Chapter 7: The Nightmare Fang Alpha
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[Status Window]
Name: Fury
Race/Species: Chimera Wolf
Level: 4
EXP: 40/120
Bloodlines:
Royal Black Wolf (Active)
Dark Elf (Locked – Awakens at Level 10)
Wyvern (Hidden – Awakens at Level 20)
Skills:
Midnight Sovereign (Active) – Cloak the body in darkness for increased speed and stealth.
Predator's Sense (Passive) – Sense nearby enemies, track movement, and detect weaknesses.
Lunar Pounce (New – Active) – Leap high into the air under moonlight to crash upon enemies with enhanced force.
Class & Title: Locked until Level 5
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The cold scent of blood still lingered in the wind.
Fury padded silently through the dense woods, his deep violet eyes scanning every shadow. Dried blood still clung to his fur—most of it not his. The remnants of the Scout Wolf Squad from earlier still echoed in his muscles, each movement a reminder of his new strength. The scout team had tried to ambush him near the river crossing—four mid-level wolves with coordinated strikes, flanking tactics, and a nasty habit of howling for reinforcements.
They didn't expect Lunar Pounce.
Fury remembered the moment his instincts kicked in and the sky above had cracked with a silver shimmer. With a single leap, his body moved like a shadowed comet, crushing one wolf under his paws. His claws slit the throat of the next before the others even processed what was happening.
Midnight Sovereign cloaked him in pure silence—an assassin in fur.
The last two tried to run.
Only bones remained now.
"Good kill," growled Varok, the grizzled, one-eyed elder who had been guiding Fury through the Nightmare Forest. His fur was greying and matted, marked by old wounds and old pride. "The forest will remember your scent."
Fury didn't reply, but his tail flicked once in acknowledgment. Even now, he wasn't entirely sure why this elder wolf, once the Beta of the tribe, had chosen him. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was destiny.
Maybe it was the smell of something… different.
Something only Varok and one other knew.
As they stepped deeper into the Nightmare Forest, the sunlight vanished. Only slivers of moonlight filtered through the thick canopies, reflecting in strange patterns on the ground. Even the wind here howled differently, as if speaking in tongues only wolves could understand.
Then Fury saw it.
A massive clearing surrounded by thick black thorns and ancient trees, their trunks warped and scarred by magic. In the center, resting atop a flat stone altar, was a beast that radiated pressure like a storm cloud ready to break.
The Alpha.
He was massive—easily the size of a grizzly bear. His fur was steel grey with hints of black running down his spine, as if shadows had carved trails into his skin. His claws were whitish-grey, worn but still deadly. His golden-brown eyes watched them with ancient intelligence, unwavering and sharp. Scars carved into his face told stories of wars—wars no pup would live through.
This… was Fenrath, the Nightmare Fang Alpha.
"Step forward," Varok muttered. "Speak nothing unless spoken to."
Fury didn't hesitate. He walked forward, each step radiating calm menace. Not arrogance, but a predator's poise.
"Hmm," Fenrath rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly like thunder dragging across stone. "So this… is the pup that tore through the scouts?"
His eyes narrowed.
"You reek of more than one blood."
Fury stayed silent.
Fenrath slowly rose to his feet. Each movement cracked the ground beneath him, as if the earth itself bent to his presence. He circled Fury once, then twice, nostrils flaring.
"Royal Black Wolf," he growled. "That much is clear. But beneath that… something old. Something unnatural."
Fury's ears twitched.
The Alpha leaned close. "You wear your blood like armor. But only fools wear armor they don't understand."
Varok stepped forward. "He knows what he is. And he knows enough to keep it hidden."
Fenrath huffed. "Good. If the others knew, they'd kill him out of fear. Or worse… envy."
A pause.
"Why have you come, Fury of No Pack?"
Fury finally lifted his head. "To learn. To grow. To claim power. My own."
Fenrath's lips twitched. Not quite a smile. But almost.
"Power?" the Alpha echoed. "You seek power?"
Suddenly, his paw lashed out faster than any wolf should move. A gust of wind exploded as claws struck, but Fury ducked under the blow, his instincts firing like wildfire. Midnight Sovereign activated on reflex—his body vanished into a smudge of shadow.
He reappeared five feet behind the Alpha, his claws unsheathed.
Fenrath turned, slow, deliberate.
"Good."
He sat back down.
"You'll survive here."
The trees around them rustled, and from the shadows, other wolves began to appear. Seven, then ten, then a dozen. All strong. All scarred. Eyes gleamed from the forest like a ring of judgment. The Nightmare Fang Wolf Tribe had arrived.
"You'll not be welcomed," Fenrath declared, voice rising. "But you'll be tolerated."
Gasps and growls echoed around them.
"Silence!" the Alpha roared. The forest hushed immediately.
"He beat a scout squad. Fought Varok's test. Survived the Nightmare's edge. He has spilled blood for his right to enter. And more than that…"
He turned to Fury once more.
"He is Chimera. I alone give him passage."
A pause.
"And I will test his worth again, when he reaches his fifth level."
Fury's claws clenched slightly. His path was clear.
"You will not be given food. You will not be given rest. You must hunt. You must learn. You must bleed." Fenrath's eyes bored into him like blades. "Level five unlocks your class and your name."
"Until then," he continued, "you are no more than a shadow."
Fury nodded once. He didn't argue. This was the way of beasts.
The Alpha's voice turned grim. "Nightmare Forest will test you. Spirits roam here. Old spirits. Ones that do not care for our bloodline or laws. Some hunger for flesh… others for souls."
Fury met his gaze. "Let them come."
A few of the younger wolves growled at his arrogance, but Fenrath simply barked a laugh.
"Go then, Chimera pup. Earn your title."
As Fury turned to leave, Varok fell into step beside him. His old eyes glittered with something unreadable.
"You made a ripple," the elder murmured. "And in this forest, even a ripple can become a storm."
Fury's body still burned with the thrill of battle. His claws itched for more. The fight with the scouts had been a warm-up. And now… now the real hunt began.
He stepped deeper into the Nightmare Forest, senses sharpened, blood roaring.
Unseen eyes watched him.
Unheard voices whispered.
But Fury didn't care.
Let the forest come. Let the monsters rise. He would tear through them all.
For when he reached Level 5, the world would finally learn his name.