Chapter 98 Dominating The Forest I: The Wolves And The Bear

Arad glared at the wolves' den standing above a tree, spying for the biggest one. ^There should be a leading couple. Killing them is what I need to do.^

[Exactly. You don't need to kill them. Force them to submit.]

^So, no bites or claws.^ Arad sighed. The leader doesn't intend to leave the den, so he has to attack.

Thud! Arad lept from the tree, landing in front of the wolves with a crack. His tail whipped the ground as his neck wiggled like a snake. A dark shadow burned on his skin as he growled, a deep crunchy burp-like purr, chilling the bones of anyone who heard.

The wolves glared at Arad in surprise. None dared to move. They could feel it. Their fangs won't dent this creature's scales.

Hesitating, the wolves resorted to growling and taunting, charging for a short distance and stopping. They surrounded Arad but left a gap, hoping their intimidation would work and that Arad would leave them alone.

Sadly, Arad wasn't taken aback. He was instead confused. Why aren't those wolves attacking him?

He walked, ignoring their threat. With each step, the wolves backed from his way. Finally, one had the courage to leap, biting the tip of Arad's tail to stop him from approaching the den.

Arad felt the bite, but it couldn't get below his scales. He looked back at the wolf, and with a swift move, he pulled his tail from the wolf's jaw and smacked him in the face with a swipe.

AW! AW! AW! AW! The wolf whined, backing away with a missing fang. They are right. This dragon is too much for mere wolves to fight.

Thud! An old wolf walked out of the den when Arad approached. He had grey fur and a missing left eye. Arad growled, glaring at the wolf. ^This is their leader. I need to smack him a bit.^

The wolf growled, bearing his teeth, Leaping forward,

Arad bowed, pushing his head below the charging wolf's body. And using the strength of his shoulder, he lifted his neck, throwing the old canine into the sky.

Arad looked up, waiting for the wolf to fall back while wiggling his hips. At the right moment, he spun around, smacking the wolf with his tail.

As the wolf's body flew away, [Void Walk] Arad teleported to the other side, smacking him again with a tail swipe.

The wolf's body rolled on the ground, bleeding from his mouth.

Arad slowly walked toward the wounded beast. ^This is the end.^ He smiled inside. Suddenly, a female lept from the den, biting Arad's neck. Five cubs followed her, hanging on his limbs and tail with their fangs.

Arad looked down. He wasn't worried. Their fangs can't pierce his scales.

The old wolf barely stood, shaking. He glared at Arad with fire in his eyes, rushing forward in a frenzy. His jaw clenched on Arad's long neck.

Arad sighed. Two wolves biting his neck. And they still couldn't get through, [There bite of a wolf can never pierce the scales of a dragon, even a wyrmling. But that isn't the case for dire wolves, be careful when facing those.]

^The ones with the red dragon? That would be hard,^ Arad sighed, lifting his front claws and grabbing the two wolves by the necks, pushing them to the ground.

GRGRGRGRGRG! Arad growled, his voice cracking like a crocodile. He glared at the wolves until they stopped moving. It was over.

The cubs let go of Arad's limbs and ran to the back, whining.

Arad lifted his claws, backing away from the two wolves.

The two wolves stood, staring at Arad. They then turned around, walking away slowly. The cubs and other wolves were about to follow them.

This land belongs to the dragon. They have no place in it. If he didn't bother killing them, they better scram.

GRRR! Arad growled, and they stopped, staring back at him.

^How could I talk with them?^ Arad asked, ^They are about to leave,^

[Move away from the den. They would understand.] Arad backed away, and the wolves waited a bit before returning to the den.

[If you want them to leave, ravage the den. It's a sign of welcome to leave it intact.] Mom explained. [Now that they reclaimed the den. Approach them again.]

^Okay.^

Arad approached the nest again, and the wolves didn't attack him. Instead, they moved out of his way. He entered the den, and the two leaders didn't stand. It was clear that they had no will to fight him.

[They won't attack you or anyone with your smell. Add to that. They will answer your call when needed.]

Arad turned away and left the den, searching for more animals to tame. Preferably predators.

****

Back in the house, Aella was tending to the garden when she heard something move in the trees. She stood, pointing her bow. She saw it, a moose glaring at her from the forest. It then slowly retreated away.

"A moose?" Aella sighed, "I thought it was bear for a moment." She returned to work.

****

After a while, Arad found his next target. It was a cave with a powerful stench and claw marks on the ground, a bear den. [Bewary, a bear bite can get through your scales. The claws are as dangerous. A direct fight isn't recommended.]

^When I use Void walk, can I take something with me?^

[No, you can't teleport to the sky with the bear and drip him. He's too big.]

^Can I throw stones?^

[Yes, I will show you the one with a small enough size.]

Mom led Arad around collecting skull-sized stones. His plan is simple, ranged combat till the bear gives up,]

Arad smiled, leaping down and approaching the cave. ROAR! He shouted inside, shaking the whole place.

After a moment of silence, he heard steps rushing out. The bear woke up and was angry. Arad rushed back and climbed a tree, pulling a boulder from his stomach and waiting. The moment the beast appeared, he smacked his face.

The bear stumbled back, looking at Arad and growling, ^Sorry, sorry, care to give up?^ Arad thought, looking at the beast.

The bear rushed toward the tree, smacking it with his claw.

The tree shook, making a loud noise. Arad plunged his hind claws into the branches so he won't fall, ^I won't fall unless you cut the whole tree.^

Arad threw a second stone at the bear, hitting him in the head, ^This is easy,^

[The bear isn't looking at you. He's focusing on the tree.] Mom said, and the tree cracked. The bear tore the trunk, and it started falling.

Arad leaped toward the closest tree, but it was smaller. He had picked the biggest one before, and he was stuck.

With a single claw strike, the bear downed the second tree forcing Arad to leap again.

At the fifth tree, Arad slipped. The bear took the chance, opening his jaw and leaping. "GRWAA!" Arad growled, and then his body stopped just a hair strand away from the bear. ^Just joking!^ He used his tail to hold onto the tree, danging his body like bait.

Arad opened his jaw, and a black jet of darkness emerged with silence. CLACK! A void breath smacked the bear down, the shock wave of the air compressing forced the air out of his lungs, and his head started to spin. The ground beneath his feet cracked as the dust rose to the sky.

^What should I do?^

[The bear won't die with another breath,]

^Got it,^

Arad opened his jaw and unleashed another breath at the confused bear, knocking him out. [This should be enough, drag him back to his cave and let's leave.]

Arad lept down and bit the bear on the shoulder, dragging him slowly back into the cave. [The bear should recognize your smell from now on. Let's look for more intelligent monsters.]

^Like what?^

[Goblins would be nice, but anything that can follow orders will do,]

Arad left with Mom, wandering the forest till a stone hit Arad's face. GRW! He growled ^What was that?^ He stared at the trees. A small chimp glared at him, giggling.

^That little bastard!^ Arad was about to climb the tree and kill it, but a bigger chimp appeared, smacking the small one on the head with a stick. Ooo! Ooo! oo! It looked angry at the small chimp.

Arad growled at them, and the big chimp looked down. It then grabbed some apples from between the branches and tossed them to Arad.

[It's the small one's mother. She seems to know dragons are dangerous, and she's trying to solve the problem.]

Arad nudged the apple away, ^I'm not here for fruits,^

The mother looked back. More small chimps hid in the trees and the whole community behind them. She grabbed the small chimp and tossed him from the tree to Arad. [She knew they don't have a chance against you. And even if they won. She and her little ones would be killed by the others for bringing a disaster. She chooses to sacrifice one instead of losing everything,]