Superstar 793
by CristaeWhy was an ogre here?!
The appearance of an enemy even more dangerous than expected made the alpha wolf falter for a moment. But he quickly let out a loud howl to signal evacuation.
Scatter! Survive first—we’ll meet again later!
With that, the wolf pack began to break off in different directions. Even with pups not yet a year old, the wolves ran, carrying or guiding them as best they could. Some pups, separated in the chaos, were taken by nearby adult wolves who protected them as they fled.
The youngest’s family was no exception.
“Don’t look back—just run!”
Awooooo—!
At the tense howl of the mother wolf, the sister, brother, and youngest kicked off the ground with their small paws, running as fast as they could. Their faces were filled with fear and anxiety.
The wolf couple stayed behind them, urging the three siblings on so they wouldn’t fall behind.
But—
Was it because they had been moving apart from the main pack?
Or was it because, in a forest filled with dark green, brown, and shadowy colors, there was only one being—pure white—who stood out?
The youngest, the white wolf pup…
And the family running alongside him became the ogre’s new target.
The ogre ripped a tree from the ground and hurled it toward the moving white blur.
THUD!
The sister—just a few seconds older, but still the eldest of the three—was running ahead of her siblings with clenched teeth and fierce determination. When the tree landed right in front of her, she stumbled and rolled over the ground in panic.
“Sis!”
“Sis!”
The brother and youngest cried out together.
“I’m fine!”
Covered in dirt and leaves, she got up and started running again. She was clearly hurt, but with her family behind her and the danger looming, the pain didn’t register.
But she was lost.
Right? Left? Which way was safe? Is this the right direction?
What if another tree flies? She avoided the last one, but what if it hits her—or her family—next?
Her mind was spinning.
“I’ll take the lead!”
Noticing her distress, the brother sped forward and took her place up front. Just like he was taught by their parents—and just like she had done earlier—he weaved through the trees, staying low and hidden.
The sister, youngest, and parents followed close behind with a bit more peace of mind.
But still…
White stood out too much.
THUMP!
This time, a boulder flew.
The sister didn’t hesitate—she pushed her brother aside, helping him narrowly avoid it.
“Thanks, Sis!”
“No problem! Just keep going!”
“Okay!”
Huff— Huff—
The sister and brother in front, mother and father behind.
Running in the middle of his family, the youngest thought:
‘…This can’t go on.’
His sister and brother were doing great. His parents were quick and strong.
The problem was—
‘Me.’
If only he had gray fur.
If only he had been a normal gray wolf.
Then his family—his mom, dad, sister, and brother—would have already blended into the forest like the others.
It was because of his white fur that they couldn’t rejoin the pack, and why the ogre had targeted them.
THUMP— THUMP—
The ogre’s footsteps drew closer. Their pace had slowed from dodging trees and stones.
“Go ahead without me!”
The father wolf turned and shouted. He couldn’t defeat the ogre—but maybe he could delay it for a moment.
“Dad!”
the brother cried out, and the mother wolf, legs shaking but firm, pushed the pups forward. Of everyone, she must have wanted to stop the father more than anyone.
No.
Not Dad.
Not our family.
The white wolf, who had only ever wished to live as a normal gray wolf, made a decision.
Even though he had read the “Books of Life” and knew what was about to happen—
He made up his mind.
“Youngest!”
Still unnamed, the youngest spun and raced past his mother. It was faster than he had ever moved before.
“Youngest! You—!”
Even the father, tensed and ready to confront the ogre, gasped as the youngest zipped by. He shouted, but the pup didn’t stop.
And just like that, the white wolf pup—still not even a year old—stood before the ogre.
The ogre stopped too, surprised to see the white creature it had been chasing suddenly appear before it. Heavy breathing echoed.
The youngest lifted his head.
He hadn’t noticed while fleeing, but now he saw—
the ogre was covered in wounds, as if it had been slashed by something.
The wounds on the ogre didn’t look like they came from human weapons, as his parents had told him or as he’d read in the “Books of Life”—they looked more like claw marks from another monster. Some of the blood had dried, but some was still fresh. One of its eyes seemed injured. It also looked starved.
Maybe it had lost a territorial fight and wandered down here.
The snow-white youngest stood firm on the ground.
He could win.
He hadn’t even been alive a full year yet. He hadn’t read many “Books of Life,” hadn’t gained many abilities, but—
he felt like he could win.
“Youngest!”
“I’m okay!”
Even as his father shouted, sounding like he wanted to grab him by the scruff and run, the youngest stood his ground, eyes locked on the ogre.
A breeze blew.
A soft breeze that gently ruffled the youngest’s white fur.
[Spring Wind of the Wind Spirit (Low)] has been activated.
[Basic Breathing of the Elves] has been activated.
But with the addition of one more power, the gentle spring wind intensified and focused into a sharp gust.
A razor wind slashed the ogre’s neck.
Green blood burst out.
UWAARRGGHH!!!
The ogre, who had let its guard down, toying with what it thought was weak prey, screamed in pain. Memories of the nightmare territorial battle surged back. Its one remaining eye flared with killing intent.
And so began the battle between the wounded ogre and the white wolf pup.
Bite the neck!
He remembered his mother’s words.
Attack the legs so it can’t move!
He remembered his father’s words.
Attack, youngest!
WAAARGH!
He remembered the mock hunts with his sister and brother.
Wind claws—like a wolf’s—sliced toward the ogre’s vital spots.
Head, eye, neck, wrist, ankle.
The youngest didn’t miss a single one.
The wind—
Unseeable, unstoppable.
Thanks to its thick skin, the ogre at first suffered only light wounds, but as the attacks grew stronger, it thrashed about and lunged at the white wolf. But the youngest was too quick—it was never hit once.
And finally—
BOOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the ogre collapsed.
Huff— huff—
The youngest, having used up all his divine energy and stamina, panted heavily.
He had won.
He won!
With a joyful face, he looked to where his family had been.
Not just his family—there were other gray wolves too, including the alpha. Some had their tails tucked in fear. His sister and brother, his mother and father—all looked stunned.
There was a clear difference between the devastated battlefield where he stood and the lush forest where the gray wolves watched.
The simple, ordinary gray wolves stared at the white wolf pup.
It felt like there was an invisible wall between them.
Huff— huff— haa— hff…
Only the sound of the youngest’s heavy breathing echoed through the forest.
He had made up his mind.
The youngest looked one last time at his sister and brother, his mother and father.
They were unhurt. They were alive. That was enough.
The youngest took a step forward—
Not toward the gray wolves or his family,
but in the opposite direction.
“! Youngest!”
“Where are you going!”
His family, regaining their senses, cried out.
But without looking back, the youngest padded away on his small paws.
He knew his family would be safer with the pack. And this could happen again someday.
“Youngest!”
As his family began to chase after him, the youngest raised his head and howled.
Awooooo—
A howl of ‘independence’—far too early for his age.
How many years has it been?
The white wolf scratched himself with a hind leg and thought.
Having avoided gray wolf territory, he’d moved deeper and eventually claimed territory within the monster zone.
He was no longer a “youngest” by any means. He had grown large—probably twice the size of the alpha wolf who once looked so massive and strong when he was a pup. Was it because he’d fed on monsters? Because of the abilities from the “Library of Life”? Or maybe due to divine energy?
“Feels like my lifespan’s grown, too…”
At this point, he might as well be called a monster, not a wolf.
Well, definitions like that were for humans or other non-human races.
The white wolf, who didn’t care whether he was called a monster or an animal, yawned wide and flopped down on soft, dry grass. He freely used the knowledge and abilities he’d gained from the “Library of Life.”
His home was a hollow in a large tree.
Maybe he’d chosen this place because it reminded him of the rainy day and those happy memories with his family.
Anyway.
The white wolf lived here—eating, playing, sleeping, and guarding his territory.
Today was just another one of those days.
While he was sprawled on the sun-scented grass, sound asleep—
At the tiniest sound—so small it wasn’t even clear how it had been heard—the white wolf’s ears twitched.
The white wolf ignored it. This was his territory, yes, but plenty of other beings lived here too. His prey needed to live, after all.
‘Maybe I’ll eat a boar today.’
Technically, it was a monster that resembled a boar, but he didn’t know its name. Close enough.
—Sis!
Again, that small voice rang out.
Both of the white wolf’s ears twitched this time. He wanted to ignore it, but his ears moved on their own.
Sis!
It was a child’s voice, crying.
‘…Damn it.’
Why did it have to be “sister”?
Why did it have to be siblings?
The youngest—no, the white wolf—leapt up from his sun-scented bed of dry grass and raced toward the voice. Using the wind he had grown adept at controlling since the ogre fight, he moved faster than ever.
When he arrived—
“Uwaaaah! Sis! Wake up!”
There was a dead mother fox, a dying fox cub, and another cub, crying.
The crying cub kept nudging his sister, licking her wounds, trying to wake her.
“…You’ll die like that.”
At the unfamiliar, low voice, the crying cub jumped. Trembling, he looked up—
And saw a gigantic wolf, whiter than bone, with long fur like dagger-sharp fangs. The cub instinctively tucked his tail.
But now wasn’t the time to be scared.
“…Stay away!”
The younger fox cub stood in front of his sister, bristling every hair on his little body.
‘Is he the size of my paw? Maybe smaller?’
As the younger cub glared at him with teary, terrified eyes, the white wolf calmly calculated his size.
“Snort.”
The puff of air from the white wolf’s nose sent the fox cub tumbling. Dizzy for a second, the cub quickly recovered.
…He’s strong. Way too strong.
“Mommy! Sissy!”
I’m scared! Waaah!
All he could do was cry.
Good grief.
Anyone would think I’m going to eat them.
If his sister and brother had been here, they’d be laughing their heads off.
Catching himself drifting into memory, the white wolf shook his head and stepped toward the dying sister fox. She seemed to stir at her brother’s cries—one paw barely twitched.
And suddenly, the memory of his sister and brother fleeing from the ogre rose vividly.
‘Why am I like this today…?’
Sigh—
The white wolf sighed and gently licked the sister fox’s head.
“Don’t eat my sis!”
Despite sobbing in terror, the younger fox bit into the white wolf’s fur and tugged as hard as he could. It didn’t hurt at all.
Still, the effort to save his sister was admirable. The white wolf channeled more healing energy into her.
The sister fox, who had seemed moments from death, began to breathe steadily as her wounds rapidly healed. Soon, she opened her eyes.
“Ha-o. Are you okay?”
“Sis!”
Waaah!
The younger cub—called Ha-o—forgot all about the wolf and ran to his sister, telling her between sobs how scared he’d been.
Watching them, the white wolf snorted again and began digging.
Animals and monsters didn’t really have the concept of a grave, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving the mother fox out in the open.
With a single sweep of his giant paw, he dug a hole deep enough to hold her.
“Excuse me. I heard from my brother. Thank you.”
“Thank youuuu…”
The sister fox had more guts than he expected.
‘…She’s like my sister.’
Thud!
The white wolf suddenly slammed his head into the ground. The two cubs stared with wide eyes.
‘Why do I keep thinking of them?!’
Shaking his head in frustration, the white wolf used his snout to gently push the mother fox into the hole. The sister fox asked calmly,
“What are you doing?”
“If you leave her, scavengers will eat her. This way, you two can come back and visit whenever you want.”
“Ah…”
They looked at the round grave, tears welling up again.
“Mom…”
Even the composed sister fox couldn’t take her eyes off the grave.
The white wolf turned away and started walking.
He had already done enough—saving the sister fox and burying their mother.
This was a world of survival.
Whether they lived on from here…
was up to them.
…Or so he thought.
“Why are you following me?”
The two cubs had quietly left the grave behind and were now trailing him on tiny, quick steps.
“We don’t have anywhere to go!”
The sister fox declared boldly. Her younger brother, encouraged by her energy, followed up energetically.
“Nowhere!”
“Please take care of us!”
“Please!!”
The white wolf let out a loud snort and kept walking, his steps heavy but unhurried.
“Figure it out on your own.”
Despite the dismissal, the tiny fox cubs continued to trot along behind him.
“My name’s Pine!”
“I’m Hao!”
“We’re red foxes!”
Having realized the white wolf wasn’t going to eat them, the red fox siblings were now openly chattering away without a hint of fear.
“What’s your name, mister?”
“What is it?”
It was the moment the once-quiet life of the white wolf became just a little noisier.