The Name

(PoV Sirius)

His eyes opened slowly as his ears caught an faint, unusual sound coming from the southern part of his territory.

Laughter? Humans? They came this far? I should leave. Confronting them is not a wise choice.

The premonition compelled him to rise and leave his territory. For him, avoiding humans was more advantageous than having to confront them.

His paws stepped in silence, his dark shadow blending perfectly with the black fur covering his body. He sharpened all his senses until the sound of dripping water was clear in his ears. All to avoid humans.

That way, I won't meet them.

After walking for a long time, a mist appeared unexpectedly. It not only blocked his vision, but his five senses seemed locked. He felt nothing.

This is no ordinary mist. What the hell is this?! He paused in thought, his pupils rounding. Humans...

The mist tore apart, a large man lunged at him with his greatsword.

The wolf leaped, spun in the air, and clawed the man's back.

“Aaaargh!”

He gave chase, but the man's presence vanished as if the mist had swallowed him. Then, several fireballs shot towards him. One leap to the left was enough to avoid them.

This mist is very disruptive. I must do something.

The mist was swept aside with a single swipe of his tail. Everything was clear; a group of humans, fully armed, stood before him.

He crouched low, growling softly to intimidate. “Grrr!”

It was useless to tell them anything they wouldn't understand. A little violence might make them understand and not dare to come again. At the very least, he would try not to kill.

“Form up!” the large man commanded his comrades to form a battle formation.

Two women in long robes were at the back. Three in front. And the remaining one....

Sret!

From behind the forest canopy, a thin man in tight black clothing jumped down from above. The glint of the knives in both his hands tore through the darkness.

Slash!

He managed to dodge by shifting his neck slightly just as the assassin's knife aimed for his ear.

The assassin moved back, blending into the darkness.

“[Rainy Fire]”

The incantation echoed from the mouth of a woman in the back row.

The ceiling was suddenly filled with magic circles the size of his body. Then, various fire spells were hurled towards him.

The wolf leaped, avoiding every attack through the small gaps between the explosions. His paws landed in perfect positions, as if he had memorized every part of the forest trees.

His gaze was fixed forward, occasionally glancing at them. His running wasn't random. He tried to circle to their blind spot.

Those two women... they must be the key. At least I must incapacitate one of them and then escape.

It wasn't easy for him because the large man constantly shadowed his movements. Every time he wanted to lunge, the large man was already there with his shield raised. He was probably experienced in battle.

This won't be easy. But...

“I won't let you touch Chloe!” the large man raised his shield high, then light began to envelop it. “[Challenge Call.]”

What?!

Upon hearing the spell's name, the wolf's body was forced to move, lunging head-on without a plan. His claw stretched out, aiming right for the shield, as if his body and the shield were magnets attracting each other.

Ugh... my body...

The man easily blocked his attack, then with a single shove, pushed him back.

“Thank you, Gilbert!”

“It's not over yet. Seila, Arya!”

The dark-skinned woman and the shirtless man moved towards him while he was still flying through the air. Then they kicked him right in the ribs, causing a loud *"krek"* sound as his large body tumbled several meters back, stopping only after hitting a large tree.

As he tried to get up, the assassin from before was waiting for him atop the tree. He lunged from above with his knife aimed precisely at his throat.

Jleb.

“Graaah!”

One stab, blood splattered. Reflexively, his claw swung and ripped the assassin's face like a leaf.

The assassin rolled backward, blood dripping, staining the forest grass.

“My turn! Burn to ashes! [Prison Fire!]”

Magic circles appeared above and below him. Then, his body burned in blazing flames. A shriek of pain echoed throughout the forest.

“Great, we won!”

Meanwhile, cheers of joy reached his ears as he struggled amidst the pain of the relentless flames burning his body.

He tried to stand up even though the flames still burned every inch of his body. His consciousness slowly crumbled, replaced by a blazing anger flashing in his eyes.

“W-what?! He can still stand?”

Their eyes widened as they saw him stand again. One swipe and the flames vanished. The wound on his throat was perfectly sealed.

“Im-impossible! His regeneration ability...” The dark-skinned woman gritted her teeth.

Meanwhile, the wolf's pupils sharpened. His jaw clenched tight, showing his rows of fangs. His breath roared heavily.

You will die!

His mind faded further, replaced by his wild animal instinct to survive. He lunged without thinking. His claw swung with all its might.

Gilbert tried to block it but was thrown far away. His shield shattered, his armor split by a deep gash that tore deeply into his chest.

“Aaaargh!”

“Gilbert!” everyone shouted his name as blood spurted into the air.

It wasn't over. The wolf raged among them. One swing, a shockwave of air slammed into them, throwing them far away. Forcibly breaking their battle formation.

Brak.

Chloe was thrown crashing into a tree. Arya and Seila were flung into the bushes.

Only Maria remained, panicked. She looked left and right, but no one was left.

“Grrr!”

Her body froze. In front of her stood a giant wolf with saliva dripping between the gaps of his fangs.

“Aaaaah!”

He pounced on Maria. His front paw stepped on her petite body, her bones cracking loudly. The damp soil dirtied the plain white robe she wore. Their faces were close, so close the warm breath from his nostrils felt on her skin.

“Ch–Chloe...”

Maria only managed to murmur the name before the large snout swallowed her head whole.

Crunch.

The sound of a cracking skull and tearing flesh echoed like a sledgehammer hitting steel. Maria's body collapsed, drenched in blood, headless.

Chloe screamed hysterically and immediately collapsed, shrieking uncontrollably. Seila swiftly leaped towards her, clasping her body and immediately carrying her away, even as the girl thrashed about.

The wolf stood amidst the blood and body parts. His tongue licked the blood from his fangs, but his eyes looked... confused. Unstable. His head felt dizzy, as if all information was being forced into his mind.

“...A... aaah...?”

A heavy, hoarse voice emerged from his throat. Slowly, his tongue uttered one syllable after another.

“I... voice?”

The voice sounded like grinding stones. Slowly, he began to realize: his mouth could form words, and his mind began connecting sounds to meaning.

“Talk... happened... h-ow?”

But something disturbed him. Gilbert came with his greatsword.

“Let go of Maria!” he shouted furiously, charging as if he still didn't know that the church girl was already dead.

The wolf jumped, avoiding the slash of his sword.

When Gilbert looked down, he could finally see Maria's body, drenched in blood and headless.

His hands trembled violently, dropping the sword he held. He covered his mouth, swallowing as if forcing a bitter pill down his throat.

“Im-impossible...” his voice trembled. Tears fell from the corners of his eyes. “I... I...”

But before he could finish his words, the wolf's shadow loomed over him. As he turned, a jaw full of sword-like teeth was wide open behind him.

Crunch.

Once again, the wolf devoured someone's head alive.

Gilbert's body immediately collapsed to the ground after twitching for a moment. Fresh blood still flowed from his severed neck.

The wolf sighed. The turmoil in the forest finally subsided, replaced by the whisper of the wind as if sweeping away the remnants of the commotion, plunging it into the silence of nature.

But, someone was still watching him. He could smell his scent clearly from behind a tree.

The assassin... he's still here.

He stared at one of the trees, motionless, before disappearing just like that.

The assassin sighed. But... as he turned around, his eyes widened when the wolf was suddenly already behind him.

“Who... are you?... Why... kill me?” He lowered his head, his red eyes glaring at the assassin. “Answer... name?”

The assassin bit his lower lip. “Zain.”

Sirius tilted his head, repeating. “Zain... human.”

Zain drew his remaining pair of knives, crossing them as a final form of defense. Blood still seeped from his torn face. But there was no fear in the glint of his eyes, even though he knew the end was near.

“If you want to eat me, do it. But I won't beg for mercy without a fight.”

The wolf was silent for a moment. “Go... take... your friends.... I... don't disturb.”

Zain took a moment to process his meaning. After that, he retreated, carrying the bodies of Maria and Gilbert on his back.

“I won't thank you for this.”

“Go... don't care...!”

Zain looked at him with an indescribable gaze. “What is your name?”

He was silent for a moment. A name? He had never thought about it since being born here. What for? No one would ever call his name.

As he looked up, his golden iris caught a red star shining brightly beyond the evening horizon. The color reminded him of the name of a star from his previous life.

“Si... Sirius!”

Zain only remained silent, then left, leaving him in the quiet.

Sirius sighed. The taste of blood remained in his mouth. His human side had returned, no longer the wild beast that had lost control. His head hung low. The intensity in his eyes softened.

With this, I can no longer return. Am I still worthy of meeting him?

The sun had long since dimmed. The full moon hung high. Sirius looked up, gazing at the sea of ​​stars above him.

Afterwards, a sorrowful symphony was sung, a long, sky-shaking howl that vibrated through the starry night sky.