NOVEL WEB Chapter 14: An Oasis
Towering at shoulder-height with a grown man, this beast was a masterwork of primal strength and predatory grace. Its body was powerfully built, yet balanced with the elegance of a great feline.
Its forelimbs were massive, far more developed than its hind legs, long, sinewy arms ending in paws wide as shields and tipped with curved, hook-like claws. These claws were not just for climbing or gripping prey but appear durable enough to rip through leather armor or even dig through stone. The beast seems to lean forward slightly as it ran, knuckle-gaited like a silverback gorilla, yet its movement carried the controlled, deliberate menace of a stalking panther.
The head was unmistakably feline, shaped like that of a lioness, broad-muzzled with sharp, golden eyes set beneath a ridge of bone that gives it a permanent scowl of grim focus.
The tail was long and thick, ringed with pale markings near its tip, suggesting it may aid in balance or as a signal to others, whether in mating, battle, or hunting formations.
Despite its bulk, the beast was built for explosive ambushes. Every part of it, from the hunched shoulders to the massive limbs, suggest a predator that kills with a single leap, either crushing its prey beneath its weight or rending it apart mid-air.
Kaelor's mind raced.
In the few seconds it took for the creature to burst from the underbrush, he analyzed everything. It looked like a lioness, if a lioness had fused with a kangaroo. Long hindlegs coiled with muscle, fur like sandpaper, and a low-sweeping tail like a whip. But instead of charging headlong into them, the beast leapt, a calculated arc from the cover of the trees.
Kaelor's eyes widened as the creature soared overhead. From above, its tail snapped like a whip, cutting through the air straight toward him.
He didn't move.
Time slowed.
He saw the end of the tail glint under the moonlight. His body screamed at him to react, but, he couldn't.
Then, at the last second, Jon slammed into him, knocking them both to the ground just as the tail lashed the space he had been standing in. The force of the shove sent them tumbling through the grass.
Before Kaelor could fully understand what happened, the others had already sprung into action.
The beast landed with a thud. Two Dreadclaws lunged. The creature swatted one aside with a heavy paw, dodged the second, and snapped its jaws, fast, terrifyingly precise.
Hound closed in.
He moved like lightning, his saber flashing once, a clean, deep gash opened along the beast's side. It roared in pain and tried to leap away, its hindlegs tensing.
Hound saw this, spun and hurled his left saber with incredible force. The blade struck deep into the beast's leg, staggering it mid-air.
The Dreadclaws closed in. Two slashed its forelimbs with coordinated strikes, drawing its focus, forcing it to rear back.
Then one of them, launched forward like a fired bolt, using the full strength of his legs to crash into the creature's torso. He slammed the Sunmaw Prowler to the ground, wrapping thick arms around its neck.
The rest followed, pinning the beast beneath them. It thrashed, hissed, claws raking earth, but it couldn't break free.
Hound stepped forward. In one motion, he yanked the saber from its leg, raised the other and drove it into the creature's skull.
Hound pulled his saber free, flicked blood from the blade, and turned to Kaelor. Kaelor sat frozen on the grass, staring at the corpse.
The moon cast a silver glow across the clearing, falling on the muscled forms of the Dreadclaws, silent, breathing hard, blades slick with blood.
And Kaelor?
He felt cold.
Not from fear of the beast, but from the truth he couldn't ignore.
'I… froze.'
His heart pounded as he clenched the grass beneath him, the image of that tail sweeping toward him playing over and over in his mind.
'I thought I was ready. But the moment I saw death coming, I didn't move. I just… froze.'
His fists trembled.
"You've never hunted before, My Lord. What happened is normal," Hound said as he approached, his deep voice calm but firm. "Not even I could face a Sunmaw Prowler head-on as just a human, even with all my experience and training. It took weeks of planning just to bring one down."
He extended his clawed hand.
Kaelor hesitated for a heartbeat, then grasped it.
Rising to his feet, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Bringing this back should lift the town's spirits. Maybe we can hold a bonfire with it."
He turned to Jon and gave a soft order. "Take the Prowler back. We'll keep moving."
Jon gave a silent nod, sheathed his saber, and with a short grunt, hoisted the massive beast, easily over a hundred kilograms, onto his shoulder. Without another word, he started back toward the town, disappearing into the underbrush.
Kaelor turned his gaze to the darkness ahead.
He unsheathed Ignis, the sword's silver edge glinting faintly under the moonlight, and stepped forward.
The Dreadclaws exchanged glances, respect in their gazes and followed.
They pressed on.
Time passed, how long, Kaelor couldn't tell, but the forest changed. The oppressive density of trees gave way to a quiet thinning, until at last, they reached the edge of a cliff.
And Kaelor stopped.
His breath caught in his throat.
Below them stretched a vast basin, bathed in soft moonlight. Even in the heart of this dreadful Devil Wilderness, it was a vision that defied belief. Gentle slopes rolled into a wide valley filled with green grasses that shimmered like jade. Flowers bloomed in vibrant clusters. Streams snaked through the land, their waters sparkling like glass. The air itself seemed gentler here, as though some ancient grace lingered.
It was an oasis.
An untouched paradise nestled in a forest of death.
But this paradise had new tenants.
Dozens of wolves roamed below, pacing through the meadows and drinking from the brooks. The smallest among them was the size of a man. The largest, Kaelor's eyes widened, lay sprawled across a stone slab beside a clear pond.
A towering white wolf, nearly six feet tall even at rest. Its fur shimmered like starlight, and its calm presence radiated an eerie authority.
Kaelor instinctively tightened his grip on Ignis.
There was no need to ask.
That was their leader.