Without even glancing at its fallen sibling, the last of the offspring sprung at her. She had already chucked aside the slingshot, yanked the carving knife out of her belt, and unwrapped the towel. Blessed with excellent dynamic vision and reflexes, Mitsuha had no problem dodging the inexperienced young wolf as it came at her. As she did, she swung the knife and slashed through its neck, sending it to the ground like the other two. And then…
“AWOOOOOO!”
A blood-curdling howl echoed through the forest. Her children had been killed, all three of them. Even if they were still breathing, the cruel wilderness showed no mercy for beasts with such grave wounds. Her dear children, given to her by that strong, rugged alpha. She’d worked so hard to raise them, and they were so close to adulthood, but now she had lost them to clawless, fangless, furless practice prey.
Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Kill. Kill. Kill. KILL, was all that went on in the mother wolf’s mind as she charged toward Mitsuha.
Here it comes! Mitsuha braced herself. She’d somehow taken out the young, but that gave her a final boss scenario with the mother. The wolf children were inexperienced, but this one clearly wasn’t. Tricking her wouldn’t be easy, and Mitsuha was a soft-bodied human who wouldn’t stand a chance against her in a one-on-one brawl, so there was only one thing she could do.
As the wolf charged, Mitsuha fixed her grip on the knife in her right hand and reached her left into her pocket. Fifty feet… Thirty feet… Fifteen feet… Now! She swung her left hand and jumped to the left. “GROAAAH!” The wolf wailed and writhed on the ground, surrounded by a cloud of spices. With their super sharp senses, wild animals probably can’t handle all that pepper and chili! Even Mitsuha was in rough shape, with fluid gushing from her eyes and nostrils.
But she had to use this chance if she wanted to win. Fighting against the pain in her eyes, nose, and throat, she raised the carving knife and launched herself at the wolf. Unfortunately, real wild animals were built to withstand human attacks. Even if it couldn’t see or smell, a mature wolf wasn’t weak enough to let its prey take it out without a fight. It gnashed its teeth and swiped with its claws.
Mitsuha didn’t see a safe way to get close without it clawing or biting her, but she couldn’t waste too much time, since the advantage she’d gained from her spice bomb was dwindling by the second.
What do I do? What would my br─oh, not now! She tried fighting the urge, but it was hopeless; she was already imagining what her brother would do.
As always, her brain selected just the right pieces from the “What Would Tsuyoshi Say?” archives. “A truly strong person is fiercely proud and has the guts to back it up,” his voice rang in her head, followed by, “Did you know that wolves can’t close their mouths if they’ve got something stuck in their throat?”
It seemed like such a pointless fact to know. Until now, that is! You better not have been messing with me, Bro! If I lose my arm, it’s all on you! Damn it, what am I thinking?!
“Why worry about losing an arm or a leg? Haven’t you seen any movies where people replace their limbs with chainsaws or submachine guns? It’s totally metal!”
GAH! You’re really just livin’ it up inside my head, aren’t you?! Not even death stops you from being a pain in the ass! Whatever.
Mitsuha jumped at the wolf. Coming from behind had seemed like her best bet, but it noticed and bared its fangs at her. She swung the carving knife around and somehow avoided any damage, then tackled it. She was now on its back, holding on with all her might. It couldn’t attack her with its limbs in this position, and it couldn’t turn its head enough to bite─Wait, it can?! I had no idea wolf necks could bend like that!
Left with no other option, she made the gamble of a lifetime and shoved her left arm deep, deep into the wolf’s mouth. “GEH!” the wolf gagged, raking its fangs over Mitsuha’s arm as it frantically tried to clamp down its jaws. The human was clinging to a wolf, the wolf had the human on top of it, but their battle had only just begun.
As she gripped the wolf’s body, Mitsuha lost her carving knife. But despite all the chaos, thanks to some miracle, she still had one weapon on her─the beautiful blade her late brother had cherished so dearly. “G-GERBER FOLDING SPORTSMAN TWOOOO!” She shouted the memento’s name─she felt he would’ve liked that─as she took it in a backhand grip.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
It was a short knife in the hands of a weak girl. The blade didn’t go deep, but it was of high enough quality to pierce the hide and deal decent damage. Mitsuha was far past her limits now, beyond any adrenaline rush. She was barely even conscious, and her sense of caution had long since left her. Her legs held the wolf in a crushing vise, and with her left arm in the beast’s maw, she was pretty much fixed in that position.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
My arm hurts.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
I can’t feel my hand.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
It’s dark. When did the sun go down?
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
Bro… Where are you?
The wolf thrashed and bucked, but just couldn’t shake her off. Mitsuha’s small stature and lightness worked in her favor. And her arm in its mouth made it hard for the wolf to breathe, let alone retaliate. It couldn’t muster as much strength as before and felt something important leave its body. If the wolf had been capable of human thought, it would have been losing its mind to panic.
What is this thing on me? Prey? No! It’s something else! Disgusting! Scary! What is this?! What’s happening?! No, no, no! Help! Hel─
Suddenly, all was silent, and nothing moved. No, two of the young wolves were still twitching, but that was the extent of it. Eventually, there was the sound of one small girl slipping down a tree. She fearfully looked from side to side and noticed something that made her gasp.
It was a wolf and a girl, lying on the ground so close to one another it was like they were entwined. The blood on the beast and the girl’s arm, which was lodged in the wolf’s mouth, was enough to assume the fight had been fatal. The girl from the tree quickly ran up to them and checked the other girl for a pulse and any more injuries, and was relieved to find her condition stable. She then picked up a knife-like blade that was lying nearby, finished off the young wolves that were still breathing, and ran off to the village.
Cautious and merciless. How like Colette.