Same day
After setting his trap, Vayu returned to his concealed base, eyes never leaving the grey wolves. It was nearly dawn when the third wolf rose and moved away from the den, stretching its limbs before heading downhill.
Vayu moved like a shadow, tailing it quietly. He already knew what route it will take toward the water source and had prepared accordingly. Before dawn, he had smeared his body with mud, masking his scent.
Near the shore, he had dug into the earth and planted his dagger, leaving only the tip outside, barely an inch above the soil while the rest lay buried deep. To bait the beast, he had slain a young boar earlier, dragging its bloody carcass nearby and scattering meat in front of the trap.
As expected, the wolf's nose twitched the moment it neared the clearing. Its ears perked, scanning the silence, before hunger overwhelmed its caution. Finding no sign of threat, it rushed forward, snapping hungrily at the boar's flesh until nothing but scraps remained.
Satisfied, the wolf walked past the bait and lowered its head to drink water.
That was the moment Vayu struck.
The buried knife was too low to pierce on its own, but it was never meant to, from behind, Vayu closed in with slow and steady steps. As the wolf drank water, unaware as its throat hovered over a half buried dagger.
Vayu's grip tightened over the homemade nunchaku, made from iron cuffs and an old chain, he swung with full force and in one swift, merciless arc, he brought it down with full force onto the wolf's skull.
Bone cracked under the blow, the beast staggering forward in shock. Its throat pressed against the hidden blade, the tip puncturing deep in its throat as the wolf choked on its own blood.
The beast gurgled once and collapsed into silence, throat torn open, his blood leaking into the soil.
Vayu exhaled slowly, retrieving his dagger, not a single cry came out of the beast. He dragged the limp body across the dirt, muscles straining and threw it deep into the territory of the brown wolves with a loud thud!.
Moments later, a growl came and then another. Out of the tree line, two massive brown wolves appeared into view, their eyes burned with rage, nostrils flaring as they caught the scent of blood. Vayu sat on a tree branch and saw everything from above.
One of the wolves sniffed the carcass. Its lips peeled back, fangs glinting, instantly it recognized the grey wolf's corpse, it howled, a thunderous call echoed across the valley.
The howl attracted the grey wolves, as they soon came running, as they saw the mutilated body of their kin their eyes burned with frenzy. Their answering howls split the air and without hesitation, they lunged at the brown wolves.
The clash erupted like a storm.
The grey wolf(1) darted in, teeth flashing on the throat of the brown wolf(1). It managed to clamp him down, but the larger wolf twisted, muscles flexed, and slammed it into the dirt. The crunch of bone followed, a yelp torn from the grey wolfs(1) maw before massive jaws closed around its ribcage and shook violently. Blood sprayed, ribs cracked yet the grey wolf refused to give up his life, desperate to bring the brown wolf down with it.
The second grey wolf circled the other brown wolf fast, snapping at the hind leg of the brown wolf. It bit down hard drawing blood, and for a heartbeat it seemed that the grey wolf might win the fight. But the brown wolf fought back unyielding and cruel as it lunged low, teeth sinking into the grey wolf's neck, tearing muscle apart. The grey wolf shrieked and soon died. The field had became a mess of fur, blood, and snarls.
The last grey wolf fought alone, its body shredded, one ear torn away, hind leg crippled. Still it stood straight and attacked the brown wolves, eyes filled with grief and fury, snapping madly at any part of flesh it could reach. It drew blood, biting down the muzzle of one brown wolf, but the numbers and their strength were overwhelming. Asthe another brown wolf clamped its throat from behind pinning it, as another wolf sank its fangs into his side. The grey wolf howled one last time and died.
Silence fell, broken by the heavy panting of the brown wolves. The brown wolves stood bloodied but alive, three corpses of their rivals lay torn in the dirt.
From the branch, Vayu watched eyes sharp and patient as everything went according to his plan now it was his turn. He dropped from the tree landing with precision before the nearest brown wolf, his dagger drove clean into its neck before it could even register any movement. A whine escaped from its mouth, it had died before it could fight back.
The second wolf jerked its head up, already bleeding from its muzzle and hind leg. Pain had made it desperate, with a snarl it lunged straight for him.
Vayu knelt low and in one fluid motion thrust both daggers into its throat. The daggers tore through flesh, blood spilling hot over his hands. Yet the beast raked its paws across his forearms, claws slicing deep lines into his flesh teeth bared till its weight collapsed against his hands. Vayu let the daggers slip from his grip clattering weakly against the sand. He too laid down his chest rose and fell, the wolf's carcass slumped over him, its blood soaking into his clothes, he could have pushed it away, but he didn't. He stayed there staring at the canopy above.
The world felt distant, muted, as the pain burned across his arms where the wolf had raked him, but he ignored it. After sometime he removed the corpse above him and got up, he did not feel happy or excited as he had thought. It was the moment he understood that he was being driven by the emotions and from this moment he had learned to control his emotions as he got busy in retrieving their fangs .
While on the other part of the forest.....
Aspen followed the blood trail, running as fast as he could, eyes sharp on the crimson drops staining the ground. The trail wound led him deeper into the mountain until he caught sight of the leopard, crouched low in a gap, between the rocks,its golden eyes burning with fury.
As he drew closer, the beast snarled, lips curling back to reveal bloodstained fangs. Aspen halted. He knew very well that a cornered rat will bite the cat. A single reckless step, and it would lunge at him.
So he didn't step closer, Instead he gripped his axes, muscles tightening, gaze unwavering. With a sharp exhale, he throwed both axes in quick succession. The leopard had nowhere to go in that small space. Both axes struck, thudding deep into its body. Its snarl cut short into a choking growl before it collapsed, twitching and soon it stilled.
Aspen lowered his stance, eyes fixed until he was certain. Only then did he move forward, satisfaction curling across his face. Kneeling by the carcass, he wrenched his axes free, wiping the blood on the grass before setting them aside. With practiced precision, he drew the knife he had taken from the boy.
First, he pried open the jaws, working carefully to remove the prized fangs, then with steady hands cut through the fur, peeling the hide. The air was filled with the scent of blood and raw flesh, but Aspen worked methodically, like a craftsman crafting its work.
**********
Mei crouched low behind the tree, her breath shallow, her shoulder throbbing where the arrow had pinned her. She gathered a few stones and tossed them one by one into the trees on the opposite side. Leaves rustled, birds burst into the air flying franticly .
Ryan's neck snapped toward the sound. He thought she was bolting towards the river but there was a five meter gap between the tree line and the river. If she tried to leap, the current would carry her downstream. He waited, bowstring stretched, convinced she'd break cover soon.
But Mei had no intention of diving into the river. The moment Ryan's focus shifted, she bolted towards the opposite direction , running at full speed. Pain spiked as her balance faltered, the arrow was still lodged in her shoulder , a sharp yelp came out from her lips.
Ryan turned his head around, she had tricked him he snarled and fired, angling the bow up as she darted uphill. The arrow cut through the air Mei sidestepped at the last second and kept running, refusing to slow down. He nocked another arrow, drew string but before he could aim she had already vanished into the forest.
Three opportunities, three escapes. Rage boiled in Ryan's chest like fire, he had missed them all. He clenched his jaw, frustration burning through him, and vowed that tomorrow he would go down and hunt down everyone in front of him. He would take the others down, he would win. Today for the first time his eyes burned with fire .
Mei, meanwhile, forced herself to keep moving. On the way back, she stopped just long enough to pluck herbs she recognized from her training. Plants that could be used to dull pain and slow bleeding. She couldn't leave the wound untreated, if she did she'd be crippled in the second round, when every fight would be one-on-one.
That night, each of the four carried different emotions with them:
Aspen sat with a grin, proud as he achieved his target brimming with confidence. His total points: 120.
Mei's shoulder was laced with herbs, her mind burned with anger at losing Aspen again and she even got herself injured. Her total points: 160.
Vayu felt nothing his mind felt ytterly calm, stronger, sharper, utterly steady, he let the silence of his mind wash over him. His total points: 510.
Ryan was the angriest of all. Three missed chances, one humiliating day. His total points: 10.
The night settled as each prepared for the last day.