Vayu was the last one to enter the mountains. While the others rushed in, he strolled leisurely, as if three days was a very long time. He knew rushing in would be of help but in three days a lot will happen so at start he wanted to move at his own pace . So he leisurely started walking like it was his own backyard and he was here for a stroll.
The mountain felt a lot more alive today. Each step Vayu took pressed against uneven stones, rocks slick with moss even the air felt different here, thinner and colder laced with the scent of pine and damp earth yet he felt hot, he was sweating all over.
As he roamed, the mountain, he saw a slope carpeted with wildflowers, streams trickled down in silver threads, valleys bathed in gold, treetops rolling like a sea of green, the horizon so vast it made him feel small. Birds darted in and out of the canopy, flashes of scarlet and blue against the endless sky. It was wild, untamed, and yet so achingly pure that for a moment he almost forgot why he was here. Vayu was enjoying himself he felt happy inside after so long for the first time he was not rushing in the moment , he was just being in the moment.
That was the moment Vayu decided. For the next three days, he would roam the mountain as much as he could. If he didn't make it into the second round, so be it he wasn't going to break himself chasing after meaningless fights . He would avoid battles where he could and slip past danger.
No one expected anything from him anyway. So he chose to spend his time differently. To breathe the sharp mountain air, to walk paths no one else would bother taking, to watch the sun burn the peaks in gold and fade them into shadow. But he kept his guard up because he knew, the more beautiful it seems the more dangers it hides.
If he heard a twig snap or brush stir, he quickly hide into the nearest cover he could find without hesitation. If it was a humans, he would them avoided entirely not coming out till they are entirely gone. But when it came to animals, he simply noted their presence and moved on. The only beast he wanted to hunt were the wolves, because the beast in his imagination was also a wolf, so whenever he thought about them a hatred rose within him.
As per the information there were five of them roamed in a pack, it was not an enemy he could handle head on. But his mind burned with hatred "killing even one would be enough" he thought.
He spent his hours mapping the land with the secret caves he found, every water source, marking the trails beasts frequented noticing everything into his memory. Survival began with knowledge.
By midday he felt thirsty, so he made his way to the clearing he saw sometime ago. Wide, open, safe from ambush. The kind of place where you could feel at peace. As he moved forward, his foot suddenly slipped, the stone was slick with hidden algae. For a moment, his balance wavered, but his body remembered the endless hours of practice. His feet regained balance instantly, spine steady. From afar, it looked like he had merely stumbled, nothing more.
The forest seemed still, Unchanging. Finding no sudden moments he assumed that no one else was nearby except him.
As he approached Vayu knelt down to drink, the cold water felt refreshing against his lips. Yet even in that calm, a prickle ran down his spine. His senses screamed danger, someone or something was watching him.
Vayu's body tensed, but he gave nothing away. He kept drinking, his movements natural, waiting for the faintest shift, the smallest moment. His fingers were ready, his legs coiled to dodge at the first spark of threat, his ears perked up but nothing happened .
Then, slowly, he rose to his feet and glanced backwards towards the trees.
Nothing, No movement, No figure, Only silence.
He scratched the back of his head, muttering under his breath, maybe he was enjoying himself too much so his instincts overreacted, with no sign of pursuit, he turned from the river and slipped back into the forest, eyes already searching for a place to make his first hideout.
Vayu had wandered deeper than most would dare. Hours passed, and suddenly he found the trail of wolves.
There were eight footprints pressed into the damp soil, the edges still sharp, two wolves had crossed this way not too long ago. Vayu crouched low, running his fingers over the marks. The depth told him they were not heavy, the long spacing told him that they were in a hurry, he began following the trail.
Before long, he heard a low growl through the trees. He froze, then slowly started climbing the nearest trunk, pulling himself into the branches. His movements were careful, without making any sound. From higher ground, he could finally see what was happening.
What he saw surprised him.
Instead of a pack of five wolves moving together, it was two groups. One group had three wolves slightly leaner and smaller their gray coats rough and patchy.
The other group had only two wolves, but both were larger, their fur darker with a hint of reddish brown along the shoulders, bulkier, longer legged, and far more imposing.
The air between the two groups trembled with tension, but neither side dared make the first move.
Vayu understood why. If they fought, both sides would be harmed. The three had their advantage in numbers but the two were more stronger and persistent. In the wild, even a shallow wound could lead to death and they knew it well. That was why they stood there, muscles coiled, in a battle of patience, testing who would give way first.
Vayu's lips curled into the faintest smile. This was better than he had hoped for.
The weaker ones had numbers. The stronger ones had strength. All he had to do was break this deadlock.
That thought ignited a plan in his mind cold, sharp, and cruelly simple.
That was when the memory of the footprints struck him. He replayed the details in his mind their shape, their size, the spacing of each step. Those smaller, tighter prints belonged to the gray wolves, no doubt.
And the trail also led him to the gray wolves if he was right the two that left earlier had gone to drink water. Which meant one of the gray wolves had stayed behind, standing guard, and after sometime it will go to drink water as the other two stood guard.
If he struck down that lone gray wolf and dragged the body into the territory of the brown wolves. The two Gray wolves watching their kin die will get in frenzy. To them, it would look like the other pack had trespassed and had killed their kin.
The Grey wolves, would lose the advantage in numbers. And once the Brown wolves would attack fiercely, the clash would be brutal. One side would perish outright and the other would be injured badly.
At that moment he would step in, giving them the finishing touches they needed.
Up in the tree, the Vayu's eyes narrowed. He could almost see it playing out before him.
He moved quickly, settling into a concealed base nearby, close enough to watch the three wolves. From there, he noticed their every movement. He didn't sleep that night, instead he retraced the steps of wolves and started to set his trap.
PS: the gray wolves are Indian wolves
: the reddish brown wolves are Himalayan wolves