There was also a change in Hero's environment.

After conversing with a few mobs, he had discovered something incredible. Apparently, news of Noah's nice little plan, his legacy had passed around. Creatures of all kinds decided to seek out the current spider alpha, Helena, hoping she shared the same mindset as the alpha before her. She did, and negotiations and bargaining started. All creatures had decided on a peace treaty between them, excluding the humans.

They had all shared information about each of their own species and their needs to each other, and had come to a conclusion. They did not divide the land not occupied by man to each specie. They shared the land with each other. Old enemies became allies. Foe became friends. They depended on each other, and looked out for each other. The spiders had decided to respect the vampires as long as they respected the spider back. Multiple species who were usually at war reconciled. In terms of food, they all agreed that it was part of nature.

If they took more than they needed, however, then it would be a problem.

Gone were the territories and boundaries. Creatures roamed freely and shared. They elected leaders, of course. The strongest or most capable of their species. In that way, if there was any dispute, the leaders would resolve it without dragging the entire colonies into chaos. Hero had observed the change of the biomes, as passing creatures did not even spare each other a glance. They just went about their day, not worrying about the other.

Hero decided it was time to visit the spider colony, so he did.

Helena had cried tears of joy when she saw him entering the cave system. She was elected spider colony leader, but she set aside her duties to greet her previous alpha. New spiders were intrigued by Hero, but the ones who knew him beforehand welcomed him back. Pups he knew had grown, yet they still tackled him. He had met Helena's mate, Fred, who was pure hybrid. He was born from another escaped spider hybrid, thus was more feral than human. Hero had greeted him all the same.

Fred's litter, on the other hand, Hero loved them.

He met little Noah, who, like the spider he was named after, was huge. He was still a pup, almost becoming an adult but he was already two-thirds of the late Noah's size. He was more cheerier, and loved having fun rather than being serious. He also loved picking fun at the runt of the litter, Hero.

The spider was a little thing, but she had some bite. Hero had learnt that his spider counterpart's full name was Heroine, due to her gender. She was a fierce female, but the only spider she allowed more dominance than her was her big brother Noah. Both pups loved him to death, and Heroine was amazed by the person she was named after. She shot question after question, and Hero struggled to keep up.

He had also reunited with Hugo. The creeper had done well with his mate, Shay. She was pure creeper, but she loved him all the same. Creepers mated for life, just like the cave spider, so Hero laughed at their public display of (creeper) affection. He had also met their single kit, Bingo. He was an energetic creeper, unlike his lazy dad. He inherited human blood from his dad, and was able to shift back and forth. Bingo loved Hero too, and asked questions about the outside. Hugo had apparently never allowed Bingo out of the den until he was old enough, and the creeper was curious.

Then he visited Noah's grave.

Helena and Hugo went with him as well, the three silent as they stood over their friend's grave. None of them had teared up as if they seemed to move on. Their lives did, but their hearts still stayed with Noah. The vampires had apologized profusely, but Hero did not want to hear it. Most of the vampires were still cold, and they obviously did not regret killing Noah. The spite in between spiders and vampires was still there, albeit a little weak.

Hero's scarf stayed loyally on the grave, undisturbed. It had become a nest at one point, Helena said. A raven had rested and laid eggs on the scarf, and spiders had came to observe the new lives growing on top of the previous one. The spiders saw it as a rebirth, even though the ravens were long gone. Helena had also said that the ravens were never afraid of the spiders approaching. They did not squawk when they dared close, and even allowed the pups to sniff at their eggs curiously.

Afterwards, Hero had met the other colony leaders. They had all pledged to help Hero when he is in need of their assistance. The flushed man was told that it was all they could offer since Hero had helped the peace treaty alongside the late Noah. He now knew endermen, ocelots, wolves, zombies, skeletons and even silverfish who could help him out. Mermaids, sirens and seasnakes promised to help him out at sea. Birds and winged dragons assisted in the sky. Hero had even met creatures he had no idea existed.

It was nice knowing Hero had nature on his side.

○

Hero met a wolf pair.

It was a particularly strong blizzard, and Hero was growing weak quickly. Creatures were either deep in shelter and warmth or either in hibernation, so he struggled. He even thought at one point that he would freeze to death, until a piercing howl brought his attention to a snow covered hill. It took him awhile to see the massive furred canines in the strong weather, but once he did, he made his way towards them.

Their howls became softer as he neared, and he was exhausted once he reached them. He had collapsed, and he blearily felt the larger male drag him onto his warm back. He heard the female coo, "Huddle close, we'll bring you somewhere warm, dear."

He did so, breathing in the wolfish scent of the male.

○

Hero found himself in a warm den. He first noticed how he was huddled up to a warm soft and furry body. He found himself in between two, actually, but was still dizzy and confused from the cold. He let out a low whine and the two bodies immediately started to move. The larger male rolled around to pull Hero closer to his warmth, while the female just scooted closer. They even wrapped their tails around his feet, and just told him to sleep and let nature take over his sleepy mind.

So he did.

○

Hero hibernated.

He fucking hibernated.

It was why he woke up hungry. He felt refreshed when he woke up, and was greeted with two very much awake wolves staring at him. The female's jowls spread out to a slobbery grin as she greeted, "Good morning, my dear! How was your slumber?"

Hero got some sort of motherly vibe from her. The other wolf stared at him rather eerily from his corner so he watched his moves carefully. He sat up, but did not back up to the wall, not showing any submission whatsoever. He silently flared out his scent, and the male wolf huffed. Before he could even talk, the female beat him to it, "It's alright. You're safe with us."

She turned to snap teasingly at her partner. The male huddled into his corner and whined lowly, "Yeah. Right. Totally."

The female was obviously much friendlier. Hero had never really interacted with wolves or canines for that matter. He leaned more towards felines, so he was still inexperienced with wolves. He had only seen them passing by, and conversed with their colony leader. That was all the wolf interaction he had done in his entire life. He felt a little threatened, and pushed into an uncomfortable situation, so he started to crawl towards the entrance of the den.

The female raised her head from her paws and looked absolutely heartbroken. "What is it, little one? Are you hungry? Is it too cold? Why are you leaving?"

The male moved from his spot and looked curiously at Hero. The Swede sighed and said, "I'm obviously not really welcomed. Thank you for sheltering me for the winter. I'll hunt you a deer or something as thanks."

The female shot a growl at her partner, who grunted and laid down lazily. She got to her feet and padded over to Hero, head ducked low but tail waving curiously, "I'm so sorry for Brute, my dear. He's like that with strangers, even if you are particularly not one. Come, I'll hunt with you!"

Before she could even join Hero outside the warm den, the male wrapped his jaws around her scruff and pulled her back. Hero stayed his ground, preferring not to interfere if this was normal wolf behavior. He looked away, thinking it was rude to listen in and he was soon joined by the male. He peeked in to see the female grinning her own wolfish grin as she panted in the den.

He heard the male, Brute, speak again, "Let's go. She'll wrestle me again if I don't treat you nice."

Hero huffed, "I honestly don't mind. We just don't have to tell her."

Brute stretched out in the snow, and Hero watched his thickset fur ruffle and shiver at the well needed stretch. There was still snow around, but it was not as bad as before. Brute padded ahead of him grumpily, and Hero marveled at how massive he was. His muscled paws sank in the snow, but he moved with ease. Hero, on the other hand, had boots that sunk too deep, and he had to use a bit of magic to clear a path for himself.

It was silent, but Hero expected it. Brute did not trust him that much, and he understood. Everyone knew who he was, but it was their decision whether they would treat him like a friend or foe. Luckily, Brute did not fight him head-on, as Hero could see himself losing to the huge beast. His thoughts were interrupted when the wolf halted and sniffed at the air. He dropped to his hunches and started to creep low towards a scent that Hero had also picked up.

Hero had joined him, crouching down and creeping against the snow alongside Brute. The wolf stared at him grumpily when he saw him join, but continued on until they spotted their target.

A young reindeer, with rather small antlers picking at the snow finding berries or plants to nibble on.

Brute huffed quietly, "Stay here. I'll handle this."

Hero rolled his eyes, unimpressed, but obeyed. If he retorted, it would start a quarrel that would alert the reindeer and cause it to run away. Hero finally relaxed into the snow, and busied himself with carefully wiping out frozen bits of his hair. He redid the warming charms on his arm and that was when Brute finally sprung out of their hiding place.

The reindeer let out a shocked call as Brute grabbed ahold of its back. Hero watched silently. The reindeer was bucking wildly, almost throwing Brute off once. Only when the reindeer started biting at Brute's shoulder did Hero ready himself. He pressed his heels against the ground and counted from 3 down. Once he reached 1, he let out a breath he was holding, and saw the mist in the air before sprinting. The reindeer shrieked again at the sight of Hero as he charged. Brute snarled angrily from his bite on the reindeer's fur when he saw Hero.

Hero shot him a smirk before licking his lips and jumping towards the reindeer's neck. He wrapped his arms around the neck as his legs swung from underneath him. He watched out for the antlers and ducked down to sink his sharpened fangs into the deer's flesh. He could use a knife, but his hunting weapons were often knocked away from him in the tussle, so he resorted to his teeth. All the huntings he had gone out on did him well as the reindeer collapsed under all the weight. It fell and Brute switched his bite from the back to its neck as well. Both Brute and Hero tightened their jaws around the reindeer until it stilled, dead.

Brute let go first, licking the blood from his jowls. Hero went afterwards, spitting out the fur in his mouth. He proceeded to swallow the remaining blood in his mouth, humming at the metallic taste. His bliss was short lived as Brute grunted, "You're good at this."

Hero made eye contact with Brute, who was panting. Hero made a guttural sound of content. The wolf responded with happy whine, and they dragged the reindeer back to the waiting female back at the den.

○

The female, who Hero later learnt was called Tulip, let out a satisfied whine at the reindeer and the mutual respect Brute and Hero had grown for each other. They gathered in the large den and ate together. Hero had learnt that Tulip and Brute were a mated pair, and had recently settled in for a forever home. They had wanted to have a go for a litter, hopefully in spring, where mating season awaited them. Hero always had the unusual luck of meeting creatures close to mating season, but he respected their boundaries and behaviors.

He did not judge when the snow had started to clear out, and the pair became more affectionate. Hero had earned himself a tiny place in their tiny pack as a friend. They taught him the ways of their kind, and soon Hero was in the middle of a grooming session. The pair licked Hero's hair into a slobbery mess, and tended to his wounds as well. Hero never licked back, he still had his dignity, but he used his knowledge from other creatures to help whenever he could.

Brute and Hero grew to close friends, even to the point where they would wrestle like they were litter mates. Brute always won, but Hero did not mind. It reminded him of when he would wrestle with Markus, as he would allow Markus to win even though Hero could. Hero and Tulip bonded over their affectionate and motherly personalities. Tulip and Hero would gush over passing packs who also had litters of their own.

The wolves were friendly with each other, and Hero had a firsthand experience with a litter of wild wolf pups.  He felt blessed afterwards, and Tulip told him to get a litter of his own. Hero had to tell her that it was impossible. Tulip was not hearing it, and pressured him to meet young male wolves, who were confused as to why a female wolf was pushing a fucking human towards them.

Hero definitely did not get one as a mate, but made a few passing companionships with them. Hero even met half-human hybrids, and they bonded over their shared blood. They all had their laughs among themselves when Hero told him about Tulip's plan.

Mating season came, and Hero left the den to give them some privacy. He slept in the trees instead, talking to the squirrels and owls. The pair would come out to greet Hero, and he could obviously see what the mating season was doing to them. Brute was extra aggressive and protective towards Hero and Tulip, but more towards the latter. Tulip seemed to be in a daze, and she grew much more loving than before, huddling close to Hero and bathing him in grooming sessions.

He escaped the den covered in slobber, and had to roll around some grass to get himself to dry.

Mating season ended as fast as it came, and Hero found himself in a den with a tired Brute and a very happy Tulip. Hero hunted for them while they rested, and after a week or two, Tulip had eagerly told them she was expecting a litter. Hero had never seen Brute so happy, and went out to hunt them a celebratory feast while the mates spent some time together happily.

Hero had found a herd of reindeer towards the edge of the forest when he saw him again.

One of the reindeer was staring directly at him. It followed his every move, but did not alert their friends. When Hero tried to move closer, he caught sight of familiar teal eyes. It blinked, and that was when Derrek had spoken up after being so quiet.

Fuck, he's here again! Run!

Hero did so, and turned. He sprinted, but the sounds of hooves grew louder behind him. He could not find the perfect moment to teleport, and gasped as antlers scraped his back. He heard padding of paws joining the hooves, just as he was pushed to the ground, trampled by the Shifter. He heard a menacing growl before the weight on his back disappeared. He turned to see Tulip looking worriedly at him. His head had collided white badly with the ground, so he was a little dizzy.

Tulip lapped at his cheek worriedly and he let out a whine. He shook Tulip off and turned to see Brute fighting off the reindeer. He and Tulip made noises of shock as the reindeer reared and glowed. The reindeer brought its paws back to the ground as another wolf. It was smaller than Brute, but just as vicious. Hero could hear it growling at Brute.

"So strong... Better than this stupid, weak vessel... Must have."

Before the Shifter could sink a bite into Brute, Hero had formed a large fireball out of rage. He had lifted it high before throwing it right at the Shifter. It collided with his face, and Hero saw those teal eyes widen in terror. Fire immediately set to its cheek fur and it bolted away, as fire spread throughout its body. Tulip whined low as Hero crumpled to the ground. Brute was alerted by his mate's whine and rushed to her side.

He joined his mate in encouraging Hero to get up, licking at his cheeks and temples. Hero's fingers burned, and he groaned as he tried to get to his elbows. He did for a bit, before his shoulders started to stagger. Something was spiking in his back, and it hurt. Tulip nosed his shirt a little, and her cold nose came into contact with something and it hurt.

Hero winced and gasped as Tulip lapped at a thin gash across his back. It was probably from the Shifter's antlers as a reindeer, but the hooves had also gave him a couple of bruises down his back. He felt Brute nose at his hair, and he heard him inquire, "What is this? Your neck's all black. Is that normal for humans?"

Hero was about to respond with a no, but Derrek had interrupted him.

Whatever he's seeing, it's my mark.

Your what?

Mark. My mark of claim and corruption on you. It formed that night we met. It tells other people that you're my victim.

Why the fuck did you not tell me any sooner?

Derrek did not respond, so he sighed. He just huffed to Brute to forget about it.

○

Hero was dragged back to the den, and now he was curled up in a corner with herbs on his back. Tulip was curled up, her eyes shut but she was not sleeping. Her belly was already starting to grow heavy with pups, and Brute was curled protectively around her.

Hero looked at the blisters at his fingers, then at Tulip and her pregnant belly. He observed that the mated pair were tired, and guilt picked away at his heart as he knew that he had brought this onto them. It was the same with the spider colony. He had dragged the vampires to Noah, just like how he lured the Shifter towards Tulip and Brute.

He came to the same decision he made before.

"I can't stay."

The same reactions. The same worrying. The same promises that would never be kept. They eventually let him go, albeit sorrowfully.

Hero left, knowing that the Shifter was following somehow, some way. He knew that one day, the Shifter would catch up and he would fall victim to it. Between that day and now, Hero knew that there would be several other close encounters.

○

Many years later, Hero would return to the den to find just the lingering scents of his old friends, together with a strange new scent of a litter. Many years later, the den was empty, and Hero would find wolf blood instead of blood of a prey. Many years later, and Hero would find the surviving child of his friends, in the arms of a Southern Military soldier.

○

Two Years After Leaving The Wolves

Hero was strolling along pathway that separated a forest and a meadow. He had his hands deep in his pockets, and he had just returned from a rough collision with some soldiers. His cheek was scraped and his own blood was dried up on his shirt. He staggered across the path, and raised his head when he heard a weak call for help.

It was definitely no human, but it sounded pitiful and upsetting. So, Hero crossed into the meadow in broad daylight dangerously to find the source. The meadow was lit up under the sun, and was open far and wide. If a search party was here, his only escape would be to teleport away. He had no where to run and hide. Military weapons upgraded and rifles could shoot him down from great distances. Still, like with everything, he took the risk and ventured into the open.

It would be relaxing and beautiful if Hero was not a serial killer on the run, and if there was no pitiful cry. Strolling towards the sound, Hero could identify it as an equine creature. His thoughts drifted to his old military horse, Minnie. A stunning gray dappled mare. Every soldier who could ride a horse earned one, and Hero took great care of Minnie. He wondered how she was doing, and he even wondered whether she was dead. He shook his head free of this thoughts, and finally found the source.

It was just a few feet away from where he stood, hidden in the grass. It was small, but Hero could tell it was a horse. The terrified whinnies gave it away, and Hero needed to go closer to see if it was a filly or colt. Carefully, he spread out his scent, a more comforting one, to calm the little one down. The whinnies stopped, but it let out a soft inquiring snort. Hero crouched and crept closer, parting the tall grass to see the little fella.

Two black beady eyes stared at him. The horse seemed to be pretty much full black. Nose, snout, ears, eyes, everything. Hero raised his head to look around. There was nothing but butterflies and birds, so he bent down again to whisper, "What's wrong, buddy?"

The young horse shuffled its hooves nervously and Hero strengthen his soothing scent. The horse visibly relaxed before it whimpered, "My back leg hurts and the humans took my mama."

The tone told Hero it was a young colt.  Said colt started to shimmy away, scared. "Will you take me away too?"

Hero softened and he said, "No. Not in a bad way, of course. I'm here to help. I'm not sure about your mama but I can help your leg."

The colt stared at him before it extended its back leg towards Hero. The Swede carefully inspected it, and found a bad cut right over one of the joints. He seethed and turned to the colt, "This may hurt for a second. One second, and it'll be done. You understand me?"

The colt let out a scared squeak before mumbling a yes. It nosed in between Hero's arms and hid in the crook of his elbow. Hero sat on the grass and stroked down the colt's snout before he pressed down on the gash with his free hand. The colt stirred and whinnied painfully under his grip, but he still pressed down. He focused hard as the colt thrashed in his hands, and soon blue light lifted from his fingers. It circled the colt's cut, before sinking in.

The effect was immediate. The colt was distracted by the light, and watched as it stitched the cut together, until nothing was left on the leg. In the cut's place was a bit of healing skin, a tiny scar. After a moment of silence, and Hero soothing the aching in his fingers, the colt stood up. Hero watched as it walked unsteadily, but once he got the hang of it, he went wild. He bucked and whinnied,  zipping around the tall grass as Hero watched. Hero got distracted by a butterfly landing on his shoulder, but it flew away when the colt came running headfirst into his lap.

The colt nuzzled into his cheek and he smiled, scratching behind the colt's ears, just like how he used to with Minnie. The two wrestled in the grass for a while, with Hero letting the colt win. He listened to the colt bounce on his back and go on and on about being the best in his herd. Which triggered some realization in Hero.

He rolled over, and the colt shrieked as it dropped to the ground. Hero immediately picked him up and asked, "Where's your herd?"

The colt stilled in his arms and whinnied, "My mama said we were going to them. She said she got separated when I was born."

Hero looked away, thinking of ways to bring this colt home. Closing his eyes, he focused on his hearing. Soon, he was able to hear birds lifting off the ground to take flight. He heard every brush of every feather and behind all that, he heard a couple of stomping hooves, and a neigh. He opened his eyes, and his hearing went back to normal. He looked towards the direction where he heard the neigh and looked down at the colt.

The colt extended a hoof and booped him on the nose. Hero's face scrunched up and he sneezed. The colt laughed.

Hero felt himself smiling a little, "Alright, alright, let's get you home."

The colt's eyes widened before Hero teleported away.

○

It did not go well.

The herd did not hear of a mare who was left behind. In fact, they were offended as if Hero was accusing them of leaving someone behind. Their leader got pissed and attempted to bite at the colt. Hero read the signs and lashed forward to bring the colt to his chest. The colt whinnied softly, and the herd told them to get lost. No one clearly wanted to take care of the colt, who let out a distressed neigh.

Hero did not stay, as it would get ugly pretty easily. He turned around and left, ignoring the amused and mocking neighs of the herd behind him. When he assured he and the colt was safe and far away, he set the black colt down. It laid down at Hero's feet and stared up at him obediently. Hero was still thinking of a way where he could bring the colt back home. The next herd was still far away, and would take ages to reach. There would be more smaller herds with less than 10 horses, but those were usually the ones who did not treat the young well.

He sighed, first he needed to settle the simplest of things.

"What's your name?"

The colt lifted his black head from a butterfly and said, "I don't know."

Hero cocked his head, confused. "Did your mama not give you one?"

The colt replied innocently, "No. Maybe you can give me a name?"

Hero bit his lip. He immediately started sprouting names from the top of his head. The colt grunted at each one, not impressed.

"...Ernest, Jonathan, Sherwin, Shane, Dennis, Timothy?"

The colt was resting its head now, with his eyes closed. He let out one loud grunt. Hero sighed and whispered out.

"Kai?"

The colt lifted his head.

"Kaiz..?"

The colt let out a whinny of interest.

"Kaizer."

The colt stood up, and rubbed his head all over Hero's knees. Hero bent over to scratch behind Kaizer's ears as he grinned softly down at the colt.

Apparently meeting Melanie was the start of meeting several other creatures. Hero guessed he could live with this.