Chapter 43 - Adventure
A week had passed by quickly as Mian made his way out of the pack's lands. He made quick progress as he travelled in the opposite direction of the Henshaw Dynasty, heading in the direction of the sea that separated the Northern Continent from the rest of the world.
His journey was relatively quiet and uneventful, but that was not bound to last. On the evening of the seventh day of his journey, Mian accidentally stumbled upon a small settlement of mud and wooden houses that occupied a large clearing the middle of the forest.
A mix of male and female Werewolves stared at Mian with shock and confusion evident on their faces.
"Stranger! Identify yourself!" A loud voice boomed across that area of the clearing as a large, three meter tall Werewolf ran toward him with a spear in its grasp. The Werewolf radiated an intense aura of fierceness that showed that he was an experienced warrior who could face Mian if need be.
With a single glance at the Werewolf, Mian was able to determine his rank and where his power stood. Of course, that was possible thanks to Hana. While Mian could easily tell that he was a high ranking Werewolf, he could not pinpoint his exact ranking. That was where Hana was able to step in and help.
[Appraisal]
Species: Demi-human - Werewolf
Pack Ranking: High Ranking (Mid)
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(A/N: I made a small change to the 'Species' tab. I'm not sure how many of you will notice it, but I still want to point it out.)
Hana quickly gave Mian a short and summarized run down on the Werewolf's status and Mian nodded mentally.
"Hello, I mean no harm, I am just a traveler." Mian innocently raised his hands and revealed a helpless smile as he introduced himself.
The older demi-human fixed him with a deep, scrutinizing gaze that seemed to want to burn through Mian's skin to find out if he held any ulterior motives against the small settlement. After some time though, he finally reduced the intensity of his stare.
"Follow me, I wil take you to our leader." The man eventually said before escorting Mian through the clearing, and to a large wooden building that was situated on the opposite side that Mian had emerged from.
The building was built in an elaborate manner, and resembled a modest mansion. Mian guessed that the Patriarch of this medium sized pack had decided to take that area as his home.
A series of armed guards in the middle and higher rank were posted around the mansion. Mian was unable to spot even a single dominant demi-human throughout the journey to the mansion. He figured that they probably lacked the strength, and the dominants were scarce, or that the dominants had gone out on a dangerous mission. He could not be sure without getting more information.
The guards around the gates of the mansion straightened their backs and stomped the butts of their spears on the hard ground when the Werewolf leading Mian came into range. A few curious glances were shot at Mian, but ultimately diverted because he was with a high ranking member of their pack. Also, he was simply a middle rank, it would not be too hard to put him down if there was a need for it.
A simple looking door led into the mansion, and the Werewolf led Mian through it, down a few corridors, and straight to a room on the ground floor. Mian studied the walls and took note of any peculiar object he saw as he walked through the corridors.
He saw paintings and drawings of Werewolves of varying colors and ages. The names of the various Werewolves were carved into the wooden frames that held their paintings, marking them out as important figures that Mian guessed had to do with the founding and growth of the pack over time.
The Werewolf knocked on the door and waited politely. A few moments later, a gruff voice came from the other side of the door.
"Come in."
The voice was unmistakably male, and carried a hint of power and wisdom in it. The man leading him immediately bowed his head as an unrestrained look of respect and adoration appeared on his face. He gingerly turned the door knob and the door pushed open without a single creak.
The wooden door opened to reveal a large room. Small shelves lined the walls, brimming with books of all sizes and colors. Mian took in the room with wide and interested eyes. He knew what books were, but he had never seen so many of them. Even his ability to read was below average.
"Do you like my collection? I am quite proud of myself for gathering all this knowledge despite the poor background of my pack."
The same gruff voice that had given them permission to enter the room spoke out. Only then did Mian take note of the large mahogany table and large wooden chair that was draped with furs.. Sitting on the chair, a three meter tall, black Werewolf with a vertical scar running through his left eye smiled at Mian.