Veric jumped from the hill, wind tearing through his fur.
The orc hadn't noticed him yet—too focused on trying to strike the trembling fox child.
Veric landed on the orc's shoulders; his smalls couldn't penetrate the orc's thick skin, but he tried to bite as hard as he could. The orc roared in shock, staggering backward, swinging its heavy axe wildly through the air.
Each swing sent gusts of wind, but Veric held on just long enough before leaping off, landing between it and the fox beastman.
"YAP! YAP!" (a/n: since Veric is still a pup, his barks sounded cute hehe)
Veric barked toward the fox child, signalling him to run. The boy froze for a moment, wide-eyed and trembling.
Now that they're closer, the child must be around Veric's age, maybe a little older. He has freckles across his face, his skin is tanned, and his vivid orange hair has black roots. He is adorned with a pair of thick ears that are flattened due to fear. His bushy tail wrapped around his waist, and his skinny legs and arms were covered in scratches.
The little fox gasped when the orc roared, and that seemed to snap him out of his daze.
The fox scrambled off the ground and ran.
Veric turned his attention to the orc. He concentrated, channeling darkness that pulsed from beneath his paws.
A deep black mist seeps upward and spreads in jagged lines. The shadows coiled, gathered, and took the shape of three wolves that looked just like him. Dark, sleek, and glimmering faintly with blue static.
The orc charged forward with an ear-shattering roar. The three shadow wolves attacked first. One went forward, but the orc swung onto it, and the wolf vanished into smoke. Then, the destroyed shadow darted toward the orc's head, circling it, covering its eyes.
The orc bellowed in frustration, one hand trying to continuously rip away the shadow that wrapped tightly around his head.
The other two shadow wolves lunged low, their jaws snapping around its ankles. The orc collapsed to one knee from the bite, and this is Veric's cue to attack.
He darted forward, and a flash of shadow and lightning trailed off behind him. Shadows rippled around him as he leapt, landing on the orc's neck. His teeth found the orc's throat—and this time, he released a burst of electricity that spread through the orc's massive frame.
The orc convulsed, a strangled roar breaking off, and the stench of burning flesh filled the air. When the electricity and shadows disappeared, the orc had already turned to crisp and fell to the ground.
The three wolves dissipated, swirled back toward Veric, and blended with his shadow.
Everything went quiet.
Veric turned around and blinked when he saw the fox boy peeking from behind a boulder, his eyes sparkling in awe.
"Y-You saved my life..."
Veric transformed back into a human and looked at the fox. "Yeah. I hope you're okay—"
"YOU'RE NAKED!"
"I-I NEED TO TAKE MY CLOTHES OFF TO TRANSFORM!"
"OH MY GOD MY EYES! MY POOR INNOCENT EYES!"
"HEY! WEREN'T YOU GRATEFUL I SAVED YOU JUST NOW?!"
After that, the fox helped Veric gather his clothes, and Veric thanked him with blushing cheeks.
"My name is Finn! I-I'm an orphan, but I lived in a fox village not far from here." Finn introduced himself and sheepishly scratched his cheek with his finger.
"I'm Veric. What are you doing so far from the village?" Veric asked curiously.
"Since I'm the only runt in the village, no one wants to give their share of food to me. And the other pups bullied me," Finn lowered his ears, staring down at his hands sadly. "And I'm too hungry to transform into my beast form and hunt. I went further away from the village to find more food, but..."
He glanced toward the orc.
Veric hummed in understanding.
Finn glanced back curiously at Veric. "A-Also, I'm sorry to ask this, but are you a mage? I've never seen or heard a beastman having powers."
Veric smiled, glancing around before leaning in closer. "Don't tell anyone this, but I'm a Ythra,"
"..."
"..."
"... Mr.Veric, I understand that you're strong, but being delusional is too much."
"I'M NOT LYING!"