Chapter 780: Chapter 165: The Toad and the Wolves

After March began, the weather became clearer, but the mornings were still rainy, with a biting cold wind howling through the treetops.

A curtain of rain wove a hazy veil over the Forbidden Forest, as a Peregrine Falcon soared above the undulating sea of trees, its outspread wings tearing through the cold air and rain, its iris a calm dark gray under the dim light of day.

Suddenly, the falcon folded its wings and silently landed on the trunk of a pine tree, tilting its head slightly to look downward.

A young wolf slipped through the underbrush, lowering its body, its gaze locked onto a gray rabbit not far ahead.

Most of the rain was blocked by the thick leaves, leaving the forest floor still dry. The gray rabbit nibbled on the tender grass beneath the dead leaves, its ears twitching alertly, occasionally lifting its head to look around.

After patiently creeping a few steps closer, the young wolf suddenly pounced, its claws striking fiercely at the rabbit.

But just as it leapt, the gray rabbit jumped to avoid the strike, bounced off the tree trunk, and slammed its hind legs hard onto the young wolf’s nose!

"Ow!"

The forest echoed with a scream, as the young wolf rolled onto the ground, clutching its nose with its paws, tears nearly spilling out.

The gray rabbit was startled by the howl. It stood up beside the shrubbery, looked around, and then quickly darted away.

Another little wolf jumped out from behind an oak tree, seeing its companion in pain, it laughed "gahaha."

"Maurice, why didn’t you help me block it?"

"It was your hunt, Rein!"

The two little wolves then began to play-fight, rolling through the woods like two fluffy whirlwinds.

The Peregrine Falcon dropped from the tree, and as it neared the ground, its body elongated sharply, wings turned into arms, claws into legs, and a black robe spread out in the wind, gently falling to the ground.

The young wolves, initially wary and huddled together, with the one called Rein hiding behind Maurice, suddenly saw his brother jump out excitedly, circling the suddenly-appeared Wizard.

"Vid! Vid! Long time no see, what brings you to the Forbidden Forest? Are you here to see me?"

Maurice bounced and said.

Vid crouched down, patting Maurice on the head, and asked with a smile, "Maurice, how have you been doing lately?"

"Great! Dad says I’ll soon be able to hunt on my own!" Maurice said proudly and loudly.

Rein stared in amazement at his brother, acting like a pet, wagging his tail at a human, and shouted in bewilderment and anger, "Maurice!"

"Oh, Rein."

Maurice suddenly remembered his younger brother by his side, quickly introducing,

"Vid, this is my youngest brother, Rein... Rein, this is Vid, the Wizard Vid Gray, who I told you about before, the one who saved me."

"Hello, Rein." Vid nodded with a smile.

"Wizard?" Upon hearing this, Rein’s gaze softened slightly, but his expression still showed wariness.

In his mind, Wizards were bad people, more dangerous than Centaurs. This Wizard saved Maurice... but perhaps he had other motives?

Vid shifted his gaze to Maurice and asked, "Maurice, do you know if there are other wolves nearby? I’m looking for a wolf with a white ring around its mouth and a triangular scar on its right ear, who should be older than you."

"Of course I know, that’s my sister Rosa!" Maurice asked curiously, "When did you meet her?"

"I saw her in a dream," Vid replied, "Can you take me to see her?"

"Of course!" Maurice readily agreed, "Rosa should be at home now, I’ll take you to her!"

"Maurice!" Rein hurriedly jumped over, sticking close to Maurice, and whispered anxiously, "Are you going to bring a Wizard back? To our home?"

"Don’t worry!" Maurice reassured his brother with a soft paw tap on his nose, "Vid is a good person!"

Rein looked full of disapproval, but Maurice was already leading the way, leaving him no choice but to follow. As he ran, he cautiously scrutinized the Wizard with what he thought were discreet glances.

His demeanor and subtle actions seemed obvious to Vid, who smiled at him, instantly making Rein bristle, baring his teeth and growling with a warning "grrr"——

[You might deceive my brother, but you can’t fool me!]

Then Rein’s head received a smack.

"Show some respect for my lifesaver, Rein!" Maurice shouted loudly.

They walked for several minutes, and after passing through a dense thicket of mushrooms, a wide space opened up——

A few crooked tree trunks formed a natural barrier, with branches, nets, and vines creating a simple roof, surrounded by low walls, and stones piled at the entrance, forming a semi-underground den.

Various herbs, including Dittany, hung from nearby branches, alongside tools like bows, arrows, knives, and axes.

A white wolf lay on the ground, with several differently colored young wolves playing around it, one of which had a white ring of fur around its nose.

Sniffing the unfamiliar scent, all the wolves quickly stood up, assuming defensive postures. But upon seeing Maurice and Rein leading the way, they were taken aback.

"Vid Gray?"

The father of the pups—Lucas the Werewolf emerged from the shadows, wearing a coat of animal pelts.

He shot a glare at his two sons, then looked at Vid with a hint of guardedness and said, "What brings you here?"

"I’m here to find the young lady, to ask about something." Vid gestured gently with his hand.

"Me?" Rosa looked around in surprise, "Why are you looking for me?"

"Miss Rosa," Vid asked, squatting slightly, "I once saw in a dream you meeting a gray-brown toad near a swamp, did that happen?"

Rosa was even more surprised, "I did see a toad waking from hibernation yesterday... you really dreamed it? That’s so strange!"

Rein whispered to Maurice, "He said before he saw Rosa in a dream, I thought he was bluffing us! But it’s true!"

"Yesterday?" Vid frowned slightly.

Was that scene in his dream a live broadcast?

He collected his thoughts and asked, "Where did the toad go afterward? Can you find it again?"

"It didn’t want to play with me, so I let it go... besides, toads aren’t tasty anyway."

Feeling as if she’d done something wrong, Rosa hesitated, secretly observing Vid’s expression. Seeing that the Wizard didn’t seem angry, she continued,

"But I think I know where it’s going—it’s hopping towards the castle!"

Vid smiled and asked, "Where did you see it yesterday? Can you take me there?"

Rosa glanced at her father for approval, and seeing him nod slightly, she said, "Of course, come with me."