Chapter 2 Big Wolf

Is it a human? Or something else. Lily never knew what she was running from. What was clear was that there was an order in her head to run. "Run, Lily, hurry. Leave this place and get as far away as possible. Save yourself and hide, don't get caught and don't stop until you feel safe. Lily, run... Avoid them as best you can." Exclamations kept ringing in her ears, causing her to move her feet as if following orders. Lily never knew where she was going but knew as she listened. She would never stay there to save herself. No one was there, so she could only rely on herself in the middle of this dark, dense forest. Her footsteps did not stop moving boldly until she caught a wolf's eye. "Agh!" Lily gasped in shock, her feet stopping spontaneously. Her heart was beating so fast, its rhythm so wild and uncontrollable. Even without holding the part where the heart was, Lily could quickly feel the throbbing, which was quite loud, unlike usual. What was it? Was she running the wrong way? She had been running not to get caught, not to surrender herself to be seen. She was trying to get away instead of getting into trouble. Which way should she go? Lily wondered to the voice in her head, unfortunately, as her footsteps stopped. The voice also stopped being heard by Lily. Or the voice itself was Lily's belief in what she should do, and now that she had lost her faith, so the voice disappeared. Lily's fear made her unable to move away from it. Her blood seemed to flow so fast just by being stared at intently by a pair of round, large eyes many times larger than hers. Lily tried to look around her, making small movements as if she were just another tree moving its branches. She looked around for something she could use to defend herself if the wolf attacked. Her bare hands and bare feet would do nothing to hurt the wolf. Even Lily's teeth, sharp enough to chew flesh, were no match for the wolf's claws. It was the first time in her life that she had seen a wolf in person. Was a real wolf that big? Even the giant tree, three floors tall with a size that exceeded the span of her hand, looked like an ordinary tree when the wolf was standing next to it. Lily grimaced, her whole body paled at the situation she found herself in. Moreover, she saw that the only sizeable twig in her hand was no match for the size of the wolf's legs. It was no use. Lily was like fighting a wild cat with a matchstick when she was only the size of a tiny hamster in a cage. She was not trained to defend herself against a giant cat. She would be no match to it. The fragile match could not pierce the wild and fearsome big cat. Instead, it would be destroyed in a single blow. If it were up to the big cat, the little hamster would quickly be finished off in one fell swoop. The poor little hamster would know the end of its life instantly. Turning her head, Lily saw a cliff on one side and the same forest path on the other. Where should she go? The surrounding trees were a poor choice. She would never even reach a branch she could stand or sit on. It was too high and impossible to climb. Run? Lily was not prepared to be attacked while running. So her only option was the nearby cliff. Jumping from there would not take long. The wolf would not reach her when she jumped. Maybe it was better to die like that than to be torn apart by a wild animal and become its meal. Lily prepared herself, moving her feet as she watched the wolf and the cliff alternately. "Are you going to jump off the cliff?" the wolf asked, moving his feet slowly. Suddenly, Lily gasped. The shock of the wolf talking to her made her fall and hurt her leg on a rock. Lily sat down on the dew-soaked grass as the unreachable sun made the water couldn't evaporate in no time. The giant wolf moved forward. Just like she was watching a catwalk, its steps were more beautiful but a thousand times more terrifying. "Stop right there!” cried Lily, “Y-you can talk?" Lily moved her hand where her palm had been injured when falling earlier. She could not hide her fear. Her raised hand towards it trembled, showing her fear very clearly. I'm in trouble. Where exactly am I between dream and reality? Lily's thoughts were focused on a huge furry animal, even larger now that the wolf was approaching her. And even scarier, of course. The wolf didn't move, the one with the light brown fur and blue eyes approaching her with slow but steady steps. "You would rather die from free fall without thinking of another way? Why do you move and think so implausibly? I probably won't hurt you," It said. How could Lily believe those words? She was not stupid enough to believe the terms of such a horrible-looking creature. Lily was its food. Lily believed that. What kind of good treatment could a hamster get from a big cat that was after it? Don't be silly, Lily couldn't believe it. "Stay there! Or I'll jump!" threatened Lily confidently. Lily figured the big cat wouldn't want to lose its meal so it might obey Lily a little. Right now, Lily was having a little trouble getting up, let alone running, so she needed to buy some time to stand up. Again, the wolf ignored her. It kept walking at the same speed towards Lily. "Will you calm down if I show you my other form?" he asked in a big, heavy voice. Even when he spoke, he sounded terrifying to Lily, who could not be impressed. Lily couldn't believe it. Her eyes widened, stunned at the apparition before her. What's again? What kind of trick or magic? Lily hoped this dream would be over soon. Because she could not believe it, the huge wolf figure before her transformed into a human. Human-like, with legs and arms that were also similar to Lily's. And even more surprising, it was someone she recognised.