The sudden gunshot caught Celeste off guard and froze her immediately.
The loud sound echoed through the room, reverberating off the walls and causing Celeste's ears to ring. She felt a surge of adrenaline as she braced herself for impact, expecting the bullet to hit her flesh and bone.
But the anticipated pain never came. The bullet hadn't hit her.
And then, she heard the furious growl of a wolf.
Celeste snapped her eyes in the direction of the sound and saw Jeremy's wolf.
Her heart raced as she searched eagerly along Jeremy's form, worried that he had been hit by the bullet.
To her relief, he didn't seem injured. Jeremy's wolf stood tall, baring its teeth at Raymond. Its fur bristled, and its eyes blazed with fury as it faced off against Raymond.
Then she realized she had been so focused on the situation that she didn't even sense Jeremy's presence.
But she didn't have time to consider that, as Raymond once again raised his gun. His eyes were cold and calculating as he took aim, his finger hovering over the trigger.
It was like slow motion. Celeste could see the silver bullet fly out of his gun barrel, stirring up the air, and hurtling toward Jeremy's head at lightning speed. She knew that Jeremy wouldn't stand a chance if it hit him.
Her heart raced to her throat. She wanted to scream for Jeremy to run, but before she could make a sound, Jeremy's wolf agilely dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal bullet.
Without hesitation, Jeremy sprang forward, his muscles coiling like a spring as he launched himself at Raymond. His claws were hungry to draw blood as he aimed for Raymond's throat.
But Raymond was no easy target. He sidestepped the attack immediately, and Jeremy's claws only grazed him. In a swift countermove, Raymond aimed his gun at Jeremy, ready to pull the trigger and fire the next evil silver bullet at the wolf.
The tension in the air was palpable as the two adversaries faced off. It was a battle of speed and reflexes, and Celeste knew that she couldn't interfere without distracting Jeremy and risking his safety.
From the corner of her eye, she could see the restless hunter, who had moved some distance away from her. Now, the hunter was quietly approaching the hunting rifle on the table.
Celeste didn't know if those rifles were also loaded with silver bullets, too. But she knew that they must be the reason why the two wolves were lying on the floor.
No, she wouldn't give the hunter a chance to harm them.
With fierce determination, her wolf launched herself forward, her powerful legs propelling her onto the table in a single fluid motion.
She held the rifles tightly under her claws, her eyes fixed intently on the hunter. The hunter's face paled as he let out a cry and stumbled backward in terror. Celeste snarled ferociously, daring him to make a move. As expected, the hunter froze and stared at her with fear in his eyes. The hunter had looked down upon what the wolves were capable of, and now he was going to shit himself without a rifle in his hands.
Celeste was going to jump down on him and teach him a lesson when a sharp cry of pain sounded in her ears.
Celeste turned her head and saw Raymond falling to the ground. His handgun had slipped from his hand.
Raymond tried to grab it, but Jeremy was faster. He sprang into action, kicking the weapon away from Raymond and giving him a fierce glare. A trace of fear ran across Raymond's face.
Celeste's heart leaped. They were going to take down the hunters. But suddenly, there was a deafening crash as the window shattered into a million pieces, sending shards of glass flying in all directions.
She felt something graze her fur before hitting the wall with a loud thud, leaving behind a small black hole. She quickly turned her head to look outside the window and saw more hunters approaching them, each one brandishing a deadly rifle.
A wave of panic washed over her as she wondered how many more hunters were lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike the two of them. But she knew she couldn't afford to waste any time. She leaped off the table and let out a howl directed at Jeremy.
In perfect unison, Jeremy's gaze shifted toward the window and he immediately understood the gravity of the situation.
But they didn't leave immediately.
The two wolves stood over their fallen families, their eyes filled with a deep sense of loss and grief. But they had no other choice. They shared a moment before turning toward the door and bolting out of the house, running as fast as their legs would carry them toward the sanctuary of the forest.
As they ran, the sound of the hunters' aggressive shouts and the thundering of their guns echoed through the trees. Each bullet seemed to land in sync with their footsteps, but always a beat too late, only exploding in the ground just behind their tails. The two wolves remained undaunted, driven by an unyielding instinct to survive.
The forest enveloped them in its embrace, the dense foliage providing a natural shield against their hunters.
This was the first time Celeste had been able to run through the forest as a wolf. If it weren't for what had happened, she would have enjoyed the feeling of running through the trees.
When the sound of the bullets finally faded away behind them, the two wolves slowed their pace.
As Celeste's heart began to calm down, she noticed the unique sensation of walking on all fours. Her vision was lower than usual, but it was wider. The rustling of the leaves mixed with the sound of the wind as they brushed past her ears. The cool, moist earth beneath her paws was soft and yielding.
After surviving a close call, she instinctively wanted to get closer to Jeremy's wolf for comfort. But Jeremy seemed lost in his own thoughts, oblivious to her presence, and continued to walk straight ahead.
Celeste quickened her pace to catch up, but Jeremy kept going, once again widening the distance between them.
A sense of frustration and confusion washed over her as it happened the third time.
What the hell?