“「Kyaaaah!」
「Mei, shh! Stay quiet! If you scream, you’ll provoke them even more. Try to keep it down.」
August hugged his panicked little sister tightly, digging his claws into the bark of the tree he had instinctively climbed.
Six black wolves stood directly beneath them, drooling as they glared up at the pair.
Thanks to his species’ natural talent for climbing, August had narrowly escaped the initial attack. However, in his haste, he’d chosen a tree that was much too small.
Though they had climbed high enough to be out of the wolves’ reach, the thin branches above made it impossible to go any higher.
He could only hope the black wolves pacing around the base of the tree would give up and leave soon.
“Woof!”
“Ah! This one’s—!”
The largest of the pack, clearly the leader, suddenly rammed its body against the tree.
The impact caused the tree to shake violently, forcing August to cling on tightly to avoid falling.
“No way…”
The ominous sound of creaking wood reached his ears. If the attacks continued, either they would fall to the ground, or the tree itself would collapse.
Either way, survival was unlikely.
Clutching the dagger at his waist, August steeled himself.
He resolved to attack the pack leader—the massive wolf. Even if he couldn’t take it down, perhaps he could distract the wolves long enough for Mei to escape.
Patting his little sister’s head, August gave her a serious look and instructed her to run toward the village as soon as he gave the signal.
“O-oniichan, what about you…?”
“I’ll catch up later. Just focus on running straight ahead, okay?”
“Ugh… okay… I’ll hurry back and find an adult…”
“Good girl.”
Thud!
Another strong blow made the tree sway even more. The wolves were now ramming the tree in turns.
The tree groaned, and August’s body swayed.
“Now, Mei!”
Just as August prepared to leap toward the pack leader from the tree—
“Yelp!”
An arrow pierced through the leader’s right eye, and it collapsed to the ground.
“Huh?”
Frozen in shock, August watched as arrows rained down, one after another, taking out the remaining black wolves.
When the final wolf fell, August turned toward the direction the arrows had come from, but his view blurred.
“Whoa!”
The already weakened tree trunk finally gave way, snapping in half.
August reached out for Mei, realizing too late that he had let go of her hand.
Mei tumbled headfirst to the ground, on the opposite side of the broken tree.
(Mei! I can’t reach her!)
Being a member of their species, August would have landed safely even from this height. But his sister, still inexperienced with climbing, would struggle to control her fall.
“Kyah!”
“Gotcha. Are you okay?”
Mei’s scream was followed by a calm, unfamiliar voice.
Landing safely himself, August quickly looked up to find a hooded figure holding his sister in their arms.
The stranger introduced himself as Tohma , a traveling elf merchant.
His outfit was unfamiliar, and when he lowered his hood, his dark blue hair caught August’s attention.
Elves typically had light-colored hair—blonde or silver—so Tohma might have mixed heritage. His eyes, however, were unmistakably elven: a clear, vivid blue.
His sharp, beautiful features were almost feminine, befitting an elf.
“I was heading toward the village when I heard screams and came running. I’m glad I made it in time.”
“Thank you… You saved my sister. I’m grateful.”
August bowed his head, and Tohma smiled.
“It’s nothing. I just did what anyone should. By the way…” He gestured toward the black wolves.
“Are these your kills?”
“…No, we were just gathering herbs and berries. If anything, we were about to become their prey.”
“Then I’ll be taking them, if you don’t mind.”
August nodded. It was only fair—the spoils belonged to the one who defeated them.
Tohma crouched and touched one of the wolf carcasses.
“Huh? It disappeared!”
“Whoa! What’s that? How’d you do that?”
“This? It’s called an Item Box—a storage skill.”
“Wow! That’s amazing! It’s the first time I’ve seen one!”
“Really? I didn’t think it was such a rare skill…”
“It is! At least in our panther-beastfolk village, no one has it!”
As Mei marveled, Tohma patted her head, looking amused.
“By the way, you two are panther-beastfolk, right? Your leap from the tree was impressive.”
“We’re not cats! We’re panthers! Black panthers!”
Having been mistaken for mere cats countless times, August couldn’t help but snap.
Just then, the cat perched on Tohma ’s shoulder hissed, as if reprimanding him.
“My bad. Black panthers, huh? That’s pretty cool.”
“Y-yeah! Panthers are strong and cool! I’m still a kid, so I’m not that strong yet, but…”
“How old are you, August?”
“Eight.”
“That young? You’re really just a kid! And yet, you protected your little sister. That’s impressive!”
Tohma ruffled August’s hair, and the boy felt his tension begin to ease. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away.
“Are you okay, oniichan?”
“I’m fine!”
“Good, good. Both of you are strong and brave. As a reward, I’ll give you something nice.”
Tohma pulled out a strange-looking cloth from his Item Box and spread it on the ground.
“Here, have a seat. Hungry?”
“Yeah, I’m starving!”
“Mei!”
Tohma chuckled and handed them sandwiches, calling them “hamburgers.” It was unlike anything August or Mei had ever seen, but the enticing aroma was irresistible.
“Bite in. Don’t hold back.”
August and Mei took their first bites—and their eyes widened.
“This is amazing!”
“So good!”
The softness of the bread, the juiciness of the meat, and the flavorful vegetables—all of it was unlike anything they’d ever tasted. Even picky Mei eagerly ate the lettuce and tomatoes.
“Eat slowly. Don’t choke. And here’s some juice.”
The sweet orange juice was another first for the siblings, and they drank it down eagerly.
After finishing their meal, Tohma asked to be guided to their village.
“I’m a merchant. I sell all sorts of goods—though not the hamburgers, unfortunately,” Tohma said with a laugh.
“Then what about the juice?” Mei asked hopefully.
“Maybe a little. We’ll see.”
August sighed but agreed to lead the way, thinking their mother would scold them for sneaking out but might forgive them for escorting the rare merchant.
“All right, Tohma . We’ll take you to our village.”
