Tasting 334

334–A Face Off

Nora:

A pair of glowing eyes, wild and untamed, locked onto me. Slowly, the beast emerged, its massive

body cloaked in matted fur–a fusion of a lycan and wolf, yet more terrifying than either. Its claws,

razor–sharp like daggers, glinted ominously in the moonlight as it stepped into the clearing, the

earth quaking beneath its immense weight.

He had a weirdly spiky furs with a mix of red and purple hue. I’ve never seen a 5 legged monster

like that before.

My heart hammered in my chest, each pulse feeling like a countdown to my demise. The air was

charged, thick with the tension that hung between us, a fear sinking deep into my bones. I had a

feeling that I could fight a monster like him but facing such beast for the first time really shook me to

my core. Or maybe it was because I was slightly demotivated after hearing about my child. I could

sense its hunger, its madness–a force bearing down on me, threatening to crush me under its

power.

But I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My muscles tensed, bracing for a fight. This wasn’t just an

ordinary werewolf, it was something far more dangerous, far more lethal.

The beast snarled, its lips peeling back to reveal rows of jagged teeth.

“Don’t,” I whispered sharply, stopping Rollo as he reached for his weapon. We hadn’t planned to kill

this creature.

I had been given tranquilizers to use against the beast, enough to knock it out so we could drag it

out of the mountains. But the moment the beast took a step forward, Rollo’s words echoed in my

mind: *My son is not

334 A Face Off

doing well.*

The beast lunged at me, a blur of fur and fangs. I barely had time to react -instinct kicked in as I

hurled myself to the side. The ground trembled where its claws tore through the spot I had just been

standing. Scrambling to my feet, heart racing, I locked eyes with the creature as it turned to face. me

again.

My body coiled, ready to strike, as I reached for the syringe strapped to my thigh.

The beast charged again, faster than I expected. I narrowly ducked under its swipe, feeling the rush

of air as its claws sliced the space where my head had been. Fueled by a surge of adrenaline, I let

out a howl and allowed Akira to take over.

I saw the beast turn toward Rollo this time. As it attacked, Rollo ducked and slashed at the creature,

his blood splattering across the ground. But the wound did little to slow the beast. Before we knew it,

it was back on its feet, launching itself at Rollo again.

This time, it grabbed him, slamming him against a tree before hurling his body to the ground.

“Hey!” I shouted, drawing the creature’s attention away from the wounded soldier.

The beast snarled and turned toward me, its howl echoing through the clearing. When it charged, I

rolled and leaped onto its back.

Gripping the syringe tightly, I dodged its frantic swipes, trying to shake me off. With all the strength I

could muster, I plunged the needle into its neck and jumped away.

The beast let out a bone–rattling howl of pain, the sound reverberating through the earth. It

staggered, trying to lunge at me again, but before it

334A Face Off

could recover, Rollo struck with another dose of the tranquilizer.

Slowly, the creature’s movements faltered, and it collapsed, no longer able

to stand.

I stood tall, watching the beast crumble to the ground and slip into unconsciousness. As soon as it

hit the earth, Rollo followed suit, coughing in pain.

“You okay?” I asked, still focused on the beast.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Rollo replied, raising his hand for support. His eyes widened when he realized I

was examining the creature.

“I was asking the beast, though,” I teased, making him roll his eyes.

I knew he was seriously hurt from the way he was bleeding, but he wasn’t one to admit weakness.

“We need to return home,” he suggested, “but I don’t think I can carry this monster-” His voice broke

from the excruciating pain, but then he noticed how I hoisted the beast onto my shoulder.

“Okay! Thanks for flexing your strength on me,” he muttered, clearly feeling his pride stung.

But he was wrong. I had my reasons for being so strong.

Still, the truth was, the beast was incredibly heavy. I stumbled a few times while carrying it, but I

pushed on, navigating our way out of the mountains as swiftly as I could. I wanted to finish this

mission and return to the mansion–there were answers I needed.

The moment we arrived at the base, we were greeted by some warriors and a very anxious Brody.