~Aurora~

　　I could hear the chirping of mockingbird die down softly. It was dusk, the sun was slowly fading away and was taking the brightness with itself. I was left perplexed in the middle of nowhere, when I sensed the amount of danger simply lurking in the valley ahead of me. I'm so close, yet so far from my destiny at the moment.

　　With a deep breath, I encouraged myself. The thought of failure clouded me heavily. Clouded me with fear. The fear was stemming from the thought that…if it wouldn't be me, then who? Who will take care of my pack? Who will enclose the secrets of my pack's artifact? Trust has always been delicate within our pack for some reason.

　　If not me…Who?

　　I was clearly driving myself insane.

　　So far, as I've been walking into the valley for an hour or so, I haven't encountered any beasts yet. Is this the expression of 'Calm before the storm'? I don't like this one bit!

　　'Grr…'

　　It was a growl…from my stomach.

　　I sighed at the feeling. I thought I'd survive on pine roasts! But it was a bad idea to have wood in the first place. Maybe I need to hunt an animal and eat it. Probably a bird or a mountain rabbit.

　　The latter seemed like a good option.

　　After deciding to do what I thought I'd do, I tried to sniff out a small animal. Using my best of abilities, I tried to find a little mammal, but the heat signatures were not…warm.

　　Confused, and on high alert I opened my eyes.

　　Thank Goddess that I've opened my eyes…

　　Because in front of me…there was a snow basilisk baring its teeth at me!

　　Flinching at the green scaled creature that was dripping with venom and all kinds of poison, I tried to run in the opposite direction! Only to realize…

　　That I cannot outrun a reptile that lives in this domain! I have to run in criss-cross, if I have to outrun it! But it would drain a lot of my energy that way!

　　Well, a Snow Basilisk is a special mutated basilisk. They've occupied many terrains, having gone through rapid adaptation to their suitable habitat. This one is especially good at hunting! With a kill rate of around…97%!

　　My heart was pounding against my chest. The basilisk was a big one, yet reaching only my chest. That's how it's adapted to this environment, unlike its usual size that is around two meters tall and eleven meters long! Don't even get me started at how scary they look compared to these!

　　Jumping over the basilisk, almost getting my leg chewed out, I took it's body's support to run into the valley! I might be disturbing a lot of habitat around here, but I just didn't care anymore! If it's fang so much as grazes past my skin, I wouldn't be surviving the night!

　　That's right,

　　Its venom is immersive in nature! Melting skin to penetrate the blood network beneath!

　　Sheer fear crossed my path when the Snow Basilisk almost bit into my leg as I ran for my life! However, I saw an unusual open field in the middle of this forest ground. I was slightly perplexed, but I knew my chances to outrun this creature would increase if I just ran around an empty field, then a field of trees with no path for me!

　　And so, I jumped into the empty area and stood at the center. This way, I could increase my perception as well! Looking in front of me, and sensing what's behind me.

　　The basilisk was about to pounce on me, hissing like a really big snake. Its sound caused tremors in my chest, but this was again…just the beginning.

　　Panicking, I tried to jump onto a tree after running to my left. I did so, but suddenly, the noises of bones snapping and choking of an animal halted me right on my tracks. What is this feeling? Why did my chest get so warm so suddenly?

　　What…is the creature behind me…?

　　I'm so close to my destiny, but the most formidable creature had just sniffed me out…and felt challenged enough to crush the basilisk with its bare paws…

　　Shaking in fear, like a leaf clinging on with its dying stalk, I dared to turn around slowly…

　　If I could be honest, at this moment of life and death, I could fight any creature or even an alpha with the skills I've retained from training. Every kind of training taught me to fight, using a specific pattern.

　　But none of them would ever dare to talk about fighting the apex predator of all species of this habitat. A creature so divinely strong and scary, that even the most powerful alphas struggle to hail victory over this monster!

　　It was none other than…a werebear!

　　Like a werewolf, a werebear is an evolutionary miracle. Except, its hunting rate is the closest to perfection compared to all other species…a perfect 100%!

　　Three times bigger when it stood up, it covered the moon for me. As if becoming my Goddess, as if stealing my faith and telling me, that I am his new God.

　　He looked as hideous as he could be!

　　He reeled of death and misery!

　　Technically, bears are omnivorous. But this evolved creature right here needs a battle before claiming its opponent's corpse as food. They are driven by bloodlust, and no one knows why.

　　My life flashed before my eyes when the werebear snarled, and lifted his paw up to maul me in the worst way possible!

　　Just then…