Birds chirped gently, playing beneath the warm sunlight. Leaves trembled with life under a calm breeze, and amidst it all, Adyr stood still, like the only lifeless thing in a living world.
For the past hour, the cave entrance had remained silent. No sane wild animal dared approach a den known to house a predator pack. The area was completely still.
Then, finally, movement.
"Right on time," Adyr murmured with satisfaction.
A group—twelve wolves to be exact—emerged cautiously from the cave, scanning their surroundings.
Compared to the old wolf he had fought yesterday, they looked younger and healthier. That didn't necessarily make them stronger, but their condition was clearly better.
One of them, however, stood out.
Larger than the others, with a fiercer presence. Its movements were confident and deliberate, and the way the rest of the pack behaved around it made it obvious—this was the new alpha.
