Chapter 644
The Toad and the Wolf
Chapter 644 The Toad and the Wolf
After entering March, the weather became a bit clearer, but it was still rainy in the mornings, and the biting cold wind howled through the treetops.
The rain wove a hazy veil above the forbidden forest, and a peregrine falcon soared above the undulating forest, its outstretched wings tearing at the cold air and rain, its iris taking on a calm, deep gray hue in the dim light.
Suddenly, the peregrine falcon folded its wings and silently landed on the horizontal trunk of a pine tree, tilting its head slightly to look down.
A wolf cub crouched down through the bushes, its eyes fixed on a gray rabbit not far ahead.
The rain was almost entirely blocked by the thick layer of leaves, and the forest floor remained quite dry. The gray rabbit nibbled on the tender grass beneath the withered leaves, its ears twitching warily as it occasionally looked up to survey its surroundings.
After patiently taking a few steps closer, the wolf cub suddenly pounced, its claws viciously clawing at the rabbit.
But just as it leaped out, the gray rabbit jumped up to avoid the attack, bounced off the tree trunk, and then kicked the wolf cub hard in the nose with its hind leg!
"Ow!"
A scream echoed through the forest. The wolf cub rolled to the ground, covering its nose with its front paws, tears welling up in its eyes.
The gray rabbit was startled by its howl. It stood up beside the bushes, looked around, and then quickly ran away.
Another wolf pup jumped out from behind the oak tree and, seeing its companion in pain, burst into loud laughter.
"Maurice, why didn't you stop him for me?"
"This is your hunt, Renn!"
The two wolf cubs started playing around as they talked, tumbling through the woods like two fluffy whirlwinds.
As the peregrine falcon descended from the tree, its body suddenly elongated, its wings transformed into arms, its talons into legs, and its black robe unfurled in the wind before slowly drifting down.
The two wolf pups had been huddled together warily, with the one named Raine hiding behind Maurice. Suddenly, he saw his older brother leap out and excitedly circle around the wizard who had suddenly appeared.
"Vade! Vade! Long time no see! What brings you to the Forbidden Forest? Did you come to see me?"
Morris said, bouncing around.
Wade crouched down, patted Maurice's head, and asked with a smile, "Maurice, how have you been lately?"
“Great! Dad says I’ll be able to hunt alone soon!” Morris exclaimed proudly.
Renn stared in disbelief as his brother wagged his tail at humans like a dog, and shouted in confusion and anger, "Maurice!"
"Oh, Renn."
Maurice then remembered that his younger brother was right next to him, and quickly introduced him:
“Wade, this is my youngest brother, Renn… Renn, this is Wade, the wizard Wade Gray I mentioned before who saved me.”
“Hello, Renn.” Wade smiled and nodded.
"A wizard?" Upon hearing this, Renn's gaze softened slightly, but his expression remained wary.
In its mind, wizards were all bad people, even more dangerous than centaurs. The wizard before it had saved Maurice... but perhaps he had other motives?
Wade turned to look at Morris and asked, "Morris, do you know of any other wolves around here? I'm looking for a wolf with a white ring around its mouth and a triangular scar on its right ear, and it should be a bit older than you."
“Of course I know, that’s my sister Rosa!” Maurice asked curiously, “When did you meet her?”
“I’ve seen her in my dreams.” Wade asked, “Can you take me to see her?”
“Of course!” Maurice readily agreed. “Rosa should be home right now. I’ll take you to her!”
"Maurice!" Ryan jumped over quickly, approaching Maurice, and whispered urgently, "You're taking a wizard back? To our house?" "Don't worry!" Maurice patted his brother's nose with his soft paw and said, "Wade is a good man!"
Ryan looked disapproving, but since Morris had already led the way, he had no choice but to follow, running while secretly observing the wizard with what he thought was a discreet glance.
His expression and subtle movements were quite obvious to Wade. Wade smiled at him, and Raine immediately bristled, baring his teeth and glaring at the wizard, letting out a warning "woof woof" sound in his throat—
You can fool my brothers, but you can't fool me!
Then Ryan got slapped on the head.
“Show some respect to my savior, Ryan!” Morris shouted.
They walked for several tens of minutes, and after passing through a thicket of mushrooms, the view suddenly opened up before them—
Several crooked tree trunks form a natural barrier, with a simple roof built on top using branches, fishing nets, and vines. There are also low walls around it, and stones are piled up at the entrance, forming a semi-underground nest.
Hanging from the branches of nearby trees were various herbs, including white peony root, as well as tools such as bows and arrows, daggers, and axes.
A white wolf was lying on the ground, and several wolf pups of different colors were playing around it, including a little guy with a ring of white fur around its nose.
Upon smelling the unfamiliar scent, the wolves all quickly stood up and assumed defensive postures. However, when they saw Morris and Ryan leading the way, they all froze.
“Wade Gray?”
The wolf cubs' father, Lucas the werewolf, emerged from the shadows, draped in a fur coat that made him look like a wild man.
He glanced at his two sons secretly, then looked at Wade with a hint of wariness and said, "Why are you here?"
“I’ve come to see that lady to ask her about something,” Wade said gently, pointing to a spot.
"Me?" Rosa looked around in surprise. "Why are you looking for me?"
“Miss Rosa,” Wade crouched down and asked, “I dreamt that you met a grayish-brown toad near the swamp. Is that true?”
Rosa was even more surprised: "I did see a toad that had just woken up from hibernation yesterday... You really dreamed about it? That's so strange!"
Ryan whispered to Morris, "He said he saw Rosa in his dream, and I thought he was just kidding us! Turns out it was true!"
“Yesterday?” Wade frowned.
Was that scene in my dream broadcast live?
He composed himself and asked, "Where did that toad go after that? Can you still find it?"
"It didn't want to play with me, so I let it escape... Anyway, frogs don't taste good."
Rosa felt she might have done something wrong. She paused for a moment, secretly observing Wade's expression. Seeing that the wizard didn't seem to be angry, she then said:
"But I roughly know where it's going—it's hopping towards the castle!"
Wade laughed and said, "Where did you see it yesterday? Can you take me to see it?"
Rosa glanced at her father for permission, and seeing him nod slightly, she said, "Of course, come with me."
(End of this chapter)