "The grilled meat my wife makes is the best in the entire village. Wu, I promise you'll be licking your paws."
As he spoke, his large tail swished back and forth, an evident sign of his enthusiasm.
"His wife is renowned for her beauty," chimed in another wolfman, named Blanca, grinning from ear to ear.
The fatigue from hours of travel weighed heavily on Wu Qingsong. Images of a she-wolf with a wolf head similar to the duo and with a muscular physique flashed across his mind. An inexplicable shiver ran through his body.
"Heh..." He managed a strained smile in response to Ken's exuberance.
Before meeting these two wolfmen hunters, he'd wandered this forest for three full days.
From his initial thrill of realizing he was a transmigrator to confronting the possibility of dying in this forest, to attempting to find food, water, and a way out. He even had a close call with a wild boar larger than a bull and accidentally led it into a trap.
In such a short time, he had accumulated a wealth of life experiences. This meant that, faced with the intimidating presence of these indigenous creatures, he could maintain his composure. For the nineteen-year-old Wu Qingsong, it was no small feat.
Perhaps because he unintentionally served as bait, aiding the two hunters in capturing their prize, they were surprisingly kind to him. Instead of doubting his patchy lie, they provided useful information. Learning that he was alone and had nowhere to go, they warmly invited him to their village.
"Don't worry, everything will be alright," Ken, ever the optimist, assured him throughout their journey.
According to Blanca, Ken had been married for less than half a year. He was clearly a wolfman basking in marital bliss.
Both Ken and Blanca carried half of the wild boar's carcass but moved effortlessly through the woods. Wu Qingsong, empty-handed, gritted his teeth just to keep up with their pace.
He estimated that the abnormally gigantic wild boar must weigh at least a ton. Even after discarding the blood and inedible organs, it should still be around seven to eight hundred kilograms. Yet these wolfmen could effortlessly carry three to four hundred kilograms through the forest, truly living up to their reputation of being much stronger than humans.
According to their account, they were situated in the heart of a vast continent called Ladeano, specifically in the secluded region at the southern foothills of the Tecks Mountains. The vast lands and people around were all under the dominion of Baron Elyar. About five days' journey to the south, on open plains, lay Sir City–the bustling metropolis that served as the central hub of the baron's domain.
However, they had never been there, having only heard of it from others.
In fact, they were mountain folk. Apart from occasional trips to nearby towns to sell smoked meat, furs, and the occasional medicinal herbs found during hunts, they rarely ventured out of their forested sanctuary.
"In that city, you should be able to find a decent job," Blanca, the elder of the two, said with a somewhat suggestive tone.
Wu Qingsong sensed the wolfmen’s words carried some underlying meaning he couldn't grasp just yet. But given his circumstances, he didn't push for further explanation.
The trio, two wolfmen, and a human, continued their casual chatter en route to the village. At first, Wu Qingsong, still energetic, steered the conversation, hoping to glean more about this world. However, as fatigue and hunger slowly overtook him, his mind began to fog.
"We're almost there," exclaimed Ken, still brimming with enthusiasm.
They ascended a ridge, and the dense forest began to thin out, revealing scattered farmlands. At the end of these fields lay the village Ken had been going on about. Yet, their steps halted in unison.
Several thick plumes of smoke rose from the village center and it was evident these weren't mere cooking fires.
"What happened?" Ken's voice quivered with anxiety. Carrying half of the boar, he dashed forward a few steps before suddenly dropping it by the roadside. Then, on all fours like a true wolf, he sped along the path, racing toward the village.
Blanca called out to him several times but to no avail. With no other choice, he set down the boar by the side, slipping his bow and arrows onto his back, and pursued with a grave expression.
"Blanca?" Wu Qingsong was taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
From his vantage point, the billowing smoke was all he could discern, obscuring any view of the village. Faced with such a scenario, what should an outsider like him do?
"Wait here," Blanca's voice echoed from a distance. "If everything's fine, I'll bring someone back to retrieve the meat."
Though this might be the most appropriate decision right now, a deep unease gnawed at Wu Qingsong's heart. Instinctively, he gripped the handle of the small knife that Ken had given him to cut meat. Having only recently arrived in this world and not yet mastering any self-defense skills, the utility of such a knife in a crisis was painfully obvious to him.
Faint sounds seemed to drift from the nearby jungle. It sounded like the clash of a skirmish to Wu Qingsong, he couldn't discern them clearly. However, a few minutes later, the noise became abruptly clear. It was the roar of a wild beast.
Blanca appeared, stumbling toward Wu Qingsong in a panic. Almost simultaneously, several massive figures, larger than horses, loomed into view. They were immense wolves, and atop them sat warriors clad in iron armor.
Blanca's bow and arrow were nowhere to be seen. He scrambled desperately on all fours, much like a wild animal. But in mere moments, the giant wolves caught up to him. Blanca's figure disappeared abruptly, replaced by frenzied barks and the chilling sound of tearing and swallowing.
Wu Qingsong was rooted to the spot, and his breath caught in his throat.
His instincts screamed for him to flee, but logic told him it would be in vain. He had seen Blanca and Ken move through the woods before, their speed rivaled that of real wolves. Yet Blanca had no chance to escape these wolf riders. This meant that even with nearly fifty meters separating him from these beasts, Wu Qingsong stood no chance of escaping their pursuit.
Blanca, over a meter and ninety centimeters tall, vanished from this world in less than a minute, leaving only a bloody scene behind. A wolf rider approached Wu Qingsong at a leisurely pace. Perhaps because he hadn't attempted to run, the rider's posture seemed rather relaxed.
"Who are you?" The knight atop the giant wolf bore the head of a canine creature, but it was broader than either Ken's or Blanca's, with a shorter snout. Virtually hairless, it resembled a ferocious mastiff, its gaze cold and cruel.
"My name is Wu. I just happened to be passing by," Wu Qingsong tried to keep his voice steady. But he was just a nineteen-year-old youth who had just witnessed someone he knew get devoured alive, causing his voice to quiver slightly.
"Just passing by?" The wolf rider scoffed, his mount bared its teeth and crouched as if preparing to pounce. "In a place like this?"
Cold sweat drenched Wu Qingsong's back, but he tried his utmost to remain calm. "I am a traveler from the north of the mountains."
"Do you know anyone from this village?" the wolf rider asked, his menacing eyes fixed intently on Wu Qingsong's, heightening the latter's anxiety.
"I don't," he shook his head vehemently.
"Hmph." The wolf rider sneered, guiding his massive wolf to circle Wu Qingsong slowly. "Come with me, half-elf. Let Lord Kleine judge your words. It's best if you're not lying, he's not in a good mood."
Half-elf? Wu Qingsong didn’t understand what he meant, but it was evident he had temporarily avoided immediate danger.
The knight led the wolf to the two slabs of wild boar meat, used his spear to pick them up, and swiftly headed toward the village at the foot of the hill.
The other wolf riders, still at the site where Blanca had been torn apart, looked on indifferently. Wu Qingsong had no choice but to reluctantly approach them.
Wu Qingsong had no heart to look at the destroyed crude farmlands on the hillside, let alone at the houses, almost entirely made of wood, that were now set aflame. The village was littered with horrifying bloodstains, causing his heart to flutter in distress. The scant information he'd previously obtained from Blanca and Ken was hardly enough to craft a believable story to navigate the current predicament. His only hope rested on a term inadvertently revealed by the wolf rider.
What did that mean? Did he look like a half-elf?
Could this be the key to escaping his present crisis?
He had anticipated meeting an even fiercer mastiffman, considering that Lord Kleine, mentioned by the wolf rider, might be a more ferocious beast. Yet, when he finally laid eyes on him, Wu Qingsong was taken aback.
Not because Lord Kleine was overly fearsome or ugly, but because he was stunningly handsome.
Golden long hair, deep, clear blue eyes, a complexion so fair that it could drive any woman to envy, and those distinctive elongated pointed ears.
He was an elf.
An elf that always symbolized beauty, kindness, righteousness, and harmony with nature. Surrounded by the beastly, grimy mastiffmen, he seemed like a lone sheep amidst a pack of wolves.
What on earth was going on?
For a moment, Wu Qingsong even wondered if this elf was a captive like himself. But soon, the actions of the wolf riders crushed that speculation.
Dismounting from their giant wolves, they respectfully and carefully placed the two chunks of wild boar meat before him, whispering something afterward.
"A low-grade specimen," the elf glanced distantly at Wu Qingsong with an indifferent gaze, remarking, "Nag, you're wasting my time."
"My lord, what should we do with him?" the wolf rider murmured, "After all, he has the esteemed blood of the elves flowing within him, albeit in limited quantity."
Lord Kleine pondered for a moment before impatiently declaring, "Lock him up with the other captives and take them back for Lord Commander Vals to deal with. If he escapes, kill him. Now, remove him from my sight."
Before Wu Qingsong could utter a word, the wolf riders roughly grabbed him by the collar, swiftly transporting him to one of the few intact houses left in the village. They flung open the door and tossed him in.
A chorus of surprised gasps met him as he stumbled and fell, disoriented. When he finally managed to get back on his feet, to his astonishment, he was faced with a group of young women.
No, not women.
They had pointed, canine-like ears that stood erect on top of their heads. Some parts of their faces were covered in thick fur, hinting at their identity, yet it endowed them with an indescribable wild beauty. Without exception, behind each of them was a long, fluffy tail.
Wu Qingsong's understanding of the world crumbled yet again.
Are these... female wolfmen. Wolfwomen?
Beast... beastly... beastwomen?
