MARKED BY THE HUNTER

08: HIS INJURIES

Silver cut the air again... too fast to follow cleanly, only the afterimage of motion left hanging like a warning.

Bryle didn’t waste his time to move. No flourishes. No hesitation. Every pivot answered a question that the wolves hadn’t finished asking yet. One step back to bait them in. Half-turn to break their timing. A sudden forward strike that forced them to recoil as a unit instead of a pack.

The forest around them felt tighter now, like the trees themselves were leaning in to watch.

The werewolves slowed because of their injuries. But they are not retreating yet.

That was the difference.

One of them let out a low, fractured growl, but it wasn’t just aggression anymore. It carried something sharper underneath, and uncertainty

They weren’t circling randomly now. They were spacing out.

Bryle noticed immediately. His grip is adjusted in that motion.

“Now you must leave and return to your territories!” he said out loud.

The words changed the air anyway.

Another wolf stepped forward, then stopped. Not because it was afraid, but because it was waiting for something else to happen first.

A signal. A cue. Something unseen in the dark between them. I look around to confirm it, and so I can sense there are more werewolves waiting in the dark. They are just there, observing and watching the scene.

The pack wasn’t just hunting anymore. They were just communicating. And whatever had guided them here… I was still listening.

Now, they were cautious. They are afraid of me.

The Alpha stepped back slightly, its eyes locked onto mine. "This isn’t over,” he said.

Then... just like the rogue, he retreated, then the others followed. Vanishing into the forest and gone.

Silence returned. Broke heavily in the rain.

I collapsed to my knees, my entire body is shaking.

Bryle Fox stood still for a moment longer, watching the forest. Making sure they were really gone.

Then he turned to me. “You need to learn to control it,” he said.

I let out a weak, breathless laugh. “I just stopped three werewolves,” I said. “Isn’t that control?”

His expression didn’t change . "No,” he said.

“That was your instinct." He stepped closer.

His gaze is intense. “And instinct like that… will get you killed.”

My chest tightened.

“Or worse,” he added quietly.

I swallowed hard. “What’s worse than death?”

His eyes dropped briefly to the mark on my hand.

Then back to me.

“Becoming something even I can’t stop.”

Thunder roared overhead.

And deep inside me, something stirred again, it was even darker. Something that was starting to feel like.. ME.

The forest didn’t feel the same anymore. Not after them and not after me.

Every step I took felt heavier, like the ground itself was aware of what had just happened. The rain had softened into a steady fall, but the tension in the air hadn’t faded.

If anything.. it had deepened.

Bryle walked ahead of me, his pace slower now, but still purposeful. He hadn’t said a word since the pack retreated.

Not one.

“You’re going to keep ignoring me?” I finally asked, my voice quieter than I intended.

He didn’t stop.

Then he said, “I’m thinking.”

“That’s reassuring,” I muttered.

We passed through a large opening in the rocks, and he assigned me to keep watch over the surroundings. He didn’t know that my attention kept drifting toward him.

I still had many questions, especially about what would happen after this, and about the strange power I now carried. But more than that, I was focused on the person I was with. I wasn’t even sure yet if he was an ally… or an enemy.

After a while, my eyes wandered back to him again. I froze when I finally noticed the full extent of the injuries on his arms and back, deep scars, marks left by arrows and the sharp claws of werewolves. In my mind, it confirmed, he really was a hunter. And not a new one. He had survived many battles.

He poured water over his back, washing away the dirt and blood that clung to his skin and arms.

While I kept watch over himself from a distance, I started to feel restless.

To pass the time, I picked fruits and gathered small edible plants I found nearby. I tore a long strip from the bottom of my dress and used it to wrap what I had collected, some ripe, some still unripe. I thought we might need food for the journey ahead.

When my makeshift bundle was full, I tied it and slung it over my arm. I was about to return to my post when he suddenly appeared in front of me.

He was still wet, but clearly ready to leave.

“What are you doing?” Bryle asked.

For a moment, I didn’t answer properly. My eyes were still fixed on his broad chest, thinking of how hard it is...

“I… I was just getting food,” I said. Distracted by his sudden appearances.

“Throw it away,” he said firmly.

“What? This is my food. I’m hungry!”

“My cousin’s house is nearby. We can rest there and eat.”

“Oh really?” My voice brightened. “Is there room for us?”

“Yes.”

“A bed… for resting?” I asked again.

"Yes"

"One bed, for both of us right?" I asked again.

He didn't say anything else, instead he lightly tapped my head, cutting off my thoughts.