Jason was silent. He had to be. A hunt was afoot. His prey? A pack of six wolves. Jason was in a tree way above the wolves. The only way they could sense him was if they deliberately looked up and Jason had never seen them do that unprompted once. Two of the wolves were awake and actively patrolling the area with the other four silent and asleep next to the very tree Jason was on. From his vantage Jason could see all the wolves at once.

Level 12 Forest Wolf

Level 13 Forest Wolf

Level 15 Forest Wolf

Level 16 Forest Wolf

Level 21 Forest Wolf

To get any more information besides name, species, and level Jason would have to get a much better skill called the Eyes of Truth. Really impressive name for something at tier II and something almost completely redundant. Jason was never going to waste skill points like that. He only had so many and even considering he got two for other people's one he still didn’t have enough skill points to waste like that. Then again knowing more about your enemy can never be considered a waste but I’d rather be harder to kill.

There were two level thirteen wolves and the rest were of various levels. The alpha was the level 21 and it was asleep in the middle of the other three asleep wolves. The patrolling wolves were one level twelve and one level thirteen wolf. Jason waited until the level thirteen wolf’s patrol took it about fifty meters away from the pack. Not a large distance for these wolves but it would keep it away for a second even after it reacted.

Jason breathed in deeply and started to crawl down the tree. He was face down gripping the tree with his hands and feet in a way that should only have been possible for lizards and squirrels. In fact it was only possible for Jason because these particular trees were extremely rough and had a plethora of handholds he could use. Unnatural Grip was great but it wasn’t so great a skill it would let him grip normal bark and climb down like this.

As Jason made his steady way down he had to wait for another fifteen minutes. Going when that wolf was at its furthest distance wasn’t that smart. Now I have to wait for even longer. Why am I so stupid. Jason once again waited until the wolf was at its furthest distance. The other patrolling wolf was also a fair bit away but it’s path never brought it too far and nor did it bring it extremely close.

Now Jason was ready for the most dangerous part. Once he started this it was him alone against hopefully five wolves in the dead of night. Not a very good situation but Jason has done it before. I can do it again. Jason got five meters above the sleeping form of the alpha wolf and then tightened his muscles. He raised himself up a bit mimicking a cat getting ready to pounce. Then he pulled himself towards the wolf and let himself fly off the tree.

The wolves stirred hearing him approach. The alpha managed to look up just before Jason crashed into it. Both of them landed in a heap with Jason on top of the wolf. The first thing Jason did was take his hands and while the alpha was still trying to get its bearings Jason ripped out its eyes. Then Jason crushed its ears and leapt back up into the trees.

The alpha got up in a frenzy and started attacking around itself catching its own brethren in its claws. The wolf knew immediately that they weren’t Jason. After all there’s a big difference between a furred wolf and a human, even if said human is wearing a wolf pet. They thought I’d give up my wolf pelts for their stupid leather armour. The Fools. Jason scoffed in his mind and jumped from branch to branch as quietly and quickly as he could. Eventually the six wolves all lost his trail and they were bunched up in a pod.

Jason listened. He listened to the sound of the wolves breathing and then listened harder. Not using any system given skill this time just his own hearing. He learned this trick over the two weeks since his surprise entrance exam into Outcasts’ Resort. He knew it was part of his therianthrope blood that he had somehow acquired. Just like his complete disregard for pain and gore.

As he watched the wolves move warily around in a tight circle. Protecting their leader he started to hear them. Each wolf alone was a single instrument. Each playing their own separate song, they played their songs so quietly so weakly compared to him. Even in Jason’s incomplete state he could play stronger than them. Yet when they were all together in a pack. That music was loud. It was beautiful and loud. A song that sang of journeying and survival, of family and hardships, of life and death, of lineage and duty. Their song was a song of dependency. Each wolf relies on the others to survive. Beautiful.

Yet that’s what always ends up killing them. Jason thought sourly as the disabled alpha howled and spun around wildly. With their leader out of commission the rest are almost just easy pickings. Jason breathed in deeply and listened to the song. He learned that when he listened to the song it would tell him what to do. Not really tell him what to do as much as guide him to the area where he needed to go. It was hard to describe. It wouldn’t tell him the best way to end the fight or the best way to throw a punch, but it would guide him to the area that was the emptiest. The music of the soul apparently tends to appear in areas right before the actual physical form of the creature appears.

So Jason could listen for the quiet areas and then go there and avoid most of the hits. He was even better at fistfighting than Baghric was. As he listened to the music he stood up on the branch and walked out to the edges of it where it criss crossed with other branches from surrounding trees. Getting to a branch where he could simply drop in the middle of the wolves was easy. Then that’s exactly what Jason did.

After dropping down the first thing he did was land and then immediately jump off of the alphas back to send it into a frenzy. Once that was done he simply prowled around the edges of the fight and killed off the wolves that the alpha injured. Each wolf did slashing damage and from Baghric’s own mouth they hit as hard as someone focused secondarily on Fortitude in accordance to their level.

Really though when they were all being attacked by their strongest member and they had another predator on the outskirts they didn’t stand much of a chance. The times they did hit Jason they could only penetrate an inch or two into his body before being stopped by the combination of all his defenses. Soon afterward their songs came to a close. It wasn't a fading out; it was a violent and badly played chord that marked their ends. Then it was just the tired alpha and Jason. Without much struggle that wolf’s song ended as well.

Jason got to work skinning and gutting the alpha wolf. He didn’t have a spatial pouch after all. He could only carry one wolf and wolf skin at a time. So he chose the most powerful one to bring back and sell. Conversation That’s how he had been making his living. He had no party to try doing quests with and all the easy ones were just gathering herbs or other boring things. Jason needed some excitement in his life. He was a hot blooded young man and he needed some action. The therianthrope blood didn’t make things easier. Hunting and killing was more appealing than gathering plants.

As Jason stabbed his knife into the stomach of the wolf he was reminded of the last time he saw Baghric do this.

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“Boyo what’re ya gon’ do when ya get a party? We’ve talked bout gettin’ ye a party but not what ya were gon’ do with them.” Baghric pushed his knife through the skin and muscles to create a slit in the stomach of the wolf.

Jason was about to immediately answer with something flippant like “of course we’ll level and get stronger” or something equally stupid. Yet right before those words left his mouth he stopped himself. What do I want to do? I’m here on this strange planet using strange skills with strange magic. I’ve no idea how I got here and I highly doubt there’s a way back home. Frankly I don’t know if I want to go back. My dad and mom are the only two I’d go back for and while I could definitely connect again with my mom if I just put down my stubborn stupid pride my dad… probably not.

College was eh. I really only chose Psych as a major because I wasn’t smart enough to do computer programming for a living and I needed something. So I’m staying here even if there is a way back. As for what I want to do. There’s so much I don’t know about this world. So many things to discover for myself. I could visit far off lands and explore newfound dungeons. Yes, yes that sounds great. Yet… not what I need to do first. I have a ticking bomb in my body. In the form of my bloodline.

I am human. Pure-blooded human. There were only humans on Earth so I obviously could only be a human. But I’m also a therianthrope. Not only a therianthrope, but a therianthrope ancestor. A progenitor. Why? Why why why? It doesn’t make any sense. Not only that I can’t even transform like a normal therianthrope. How does that work. What am I?

“I need to figure out what I am.” Yes… yes that sounds right. Jason walked to the opposite side of the dead wolf and knelt down so he could look Baghric in the eye. “How am I a therianthrope ancestor? Why can’t I transform? What does that mean for me and my future? I need to know Baghric.” Jason was fierce in that last statement. There’s no greater desire in a human than the desire to understand themselves. Others might disagree but that’s at least what Jason believed with all his heart.

“Well boyo for that ye’ll need ta find either someone who knows an ungodly amount about therianthropes or ye’ll need ta visit one of te therianthrope homelands. Talk ta their elders and mystics. Figure out what ye are, then boyo come back and tell me all about it. Right laddie?” Baghric looked at Jason. In those eyes Jason saw a surprising amount of care. A surprising amount of genuine kindness.

“Yes Baghric. I will come back and tell you all about it.” Jason smiled at the obnoxious dwarf. Baghric slapped Jason on the shoulder.

“Good laddie. Now help me with the skin.” Baghric gestured to the slit he had made and Jason grabbed the skin and started pulling.

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After Jason pulled off the entirety of the wolf’s skin he folded it up and placed it in a bag that he had brought out for this exact reason. Then he wrapped the carcass in a rag that he had bought on his second day in the guild and lifted it onto his shoulders. Then he started trudging back to the city where he would sell the pelt and meat for probably around twelve or so silver based on the level of the wolf and quality of the skin. Any animal that had levels was worth at least one silver.

If they didn’t have levels then they were just normal animals and those weren’t really worth much. Any basic type animal that was below level 20 could be sold from three to eight silver depending on quality and anything above twenty but below 25 could be sold anywhere from ten to twenty silver. Above level 25 is an unknown realm to Jason. He felt he wasn’t ready to even start touching that area.

As he was trudging back home Jason heard retching noises off to his left. Jason very quickly decided that he wanted to know what the hell was making that god awful noise. As he trudged over with the wolf on his back Jason also started to smell something. It smelled like sulfur, but also like roses, yet also had a hint of cinnamon that was meshed with some shit.

Basically it smelled like chaos incarnate. Jason almost started hurling then and there from the stench alone, but as he got closer he could actually see who was making that disgusting noise. It was a woman or really a girl it looked like. But from the pointy ears Jason was willing to bet that she was older than he himself was. This girl was next to a dark green cauldron about as tall as she was at a bit more than 150 cm. There was a stool next to the cauldron presumably for her to step on and actually manage to work with the cauldron.

The girl though wasn’t on that stool right now. She was instead on all four next to the cauldron vomiting out her lunch, lungs, and guts. Not even a second after Jason saw her he was about to turn around and walk right back out. Curiosity sated. I want nothing to do with anything here.

“Hey one-eye care to help a girl out here?” A weak voice sounded out. Jason sighed and turned around not exactly ready to deal with whatever was happening, but he wasn’t such an ass that he’d still leave after being directly called out.

“Of course.”