Superstar 794

Kyeong! Kyang!

At the sound of cries, the white wolf stifled a sigh and turned his head.

In front of the white wolf’s treehouse.

He had destroyed all nearby trees to create a wide lawn, making it easier to detect intruders. There, in the sunlit yard, two red fox cubs rolled around like a single fuzzy red ball.

Warm sunshine. Soft grass.

It was the perfect place for young ones to play, and because of those two small fox cubs, the white wolf’s once-quiet days had become noisy.

That didn’t mean they lived together.

Still, the cubs seemed to have learned that barging into someone else’s den was a bad idea. They had dug a tiny den next to the white wolf’s treehole and were living there instead.

Kyararak—

As the white wolf blinked his red eyes, watching the cubs play, he stood up quietly. At that, Pine, who had been playing with her brother Hao, perked up her head.

“Are we going to eat?!”

“Food!”

Hao, who had been lying under his sister, flailing his legs in the air with a giggle, jumped to his feet.

…Sharp instincts.

Snort.

With a puff of breath, the white wolf began to walk. The fox cubs immediately scampered after him.

“Mister, what are we eating today?”

“Boar! Let’s eat boar!”

“I like deer!”

“Deer’s good too!”

These little…

The white wolf glanced down at the two chattering cubs trotting beneath his paws. He was the one hunting, yet they were choosing the prey.

He’d planned to just hunt whatever showed up, but with a sigh, he veered right—toward the area where deer-like monsters lived.

They walked for quite a while.

When the two cubs were starting to tire, the white wolf came to a stop. He adjusted his position based on the wind direction so his scent wouldn’t carry toward the prey.

Pine and Hao, sensing this, went silent and crept beside him.

Unlike the towering white wolf, they couldn’t see anything from their height. But from past days of following him, they knew he’d found something.

The white wolf crouched, lowering his large white body.

The two fox cubs pressed themselves flat to the ground, holding their breath.

Watching the cubs instinctively erase their presence made the white wolf smile faintly. Then he steeled his face again and focused. The prey was grazing.

Normally, he wouldn’t bother with stealth—he’d just strike in one blow.

He found his recent change strange. But for some reason, it made his heart feel warm.

After a brief moment of observation, the white wolf surged forward like the wind.

The deer-like monster, unaware of the approaching threat, flailed in shock, but it had no time to escape. In a single bite, the white wolf’s sharp fangs pierced its long neck.

“Wooooaaah!”

The cubs, who had been holding their breath, leapt out and cheered.

“Mister, you’re amazing!”

“Amazing! So cool!”

To the massive white wolf—master of this territory—prey like this was barely a snack.

So praise shouldn’t have meant much.

…Yet, his fluffy white tail wagged side to side.

After a hearty meal beside the white wolf (on their first day, they had hesitated. Now, they dove in without a second thought), the cubs returned to the sunny front yard and rolled around, playing again.

Truly.

Carefree little things.

Kyeong kyeong!

As he listened to their sounds, the white wolf closed his eyes.

Unaware that the corners of his mouth had risen ever so slightly.

---

The trouble began—

Two days later.

The white wolf hadn’t learned the golden rule yet: whether human, animal, or monster, you must never take your eyes off your cubs.

—

Perhaps it was because he used wind-based abilities so often.

The white wolf, nearly one with the wind by now, caught the faintest sound—by chance, or by fate.

He had been napping (more accurately, reading from the Books of Life inside the Library of Life) when his brow furrowed and his eyes opened.

It was a familiar sound.

The fox cubs’ cries.

“…They should be napping.”

The white wolf calmly stepped out of his treehole and looked toward the small den just big enough for his forepaw.

The fox cubs were gone.

His face stiffening slightly, he scanned the open yard. With all the rocks and trees smashed down, there were no hiding spots.

But the red fox cubs were nowhere to be seen.

-.

Again—

A thin cry rang out. A frail sound, one that could be erased by the wind at any moment.

The white wolf perked his ears.

His crimson eyes flared like fire.

Every muscle in his legs and body tensed.

And then, the white wolf began to run.

Toward the sound of the fox cubs’ voices.

‘I thought I wouldn’t care if they disappeared…’

But that wasn’t true.

Just the fact that he couldn’t see them—just hearing those dying whimpers—had him using every ounce of strength, racing beyond his own territory and into another monster’s domain. The white wolf couldn’t believe it.

How long had it even been since they met?

Even so, his legs pushed harder against the earth. Deep footprints were left in the hardened ground.

—Mister!

Help!! Waaaah! Don’t eat me!!

Hearing Hao’s voice—maybe it was the memory of their first meeting, or maybe the relief that they were still alive—but the white wolf found himself smiling without realizing it.

He arrived at a place unlike the sunlit lawn in front of his den. This was a forest thick with trees.

“Hm?”

And in the largest of those trees, something with massive front paws was rolling the tiny fox cubs around like toys.

Its two long saber-like fangs gleamed threateningly.

It was the ruler of this territory: the Saber Tiger.

The two rulers had never met before, having stayed in their own territories. This was their first encounter.

The saber tiger noticed him immediately.

With fur so blindingly white in a place this green, it was impossible not to.

Being a feline, the saber tiger rose slowly with a curious expression and opened its mouth.

“Oh? What brings you to my territory—”

“Mister!!”

“Waaaah!!”

Those unmistakable white tufts of fur.

At the sight of them, Hao—already crying—and Pine, who had been trying so hard to hold back, both burst into loud sobs of relief.

The saber tiger blinked wide-eyed, looking back and forth between the white wolf and the fox cubs.

“Ah, I see. These kids are yours? Emergency snacks? You raising them like humans do? They don’t even look like a full bite, though.”

!!

The fox cubs, shocked, cried out “Nooo!” and began biting the saber tiger’s front paws. The very same cubs who had been trembling in fear moments ago were now attacking—just because the white wolf had appeared. It was kind of funny. Well, their teeth barely tickled.

“How about giving me one? They look tasty.”

“Waaah! Mister!!”

Little ones…

Your ‘mister’ doesn’t care about you.

The saber tiger had never met the white wolf before, but living next door in the neighboring territory, he knew the wolf’s reputation. He respected territory boundaries, only hunted for food, and showed no interest in anything else.

Well, it seems like he’s taken some interest in these fox cubs.

This was the saber tiger’s domain.

A stray fox cub or two that wandered in—surely, the white wolf would just let them go.

I mean, I don’t even care that much myself.

They were too small to even count as a proper snack. Maybe he’d just play with them a bit and let them go—

!!

A terrifying surge of killing intent stopped the saber tiger mid-thought, making him leap reflexively into the air.

BOOM!!
A thunderous crash followed.

Between the splinters of a shattered tree, white fur and burning red eyes appeared.

Before the saber tiger could process it, the white wolf’s massive paw had slammed into the tree.

…Insane…!

If it weren’t for his years of experience, the saber tiger would’ve been crushed along with the tree.

“Mister!!”

“You’re not hurt?”

“I’m okay!”

“I’m fine!”

The two fox cubs were clinging to the white wolf’s back like koalas. Despite delivering such a devastating blow, he had rescued them perfectly unharmed.

The white wolf gently lowered them beneath a nearby tree.

“Stay here for just a moment.”

…Wait. Just a moment…?

The saber tiger swallowed. Alarm bells started ringing in his head.

“Okay! We’ll stay right here!”

“Punish him, Mister!”

Wait, wait a second—

The saber tiger, now realizing the vast difference in strength, instinctively stepped back.

Something was going very wrong here.

“Alright.”

The white wolf turned toward him.

“I’ll make sure you regret it thoroughly.”

“W-Wait! I was joking!”

With eyes as red as flames, as if ready to burn the whole forest down, the white wolf advanced—and the saber tiger shouted, leaping away in panic.

I swear! It was a joke! Just a joke!

“I was gonna let them go after playing a bit…! Spare meee!!”

WHAM! BOOM! CRASH!

Gyaaah!!

“S-someone help! Big brooo!”

Under the safety of a tree, red fox siblings Pine and Hao giggled joyfully as they watched the totally one-sided battle.

After wrapping everything up and leaving the saber tiger’s territory (he’s still alive), the white wolf headed home with the fox cubs riding wearily on his back.

“Why did you cross into another territory?”

The white wolf asked, walking with the tired cubs on his back.

“…We wanted to know your name.”

“We thought maybe he would know…”

The fox cubs, now aware of how scary the world could be, whimpered in response. They had thought all monsters would be nice, just like their Mister Wolf.

The white wolf sighed.

He felt the little bodies on his back shrink slightly.

“I don’t have a name.”

The day he became a gray wolf—
his parents had said they would name him then.
But that day never came.

“Just…”

The white wolf remembered when he was just a pup. His sister and brother, playing with their friends.
He had wanted to be part of that.
To be with his family.
To be among the gray wolves.

“Call me… Chief.”

“Chief!”

“Chief!!”

The fox cubs cheered, chanting “Chief! Chief!” with beaming smiles.

That was the day the white wolf—unaware of how lonely he’d been—gained his own pack.
His own family.

---

“Chief! I’m here!”

“I don’t recall telling you to call me that.”

The red glint in the white wolf—no, Chief’s—eyes narrowed.

“Come on, we’re neighbors! Can’t I drop by?”

The saber tiger laughed and rolled on the lawn. Shameless, as always. Despite getting pummeled, he now visited Chief’s territory frequently without fear.

“This lawn is just too nice.”

Purr~

Purring contently, the saber tiger watched a blue slime slither around the grass and asked,

“Hey, what’s that blue slime thing?”

“Lawn mower, sprinkler, and Roomba.”

“…What?”

“It melts the grass with acidic fluid and waters it automatically.”

“Oh. As expected of Chief. You’re smart.”

Thanks to the Books of Life.

Snort. Chief huffed proudly as he looked around the front yard.

It had grown much larger since his days of solitude.
Now, it was filled with animals and monsters.

The phoenix that hatched from the egg Pine brought,
The injured griffin Hao found,
The steel snake the phoenix rescued (who seemed kind of dumb),
And the one the griffin dragged in…

Chief sighed deeply.

He never imagined it would turn out like this.

“Chief! Chief!”

“…Yeah. What did you drag in this time?”

Chief stood up.

Whenever he accepted someone as family or pack,
he engraved protective powers into them.

Pine, Hao, the phoenix, the griffin, the steel snake… even the saber tiger.
All of them now carried spells and abilities for their safety.

“No, no! Mr. Saber said he met an ogre once!”

The griffin flapped his now-healed wings excitedly.

“…An ogre?”

Ahem! “Yeah! One entered my territory, and I chased it off! Like this! I smacked it with my paw and its eye— OWW! Why’d you hit me, Chief?!”

So it was you!?!

Chief—once “the youngest”—slammed his paw into the back of the saber tiger’s head, fueled by all the pent-up rage from that day.