Shami undressed as she prepared to turn into her wolf form. The transformation usually had her limbs grow extra bone joints as well as have her human parts dissolve into her animal form. She noosed a sack with 2 mana plants in it, in case her wolf form would quickly burn out her mana reserves. As she embarked to the den of the wolves, with her brown thick fur and ravenous teeth showing, she simply worried about one thing. Encountering the master of the Ethereal Woods. If Tanatswa had dug deeper into asking her how she would go about meeting and discussing with these blood thirsty wolves, he would have probably disallowed her to go. The reason behind her taking this risk alone, was because she believed that it was the best possible solution to ward off any survivors with evil intentions.
Tanatswa had set a target of at least 20 unicorns, primarily the adult animals. He could out run them at his current level and easily subdue them. The thought of animal conservation didn't cross his mind so he simply went in to kill, with his heart sealed. Tanatswa would observe a herd and then leap towards them. The free fall method was efficient in catching the wildlife by surprise. As soon as he would land in the centre, he would swing his hands against their fragile limbs and bludgeon them to death. One by one, he would subdue them and take them down.
His fists would gore the beasts, with blood gushing out as he punched through their abdominal muscles, backs, necks and limbs. there was an outcry amongst the unicorns and herbivorous creatures. The land was drenched in blood and even Tanatswa became soaked in it. The carcasses that were left from the onslaught were tied together inside a huge net. The net was made using the thick vines. Tanatswa lifted their weight and moved with their carcasses like a dung beetle. The animals feared him, but he didn't care. All that engulfed his mind was how Shami was handling her end of the arrangement.
Shami got close to the woods, stricken with fear but at the same time hoping for the best. She began to howl, signalling the other wolfs from deep within. She had made it a point to have the location of the dark figure added to her custom goal. The wolves, from what she had gathered, were not loyal to the sadistic alien woman, but simply enjoyed her company because she provided them a healthy breeding ground and an area where they can easily kill off animals that wandered off.
If the dark figure, took interest in a random wolf calling her wolves, she would immediately retreat and have to face the facts that she failed, but to her fortune, her location remained constant. All that ended up happening was a pack of wolves, sprinting from the depths of the woods, heading towards her. Regardless of the fact that she could look like these beasts, most of them had a higher level than her. Unlike Tanatswa who had recently reached level 4, if these wolves were to attack her, she would probably die. She was risking herself and her child, but hopefully this meeting would yield beneficial results.
The alpha male of the pack took the lead, with his entourage of 17 wolves to back him up. Shami recognised one of the wolves she practiced communication and began to speak.
"Blood hound, I have come again, this time with a proposition." she said, barking as she conveyed her message in the language the wolves understood.
"Packless female, why have you come? No male here has an interest in breeding with a female that's expecting a pup. Unless you have found a good hunting ground, the pack will be angry." said the wolf.
"I have food, but it's the food that comes from my master. The human who lives by the fortress of stone, offers you unicorn flesh and anything that chews the cud. We will hunt for you and gather the meat, but in return, you will safeguard his fortress from visitors who wish to steal his possessions." she said, feigning confidence. As soon as she was done, the alpha of pack howled and all the rowdiness accompanied by the entire pack became silent. The wolf known as bloodhound, kept quiet and left her fate to be determined by the alpha male.
"So you come unexpectedly, already bearing the child of a wolf unknown to our clan and think you can offer us something good in return for us protecting your human master. How true is it that there will be meat that will sate my pack? If the meat is as good as you say, then we could consider assisting you, or you could give us your master so that we can devour it's flesh." said the alpha wolf, whose domineering presence gave her the chills.
"I will not give away my master to be eaten, besides he would probably kill you if you tried to challenge him." she said, defiantly, as if driven by her wolf instincts to give a snarky response.
"You dare taunt me wretched female! My pack can do away with you right now and we would go on with our everyday lives without agreeing to your deal. If it is as strong as you say, then you have no need for us to guard you fortress." said the alpha of the pack. The surrounding wolves began to growl, showing her their hostility. She had hoped that the wolves would be agreeable and simply oblige her offer, but the pack lead was being stubborn.
"You'd honestly attack me, knowing that it is a struggle to hunt and gather meat these days, especially with the animals well aware of your tactics? I am offering you a simple solution in which you don't have to use effort." she remarked, barking furiously.
"We are happy with the blue creature that governs us. Whatever you have to offer, must topple her..." said the wolf before being attacked. Shami morphed her back hind legs into talons and sprouted wings immediately as she pounced on the alpha. her claws wedged deep into the back of the alpha and she began to lift the beast into the air. The wolves began to bark loudly and even attempted to tackle her in mid air. She evaded their advances and managed to hold onto the weight of the alpha.
The alpha was shaking uncontrollably, trying to free itself from her hold. The wolf form that had wings and back legs for talons was holding the animal tight, as blood trickled from its shoulders. Shami had decided to use the only other method that worked in convincing these brutes. Killing the alpha. She flew up high, trying by all means to close to the planet's stratosphere. When her mana was close to reaching zero, she maneuvered her head and took a bite from the bah that was noosed over her neck. No matter how much the alpha struggled, she maintained her grip. It was no different from curling a weight in a stationary position and thanks to her boyfriend's gym enthusiasm, she learned how to endure muscle fatigue. When she began to feel the absence of oxygen, she decided to let the alpha loose. If she had gone for a direct confrontation, the wolves would have ganged up on her and killed her. It was in the spur of the moment, but she decided to get rid of her problem in her own unique way.
As the alpha's body fell down, she flapped her wings, gliding close behind as the wolf dealt with free fall. In 6 minutes 16 seconds, the alpha's body landed splat on the ground. After falling 30000 feet it's body got wrecked by the impact and instantly died. Shami landed on top of the body and began to howl, calling for the wolves. If this didn't work, then she had just made her boyfriend slaughter those unicorns for nothing. In a matter of moments, the pack converged at where she was, with grimaced facial expressions on their faces. Before they got within 10 feet of her she began to bark loudly at them.
"You stubborn alpha was killed by a mere pregnant female, offering you a solid solution. Do not be foolish like your leader here who has met his end. You are to get you best wolves, to guard the fortress I speak of and agree to my terms." she demanded. The rest of the pack howled for their alpha, but soon enough, they obliged her. If their leader could be killed by her, then they owed it to themselves to entertain her whims. The carcass of the alpha was defecated on by the entire pack, soiled in shame as the animals relieved themselves. Not long after this, Shami returned to home base with a pack of wolves. Upon witnessing this pack show up at their home, Tanatswa was ready to execute them until he noticed Shami among the wolves. She then told the wolves to devour the unicorn flesh as a ceremonial pact of agreement. The beasts dug into the meat, voraciously chewing and beckering with each other as they fattened their tummies. Tanatswa found these animals revolting and simply looked away. Shami went inside and then reverted back to her human form. She quickly dressed up to hide her nakedness and when Tanatswa showed up they began to discuss.
"So that went well then?" asked Tanatswa, who was curious.
"Yeah, it did. I was a bit scared that it wouldn't but it did. Gosh, wolves are really scary to talk to." said Shami, languidly.
"So they are going to be our guard dogs, just like that?"
"Yeah. We now own killer hounds. I guess we are expanding our household." she said, before being overcome with a sudden lapse in strength. Her nausea was kicking in and she thus began to vomit. Tanatswa rushed to get a bucket so that she wouldn't spoil the floor. Upon handing her one, he held her by the should and aided her. Tanatswa then went onto to say, "I will give you the herb stuff for your tummy. This should help with the nausea." Tanatswa rushed into the kitchen and opened cabinets where there were containers with mixed herb solutions. He quickly returned to her to administer the medicine and she took it in, slowly as she sweated.
"I think I need to lie down and rest Tanatswa. I am sorry I messed up the floor. It must be gross having to clean after your girlfriend's vomit. I promise to be extra..." she said, feeling a bit self conscious.
"It's not a problem. You just rest. Don't think too much about it." he said, trying to placate her.
"You're way too nice. Needy women would like that." said, snarkly.
"If you can joke even in your condition, then you really aren't that bothered." he chuckled.
Shami was laid in bed to rest, breathing slowly as she began her siesta. Tanatswa, quickly returned to the noise that came from outside, a noise that made him feel uncomfortable. The wolves devoured and made the flesh disappear before him. When they were done, they simple stayed near the fortress as a pack. The stench of carcasses had been decreased by the fellowship of these hounds, but as far as he could tell, they were not showing any hostility towards him. They had become subservient and now they owned pet killer hounds. When Tanatswa was satisfied, he immediately, went on to take a bath. He washed off all the blood on his body and came out sparkly clean without the smell of carcasses. Tanatswa then went in to check on Shami and found her sleeping. Instead of bothering her he decided to leave her in peace as he left to train. The distanced that was left for the visitors to show up was now less than 60km as indicated by his custom goal navigation points. If they were going to reach their home either tomorrow or the following day, he would be prepared for them. This motivated him as he began to experiment more with his ability, Refiner.