"Wh… what…!"
Standing before the monstrous beast, Kyouno's heart pounded wildly, threatening to burst out of her chest.
She had once thought herself unafraid of death. After a week of trudging through endless snow, physically and mentally drained—she no longer yearned for life.
But the stories her mom once told… had planted a quiet fear deep within her.
An invisible dread, buried in her bones—the fear of this very creature.
Kyouno trembled unconsciously, her knees buckling.
Instinctively, she wanted to turn and run.
But—
"Woof… woof…"
A faint bark broke the tension.
Soft. Gentle. Childlike…
She turned her head, almost without thinking.
And she saw—
Amidst the rubble, right in front of the gasping snow wolf, stood a small, fragile figure.
A snow wolf pup.
Coated in pure white fur, its tiny body faced the towering beast.
Like an ant standing before a mountain.
"GRRRRAOOOOOOOO!!!"
A thunderous roar split the air.
The beast's mouth twisted into a grotesque smirk—it hissed with twisted delight, as if pleased to receive one more tender morsel.
Its presence pressed down like a crushing sky, the earth itself trembling under its oppressive aura.
And yet—
The little wolf did not move.
It remained between the beast and the larger wolf, refusing to flee.
Looking closely, one could see its body shaking uncontrollably—clearly terrified.
But still, it stood.
Not because it wasn't afraid.
Not because it couldn't run.
But because—
It wanted to protect.
It wanted to shield the larger wolf behind it.
Though fear wracked its tiny frame, its trembling legs threatening to give way,
Its eyes held firm as they stared down the monster—
Standing between the beast and what was likely its mother—who glared at the creature with bared teeth, but whose broken body could no longer rise.
Hopeless.
A futile resistance against overwhelming power.
And yet, the pup stood firm—
Doing everything it could to protect the one it loved.
A fragile, tiny figure—
But full of defiant pride.
Kyouno froze, stunned.
That image cut deep into her heart, like a sharpened blade.
A weight pressed on her chest.
If only…
If only she had been able to stand like that pup back then…
If only she had been brave enough to protect her family to the end—
Would everything have been different?
The fear inside her slowly began to fade.
A reckless thought—foolish, impossible, yet burning fiercely—filled her mind.
It felt hopeless.
And yet, she would still do it.
She would still act!
....
The beast growled low, taking one heavy step after another toward the snow wolf mother and her pup.
It was like a demon born from the frozen depths of hell—death incarnate—marching forth to end all life before it.
And standing against it—
Were the fading eyes of the mother wolf.
She wanted to protect.
To shield the tiny pup still standing bravely in front of her.
But her body was paralyzed.
Pain tore through her like shredding blades—she couldn't move, not even a twitch.
Helpless.
Hopeless.
All she could do was watch, her dimmed eyes wide open, as death slowly approached...
As she and her pup were about to be crushed beneath the beast's massive jaws—
Unable to do anything.
Was this truly the end?
But just as the monster opened its horrific maw, ready to lunge—
In that moment when fate seemed sealed—
"Ice Arrows!"
"GRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
A deafening roar split the sky!
The sound was a mix of fury, surprise, and… frustration!
The monster staggered, its massive form halted mid-attack.
The mother wolf's eyes widened in disbelief.
There was no bite. No spray of blood.
Only the sharp, chilling sound—thud, thud, thud—as icy shafts pierced through the fog.
No pain.
Not the pain she had braced herself for.
Slowly, cautiously, she looked up.
And saw—
The beast's shaggy gray fur now bristled with glowing ice arrows.
Though they had struck true, they left not a single wound.
But the sheer force had been enough to push the monster back several steps.
The mother and her pup stood frozen in shock.
And the one who had unleashed the attack—
A slender girl in a ragged cloak, standing at the mouth of the cave.
Her hair whipped in the cold wind, and her eyes burned with resolve.
Kyouno.
She clicked her tongue with a touch of irritation, her voice calm yet biting:
"Tch. Just as I thought. Completely immune to physical damage."
"My Ice Arrows didn't even pierce your hide."
But then, she clenched her fist tighter around her snow-forged bow,
And raised it high, pointing it straight at the monstrous beast.
Her voice rang out—at first hopeless in content,
But each word rang clear, bold, echoing across the snow-covered world:
"You disgusting creature… to me, Kyouno… you're nothing more than prey."
"Your immunity, or my will—let's see which one wins."
.....