Chapter 11: Starting The Grind [4]
Vael returned a few moments later, dragging a grey-furred dire wolf by its leg.
Its neck was mangled—crushed badly, with only a thin strip of flesh still holding the head to the body. Blood dripped steadily from the wound, leaving a trail behind him as he pulled it forward.
With a soft grunt, Vael dropped the corpse in front of Elias with a dull thud.
"All done, Master," he said calmly, straightening back up.
Elias gave him a nod of approval. "Good job. Looks like you didn’t use your dagger, just like I asked."
Vael nodded. "Yes, I didn’t need to. I just crushed its neck."
Elias blinked, then let out a slow breath. "Right. That explains it."
He looked at the wolf’s shattered neck. The creature’s eyes were still open wide, frozen in a mix of shock and confusion—as if it never even realized it had died.
’It must not have seen death coming.’
That was Vael’s way—fast, quiet, and strong.
Elias shook his head, staring at the mess. Vael must’ve misunderstood his instructions. Elias had told him not to use his dagger to avoid any contamination, since the blade was enchanted with poison. He had expected Vael to use the dull knife they’d used earlier to cut the ashveil grass. With Vael’s strength, that would’ve been enough to get the job done.