The morning sunlight spilled across the village ruins, catching the dust in streaks of gold. Kael moved slowly, methodical, as if the light itself demanded caution. He knelt by the edge of the river, dipping the clay pot into the cool, flowing water. Ash stayed close, his small presence grounding Kael in a world that still felt dangerous.

  Their morning had been quiet, almost mundane. They had berries from the last hunt, and Kael had salvaged a small portion of meat that morning. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to fill the hollow ache of hunger. After eating, Kael considered fetching more clay some to patch the tower, some to experiment with shaping. Maybe he would refill the pot with water first, or just inspect the nearby ruins.

  Ash, however, seemed lost in his own thoughts. The pup’s eyes followed the forest, ears twitching, muscles tensed in readiness. Kael called softly, “Ash?” The pup lifted his head slowly, but his gaze returned to the trees, unbroken, unblinking.

  Kael’s chest tightened. There was a weight in the silence something unspoken.

  Then it came: a scream. High-pitched, terrified, echoing through the trees.

  Kael froze, his body rigid. The sound was near, yet far enough to blur its exact location. He scanned the forest, trying to pinpoint it. A figure? A creature? He couldn’t tell.

  Ash’s tail bristled. The small pup crouched low, hackles rising, teeth flashing ever so slightly. Kael gripped his spear, fingers white against the worn wood. His blessing stirred subtle, like a whisper in his mind. Go. Help.

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  Kael swallowed hard. Every instinct screamed caution, but the scream carried desperation, a call for help too urgent to ignore. He motioned to Ash, who immediately responded, muscles coiling like springs. Together, they moved toward the forest edge, stepping over roots and broken stones, seeking the clearest path.

  Through the trees, Kael caught a glimpse: a person, sprinting blindly, stumbling over roots, hair whipping across their face. They were human, a female by the looks of it, eyes wide with fear. And behind her, something pursued a dark, wolf-like shape, but different from the monsters Kael had seen before. Its black eyes glimmered strangely in the filtered sunlight, and it let out a low, almost unnatural growl that made Kael’s stomach knot.

  The woman screamed again, spinning her head this way and that, spotting Kael and Ash for the first time. Her eyes were frantic, pleading. Kael’s blessing flared stronger, urging him forward. Ash growled low, a warning and an affirmation.

  Kael’s mind raced. He had no idea how strong this creature was. He only knew the patterns he had learned in the forest the movements, the feints, the lunges. He readied his spear, feet planted, senses alert.

  The woman faltered, skidding against a tree, and the creature lunged. Kael’s pulse raced. Ash crouched beside him, ready. Kael’s hands tightened on the spear.

  And then… the moment hung, suspended. Time seemed to stretch, every detail magnified the rustle of leaves, the flash of the woman’s hair, the black sheen of the creature’s eyes, Ash’s tail twitching like a metronome of tension.

  Kael exhaled slowly. The forest held its breath.

  He nodded once to Ash.

  Then they moved forward.