A branch snapped.
Close.
William's head turned—
Too late.
The lynx came from the left, not from above this time.
Low.
Explosive.
A blur of mottled fur cutting through dead brush without a sound.
Claws didn't aim for his chest.
They aimed for his lead thigh.
William swung across his body—
Too hard.
Too wide.
The lynx had already shifted mid-lunge.
Its body twisted unnaturally in the air.
Claws raked across William's outer leg.
Leather tore.
Blood followed.
William staggered back with a sharp hiss of pain.
The lynx didn't stay.
It rebounded instantly, pushing off William's shin with its hind legs and vanishing sideways into brush before the axe completed its arc.
William's swing bit into frozen soil.
Silence returned.
William inhaled sharply and stepped back, weight shifting unevenly.
"Damn it—"
Osric didn't move toward him immediately.
He watched the treeline.
Watched for the second strike.
It didn't come.
'Good.'
It wasn't reckless.
It had tested.
William looked down at the shallow claw lines slicing through his leather greaves. Blood seeped, but not deep.
"I had it," William muttered.
'No, you didn't.'
Osric stepped beside him now, eyes scanning constantly.
"You overcommitted," Osric said calmly.
"It wanted that swing."
William clenched his jaw.
"I saw it."
"Seeing isn't reacting."
William exhaled slowly.
The sting in his thigh sharpened his focus.
Not panic.
Pain.
Useful.
He adjusted his stance.
This time he lowered the axe head instead of raising it.
Grip tighter.
Elbows closer.
Feet grounded.
Osric noticed the shift immediately.
'Good.'
'He learns fast.'
A shadow flickered between two trees ahead.
The lynx reappeared briefly.
Not charging.
Studying.
Its green eyes had changed.
Less curious.
More calculating.
It had drawn blood.
Now it would measure response.
William didn't rush this time.
He held position.
Breathing steady.
The lynx circled wider.
Looking for imbalance.
Looking for hesitation.
It lunged again—
But not at the wound.
Higher.
Testing reaction speed.
William didn't swing wide this time.
He stepped forward instead of back.
Short chop.
Compact.
The bearded edge caught fur mid-lunge, the short haft snapping back under control.
Not a killing blow—
But enough.
The lynx twisted midair and landed hard, skidding sideways.
A thin line of red appeared along its flank.
For the first time—
It hissed.
Not loud.
But angry.
William didn't grin.
Didn't taunt.
He reset his stance.
Balanced.
Waiting.
Osric's eyes narrowed slightly.
'That was controlled.'
'Not luck.'
The lynx retreated two steps instead of vanishing completely this time.
It was recalculating.
The prey had teeth.
The lynx shifted first.
Its eyes moved from William—
To Osric.
Decision made.
It launched without warning.
Not at the front.
Not at the side.
It came straight through a narrow gap between two trunks, body low, claws extended toward Osric's midsection.
Fast.
Cleaner than before.
Osric's Combat Instinct flared before thought formed.
He didn't step back.
He stepped off-line.
Half a pivot.
Minimal.
His sword came up from below in a tight rising cut.
Iron scraped fur.
A shallow slice opened along the lynx's shoulder as it passed him.
Not deep.
But deliberate.
The lynx twisted midair and landed behind him.
This time it didn't vanish immediately.
It staggered one step.
Adjusted.
Its green eyes narrowed.
'It's testing the second threat.'
'Good.'
Osric didn't pursue.
He rotated slowly, keeping both William and the lynx within sight.
The lynx shifted again—
Back to William.
It darted low.
Not for the chest.
Not for the arm.
For the wounded thigh.
William saw it coming.
He didn't swing.
He dropped his weight instead.
The bearded axe came down in a compact diagonal block, haft braced tight against his forearm.
Claws struck iron instead of flesh.
The impact rang sharply.
William grunted but held.
No overcommit.
No chase.
The lynx rebounded immediately, landing several paces away.
Its flank bled lightly now.
Its shoulder darkened from Osric's cut.
Not crippling.
But accumulating.
It hissed again.
Longer this time.
And then it stepped back.
Not in panic.
In calculation.
Osric saw the shift.
'It's about to disengage.'
The lynx's body angled slightly toward thicker brush.
Escape route.
Decision made.
Osric spoke quietly.
"William."
No panic.
No rush.
"Anchor left."
William shifted instantly.
Understanding.
"Don't chase," Osric continued. "Force it right."
The lynx moved.
William stepped into its path instead of reacting to it.
Not attacking.
Just closing space.
Blocking the clean escape angle.
The lynx pivoted—
Exactly where Osric wanted it.
It sprang right.
Into open ground.
Osric was already there.
No wide swing.
No flourish.
He stepped forward once and drove his iron blade in a straight, controlled thrust beneath the lynx's ribcage as it passed.
Deep.
Clean.
The momentum of its own leap carried it onto the iron.
The lynx convulsed midair.
Hit the ground hard.
Rolled once.
Tried to rise—
Failed.
Osric didn't hesitate.
He stepped in and finished it with a short downward cut through the neck.
Silence returned.
Real silence this time.
'Aside from that first mistake, he performed well.'
"It's over. I think we both did pretty well. Is your wound okay?"
William approached Osric slowly with his axe on his shoulder while smiling.
"The wound isn't bad. But that was much easier than expected. It's all thanks to your instructions."
"You're really good at this. I can't believe you have been doing this for a shorter time than me."
Osric replied.
"Thanks. I might have good instincts and can keep calm at most times, but this honestly wouldn't have been possible without the short training I recently received from Franklin."
"And of course I couldn't have done this alone. You are reliable and skilled."
William looked both curious and slightly embarrassed.
"Haha thanks man."
"And I can't believe you got trained by a knight. That's so awesome! How was it?"
Osric smiled faintly.
"It was just a week but brutal. I learned a lot in that short time and am thankful to Franklin."
"Yeah I believe you."
"Okay should we take the corpse with us?"
Osric remained silent for a bit before speaking.
"Yes. But I first want to say something else."
"Sure. What is it?"
"I recently realized that I can't grow as much as I want and achieve my goals just by myself."
"I have come to a conclusion and it only solidified more after Franklin's training."
"My immediate plan is to build a party with reliable and capable people under me."
William was surprised by how serious Osric was and started to put things together.
Osric reached out his hand.
"William. Will you join me?"