The group had already covered some distance when Om who was thinking about the things he learned from Prahlad was absentminded and was following the group . Rudra glanced at him with relief, though her expression still held traces of worry.
"We didn't know what happened to you," she said, her voice low but urgent. "We checked your pulse and your condition… you were only unconscious. I asked Ghato to carry you, but I want to know—how did you wake up? I'm sure you know what caused that state of yours… but I'll ask later. Right now, we're still being hunted."
Before Om could answer, something leapt from the trees.
A dark blur—a wolf—descended upon them.
Ghato swung his ghada with brute force, the heavy weapon colliding with the beast's skull. A sickening thud echoed through the forest, and the wolf staggered before retreating into the shadows. This one was weaker than the first wolf Om had slain earlier, but it was still dangerous.
Om's mind had been occupied with scattered thoughts, but the attack brought him sharply back to focus. The danger was far from over.
"How long was I out?" Om asked, his eyes scanning the treeline. "And why are wolves attacking us?"
Arun, breathing heavily, answered first. "You were out for about forty minutes. And we've been running the entire time. Wolves started coming after us the moment we killed the first one. Four attacks so far—Ghato took down two with a single strike each, but even he's starting to tire. They're relentless."
Om looked up at the sky. The sun hung high—it was already noon. They had roughly six hours left to reach the Gurukul and complete the trial. Still… it felt like far more than forty minutes had passed since he last saw Prahlad.
A darker thought crept into his mind. Why hasn't anyone come to help us?
This was a danger zone, and beasts were attacking them repeatedly. The trial was supposed to be monitored by Gurukul operatives—surely they would have intervened by now. Unless… they wanted this to happen.
His suspicions grew heavier, but Arun's voice, weaker than before, broke through his thoughts.
"If this keeps up," Arun muttered, "we'll be lunch before the sun sets. We have to rest."
Om agreed. "Rudra, get to higher ground. See if there's anywhere we can hide for a while."
Rudra nodded and quickly climbed a nearby tree, moving with practiced agility. From above, she scanned the surrounding area while the rest of the group caught their breath, watching her closely.
Their situation was grim. Everyone's stamina was running dangerously low. For now, no wolves were in sight, but they all knew it was only a matter of time before their scent was picked up again.
Rudra dropped down and reported, "To the east, there's a river. If we move there, we can mask our scent by walking in the water. But there's a problem—it's farther from the direct route to the Gurukul. Following the river will take us longer."
Om thought for a moment. "Lead the way. First priority—lose our scent."
The group moved toward the water source. When they reached it, they jumped in without hesitation. The cool water refreshed them as they drank deeply before wading forward, every step washing away their trail.
Surprisingly—or perhaps suspiciously—no wolves attacked after Om had woken up. Still, they kept their guard high, scanning for threats both on land and in the water.
Their caution proved justified.
A sudden splash—a crocodile lunged at them. Ghato reacted instantly, smashing his ghada into its skull. The beast sank lifeless into the river, and the others backed away, splashing through the water. The remaining crocodiles slinked away after the display of strength.
Om noticed Ghato's hands trembling—not from fear, but from exhaustion. Even the strongest among them was reaching his limit. They needed to replenish their chakra with nature energy soon.
Om, however, felt himself recovering. The fatigue from his earlier encounter with Prahlad was fading, his nature energy slowly flowing back. Ghato gave him a strange, almost astonished look at his rapid recovery, but said nothing, saving his breath.
Eventually, Om spotted a high, defensible area with a good vantage point. "We'll stop here," he said. "Good for combat… and for scouting."
They climbed out of the water and took turns meditating to replenish their nature energy.
Ghato went first, sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes, his breathing steadying. The others kept watch. Thirty minutes later, Ghato opened his eyes, fully restored. Arun and Rudra meditated next, while Om insisted he would be the last—he was already in better condition than most.
An hour later, all of them had recovered enough to eat. Om stood guard while the others dug into their rations. He checked his watch—it was 2 PM. Four hours remained before they had to reach the Gurukul. So far, they had collected one treasure, three wolves' ears, and some herbs.
Rudra finished her meal first. She approached Om, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We're safe now—we've lost the wolves' trail."
Om's eyes remained locked on the forest. His voice was low, but sharp. "No… you don't get it. Our signals aren't working. We've been wandering just to lose our scent, but no wolves have attacked since I woke up. The last one didn't even fight to the death—it ran after Ghato's strike. Before that, they fought savagely. And yet… no help came. The commander said help would arrive if we needed it—we needed it more than once, and no one showed up."
He narrowed his eyes. "It's too perfect. Too… deliberate. Like a trap. And most of all—there's one big thing I'm worried about."
The others froze. Rudra tensed, her hand slipping from his shoulder. Arun swallowed hard. "What's the big thing?"
Om turned to face them. "Wolves always hunt in packs. They never work alone."
The words struck like lightning. Realization spread across their faces. Arun and Ghato jolted to their feet, weapons ready.
A voice, deep and mocking, came from the trees. "I didn't expect the dogs of the Dharma Kingdom to figure it out."
The group snapped into formation, forming a defensive circle.
Then a woman's voice, cold and commanding, followed. "This complicates things. Remember—kill them all… except for the boy who spotted the trap. He's his prey."