Snow Tiger

Suddenly, Solam felt something nudge his back. When he turned around, he saw his Direwolf, Frostfang. Frostfang looked at him with a wounded expression, and Solam immediately understood: he was jealous because we'd praised Bloodfang. Solam chuckled and hugged Frostfang's head, ruffling his fur vigorously.

"Yes, yes, my Frostfang is great, too."

Frostfang might have been big, but he was only two years old. His behavior was perfectly normal. Solam couldn't help thinking, This world is incredible. Damn, even wolves know how to get jealous.

After they'd played around for a while, Krum said, "We made a great haul this time. Do you think the adults will let us join the hunting party when we get back?" Children were like that; they all wanted the adults' approval.

"I doubt it. Honestly, we just got lucky this time." Solam wasn't expecting much. "You'll have to wait until you're at least sixteen before you get a chance. As for me, I'll probably have to wait a few more years." In Avalon, sixteen marked the start of manhood. On that day, the elders gave young Orcs a portion of livestock so they could begin herding their own animals. It meant they would be responsible for supporting themselves, and it was also the foundation for getting married and having children someday.

While the two of them were chatting away, neither noticed the few white shapes quietly approaching the edge of the clearing.

Suddenly, Frostfang, whose head Solam was holding, turned to stare at the bushes at the edge of the clearing. He bared his teeth and arched his back, his fur standing on end as he growled a warning at the bushes not far away. Bloodfang seemed to have sensed something, too, and growled in the same direction.

Solam and Krum saw their reaction and knew they were in trouble. Whatever was coming was no small threat. Solam immediately pulled the imitation Bloodfire battle axe from his back, while Krum grabbed his imitation Frostmourne. They were the prey now. Bows wouldn't be much use here; battle axes were more reliable. After all, Orcs were much better with axes than bows. Solam and Krum immediately stood back-to-back, holding their axes across their chests in fighting stances as they fixed their gaze on the direction Frostfang and Bloodfang were threatening.

Usually, when beasts realized they couldn't catch their prey by surprise, they retreated. After all, wild animals hunted to fill their bellies; they wouldn't risk their lives without good reason. As the saying went, survival came first.

But Frostfang and Bloodfang didn't relax. If anything, they looked even more ferocious, their fur bristling. Solam and Krum exchanged a glance, knowing there would be no peaceful resolution.

The beasts in the bushes seemed to hesitate, but they slowly emerged anyway.

One large white figure and two smaller ones came into view. Solam drew a sharp breath when he saw the three beasts. They were the rulers of the snowy plains—the Snow Tigers. (Snow Tigers were pure-white tigers, a species unique to Avalon. These ferocious beasts lived only in Frost Snow Land, in northern Avalon. They stood 1.7 meters at the shoulder and measured 4.5 meters from nose to tail, making them apex predators of the snowy plains. Strength: 18, Agility: 16, Intelligence: 10, Constitution: 17, Perception: 13, Charisma: 14.)

Solam and Krum stared tensely at the three Snow Tigers, cursing inwardly. Damn, they'd thought they'd been lucky today, only to run into Snow Tigers, which were rarely seen in eastern Avalon. If Solam hadn't seen the pelt of one of these vicious beasts at Aunt Zaira's, he might not have recognized it. (The Bloodaxe Clan's pastures were all in Avalon's easternmost region.) He didn't know how the three Snow Tigers had crossed all of Avalon to get here, but this was clearly no time to worry about that.

Solam was surprisingly calm. He wasn't nervous at all, and even he was astonished that he felt no fear. He immediately assessed the situation. The two smaller Snow Tigers clearly weren't adults; they were cubs. Frostfang and Bloodfang should be able to handle them. Both Direwolves now stood 1.2 meters tall and were 3 meters long, about the same size as the cubs. Even if they couldn't beat them, they should be able to hold them off. That left Solam and Krum to face the adult tiger.

Over the past two years, Solam had grown quickly and was now around 1.7 meters tall. He still couldn't match a muscle-bound brute like Krum, but he was by no means frail; his body was solidly muscled. Krum needed no introduction: he stood 1.85 meters tall and was absurdly muscular. Few Avalon Orcs his age had a build like his. The adult Snow Tiger across from them looked somewhat thin, as if it hadn't eaten well in a while, and its front paw was limping, apparently injured. But it still stood 1.7 meters at the shoulder and measured 4.5 meters long. It wouldn't be easy to fight. Still, with Krum and Solam working together, victory wasn't impossible.

Three against four. Both sides remained locked in a stalemate, afraid to make the first move. The three tigers fixed their bright green eyes on Solam and Krum. Clearly, they'd encountered Orcs before and knew they were more dangerous than Direwolves. Solam had considered giving up their hard-won prey to avoid a fight, but one look at the Snow Tigers' eyes told him that wasn't going to work. They had no intention of letting them go.

The standoff broke when one of the cubs attacked. Clearly inexperienced at hunting, it launched itself at Solam and Krum first. The fight erupted. The two Direwolves roared and leaped at the cubs, while Solam and Krum raised their battle axes and charged the adult Snow Tiger. Krum took the lead, with Solam supporting him from the side. Krum was three years older than Solam and stronger in both build and strength. With the adult Snow Tiger's front paw injured and its agility compromised, Krum could lead the attack without a problem.

Krum charged the Snow Tiger in a few strides and swung his axe at its head. The tiger was no pushover. It quickly raised its front half and swatted the incoming axe from the side with its uninjured paw.

The blow landed with tremendous force against the side of the axe. Krum's training paid off, and he kept hold of his weapon, but the impact inevitably knocked him off his feet.

Solam seized his chance. The Snow Tiger had just knocked Krum down and was between moves, so Solam swung his axe at its head. The tiger was still in midair and had little chance to dodge. It managed to turn its head to the left, avoiding Solam's axe, but its body couldn't move out of the way in time. Solam's Bloodfire struck the tiger on its right side.

"Roar!" The adult Snow Tiger let out a piercing cry. The blow had landed. Solam had opened a gash at least fifty centimeters long, stretching from the tiger's neck down to its already-injured right foreleg. Blood instantly stained its chest and entire right foreleg.

The cub fighting Frostfang heard the adult Snow Tiger's cry and hurriedly turned toward Solam and Krum. Frostfang seized the opening. He opened his mouth, full of sharp fangs, clamped down on the cub's throat, and knocked it to the ground.

After being knocked down, Krum rolled across the ground and sprang back to his feet in one smooth motion. Before he was even steady, he raised his battle axe and charged the adult Snow Tiger again. The tiger hadn't recovered from Solam's blow when Krum rushed in with his axe. But the Snow Tiger wasn't easy prey. It immediately reacted, darting to the left. That was the right move, but its injured right foreleg slowed it down. It was a fraction too late. It avoided being disemboweled from the right, but still took a gash nearly thirty centimeters long on its right side, from its back down its flank. It looked dangerous, but the wound wasn't deep.

The cub in Frostfang's jaws let out a weak cry. The adult Snow Tiger had no time to feel the pain of its new wounds. It hurriedly turned to look at the battle on its right, only to see Frostfang's sharp teeth tearing into the cub's throat. The cub's paws, which had been striking Frostfang, were growing weaker. It was nearly finished.

The adult Snow Tiger saw this and flew into a rage. Ignoring its wounds, it lunged straight at Frostfang and the cub. Krum was right there. Seeing the tiger move, he rushed to stop it, but he'd clearly underestimated its explosive power. The Snow Tiger saw Krum in its way and, ignoring the injury to its foreleg, pushed off with all four limbs in a tremendous leap straight at him. Krum hurriedly raised his axe, but it was too late. The tiger slammed into his chest and sent him flying six meters. He hit the ground and lay motionless, his life uncertain.

Solam saw what had happened and panicked. If Krum died like this, he would never forgive himself. He'd been the one to suggest going hunting and the one who'd brought Krum along. If anything happened to Krum, Solam wouldn't know how to face his family, or his uncle and aunt.

"Roar!" With an enraged howl, Solam charged the Snow Tiger, eyes red and axe in hand. As he ran, his eyes and skin grew redder, his speed increased, and his muscles gradually swelled.

After knocking Krum away, the Snow Tiger was a little dazed too. It shook its head twice and started to clear it. Then it heard a mighty roar, brimming with fury, from behind. The tiger sensed the threat of death. Forgetting the cub, it hurriedly turned around and saw Solam charging toward it, his face contorted and flushed red. The threat felt even closer than the one posed by the two axe blows. The Snow Tiger's eyes reddened as it charged at Solam. A cornered beast was often the most dangerous.

The two enraged beasts collided in their wildest forms. BAM! Solam and the Snow Tiger slammed into each other, then quickly sprang apart. Solam had opened another wound on the tiger, but the Snow Tiger struck back, raking a paw across Solam's chest. Four bloody scratches stretched from Solam's right shoulder to his left ribs.