The forest was alive with the sound of their predators. The creatures' guttural snarls and bone-chilling shrieks filled the air as Lira and Damon ran, their breaths coming in sharp, desperate bursts. The trees blurred around them, their thick trunks barely visible in the faint light filtering through the canopy.
Lira’s heart thundered in her chest, the glowing mark above her heart burning hotter with every step. It felt as if it was both warning her and pulling her toward something unknown, something dark and inevitable. She couldn’t stop now—not with the sound of the creatures growing louder, closer.
“Damon,” she gasped, struggling to keep pace. Her wolf pushed harder, its instincts driving her forward even as exhaustion weighed down her limbs. “What are those things? They’re not rogues.”
“I don’t know,” Damon growled, his massive wolf barreling through the underbrush beside her. “But whatever they are, they’re not natural.”
A piercing scream tore through the forest, high-pitched and otherworldly. Lira stumbled, her wolf flinching at the sound. It wasn’t a scream of pain—it was a call, a summoning. And whatever it was calling, Lira knew it was worse than what was already chasing them.
“Don’t stop!” Damon snapped, his voice sharp and commanding. He nudged her forward with his shoulder, his golden eyes blazing with determination. “The packhouse isn’t far. If we can make it there, we’ll have a chance.”
Lira nodded, forcing her legs to move faster. But the burning in her chest grew stronger, spreading through her body like wildfire. She could feel it coursing through her veins, a power both alien and familiar. It made her feel invincible and fragile all at once, like a fragile vessel for something far greater than herself.
The creatures were relentless. She could hear them crashing through the forest behind her, their glowing green eyes cutting through the darkness. They moved with an unnatural speed and precision, their twisted bodies darting between the trees with terrifying ease.
Lira glanced over her shoulder and immediately regretted it. One of the creatures was mere feet away, its elongated limbs reaching for her. Its face—or what remained of it—was a grotesque mask of exposed bone and sinew, its mouth twisted into a permanent snarl.
It lunged.
Lira let out a cry, her wolf twisting to the side just in time to avoid its claws. She spun, her instincts taking over as she lashed out with her own claws. Her strike landed, slicing across the creature’s chest, but it barely slowed. It reared back, hissing, its green eyes burning with fury.
“Lira!” Damon’s voice was a roar as he slammed into the creature, his wolf’s massive body sending it flying into a nearby tree. The creature crumpled to the ground, motionless, but Damon didn’t stop. He tore into it with savage ferocity, his teeth sinking into its neck until it stopped moving entirely.
“Keep moving!” he shouted, blood dripping from his jaws. “Go!”
Lira hesitated for a heartbeat, her wolf growling in protest at the thought of leaving him behind. But the sound of more creatures closing in forced her to turn and run, her legs carrying her as fast as they could. Damon was right—if she stopped now, they were both dead.
The forest seemed endless, the trees stretching on forever in every direction. But then, through the darkness, she saw it—a faint light in the distance. The packhouse.
Relief flooded her chest, giving her the strength to push through the pain and exhaustion. She could make it. They could make it.
But just as the thought crossed her mind, the ground beneath her feet gave way.
Lira let out a startled cry as she tumbled down a steep slope, her body rolling uncontrollably. Rocks and branches scraped against her skin, and her wolf howled in pain as she finally came to a stop at the bottom of a ravine.
“Lira!” Damon’s voice echoed from above, filled with panic. She tried to push herself up, but her body protested, the sharp pain in her side making it hard to move.
“I’m okay!” she called back, though she wasn’t sure if it was true. The glowing mark on her chest pulsed, the heat intensifying as if it were reacting to her pain. “I think—”
Her words were cut off by a low, guttural growl.
Lira’s breath caught in her throat as she turned her head. Emerging from the shadows was a creature larger than any of the others, its twisted form radiating an unnatural darkness. Its eyes weren’t green like the others—they were black, endless voids that seemed to swallow the light around them.
The beast. Or something worse.
It moved slowly, deliberately, as if it knew she had nowhere to run. Lira’s wolf bristled, growling low in her chest, but she couldn’t deny the fear that gripped her. This creature wasn’t just a predator. It was death incarnate.
Above her, Damon’s roar echoed through the ravine. He leapt down the slope, his wolf landing with a thud beside her. His golden eyes locked on the creature, his body tensed and ready to fight.
“Stay behind me,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.
“No,” Lira said, her voice shaking but firm. She pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the pain. The mark on her chest flared again, and she felt the power surge through her once more. “We fight together.”
The creature let out a deafening roar, the force of it shaking the air around them. Damon snarled, his wolf lunging forward to meet it head-on. The two collided in a blur of claws and teeth, the sound of their battle echoing through the ravine.
Lira didn’t hesitate. She shifted, her wolf leaping into the fray. Her claws slashed at the creature’s side, drawing its attention away from Damon. It turned on her, its massive claw swiping toward her, but she dodged, her movements fueled by a power she didn’t fully understand.
The fight was brutal. The creature was stronger, faster, and more resilient than anything they had faced before. For every wound they inflicted, it seemed to heal almost instantly, its dark power seeping into the air around it.
Damon was relentless, his wolf a blur of fury as he attacked again and again. But the creature was too strong. It swatted him aside with a single strike, sending him crashing into the rocks.
“Damon!” Lira screamed, her wolf’s fury surging to the surface. She turned on the creature, her golden eyes blazing. The mark on her chest burned hotter than ever, and she could feel the power building, growing, demanding to be unleashed.
The creature lunged at her, its massive claws reaching for her, but Lira didn’t back down. She let the power take over, her wolf howling as the mark on her chest erupted with light.
The force of it sent the creature flying, its dark form slamming into the far wall of the ravine. For a moment, everything was silent. The creature didn’t move, its body crumpled and lifeless.
But the mark’s light didn’t fade. It grew brighter, hotter, until it consumed everything. Lira could feel it pulling at her, dragging her into something she couldn’t escape.
And then, the voice came again.
“Awaken.”
The light exploded, and everything went dark.
When Lira opened her eyes, she wasn’t in the ravine anymore. She was standing in a vast, empty space, the ground beneath her glowing with the same intricate symbols as the mark on her chest. In the distance, a figure stood, its features obscured by shadows.
“You’re running out of time".