Ghost intended to let out a friendly howl to say hello and foster a sense of kinship among her own kind.
Black Wolf spoke first. "Awooo-wooo-awooo?" (Hey, do you want to mate with me?)
What the hell?! Ghost's eyes widened in shock as she froze for a moment. I thought of you as a bro, and you fucking want to ride me?
Seeing that Ghost gave no response, Black Wolf switched to a different method of communication.
A pleasant yet still arrogant voice rang directly inside her mind. "Hey, I'm asking you. Do you want to be this lord's wife? Don't look at me like this now, I used to be the strongest in the pack."
Ghost: *Series of cascading shocks.jpg*
Shocked out of my damn mind for a whole year!
Putting aside this bizarre courtship—animals are very direct, which she understood—what was up with this stream-of-consciousness communication?
Was this Black Wolf not an ordinary wolf either?
She vaguely remembered the werewolves in Twilight having this kind of telepathic communication ability, where alphas could remotely command their packs. She never expected to encounter this kind of magical natural sorcery in the world of Ice and Fire.
Black Wolf was still running its mouth oblivious to the world, giving Ghost a splitting headache. "Hmph, looks like an idiot. Forget it then, I'm afraid it'll pollute my mighty bloodline."
"How pitiful. She looks quite pretty, is she actually an idiot?"
"You still look like a young wolf, why would a she-wolf leave her pack? Were all your packmates killed?"
"Looks like she really is an idiot, can't even say a single word..."
What the fu—?! You're the only one with a mouth, yapping away all day long?! A sudden surge of rage flooded Ghost's veins, anger clouding her reason.
The white figure leaped forward like a ghost, her sharp teeth clamping tightly onto Black Wolf's... tail, her head shaking violently from side to side as she mauled it.
Caught completely off guard, Black Wolf let out a yelp of pain, tears almost welling up in its eyes, which only provoked its ferocity.
Without another word, the two wolves instantly locked in a vicious brawl.
Whether it was because Ghost had superior physical stats or Black Wolf was in poor condition, Black Wolf was completely no match for Ghost. Its remaining intact fur was almost entirely shredded off by Ghost, and its tail was nearly bitten clean through.
What felt unbelievable to Black Wolf was that its strength actually fell short of a juvenile she-wolf's.
Ghost had never learned wolf combat techniques, but the more she fought, the more pumped she got, feeling an endless well of brute strength inside her body.
Her pair of round, turquoise eyes even faintly gleamed with a bloody light.
"I surrender, I surrender! Stop biting me, awoo-awoo..." Black Wolf scrambled desperately, breaking free from Ghost's suppression, and whimpered as it slumped onto the ground, panting heavily.
Ghost gradually regained her composure, and the gruesome scene before her completely exceeded her expectations.
It seemed she was quite a fighter... It was just that after the fight, she felt so exhausted and starving... She could probably devour an entire cow right now.
Black Wolf spoke weakly, "You've conquered me... If you're going to ravage me, come on!"
Ghost: ?
What is wrong with you, trying to get a free ride like this?!
She said with utter contempt, "I think you're the one with something wrong in your head. Shouldn't a normal person... shouldn't a normal wolf start by saying hello and introducing themselves?"
Black Wolf raised its head slightly, gave her a strange look, and then lowered its head, falling silent.
It seemed to have passed out, its breathing growing somewhat faint.
Ghost: Oh no, this guy isn't going to die, is he? Was she really that savage?
Ghost shifted back into her human form and slowly crept closer, only to discover that Black Wolf already had older injuries, which had torn open during the fight, looking indeed quite severe.
The ground beneath it had been stained crimson with blood.
Terrified, Ghost hurried out to find something to treat the wounds. Before this, she had hidden Black Wolf in a long-abandoned farm west of Rotten Roots Farm.
This area was basically wilderness, sparsely populated but free of major beasts. There were plenty of small rodents in the wasteland, especially wild mice that came out in whole nests at the mere scratch of the dirt.
When carrying Black Wolf, Ghost had used her human form, lifting it up with ease, though she almost toppled backward from using too much force.
Looking down at her slender arms and legs, Ghost couldn't help sighing. Ever since she crossed over and stopped being human, was she getting more and more freakish?
First, she needed to tend to Black Wolf's injuries, and she still wanted to figure out what was going on with this telepathic communication between wolves.
Fortunately, although Black Wolf's breathing was faint, it was still tough.
This wolf was a bit unhinged, but she couldn't just leave it to die. A lone wolf with injuries this severe would only become food for the wilderness vultures.
Ghost sneaked back home to fetch some thick hemp rope and clean cloth, and after a moment's thought, poured out some liquor from the wine jar Old Bill secretly hid in a wall crack.
Probably needed to disinfect before bandaging Black Wolf's wounds? As for the rope, it was to help it "recuperate quietly."
She wondered if this coal-ball of a wolf could transform into a human; what if it woke up and ran away while she wasn't around?
Might as well tie it up in tortoise-shell bondage, hehehe...
A cold gust of wind blew past, and Ghost quickly shook her head, banishing the perverted thoughts from her skull.
She had been single for too long; she was looking at a dog and thinking it looked delicate and pretty.
The priority right now was to keep it alive!! Let's treat this dead wolf as a live one...
Dabbing a cloth into a small half-cup of liquor, she scrubbed Black Wolf's wounds. Feeling the pain, it let out faint whimpers in its unconsciousness.
It tugged a bit at the heartstrings of Ghost, who had been a dog lover in her past life.
Her bandaging skills were truly abysmal, and she accidentally wrapped two of the wolf's legs into the bundle as well. If you ignored Black Wolf's upper body, you would think the creature was a giant silkworm baby.
It was almost dawn, so this would have to do for now. Bill and Mesa woke up very early, so she had to hurry back and play the good child, then find some food to bring to it after dark.
Wolves were resilient creatures; it would definitely survive.
Not long after she rushed back to the small pasture, Bill and Mesa woke up.
Ghost heard Mesa cursing loudly in the fields: "That mangy little thief came to steal things again, even stealing ropes and cloth. I curse you to freeze to death in the cold night."
Ghost: Sorry QAQ...
Some strange things had been happening lately.
When Mesa worked out in the fields, she would occasionally "find" half-dead small animals like wild rabbits, moles, and squirrels. This made her wonder if some strange little field sprites were at play.
White Wolf covered her face—she was the one who caught them in wolf form... Well, she could only catch these small animals right now, not the big ones QAQ.
With some extra meat to improve their meals at home, Old Bill even took the skinned pelts to sell in town, slightly easing the burden on the couple.
Because Ghost herded sheep so well (?), Mesa and Bill practically showered her with endless praise, their rose-tinted glasses deepening day by day.
Only one thing bothered Ghost a little.
Old Bill said he kept running into Harley the Sly Wolf recently, and the other fellow even bought all the game he was selling, claiming it was to feed the dogs. But Harley was Lord’s Snow... how could those hunting dogs possibly lack meat?
Still, as long as there was money to be made, Old Bill just chuckled and thought nothing of it. But Ghost felt uneasy when she found out.
This Harley definitely had problems.