Approaching the cave entrance, Zoro could finally see where the scream that had brought him there had come from. A girl with orange hair, wearing dark brown khaki shorts and a matching button-down blouse, sat cowering in fear right beneath the enormous black beast.
"GET AWAY!" the girl screamed as she tried to back away to somewhere safe.
The beast was even more fearsome up close. Midnight-black fur covered its entire body, and its eyes were a milky white without pupils, but Zoro had a feeling it could see perfectly. Moreover, his first guess was correct, though not entirely wrong. Its fangs were definitely his size. Some even bent him over.
How the hell am I supposed to kill this thing?! Zoro swallowed hard and drew his sword. It was one thing to get excited from afar, but seeing the monster up close... that was another story. But now he had no other choice; he wasn't going to let the girl die just like that.
Zoro lunged forward just as the wolf's enormous jaws were about to swallow the girl. The swordsman dove to the wolf's side and managed to grab the orange, throwing it to safety. However, the same couldn't be said for him. By saving the girl, he had put himself in a very precarious position. The boy's thoughts raced as the beast's jaws began to close on its unwitting target.
Just as its teeth were about to close, Zoro plunged Wado Ichimonji into the wolf's palate with all his might. The blade didn't penetrate very far, but it seemed enough; the enormous wolf recoiled and raised its head to howl in pain. Zoro seized the opportunity and rolled away from the jaws of death... literally. He immediately got to his feet, running toward the orange-haired girl he had saved. "GET UP AND RUN!" he shouted to the shocked redhead.
The swordsman nearly knocked her down completely, but she had at least begun to get up. He grabbed her arm and led her toward the tree line, not even looking back to see if the wolf was in pursuit. After all, it was coming back. He still wanted to fight the creature. The two ran as if their lives depended on it, and soon they reached the forest. "Keep running and get out of here. Or not... I don't care, but don't expect me to save you a second time," Zoro said, turning to face the wolf.
"That's so rude! You didn't even ask me if I was okay!" the orange-haired girl replied indignantly.
Zoro turned and looked at her. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling this girl was the kind who would give him a headache if he stayed with her too long. "I'm going to fight that thing," the swordsman said, ignoring everything the girl was saying. He turned to the wolf, who, surprisingly, hadn't moved from the cave entrance. How strange... It almost seemed to be guarding something. Well, he could find out when he defeated it. He tried to return to the clearing, but was interrupted.
"IDIOT! YOU'LL DIE IF YOU GO BACK OUT THERE!" the girl yelled at the green-haired boy. He snorted and looked up at the sky as if asking, "Why me?" "WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALL THE IDIOTS LATELY?"
"Thanks for worrying, but you shouldn't. I won't die." He didn't even register the idiotic comment and stared at the enormous black wolf. "I won't die... probably." He smiled smugly, ignoring the girl's screams, and started walking toward his adversary. Now that he didn't have to worry about the girl...
"I'LL TAKE THE TREASURE IF YOU DEFEAT THAT THING!"
Treasure? Zoro knew nothing about any treasure. But thinking about it, it made sense. The wolf seemed to be guarding something. After all, it hadn't chased them when they ran away. "Go for it!" he shouted over his shoulder. He didn't really care about the treasure. He just wanted to fight the beast, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
The swordsman untangled his bandana and tied it tightly around his head. It was time to see what he had learned. His walk slowly transformed into a run, then into a sprint, with Wado Ichimonji at his side. The best thing to do to start with was to try to close the distance and cut the wolf down by the legs. If he could bring it down further, he could reach more vital areas. He could also simply climb, but… He glanced at his rapidly approaching enemy.
Yes... He didn't like the idea of trying to climb the monstrous beast. Only an idiot would do something so stupid.
The wolf's gaze fixed on Zoro, who was running back to the battlefield, and it crouched as if preparing to pounce on its prey. And so it did. The enormous animal leaped into the air and struck the ground with all its paws upon landing, sending crunching sounds toward the swordsman from the points of impact.
Zoro propelled himself forward and rolled to avoid a crevice that nearly swallowed him whole. He immediately got to his feet, running back toward his opponent, trying not to be intimidated by the earthquakes the beast was creating. Now he understood why the clearing area was so chaotic. The enormous wolf he was fighting... had been leaping about.
He was almost within range of his target when, suddenly, it leaped again, this time higher. The boy could only watch as the beast flew out of reach. He only thought to run when he saw the enormous figure begin to descend.
'SHIT'.
The swordsman darted out from under the animal's shadow as fast as he could. He didn't even have time to look back when a tremendous crash echoed behind him. The shockwave hurled Zoro forward as if he'd been thrown, his body rolling like a rag doll for several meters after landing. It was a miracle he hadn't stabbed himself with the sword. Honestly, it was a miracle he'd managed to hold it at all.
The boy groaned as he got up from the ground. How on earth was he going to fight that thing if he couldn't even get close?! He glanced at the wolf and frowned when he saw it was back at the cave entrance. So it wasn't going to actively attack him. Interesting. It was protecting something after all. He checked himself for any injuries more serious than scratches, and finding none, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed to think. He hated thinking. He was more the type to just go with the flow and try things, but that would definitely get him killed if he tried it there.
.
If you want to download the full book, it's available on my KO-FI page. The link is here. 👉
🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩