I was in a fetal position covering my ears from the noise and it was pure agony. I wondered if the pain will ever stop and end my suffering. The girl stopped screaming and I sighed in relief, but she took a single deep breath and continued her vicious screech. When I heard the scream again I shrank into myself again. Was this the torture session I had dreaded since yesterday? I pondered those thoughts while I was in a cocoon of soul-crushing torment.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" Atlan shouted when he entered the room and I whimpered at his voice. He was staring at me on the floor and looked at the screaming elf girl. She had a good set of lungs and if I was coherent enough, I would've been impressed.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The girl continued to scream. Athlan, God bless him immediately grasped what was happening and covered the girl's mouth with his hand.

"Ummrk..." The girl was instantly silenced and she was glaring at the culprit who muted her. I looked at Athlan with my eyes full of pain and he looked at me with pity.

"Help me," I whispered and the noise from my lips made me wince. Athlan glared at the girl and he put his finger to his lips to keep the girl silent. He went past her and left the room, his steps were deafening to my ears. He came back and he was writing on a piece of paper. He ripped the paper from the pad and held it up for me to read.

-Open your mod menu and decrease your Auric Mod sensitivity.-

I read the note and quickly complied by opening up the holoscreen menu. I selected the MODS button and there were two mods icons. I tapped the ear image and the Auric Mod menu appeared. There was a [-] [+] button and I pushed the minus button with a shaky finger repeatedly. Slowly the loud sounds were decreasing until a slight ringing in my ear remained. I saw Athlan snapping his fingers but I didn't hear it. He snapped his fingers again and I figured out that I turned my hearing off. I increased the sensitivity up one button at a time until I can hear normally.

"....who's this weirdo?" The girl elf looked at Athlan her eyebrow raised and she crossed her arms.

"He is my patient. I am observing him. Brian, can you hear me?" He asked his face full of concern. He extended his hand, I took it and he pulled me off the floor.

"mfkay...ahem.. I'm okay. That was really loud." My tongue wasn't working properly. I looked at the elf girl, who was scrutinizing me with a pinched face and I immediately covered my crotch with my hands. She had a long straight red hair, a little shorter than me, and was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was also one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. She had fair skin, high cheekbones, a cute button nose and lovely Tartar eyes. I quickly dusted myself and plastered my face with a smile. I offered a handshake to her and she just stared at my hand like it was full of worms. I didn't take my hand away and she rolled her eyes. She grumbled something about social conventions and shook my hand. It was so soft like velvet and my heart beat faster as I touched her skin.

"Umm. My name's Brian. What's your name?" I introduced myself and gave her a dazzling smile.

"Whatever." She dismissed me with a wave of her hand. My smile cracked a little.

"Bro, about my allowance. I spent it all last ni... on books. They were expensive." She asked Athlan with a very sweet voice. I stood there with my smiling face nonplussed. Here was my perfect angel in front of me and she was ignoring me. "Can you give me a little advance?" she asked shyly.

"Oh. Yes. No problem my little fairy. Here is the money." He hurriedly grabbed his wallet and took out a fat stack of bills.

"Thank you, bro! you're the best ever!" She clapped her hands jumping a little and hugged the stupidly smiling Athlan. She grabbed the cash and counted it while she left the room. I was staring at Althan and his sister with my mouth wide open. She just mooched her brother out of his money that easily? I looked at Athlan's face and he clearly doted on his sister. My eyes went back to her and she was on her phone talking with someone.

"My sister. Arbela." His mouth was mouth set in a hard-line and he narrowed his eyes when he saw me looking at her with desire in my eyes. "My younger baby sister. Stay away from her." He warned me ominously. Did I detect a little hint of murder in that voice?

"Sure. Sure." I assured him raising my hands in surrender.

"Alright." He gave me a final glare and grabbed the device on the bedside table. He went out and closed the door behind him. I quickly changed to my yesterday's clothes and just piled the workout closed on the bed. I also made the bed and cleaned the room. I was having trouble deciding if I should just grab a taxi and leave or ride with Athlan to the hospital. I'll just probably leave or else he'll find some other test for me. As I got out of the guest bedroom, Athlan was waiting for me.

"I analyzed the data and it seems your Auric mod installation is fine. There is no problem at all. I wish we could use Level 2 mods but... " He trailed off. He was studying his holoscreen closely.

"Oh yes... it is good..." He was still looking at the screen.

"So it's fine?" The elf nodded when I asked, he was still absorbed reading the scanner.

"Anyway. Doc, thanks for having me, but I gotta go. I just take a taxi." I started to leave.

"What? Are you leaving? Ah yes... We are finished testing the Mod. I'll drive you back to the Institute." He went for the keys.

"Oh no. It's okay, Doc. I need to go somewhere else. I don't want to bother you." I reasoned. This might be just a ploy to keep testing me.

"If you are sure. Alright." He nodded. With the new data I provided, I didn't think he needed much convincing.

“Here, I almost forgot." He took out his wallet again and produced a GalCred card. It was a like a credit card and Tordan gave me one just like it.

"Oh. Right, I forgot too." I grinned at him. I really did almost forgot about the money he promised. I took the offered card and put it in my wallet.

"Thanks, Doc," I said happily and took out my wallet to put the card inside.

"Just put in your wallet mod...Ah, right you do not have one." He said looking at my wallet. "You better get one. That is a lot of money you are carrying." He advised me. That's right! I'm such a noob!

"I forgot there was one." I smiled sheepishly tapping my wallet on my wrist. Toldar did remind me of it, but it slipped my mind. A door opened on the right side of the living room and Arbela appeared wearing a very tight yoga attire. Like a fool, I stared at her hungrily.

"Ahem."

"Sorry," I mumbled and took my eyes off her. I’ll find her on Phasebook and research her...everything...

"I will see you in... six months. That is long enough to see any significant change." Athlan said rubbing his chin. He then looked at me smiling and offered his hand for a handshake. We walked to the door.

"Yeah. Thanks, Doc. For everything." I shook his hand and gave him a smile.

"Goodbye Brian. Remember, come back in six months." Athlan said in farewell.

"I gotcha. Bye." I turned to look back at Arbela and she quiclky turned her head away from me. I was about to say goodbye to her but the Doc slammed the door in my face.

"Killjoy," I muttered at the door.

I stared at the door and contemplated knocking it. Maybe, just maybe that lovely elf would answer the door, I then realized that Athlan can really screw up my body in revenge and so I walked away. Jealous brothers! I called a taxi and asked the driver to drop me off at the mall. The traffic wasn’t so bad and I arrived at the mall without much delay. The Altech store was set up like an electronic store with Mods on a pedestal, but there were no weapons on display though. It didn’t have the feel of Tordan’s Emporium, It was very impersonal and I didn’t like it.

The Mods were a little more expensive than Tordan’s but I was already here so I bought a Wallet Mod. I passed by a pet shop and I couldn't’ resist the Giant Shepherd puppy at the window of the pet’s store. I went inside the store and the puppy barked at me. I petted the puppy and I considered getting one. Dogs could be a great hunting companion but I didn’t have the patience to train one. So I regretfully said goodbye to the dog and he barked at me to bring him with me. I had to leave the store before I bought the dog in guilt. So I left the mall, got in a taxi to the Institute, and left Seattle.

--

It had been a month since I got out from the hospital and the month passed by without any incidents to speak off. The school was...school and to be honest I was getting a little bored. I asked Frank to join me but he demurred, saying that it was too soon for him. So here I was, alone in an area ten miles from where we encountered the bear.

I stored my rifle and checked the ground again. There was nothing here, so I circled the area radiating outwards and looked for spoors. A ‘spoor’ can be anything an animal leaves behind, a paw or hoof print, scat droppings, fluffs of fur, and other indicators. I was looking for spoors on the ground and it was hard finding one. A good way was to look for spoors on a trail where prey animals would regularly use. The wolf needed to hunt for food and would follow its prey’s trail. I was in a narrow area between two hills that served as an animal trail and my eyes were glued to the ground looking clues if the wolf passed by. I finally found something near a tree and pulled out my flashlight. I illuminated the small patch of ground at an angle so that shadows can form on the spoor and the contrast will make it more visible. I removed a leaf on top of the spoor and took a good look.

Yes! My eyes looked closely at a fresh large paw print and measured it with my hand. It belonged to a wolf and a large one if my guess were correct. It didn’t belong to a Black Wolf or Dire Wolf judging its the size, but to a Silver Wolf. Unlike their cousin, the Silver Wolf was far larger, faster, and more dangerous. The only advantage in hunting a Silver Wolf was that unlike its smaller kin, it was a loner. A Silver Wolf can travel hundreds of miles searching for a mate and it looked like this one was looking for one... I’m finally on to you Mr. big bad wolf.

I was sitting on the couch back home and used the internet to research about rare animals. I came across an advisory in a hunting forum, that a Silver Wolf was last seen ranging in our forest park. I remembered the wolves that Bill spotted during our last disastrous hunting trip, and I had a good guess why the pack was moving away from that area. I decided to check it out the next day and ten miles west of the bear attack, I saw an old large paw print heading northwest. I wasn’t lucky that day and a week later I found another set old paw prints a couple of miles north. I’ve been tracking the wolf for three weekends now and I finally found some fresh pawprints. That was why I’ve been crouching and searching for a few hours now.

I checked the pawprints again and saw that the beast’s direction of travel was to the north. I turned off the flashlight and followed the pawprints. I checked the map on my holoscreen and looked for likely paths through the forest. I also checked the time and compared the distance. I still had six or seven hours of daylight, so I decided to risk it and rode my new electric ATV. Unlike its gas-guzzling cousin, the electric motor made the vehicle run silent and was perfect for hunting.

I’ve been driving for an hour now and I found the path I took was the correct one. When I checked the area, I found large paw prints moving north. I compared a pawprint to the first one and found that it had the same size, so I rode the ATV again and drove for a few a miles north.

I stopped at a small clearing to take a break and reorient myself. I drank some water and ate two energy bars because I was still in my Mod induced hunger. I checked the wind again for the hundredth time and was satisfied that I was still upwind to the direction I was traveling. Good. When I felt I was ready to move, I continued following the path due north. The trees were getting sparser and I had an easier time driving the ATV. I had about three hours of daylight left and it was starting to get cold. I was wearing my leather jacket over my camos and it was warm enough to use it. So I drove slowly, dodging trees and careful not to make any unnecessary noise.

I was three hours into my lonely trek when I was suddenly startled by something. My Mod enhanced ears heard a low snarling sound due west and my heart skipped a beat. At first, I thought the wolf found me but I also heard the dying call of a moose. My heart raced at the rare opportunity, so I stopped and took out my bino and checked the area where I thought the sound came from. I didn’t see anything so I got off the ATV and I walked slowly to where I heard the sounds. I checked the wind again and walked carefully to a large tree-covered hill. It was slow going as the hill was a little steep but I finally reached the top and crawled on my belly. I took out my binos and started scanning the area.

In a large clearing, I saw the large Silver Wolf feasting on a moose 500 yards away. I can’t gauge its actual size but in comparison to the moose, it was smaller a the Great Bear. With my heart beating fast in excitement, I slowly grabbed my rifle laying on my right and extended the bipod attachment. I settled on a comfortable shooting position and I pointed the rifle at the wolf. I shifted my aim at the calculated projectile drop on the crosshairs.

The wolf's head was down taking bites at the carcass and I aimed for a heart shot. I took a slow steady breath and exhaled it gently leaving a little air left in my lungs. I slowly squeezed the trigger between heartbeats and adjusted my aim when the wolf shifted to the left. Before the Gauss rifle could fire the wolf moved suddenly and I released the trigger in haste. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. The wolf was gnawing on the moose's ribs and was playing with the detached bone. I waited for five minutes but the wolf wouldn’t stop moving around the carcass. I had a plan to stop the wolf from moving but I wasn’t sure If I could risk it. I glanced at the rifle I’m using and figured it wasn’t that risky. So I took a deep breath and howled at the wolf.

When the wolf heard the howl it jerked its head to my position and it froze. I quickly aimed my rifle at the wolf and squeezed the trigger. The Gauss rifle fired and the recoil made it jump back sharply. The bang of the rifle was muted by my mod and all I felt was the kick to the shoulder. I reacquired the wolf on my scope and I found it on its side twitching. I exhaled in relief and blinked away the dust from my eyes. I stood up and held the rifle on its underside. I stored my binos and walked to the ATV bubbling in exhilaration.

I didn’t realize how enormous the wolf was until I was only ten feet away on my ATV. Sure, it was smaller than the Great Bear but it was faster and more vicious. Sometimes bear would just maul you and leave you alone after. Sometimes. A wolf is another different matter, they would just kill you quickly and eat you. That’s why I never hunted black wolves or dire wolves because you may kill one but the others will slaughter you. I looked down at the wolf’s body and I grinned in accomplishment. I finally killed a large beast with my own two hands. Well, with my rifle but I killed it using my skill as a hunter. No pun intended. I walked closer to the dead wolf but when I was only four feet away, I noticed that it was still breathing.

We both moved at the same but the wolf was quicker. The beast landed on top of me and my rifle across its throat keeping his head away from me. NOT AGAIN! That thought went through my mind when the wolf was trying to bite me. I used both hands on the rifle to push the bottom of the wolf’s jaws upward. The wolf was snarling and its saliva was dropping on my face. The wolf was too strong and its teeth were slowly nearing my head. I could feel its hot breath on my face and I smelt the blood of its last kill. The wolf claws also raked my chest but the zipped leather jacket protected me from being disemboweled. When the wolf jaws were inches from my head I roared in fear and defiance. When I roared again I grew stronger and felt the familiar burning sensation in my chest that traveled through my arms. I slowly pushed the head away until my arms were fully extended. I also raised my right leg and pushed against its chest. With my heart beating fast, I quickly released my right hand from the rifle and took out my monoblade from storage and gripped the handle. I thrust the blade through wolf’s lower jaw and the blade slid into its brain.

The wolf strength suddenly disappeared and I quickly pulled out my blade and tossed it aside. I held wolf up for a few seconds and then my limbs gave way.I was breathing heavily and I was covered by the wolf's body and I tried pushing the wolf away, but the body was too heavy. I lay there on the green field covered in blood and a giant wolf on top of my body. Karma is really a bitch.