By dusk, Gourry and Lina were both surprised to find that the swordsman was not cursed to become a lycanthrope from his earlier wounds.
"Maybe it's something that only the leader guy can do." The blond man suggested. "They are kind of weird wolves. I mean, is a normal lyca-whatzis sword-proof?"
"No." Lina shook her head. "It could be that, or because they wanted you dead and not part of the pack..."
"They seem very family-centered." He tested the strength of his still sore sword arm. "All that mumbo-jumbo the white one did about the Pack this and the Pack that..."
"And they're very protective of Maookami, too." The sorceress frowned as she contemplated the information. "Every time I hurt him, they stopped and carted him off..."
Maookami's familiar howl set them on edge as they realized that the pack would soon attack.
"Tris! Amara! Laku! Ailus! Dolen! Stop!" The white wolf's frantic call preceded the entrance of five wolves. One-Eyed Tris, gray and black Amara and Laku, ruddy Ailus, and gray Dolen burst from the bushes with murder in their yellow eyes. They moved faster than Lina and Gourry had ever seen them move before, dodging magic blade and magic spell alike. Using hit and run techniques the five wolves darted in and out of the firelight, scratching and biting at the sorceress and swordsman and swiftly disappearing into the darkness again.
"Tris, stop this, please!" Maookami appeared slowly from the shadows of the forest, wrapped in bandages from shoulder to hip. The great wolf limped as he walked, his last fight having reopened the wounds from the prior fight and the journey pushing him to the edge of his limits. His sapphire eyes reflected his agony, and a tear slipped to the ground unnoticed.
"ELMEKIA FLAME!" One of the twin wolves was burned to nothingness.
"Amara!" Maookami howled. "Tris, Dolen, Laku, Ailus, come back, please! You are going to get killed! This is Lina Inverse! Laku, please! Ailus, stop! Dolen! Tris!"
Gray Dolen was too slow dodging a fireball and burned his hindquarters, hindering him just enough for Gourry to slice his head off with the Sword of Light.
"Dolen!" Maookami cried, limping forward. The white wolf's pelt glowed a soft blue, even as he faltered because of the pain. "Dolen, no! Tris, stop it! She is going to kill you! Please, Laku, Ailus, do not leave me -- "
Ailus was killed by a lightning spell Lina modified to suit her purpose. The white beast whimpered and pushed himself forward, closer to the fighting. Laku was thrown into him by a powerful fire spell, and his wounds reopened when they slid through the clearing on his side. Maookami whined softly and nudged the charred wolf atop him gently, then rose to his feet as the Sword of Light pierced the good eye of Tris. The secondary leader collapsed and died.
"Did we get them all?" Gourry asked, turning to Lina.
"There's just him left." The sorceress pointed o the horned creature, which stood frozen by the massacre of his pack.
"Amara... Dolen... Ailus... Laku... Tris..." The white wolf murmured. "Gone... All of you... You promised you would not leave me!" His horrible cry echoed through the woods, and white-blue energy leapt around his bloody form.
"What's going on?" The swordsman squinted against the light, bracing himself as the wind kicked up.
"I have no idea!" Lina replied.
"You promised I would not be alone!" The wild energy condensed in a sphere at the point of the wolf's horn, then shot forward and slammed hard into the blond swordsman. Gourry went sailing through two trees and toppled a third before he lost enough momentum to stop. The vicious blow left him unconscious and Lina momentarily stunned.
"Gourry?!" The redhead cried.
"Leave my forest, or you are next." Maookami's bloody shoulders heaved as he panted from near exhaustion. "Any humans caught in these woods from now on will be executed at once. And each innocent death will be on your head, Lina Inverse. You killed my family. As soon as I am better, I am going to take yours to avenge them. "Just you wait, Outsider. Just you wait." His low voice was quiet and full of pain. He disappeared into the darkness as he had twice before; limping slowly while the sorceress was busy tending to her sidekick.
But Lina was determined to see an end to the terrible battles once and for all. She refused to allow Maookami to go free and make her feel guilty for his deeds. The redhead set a time-release healing spell on Gourry after resetting what broken bones she could.
Maookami's trail was easy to follow. His path was marked by the trail of bloody paw prints he left behind, partially smudge by the dirt kicked up from his limp. It led her deep into the woods, over rocky hills and brooks, and to a cave at the foot of a high hill. There was a large bloody spot on the left wall, where she could tell that the demon wolf leaned against the stone for support. The trail continued along the wall for so long that she expected to see the great white wolf on the ground at any minute, dead from blood loss. The white wolf's path twisted through tunnel after tunnel and wound deeper and deeper into the hill. The sorceress passed countless chambers within the maze, most of them storing some kind of food or timber or occasionally cloth. There were a few rooms that appeared to be for dwelling in, with straw mats and stone lined fireplaces with holes dug upwards to catch the smoke. Then she stumbled upon a large chamber that held livestock.
"Cepheid's wings..." She breathed, gazing over the content and well-fed sheep and cows. "They never killed any of them, did they? All the animals the villagers reported to be killed... they're all right here!" A quick head count of the domestic beasts revealed that indeed, none of the animals had been killed.
She left the livestock alone. Once she was finished, she would lead them back to their proper owners.
The trail ended in a massive chamber filled with vegetation. A subterranean garden was spread before her; sunlight streamed in through holes in the ceiling, spread through the room with the help of carefully angled mirrors. An underground stream carved its path gently through the place, and white flowers lined the bank delicately. And in one patch of sunlight Lina found her greatest surprise yet.