The bandit tightens the ropes around the wrists of the merchant and his entourage, the rough fibers biting into their skin. Fear glimmers in their eyes as they realize the extent of their vulnerability, their frantic movements only tangling them further. The forest is eerily silent, save for the distant caw of a crow overhead.
"Please, you have everything we own! Let us go, we beg you," one of the entourage pleads, voice trembling.
the bandit[/@ch_1].]
The merchant, his fine coat now torn, glares up through swollen eyes.
"You’ll regret this! My family will hunt you down, I swear it! Untie us, and we’ll forget this ever happened," he spits, voice hoarse.
A young porter sobs quietly, clutching a bruised arm. The tension rises, thick as the looming mist creeping between the trees.
The wolves pad silently into the clearing, circling the captives with practiced patience. Their fur bristles, muzzles slick with anticipation. Panic surges through the group—their shouts grow louder, more frantic.
"Untie us! The wolves—if we fight together, maybe we stand a chance!" The merchant's voice cracks, his bravado replaced by sheer terror.
"No need to worry. The wolves aren't after me," he says, voice low and amused. He kneels and strokes the largest wolf’s head; the animal pays him no mind, eyes locked on the trembling captives.
"They know me well. I always leave my victims here," the bandit continues, his tone almost affectionate. "They watch my back, and I trust them to finish the job."
The young porter lets out a wail, the sound snuffed out by the low, rumbling growl of the alpha wolf. The captives beg and bargain, their words dissolving into the night as the bandit vanishes between the trees.
"Good luck," he calls back, not bothering to turn.
The wolves work swiftly, their hunger insatiable. In moments, the clearing falls silent, the only evidence of the carnage the scattered coins and a bloodstained patch of earth. The forest absorbs the violence, returning to its tranquil rhythm as the pack disappears into the shadows, leaving no trace of the merchant or his entourage.
