39-40

*Chapter 39: The Girl *

"What do you think we're really looking for in this forest?"

Night fell over the Devil’s River Forest, and faint voices echoed through the darkness.

Two small-town police officers gripped their pistols tightly, their flashlight beams cutting through the eerie stillness of the woods. One of the younger officers, unnerved by the ominous atmosphere, glanced around the shadowy landscape and couldn’t help but speak to vent his growing fear.

"Who knows?"

The other officer shrugged, his gaze drifting back from the underbrush illuminated by the flashlight. His tone was indifferent as he replied.

"Whatever it is, it can’t be anything good."

"You saw old Johnson's body, didn’t you? There’s definitely something dangerous here, something we don’t understand."

The mention of old Johnson sent a chill down the younger officer's spine. His expression turned more fearful, and he nervously swept his flashlight around the surrounding forest before speaking in a shaky voice.

"Do you really think Johnson was killed by some lunatic who accidentally wandered into the woods?"

"I mean, the kind of damage we saw—it doesn’t seem like something a normal person could do."

Old Johnson’s shattered shotgun, broken clean in half, still sat in the evidence room at the station. The young officer couldn’t imagine anyone strong enough to snap a weapon like that.

"Maybe we’re just overthinking it," the older officer suggested. "It could have been a grizzly just waking up from hibernation."

"Let’s hope you’re right."

The younger officer muttered under his breath and turned to follow the flashlight beam into the depths of the forest.

*Rustle.*

Suddenly, the sound of leaves rustling broke the silence.

"Something's up—stay alert!"

The younger officer froze, paralyzed by fear, unsure of what to do. His partner, however, quickly raised his pistol, aiming it toward the source of the noise with a tense expression.

At the reminder, the younger officer snapped out of his daze. He took a deep breath, steadying his trembling hands, and carefully moved his flashlight toward the rustling bushes.

*Squeak!*

A dark shape darted out of the underbrush.

"It’s… just a squirrel!"

Seeing the small creature flee into the night, the young officer let out a sigh of relief.

He turned to say something to his partner—only to see a dark shadow silently drop from a tree behind him.

*Bang!*

…

"Something happened!"

Hearing the gunshot, Amanda and Robin immediately turned and sprinted toward the sound.

Their hurried footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent forest.

Amanda pushed through a thicket, sharp thorns on the vines scratching shallow cuts across her face. When she reached the clearing where the gunshot had sounded, she froze. Two figures lay motionless on the ground.

"Damn it!"

She cursed under her breath as she spotted the injured officers.

One of them, clutching his wounded arm, looked up at Amanda and shouted hoarsely, "Be careful! She’s still nearby!"

"She?!"

Amanda’s expression shifted at his words.

*Bang! Bang!*

Two sharp gunshots rang out behind her.

Turning, she saw Robin holding his arm steady, mid-action from firing his weapon.

Following Robin's line of fire, Amanda shined her flashlight in that direction—and the sight froze her in her tracks.

“Ugh…”

In the beam of the light, a blond-haired, green-eyed little girl crouched on all fours. She wore a tattered and ill-fitting piece of cloth, her hands splayed out like claws that dug into the dirt. When the light hit her, she reacted with visible discomfort, her fingers twitching agitatedly as she clawed at the ground. She bared her teeth and let out a low, feral growl like a wild animal.

"This… can’t get any worse," Amanda muttered, shaken by the sight before her.

Even though she had braced herself for the possibility of facing something terrifying, seeing the reality left her in stunned disbelief.

The creature that had killed old Johnson, his hunting dog, and attacked others wasn’t a monster or an animal—it was the little girl who had vanished from the town years ago.

In the eerie stillness of the Devil’s River Forest, Amanda hesitated.

As a Texas Ranger, she had no qualms about pulling the trigger on criminals.

But this?

This was a child.

Her resolve wavered, and the muzzle of her gun lowered. Amanda’s flashlight illuminated the restless, snarling girl, and an intense inner conflict brewed within her.

After a long moment of struggle, Amanda lowered her weapon completely.

"Ma’am?!" Robin asked in disbelief.

Amanda ignored him and, with a soft and gentle tone, tried to reason with the girl.

"Hey, sweetheart, it’s okay. You’re safe now. There’s no danger anymore."

"I promise… no one’s going to hurt you."

"Ugh…"

The girl’s feral snarl softened slightly at Amanda’s calm voice. Her emerald eyes grew confused, and her claw-like fingers moved more slowly across the dirt.

Noticing this subtle change, Amanda allowed herself a faint sigh of relief. She gestured to Robin behind her with an “OK” sign.

"Over here, quickly…"

But before Amanda could fully exhale, the sound of approaching footsteps shattered the fragile moment of peace.

"What the f**k?!"

The sheriff burst onto the scene, taking in the bizarre sight of the feral girl and the injured officers on the ground.

"Open fire!" he ordered instinctively, turning to the officers who had followed him.

"No!"

Amanda reached out to stop them, but it was too late.

*Bang!*

The sharp crack of gunfire rang out as a bullet sped toward the girl.

*Thud!*

The bullet struck the ground inches in front of her, spraying dirt into the air.

“Roar!”

Letting out a furious cry, the girl sprang backward with an almost inhuman agility, dodging the attack. Her low growl turned into a guttural roar of anger as she lunged toward the officers like a streak of black shadow.

---

(To Be Continued)  

*Chapter 40: The Monster Hunter*

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Damn it!"

"What kind of monster is this?"

In the forest, the sheriff and his team frantically pulled their triggers, aiming their guns at the little girl.

However, the bullets they fired were futile.

The little girl’s figure was like a ghost, weaving through the forest with uncanny speed, effortlessly dodging the hail of bullets.

The flying projectiles struck the ground, tree trunks, and bushes, stirring up dirt, splinters, and shattered leaves.

Amidst the rain of bullets, the girl lowered her body slightly, her whole form becoming a black blur.

Her emerald-green eyes gleamed like those of a ravenous wolf, fiercely menacing.

Meeting her gaze, several town policemen instantly felt as though they were being hunted by a feral beast.

In that brief moment of distraction, one officer’s shooting hand faltered slightly.

In the blink of an eye, the girl, like a savage young wolf, extended her sharp claws.

Boom!

A scream echoed.

A town policeman was struck by the girl’s attack, his body sent flying into the bushes, snapping vines and branches as he crashed.

A grown man weighing over 200 pounds had been thrown by a girl whose body was less than a third of his size.

Even though they had already realized she was no ordinary child, the officers were still deeply shocked by the sight.

Meanwhile, Amanda instantly understood.

The broken shotgun they had found earlier in the forest and the twisted corpses of Old Johnson’s hunting dogs—this girl was the cause.

Using her momentum to knock the officer away, the girl crouched low, then sprang onto a tall tree trunk. Her sharp fingers pierced the wood, anchoring her as she climbed. Her glowing emerald eyes scanned the group before settling on Amanda.

“Roar~”

She bared her teeth and let out a chilling howl.

Whoosh!

The girl transformed into a blur again, lunging straight at Amanda.

After the previous events, the girl had clearly marked Amanda as her enemy.

Faced with her foe, she chose the most primal method—eliminate the target.

"Chief, watch out!"

Robin shouted in alarm as the girl lunged toward Amanda.

He fired his handgun, sending a barrage of bullets at the girl.

But the girl neither dodged nor flinched.

Bullets tore into her body, leaving bloody holes that oozed freely. Yet, mid-air, she let out a wolf-like wail of pain, her expression growing fiercer. Her sharp claws gleamed coldly, and her emerald pupils were now entirely consumed by bloodthirsty madness.

Her claws were inches from Amanda when—

Boom!

A deafening gunshot rang out.

The girl’s body was struck, sending her flying mid-air with a sorrowful cry.

"So, it’s a wolf cub, huh?"

The glow of a cigar flickered faintly in the darkness of Devil’s River Forest.

Geralt, holding a hunter’s rifle, scanned the forest before locking eyes with Amanda.

"Using those toys in your hands to kill a werewolf? You’re courting death. Even if it’s just a pup."

"Werewolf?!"

Snapping out of her daze, Amanda stared at the monster hunter, her eyes tracing the scar across Geralt’s left eye.

Almost involuntarily, she murmured, "Are you saying that girl is a werewolf?"

Werewolves—weren’t they creatures of myth and fantasy films?

…

That was then.

In a lodge room, Allen smirked silently to himself.

From now on, they were no longer mere products of human imagination. They were real, mythical beings in this world.

…

"Otherwise, what did you think she was? Just an ordinary human child?"

"After the Great Purge, these creatures learned to hide. But no matter how well they disguise themselves, they can’t conceal their sinister aura or their bloodthirsty instincts…"

Geralt snorted coldly, then turned to the struggling girl. He grinned and asked in a raspy voice, "Now tell me, little wolf cub, where is your wolf mother?"

“Roar!”

The girl, barely supporting herself, clawed at the ground, leaving deep gouges. Painful howls escaped her lips as the bullet holes in her body began to close visibly. Blood and fragments of bullets were forced out of her flesh, falling to the ground with dull thuds.

Among the expelled bullets was one distinctly different from the rest.

Raising her head, the girl—no, the wolf-girl Vivian—bared her fangs and snarled at the monster hunter.

From Geralt’s presence, she instinctively sensed danger.

Yet, the violent, savage nature of her werewolf bloodline spurred her to defy her instincts. Instead of retreating, she adopted an aggressive stance, raising her head in a howling challenge.

As her howl echoed, black fur sprouted across her face. Her human form twisted as her body morphed—her limbs elongated, her legs bent backward, and her clothing shredded under the transformation.

"Awooo~"

In mere seconds, the girl had fully transformed into a werewolf.

She tilted her head back and howled.

"So, werewolves really do exist in this world."

In the dark forest of Devil’s River, Amanda stared at the werewolf in front of her, her expression blank with disbelief.

Of course, she wasn’t the only one stunned.

The wolf-girl bared her sharp teeth, her emerald-green, beast-like eyes glowing with bloodlust.

Boom!

Lowering herself to the ground, her claws dug deep grooves into the earth as her powerful hind legs kicked off, leaving a crater behind.

Her body shot forward like a dark shadow toward the monster hunter.

Watching Vivian’s ferocious approach, Geralt remained unmoved. Standing still, a cigar clamped between his teeth, he smirked as faint runes flickered across his hunter’s rifle.

In the next instant—

The charging werewolf let out a pained howl and collapsed mid-stride.

Where the rifle’s bullet had struck her, a complex rune mark began to glow.

The rune radiated red light that pierced through her fur, forming scorched patterns like molten lava on her skin.

Vivian reached for the rune on her body, but her claws recoiled as white smoke rose, as if burned by molten rock.

Overwhelmed by pain, the wolf-girl thrashed about, her form shrinking until she reverted to her human appearance.

(End of Chapter)