After they got up and prepared, Kopos and the girl resumed their journey, with Kopos almost dragging her along. He carried some fruits, showing complete indifference toward me, as if I had never existed.

  I waited, giving them a moment without paying them much attention either. I ate a few fruits, gathered some more, and started my own path.

  My plan was simple: I would follow them from a distance, unseen, and when they moved on from a tree trunk, I would go to gather food and rest somewhere warm. However, I didn’t know or really cared to be exact of how I could save Kopos from the trap set for him.

  The wolf appeared beside me again and began speaking before I could say anything or even turn to look at it, its voice as chilling and otherworldly as ever:

  “You lost the offer, and I gave it to someone else. You saw what the girl gained. I honor the agreements I make, but it’s better this way—the fewer rewards you receive, the more likely you’ll end up needing me.”

  “I don’t think I could ever do what the girl did,” I replied with a hint of sarcasm.

  “You wouldn’t do the same; there was another option,” it responded. “She wanted more and offered even her body. All the lion’s descendants are the same. You’re capable of selling everything for even a crumb of gain.”

  “Lion’s descendants,” I thought, recalling the brooch Kopos described on his prince—a lion attacking a deer. It hates us; it’s told me that before. It never gives me more details, having refused my previous questions, so I didn’t bother asking again.

  “How long has this girl been here?” I asked curiously.

  “A bit longer than you. I’ve been watching her and her now-dead companions. Only she survived, though neither the forest nor its creatures were fully responsible for their deaths—not all of them, at least,” it replied. “She’s never failed in any of our agreements, but she lacks the boldness to reach the castle. She took too long to realize she could demand more and never thinks far ahead, unlike you. You pose a future threat; it’s unwise to give you more rewards.”

  The wolf’s compliment gave me a sliver of courage, suggesting I wasn’t as incapable as I’d believed.

  After gathering the fruits and filling my pockets, I set out, following the other two from behind. The wolf had left me, likely to monitor the girl and ensure she fulfilled her role.

  At a turn, I stopped when I heard Kopos’s axe striking a tree—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. On the seventh strike, the tree fell. I peeked around the corner to see what was happening. It had taken him far more blows than before.

  The girl stood beside him, cheerful, but he was panting, kneeling and catching his breath. His body seemed deflated, even his height appeared shorter. He drove the axe into the fallen tree, but it didn’t embed deeply and fell to the side.

  The girl began rubbing against him again, and he, as if intoxicated, attacked her. She tried to push him away, but he overpowered her and resumed satisfying himself with her body. Her eyes briefly met mine, filled with disgust as I watched the scene. I quickly hid behind the trees at the turn and waited for it to end.

  When they finished, Kopos lay back on the tree, and the girl wrapped herself in the blanket, heading into the forest to claim her reward. I approached and sat nearby, saying:

  “With his strength, we could have gone far on this road. Why are you doing this? Is it really worth it? What have you seen ahead that scared you so much? And don’t bring up what the wolf told you about me again. You don’t seem any better with what you’re doing here.”

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  “I’m better than you. My survival instinct forced me to do what I’ve done; you did it without being in danger, without even knowing what you were risking. Hunger, sleeplessness, cold, and constant danger drove my choices,” she replied. “And no, he can’t face what lies ahead. Neither could we, and we were seven. Mind and strength alone aren’t enough—you need other things. The wolf’s help is one of them.”

  “What’s so powerful that Kopos couldn’t defeat with his strength? He can clear the trees, widen the road, intimidate the forest creatures. He’s already killed some,” I countered.

  “The princes are among our greatest enemies here. When they’re bored, angry, or drunk, they attack us, use us as they please, play with us as if we’re nothing. Then, our only option is to enter the forest. Without an agreement with it, there’s no salvation. They’re stronger than most creatures dwelling there. They always try to eliminate the guests of other princes, but they do it in the most violent and sadistic ways. Once, I entered the forest to escape, and the prince chasing me followed, killed four creatures that attacked him, and I survived thanks to the darkness that hid me,” she said with a trembling voice, avoiding my gaze.

  “What’s the name of the prince who brought you here?” I asked.

  “Porfyros,” she answered.

  “And did he have a brooch with a lion and a deer on his chest?” I pressed.

  “Yes,” she replied, “they all do, anyway.”

  “No,” I wanted to say, “mine didn’t,” but I kept it to myself, just thinking it. Many questions arose, but I didn’t pursue answers, believing it pointless. The wolf wouldn’t tell me, and the girl seemed to know no more.

  I stood and returned behind the turn. The girl dressed again, lay on Kopos, and covered both with her blanket.

  When they awoke, Kopos resembled a shadow of his former self. He struggled to drag the axe with both hands, managing with difficulty but trying to hide his weakness. Then the wolf appeared behind me and said:

  “Go now—it’s your chance. Tell him the truth about what’s happening to him. Tell him he’s slowly dying from contact with the girl.”

  “No,” I replied without looking at its red eyes. “The more of us, the more likely we’ll face an attack from the princes. And something tells me that if he retained this strength, they’d see him as a rival and come for us.”

  “You’ve figured that out too? You never cease to surprise me. Indeed, you could reach the castle. Eftis made a good choice,” the wolf said.

  I spun toward the red eyes, but nothing was there. I was startled. It seemed the wolf had slipped, revealing a name it shouldn’t have, which is why it vanished. I didn’t call out—I knew it would return—but now I realized its personal desires clouded its judgment.

  Its slip—that it had achieved something, the sense of security, the loss—all could make many lose self-control, but here, I felt there was something deeper. It craved communication, wanted to talk to someone, not just speak but find a solution. How many times had it been betrayed, how many times disappointed?

  I made no further moves to uncover what was happening; the time for that would come. I turned my attention back to Kopos. If what the girl said was true, such a simple mind couldn’t help. His strength was fading too. I’d need to find alternative food sources—the fruits were wearing me down.

  When they left the tree, I went, ate some fruits, and lay among its branches. I dreamed of my family and friends again, as I did every night. I couldn’t shake their thoughts from my mind.

  But the truth was, I had started to enjoy the road to the castle. Something began to excite me, creating a tension unlike any I’d felt before. My heart now beat with joyful rhythms, not fear.

  When I awoke, I ate and gathered some fruits before continuing. Soon, I came upon a fallen tree with Kopos and the girl lying on it. The wolf watched from a distance, not approaching me, waiting for the two to wake. So, I waited too.

  When they awoke, Kopos seemed like a different person—slightly heavier, out of shape, only his face reminiscent of the man I knew. He tried to lift the axe but couldn’t move it an inch. The girl watched from a short distance, and he attempted to justify himself, explaining he didn’t know what was happening.

  Then she approached and hugged him. She kissed him gently and led him into the forest. Blinded by her touch, he followed, seeing nothing but her face. After they entered, only she emerged, almost immediately.

  His screams began to echo. He howled for hours without stopping. They didn’t kill him right away—no, they tortured him as long as they could. When his screams ceased, the sounds of mouths tearing into his flesh followed.

  The girl had left immediately after abandoning him in the forest, while I remained until the sounds and groans faded. I returned to the tree, ate some fruits, and continued my path, this time with caution. I had no desire to meet anyone and suffer as Kopos had.