Astral Odyssey: Kindling Flame

[Excerpts] Legacy World 7.15 - 7.28

7.15: Neoma and Kaiser

The Pureblood stood their ground. However, the pack members were clearly losing their calm. Some had their fangs peek through and were poised for a fight. Others looked anxiously between Kaiser and Neoma's pack. 

Only Kaiser looked unbothered. He overbearingly took a step forward with his pack backing him up. "I'm here to claim you as my fated partner."

Neoma's pupils constricted in anger and her breathing picked up. Both took on their human forms and stepped closer to each other, as if daring the other to back down. They locked gazes for a long while. The atmosphere was tense. All of a sudden, Kaiser moved faster than anyone could react. His arm circled her waist and flushed her body against his. His lips pressed firmly against hers.

The scene made Zira raise an eyebrow. /And here I thought that things were going to change./

7.16: Complete Trust

Meanwhile, it was a whole other atmosphere within Zira's head. BaoBao laughed like a madman and gushed over how Ward had instantly ran to Zira's side when she collapsed. [I'm serious. This shtick will NEVER get old!]

Zira ignored BaoBao with much effort and focused on her task at hand.

7.17: The Territorial War

The territorial war began. The wolves were not surprised, because they had witnessed growing restlessness in the area that was due to their new presence. Their greatest rival were the grizzly bears. Their strength exceeded the wolves but the wolves outnumbered them. So, they were never too worried about it.

What they did not expect was for the solitary and territorial bears to call a truce and band together. This tipped the scales to the bears favour.

Humans with fluffy manes and tails of different colours stood on one side of the valley with the den behind them. They bent their knees and leaned forward, keeping their postures close to the ground and ready to pounce.

On the other side, humans whose sizes made the wolves look scrawny stood with their arms crossed, feet apart, and chin up. Even Ward who was the most muscular among the wolves could not be compared to them. 

7.18: Neoma's Acceptance

Only BaoBao started to worry about the plot. [Zira, is this okay? Shouldn't this be the time when Kaiser tries to absorb the pack as part of his?]

Zira eyed Kaiser who looked at the entrance of the den with a forlorn gaze. /Let's observe for a while more./

Just as she said that, Ward rubbed his head against hers. Because he did not stop, she had to back off. Still, he kept it up until she turned away from him. Only then did Ward settle down by her side with a satisfied humph. She looked at him with her head cocked and eyes blinking in confusion, but Ward stayed that way. BaoBao who had a bird's eye view of everything giggled to himself. Ward had strategically blocked Kaiser from Zira's line of sight, yet Zira remained clueless about his intentions. 

7.19: Zira vs Hector

Zira did not hold back and ran at her top speed. Ward easily matched her speed and stamina. They cleared the same terrains faster than when they travelled as a group. They had fewer stops. With the help of her nose and BaoBao's sight, she avoided areas of past and possible conflicts.

[You know, I was still thinking about the sexy time that Neoma and Kaiser had. I wonder if it'll be as intense between you and Ward.] BaoBao randomly spoke.