I set fire to the mansion while my sisters were sleeping and escaped.
For the time being, I need to get as far away from here as possible. The forest is filled with tall trees, and their leaves block the sunlight, making it perpetually dim. In the quiet forest, my own breathing seems unnaturally loud. I try not to make a sound, but my body rebels, gasping for air.
My legs are tangled, and my lungs feel like they’re about to explode. I want to rest, just for a moment, to stop and drink some water. No, I can’t run anymore. It must be from the blood loss and the smoke I inhaled, my head is spinning. I lean against a nearby tree to catch my breath.
When I look back, the mansion is no longer visible. I might have managed to get quite far. I hope there’s a human settlement nearby. For the time being, I need to get out of the forest, far from the reach of those vampires.
“Wooooooooo! Oooooohh!”
A voice echoes through the eerily silent forest. There’s no mistake, it’s a wolf’s howl. This is bad, they know I escaped. For a werewolf, finding a human in this forest is like finding breakfast. No matter how far I run, they can track me by scent.
I took off the suit I was wearing. Damn it, I’m covered in sweat from running. This is like announcing my location to the enemy. I threw off the shirt I was wearing underneath and ran, bare-chested. If they’re tracking by scent, I should look for a river. Yes, if I wash away the sweat and cross to the other side, even a wolf won’t be able to follow me.
I’m still not breathing properly, but if I stop now, it’s all over. Run, I absolutely cannot stop.
“Hah, hah, hah.”
Every time I step on dry leaves, I worry if they can hear this sound.
“Wooooor! Oooooor! Woooo!”
Howls are coming from all directions. They must be communicating like this. In a language only wolves understand. I feel like a fawn separated from its herd. I have no weapons, no companions, and if I’m caught, it’s the end.
Suddenly, the trees opened up, and dazzling light poured in.
“Whoa, danger! Hah, I’m, I’m going to die!”
That light was a complete trap. Beyond the clearing in the forest, a cliff awaited. The trees stopped for that very reason. Below, a roaring river flowed. It’s a river, but anything that fell into it, let alone my scent, would be erased.
Is this a dead end? No, if I follow the river downstream, I might find a human settlement.
“Rustle.”
A sound behind me. When I turned, a werewolf was standing there. I’ve been found! Sweat gushes from my entire body. W-what should I do? The opponent is relatively small. Should I wrestle him and push him into the river? But even if he looks small, I’m sure I can’t match him in strength or speed.
Wait, but these golden eyes.
“Rune?”
“Yes, that’s right. Please go back to the mansion. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Right, I don’t want to fight either. All I have in my pocket is a small paper knife. And it’s made of iron, so it’s useless. If I run, I’ll be caught. Now, what should I do?
Seeing me frozen, Rune approached. If that’s the case, I have no choice. One kill per person, I have to do it even if I have to wrestle him. When he was in range, I grabbed him by the neck.
“Wha, stop it!”
I thrust the paper knife I had hidden into the back of his neck.
“Gah!”
A heavy impact shot through my whole body. My vision flipped, and I was slammed to the ground. What, I was sure I had him by the neck just now. Pushing down the pain, I stood up to find a werewolf twice his size standing there.
“I found you, human. You made me waste my time.”
Black fur, long fangs, and well-developed muscles. This is the real werewolf, just like the one I saw before. Rune’s form is still more human-like.
Sharp claws grew from the tips of hands so large they could crush my head. At my current state, I would be easily killed by just one of those fingers. The opponent is slowly closing in on me.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you back quickly.”
Long arms reached out towards my torso. The rough feel of fur brushed against my skin. That’s right, they can’t attack me. If I get hurt, I’ll just make those vampire sisters angry. There’s no reason not to use that.
The werewolf hoisted me onto its shoulder. Now’s my chance! I grabbed the wolf’s ear and stabbed it with the paper knife.
“Eeeeeh, you human!”
The man thrashed around while I was on his shoulder. He shook me violently from side to side. Then he threw me into a nearby bush.
“Hmph, getting too cocky! It’s not a problem if I get a little injured, right? I’ll just report that I fell.”
A bright red tongue flicked out from between his bared teeth. The approaching giant figure obscured the sunlight. A large hand gripped my neck.
“Hah, goo, gugugu.”
“P-please don’t kill him.”
“Grr, shut up! You stay out of this! You damn rat, you’re causing us so much trouble.”
The wolf’s mouth approached my face. The jaws, opening up and down, were like a guillotine.
