As the group continued to move forward, they were also keeping a close eye on the stranger who was regularly watching them. The stranger had started to decrease the distance between them. Kierra had already warned the entire group about the stranger, and they were all progressing ready to attack at any moment. Flavia, on the other hand, had taken her bow in hand and was not leaving her brother's side. Flarka, expressionless and calm, was riding his horse as if he hadn't noticed anything.

As the group quietly continued their progress, the roar they heard in the morning came this time from very close by. This threatening sound, heard unexpectedly, froze the whole group in their tracks. A black leopard, about 3 meters long, emerged from between the trees right in front of them. It roared once and continued to advance through the trees, growling. Life seemed to come to a halt in the forest. The entire group, shocked to see the animal they least expected in front of them, were left bewildered and paralyzed with fear. No one could even draw their weapons, and they stood rooted to the spot, simply watching the animal. The leopard, seemingly unaware of the group's presence, appeared quite exhausted. It slowly passed in front of the group and lay down under a tree. After looking around for a while, it glanced back at the group and, after performing that threatening roar once again, closed its eyes and fell asleep.
Flarka, like everyone else, didn't know what to do. They could have passed by the animal or gone around it, but no one dared to take their eyes off it for even a minute. Besides, leaving such a beast unattended in the forest could be highly dangerous.

Even if the animal didn't do anything, it instilled enough fear. They had never seen such a large animal before. Flarka was facing this kind of fear for the first time during a hunt. He felt himself sweating and noticed that his hands were trembling as he wiped them on his clothes. After watching his trembling hands in astonishment for a while, he closed his eyes, hoping to calm down a bit. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes again and noticed that his trembling had subsided slightly. Slowly adjusting in his saddle, he took his bow in hand and pulled an arrow from his quiver, placing it on the bow. Flavia also prepared her arrow upon seeing his movement. Half of the group reached for their arrows, while the other half prepared ropes and leashes to capture the massive leopard. Some accompanied them with spears, aiming to protect their friends while they captured the animal. The group formed a narrower crescent shape than during a regular hunt, positioning themselves around the animal.

After waiting for the group to settle, Flarka aimed his bow at the animal and began to draw the string. However, the surroundings were so quiet that the tension sound produced by the bowstring seemed to echo through the forest. The leopard must have heard this sound, as its ears perked up, and it slowly opened its eyes. When its gaze met Flarka's, Flarka startled in fear, and the arrow slipped from his hand. But that momentary fear brought back the trembling he had struggled hard to suppress, causing the arrow to miss its target and land in the bushes two meters away from the leopard. Infuriated by this, the leopard suddenly roared and launched an attack. This sudden attack instantly instilled fear and panic in the group, disrupting the order they had just established. The soldiers who were eager to protect their king moved forward with their spears, but they couldn't match the speed of the animal and were instantly brought down. The soldiers with ropes and leashes, unable to keep up with the animal's speed, found themselves defenseless and trapped in its claws.

All of this happened in such a short period that the horses, frightened by the leopard's roar, were rearing and struggling, attempting to escape. The entire group scattered in a state of panic. The soldiers falling from their frightened horses became individual targets for the leopard. After managing to calm his horse with great effort, Flarka turned his face back towards the animal and was confronted with the horrifying scene. The leopard had rendered half of his men incapacitated with a sudden attack, disrupting the entire formation and sending each soldier flying to separate locations, which Flarka observed in horror. The scattered soldiers remained motionless in fear at their respective positions. While the leopard was searching for its next target, it locked eyes with Flarka once again. Just as it was about to attack Flarka, Flavia released her arrow, but the animal was too fast. When Flavia's arrow landed near the leopard, it roared and swiftly lunged towards Flavia.

Flavia suddenly found herself in an exposed position. She let out a scream filled with fear, trying to pull her horse back, but the horse, overcome by fear, began to flee abruptly. The horse's sudden jump caused Flavia to fall to the ground. Just as she struggled to rise in pain, she came face to face with the animal. But at that moment, a whistle was heard, and the animal suddenly paused. The sound seemed to further agitate it, as it began to growl, instilling even more fear. Saliva dripped from its teeth, and after quickly turning its head from side to side, it focused on Flavia again, ready to attack. However, just as it was about to strike again, a stronger whistle was heard. This time, the whistle grew into a piercing sound. Startled, the animal began to run in different directions, gradually disappearing from sight at great speed.

Flarka approached Flavia, who was trembling in fear and began to sob uncontrollably upon seeing her brother. Kierra, still affected by the events, sat atop his horse, gazing around. Rhadam sternly snapped him out of his daze and began giving orders for the group to regroup. As if everyone had simultaneously remembered the whistle sound they had heard, they turned towards its source.

They found themselves facing a tall, dark-haired man with disheveled and long hair, tied beneath a black bandana. His eyes were dark, and his facial features sharp. A knife scar extended from beneath his left eye towards his cheek. His slender, long face was hidden beneath a slightly unkempt beard. He wore a simple black fabric dress that was torn, indicating a long journey. Around his neck, he wore a thick necklace made of a rope-like material. Based on his physique, he appeared strong and was in his forties. He gazed absentmindedly in the direction the fleeing animal had taken.

"I came to warn you about that animal and the imminent great battle that will soon take place. However, reaching you was more challenging than I anticipated, and I was almost too late," he said, pointing towards the direction where the leopard had fled. Kierra asked, "Then why did you keep evading my men who have been searching for you for days?"

Though Kierra inwardly acknowledged the validity of his response, he did not lower his sword and made a move towards him, but Flarka stopped him.

Slowly getting to his feet, Flarka helped his sister up as well. Then the two siblings supported each other as they walked forward together.

Flarka experienced the difficulty of expressing gratitude filled with fear and sorrow for the first time. He wanted to speak but found himself breathless, taking deep breaths. After taking one last deep breath, he lifted his head again and said, "I don't know who you are, but you saved us from a great calamity. Thank you."

His voice still came out breathless. After locking eyes with the man for a while, he nodded in acknowledgement and turned back to his men. "Let no one lose control. Let this incident be a lesson for all of us. The hunt is not over until we enter the palace grounds. This rule, including myself, is the first rule we all learned when going out to hunt. Forgetting this rule, we have perhaps learned the consequences in the harshest way possible. Attend to the wounded, Kierra. We will find a safe place to make camp. Rhadam, Marek, ensure the safety of your men as well."

Flarka hesitated as he turned towards the spot where the stranger was standing. The stranger occasionally glanced towards the direction the animal had fled, and other times, he observed the group. Holding his sword in his left hand, he waved the whistle he had probably blown earlier with his right hand.

"Don't think I forgot about you. Ride with me for the rest of the day, be my guest at my camp, and dine at my table. Also, consider this pouch as a token of gratitude for your help," Flarka said, tossing the pouch filled with gold towards the stranger.

The man caught the pouch in the air, weighing it a couple of times before smiling. "I didn't do it for the money, but thanks nonetheless," he said, tossing the pouch into his cloth bag on his back. He then followed Flarka until they reached the chosen campsite, with the group providing him with a horse. He rode alongside Flarka until they reached the camp area.

"I bought it from a traveling merchant during my journeys. I wasn't sure if it would actually work, but it seems it does," Flarka replied, observing the man's nonchalant tone, which irked him.

"Well, it seems like we're lucky to be alive then. Tell me, where did you encounter this traveling merchant?" Flarka asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the man, trying to see where he was pointing.

"I met a shady merchant on the outskirts of Frey Valley. By chance, he had this item, and it cost me quite a sum," he said, examining the whistle.

Where did you come from?" Flarka inquired.
"I have traveled the whole world, and describing what I've seen would take days, even weeks. This area seems suitable for setting up a camp," the stranger replied, his facial expressions remaining unchanged. Flarka tried to look where he was pointing.