abcnovels
Chapter 73 73 Sit This One Out
Chapter 73 73 Sit This One Out
Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Sit This One Out
Sighing in exasperation, Nexus once again willed himself to move forward. He shot a nervous glance backwards, and was shocked to see that the hyenas has tripled in numbers within the past two minutes.
That was all the motivation he needed. He uprooted his feet from the ground, and forced them forward, down the slope, away from the foot of the mountain, and finally, onto the grassland below.
At the base of the mountain, beyond the jagged rocky foundations, Nexus found Monica waiting for him- or simply just waiting. She had dismounted, and was crouched low on the ground. Her studious eyes expertly roamed back and forth across the ground. She took off her velvet gloves, and stretched out her arm to the bare earth.
Her palm touched the ground, and Nexus could have sworn she smiled;
"They're here," she announced; "The earth is still warm. Look,"
She gestured to a set of lone paw prints as she rose to her feet from her crouching position;
"See those paw prints? What do you see newbie?"
"It's a single set. It's one wolf."
"Exactly. The omega wolf is the weakest in the pack. So it usually strays farther away from the main pack."
She turned her back towards the mountain and squinted at it;
"This lone wolf probably came by here, hoping to snatch any mountain goat fleeing from the hyenas up hill. It's easy pickings for a relatively weaker wolf."
Through her eyes, he could see the calculations running wild in her head. Monica's head jerked up towards the sky and noted the position of the sun. Then turned to face the green field before them again;
"We have barely two hours before the sun sets completely. If we follow this trail, I'm certain we'll get to the wind wolves in no time."
Nexus nodded his understanding.
"How many are they?"
Tying the reins of her horse to a tree, she answered him; "Difficult to say. But recent reports have put them at ten to fifteen."
She shrugged as if it made no difference to her; "Could be more, could be less. Either way, I'm getting them."
She tightened the knot. "Let's go."
Facing east, with the setting sun behind them, they plunged right into the grasslands. From the south, a soft rustling wind filtered through the open meadow. A couple of birds, or bats, screeched in the open sky ahead of them.
In careful tentative steps, side by side, Monica and Nexus threaded softly along the earth in noiseless steps. The soft grass beneath their feet cushioned their weight, and kept their movements noise free. With every ground they covered inland, their breaths slowed down, and they kept their eyes, as well as their ears wide open.
Ahead of them, a thick green ledge spanned the length of the whole landscape. To their right, a few yards out, was the white banks of the clean, clear quiet stream.
Monica had suggested they stay as close to the stream as possible, so the southbound wind could lose their scent over the water.
Together, they crept through the meadow. The further they went, the more the tall elegant fruitless trees saturated the woodland. Dwarf shrubs, and thickets of bush dogged their paths. Quietly, they waded through a seemingly endless sea of ankle deep grass- watching for even the slightest movements.
Suddenly, just when Nexus was starting to get comfortable, with the tension, Monica stopped dead in her tracks. She shot a quick glance at him, and together, they slowly dropped to a low noiseless crouch.
She shot her fist in the air, and pointed two fingers to a spot that was just northeast of them.
Nexus' eyes, hungry for the gist, immediately darted in that direction. At first, he did not see it, but then, his vision came into focus, gifting him the sight of a ledge of gray rocks. They were like little hills, hidden behind a canopy of green.
A den? A wolf's den?
As if she could hear his thoughts, she nodded. There was no movement. There was no sound- like the pack was taking a nap, or maybe waiting in the bushes around them, patiently waiting to pounce. Nexus nervously glanced around, hearing the pounding of his own heart in his chest.
Hands clenched, and feet ready for action, Monica kept her unflinching gaze trained on the location ahead. Time seemed to stand still. The silence around seemed scream at them, warning that this could be an ominous sign of a trap.
Eventually, the first sign of black fur appeared. It was a tail. No, it was a leg. A really huge fucking leg- scratching the head of the animal as it lay down, supposedly resting. Nexus' eyes bulged wildly.
Unbelief plastered on his face, and temple vein pumping wildly, he leaned his head forward, hoping against hope that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
But they weren't.
On one of the rocks, lying on its side, with its back facing them, was the the biggest fucking wolf Nexus had ever seen. The colorful green of the grass struck out glaringly against its black fur. The gentle wind blew at at moment, swaying the grass, and temporarily giving Monica and Nexus a sneak peek.
He gasped. Monica's face remained taut.
Behind the curtain of green, scattered in loose formation on the jagged rocks, were ten to twelve black wolves resting gallantly. Shrouded in a blanket of dark fur, they looked like death's very children.
Nexus' eyes gazed upon their bulky frame. They were so unbelievably huge, they made the hyenas look like kitty cats. Under the waning light of the setting sun, their rippling muscles stood out on their shoulder bones- a powerful declaration of their physical strength, and their rich diet.
With terror as their covering, they rested out in the open- completely unafraid, completely unbothered. Their large black heads remained motionless. And Nexus found himself wondering if it was wise to even bother them.
Monica seemed to read his mind;
"Listen," she rasped under her breath; "I don't have time to babysit you in this fight. This is the big leagues, you could actually die. . ."
Nexus did not doubt that last part for a second. The Dual Cultivation system made him formidable- not invincible.
"So sit this one out," her eyes were aflame with clear maniacal murderous-intentions; "I'm going in alone. And my decision is final."
The fight looked promising, and Nexus didn't mind getting in on the action.
But the look in her eyes told him her decision was not up for debate. So, not saying anything, Nexus' head simply bobbed up and down.
"Good," she whispered; "Now go find somewhere to lay low. This could get ugly."
Pretending to comply, Nexus dropped flat on his belly, and began to crawl in the bushes, towards a thick trunk tree just a couple of feet away.
"Ni Yang!" she called out in a low whisper; "Make sure you watch and learn, it'll do you some good."
Nexus' nodded and scampered towards the tree. It's trunk was wide enough to conceal him. But he needed a clear view of the action. His sharp eyes darted up, and studied the layout of the tree's branches.