Poisoned

"Cough, cough," Crimson red blood stained the snow. Sounds of raspy breathing echoed around the clearing as the bright red blood turned black. Spirit was laying lifelessly in the snow, her poison resistance struggling to fight back and nullify the corrosive poison.

The fox, Rain, narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. She twitched her tail and a group of Corrupted Souls emerged from the shadows.

Corrupted souls were a form of shadow creatures, belonging to the group where they had a physical body, able to inflict deadly damage. Their only downfall was their lack of speed. The corrupted souls, 5 in total, were only rank 2, so their power was limited, but they were more than enough to finish off Spirit.

Shadow creatures evolved or ranked up when they killed and devoured a certain amount of life-essence. Powerful corrupted souls had the ability to wield poison, but the rank 2 corrupted souls were not even close to gaining an ability.

They slowly closed in on Spirit, preparing to deliver a deadly blow.

"Numbskulls! Get back here!" As the corrupted souls were gradually making their way towards Spirit, the large white wolf had snuck up behind Rain and made her move.

Interlocked in a fierce battle, Rain had shouted out for assistance, at a disadvantage due to being ambushed.

Spirit opened her eyes, struggling to her paws, "Mother," she said weakly, her eyes unable to contain her joy, worry, and sadness. Spirit winced, coughing up more blood and collapsing on the ground as the poison spread faster.

The two broke apart, circling each other as blood ran down their wounds. Rain smirked triumphantly. "Haha! I never thought this day would come, wouldn't you agree, Snow? How does it feel? Watching your pups die one after the other?"

Snow's expression was solemn, knowing it would be hard to win this fight after losing the element of surprise. She growled, "You don't have to do this, retract your poison and everything will be fine."

Rain snarled, "Hah! Everything will be fine? You won't fool me with your nonsense! Why would I do that? Can saving your pup bring mine back? I want you to feel the helplessness that I felt!"

"They couldn't be saved Rain. You and I both know that."

Rain growled, her eyes blinded by a haze of madness. "I trusted you, asked you to watch them, yet, you let a Gray Cobra get to them."

"I tried my best! You know how dangerous a Gray Cobra is. That day could've led to my death," Snow reasoned, trying to pacify Rain.

"Too bad it didn't, but let's not get hung up on that. Today will be your last."

Snarling, Rain pounced on Snow, claws extended and fangs bared, the two interlocked in a harsh battle, painting the serene, peaceful landscape into a battlefield of blood.

For a while, the two were at a standstill, evenly matched, but then, the dull-witted corrupted souls had finally caught up, launching attacks at tricky angles and distracting Snow. Blood spurted into the air as deep gashes lined Snow's flank.

In a disadvantageous situation, Snow fled, planning to circle around and retrieve Spirit once they were off her tail, but fate had other plans for her.

The corrupted souls slowly turned around, making their way towards the now unconscious Spirit. Rain hissed, looking back at Spirit and not noticing the slow rise and fall of her chest.

"Get back here, the pup is dead, her muddy pelt won't sell for much anyway." Obliging, the corrupted souls turned around once more and slowly began chasing Snow.

"Useless things," Rain muttered as she spun around and raced after Snow, easily overtaking the corrupted souls.

"BAM!" Snow's timely escape was interrupted as the ground beneath her feet sunk and she fell into a deep pit.

"Which adventurer dug a pit in the middle of the forest?!?!" Snow howled, enraged.

Rain skidded to a halt, peering over the edge and smirking happily. "Looks like even the heavens are on my side, Snow."

"They must've felt sorry for your mangy pelt," Snow snapped back, attempting to stand but falling back down due to her leg, which was twisted at an obscene angle, obviously broken.

Rain growled, "I've changed my mind, how can I let you die so easily? I'll let you experience hell first."

"Capture her, you fools!" Rain shouted at the corrupted souls. Frantically trying to go faster, they traveled at a snail's pace towards the pit.

Snow narrowed her eyes, ignoring the sharp pain in her leg. "Haha...Looks like your minions need an upgrade," she taunted.

Rain snarled impatiently, taking out multiple high-grade soul stones, converting them into energy, and creating a large teleportation rune before they all vanished into thin air, leaving behind a clearing of blood-stained snow, a half-dead pup, and the Forest of Dreams.