At first their trip was almost as easy as a walk, and Garrod wondered if his sister didn't really accept his help, so he went around in circles with him. However, when Mavi walked to the edge of a strangely shaped oak tree, she suddenly became serious again. Niva held up a finger to her lips, but Garrod didn't need her warning. He could already hear something in the distance ahead...... He immediately understood that if he could hear them, they might also be aware of the three intruders.

"Their main camp is still ahead," Mavi whispered to him. "But lately some wolf cubs have entered the area. I guess they like to hunt in the area. ”

She led the two of them across a stream and climbed towards a hill. Once again, Garrod was amazed by the landscape. It's hard to imagine that the entire area sits on a huge tree.

"Bow down," Mavi ordered. "Now we're close to them. ”

He looked at her. "Are they hostile? I thought we were just here to inform—"

"Quiet. His sister took a step forward.

Garrod suddenly realized that neither he nor his two companions were carrying any weapons. He hadn't thought of this before, and Garrod could only blame himself for being groggy after escaping death. However, this thought did not reassure him. After all, if these werewolves were so dangerous......

"We have to go back," he whispered. "We shouldn't be this way—"

Niva stiffened suddenly. At the same time, Mavi jerked to the right.

A wild figure gasped and rushed out from behind a tree. The other jumped out from the opposite side. They all threw themselves on all fours within a few feet of the Night Elves and stood up. In the blink of an eye. More werewolves rushed out and surrounded the trio. It was the first time Garrod could take a closer look at their long fangs and sharp claws. He also noticed that werewolves were taller than the Night Elves, and at least half as wide, even when they were on their backs. Their muscles are knotted. Probably a lot heavier than Garrod.

Garrod remained motionless, silently and quickly analyzing the werewolves' movements, trying to determine whether they intended to attack or not. Mavi and Niva put on a fighting stance, almost causing the werewolves to lunge at them. Garrod frowned at the reaction of the two women, but he didn't say anything.

There were almost a dozen werewolves around them. The extent of their anger surprised Garrod.

A male werewolf walked towards Garrod. He fanned his nostrils and sniffed Garrod's scent carefully. The deep, brown eyes—the most "human" features of this beastly body, narrowed slightly.

He walked back towards Niva. Her face looked as motionless as if she were wearing a mask. The werewolf sniffed her, too, though it seemed more perfunctory. He turned away from Niva. It seemed to Garrod that the werewolves had long recognized her scent.

The werewolf, apparently the leader, paused for a moment in front of Mavi. Like Niva, the werewolf seems to recognize Garrod's sister. Like they've seen it before. He pursed his lips, baring the sharp teeth in his mouth.

Worried about Mavi, Garrod took a step forward. This turned the chief's attention to him. Garrod only found out at this time. Despite this, the werewolf is still wearing clothes. Most of these garments are loose or open-bodied, and generally neat, in contrast to the sheer strength of the werewolves.

"Spy on us again......" the man yelled. Surprisingly, his voice sounded normal. "Do you think we're fun?"

It took Garrod a moment to realize, and the question was addressed to Mavi. She smiled challengefully at the werewolf leader. "We are here to complete the task assigned by the High Priestess. You know that. ”

"You didn't notice anything here last time. ”

"It's different. ”

The leader twitched his ears in exasperation. "The king will tell your high priestesses and the great druids about this. ”

"Please. ”

The werewolves roared together. But there was more frustration than anger in that voice. Apparently they had the same argument before.

"You say it's different. The leader snapped. "What's going on?"

"This is my brother, and he almost died in a trap set for the upper elves. Mavi didn't explain to the werewolves what the upper elves were, which confirmed her previous words, that werewolves were indeed aware of the existence of those spellcasters. "He was chasing a werewolf. ”

The leader didn't even look at Garrod. "Evidence?"

"We found fur hanging from the bark of the tree where my brother fell. ”

The whole pack laughed mockingly. "There are a lot of animals in the forest. He showed his claws. "Hunting is a legitimate act. ”

"If you're only hunting deer or something like that, not some other prey. Mavi replied.

The leader turned to Garrod again, his long mouth less than an inch away from the Night Elf's nose. Garrod smelled the strong breath of a carnivore, but he didn't show any disgust at the smell.

"Tell me," the werewolf asked. "Do you see our kind?"

"No...... I was in too much pain. ”

"Hmph. If, as you say, he attacks you. You'll never feel any pain anymore. ”

Garrod met his gaze calmly. "I never said he attacked me. He rescued me from the trap. I don't know how he did it, but it did. He even felt sorry for me being caught in it. ”

The werewolf leader shook his ears and thought for a moment. He was still standing in front of Garrod, but he was glancing at Mavi with his eyes. "It's completely different from what you say. A werewolf stumbles on a hunt nearby. Out of respect for the High Priestess and the Grand Druid, he turned away when he spotted the Night Elves nearby. When a fool followed, he even saved the fool's life. That's because of that. We're treated like monsters......"

The other werewolves roared in agreement. Garrod tensed, even though they were outnumbered, and it seemed that they had only one way to fight their way out.

"We're just looking into everything possible. Mavi replied. "If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear, do you?"

The werewolf leader bared his teeth again. "If you have something to ask, just come to us. It's dangerous to sneak around and hide nearby. It's scarier than a trap for mages. Young werewolves may indulge in hunting; They may have pounced before they realized it wasn't a deer. He pricked up his ears. "By then...... It's too late. ”

He made a dissolution gesture with a clawed hand. The other werewolves retreated before the Night Elves. Garrod watched them warily until they were far enough away before returning to Mavi and Niva.

The werewolf leader let out a howl. The wolf-like creatures vanished into the woods, their movements as silent as any trained Night Elves.

Garrod breathed a sigh of relief. "We're getting too close. ”

"There is no real danger at all," his sister replied confidently. "No matter how much you bluff. They're just a bunch of humans. ”

He was a little annoyed. "It's a human with fangs and claws—and you knew they were coming for us!"

"It's easier than if we go to them. Think of this as a test. I wanted to see how they reacted when I mentioned what happened to you. Now I've reached my goal. They know something. More than they thought they were. ”

"I'd rather know your plans beforehand. ”

"You probably don't think that way then. I hope you're here. And"—Mavi hid her hand behind her back, and when she reached out again, Garrod saw that she was now armed with a weapon—"we're not as helpless as you think. ”

Niva did as Mavi did. It turned out that both women were carrying weapons.

Garrod snorted. This is the sister he remembers. Mavi will stop at nothing to get the job done. This must always be remembered as he assists in the investigation of the murder of the High Elves.

"There's probably a Night Elf behind the scenes," he said, still a little annoyed. "Our people have more reason than werewolves to want the lives of the upper elves. ”

Mavi began to turn back and walk towards Darnassus. "Oh, maybe you're right. This leads back to the Night Elves. Speaking of werewolves though...... They also need to be taken care of. Don't you think so?"

Niva smiled shyly at Garrod. Then he followed Mavi away. A moment later, the captain of the former guard followed. He was still angry at his sister's recklessness. Despite looking back at her troubled history, it is not difficult to see how this trait has been formed over thousands of years. He suspected that at some point, Mavi's recklessness was the reason she had survived.

But I'm not going to sit idly by and watch you do it again, Garrod swore to himself. If they want to work together, Mavi has to know that his brother will never be fooled by anyone, not even her. Their success - and perhaps the stability of their people - depended on her understanding of him.

He is suddenly surprised to realize that his anger at his sister is what makes him feel so alive for the first time since Sarah Hill's death. Sarah Hill knows about Garrod and Mavi's relationship, and she's sure to be amused by it.

In front of him, Mavi whispered something to Niva. Then he chuckled softly. It reminded him of another question, and he wondered if Mavi would ever find it just as amused. In the encounter with the werewolf just now. Garrod found something interesting—something his sister would be happy to know.

He had come to make out the werewolf leader's voice. He was the one who saved Garrod. Garrod was unable to connect them immediately, as the werewolf had saved him in human form, using his fingers instead of his claws to contact the Night Elves. And his whispering at the time was very different from the stiff and majestic voice of this encounter.

But more importantly, the look in the werewolf's human-like eyes revealed that he had realized that Garrod recognized him. But despite this, the werewolf ordered them to be let go.

Garrod wanted to find out why...... And when he does this, he must not let his sister get in the way. Mavi could only wait for his brother to return from the werewolf camp.

Provided, of course, that they would let him go alive again. (To be continued......)