Surviving The Beast World With My 'Sassy' System-Chapter 39: Herd Of Jackals

When Vors had warned them that this forest was extremely dangerous, Lavayla had imagined constant attacks—predators pouring out from every direction, no time to breathe, no chance to steady herself.

But reality proved to be the opposite.

They walked.

And walked.

And kept walking.

Three hours passed without a single beast appearing. Lavayla knew the exact amount of time only because she had quietly asked Nessa to keep track for her. The forest remained tense but strangely still, the kind of silence that felt deliberate rather than peaceful.

Just as that thought crossed her mind—

Maybe this part isn’t as bad as they said—

A sudden rush of movement tore through the underbrush.

A low, vibrating growl rolled through the air, deep enough to be felt in the chest when heard. Every Beastman reacted instantly, heads snapping toward the sound.

Lavayla followed their gaze—and froze.

What emerged from the trees looked like a grizzly bear, but far larger. Its massive body was thick with muscle, its fur coarse and dark, and from its skull rose a jagged, antler-like structure that curved backward like a weapon grown.

Immediately they noticed it, the beast didn’t hesitate as it lunged.

Miren, Tharn, and Garrick surged forward in perfect coordination, intercepting it before it could reach the center of the group. They met it mid-air with their attacks before they landed.

The impact alone shook the ground beneath Lavayla’s feet.

Miren and Garrick attacked relentlessly from opposite sides, forcing the beast to shift its attention again and again, while Tharn remained just behind them—watching, guarding, ready to block any counterattack that slipped through.

But the creature wasn’t mindless.

It twisted away from strikes that should have landed, slammed its weight forward when they overextended, and forced them back with sheer power. Each time they tried to tighten their encirclement, it found a gap—always just enough space to retaliate.

The fight was brutal.

Lavayla’s fingers clenched unconsciously around the baby as she watched, her heart pounding hard enough to hurt. She swallowed and called out silently.

’Nessa, can I do anything? Anything at all?’

’Host,’ Nessa replied calmly, ’I advise you not to interfere. Previously, your actions were unseen. If you act now, the probability of exposure is extremely high, and you wouldn’t be able to provide a reasonable explanation for something appearing from nowhere.’

Lavayla’s jaw tightened.

’Then what happens?’

’The probability of the three Beastmen losing is below ten percent. They are restraining themselves.’

’Restraining?’

’Yes. Their priority is preventing the beast from breaking free and attacking you and the others. They are limiting the scale of their attacks.’

She exhaled slowly.

’...Alright.’

The stalemate held for several tense minutes—until suddenly, the rhythm changed.

Miren feinted left. Garrick struck low. Tharn moved.

In a blink, the encirclement tightened.

Miren lunged first, claws flashing as he tore across the beast’s thigh, forcing it to pivot toward him with a furious snarl. The creature reared back, raising its massive body to strike, and exposed its chest. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Garrick surged forward.

He slammed into the beast head-on, claws driving deep beneath its ribcage, anchoring himself as the creature screamed and thrashed. The ground cracked beneath their combined weight.

Tharn struck from behind, crashing into the beast’s neck and wrenching its head sharply backward. The movement threw its body off balance for a split second—

And it was all Garrick needed.

With a growl, he drove upward and twisted, tearing through muscle and bone with brutal force.

A loud, violent crack split the air.

The beast’s scream died instantly, its body going limp as Garrick tore free.

The massive form collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

A heavy silence followed.

Two of them shifted back into their human forms, breathing hard, muscles still coiled with readiness. Dark stepped forward, assessing the fallen beast.

"Leave it," he said simply. "We can’t take it."

They nodded and moved without complaint.

They continued on for several more hours before Vors suddenly halted, nostrils flaring as he tilted his head.

"I hear jackals," he said. "A large pack. They’ve noticed us."

Dark’s expression hardened instantly. "How many?"

"Up to thirty."

Lavayla’s heart skipped a beat. That was a lot and if the Jackals were like everything in this world, they wouldn’t only be bigger but stronger and more aggressive.

She took back her previous thought that this path was not that dangerous.

"Everyone, shift," Dark ordered. "Nima—you’ll carry Miss Lavayla. You’re the fastest."

The response was immediate.

Lavayla barely had time to process before massive forms replaced the people around her. Her breath caught when she looked down at Nima—tall, sleek, powerful, a serval beast far larger than she had imagined.

So this is the women’s beast form... she always thought they weren’t going to be that huge but she was wrong.

Being wrong didn’t even begin to cover it.

"Wait," Lavayla said quickly.

She went to Sela who hadn’t turned yet, collected her fur wraps, and secured the baby tightly to her front, tying the knot carefully at her side where she could feel it loosen if it shifted. She considered putting him on her back—but dismissed it immediately. If Nima was as fast as Dark claimed, the wind alone could hurt him.

The front was safer. He would be shielded.

She climbed onto Nima’s back, gripping her shoulders while carefully positioning herself so the baby rested against Nima’s body rather than being pressed between them.

"They’re closing in!" Vors shouted.

And then they ran.

Lavayla was almost thrown off despite all her preparation. She grabbed a thick handful of fur instinctively, lowering herself and curling protectively around the baby as Nima surged forward.

The forest dissolved into a blur.

Wind tore at her face, ripping the breath from her lungs. She shut her eyes and bowed her head, trusting Nima’s balance and speed as the ground vanished beneath them.

All she could do was hold on.

Nima ran like a streak of wind, her strides long and powerful, her body cutting through brush and uneven ground without slowing. The distance between them and the others widened rapidly, the forest swallowing sound and sight alike. Lavayla could only hear the rush of blood in her ears and the wind whipping past her.

Behind them—close enough that the tremor of footfalls still carried—the rest of the female beasts kept pace.

They all ran hard, their forms lean and built for endurance, never gaining on Nima but never falling behind either. Ressha, who was at the front behind Nima, had her eyes fixed forward, ears flicking constantly for sounds from the rear.

They didn’t slow down for a second, because they couldn’t.

Behind them, the first jackals burst from the trees in a blur of gray and black, lean bodies low to the ground, eyes burning with fervor. They moved in coordinated waves, snapping and circling, probing the warriors for weakness.

Dark reacted first.

He spun and struck before the first jackal could leap, claws tearing across its neck and sending it crashing lifelessly into the dirt. Tharn shifted mid-motion, his massive form slamming into another that tried to flank them, jaws closing with crushing force. Garrick met two head-on, roaring as he drove them back with raw strength.

But the pack kept coming.

They poured from the forest in growing numbers, darting in and out, refusing to commit fully, wearing the warriors down through constant pressure. For every jackal that fell, two more appeared, their howls rising into a relentless chorus.

Miren was slashed across the shoulder. Vors barely twisted away from snapping jaws aimed for his throat. The ground beneath them churned into torn earth and broken roots as the fight dragged on.

"Fall back," Dark ordered through his growl. "Now. We break through."

Instead of holding ground, they struck hard and fast, targeting the closest jackals, forcing openings rather than kills. Tharn smashed a path forward, Garrick guarded the flank, Miren and Vors covered the rear. They moved as one, retreating and never letting the pack fully surround them.

Minutes stretched as the jackals grew tired, and they finally found an opening and ran.

Still, the jackals pursued.

Twenty grueling minutes later, the warriors finally broke through the densest part of the forest, bursting into rougher terrain where the ground dipped, the surroundings filled with sparse trees.

Without hesitation, the group split, scattering in different directions. Some doubled back, others climbed, others plunged into rocky gullies where scent would scatter and tracks would vanish.

And it worked, as the jackals faltered.

Confused howls echoed as the pack split to follow multiple trails, their coordination breaking as terrain and distance worked against them. One by one, their pursuit weakened, their howls fading into frustrated snarls before disappearing entirely.

Dark kept running even after the others began to slow, his strides eating through the forest until the burn in his limbs finally forced him to shorten them. His pace eased, muscles coiled tight beneath sleek black fur as his head lifted, ears swiveling, nostrils flaring to pull in every thread of scent the wind carried.

Nothing followed them. No pursuit. No howls. No footfalls tearing through brush.

One by one, the others eased closer, their paws light despite their size. Bodies brushed as they passed close, quick nudges and glances serving as checks. Blood darkened fur in places, shallow wounds already sealing beneath thick hides, but it didn’t slow them.

Dark’s gaze moved over each of them, lingering only long enough to be sure they were whole.

Only then did he turn forward, signaling them to move on.