Free Web NovelChapter 29: I Howled With Wolves and Unlocked a New Skill
By the time Nuan and Kael made it back to the clearing, the evening sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in deep shades of purple and orange.
The hunting parties had already returned, and the camp was buzzing with a wild, chaotic energy.
Nuan carefully slid down from Kael’s broad back, landing solidly on her good leg.
The moment Kael shifted back into his towering beastman form, both of them froze, staring in absolute shock at the massive prize lying in the center of the camp.
A Bison.
"No way!!" Nuan gasped, a huge grin breaking across her face as she looked from the massive carcass to the proud younger wolves. "They actually successfully hunted a bison without their Alpha! See, Kael? You worry about their logistics for nothing. Look at them!"
"Witch! Witch!"
The younger wolves immediately started swarming her, eagerly barking and showing off their trophies. Koda was practically vibrating, his hands gripping the beast’s massive curved horns. "We hunted it! We tracked it through the brush and took it down all by ourselves!"
"Yes, I can see that! Incredible job!" Nuan clapped her hands together. "And as a reward for your flawless hunt, tonight I am going to teach you all how to make torches!"
Kael walked up behind her, his golden eyes scanning the massive prey, a deep sense of pride swelling in his chest. "You all... did this?"
"Yes, Alpha!" the pack chorused proudly.
Kael’s face broke into a massive, fanged smile. He threw his head back toward the evening sky, and a long, high-pitched, resonant howl ripped from his throat.
One by one, the other wolves joined in, creating a perfectly synchronized, layered chorus that shook the very leaves on the trees. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Eh? Eh? Am I supposed to join in? Nuan thought, blinking as several of the younger wolves—and even Kael, with his head still tilted back—started casting expectant glances her way.
Oh, what the hell. When in Rome!
Nuan took a deep breath, raised her head, and let out a spirited howl, doing her best to match their rhythm.
"AwooOOOoooo..."
Nuan kept up with everyone, letting her voice blend into the pack’s frequency.
"Awoo... awoo... AWWOOOOOO—ooo—ooo..."
Ding!
[ Recognizing a collective bond forming... ]
[ New Skill Unlocked: Pack Sync ]
[ Type: Passive Buff ]
[ Description: A resonance-based link formed through unified wolf howl synchronization. ]
[ Effects: Temporarily increases stamina recovery and pack coordination by 15% when acting within the territory. Effect will diminish when pack separation occurs. ]
Nuan let out a rough cough, her throat vibrating from the intense acoustics. The rest of the pack kept up the celebratory howling for another minute before finally winding down.
Nuan laughed, batting the holographic info screen away. Ah, huh? Nice, I guess. A free pack buff just for screaming at the moon.
Once the noise died down, the wolves eagerly looked up at Kael. "Alpha, can we summon the Red Evil to cook the meat now?"
Another one added. "The Red Evil cooks better than us!"
Kael looked down at Nuan, seeing her nod, and then turned back to his pack with a firm nod of his own. "Dig the pits!"
The entire pack, working alongside Kael’s brute strength, dug the stone pits deeper and filled them with dense hardwood. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
They built a massive fire, and once the wild flames finally died down, a beautiful, blazing bed of glowing red coals remained at the bottom.
Kael watched Nuan intently as she kneeled by the bison, using her sharp hunting knife to cleanly cut the fatty meat into perfect, even portions. "Your tool... I have never seen anything like it. It cuts through the thick hide much cleaner than our claws."
"Yeah? I know, right?" Nuan smiled, wiping the blade. "Maybe if we can find the right materials, I’ll teach you guys how to shape stone knives. They won’t be as perfect as this steel blade, but they’ll be sharp enough to cut your meat into proper roasting portions."
"Well, for now, watch this method!" Nuan instructed, getting the pack’s attention.
Instead of simple skewers, Nuan built a sturdy, rustic rack from thick branches directly over the deep pit.
She carefully hung dozens of strips of the fatty bison meat above the heat. Within minutes, the heavy fat began to hiss and drip onto the hot coals below, sending a rich, incredibly smoky, mouth-watering aroma wafting through the entire territory.
While the meat was slow-smoking, Nuan clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone! Time to make torches! Listen up. Since you all have excellent night vision, you don’t really need torches just to see in the dark. Your primary use for a torch is defense! If you ever happen to be alone and get ambushed by a massive group or a greater predator like the Tiger Clan, a torch is a powerful tool to scare them off and keep them at bay!"
Ding!
[ New Side Quest: Red Evil Against Evil Session ]
[ Objective: Teach the pack how fire can be used defensively against a greater predator. ]
[ Reward: Craftsmanship Hands Ability ]
Eh, eh? Wow! Craftsmanship Hands? Nuan’s eyes widened with excitement. Now that is a highly practical skill for a survival host! That’ll make building shelters and crafting tools so much easier.
"Okay, so..." Nuan murmured, searching the ground until she found a sturdy, thick dry branch. She used her knife to cut it down to the exact length of her arm.
"This branch is going to be the vessel for your torch," Nuan explained to the huddle of wolves. Using the spine of her knife, she carefully split the top of the branch down the center into four neat, open sections.
Next, she gathered the dry grass, shredded bark fibers, and sticky tree resin they had collected earlier.
She twisted the dry fibers into a tight, dense bundle, heavily coated it in the flammable, sticky resin, and firmly stuffed the bundle right between the open wooden prongs of the split branch.
After tying the prongs tightly together with extra bark strips to lock the bundle in place, she smiled.
She leaned down and brought a glowing, hot ember from the tinder nest directly to the resin-soaked torch head.
As she held it there, she kept explaining the logistics to the pack. "Make sure you always pack the fibers tightly. If it’s too loose, the fire will burn out too fast."
Suddenly, a thick curl of gray smoke spiraled upward. The tree resin let out a loud, aggressive hiss, and within moments, a steady, bright flame flickered to life atop the branch, illuminating the dark camp.
"And that is how you make a defensive torch," Nuan announced proudly, waving the flame safely in the air. "But remember, it is still risky to handle. Make sure you always choose a strong branch that won’t snap under pressure or heat up enough to burn your hands."
"Whoaaa!!! Understood!" Koda chirped, his eyes reflecting the bright flames. He nodded aggressively. "We just have to make the stick hot at the tip!"
Nuan’s face instantly dropped. She let out a heavy, exhausted sigh. "Well... technically yes, but please, for the love of God, do not word it like that!"
She rubbed her temples. "In the morning, everyone will gather a good, sturdy branch for themselves and practice crafting one, okay?"
"Yes, Witch!" the pack shouted in unison.
Ding!
[ Side Quest: Red Evil Against Evil Session — Completed! ]
[ Objective: Teach the pack how fire can be used defensively against a greater predator. — Accomplished! ]
[ Reward: Craftsmanship Hands Ability is being installed... ]
[ Installation completed ]
[ Craftsmanship Hands Ability installed! ]
Nuan smiled as a warm, tingling sensation rushed through her fingers, making her hands feel incredibly steady, nimble, and ready to craft whatever the wilderness threw at her next.
