Chapter 6: Moonlight Energy

Layla looked at the dark scenery outside the window, which was actually just a small hole in the cave wall. It couldn't be compared to a normal house window like those in the Western tribe, but at least it allowed for ventilation and a view of the distant sky.

From the window, she could smell the strong scent of blood wafting in from outside. It was very pungent.

This confirmed her suspicion. On full moon nights, the animals of the North went berserk and attacked the tribe living here.

But why? She hadn't heard of such a problem in the Eastern or Southern regions. It could be that those areas were hiding it like the Northern tribe, or it might be that only the North experienced this issue.

There were two possibilities: one, something about the Northern territory made this unique situation occur; two, the Western territory had something that protected it from these full moon attacks, so she had never known about it from childhood to adulthood.

If possible, she thought she might investigate this place first.

"Not good!" While Layla was lost in thought, Clara suddenly changed color and rushed out.

Layla watched the brown-eyed girl leave in a hurry, not remembering to close the door, and inwardly rejoiced. Her chance had come. She needed to go outside and expose herself to the full moon to heal her wounded body.

Layla jumped down to the ground. But without her beloved tail, she couldn't balance and fell.

Layla:...

Luckily, her meddlesome subordinates weren't here. If they saw this, they would tease her for a whole year!

Shaking her head in annoyance, she stood up and ran out of the door.

Her memory was quite good; when she was brought to this cave room, she had memorized the way out, so she could quickly find her way outside.

It seemed the attack was intense. The patrolling warriors around here had become sparse, and even if she encountered one or two guards, they were too busy rushing to support where needed. No one paid attention to a small wolf slipping through the paths.

Upon exiting the cave, Layla saw the warriors fighting to protect the fence, others focusing on the battle, ready to jump in and replace any fallen comrade.

She also saw some transforming into wolves to attack the enemy. Looking at the enemy side, she frowned. They looked like mountain goats but were five times larger, with sharp teeth, larger and heavier horns, and fur that turned into sharp blades.

These must be mutated creatures. She had never seen such animals in the West. Was it the influence of the region?

Watching them attack the werewolf warriors as if they had no will to live, completely different from their usual docile nature, was it the full moon?

Layla knew she had been here a while but hadn't seen such large-scale attacks before. It was likely due to the influence of tonight's moon.

She noted this and quickly found a secluded place to heal.

After sneaking past the fighting areas, Layla found a lake far enough from the tribe to avoid the enthusiastic fighters. Right now, she was just a small, defenseless wolf.

She looked around once more to confirm it was safe, then curled up where the full moonlight shone directly down.

Layla harnessed the lively energy flowing within her body, a trait that set the descendants of the Baron tribe apart from all others. The people of the Baron tribe could absorb moonlight, turning it into an energy source that spread throughout their bodies, strengthening each cell and healing injuries. This energy source was the reason for the limitless potential of the Baron people.

However, everything comes at a price.

Layla directed the newly absorbed miraculous power to her wounds, feeling the pain gradually subside. A cool sensation permeated her insides, rejuvenating her tired and weak body, making it more alert and stronger.

Her initially gray fur, which Bridget's people had cleaned, was now covered in a dark red layer, a mix of blood and a foul-smelling substance, making it even more unpleasant to the senses.

It seemed these were the toxins in her body, now being expelled.

Layla felt better and wished for even greater perfection. Therefore, she exerted all her strength to direct this energy to her teeth, tongue, and tail.

But just as she thought she would fully recover, a cracking sound erupted!

Crack!!! Crack!!!

"Grrr!!!"

Something inside her was breaking. Her head throbbed painfully, and her body, once filled with energy, became terribly sore.

She had exceeded her limits.

Layla realized she couldn’t be so hasty; healing required patience.

Her small wolf body shivered and curled up like a pitiful animal on the brink of life and death. The pain persisted for a while before subsiding, and finally, she opened her eyes.

The little wolf panted heavily, lifting her still trembling leg, thankful that at least the injuries weren't as severe as before.

This was a lesson for her. She was still too impulsive.

Layla struggled to get her small body to stand. She looked at the sky, thinking the battle must have ended and that she needed to return to the Eastern tribe, as it would be safer there in her current condition. Just as she decided to head back to Bridget's cave, what she saw in front of her made her freeze.

…

Bridget dropped the blood-covered head of the mutated snow mountain goat from his hand. He looked at the pile of mutant creature corpses around him and asked, "Oni, is anyone hurt?"

Oni, the man, immediately jumped down from a tree next to his leader, his body also covered in fresh blood, showing his active participation in the battle. Oni reported to his leader, "Sir, a total of three severely injured, five slightly. No fatalities, they have been taken for treatment!"

Bridget raised his eyebrows, understanding that though the mutated snow mountain goats weren't strong, their herd nature meant there were countless numbers, inevitably leading to injuries. Fortunately, there were no deaths.

He waved his hand and said, "Check the count, take care of these creature corpses. We have additional food reserves now."

Oni bowed and replied, "As you command, leader!"

Bridget delegated the aftermath of the battle to his subordinates and intended to return to the cave. He wanted to check on his pet, thinking the little wolf might feel lonely enough to let him pet her a bit more!

After a few steps, he frowned at his bloodied body. He thought he needed to go to the water to bathe. Being this dirty was bothersome, and after all, the little wolf didn't seem to like him dirty either.

…Wait a minute!

Why was he even considering pleasing the whims of a pet?!

Had he gone mad from loneliness?