The dark wolf ran at full speed between the rolling hills and the dark woods of fir and birch. He was passing, faster than lightning. Each of his steps left an astonishing dark trail on the ground.

He was a very strange wolf. He seemed to be made of shadow. His shape was imprecise, blurred, as if moving. His body seemed to be making curious undulations and his coat was like black flames fanned by the wind. He was made of darkness. His sight had an almost disturbing side to it. In particular his gaze, red as blood, a harbinger of massacre. A fiery red that was cold as death, hard as steel, silent as ice and sharp as a sword. He exuded a bestial, wild, indomitable aura. It was a nature not to bend before anything or anyone. His tail twitched in the air like a plume of black smoke. His legs, slightly arched, contracted to the rhythm of his strides. In the center of his eyes, were a golden pupil staring at you, devouring you from the inside. One could not detach oneself from this crushing gold. One was subject to its yoke, to the unleashed force of this animal. He seemed capable of crushing and tearing humans apart with its claws without mercy. His presence forced the men to bow before him. He was made to terrorize, to kill and to destroy. He was the fear. He was the end. When you met his gaze, it was synonymous with endless night. He was Sagyr's wolf.

And it was that same wolf running, fleeing from an unknown threat, yet strong enough to force him to leave. The landscape scrolled around him, forming only small fuzzy dots in his field of vision. He barely felt the ground under his paws, it was almost as if he were flying. No one could catch him, he was too fast, no one could chase him, no one could...

 - Has he finished running soon? He's starting to annoy me, one voice complained right next to him.

The wolf came to an abrupt stop, braking hard and nearly crashing headfirst into the ground. How had they managed to keep up? It was impossible, he was an immortal, unstoppable beast, a perfect creature, who had lived for millennia and they were just mere humans. The situation particularly annoyed the wolf. He had a furious desire to devour these disagreeable humans alive. He refused, him, the glorious creation of Sagyr, to bow before these insignificant beings.

He turned on himself, in order to face them. He was ready to fight. No one could hinder him.

He saw the girl who had spoken to him. This one pissed him off particularly. How could she even consider defeating him?

The girl had dark skin and long black hair, shiny, smooth and thick, gently blowing in the wind. Her eyes were as dark as night with a bright light shining in her pupils, reflecting the brightness of the sun. They had an elongated, almond shape, with long, thick, curved eyelashes. They pleated mischievously when she smiled, with an amused look deep in her eyes. Her eyebrows were light, a faint shadow above her eyes. Her face had fine features, a round shape with a triangular jaw. Her cheekbones were very marked with a slight redness that seemed permanent. Her lips were full and thick, a beautiful dark brown color. She had a very beautiful nose, straight, long and thin, giving her an assertive look. She wore a long beige poncho with lots of embroidery as well as clinking gold pieces sewn, a crisscrossing dot and line patterns on the sleeves. At the end of her poncho hung long fringes blown by the wind. She had many choker necklaces, in sparkling white pearls, which contrasted with the color of her skin. She also had a lot of large ornaments, made of myriads of colored stones and threads, which produced a joyful bell sound with each movement. Below from the poncho, she wore a petticoat of rough, hard, brown material with white stripes sewn on it. At her feet, fine leather shoes that seemed flimsy. Around her ankles danced golden rings and threads adorned with feathers. She had several rings in her hair, and also a feather, big, white and red. Her arms were also covered with bracelets.

In her hand she held a long, ancient, slender, pale wooden staff. At one end, a green bead was embedded. At the other end, the wood curled up and formed a loop within which floated another much larger green bead, which seemed to radiate light.

A frank and assured smile appeared on her face. She looked determined and seemed in no way afraid of the wolf.

 - I caught it ! It's good, you can come now! she exclaimed.

The wolf growled, but at the threatening look the girl gave him, he couldn't help but back away. It was the first time a human stood up to him. He couldn't believe it. This girl was daring. He would make her pay for it very quickly, when he'd feast on her insides.

Suddenly, the shadow cast by the young girl on the hill began to undulate strangely, to move. It began to expand, to sprawl on the ground around her, invading, covering everything around her with darkness. Then the shadow began to rise, forming a monstrous silhouette. It exploded suddenly, like a balloon on contact with a needle, freeing three people.

The wolf went from surprise to surprise. How had these humans managed to get out of the girl's shadow like this? Things weren't working out. These creatures were more and more numerous. The wolf's irritation, too, only increased. He was going to make them regret chasing him, especially when their agonizing bodies would debate between his jaws.

Three other boys had joined the girl.

One of them was much bigger than the other two. Slender, he had a lot of poise. His hair was gray, despite the youth of which testified his features and his gait, the same color as the cape that covered his shoulders. Underneath he wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up over his arms, a very fitted sky blue waistcoat. His thin waist was highlighted by a black stocking. He had on his hands short black leather gloves that did not go beyond the wrist. He wore elegant shoes that clashed with the country setting. A slight smile, calm and soft, floated on his face. An almost calculating smile, who read clear in all his surroundings. His hair was slightly wavy, forming curls around his ears and a fringe on top of his forehead. The most amazing thing about him was certainly his eyes with orange irises and yellow pupils. The wolf almost shivered at that look.

The second, almost as tall as the first, had raven-wing hair and a sallow complexion. He had stormy black eyes and short, rather disheveled hair. His lips seemed to be pouting all the time. He wore a light gray sweater and a black wool frock coat over it. Cloth pants, and thick-soled boots, made for walking and, on occasion, breaking a few noses. His expression seemed to judge the wolf in front of him with contempt, disdain.

The last, finally, the smallest, but the most physically solid, with good muscles, had skin as black as night. Bright eyes, which stood out, just like the ivory of his teeth. His eyes were like two bottomless pits, in which one could lose oneself for eternity. His hair was tied in braids and came down to his shoulders. A silver ring was attached to one of them. He was dressed in a cream shirt, with a purple jacket closed by dark blue buttons. Simple stockings, in black fabric and equally simple shoes. He appeared to be the most tired of the three and was crouched on the ground, while the other two were standing around him. He was breathing heavily.

 - You're late, the girl reproached them.

 - Sorry for not being an efficient enough carriage, the boy whispered on his knees.

 - You have to see the good side of things, noticed silver-haired boy, you took us to the right place this time!

 - By the way, where is Eva? asked the last boy.

 - She stayed behind, she prefers to step back to be able to play snipers if necessary.

 - That's not really what we agreed on!

 - It's okay Liam, the silver-haired boy replied. I suspected that she was going to prefer to play the support from afar. Well, Aiko, what have you found so far?

 - Not much, replied the girl. This wolf looks like he's seeing humans for the first time in a while. I think it won't take too long to get rid of it.

The wolf suppressed an outraged growl. How dare this girl? The audacity ! He was more than just a distraction and couldn't be "taken down" by mere mortals, he thought in an indignant huff.

 - David, please can I take care of this? My stick has been itching for a while now. I would need to grill some wolf to relax.

The silver-haired boy chuckled amusedly, shaking his head.

 - Alright, but you take Jonas with you.

 - Why me ? I'm still tired from carrying us.

 - You have to get used to it. You need to practice and this somewhat weak beast will do just fine.

Jonas sighed, annoyed. The wolf saw his indignation grow even more. "Weak" ? Did this kid have suicidal thoughts? These brats were hurting his pride. And the wolf held on to his pride dearly.

Jonas got up, grunting a little. Aiko, she seemed to be waiting impatiently to battle with the wolf.

 - We will observe you from here and lend a hand if needed.

Liam frowned even more.

 - What is it with you ? Are you angry ?

He let out an unintelligible growl in response.

 - Oh! Right ! You wanted to hit the monster too! Don't worry, you too will have the opportunity to have fun.

Liam gave him a rather sulky look then turned his head away, with a slight sniffle.

Jonas lifted his arms forward and joined his hands to stretch. He squeezed his fingers, which made a dull crack.

 - I can never understand how you manage to make them crack every time. Is it a secret art that you learned in Germany or what? Aiko called out.

 - Among other things, while I was being exploited.

Aiko turned to the beast, a carnivorous smile on her face. The light emitted by the stone of her staff began to shine even more intensely. She made it describe a full turn in her hand, waiting for the right moment to strike, walking calmly. The wolf stood on his hind legs, ready to pounce on her.

Jonas took a deep breath, then lifted his head and locked eyes with the wolf. His eyes had turned completely black, blacker than night, two abysses which absorbed all light, leaving nothing behind but darkness. Two holes that one couldn't stop examining, hypnotic. He reached out and his shadow beneath him stretched out in the direction of the wolf.

He tried to back away, but the shadow was moving at lightning speed and he couldn't escape. The shadow came to surround his feet and he could not move anymore. He was reduced to helplessness, forced to contemplate his surroundings without being able to do anything.

For the first time, the wolf felt something he had never felt before. A totally new feeling, which left a sour taste in his mouth. Something that emitted an infernal stench, that took hold of his insides, gripped his stomach, he couldn't get rid of it. He was a prisoner of this feeling. It was as if everything in him was panicking, going at a hundred miles an hour without him being able to keep up. His heart was racing. What was this feeling? Was it... fear? Was he terrified?

No matter how hard he tried to free himself, it was as if he were mired, stuck in this shapeless dark mass, while the girl approached inexorably. He felt like she was moving in slow motion. But what was she doing? Why was she taking so long? His field of vision seemed to have narrowed to just her, he couldn't see anything else around him.

The girl raised her stick with the shimmering green stone, the overwhelming light. She was sure of herself, without the slightest hesitation in the face of the wolf in front of her. She was determined to step forward.

She brought her stick closer to her and began to whisper words to it as if she were confiding in it. The aura of light at the end of the staff grew even stronger. It was now difficult to look at it without being blinded.

Gradually, the wind began to blow, emitting a noise like that of the waves crashing against the shores in stormy weather. Unleashed, twirling in all directions. As if an angry dragon began to roar from the heavens, spreading on earth the sound of his anger, the fury of his breath. Nothing seemed to be spared.

The sky, until then so clear, saw clouds gathering in an instant, covering it with their gray and thick blanket. Everything had become so dark that it looked like night. The rain began to fall at full speed. It whipped them with its drops, falling like hailstones, carried by the wind. They hit like bullets. The ground darkened in turn, soaked with water. Small streams were digging on the ground. The rain swirled, dancing a saraband in the storm.

The wolf was battered by the drops and the wind. He felt his fur being pulled down on his back by the gusts. His ears were flat against his head and his eyes were narrowing.

The girl brandished her stick in the sky and the air suddenly charged in electricity. The wolf could feel his hair stand on end. He shivered, traversed by an icy current.

Suddenly, lightning, bright and dazzling, fell on the staff. It seemed to absorb it, and the girl confidently pointed it at it.

All the wolf saw last was that light, so bright, so strong. He couldn't see anything anymore. A light almost like the one he remembered seeing at birth.