It took a full three hours for the woman to silently give birth to the child in her womb. The infant took its first breath in the cold wind, letting out a cry-like sound as it inhaled, breaking the constant oppression of the Tundra, while the distant Wolf Pack's howling continued unabated.
Looking at the male infant wriggling and struggling in the icy winter frost, a satisfied smile finally appeared in the woman's cold eyes.
She used the longsword in her hand to cut the umbilical cord, then unfastened her leather armor and held the newborn, blood-stained child in her arms.
The woman had been hungry for too long, she didn't even have a drop of milk to feed her child. The newborn seemed to realize this and also fell silent.
The strong winds in the sky scattered the dark, heavy clouds. The heavy snow, which had fallen for seven full days, finally paused for a while. Behind the clouds, a hazy starry night was revealed, with brilliant auroras like colorful divine curtains, floating with the night wind. Two enormous moons flickered in and out of view in the deep sky behind the clouds and light, one red and one white, subtly concealing their majestic forms in places unreachable by mortal eyes.
The woman peered out of the hollow and looked back the way she came, her golden hair, matted with mud, plant debris, and dried blood, flying like a flag in the wind.
The undulating mountain ranges on the horizon were majestic and severe, with stern, blade-like ridges and sky-piercing peaks faintly visible through the mist of wind and snow, as if they could pierce through human arrogance even from a thousand miles away. These terrifying yet revered natural formations, however, gave the woman immense encouragement and strength.
The Nord of Skyrim are familiar with snow and mountains. Their ancestors came from the continent of Atmora, even further north than the continent of Tamriel, a terrifying place that could freeze a person's bone marrow.
The woman reveled in the severe cold and blizzard, as if bathing in the gentle breeze and light rain of spring. At this moment, shimmering blue light points moved at the end of the increasingly dark land. These light points were the eyes of the Wolf Pack, these greedy predators, chasing the woman's blood, quietly approaching.
The woman gripped the longsword in her hand, the leather on the hilt as hard as wood. She revealed a cruel smile. A warrior never fears a strong enemy. To her, these greedy creatures were merely pathetic prey delivering themselves to her.
The Wild Wolf of Skyrim also did not fear the bitter cold. They slowly encircled her. Three or five of them moved silently from the south, while one each from the east and west let out successive howls, distracting the woman's attention.
Cunning beasts.
The woman narrowed her eyes, carefully observing the Wolf Pack to the south under the still-bright sky. Several grey shadows moved silently across the grey Tundra. These were ordinary Wild Wolf, but it seemed they lacked the command of a Wolf Pack leader, their movements were scattered. This discovery made the woman quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
The Wolf Pack would certainly not let her go. In the scarce food of late winter, giving up a feast of human flesh would undoubtedly be a disaster for a pack.
For the woman, she likewise would not give up these Wolf Pack. What could they bring? Flesh, blood, and fur. The woman needed food to replenish her energy and nutrients to nurse her child, and the male infant also needed a warm fur for a swaddling cloth.
The Wolf Pack on the east and west were still howling, while the Wolf Pack from the south had already run behind the hollow. The woman removed her leather armor, wrapped the child, leaving herself with only an apron, her umbilical cord still dangling between her legs. Her head was held high, holding her longsword, and the scattered starlight, swaying aurora, and soft moonlight shimmered behind her at this moment, like the opening of a magnificent play.
Three Wolf Pack stood in front, one stood further back, and the remaining two stood observing from a distance, sideways, turning their heads, like four-legged stools, their eyes reflecting light.
From silence to explosion, the Wolf Pack took but an instant. Two lunged at the woman's legs, one jumped up, mouth open towards her neck.
The woman, with a side kick, sent both Wild Wolf in front of her legs flying, then raised her sword and thrust it into the mouth of the leaping Wolf Pack. She was, after all, very tired and hungry. This strike pierced the Wolf Pack's oral cavity, but she lacked the strength to impale its throat. The Wild Wolf bit down on the longsword, baring its fangs, its eyes, though unfamiliar, were equally savage.
The woman lunged forward, pushing the longsword deeper. Steel scraped against fangs, as if sparks could fly even on such a cold night.
Finally, the longsword emerged from between the Wild Wolf's ribs.
It died, but still held onto the sword.
The Wolf Pack observing from the east and west recoiled slightly, then began to charge.
The two that had been kicked away had already circled behind the woman. One bit her left leg, the other was repelled by the woman's punch.
The last Wolf Pack now charged the woman, pouncing and striking with its claws.
The woman let out a roar, like thunder.
The Nord's war cry, shaking heaven and earth, repelled strong enemies. The Wolf Pack panicked, even the one biting the woman's calf whimpered, released its grip, and fled.
The woman glanced at her profusely bleeding calf, then paid it no more attention, forcefully pulled out her longsword, and threw it with all her might, impaling the torso of a Wolf Pack in front. The remaining Wolf Pack fled without looking back.
The woman smiled, then went and killed the fallen Wolf Pack. Now she had two acquisitions.
She tore open the Wolf Pack's throat and drank its hot blood. She felt warmth and strength churning in her stomach, and gradually, her whole body grew hot. She even broke into a light sweat, which was quickly turned into ice powder by the wind.
Good, now she could nurse her child. She returned to the hollow, only to find her child gone.
The smile vanished from her face.
It was replaced by terrifying rage. She let out a piercing scream, like a demon in the snow.
The Wolf Pack's footprints stretched on, and the woman, before the wind and snow could erase the traces, hurried to pursue.
There were more than just those few Wolf Pack. Another one, taking advantage of the distraction, had quietly snuck into the hollow and snatched the infant. Now it was separated from its companions and was planning to find a good place to eat by itself.
The infant was wrapped in leather armor, and the leather armor was held in the Wolf Pack's jaws. He dangled a few centimeters from the ground, gently swaying. He opened his eyes and looked north. A faint salty smell wafted from the frigid Sea of Ghosts, mixed with the Wolf Pack's bad breath, making him feel a little nauseous.
Simon was quite helpless; in this situation, he was powerless to resist.
As the embodiment of a Bodhisattva's thought, he had no divine powers or martial arts.
It could be said that he lived a very difficult life.
Simon sighed again. The only thing that gave him some hope was that he did, after all, have a backer. The Bodhisattva had given him a little support.
In the palm of his right hand, there was a small floral pattern. This was a storage space, but it hadn't been activated yet. In addition, there was a quest panel in his mind.
The quest panel was like an invisible notepad and memo. Simon could store any information he wanted to record in the panel, so even if he had a hundred tasks on hand, he wouldn't forget any of them — in a way, it was a godsend for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Simon stared at the projection of the quest panel in front of him, recording his first quest.
"Escape with your life: I've just been born, and now I've been snatched by a vicious Wolf Pack. I'm about to be eaten, I have to survive. Quest One: Escape the Wolf Pack's Jaws."
Having done this much, Simon already felt a bit sleepy. A hoarse roar came from afar; it was his mother.
My mom, come save me quickly!
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