The Ultimate Hunter: The First Nexarri

The Direwolf

Kelvin stayed awake for the rest of the night.

The fire beside him had long since burned down to glowing embers, leaving only faint orange light flickering across the forest floor. Beyond that small circle of light, darkness stretched endlessly between the trees.

And somewhere inside it, the direwolf waited. Kelvin could feel it.

At first he thought it was fear making him imagine things, but after hours of listening, he realized he was right. Every few minutes, he caught something.

Movement. Heavy paws against dirt.

Branches shifting. Breathing.

The beast was circling him. His fingers tightened around the sword resting in his hands.

“…What do you want from me?” he muttered quietly.

The forest gave no answer.

A cold wind passed through the trees, brushing against his silver hair. Kelvin slowly stood, keeping his breathing steady as his eyes scanned the darkness ahead.

He hated this feeling. Not knowing where the next attack would come from. Not being able to see the thing hunting him.

His ears twitched slightly at a faint sound to his left. Kelvin turned immediately.

Nothing.

Then another sound came from behind him.

Too fast.

Kelvin spun around just as a massive shadow burst from the darkness.

His eyes widened. The direwolf crossed the distance between them almost instantly.

Fast!

Kelvin barely managed to raise the sword before claws crashed against the blade with terrifying force.

Steel screamed.

The impact threw him backward across the ground. Pain shot through both of his arms as he rolled through dirt and dead leaves before slamming against the base of a tree.

His chest tightened painfully.

“…Damn it…”

The direwolf did not give him time to recover.

It vanished again.

No.

Kelvin’s eyes narrowed sharply.

It wasn’t disappearing.

“It’s moving…” he breathed heavily as he forced himself back up. “Too fast…”

A blur flashed through the darkness to his right.

Kelvin reacted instantly, throwing himself sideways.

Claws ripped through the air where his head had been moments earlier.

A second later, burning pain exploded across his shoulder. Blood splashed onto the ground.

Kelvin stumbled, nearly losing balance as he gritted his teeth. The cut was deep. Too deep.

The direwolf landed several meters away, its glowing golden eyes fixed entirely on him.

Its body looked even larger now under the moonlight. Thick dark fur covered layers of muscle powerful enough to crush a man apart with ease.

Steam escaped from its jaws as it growled lowly, the sound vibrating through the trees around them.

Kelvin’s heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears. This thing is going to kill me.

The thought came instantly. Clear.

Certain.

His body already understood it.

The direwolf was stronger. Faster.

Deadlier.

And Kelvin had no idea how to fight something like this. The beast lunged again.

Kelvin swung instinctively. Steel collided against claws.

A violent shock ran through the blade and into his arms. Crack.

Kelvin’s eyes widened slightly.

A piece of the sword’s edge chipped away.

His father’s sword.

For a split second, anger flashed through him.

The direwolf attacked again immediately.

Kelvin ducked under snapping jaws and staggered backward, breathing harder now.

The beast never stopped moving.

That was the worst part.

Every time Kelvin focused on one position, the direwolf had already shifted somewhere else. It moved through the darkness like a shadow, striking from impossible angles before retreating again.

It was hunting him carefully. Testing him.

Kelvin swallowed hard as sweat mixed with blood along the side of his face.

“

Think,” he muttered to himself.

Panic would get him killed.

His father’s teachings echoed faintly in his head.

Stay calm when cornered. Fear makes you slow.

Kelvin tightened his grip on the sword.

His shoulder burned painfully, but he forced himself to steady his breathing.

His senses sharpened again. He could hear the beast moving now. Not clearly. But enough. Leaves shifting. Heavy paws pressing into soil. Breathing.

Kelvin’s eyes narrowed.

“…There you are.”

The direwolf suddenly burst from the darkness again. This time, Kelvin moved first.

Kelvin moved instantly.

“There!”

He swung the sword with everything he had.

The blade cut across the direwolf’s shoulder.

“AWRRRGH!”

The beast roared and twisted away, landing several meters back. Blood dripped from its fur onto the forest floor beneath the pale moonlight.

Kelvin staggered slightly.

“Hah… hah…”

His arms trembled badly from the impact.

But he had finally injured it.

The direwolf circled him slowly now, glowing eyes fixed on him without blinking. Its growls echoed softly between the trees while blood continued to drip from the wound.

Kelvin tightened his grip on the sword.

“So you can bleed after all…”

The words came out breathless.

The direwolf lowered itself slightly.

Then vanished.

Kelvin’s eyes widened.

“Again?!”

A blur exploded from the darkness.

Too fast.

Kelvin barely reacted in time.

CLANG!

The impact nearly knocked the sword from his hands.

“AGH!”

Pain shot through both his arms as the beast forced him backward across the dirt. Its claws scraped against the blade while its jaws snapped dangerously close to his face.

The strength behind the attack was terrifying.

Kelvin gritted his teeth hard.

His boots dug into the ground as he struggled to push back.

Crack.

Kelvin froze for half a second.

A chip appeared along the edge of the sword.

“No…”

The direwolf pushed harder suddenly.

Kelvin lost balance.

The sword slipped from his hands and flew into the darkness between the trees.

His heart dropped instantly.

The direwolf lunged again.

Kelvin threw himself sideways just in time.

Its claws slammed into the ground where he had been standing moments earlier.

Dirt burst upward.

“Ahh!”

One claw still scraped across his side.

A sharp pain spread through his body immediately.

Kelvin rolled across the forest floor before crashing near a tree root.

For a moment, he struggled to breathe.

Everything hurt.

His shoulder burned.

His side throbbed painfully. Warm blood soaked into his clothes.

The direwolf stalked toward him slowly now.

Calm. Patient.

Like it already knew he was weakening.

Kelvin forced himself back to his feet while holding his injured side tightly.

“Hah… damn it…”

Fear slowly crept deeper into his chest.

Not panic. Not yet. But real fear.

The kind that made his heartbeat pound loudly in his ears.

The direwolf lowered itself again.

Ready to strike.

Then it disappeared once more.

Kelvin’s instincts screamed. Right side.

He ducked immediately.

A dark blur flew over him before crashing into a tree behind him. Bark exploded outward from the force.

Kelvin stared for half a second.

“That thing is insane…”

The direwolf turned instantly and attacked again. Still too fast.

Kelvin grabbed the nearest thing from the ground.

A thick broken branch.

The beast lunged.

“AHHH!”

Kelvin drove the sharpened branch forward with all his strength.

The wood pierced directly into the wounded shoulder.

“AWRRRGH!”

The direwolf roared loudly and staggered backward.

Kelvin dropped onto one knee, breathing heavily.

“Hah… hah…”

Everything spun slightly around him.

But then his eyes caught something near the roots of a nearby tree.

Partially hidden beneath dirt and leaves.

His sword.

Kelvin saw the sword.

Relief flashed through him for a split second.

“There…”

The direwolf noticed his gaze immediately.

Its glowing eyes shifted toward the weapon.

Then back to him.

It understood.

“Damn it…”

The beast growled deeply and began circling again, limping slightly now from the injuries on its shoulder. Blood stained parts of its dark fur, but it still looked terrifying.

Kelvin slowly pushed himself back to his feet.

Pain shot through his body immediately.

“Ah…!”

His legs nearly gave out beneath him.

Everything hurt.

His chest burned every time he breathed.

His side throbbed badly from the claw wound.

But he forced himself to stay standing.

The direwolf lowered itself again.

Kelvin’s eyes narrowed.

It was coming.

The beast vanished.

Kelvin moved instantly.

Instead of retreating, he rushed toward the sword.

A blur exploded from behind him.

Too late to dodge fully.

Claws slammed into his back and sent him crashing forward across the dirt.

“AGHH!”

Pain exploded through his body.

But Kelvin’s hand still reached forward desperately.

His fingers closed around the sword’s handle.

Relief hit him immediately.

The direwolf lunged again.

Kelvin rolled sharply to the side before bringing the blade upward with all the strength he had left.

“GET BACK!”

The sword sliced across the beast’s chest.

“AWRRRGH!”

The direwolf staggered backward violently, roaring in pain.

Kelvin quickly forced himself up again, breathing heavily.

“Hah… hah…”

Blood dripped steadily from his wounds onto the forest floor.

His vision blurred slightly.

He was getting weaker.

The direwolf looked injured too now.

Its breathing had changed.

Heavier. More aggressive.

But even wounded, the beast remained faster than him.

Much faster.

Kelvin tightened his grip on the sword.

His father’s training echoed faintly in his mind again.

Do not swing wildly. Wait for the opening.

Opening.

Kelvin forced himself to breathe slowly despite the pain.

The direwolf circled him once.

Twice.

Then it disappeared again.

Kelvin’s body tensed.

Right side.

“There!”

The direwolf appeared instantly beside him.

Kelvin stepped into the attack this time instead of backing away.

The sword thrust forward.

Straight toward the wounded shoulder.

The blade pierced deep.

“AWRRRAAGH!”

The direwolf roared violently and slammed into Kelvin at the same time.

Both of them crashed hard onto the ground.

Kelvin lost grip of the sword again as the beast thrashed wildly in pain.

“AHH!”

Claws scraped across his arm while he desperately tried to push the direwolf away.

Its jaws snapped inches from his face.

Hot breath hit his skin.

Kelvin’s muscles strained desperately.

The beast was too heavy.

Too strong.

“I can’t…!”

His arms shook violently beneath the pressure.

Then suddenly, the direwolf pulled away.

It stumbled backward several steps, growling painfully now.

The sword remained lodged deep in its shoulder.

Kelvin stayed on the ground breathing heavily.

“Hah… hah…”

Everything hurt.

But then he noticed something strange.

The direwolf was no longer attacking immediately.

Instead, it stared at him carefully now.

Almost cautiously.

Blood poured from the wound where the sword remained buried.

The beast looked weaker. But so was he.

Kelvin slowly got back to his feet, his legs trembling beneath him.

Neither of them moved for several seconds.

The cold night wind passed quietly through the trees.

Then the direwolf growled once more.

Low. Dangerous. And prepared to charge again.