Renegade's Dominion

Ty had entered the fray.

In his elder wolf form, he stood tall before Kaiden, lips peeled back in a deep snarl, fangs glistening like ivory daggers. His stance was firm and protective, like a mother shielding her pup from a predator. Between him and the monstrous bear ahead, there was no hesitation, only raw, unwavering defiance.

The sight of his master's unexpected arrival washed a wave of relief over Kaiden's battered mind. His tense body which had been straining against agony for far too long, loosened without his consent. That small lapse was all it took for the pain already flooding his body to crash over him in full force. His legs buckled, and he teetered dangerously toward the ground—

Only to be caught by Braham. The wolf darted in from the side, planting his solid body beneath Kaiden's collapsing form, breaking his fall before he could fully topple.

That simple gesture changed everything.

His master was here. His brother-in-arms was here. Now was not the time to collapse, now was the moment to stand taller than ever. This was not the hour to rest. It was the hour to fight harder.

With renewed resolve burning through his veins, Kaiden forced his body upright, standing unaided. He locked his trembling legs into a battle stance, steadying himself at Tyberius's back. Beside him, Braham mirrored the same readiness, both waiting for the elder's command.

'Good. Very nice,' Ty thought approvingly, a rare flicker of satisfaction breaking through the tension. This was exactly what he expected from a son of the Tyburk pack.

With three wolves working in unison, perhaps, just perhaps bringing down this beast was possible.

Ty raised his head and let out a long, low howl. It carried no skill-based enhancement, no supernatural force. Instead, it was a signal, an order spoken in the old tongue of the pack.

I'll draw its attention. Keep your eyes sharp. When the moment comes, strike together and bring it down.

The plan was simple, but in battles like this, simplicity could mean survival.

Without further delay, Tyberius launched forward. His powerful limbs propelled him across the blood-stained earth, closing the gap between predator and prey in a blur of motion.

The bear's eyes locked on him instantly. A guttural growl rumbled from its chest as it shifted to all fours, muscles rippling beneath its thick pelt. It surged forward, meeting Ty head-on.

As they converged, the bear swung a massive paw downward, aiming to crush Ty's skull.

But Ty did not meet the blow. At the last instant, he sprang upward with an explosive leap, sailing clean over the bear's hulking frame. His body twisted midair, and he landed on his forepaws, spinning fluidly to face its exposed back.

Opportunity flashed before him, and he seized it without hesitation. His jaws opened wide, and with the full crushing force of an elder wolf, he clamped down on the thick muscle of the bear's neck. His teeth sank deep, more than halfway into its flesh, his bite crushing bone and tearing sinew.

By all logic, such a strike should have been fatal or at the very least, crippling. Any living creature would have dropped in a heap, strength drained in an instant.

But this bear was not any living creature.

There was no roar of pain. No stagger. No twitch of weakness. The monster simply kept moving as though nothing had happened. Ty's fangs were still buried deep, yet the beast's momentum was unbroken.

Impossible was the term. No creature should be able to ignore a bite like this, especially from a wolf of his size and power.

A massive arm swung backward, reaching for him. Ty released his grip instantly, vaulting away in a blur and landing several paces back.

Frustration burned like wildfire in his chest. He had left a hole the size of a human head in the bear's neck, an injury that should have felled even the hardiest warrior. Yet this thing stood, unmoved, as if his assault had been nothing more than a nuisance.

Even the lack of blood was wrong. A wound so deep should have been a gory mess, spilling life's essence in a crimson torrent. Instead, the torn flesh remained disturbingly dry.

The more he thought on it, the stranger the bear became. It was not just an unusually strong predator for this world. It defied the very laws of life. No natural beast could take such punishment without bleeding. No living thing could ignore pain so completely.

And then there was its aura.

Ty closed his eyes for the briefest moment, invoking Aura Perception. The reading that met him made his hackles rise. The bear's aura was undeniably dark, steeped in something sinister. Yet… it was weaker than his own.

That made no sense. By aura logic alone, he should have been the superior combatant. And yet, in practice, his most brutal assault had amounted to nothing.

But there was more, things about this foe he still couldn't comprehend. It had resisted possession from his Unique Skill. It did not bleed. It felt no pain. It radiated an unnatural stench, one that spoke not of life but of something else. To Ty's nose, it was as if the beast's scent had been leeched of vitality itself.

'Damn it!' he cursed inwardly. So many unanswered questions. So many truths just out of reach. If only he could understand its nature, perhaps he could find a way to kill it.

But thinking time was a luxury he did not have.

The bear lunged for him again, earth quaking under its bulk.

From the flank, Kaiden and Braham burst from cover, leaping to intercept. Kaiden's jaws clamped around the monster's arm, while Braham sank his teeth into its leg.

No! Ty's instincts screamed. Too dangerous!

A sharp howl ripped from his throat, carrying a command too firm to disobey: Retreat.

The two wolves instantly released their grips and darted back to safety, narrowly avoiding a crushing swipe that would have shattered bone.

'We can't risk closing in when we still know nothing about it.'

The battle shifted into a cautious rhythm. The three wolves harried the beast from a distance, darting in to test its reactions, then retreating before it could trap them. They circled, probing for weaknesses that refused to show themselves.

Minutes dragged by in this deadly dance until—

A new idea sparked in Tyberius's mind.