Awwoooooo!!

Careful. Careful.

I don’t interrupt Greenie repeating the words to himself in his head. Better to let him do what he wanted if it helped Greenie move faster, safer.

AWOooooo!

Master, cave soon.

Greenie taps me lightly behind my neck, pointing forward at the copse of trees.

We’d been flinching at every crackle of dry leaves, the snapping of a branch.

Running through the forest right now, with the cries of the wolves drawing ever closer was not possible.

The wolves

My head was constantly swiveling around while I perched atop Greenie’s shoulder, scanning the area around us for attackers.

Scent Perception wasn’t working very well right now when Greenie and I were both covered in a stink. It messed with the skill, made my head go all wonky and hard for me to detect the scents further out within the depths of the forest.

His light huffs of breath make me go up and down, making me feel like I was at an amusement park riding a horse on a carousel as my body followed his movements ever so slightly.

It was taking longer than usual to get back to the cave. Much longer.

The air around us felt taut, making Greenie and I both grimace at the same time at the next howl.

Why were the howls getting closer?

Greenie, you made sure to put the poop on your legs and stomach too right?

If any blood got on the leaves when Greenie brushed by, it would lead like a trail of cookie-crumbs straight to us.

Craning my neck down from Greenie’s shoulder doesn’t show me anything. The angle was too difficult to see his legs.

Something rustles from the side, making both Greenie and I start.

Please let it be a rabbit, a salamander...

Pressing my beak tightly together, I lean forward on Greenie’s shoulder.

Anything except a wolf.

Please, anything but that!

Another rustle and the branches part revealing-

Bloodshot eyes glimmer through the thick bush.

Uh-oh...

The exact moment we both spot the eyes, Greenie’s turned on his heels and started running straight for our cave.

GREENIE!! RUNN!!!

[Enemies designated. Title: Champion is now in effect. Your strength and agility have temporarily increased.]

Phooey! This was worthless when my wing was injured!!

RUN GREENIE!!!

Yelling out telepathically at full blast, I dig my talons tightly into his shoulder while Greenie takes off.

Gritting his teeth hard enough that I can hear his molars grinding at the back of his head from atop his shoulder, Greenie yells back.

NO TELL GREENIE MASTER!! GREENIE KNOW!!!!

It was a rare moment of frustration from Greenie.

I’d chosen the Antora poop because it should, emphasis on should, be the safest scent to be masked with.

The Subterranean rat poop worked with the other animals before but it didn’t keep away larger predators like the Ironwood Bear and the occasional large monkey-like creature with 3 tails that had an old man’s wrinkled face.

Antora poop should work as Antoras moved in herds, and most monsters seemed to know it.

And they hadn’t.

Not even a salamander had bothered to hiss at us when Greenie accidentally stepped on it’s camouflaged tail.

The only thing bothering us now as we made our way back towards the cave was the wolves.

But how were the wolves tracking us!??

We’d been able to hide from them before!?

I hope Andvari and Crixus were safe. As long as Andvari was in the hole, he would be fine, and Crixus!

I didn’t even know where Crixus was. Tugging on the invisible bonds that I felt tied me to to the two, I could confirm the general direction they were in.

The wolves already knew where we were.

We needed to get back to the cave!!

There, we would stand a fighting chance with the special traps I’d prepared for the wolves.

AWOOOOOOOO!

Sharp yelps and barks right behind us make me look back.

Slapping against Greenie’s thick thighs as he ran for his life were several small leaves and cloth pouches attached to the new and improved Merchant’s Belt salvaged from the battle with the rats.

The fact that this belt had a metal buckle was a huge boon. It didn’t slip even as Greenie smashed through bushes and punched at tree branches while running.

Greenie!! Drop the bag!

Without looking down, Greenie fumbles with one of the bags tied to the belt. I could see the wolves clearly now, their excitement at finding their prey making their eyes shiny brightly in the darkening forest.

Now!

Cutting down one wing through the air to lets Greenie know my signal when to release the contents of the bag.

But nothing happens.

Only the sound Greenie running through the forest and the wolves terrible howls.

No loose Master!

Beating his chest in frustration, Greenie pulls at his belt. The bag wasn’t coming off!!

AWOOOOOOO!

AWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

AWOOOOOOOOO!

Yip yip!

Large jaws snap at Greenie’s heels.

From my spot on his shoulder, I couldn’t do anything to help Greenie while he sprinted.

But his fingers kept slipping on the simple knot tying the cloth bag to the belt!

Greenie keep your face forward.

The goblin’s chin would tilt down while he fumbled with the bags. That was too dangerous.

Ice ran through my veins.

Alright Greenie, no matter what, don’t look down and keep running forward.

Master?

Confusion from Greenie makes my resolve harden. There was only one chance to do this.

Blurs of green and brown beneath by Greenie’s pounding footsteps.

If I fell from this height while Greenie ran-

No!

Don’t think about it, Raven! There was only one chance!!

Taking a deep breath, I jump off Greenie’s shoulder while he ran. Aiming my claws straight for his belt, spread my wing to guide me towards his waist.

Wind whooshes by my head as gravity pulls my body towards the blurred ground.

And-.

I made it!

My heart beats hard and heavy in my chest, telling me I was still alive.

Long talons curving into the leather bit of Greenie’s belt, 『Razor Bite』!

The cloth loosens straight away, and I fling the contents out behind us while we run.

Grey stones clatter together and tumble to the ground. Taking a page from the wolves’ book, it was the very same sharp rocks from the location they hunted down the Antoras.

Pained yips sound out behind us.

The mounds of loose and sharp rocks had made the Antoras stumble and fall.

It bought us time to create a greater gap with the wolves.

Once the wolves’ paws were cut open, it was time for the leaf pouches.

Spice Bomb! Spice Bomb! Spice Bomb!

The wolves’ cuts in their paws should be feeling spicy now once they unknowingly ran through the small puddles I’d left behind.

One sneakily leaps in from the side, aiming for Greenie’s ankles-

Oh no, you don’t!

The last Spice Bomb hits the grey wolf square on the snout. Whimpering, he veers off his course and crashes headfirst into a tree.

Yeesh.

There were 3 bags of stones and 4 pouches of Spice Bombs that I cut off from Greenie’s belt and threw at the wolves each time they drew too close-

But the wolves were still following tightly behind us.

Awooooo!!!

Glancing back at Greenie’s belt:

2 more bags left.

These were special ones.

I gotta save those for later.

Greenie crosses his arms before his face and powers forward in a half-crouch. He was becoming faster now that the weights were gone.

Noticing the faint smell of blood underneath Antora poop-

What!?

It came from Greenie’s palm while he steadies me from falling:

Greenie??! Why do I smell wolf blood on your hand?!?!

Wordlessly, Greenie flashes his other clenched palm in front of my beak.

My eyes widen in shock at the glimpse of dripping red meat, hidden in his hand. That’s how they’d found us!

We hadn't eaten anything for a while. I'd forgotten to calculate Greenie's increased food intake now that he'd evolved! Regret races through my mind: I should have fed Greenie!!

Drop it Greenie!

Master...Greenie- Greenie hungry later.

DROP IT!

A branch smacks straight into Greenie’s chest making him stumble.

AWOOOOOOOO!!!!

Master...

Ignoring his rueful grimace, my talons frantically tap at his shoulder.

Never mind that!

RUN!

Leaves rustle on either side of us while Greenie pumps his legs with all his might.

I could only rely on Greenie’s skill『Escape』while he ran.

Andvari!! Crixuss!! The wolves are coming!!

It didn’t work.

Thought Transmission was still too far away to reach the other two.

The goblin was focused on keeping his head forward and sprinting with all his might.

We were one minute away from the cave.

Fine! The wolves already knew where we were anyway-!

Once we got past the copse of trees up ahead, there would be the clearing with our cave right before our nose/beak.

Spinning me head around, I count the dark shadows flanking and chasing behind us.

One. Two. Three. Four- Eight!? wait 12!?

No- There were more!

The large bodies flashing between trees were too many for me to count.

I should be thankful it wasn’t the overwhelming river of bodies that was the Subterranean Rats, but the heavy presence each wolf exuded was enough to make my throat go dry.

Ding!

[Pet: Greenie’s skill 『Escape』upgraded to LV 2!]

One flap of my wing waves the white notification window out of my face.

There hadn’t been this many the last time I’d met the Wolf King!

Just how many of the wolves were there!

KIEEEEEGHHHHH!

Baring his teeth, Greenie roars as an extra burst of speed makes takes us hurtling forward.

It wasn’t his usual high pitched screeches. Greenie was a stronger goblin, a Savage Goblin Rare. His body was bigger, stronger than when he’d first encountered the wolves.

The one bright spot amidst the wolves chasing us were that some of them were beginning to slow and show signs of being poisoned.

3 had already fallen to the ground, whimpering with tears of blood leaking out of their eyes.

AWOOOOO-ooooo

Thud!

Another wolf falls.

I hold on for dear life, curling my talons tighter around Greenie’s belt loop. Currently I was riding a goblin side-saddle, curling my body tightly to Greenie's side to keep the branches from knocking me off.

[Title: 『Slaughterer』obtained!]

[Swift brutality feeds the fear you command from your enemies. The mists that conceal the path of life is revealed to you. ]

Never mind that!

[Alexei stirs in his sleep]

Who the heck cares! My life was on the line right now!!

WEEEEE-WOOOO! WEEEEEE-WOOOOO!

The sound of an ambulance siren traveled well through the forest. Sharp and high pitched, the sounds bounced and echoed off the large tree trunks blending freakishly with the wolf howls.

Though it was daytime, the Wildlands had transformed into a truer version of what it was: a nightmare.

If Andvari and Crixus weren’t alerted by the increasing agitated howls, that should do it.

It also helped to shock the creatures that might be underfoot out of our way.

The chances of Greenie tripping would have to be as low as possible. Having a stray salamander or horned rabbit flying across our path would mean our deaths.

Lady?

Faintly, Andvari’s surprised voice echoes in my head.

Andvari! The wolves are coming! Do the steps we practiced!

Swallowing down the bile rising in my throat from the extreme jostling, I focus hard on sending my thoughts towards Andvari.

Right away!

Luckily, his muffled response comes.

Jumping over a low bush, Greenie unhooks me off his belt and rolls, using his momentum to take us right to the mouth of our cave.

FOUND!! YOU!!!!!!

My head reels at the waves of burning, menacing oppression ripping through my mind that bursts towards me.

Tall flames on his back blazing, the Wolf King leaps into the clearing.

As if I’d let you!!

Twisting my neck to my back, I pull down hard on the leather flap at the side of my small backpack.

Say ‘ello to my lil friend!!