Hunt Race

The morning mist clung to the ground as Kael stepped beneath the towering trees of Blackwood Grove.

The sounds of Oakridge Farm faded behind him.

Here, the forest felt different.

The air was cooler.

The light dimmer.

Every rustle of leaves seemed louder than it should have been.

Kael rested one hand on the hilt of his sword and slowed his pace.

The farmer's words echoed in his mind.

"The forest belongs to the beasts."

He wasn't here to challenge the forest.

He was here for one beast.

He crouched beside the trail.

The hoofprints were easy to spot.

Large.

Deep.

Fresh.

The Razorfang Boar wasn't trying to hide.

In fact, it seemed to move through the forest as though nothing dared stand in its way.

Kael followed the tracks carefully.

Several minutes later, he noticed the first sign.

A young tree had been split cleanly in half.

The trunk wasn't cut.

It had been smashed.

He ran his fingers over the broken wood.

Fresh sap still leaked from the crack.

"It came through here this morning..."

His eyes swept across the area.

Broken shrubs.

Loose soil.

A patch of dark brown fur snagged on a thorn bush.

Kael carefully picked it free.

Coarse.

Thick.

He tucked it into a pouch.

The Guild liked evidence with completed commissions.

As he continued, the trail became less obvious.

The boar had wandered onto rocky ground where footprints disappeared.

Kael stopped.

He didn't panic.

Instead, he remembered the instructor's lesson.

"Observe before acting."

He closed his eyes for a moment.

If he were a heavy beast...

Where would he go?

He opened them again.

The answer wasn't on the ground.

It was ahead.

The undergrowth on one side of the forest had been crushed in a straight line.

Branches hung broken.

Bushes bent inward.

The boar's size had betrayed its path.

Kael smiled faintly.

"So that's your trick."

He followed the damaged vegetation instead.

The trail led to a shallow stream.

Fresh hoofprints marked the muddy bank before disappearing into the water.

Kael frowned.

It had entered the stream.

A clever move.

Running water washed away scent and tracks.

He scanned both banks.

Nothing.

Silence.

Too much silence.

Even the birds had stopped singing.

Kael's grip tightened around his sword.

His instincts screamed at him.

He wasn't tracking the boar anymore.

The boar was nearby.

Very nearby.

A low grunt echoed through the trees.

Kael froze.

It hadn't come from ahead.

It came from behind.

He spun—

Just as a massive shape burst from the bushes.

The Razorfang Boar exploded from the undergrowth like a charging boulder.

Its dark hide was covered in dried mud.

Two long, curved tusks gleamed in the morning light.

Its small red eyes locked onto Kael.

The beast charged.

Kael didn't hesitate.

Instead of meeting it head-on as he might have weeks ago, he threw himself sideways.

The boar thundered past, missing him by inches.

Its tusks carved deep grooves into the earth.

Kael rolled to his feet.

No wild swings.

No panic.

He watched.

The boar skidded to a stop before turning surprisingly quickly for a creature of its size.

"So you're faster than you look."

The beast pawed at the ground.

Steam escaped its nostrils.

Then it charged again.

This time Kael noticed something.

The left front leg landed slightly heavier than the right.

An old injury?

No...

Just enough of a difference to affect its turns.

The boar lunged.

Kael waited.

Closer.

Closer.

At the last possible moment, he sidestepped.

The beast tried to change direction—

Its weight shifted.

Too late.

Its injured leg slowed the turn for the briefest instant.

Kael struck.

His sword flashed.

A shallow cut appeared across the boar's shoulder.

The beast roared more in anger than pain.

Kael immediately retreated.

He didn't chase.

The instructor's voice echoed in his mind.

"One strike. Reset."

The boar shook its head violently before charging again.

And again.

Each charge was powerful.

Each one forced Kael to move.

His breathing grew heavier.

His legs began to ache.

The cuts on the beast remained shallow.

Its thick hide absorbed most of the damage.

"This won't work forever..."

Kael muttered.

The boar lowered its head.

This charge felt different.

Faster.

More aggressive.

It had grown impatient.

Kael's heartbeat quickened.

He waited.

The distance closed.

Twenty steps.

Ten.

Five.

Then—

The boar's hoof struck a moss-covered rock hidden beneath the leaves.

Its weakened foreleg slipped.

Only for a heartbeat.

But a heartbeat was enough.

Kael moved Forward, he slipped to the side of the beast's head and drove his blade toward the exposed neck.

The sword bit deep.

The boar let out a deafening squeal.

It crashed into a tree with enough force to shake the forest.

Kael jumped back immediately.

Blood dripped from his blade.

The beast staggered.

Its red eyes burned with fury.

Kael lowered his stance.

The hunt...

Wasn't over yet.

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