"What?"
Big Grund asked to make sure he heard well.
"I can see it, the animal you're talking about."
Elwyn repeated.
"You can clearly see an animal that is about 9 kilometres away, with trees and leaves blocking your way?"
He asked again, and Elwyn nodded firmly.
"Boy, this is what I'm talking about. You are not normal; you can never be normal. You can even see farther than I?
Do you know how strong a human has to be to see farther than I?
And you're still just a child, and an infant if we really count the days. But look at you, telling men you can see past trees and leaves."
"Don't ever try to be normal in your life. Whatever you feel like is abnormal, that is what you should do, okay."
Elwyn nodded again and said
"Okay."
Big Grund stopped moving, slowly stood up straight to give him a better view, then he asked him to describe what the animal looked like.
"It's a Wolf, right?" Big Grund asked.
Elwyn replied,
"I don't know what a Wolf is, but it is not as big as you are. It is not completely white, and its legs are really tiny compared to yours."
Big Grund asked him again,
"Are there other beasts like it around him?"
"No," Elwyn gently shook his head.
"Is the waist thinner than the stomach?"
Big Grund kept asking
"Yes, it is, and its eyes are the color of the sky, you say it's blue, right?"
Elwyn replied again
"Yes, it's blue, and I was right, it's a wolf. But why are there no other wolves there?
What is it doing?" he asked Elwyn
"Eating, like you guys," Elwyn replied
"If it is eating, then it's really alone."
Big Grund said. In truth, he was starting to think about turning back and avoiding this wolf. It was because he was afraid of the wolf; it was actually because he didn't want to fight a wolf while trying to keep Elwyn out of danger. Wolves usually move around in packs. And fighting a pack of wolves while trying to keep Elwyn out of danger was practically impossible.
When he perceived the scent of this wolf and also felt like it smelled like a wolf, he already started doubting the decision, but he still wanted to take a look, because apart from that one smell, there weren't other smells like it coming from there, which was confusing.
Now that he has confirmed that it was indeed a wolf, and it was alone, he felt an even bigger reluctance to engage it with Elwyn in the picture.
Wolves are social beings, and they typically move in packs, which they rarely leave. If a wolf leaves its pack, there are only a few explanations for that, and the most apparent will be that they feels like they are shackled by the pack, which means that the strength of the whole pack combined is no longer in league.
That is just one possibility, though, but it was the worst one for Big Grund and Elwyn. Big Grund started looking around for a good hiding spot for Elwyn. A place where he can be far from the coming altercation, but will also be able to get a view of what is happening.
Soon he found a spot, about 7 kilometres away from the wolf,
"You'll stand here and quietly watch. No matter what happens, don't make a sound, nor leave this spot. Although that wolf looks suspicious, it's still not a match for me. Just wait here and enjoy the show."
He said to Elwyn as he dropped him on a slightly caved ground that had a protruding edge. It was good for hiding, and also had an edge where one could get a good view of the environment.
"Yes", Elwyn nodded.
After settling Elwyn, Big Grund started walking towards the wolf slowly. As he moved, a faint gust of cold wind was being exuded by his body. Elwyn watched intently, and as he focused on Big Grund, he couldn't help but think about the wolf; can't it feel the presence of the huge bear approaching?
The same thought was running through Big Grund's head as it moved closer, but it still approached it, apparently because he wasn't afraid of it. As it got closer, he started walking more slowly. When he got closer than 1 km away, it was almost croaching on the ground.
Elwyn watched intently as he thought about what Grund told him before leaving.
"You should look closely and try to see if you can get something. Remember, when it comes to hunting, every bit of movement is part of training, so do your best to keep track of every moment of mine, and even that of the opponent. You shouldn't limit your vision to me alone. If there's something you can learn from the wolf, don't hesitate to copy it."
This is what Big Grund said to him before he left.
As he watched the two beasts, one eating without concern, and the other slowly approaching it. As he watched, he couldn't help but mutter,
"Is this really sneaking up?
I can still feel his presence even when he's so far away. Why is he still sneaking?"
He didn't know that it was not normal for someone who is not a Soul adept to be able to feel the presence of other beings so far away from them.
Meanwhile, in the Ascii village, Old Man Basse and the kids were heading toward the stream where Ewan was found. This was after Old Man Basse had an earful of Ewan screaming about wanting to go there. Of course, there was also a secret mastermind that encouraged Ewan to keep asking for it. Shandha very much liked following Old Man Basse to the stream. However, Old Man Basse didn't like bringing her always. This is because the fishing sessions are according to Old Man Basse, are his private space-out time. When he can simply sit in one spot and space out for however long it'll take for a fish to take his bait.
Bringing the kids certainly means a bad day for the old man. However, it was the other way round for the kids. Shandha was beaming brightly as she looked at her new fishing tool that Old Man Basse had made for her. It was quite simple, as it was made with just a stick, a short line, and a hook. The line was wrapped around the stick from the tip that it was tied down to the base, where the hook was attached to the stick.
Lately, Old Man Basse has been frequenting the market a lot. This is because, anytime he bought a new set of clothes for Ewan, he would quickly outgrow them, and he would have to buy new ones. So as he had agreed, under the constant harassment of the two brats, he also thought of buying Shandha a fishing tool, so that they could be busy on their own, and give him some space to fish peacefully.
The village stream wasn't far from the village, but one had to go around a small mountain to get to the stream. The mountain wasn't really big, and it was a popular spot for children who liked playing outdoors. The trio soon went around the mountain and were closing in on the stream. It didn't take long for them to reach the stream. The road to the stream was filled with tall trees, almost all of the same species, as if someone specifically planted them.
As soon as Old Man Basse and the kids got to the stream, he said
"Okay, let me state the rules. Neither of you is going to stay close to me at all, but you guys will have to stay where I can still see you. Is that clear?"
Shandha drew Ewan closer to herself and whispered something to him.
"But Grandpa, we are going upstream, right?" Ewan asked almost immediately.
Old Man Basse glared at Shandha, who pretended like she didn't see it.
Old Man Basse said, "We won't go far. You guys, I keep telling you, stop going upstream, it's not safe there. There are dangerous beasts there that can eat you up like snacks."
His tone sounded like he was admonishing both of them, but he was mainly staring at Shandha all the time, and it couldn't be clearer that he was telling her in particular. Shandha, however, wasn't a bit concerned about what he was saying. She even muttered, "Won't you still protect us?" as she gave the old man a side glance with a naughty smirk on her face.
Old Man Basse shook his head slightly with a wry smile cause he knew what the little girl was thinking.
"I've told you, little girl, I'm just an ordinary person, what the hell did your grandfather tell you about me..."
"...Aiyaaaaaaa."
Old Man Basse shook his head again.