ALPHA | ZHANYI (English Version)

Chapter 2.

Chapter 2

A loud shot made the different birds of the forest fly away in terror. Even though it was miles away, Yibo felt like he was right next to him. The power of his father's weapon resonated through the trees, producing an almost deafening echo.

The ax was held resolutely in his aching hands as he chopped wood. When he was younger, the eldest forced him to learn the woodcutter's trade and then teach him the art of hunting. However, due to his belief that killing is wrong, he decided to stay alone in the first part. Because of this, he did not know how to use a weapon... nor was he interested in it.

Splitting those wooden logs in half released the stress and anger he was holding inside. It was a way of bringing out everything that was kept and not thinking about what the alpha was doing. It used to work, but the dry sound of the edge against the material, even though it was strong, that day could not overshadow the sound of the gun. If it wasn't for the hunt, they would have starved to death long ago. Something that was not ignored by Yibo. But, despite this, he continued with that discomfort when seeing those animals die.

However, nature was like that and death had to come for life to continue. A saying that his grandmother reminded him from time to time and from which he was not able to get a simple hit.

After giving up on his task, he sat down on a rock to rest and drink water to hydrate himself. He had been raising and lowering the ax for hours, as well as putting the firewood into baskets to take home. For this reason, fatigue began to show in his shoulders and muscles. The weight of physical exercise left him exhausted at the end of the day.

In the fine grass, a small grasshopper watched him until he hopped away. That slight gesture made him smile. Spring afternoons were his favorites as the temperature began to rise but without reaching the suffocating heat of summer. In addition, the river had enough water to bathe and swim in it. Several times he used to put aside his duties, behind his father's back, to go to the edge of his flow and hang out. Being there made him remember better times when he laughed with great happiness.

Yibo sank into his thoughts without noticing how time passed. A kind of dream put a veil in front of his eyes while he was still awake. Maybe he fell asleep... or maybe he just kept quiet with his eyes closed waiting for something he didn't even know. But whatever it was, it caught him in its claws and wouldn't let him go.

Suddenly, among his memories, a voice appeared that he recognized as his grandmother's. This one spoke to him with seriousness and affection, with the aim of communicating something that he did not understand.

"The thread of life is very thin and, with any friction, it can break. We always walk the narrow line between this world and the next, without knowing when we will fall. The important thing is not to avoid that fall, my child. Nobody can. What you have to do is try to stay balanced until you fulfill your destiny."

After those words, the omega came out of his trance getting up from the rock. The night had already arrived and some fireflies began to wake up and illuminate the latent darkness with their light. Yibo spent a moment processing the information but, noticing what time it must be, he became alarmed.

"Oh no. I'm late" - he said, letting out the breath he was holding in his lungs.

With the basket full of firewood, he sped off toward the cabin. Fear beat in his heart and anguish battered his soul. He couldn't take another beating like the one he had a few days ago... and even less today since his father wasn't drunk. His heart pumped blood rapidly to his legs to force himself to go faster. The shots were no longer heard and it was very likely that his father was already home and angry at his absence.