Chapter 43 - Venomroot Constricta
It was so close.
Too close.
Tave could still see the flash of Elias's blade in his mind. The gleam of steel slicing through the air, the sharp arc aimed precisely at the spot where Fang had been just a heartbeat earlier. But the wolf... Fang's instincts were sharper than ever. Refined through survival, honed by hunts. And in that instant, they saved him.
Fang dodged it, escaped. His body was already a blur vanishing into the darkness. He didn't even look back. He didn't need to. And somehow, Tave knew. Elias wasn't chasing him.
Not this time.
Tave exhaled shakily, trying to steady his breath. His pulse was hammering in his ears. That man... Elias... he was unnervingly sharp. To sense Fang's presence, despite the wolf's silent approach, despite the perfect concealment?
Or maybe... Fang wasn't quite perfect yet. Not sharp enough. Not hidden enough.
If that blade had landed. If Fang would've been killed on the spot. No chance of survival. No second attempt. And that was something Tave couldn't afford to let happen. Not now. Not when Fang still had so much potential waiting to bloom.
This beast wasn't just a companion. He was an investment of trust, a piece of Tave's future in this brutal world.
A cold drop of sweat slid down Tave's temple.
Fang kept running, now far from the danger zone, and Tave refocused the link between them.