They emerged from the trees in a constant stream.

First one, then two, then more - emerging from the darkness of the forest on both sides of the road as if they had been waiting for just this moment to reveal themselves.

Ash counted them from his position near the carriage. He stopped at ten and wasn’t certain he had found all of them.

He had seen the fang wolves from a higher point on the hill earlier. A distant view of the enemy - manageable, even easy to overlook, when viewed from that vantage point. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Up close was a different education entirely.

They were huge. Larger than he had thought, the muscles evident under their rough, shaggy fur.

The fangs which he had noticed earlier as a mere distinguishing mark became all too apparent close-up - long, pale teeth that protruded even from their closed mouths, a trait that ceased being merely curious when one was standing right in front of them.

And then there was the growling.

It reverberated through the pack, beginning from one end of the line and moving through to the other end - a deep rumble that resonated from within their chests to become more than just a sound, something palpable enough that the horse responded with a noise of its own.

"Six to the left. Four to the right."

Rinna said it quietly, efficiently, leaving no room for elaboration. Her sister spoke at her side.

"Alright, I’ll take the left then."

A beat.

"Take the right."

"Why are you giving me the smaller half again?" Lissa turned her head enough to look at her sister without fully breaking her forward attention.

"Really?" Rinna’s tone was mild. "You want to have this conversation right now?"

"Last time you took the bigger group you nearly got yourself killed by these things," Lissa said without heat, as though she were citing a documented fact. "Small fries, you said."

"I was distracted by Ash, okay?" Rinna replied.

Ash stood beside the carriage, watching the sisters argue over the division of this pack of wolves. His face never changed expression as he did so.

The conclusion to be drawn was quite obvious:

’They are seriously arguing over this right now.’

"Alright, fine then." Lissa said with finality, the kind that closed a negotiation rather than conceded one. "I’ll take the smaller half."

Her shoulders shifted slightly, once and only once, before drawing her sword from its sheath.

In the next instant, she was running at top speed straight towards the right side of the wolf pack, charging head-on into the fray with a precision that suggested she wasn’t going to hold anything back.

One of the wolves detached itself from the group and lunged at her.

It jumped fully onto its hind legs, launching itself at her with its forelegs outstretched and all its weight committed to the attack.

Lissa fell.

She ducked under the flying wolf, slashing upwards with the katana as she passed underneath the body midair. The blade sliced cleanly through without any resistance at all.

The wolf struck the ground behind her and crumbled to dust almost immediately, its loot materializing in an instant.

And then she turned without pausing, heading straight for the remaining three.

Rinna raised her wand.

She let out a slow, deliberate breath as she began reciting the incantation, her words measured and controlled.

"Come forth, Water - slash swift and true. Aqua Slash."

Two blades of pure liquid water manifested out of nowhere and crossed each other in flight, slicing two wolves apart in an instant and turning them to dust. Their loot appeared before the dust was carried by the wind.

Ash observed everything in the span of mere seconds.

Having watched them from the hill, he had thought these girls were strong. Watching them fight at such close proximity was altogether different. The wolves didn’t even have a chance to react before the situation was resolved.

"Small fries." Lissa placed the blade back in its sheath without hesitation. She looked out towards the end of the road, which appeared empty now. "Did we get them all?"

"I think so," Rinna replied. She closed her eyes.

The pause lasted less than two seconds.

Her eyes opened abruptly.

"Ash!" Rinna shouted. Her arm pointed towards him. "Watch out!"

He turned.

A wolf was already in the air.