A pack of wolves, but not like any wolves Mira had seen before. Their eyes glowed a faint, sickly yellow, and their bodies were unnaturally large, their limbs twisted and disproportionate, as if their forms had been stretched and warped by the storm’s unnatural influence. Their fur was patchy and matted, soaked through by the rain, and their mouths hung open in snarl-like grins, revealing teeth too long, too sharp for any normal creature. Mira’s breath caught in her throat. Mutated. Changed. The wolves paced in front of the cave, their movements almost deliberate, as if they were sizing up their prey. Riven shifted uneasily beside her, her hooves clattering on the stone floor, but she didn’t move toward the wolves. She wasn’t a fool—she knew this was no ordinary encounter. Mira’s fingers tightened around the knife’s hilt. She’d been in dangerous situations before, but this… this felt different. The air was thick with an unnatural tension, as if the wolves themselves were not entirely of this world. One of the wolves—a massive, scarred beast with glowing yellow eyes—stepped forward, its gaze locking onto Mira. The others followed suit, circling slowly, the pack forming a tight formation, blocking any chance of escape. They were toying with her. Her breath quickened, but she forced herself to stand her ground. Riven snorted, a warning sound, and Mira patted her side, trying to calm her. "Stay close," she whispered. "We’ll figure this out." The lead wolf let out a low, throaty growl, and Mira’s heart raced. She knew what they wanted. They wanted her. But she wasn’t about to give in without a fight. She could feel the knife’s weight in her hand, the frigid steel offering a small measure of comfort. But then the wind shifted. A gust of rain-laden air tore through the cave entrance, and the wolves flinched. For a moment, they hesitated, their glowing eyes flicking to the storm. Mira’s heart pounded in her chest as the wolves recoiled, unsure. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, they scattered. It wasn’t a retreat—more like a shift, a twitch . With a final, haunting howl, they disappeared back into the storm, vanishing into the mist as though they had never been there at all. Mira blinked, disbelief washing over her. She didn’t know what had just happened—whether it had been a retreat or a trick of the storm—but she wasn’t about to wait around to find out. She backed away from the entrance, her hand still gripping the knife, and moved back toward the safety of the cave’s deeper recesses. Riven nickered. "That was too close," she muttered. "What are they?" She didn’t know.
