CHAPTER 4 — Survive
The wolf lunged again.
Snow exploded beneath its paws, spraying white powder in every direction as its enormous body cut through the frozen landscape. Its teeth glinted—long, curved, meant for tearing flesh from bone.
Its eyes were locked onto me, bright and hungry and absolutely certain of what I was:
Prey.
My legs moved before my brain did. Rabbit instincts seized my muscles and threw me sideways, my body twisting mid-air in a desperate arc.
The wolf's jaws snapped shut where I'd been a heartbeat earlier.
CRACK.
Its teeth clashed together with a sound sharp enough to echo into my bones.
I landed awkwardly, skidding across the snow. My heart hammered, a frantic drumbeat vibrating through my chest.
"Shit—!"
I barely had time to breathe before the wolf whirled around. This time it didn't lunge. It stalked forward slowly, deliberately, savoring the moment. Its claws dug into the frost, leaving deep grooves. Its tail stood stiff and straight. It lowered its head.
It was toying with me.
It knew I couldn't run forever.
My mind raced. My mana was at zero. I needed to wait for at least one point to come back before I could use Space Move again.
But I didn't have time.
The wolf crept closer.
Fifteen feet. Ten. Five.
It lunged.
I leapt.
The two of us collided in air—not literally, but close enough that I felt the hot rush of its breath against my fur. Its scent was wild, musky, thick with hunger. Its jaws missed my back by an inch. Maybe less.
I hit the ground and almost tumbled into a dead roll, but instinct let me right myself. My hind legs were powerful. Too powerful, the extra point in my Physique already helping even with the little boost that it was. I sprang again, away from the wolf, putting distance between us.
But not enough.
The wolf twisted in a blur of gray fur and white snow. Faster than anything its size had a right to be. It lunged sideways, sweeping a massive paw toward me.
I ducked.
The claw passed over my head, so close I felt the wind of it. If it had touched me—even grazed me—I would've been injured and died. I had no illusions about that.
My breath came in panicked bursts.
"Come on—think, Kyree, think!"
What could I do? Hit it? Impossible. Bite it? No that's laughable.
My only weapon was a spell I barely understood. And I had didn't have enough mana for—
A chime blinked faintly.
[Mana: 1 (2)]
YES!
One!
I had one chance.
The wolf lunged again, when I was distracted with the system notice. Pure instinct shoved me sideways. My body twisted, legs kicking out. The wolf's jaw snapped shut on empty air again, but it was close enough that I felt the vibration of its growl pass through the snow.
I pushed off the ground, springing with every ounce of strength I had. My body lifted into the air far higher than I expected—rabbits didn't just jump, they launched.
The wolf followed my movement upward with its hungry eyes.
I wasn't escaping. I couldn't not really, I knew it could track me down. But I could change direction faster than it expected.
I came down toward its face—right above its jaw.
This was stupid. Pure insanity. But I had one shot, and my life was already at risk anyways, so if was going down... "Then you're coming with me Woflie!"
I curled my hind legs tight, angled my body, and—
"Take THIS!"
I kicked.
Hard.
My legs were small, yes—but rabbits had absurd power in their hind limbs. The kick connected with the wolf's jaw, snapping its head sideways.
CRACK.
A yelp tore from its mouth.
The wolf stumbled, losing balance for a brief, precious instant.
My body twisted through the air. I landed in the snow, skidding, ears flattened against my head.
This was it.
My window.
I focused every shred of will I had.
Space didn't movie in just a ripple, or speed out for sense. No I had already tested this back in the log.
Space can be a blade.
I pictured a line across the wolf's neck. Straight, and clean. Sharp enough to cut through it like a hot knife through butter.
"Space Move—Slash!"
The one point of mana I had accumulated was ripped from me.
The air shook.
A thin, flawless distortion shot forward—like a hairline crack in glass that traveled faster than sight.
It hit the wolf's throat.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then—
A thin red line appeared.
Blood welled up. Slow at first. Then faster.
The wolf's eyes widened. It staggered backward, paws sinking into the snow. Steam seemed to rise from the hot blood spilling into cold air.
It looked at me—at the small white creature that had dared fight back—with something unreadable.
Not hatred. Not fear. No it felt like something older.
Respect? Recognition?
I didn't know.
The wolf lifted its head despite the blood.
And howled.
"Arrrrrwwwooooo"
It was a long, loud howl. The sound cut through the forest like a blade of sound.
My heart froze.
"No," I whispered. "Oh no no no—don't do that—"
The wolf collapsed mid-howl, its body falling heavily into the snow. Blood pooled around its neck, steaming in the cold air.
[Kill Confirmed] Experience Gained: 15
But I barely saw the notification.
Because the howl didn't fade into silence.
It echoed through the forest.
And the forest... it answered back.
From somewhere deep in the forest—
A second howl.
Then a third. A fourth. A chorus.
The responses felt hungry, and enraged, were calling back.
My blood turned to ice.
"Oh fuck."
A whole pack. I hadn't killed a lone wolf.
I'd killed one of theirs.
The howls grew louder. They were moving closer, fast.
The wolf pack was coming.
Every instinct in my tiny rabbit body screamed at me all at once:
To RUN. RUN NOW.
I didn't hesitate.
My legs fired like pistons, launching me across the snow. My body blurred as I hopped—no, bounded—low to the ground, ears flat, heart hammering.
Branches whipped past me. Snow scattered under my paws. I didn't care which direction I went, only that it was away.
Another howl erupted behind me, closer now.
Twenty seconds. Maybe less. That was all I had before they reached the clearing.
I jumped over a fallen branch. Skidded under a dead shrub. Dodged between two boulders.
My breath burned, as my muscles screamed. But I kept going.
Survive. Survive. Survive.
My mind chanted the word like a spell.
I didn't stop. I didn't look back.
Somewhere between one breath and the next, I heard something running through the snow.
"Shit!" I yelled—though it came out as a frantic squeak.
The forest grew thicker. I darted through tight gaps, using my small size to squeeze where wolves couldn't easily follow.
But I wasn't safe yet.
The howls echoed behind me—closer, clearer, hunting me.
I jumped over a snowbank—
And skidded to a stop at the edge of a small drop-off. Not huge—maybe a six-foot slope—but steep and icy.
Behind me, another howl split the air.
They were close.
Too close. I hadn't seen sight of the pack yet, but I knew they were on my trail.
I backed up one step, then sprang forward—
And launched myself off the edge.
The world tilted, as snow rushed up at me—My body hit the slope and slid down on a cloud of powder.
I tumbled, rolled, smacked into a rock, flipped over myself, and finally landed at the bottom in a heap.
Pain shot up my spine.
"Ow—shit—that hurt."
But I was alive.
Alive.
I scrambled upright and looked up the slope. Dark shapes appeared at the ridge.
The wolves.
There were three of them. Eyes glowing in the dim light, and teeth bared.
But they didn't jump.
The slope was too risky—they could injure themselves. They paced along the top, snarling, furious but cautious.
One by one, the shapes retreated from the ridge, their forms dissolving into the whiteness of the woods.
They didn't forget me.
But they weren't coming down.
Not today.
My lungs burned and my legs trembled. I pressed myself against a tree trunk and let my body shake.
I survived. I shouldn't have. Before I could catch my breath—
Slowly, a new notification appeared.
[Quest: Find the Evolution seed, and Evolve]
Reward: +10 Free stats, +1 Free Roulette Spin, +1 Ring of Veiled Anima
I stared.
Then I broke into shaky, half-hysterical laughter.
"Holy shit… well looks like I gotta evolve."
Snow continued to drift peacefully around me as if the world hadn't just tried to kill me.
As if wolves weren't hunting me still.
As if everything had changed in a single chapter of my new life.
But I wasn't the same rabbit who woke up yesterday.
I'd fought. I'd killed. I'd survived.
And for the first time—
I felt glad to be alive.