I waited, straining my ears, trying to make sense of the sound.
Was it my—maybe—Dad? Some random person out for a walk in the woods?
No.
A dark, instinctive part of my mind whispered the truth before I could deny it. A wolf. Or something worse. Something that would kill me.
Fear wrapped around my chest, tightening with every shallow breath as uncertainty turned into certainty. The leaves parted.
A wolf stepped into view.
It looked starved, its skin pulled tight over jutting bones, ribs clearly outlined beneath patchy fur. When its eyes locked onto me, a low, hungry growl rolled from its maw—deep, wet, and full of promise. It took a step forward, its thin frame made all the more unnatural by the darkness clinging to it.
"Shit—"
I tried to stand, desperation lending strength to my limbs, but my body betrayed me. I collapsed back to the ground, pain flaring as the air was knocked from my lungs. The wolf advanced slowly now, teeth bared, yellow and sharp in the moonlight.
I began to crawl away, fear driving me onward, my hands scraping uselessly at dirt and leaves. But it was pointless. The distance between us closed with every breath. A panicked, animal sound tore from my throat as the wolf crouched.
Its legs bent.
Time seemed to slow as it leapt.
I knew, with sudden clarity, that I was about to die.
Then—
A sharp whistling cut through the air.
Something struck the wolf mid-flight. There was a sickening crack as the impact tore it sideways, slamming it into the ground with brutal force. The creature twitched once, pinned fast by a massive spear driven clean through its body and deep into the earth beneath.
I stared, frozen, as the light faded from the wolf's eyes—eyes that only moments ago had promised my death.
Slowly, I turned to look at what had saved my life.
I would have called it a spear, but even as small as I was, I could tell it was far too large to be wielded comfortably by any human, no matter how strong.
Heavy footsteps pulled my attention away.
They were deeper, heavier even than those of the man who had brought me here. I let out a bitter, broken smile.
Come on, God. Stop teasing me. Just kill me already.
But instead of death, I was met with horror—and awe.
A figure emerged from the trees.
He stood tall, towering, built like a walking wall of muscle. Not the sculpted kind meant for display, but dense, brutal strength shaped by violence and survival. His body was crisscrossed with scars—old wounds, deep and ugly, marking a lifetime of battle.
Coarse, dark fur covered parts of his body—along his arms, shoulders, and legs.
And where a human head should have been…
There was the head of a goat.
Curved horns swept back from his skull, chipped and worn. His eyes were dark and intelligent, not wild, watching me with an unreadable expression. The Gor—because some instinct told me that was what he was—glanced at me only briefly before turning his attention to the dead wolf.
He walked over casually, gripping the massive spear and tearing it free from the ground with ease, the wolf's corpse still impaled upon it. He slung the weapon over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.
Then he turned back to me.
His shadow swallowed me whole.
As he crouched down, fear surged through me again, sharp and overwhelming. For a moment, I was sure I would still die—just at the hands of this creature instead.
But instead, the Gor reached out and picked me up.
Confusion replaced terror as he lifted me effortlessly, holding me with surprising care. He began to make sounds—deep, guttural noises that rumbled from his chest. At first, they seemed like meaningless growls.
Then I realized—
He was speaking.
The sounds were harsh, broken, and strange, but they had structure. Words. A language I didn't understand, but one that was unmistakably deliberate.
Before I could process any more, the Gor broke into a run.
The sudden speed stole my breath. The wind lashed my face as trees blurred past us, far faster than anything humanly possible. His strides were long, powerful, carrying us through the forest with an unnatural, terrifying grace.
The world became a smear of darkness and motion.
My body finally gave up.
My eyes grew heavy, the weight of the day crushing down on me. Fear, exhaustion, and shock pulled me under, and once more, sleep claimed me—deeper this time.