Chapter 78: The Road Through Red Claw
"So, why are you heading toward the plains?" Frieza asked, crossing her arms as she watched her mother happily stroke and hug the pile of grandchildren scrambling over her lap.
"To get some Red Roots," Selka said simply, scratching Vesper behind the ears.
Frieza’s brow furrowed. "Why? Isn’t that root only harvested and guarded by the all-mighty Elephant Clan, Mother?"
"Yes," Selka replied smoothly, spinning another lie to protect her pack’s true vulnerability. "The Witch explicitly asked for the Red Roots. After all, she was the one who blessed the Elephant Clan with them many generations ago, and now she requires them for her witchcraft."
"Oh, I see..." Frieza murmured, thoroughly convinced. "But the plains are massive. Exactly where are you planning to find them?"
"Toward the Golden Grasslands. Since it’s mid-summer, the Elephant Clan will undoubtedly be migrating toward the deep water basins located there," Selka explained.
"Toward the Golden Grasslands?!" Frieza and Draven both exclaimed in unison, their voices suddenly tight with deep worry.
Selka paused, her hand resting on a pup’s head. "Hm? What’s the matter?"
"Mother, to head there after you leave our borders, you have to cut directly through the territory of the Red Claw Pack," Frieza warned, her ears pinning back.
"The Red Claw Pack? Who are they?" Selka asked, her predatory instincts sharpening.
"They are a foreign pack of wolves that moved into the region a few months ago," Draven stepped forward to explain, his voice serious. "They violently defeated the old White Wolf Clan and claimed their entire territory. Individually, they aren’t exceptionally strong—most of them are young, reckless, and amateur hunters—but the problem is their sheer numbers. They swarm like locusts."
"I see..." Selka murmured, her eyes narrowing as she calculated the risk.
"Mother, how about you take the long way around? Use the mountain pass instead," Frieza suggested anxiously.
"Well, dear, I would have gladly done that," Selka lied effortlessly, flashing a regretful smile. "But tomorrow night is the full moon. We already promised the grand Witch that I would return with the Red Root before the next moon cycle peaks. Taking the mountain path would cost me far too many days. I must go straight through."
Draven frowned, then reached up to his neck. He untied a thick, woven vine amulet.
Dangling at the center of the cord were two massive, wickedly curved canine teeth. He stepped forward, holding it out to Selka. "Please, keep this with you on your journey."
"Hm? What is it?" Selka asked, looking at the formidable fangs.
"These are my late father’s fangs," Draven said, a dangerous glint in his green eyes.
"When that Red Claw Pack first tried to trespass on our borders after conquering the white wolves, I stepped forward to confront them. But the moment their leaders saw these fangs hanging against my chest, they completely panicked and scattered, whispering about ’The Shadow Devil.’ It seems my father’s legacy still terrifies them."
Selka looked from the fangs to the crowd of listening, wide-eyed pups, a knowing smile gracing her lips. "Tell me... was your father’s name Dusk?"
Draven blinked in surprise, his chest instantly puffing out with immense pride. "Yes! You knew him?"
"Oh, I knew him well," Selka chuckled warmly. "When he was alive, his legendary rivalry with every single clan in this jungle was the stuff of nightmares, including our own when we were young. He must have left some severe, lifelong trauma on the parents of those young Red Claws."
"Then you must keep it with you!" Draven insisted, offering the amulet again.
"No, keep it here," Selka said firmly, gently pushing his hand back. "You have a massive territory to protect, and you cannot afford to put these cute little warriors in any danger. I will be perfectly fine on my own."
"But Mother..." Frieza murmured, her maternal worry overriding her Alpha status.
"Don’t worry, my fierce girl. I am not going out there to engage in a war. I will move like a ghost and avoid any unnecessary conflict," Selka reassured her.
Gently setting down the pup resting on her lap, Selka stood up. With a sudden, heavy poof of grey smoke, she transformed back into her majestic, battle-scarred silver-grey wolf form.
The moment she shifted, the pups gasped and immediately swarmed her fur again, tugging at her coat.
"Whoa! Grandmother is way bigger than Mother!"
"Look! Her fur has two colors like mother, not just black like ours!"
Selka let out a soft huff, her voice echoing warmly through their telepathic pack-link. Haha, let me go now, you little cuties. I have a long run ahead of me.
Frieza stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her mother’s massive wolf neck one last time, pressing her face into the thick fur. "Be careful on the path, Mother."
Selka gave a gentle nudge of her snout against Frieza’s cheek in return.
Stepping back, Frieza whipped around and glared at her rowdy children, her inner Alpha baring its fangs. "Alright, kids, stop bothering your grandmother! Let go of her fur this instant!"
The pups scrambled back in a hurry—except for little Vesper, who had managed to climb halfway up Selka’s back. He gripped her thick scruff and looked over his shoulder at Frieza with big, pleading eyes. "Can I go with Grandmother? Please?"
Frieza marched over, grabbed him neatly by the back of his neck, and yanked him down. "Absolutely not!"
Selka let out a low, amused rumble through the link. I will make sure to stop by and see you all again on my way back.
"Really?!" The twenty pups cheered together, their tails blurring with excitement.
"Yes, yes, she will be back. Now clear the path!" Frieza ordered, waving her hand as the dark wolves and children quickly parted, opening a straight lane through the dense foliage.
With one final, authoritative nod to Draven and Frieza, Selka bounded forward, her powerful legs eating up the ground as she vanished into the dark, mysterious forest, sprinting at maximum speed toward the dangerous borders of the Red Claw Pack.