📦Journal Entry 7 - Trailing The Wolf

As I ventured forth once more, I took leave from the island of the Three Vapours and quickly found tracks from the Arctic Wolf. They pressed pretty hard and heavy into the ground for such a lean beast. I pressed on, heading along the coast of the Rust Bowl, careful to keep out of view of any passing Doughbots or Pieborgs.

The trail led me through rugged terrain, but was otherwise relatively normal. Yet, as I pressed onward, the path diverged, heading inland. I followed, quickening my pace, as it made no sense for the Wolf to diverge here since it wasn’t far from the border to the Arctic Crust. As I followed the tracks, I started to see a village in the distance. It looked to be a small Pieborg village nestled amidst the wilderness—likely no more than a small outpost or a few dwellings. Perhaps the wolf had smelt the remains of a barbecue and headed in for scraps.

Arriving at the scene, I bore witness to a village ravaged with devastation, its inhabitants vanished without a trace. There were broken spears, blood stains, and abandoned posts. Huge claw marks covered the doors. Screwdrivers, aprons, and other belongings were strung out everywhere, seemingly abandoned by fleeing Octopies. The site was a grim testament to the ferocity of the Arctic Wolf. Alas, it seemed all the Pieborgs made it out alive, but how many of them suffered life changing injuries?

That wasn't the only question on my mind. I wondered what could have driven the Arctic Wolf to such a frenzy? It couldn’t just be hunger that led to the wolf attacking a village with multiple Octopie inhabitants? And how could it cause so much destruction and chaos? As I asked myself these questions and surveyed the scene before me, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this mystery than met the eye.

I resumed my tracking of the animals trail, vowing to move quicker this time to try and stop another incident like this. The tracks led out of the village, heading northward. This time, the heavyset prints were accompanied by the occasional spots of blood. A wound had landed on the beast, drawing blood and slowing it down. I wouldn’t be far behind now.

Not long passed before I caught up to the wounded creature, just before it made it into the expanse of the Arctic Crust. The wolf was clearly battered and injured, moving sluggish and slow. As I gazed upon the beast, I felt a sense of sympathy, a sense of sadness. This animal was a beautiful display of the resilience of life in the face of adversity. It’s something I’d seen many times in wild creatures. But, this was Octo-made adversity—it wasn’t the natural pie of life. Something just felt wrong about it, just like when I captured and entangled the Dinosaur. In my moment of pondering, I let out a sigh, and the Wolf heard it. The beast spun around and howled. Its eyes glowed under the dusk of an evening sun. With a life-threatening injury and previous signs of desperation, I knew I could not risk anything in this battle. This time, I would make no attempts to subdue or capture the target. It would be a fight to the death, as quickly as I could.

I unhooked my spear, and slowly edged towards the beast. As soon as I took my first step, the wolf charged at me. But the wolf had a limp, which slowed it down significantly. I had time to take aim, and in the last few strides before we made contact, I hurled the spear directly at the head of the creature. And with that, the beast fell to the floor in silence, defeated once and for all this time.

As I gazed upon the body of the Arctic Wolf, a sense of unease crept over me. The glow in its eyes was still there. It was starting to fade, but it was clearly not just some reflection of the light. I did not know if it was some new infection or disease. But it looked like an aura, an energy—like a spirit. I had a feeling whatever it was, it would explain why a lone wolf would attack a village. I bundled the wolf’s body onto my back, and made my way toward my home in Pieson territory, with the intention of unraveling the mysteries that surrounded this fallen foe. This time, the Pieous would not be getting a bounty from me. And if they had a problem with that, well, they would have to let me know with force.