2 Escorting the Caravan

The king's harem court… was one of the greatest things the lesser countries were grateful for. King Fenris of Middlemist was the most powerful beast monarch, and he was known to gather servants from the lesser crowns. Those who served him without fail received resources from Middlemist—from food to soldiers, from building materials to coins.

Ever since the rise of the unicorn race, most countries sought its power. Monsters abounded the world, and they were the only ones who could subdue those things without breaking a sweat. However, unlike the tales of the old world, these unicorns also came in black. The white ones were the purest who granted healing and peace, while the black ones were the destroyers who shed blood and chaos.

"A member of the harem court, huh…?" Kanaru hummed as he glanced at his brother. "…that's still three days away. I'll see how far I can walk the caravan tonight. I'll return as soon as I can!"

Covey only watched the brother run off to get to the gates, where the caravan was stationed. The first prince wanted to say something, but he couldn't bring himself to say it to his brother's face. "…Kanaru, don't stay away too long. They'll think you're escaping your duties to the crown."

…

Steps were traced as Kanaru consciously stepped on twigs along the way as if mapping his way back. The people in the caravans were only sheltered from the cold by their blankets and the cloth wall of the carriage. Instead of horses, able-bodied men—who had enough strength left—drew the carriage. If Kanaru were allowed, he would pull the carriage as well.

He was only walking behind the carriage for now. His smiles were on his face as the children watched him from inside the carriage. Unlike earlier, he kept his thick-feathered wings on his back to protect his skin from the cold.

"Your Highness, you should return by now. We have been walking for hours." The caravan's leader came to speak to Kanaru at the back. He was strong like the ones drawing the carriage, but he had a long knife with him as if prepared to fight a monster. "The scents we left might vanish soon. You might lose your way in the dark."

"It's all right. Even if I get lost, I can just track the sun, and I will find my way. It's more important for you guys to find a suitable place to stay. It's relatively cooler here, so there should be water. Where there is water, there should be villages at least." Kanaru's tone was light and optimistic as if he was not walking in complete darkness.

The leader doubted the young man's demeanor, but when he caught Kanaru waving at the scared children inside the carriage, he figured it was for the best. His demeanor would still keep the children and the elderly from panicking. The adults were also breathing less tight when they saw the prince prancing as if his image was a relaxing sight.

It was just that the carriage stopped moving. Everyone also felt the tension in the air as growls came from the front. The leader ran to the front while Kanaru only looked around for anything that would hit the back. Soon, a claw shone under the light cast by the carriage's lamp. Monster wolves circled the sole carriage, their teeth edging from their mouths.

When Kanaru saw the wolves closing in from the back, he figured they were nothing close to the wolves drawn in the old world's books. It was possible that the foreign contaminants mutated the animals, just as how the human genes were altered. Then again, these things were bigger and fiercer than they should be. Moreover, with those skinny bodies, these wolves must not have eaten for a while.

"Your Highness, stick close to the carriage." One man took out his long knife and prepared to fight the wolves. His body was overtaken by fur, but that added defense was the only mutation his gene had. Other people who decided to fight only grew minimal defensive features as well.

"No, keep an eye on the carriage more." Kanaru took off his satchel and threw it inside the carriage. The look in his golden eyes changed as his feathery wings began fluffing on their own. Feathers emerged from his neck, and his hands developed long talons. A certain scent also spread as if he was warning the wolves from attacking another predator.

However, the wolves had already lost their consciousness due to hunger. Despite the presence of the powerful beast prince, they started attacking. Kanaru dashed toward the first one to attack and drew his claws across the wolf's face. He kept attracting the wolves' attention at the back, so the others only stuck closer to the carriage.

Bang! Something crashed into the front of the carriage. Kanaru jumped up and dove to attack the wolves in front as well. The pack leader was a lot bigger than the rest, and it had more strength. Kanaru could barely cut across its hide and shouldn't get hurt by it, either. For every shake of the ground, the people inside the carriage could only hug each other in terror.

"Get back!" The other people guarding the back also began to get attacked by the other wolves. Two of them were bitten and torn down, their bodies dragged away as if being saved for later.

"Get everyone to run back to Burdett!" Kanaru yelled as his wings grew larger. As they shook, the feathers began to resemble blades. Even if this was a form Kanaru could barely sustain, he had to attract the wolves' attention. It would be best if the people could run away to safety.

"Your Highness!" The people cried as Kanaru glowed in golden light, his brown feathers lighting up to mirror the sun. It made him more of an appetizing target than the rest. However, they didn't want to leave their prince to die as they escaped.

Kanaru started producing winds that threw the wolves away, but the pack leader was barely affected. It then lunged at Kanaru, its mouth unhinging to swallow Kanaru whole. Kanaru's eyes widened as he felt how time slowed in the face of death. He suddenly remembered all the promises he made to his brothers and his parents. No, he didn't want to die here.

In the midst of the attack, a bright beam shot down the wolf, destroying half its body. Before Kanaru could react, the lower half of the pack leader hit him head-on instead. It canceled his display, and he fell to the ground, with the wolf's blood and meat pressing him down.

"I've never seen anyone from the bird race that lights up like that." Someone emerged from the darkness, stepping into the light cast by the carriage's lamp. His glowing red eyes cast a gaze on everyone. "If I offer these wolves to you, will you speak to me?"