Wolf Running Beneath the Moon

That night, everyone who had gone out on raids returned. One had been seriously wounded, and two lightly wounded. The seriously wounded man had been besieged by two wolf riders while covering a sentinel. Thankfully, there had been no deaths. Greymane counted himself fortunate and told the injured to recover properly.

After a simple dinner, Greymane, Darius, Alpha, and the other squad leaders continued discussing the next day's mission.

Alpha said, "I request to carry out an assassination mission. I want to thoroughly scout out the Orcs' encampment." Darius said, "I'll personally take part in that assassination as well. I can't always stay in the rear while the young ones fight on the battlefield." Greymane actually wanted to go to the battlefield too, but either he or Darius had to remain behind to hold the fort. He could only say regretfully, "Have you decided on the men? What equipment do you need?"

Darius thought for a moment before saying, "I already have some preliminary candidates. For this assassination, I'll only take four people, including Alpha. The rest will continue working with the sentinels tomorrow to clear the Orcs within our range. It would be best if they could push into enemy territory as well, though that's a bit far." Greymane looked over the terrain and said, "That's not impossible. Tomorrow, I'll send a squad to infiltrate the enemy camp and support you."

After receiving their assignments, the squad leaders went off to give orders to their men. Alpha, meanwhile, was a special case. He had no subordinates and belonged directly to the king's special unit—in other words, he operated alone.

After returning to his tent, he began his daily required exercise—meditation. Yes, meditation. Ever since Alpha had visited that space called Emerald, he had wanted to enter it again, but no matter how he tried, he always failed. Today was no exception. He failed once more. Still, every meditation brought benefits, allowing Alpha to better understand nature and his own power. Especially after receiving Goldrinn's blessing, Alpha discovered that something seemed to have appeared within him, helping him cultivate his strength. He did not know whether it was good or bad. All he could say was that there had been no changes so far.

After waking, Alpha draped a coat over himself and walked to the entrance, leaning against the doorframe as he looked at the starry sky. A huge full moon hung in the deep blue heavens. Though there were only a few stars, they all shone brightly, as if unwilling to yield to the moon and determined to compete for the eyes of the world. The surroundings were silent, save for the crackling of burning torches and the footsteps of patrolling soldiers.

Unable to sleep, Alpha quietly slipped out of the camp. The cautious way he moved made him feel as though he were back in childhood, stealing fruit from someone else's orchard. I'm already this old, yet I still have to sneak around. Alpha shook his head and drove the thought from his mind. Finding an open space, he closed his eyes and relaxed his entire body. Moonlight draped over Alpha like a thin veil. At that moment, his attention sank into his body as he felt Goldrinn's power. He felt as if he had become a silver-white wolf, running beneath the moonlight across an endless grassland. Completely free, with no war and no enemies. He could stop and howl at the sky if he wanted.

When Alpha opened his eyes, he discovered that he had truly become a wolf. He was not as huge as he had imagined, and his fur was not that beautiful silver-white either. It was mainly gray-black, streaked with silver-white.

Alpha was thrilled beyond measure. He moved his four paws and began walking slowly. His walk became a trot, then finally a mad sprint. Trees swept backward on either side of him through the forest like a gale, yet Alpha was not worried in the slightest about crashing into one. At that moment, he only felt incomparably agile, and despite running for so long, he was not tired at all. If someone were watching from above, they would see a dark shadow darting through the woods, too fast to catch.

After running for who knew how long, Alpha finally stopped. Once he reoriented himself, he discovered that he had actually run all the way to the enemy camp. Since I'm here, I might as well take a look around. Alpha did not want to give up this opportunity, so he lightened his steps and quietly made his way toward the enemy.

His raised ears constantly received sounds converging from every direction, while his pale blue eyes glimmered with an eerie green light beneath the moon.

"Why haven't the relief shift come yet? I'm starving to death," an Orcish voice came from ahead. Alpha immediately stopped, lowered himself, and crawled forward in secret. Two Orcs stood at the highest point holding torches, with a watchtower beside them and another Orc standing atop it. Seeing this, Alpha pressed himself even lower.

"Who knows? Maybe they ate too much and can't walk anymore," Orc A said. "Doesn't that mean there won't be much food left for us? That won't do. What if we get there late and there's no food?" Orc B said. Rubbing his hands together, Orc A said, "What are you panicking for? There'll be food. If there isn't, we'll make something for ourselves. Wouldn't that be even better? Look, they're here. You guys are really slow." Two more figures appeared before them. "Of course we are. There's roast meat tonight," Orc C said contentedly. "Let's go, there's roast meat," Orc B said hurriedly. Orc A watched the already fleeing Orc B and sighed helplessly. After saying goodbye, he left as well. Alpha also departed after the Orcs changed shifts. As a result, he did not hear the conversation that followed. If he had heard it, the tragedy the next day would not have happened.

The newly arrived Orcs C and D chatted cheerfully. "What's the background of that newly arrived banshee? She actually has a seat in the council hall. Just seeing that seductive figure of hers makes my mind wander."

"As your brother, I have to advise you and pull you back. That lady isn't someone you can fantasize about. Don't be fooled by the fact that she isn't built like us. That lady is no simple person. I heard from the other brothers that she was once an elf ranger with superb archery skills, then she was killed alive by the Scourge and resurrected into what she is now. Do you know Gilneas? They say it was that lady's handiwork. It's nothing but ruins now."

After sneaking back into camp, Alpha found Greymane waiting for him. Greymane opened his eyes and asked, "You're back. Be careful next time. You need to report it when you go out. This is the army; discipline must be observed." Alpha immediately stood straight. "Yes, sir." Greymane poured a cup of water and said, "Don't stand there. This is your tent. I came secretly. I only want to entrust you with one thing: when you infiltrate their camp tomorrow, keep a close eye on Darius. His temper is too rash. I'm afraid he'll suffer for it."

Alpha quickly promised that he would take good care of Boss Darius.

Greymane wanted to say something more, but in the end said nothing. Before leaving, he merely patted Alpha on the shoulder. Yet the moment Greymane's hand touched his shoulder, Alpha stiffened briefly before relaxing again. "May fortune favor you in battle. Make sure every one of you comes back." Alpha understood what Greymane meant, even though he had not said it outright. King Greymane must have thought of that incident, which was why he could not bring himself to speak. After saying those words, he had lost his beloved queen and his only son.

This was destined to be a sleepless night.