"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" His legs ached and each step cost him more than the previous one. Instead, the soldiers were much more physically fit due to their training and having adult bodies.

"I feel like someone is watching me... Could it be the other knights? Are they trying to surround me? I have to lose them somewhere..." He thought clearly despite being in a dangerous situation, a necessary quality to survive.

"The stream is of no use to me... but if I were to look for a river with a greater flow... but I can't go blind either, I would lose my only advantage of knowing the terrain I am going through." The distance that separated the knights from Ezer was no more than a hundred meters and was getting shorter every second.

"My footprints, I'm going the right way... in a few meters there should be fewer trees" Ezer guided himself by following the marks in the snow he had left. "Footprints...footprints! The wolves, if I can get their attention they might buy me time."

"Although it is a double-edged sword, it is better than nothing." To attract the wolves, who he hoped would be nearby, he takes his dagger and cuts his arm enough that it bleeds a good deal but doesn't hinder his escape.

The snow was dyed red with the thick drops that fell from his fingers, Ezer seeing this understood what he had just done.

"I-I did it without hesitation..." A taciturn boy who only read books and put up with his family's insults cut off his own arm without hesitation to attract wolves that could be both his salvation and undoing.

Facing death changes a person, or maybe all it does is release what was locked inside, a primitive instinct... an instinct for survival.

But his excitement quickly faded as he realized that his plan had another flaw.

"Blood loss... I didn't notice, the blood will draw the wolves directly to me... It doesn't matter, something will occur to me."

He keeps running, there is no time to stop the bleeding which would stop in no time anyway due to the fact that the cut was not very deep. However, the distance between their pursuers was reduced to fifty meters or less.

At that time, Ezer had to deal with another problem. Visions accompanied by pain filled his field of vision.

He was inside a smoothly moving carriage, the exterior blurred due to the high speed. He was sitting on a long seat and in front of him were two separated by a space in the middle, unlike the carriages he knew, the seats were facing in one direction and not facing each other. Two people are sitting on them and one turns around directing his gaze towards Ezer, to his surprise, a big smile and eyes full of love look at him.

Stunned, Ezer raises his face from the snow, his vision was over and at some point in it, he ended up on the ground. Looks behind and continue to run desperately. Twenty meters separated him now and it will not be long before he would be captured.

Ezer reaches his hand to the dagger and draws it, the distance is now ten meters. Take a deep breath... nine meters, eight, seven, six. He turns and faces them when three meters separates him from both.

"Boy, you sure know how to run." The knight catches his breath with sword in hand. "This time we won't make the same mistake and break your legs." A sadistic gleam is reflected in his eyes.

Ezer doesn't respond as he holds his dagger up, obvious openings in his defense. He didn't know if the threat was real or not, but he didn't want to find out.

"Ha! It looks like a bristling cat!"

"Yeah, but cats scratch when they're cornered." Answers his partner with a colder and more calculating look.

"Only those who don't know how to handle them."

With a few light steps and a simple movement of his sword, the knight disarms Ezer who suffers a small cut at the base of his thumb.

Holding his hand in fury and fear, Ezer tries to run again, but is stopped with a punch to the chin.

The taste of iron fills his mouth, despair and resignation weaken his arms and legs. Only the cold snow reminds him that he is still alive.

"It is no use having the determination to control my destiny if I don't have the strength to back it up." He thinks bitterly while a tear of pain and impotence escapes from his eyes

A boot presses hard on his chest and makes it difficult for him to breathe, thar bring him back to reality.

—Boy, from now on you will answer everything I say with a Yes sir! Did you understand?" As he spoke, he continued to increase the weight on Ezer's chest.

"............"

"Unanswered? However you want."

"Ahhh!"

Ezer's ribs bend almost to the breaking point and the air completely escaped from his lungs. The knight continued like this until his face turned red from lack of air.

"Just a little more force and your ribs break. You just have to say a short little sentence."

This was the same man who flinched at a mere glance from the Viscount. It was clear that he had a preference to humiliate the weakest but not to look back at his superiors.

"Y-yes... yes." The lack of air and pressure made it difficult to speak, but Ezer was also reluctant to say them.

The knight had orders not to harm Ezer, unless strictly necessary. But his eyes indicated that he had completely forgotten about it.

"Yes y-sir." Breathless, Ezer gives up, but before he can finish the sentence, a presence catches his attention.

Her gaze was fixed on him, intense blue eyes that seemed to see through everything. It released a majestic aura that seemed to compel nature to bow in respect. With her fur as white as snow, a wolf was approaching with light steps.