Chapter 240 - Second Stage of the Competition (9)

Nefasky's group was watching it all with wonder, as their eyes grew wide with horror, shock, and surprise. 

Adrianna had once again leaped at the fox, which was running away regardless of the one that had sunk its teeth in her hide. She grabbed it in one pounce and pinned it beneath her, killing it within a matter of few seconds. The last one tried to run away in fear, but Adrianna pounced on it too and brought it to the ground. She killed it by opening its stomach with her sharp jaws, brutally shaking the dead corpse after killing it. 

The battle of the beasts lasted no more than thirty minutes as Nefasky and her friends watched the huge wolf with golden yellow fur in action. By the end of the fight, the golden wolf was covered with a lot of blood. It was injured on its back and on its hind legs. Lenney thought that this was the best time to kill it. So she picked her knife up and was ready to attack. But Nefasky stopped her, "Are you out of your mind? The wolf is injured. If you go anywhere near it, it will immediately attack you. Right now it is already leaving, can't you see?" 

Adrianna whelped and cried out of pain. The white snow below her was covered in blood and all the dead foxes were strewn across it. She sat down, feeling tired and started licking her wounds. The golden yellow eyes were slowly becoming dull. Somehow, she gained enough energy and got up. She looked at the moon and howled as loud as she could, and continued her journey towards it. 

Nefasky let the wolf go as she watched it quietly. When the wolf was out of range, they added more wood to the fire. In the bright light of the fire, the group noticed the gory scene that was all around them. One of the boys chuckled, "Not only we can skin these foxes and take the fur, we have a lot of meat that will also last for tomorrow. Thank god for sending that wolf here!" 

He ran to gather the foxes. Others followed his cue and they dragged all the dead animals to their shelter. They piled them one over the other. 

"Here, Lenny! Now you can stay here for the next week and keep eating," said Nefasky as others laughed at her joke.

Lenny seemed to be in a daze. She couldn't forget how the wolf had pinned her to the ground. She had never seen a wolf so up and close and with such magnificent golden yellow eyes. It was the most majestic animal she had ever seen. 

Nefasky went to her and shook her shoulders, "Lenny, are you okay?" 

Lenny nodded. "Yes…" She went to sit in the shelter and fainted. 

Up on the slope, Adrianna whelped with every step she took. Her energy was fizzling out. She looked at the moon and howled as if pleading it to come and save her, but there was nothing around her. She was alone. Fresh snow started falling. Her pace upwards to the mountain peak became slower. Finally, she could no longer walk and sat down right there, in the middle of nowhere. The snow that fell on her fur acc.u.mulated on the places where she was wounded numbing her pain a little. Sleep blurred her eyes, as she battled to stay awake. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a beast. It was standing a few meters away as if waiting for her to sleep and then attack. She growled at it to ward it off, but somehow it had sensed her inability to move further. After a few moments of struggle, Adrianna passed out. 

When he noticed that she had fainted, Mun went near Adrianna. He opened his beak to drop the medicine he had carried for her. He had been following her ever since she escaped from the cave. But he was very scared of going anywhere near her. He was a delicate being, and if Adrianna attacked him, he could have instantly died. 

The moon started sinking in the horizon, as Mun sat a few feet away from Adrianna and watched her heal slowly. The blood loss was immense, and he hoped that she would recover soon. As the dawn broke the dark sky, Adrianna's body shape shifted on its own, and now instead of the fierce wolf that had created so much menace, was a beautiful young girl. She looked so petite that Mun wanted to protect her. He went and sat near her to give her all his warmth. 

Nefasky and her group didn't have to complete the task of hunting, as they took the opportunity and collected the foxes. The group decided to stay near the shelter. 

They all slept turn by turn that night, each of them guarding the shelter for two hours. Finally, it was Nefasky's turn, for which she had to wake up at 4 AM. 

She rubbed her eyes as she went out of the shelter to switch places with the boy in spectacles who was brushing off the snow that was falling lightly on him. 

Nefasky must have sat down for no more than an hour when she heard a boy shouting from afar. "Help me! Is anybody there?"