Snow Tiger

Suddenly, Solam felt something nudge his back. He turned to see his direwolf, Frostfang, looking at him with a touch of grievance; Solam immediately realized that Frostfang was jealous because Bloodfang had been praised. Amused, Solam hugged Frostfang's head and began to rub it vigorously.

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

Despite his massive size, Frostfang was only two years old, so this behavior was quite normal. Solam couldn't help but think, This world is truly wondrous. Damn, even a lead wolf knows how to be jealous.

After playing for a while, Krum said, "This is a huge harvest. Do you think the adults will let us join the hunting party when we get back?" Children were all the same, hoping to be recognized by the adults.

"I doubt it. To be honest, we just got lucky this time." Solam didn't hold much hope for it. "You have to wait until you're at least sixteen to have a chance, and as for me, I'll probably have to wait a few years too." In Avalon, sixteen was considered the age of manhood. On that day, elders would give young orcs a portion of livestock to start their own herds, signifying that they were ready to support themselves—the foundation for marriage and starting a family.

Just as the two were chatting away, neither noticed several white shadows quietly approaching the edge of the clearing.

Suddenly, Frostfang, whose head was still being held by Solam, turned toward the bushes at the edge of the clearing. He bared his teeth, arched his back, and his fur stood on end, emitting a threatening low growl at the nearby thicket. Seeing this, Bloodfang seemed to notice something as well and began to growl in the same direction.

Seeing this, Solam and Krum knew they were in trouble; it seemed the newcomers were not small. Solam immediately drew the replica Bloodfire battle-axe from his back, and Krum drew the replica Frostmourne. At this moment, they were the prey. Bows and arrows were of little use now; battle-axes were far more reliable, as orcs were much more adept with axes than bows. Solam and Krum immediately stood back-to-back, holding their axes across their chests in a combat stance, staring intently at the direction Frostfang and Bloodfang were threatening.

Usually, if a beast realized it had lost the element of surprise, it would retreat. After all, beasts hunted to fill their bellies and would not risk their lives without cause; as the saying went, survival was everything.

However, instead of relaxing, Frostfang and Bloodfang grew even more ferocious, their fur bristling. Solam and Krum exchanged a look, knowing there would be no easy way out of this.

The beasts in the bushes seemed to hesitate for a moment before slowly emerging.

One large and two small white figures stepped out, and Solam gasped. These white shadows were the overlords of the snow plains—Snow Tigers (a species of pure white tiger unique to Avalon, found only in the frozen lands of the north. They are top-tier predators of the snow plains, with a shoulder height of 1.7 meters and a body length of up to 4.5 meters including the tail. Strength 18, Agility 16, Intelligence 10, Constitution 17, Perception 13, Charisma 14).

Solam and Krum watched the three Snow Tigers nervously, cursing inwardly. Damn it, I thought we were lucky today, but we ran into these Snow Tigers, which are rarely seen in the eastern part of Avalon. If they hadn't seen the pelt of such a beast at Aunt Zaira's place, they might not have recognized them. (The Bloodaxe Clan's pastures were in the far east of Avalon.) Although they didn't know how these three had crossed all of Avalon to get here, it was clearly not the time to ponder such things.

Solam was surprisingly calm, feeling no tension, which even he found strange. He immediately analyzed the situation: the two smaller Snow Tigers were clearly not yet adults—they were cubs. The direwolves should be able to handle them; both were now 1.2 meters tall and 3 meters long, comparable in size to the cubs, so even if they couldn't win, they could at least hold them off. That left Solam and Krum to face the adult tiger.

Over the past two years, Solam had grown rapidly to about 1.7 meters. While he lacked the sheer bulk of a muscle-bound youth like Krum, he was by no means weak, and his muscles were well-defined. Krum was even more impressive, standing 1.85 meters tall with an absurd amount of muscle; even among Avalon orcs, few his age had such a physique. The adult Snow Tiger opposite them looked a bit thin, as if it hadn't eaten well for a while, and its front paw was limping, suggesting an injury. Regardless, with a shoulder height of 1.7 meters and a length of 4.5 meters, it was definitely not easy to deal with, but two-on-one against Krum, they had a fighting chance.

Three against four, both sides remained deadlocked, neither daring to make the first move. All three tigers kept their green, glowing eyes fixed on Solam and Krum. Clearly, they had encountered orcs before and knew they were more dangerous than direwolves. To be honest, Solam had considered abandoning their prey to avoid conflict, but one look at the Snow Tigers' eyes told him that idea was futile; the tigers had no intention of letting them go.

The standoff was broken by an attack from one of the cubs. Clearly lacking hunting experience, it launched the first strike, and the situation exploded into action. The two direwolves roared and lunged at the cubs, while Solam and Krum raised their axes to meet the adult Snow Tiger. Krum took the lead, with Solam providing support. Krum was three years older than Solam and superior in both physique and strength, so with the adult tiger's front paw injured and its agility compromised, Krum leading the charge was the right call.

Krum took several large strides toward the Snow Tiger, raised his axe, and swung it at the tiger's head. The Snow Tiger was no pushover; it quickly raised its upper body and used its uninjured paw to swat the incoming axe from the side.

The massive force slammed into the side of the axe. Krum's training held true, and he didn't lose his weapon, but his body was inevitably knocked to the ground.

Solam seized the moment. Just as the Snow Tiger had finished its swat and was caught in the brief window before it could recover, he swung his axe at its head. The tiger's body hadn't landed yet, making it difficult to dodge. It could only tilt its head to the left to avoid the blade, but its body had no time to move. Solam's "Bloodfire" cleaved directly into the tiger's right flank.

"Awoo..." A shrill roar erupted from the adult Snow Tiger. The axe had found its mark, opening a wound at least 50 centimeters long that stretched from the tiger's neck down to its already injured right front paw. Blood instantly stained the tiger's chest and leg.

The cub struggling with Frostfang heard the adult's pained roar and turned its head toward Solam and Krum. Frostfang immediately seized the opening, opened his jaws filled with sharp fangs, bit the cub's throat, and pinned it to the ground.

After being knocked down, Krum rolled and stood up in one fluid motion. Before he had even steadied himself, he lunged at the adult Snow Tiger again with his axe. The tiger, still reeling from Solam's strike, was caught off guard by Krum's follow-up. However, the beast was resilient; it tried to dodge to the left, but its injured right leg slowed it down. While it avoided being gutted, Krum still left a 30-centimeter wound along its right side, stretching from its back to its flank—a shallow but alarming strike.

At that moment, the cub bitten by Frostfang let out a weak whimper. The adult Snow Tiger, ignoring its own new wounds, turned its head toward the other side of the battlefield. It saw Frostfang's fangs tearing into the cub's throat, and the cub's claws, which had been striking Frostfang, grew weaker and weaker. It was dying.

Seeing this, the adult Snow Tiger went berserk. Ignoring its wounds, it lunged toward Frostfang and the cub. Krum, who was nearby, saw the movement and rushed to intercept, but he clearly underestimated the tiger's explosive power. Seeing Krum's interference, the tiger endured the pain in its leg, pushed off with all four limbs, and launched itself at Krum in a high-speed leap. Krum hurriedly raised his axe, but it was too late; the tiger slammed into his chest, sending him flying six meters away, where he landed and lay motionless, his fate unknown.

Seeing this, Solam lost his composure. If Krum died here, he would never forgive himself. It was his idea to go hunting, and he was the one who brought Krum along. If something happened to Krum, he wouldn't know how to face his family, his uncle, or his aunt.

"ROAR!" With a furious shout, Solam charged at the Snow Tiger with bloodshot eyes and his axe raised. As he ran, his eyes and skin turned increasingly red, his speed surged, and his muscles began to swell.

The Snow Tiger, having just collided with Krum, was slightly dazed and shaking its head to clear it. Hearing the roar of fury behind it, the tiger sensed a threat to its life. Ignoring the cub, it spun around to see Solam charging toward it, his face twisted and flushed crimson. The tiger sensed a danger even greater than the previous axe blows and lunged at Solam with bloodshot eyes; a cornered beast is always at its most dangerous.

The two beasts, both driven by a primal, blood-red rage, collided in a savage display of raw power. "BOOM!" Solam and the Snow Tiger crashed together and immediately recoiled. Solam had added another wound to the tiger, but the tiger did not hold back, raking its claws across Solam's chest, leaving four bloody gashes that stretched from his right shoulder to his left ribs.