Chapter 622: Nighttime Wolf Pack

"Where did you get these foods?"

Enna's eyes were full of shock.

Yu Lin was squatting by the stove, tending the fire; hearing that, he lifted his head and said offhand, "I know a bit about traps and fishing, that's how I caught them."

"My luck's not bad."

Enna looked at him, then at the pile of game, didn't press further, just nodded.

"You're impressive."

"It's not just good luck."

"Who knows?" Yu Lin shrugged, continuing to tend the fire.

Enna stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the vast white expanse.

The snow was still falling, covering heaven and earth, as if it would never stop.

He took a deep breath.

"We can't rely solely on you; I also need to go out hunting."

He paused, then said, "Perfect, I want to go ask a sage what's really going on."

"I've never seen a winter like this."

Ying Ge ran over and clung to Enna's leg.

"'Dad, don't go.' Her voice muffled, her face buried in Enna's leather pants."

Enna bent over, picked her up, and rubbed her head with his rough big hand.

"Dad will be back soon."

"Stay at home, be good, and listen to your mother."

Ying Ge wrapped her arms around his neck, silent, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder.

Enna held her while standing for a moment, then set her down and began packing.

He slung the large bow over his shoulder, while Alf filled his quiver with arrows.

He tucked a short dagger at his waist, then stuffed a few pieces of dried meat into his chest.

Xi Ge Li De came over, wrapped a freshly baked fish in cloth, and slipped it into his bosom.

"Eat on the way."

Yu Lin stood up, walked to Enna's front, pulled a ring from his bosom, and pressed it into his hand.

The ring was silver, unadorned, quite plain, glowing with a soft sheen in the firelight.

"This might help you and bring you luck; wear it."

"'Thanks.' Enna lowered his gaze to the ring in his palm, not knowing its use, but since Yu Lin meant well, he accepted it."

He slipped the ring onto his finger—neither too big nor too small, just right.

Then he turned, pushed open the door, and stepped outside.

The cold wind drove snow pellets into his face, stinging.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced back.

The wooden house's door was half-open; the firelight seeped out, casting a yellow, warm glow on the snow.

Ying Ge stood at the doorway, waving at him.

Xi Ge Li De stood behind her, hand resting on her shoulder.

Alf leaned against the doorframe, giving him a nod.

Yu Lin stood at the rear, hands in his pockets, watching him with a calm gaze.

Enna turned and walked into the wind and snow.

The snow was deep.

So Enna walked slowly, each step requiring him to pull his leg out of the snow before stepping into the next hollow.

The wind was strong, blowing so hard he couldn't keep his eyes open; he lowered his head, pushing against the wind, his exhaled white mist dispersing in puffs.

After walking most of the day, he crossed a mountain and entered a pine forest.

The pine trees were tall, their branches intertwining overhead into a net that blocked most of the snow.

The forest grew much darker, but walking became easier.

The snow on the ground had thinned, reaching only to his ankles.

Enna slowed his pace, bow in hand, arrow nocked, eyes scanning everywhere.

He spotted a deer!

The deer stood deep in the pine forest beside a fallen dead tree, gnawing on bark.

It wasn't large, but quite fat, its fur dark brown, not very conspicuous in the dim forest.

Enna crouched, held his breath, and crept closer.

The wind blew from behind, carrying his scent toward the deer; the deer didn't notice, still chewing bark.

Enna took a few more steps forward, raised his bow, drew to full, aimed—then the deer suddenly lifted its head, twitched its ears, and bolted!

The arrow flew, grazing the deer's rump and embedding in the dead tree with a twang.

"'Damn it!' Enna cursed, sprang up, and gave chase."

The deer ran fast, zigzagging through the pines like a brown bolt of lightning.

Enna followed behind, trudging through snow, deep step shallow step, running until he was out of breath.

The weather was so cold that he shot two arrows, both missed, and he watched helplessly as the deer vanished into the forest's end!

He could only stop, bend over, hands on his knees, gasping heavily.

White mist puffed from his mouth in clouds, blurring his vision.

He straightened up, looked around, the sky had already darkened, and there was also snowfall, causing him to lose his sense of direction.

He felt his way forward, walked for a while, the woods grew dark; it became night.

Enna found a large tree, its trunk thick, its branches and leaves dense, the lowest branch was more than a person's height above the ground.

He jumped up, grabbed the branch, did a pull-up, and flipped himself up.

The branch was thick, sitting on it was stable.

He hung his bow on the fork above his head, leaned the quiver against the trunk, took out the roasted fish from his bosom, and ate it slowly.

When he finished eating, the moon rose, shining through the gaps in the pine forest and casting light and shadow on the ground.

The snow had lessened considerably, the woods were very quiet, so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat.

Enna leaned against the trunk, eyes closed, half-asleep, about to doze off.

Suddenly!

Aooo—

A wolf howl came from afar; Enna snapped his eyes open.

He took down his bow, nocked an arrow, and held his breath.

Aooo— another one, closer than before. Then a third, a fourth, rising and falling, as if they were calling to each other.

Enna's heartbeat quickened. He poked his head out from the branch and looked down.

The wolf pack emerged from deep within the pine forest.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight—he counted, there were eleven.

They were so thin that skin clung to bone, ribs jutting out, bellies flattened as if pressed against the spine.

Obviously they had been starving for a long time!

The leading wolf was the largest, its fur gray, shoulder blades high, eyes yellow, flashing a cold, eerie light in the moonlight.

Wolf King!!

The wolf pack stopped beneath the large tree, heads low, noses touching the snow, sniffing something.

They caught Enna's scent, from his footprints, from the branch he was sitting on!

The Wolf King raised its head, gazing straight up at the tree, locking eyes with Enna.

Those yellow eyes were full of hunger and coldness!

The Wolf King let out a low, mournful whine.

Obviously, it had issued a command that only the wolf pack could understand!

The wolf pack immediately dispersed, circling the large tree, some sniffing the roots, some looking up at the branches, some digging at the snow with their paws.

Then a gray-white wolf approached the trunk, placed its forepaws on the trunk, pushed off with its hind legs, arched its body, and lunged—its forepaws grabbed the lowest branch, struggling to climb up!

The branch shook, and the accumulated snow sifted down.

The gray wolf's claws hooked into the bark, nails digging into the crevices, hind legs kicking, it inched upward bit by bit.

Enna raised his bow, aimed, and released the string.

The arrow pierced the gray wolf's shoulder; it let out a shrill scream, its forepaws released, it fell from the branch, crashed into the snow, struggled a few times, then lay still!

The wolf pack retreated a few steps, but did not scatter.

They surrounded the area at a distance, their eyes in the darkness like little lamps.

The Wolf King stood at the front, lowered its head to glance at the dead gray wolf, then raised its head and looked at Enna in the tree.

Its lips curled back, revealing two rows of sharp teeth, and it let out a low growl.

Then it let out another call, short and sharp.

The wolf pack closed in again.

This time, two wolves lunged at the trunk simultaneously.

One gray, one black, left and right, they climbed the trunk.

Their claws were very sharp, nails digging into the bark like nails, holding fast.

Enna shot two arrows in succession; one missed, the other grazed the black wolf's ear, shaving off a small piece of flesh.

The black wolf yelped and fell from the tree, but the gray wolf did not stop, continuing its climb.

Its forepaws had already reached the branch Enna was sitting on; its body hung in midair, hind legs kicking.

Enna drew his dagger and stabbed at the gray wolf's head.

The blade pierced the gray wolf's forehead; its body jerked rigid, forepaws released, and it fell!

Enna panted, his hands trembling.

The quiver held few arrows; he counted, three remained.

Three arrows, eleven wolves—no, nine, he had killed one with an arrow and stabbed another to death.

Nine wolves, three arrows.

The Wolf King was still down there watching it!

Its lips curled higher, baring all its teeth, saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth onto the snow.

It let out another low whine, shorter and more urgent than before!!

Another three wolves lunged up.

Enna gritted his teeth: "Damn it."

"It seems today I must fight these guys to the death................"