Canglan Extra: Stranger
The warm-season sunlight filtered through the layers of broadleaf trees, casting dappled shadows across the forest clearing. The air was thick with the rich scent of earth, decaying leaves, and countless thriving plants. Canglan maintained his wolf form, his silver-gray fur perfectly hidden in the shadows of the trees. Only his piercing golden eyes, like the most focused hunter, slowly scanned the Silver Moon Tribe's hunting territory.
He was tracking a group of forest-hoofed beasts, but an extremely faint, yet distinct smell, like an invisible thread, vaguely tickled his keen sense of smell.
The smell was clean and unfamiliar, with a strange texture that didn't belong in this forest, like a mixture of some plants I'd never smelled before and fine fabrics, with a hint of... sweat and fatigue.
It wasn't a wild beast, nor was it from any known tribe. Canglan's muscles instinctively tensed, his duties as hunting captain instantly raising his alert. He whispered a few short, guttural sounds to his deputy, Liefeng, signaling them to continue tracking their prey. He then separated from the group, silently following the strange scent like a shadow blending into the breeze.
Passing through a patch of lush ferns, the scene before him startled even the experienced Canglan.
A figure sat leaning against the roots of a massive ancient tree, seemingly taking a brief rest. This person was definitely not from any known tribe. He wore strange, close-fitting clothing (jeans and a T-shirt) made of a rare fabric and a strange color. His exposed skin was too delicate, as if it had never been exposed to the elements. Beside him lay a bag (a backpack) made of the same strange material, but otherwise, he possessed nothing else.
A complete "stranger".
Canglan's sharp claws silently emerged from his paw pads, and a low, warning grunt rolled from his throat. Strangeness meant uncertainty, and uncertainty meant potential threat. His mind was screaming, reminding him to keep his distance, or even to step forward and restrain this unknown being.
He approached silently, his wolf form giving him absolute oppressive power. With just one leap, one pounce—
At this moment, the person who was resting seemed to notice something and turned his head suddenly.
Canglan's movements stopped instantly.
He met eyes.
Black, like a deep pool of water, it now clearly reflected his silver wolf form. His eyes were filled with astonishment, wariness, and a hint of barely concealed exhaustion and bewilderment. But there was no screaming, no immediate attack, and none of the usual awe or fear that the tribesmen often showed when they saw a wolf-like orc. Instead, there was pure shock, a shock so intense that one could almost feel their heartbeats racing.
This reaction was beyond Canglan's expectations. He maintained his menacing growl, his golden pupils fixed on the other person, evaluating every subtle movement.
The other party seemed to be trying hard to remain calm, but his slightly trembling fingers and rapid breathing revealed his nervousness. He slowly and clearly raised his empty hands, spread his palms, and made a strange but understandable "I have no weapons" gesture across language barriers.
Then, he tried to speak, his syllables strange and awkward, a language Canglan had never heard before. But his eyes and posture conveyed not hostility, but an attempt to communicate, even a hint of... help?
Canglan's vigilance remained high, but his urge to kill had inexplicably subsided. This stranger was too strange, too fragile to be threatening, but there was something in those eyes—not savagery, but rather a quiet wisdom—that made it impossible to simply classify him as harmless.
He needs more information.
Canglan took a half step back, the air around him trembling slightly. His sturdy silver wolf form shifted in the light and shadow, transforming into a tall, upright human form. His bronze skin shone in the warm sunlight, his long silver-gray hair cascading over his shoulders, his piercing golden eyes fixed on the other person without blinking.
"Who are you?" Canglan's voice was low and hoarse, characteristic of orcs, and he used the most widely spoken common language in this land. "Where are you from? Why are you here?"
The man on the ground was clearly shocked again by the transformation, his pupils constricting slightly, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. He listened carefully to Canglan's words, his face showing even more obvious confusion. He shook his head and spoke a few more words in that strange language, while gesturing, pointing at himself, then at the surrounding forest, and finally making the almost universal gesture for "lost" - spreading his hands, shaking his head, and looking blankly.
Complete language barrier.
Canglan's brow furrowed even more. He tried using two dialects from a small, relatively close tribe, but the other party remained bewildered, though the helplessness in those dark eyes grew increasingly apparent. He looked hot and tired, his lips chapped and sweat streaked his forehead.
Although the warm-season forests weren't as directly lethal as the cold-season ones, they were still fraught with danger for an unprepared stranger who was clearly unfamiliar with surviving in the wild: poisonous insects, ferocious beasts, getting lost, lack of water...
Canglan studied him in silence. Taking a stranger with whom he couldn't communicate and whose origins were unknown back to the tribe was undoubtedly risky and irresponsible to the tribe's safety. But leaving him alone in this forest, he probably wouldn't survive much longer.
Those black eyes were looking at him, with no pleading in them, only a calm, almost resigned tiredness, as if they had already accepted any fate that might befall them.
Time passed in the silent confrontation. The wind blew through the forest, bringing with it the faint cries of the hunting party in the distance.
Finally, Canglan made a decision. He stopped trying to speak and instead pointed at himself, then in the general direction of the Silver Moon Tribe, then gestured to the stranger, "Follow me." His expression remained serious, carrying an unquestionable majesty.
It was a choice. Go with him, or stay.
The stranger, Lin Chen, stared blankly at Canglan's gesture, then looked into his deep golden eyes, as if trying to comprehend its meaning. He hesitated, his gaze sweeping across the boundless, unknown green ocean around him before returning to Canglan.
This powerful creature, newly transformed from a wolf into a human, though imposing, didn't seem to harbor any immediate killing intent. Perhaps following him was his only chance of survival.
Lin Chen took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. He supported himself on the rough tree roots and stumbled to his feet. He brushed off the dust and grass debris, then looked at Canglan and nodded gently, indicating that he understood and was willing to follow.
Canglan looked at him deeply, said nothing more, turned around and started walking. His steps were steady and fast, neither waiting deliberately nor deliberately throwing away.
Lin Chen gritted his teeth and dragged his tired and unfamiliar body, trying to keep up with the tall, silver-haired figure in front of him.
Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting a shadow on two figures, one in front and one behind. One was a powerful and vigilant wolf warrior, born and raised in this land; the other was a visitor from another world, inexplicably fallen here, fragile but with hidden wisdom.
There was no language between them, only the sound of footsteps, breathing, and the rustling of the forest.
Canglan didn't look back, but his keen hearing could clearly hear the stranger's unsteady but trying hard to keep up with his steps. That strange, clean smell, now mixed with sweat and dust, lingered at the tip of his nose.
Wolf God, he thought, perhaps he had brought back a huge problem. But for some reason, listening to the footsteps trying to follow, the cold and cautious hunting captain in his heart quietly melted away, replaced by a hint of curiosity that he himself had not even noticed and... a strange sense of responsibility.
On this warm afternoon, he picked up a mystery.
And the answer seemed to be following him, step by step towards the future of the Silver Moon Tribe.
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