Rio lived with the villagers for a long time,
and over time, his life there became normal… peaceful… warm.
He married Luna,
and those were the happiest moments of their lives,
as if the harsh world beyond the village no longer existed.
But inside Rio…
there was an inexplicable emptiness.
A feeling that compelled him to leave.
One morning, he suddenly announced his decision:
"I'm leaving for a short while… there's something I need to understand."
He didn't explain why.
Because he himself didn't know.
His friends and the villagers bid him a sad farewell,
but Luna, despite her unease, smiled and said:
"Go… but come back. We'll be waiting for you."
She sensed that this departure was not ordinary.
Far south…
Lloyd was living a completely different life.
He accompanied Mizuno Kaino on successive hunting expeditions,
and each encounter increased his combat experience,
and his control over the predator's genes.
He was no longer the lost soul he'd been,
but a fighter learning the harsh rules of this world.
A Quiet Night… Before the Storm
One quiet night,
Lloyd sat with Mizuno and a third man named Caprio inside an old wooden restaurant,
discussing the movements of neighboring villages and their plans for expansion and hunting.
It was all quite ordinary…
until the restaurant door burst open.
A huge group of men entered,
exuding a distinctly hostile aura.
It was a gang of bears.
And at their head… was a massive man, one eye covered by an old scar,
his gaze as heavy as the mountain itself.
He was known as:
Jaber the One-Eyed.
The conversation in the restaurant stopped.
Everyone felt tense.
Jaber approached slowly,
then placed his heavy hand on the table where Lloyd was sitting.
"I heard…" he said in a deep voice.
"There's a new wolf learning to hunt in our territory."
Lloyd calmly raised his gaze… a look devoid of fear.
But Mizuno immediately realized—
This wasn't just an ordinary visit.
It was a test of strength… and could be the beginning of a bigger conflict.
Silence fell over the restaurant.
All eyes turned to the table where Lloyd was sitting.
Jaber the One-Eyed remained standing, like a mountain blocking the light.
Then he said in a low but defiant voice,
"In the land of bears… a wolf isn't allowed to hunt without permission."
Lloyd didn't reply immediately.
He slowly raised his eyes, giving him a steady look,
a look that wasn't provocative… but also didn't acknowledge dominance.
Mizuno understood the message instantly. He muttered,
"Lloyd… this isn't someone we want to fight here."
But Jaber smiled faintly.
"Don't worry… we won't wreck the place."
Then he gestured toward the outside.
Outside the restaurant—under the snowy sky—
The gang gathered at a distance,
while Lloyd and Jaber stood in an open, snow-covered area.
The air was cold… but the tension was even greater.
"Just a test," Jaber said, taking off his heavy coat. If you hold out… we'll leave you alone. If you fail… you go back the way you came.
Lloyd didn't reply, but his body began to change.
His breathing slowed… his eyes grew slightly red… and those dark marks appeared on his left arm.
Jaber noticed and said with interest,
"Ah… so you're not an ordinary wolf."
The Battle Begins
Jaber moved first.
He wasn't as fast as Lloyd, but his strength was immense—every step shook the ground beneath his feet.
Lloyd dodged the first blow with a sideways slide,
and snow swirled around them.
He wasn't fighting haphazardly,
but rather observing… learning… searching for the right moment.
"Don't fight with force," Mizuno called from a distance. "Fight with your brain!"
Jaber charged again, and this time Lloyd leaped higher, the claws of his left paw more clearly visible—but without losing control.
The attack stopped abruptly.
Jaber didn't continue.
Instead… he laughed.
A short, deep laugh.
The end of the test.
Jaber stood up straight and said,
"Enough."
He approached Lloyd,
and looked him straight in the eye.
"You're not fighting like a monster… like someone trying not to become one."
Then he turned back to his men.
"This kind… we let live."
The gang dispersed,
and the fight ended… without a clear victor.
But before he left, Jaber said without turning around,
"In the South… something more powerful than all of us is moving.
And you'll need this control you have… when the time comes."
Lloyd stood silently.
It wasn't the fighting that mattered…
but what Jabber had said.
Something bigger was approaching.
Lloyd smiled at Mizuno's enthusiasm, then said, looking down at the quiet village streets,
"It's not easy… Alliances here aren't built on words alone. Everyone in this village has a past… and some don't trust anyone."
"Then we'll make them trust us," Mizuno replied confidently. "You have the power, and I know most of them. We'll find people to stand with us."
The Search Begins
The two set off through the old quarters in the south, where there was little movement and many eyes watching from narrow windows.
It was clear that this part of the village was nothing like the hunting grounds they were used to; here lived the shapeshifters who preferred solitude… or who had something to hide.
"The first person we'll meet isn't a gang leader… but someone who knows everything that goes on here," Mizuno said in a low voice. "If he approves of us, he'll open doors for us."
They stopped in front of an old blacksmith's workshop, from which a wisp of smoke rose even though the door was closed.
Mizuno knocked three times in quick succession… then stopped.
Silence fell.
Suddenly, the door opened slowly, and a tall man appeared, his broad shoulders and sharp eyes scanning the depths of his being.
"Mizuno… you haven't been here for months. And who is this with you?" the man said.
Lloyd took a step forward and replied calmly, "My name is Lloyd. I'm not looking for a fight… but for balance. The village is changing, and I want to forge an alliance before these changes descend into chaos."
The man remained silent for a moment, then looked at the marks on Lloyd's arm… as if he understood something unspoken.
A Test of Intentions
"Come in," the man said, opening the door wider. "But remember… whoever enters this place doesn't leave the same."
The two entered and found the place filled with ancient weapons and unfamiliar hunting equipment, as if it had been made to confront creatures no one knew.
"You still make these things?" Mizuno asked in surprise. "I thought you had stopped." The man replied,
"I stopped fighting… but I didn't stop preparing."
Then he turned directly to Lloyd:
"If you want to build an alliance, you must answer me first:
Do you want to protect the village… or conquer it?"
Lloyd didn't hesitate.
"I want no one to be forced to choose between being the hunter… or the hunted."
The first thread of an alliance
The man smiled for the first time.
"So you're not looking for followers… but partners."
He walked over to a wooden table and placed an old map of the village on it.
"There are other groups who think like you… but they don't trust each other. If you can bring them together, we might prevent the coming conflict."
"Conflict? What conflict?" Mizuno asked anxiously.
"Someone has begun to stir up the predators from the shadows… and it's clear he doesn't want this village to remain as it is."
Lloyd looked at the map and felt that the path he had just chosen…
wouldn't be just an alliance.
But it is the beginning of a confrontation bigger than expected.