Chapter 22 – Fang and Storm
The air turned sharp before the attack.
Kael felt it in the wind—cutting low through the trees, dragging silence in its wake. No birds. No insects. Just the weight of watching eyes and the smell of blood that hadn't yet spilled.
Then it came.
A blur of grey muscle shot from the thicket and slammed into Kael's shoulder, knocking him off his feet and into the dirt. His ears rang. He rolled fast, narrowly avoiding a second set of jaws snapping shut where his neck had been.
"Kael!" Joran shouted, dropping low, lines of pale light flickering along his forearms.
Too late. The forest exploded with motion.
From the undergrowth burst five more wolves—sleek and unnatural. Their fur shimmered like oil on water, limbs longer than they should be. Their eyes glowed gold, but it wasn't rage burning in them. It was focus. Pack hunger.
Kael sprang up, lashing out with Hydrothread, the water spinning sharp across his fingers. He sliced a line across the snout of the nearest wolf. It yelped—then lunged again, unbothered by pain.
"Back-to-back!" Kael shouted.
Joran moved fast, pressing both palms to the ground. A curved barrier flared to life between them and the three wolves circling left. The first slammed into it, rebounded, then howled—a sound that made the trees shake.
The others flanked around it.
Kael's thoughts narrowed. This wasn't a skirmish. This was a hunt—and they were the ones bleeding.
System Notification:
Pack Alpha Detected: Dire Veilfang (Tier 1.9)
Classification: High-Speed Hunter – Enhanced Coordination Detected
A sixth wolf emerged from the shadows. Larger than the rest. Its eyes weren't gold—they were silver. Its breath steamed, but it didn't pant. It studied.
Kael turned to Joran. "That one's the Alpha. If it marks us—"
"It already did," Joran growled, forming a wedge-shaped barrier with a twist of his wrist. A lunging wolf collided with it mid-air and was thrown sideways into a tree.
The Alpha didn't flinch. Its ears twitched. It shifted slightly—and two wolves peeled off, circling.
Flanking again. Learning.
Kael raised his palm and called the wind. The air bent to his will, and with a twist of his fingers, a gust exploded outward, knocking two wolves back. Not enough to injure. Just delay.
"We can't hold them here," he said through clenched teeth.
"I know!" Joran replied, sweat streaking his brow. "But if we run—"
"We'll die slower."
Another barrier cracked under the pounding of claws.
Kael ducked a lunging wolf and countered with Hydrothread, slicing across its leg. Blood splashed the dirt. The beast stumbled—and the Alpha finally moved.
Fast.
It crossed twenty feet in a blur, swiping at Kael with claws longer than a dagger. Kael barely brought up a wall of wind in time to deflect it—but the shockwave of the hit knocked him back into a tree.
Bark split. His shoulder flared with pain.
System Alert: Minor Fracture Detected – Left Shoulder
Hydrothread Efficiency Dropped: -14%
Kael hissed and forced himself upright. The wolves had begun a slow press inward. Not charging. Corraling.
"Now!" Kael shouted. "We run!"
Joran didn't argue. He dropped the last of his mana into a barrier wall behind them, then sprinted after Kael as they dove through a narrow gap in the trees.
The forest blurred past.
Branches whipped their faces, roots caught at their boots. The air howled louder than before. Not storm-wind—chase wind. The wolves were coming.
Kael didn't look back. He didn't need to.
System Notification:
Pack in Pursuit – Tracking Instinct Active
Estimated Threat Distance: 92 meters… 88… 84…
Joran gasped behind him. "They're closing!"
Kael clenched his jaw. "Don't stop. Uphill. Burn your legs if you have to."
A wolf leapt from the brush to their left. Kael snapped his wrist and lashed it with Hydrothread mid-air, sending it tumbling. Joran hurdled over the body before it could rise.
A second howled, closer. Then a third. Branches shook as the pack broke through the trees, relentless and fast.
They weren't hunting anymore.
They were chasing prey that fought back.
Kael's breath came fast now. Lightning itched beneath his skin—begging. But if he let it out…
Not yet. Not here.
Still they ran.
Behind them, the Alpha gave a low, deliberate howl that made the ground tremble.
And the pack answeredChapter 22 – Fang and Storm
The air turned sharp before the attack.
Kael felt it in the wind—cutting low through the trees, dragging silence in its wake. No birds. No insects. Just the weight of watching eyes and the smell of blood that hadn't yet spilled.
Then it came.
A blur of grey muscle shot from the thicket and slammed into Kael's shoulder, knocking him off his feet and into the dirt. His ears rang. He rolled fast, narrowly avoiding a second set of jaws snapping shut where his neck had been.
"Kael!" Joran shouted, dropping low, lines of pale light flickering along his forearms.
Too late. The forest exploded with motion.
From the undergrowth burst five more wolves—sleek and unnatural. Their fur shimmered like oil on water, limbs longer than they should be. Their eyes glowed gold, but it wasn't rage burning in them. It was focus. Pack hunger.
Kael sprang up, lashing out with Hydrothread, the water spinning sharp across his fingers. He sliced a line across the snout of the nearest wolf. It yelped—then lunged again, unbothered by pain.
"Back-to-back!" Kael shouted.
Joran moved fast, pressing both palms to the ground. A curved barrier flared to life between them and the three wolves circling left. The first slammed into it, rebounded, then howled—a sound that made the trees shake.
The others flanked around it.
Kael's thoughts narrowed. This wasn't a skirmish. This was a hunt—and they were the ones bleeding.
System Notification:
Pack Alpha Detected: Dire Veilfang (Tier 1.9)
Classification: High-Speed Hunter – Enhanced Coordination Detected
A sixth wolf emerged from the shadows. Larger than the rest. Its eyes weren't gold—they were silver. Its breath steamed, but it didn't pant. It studied.
Kael turned to Joran. "That one's the Alpha. If it marks us—"
"It already did," Joran growled, forming a wedge-shaped barrier with a twist of his wrist. A lunging wolf collided with it mid-air and was thrown sideways into a tree.
The Alpha didn't flinch. Its ears twitched. It shifted slightly—and two wolves peeled off, circling.
Flanking again. Learning.
Kael raised his palm and called the wind. The air bent to his will, and with a twist of his fingers, a gust exploded outward, knocking two wolves back. Not enough to injure. Just delay.
"We can't hold them here," he said through clenched teeth.
"I know!" Joran replied, sweat streaking his brow. "But if we run—"
"We'll die slower."
Another barrier cracked under the pounding of claws.
Kael ducked a lunging wolf and countered with Hydrothread, slicing across its leg. Blood splashed the dirt. The beast stumbled—and the Alpha finally moved.
Fast.
It crossed twenty feet in a blur, swiping at Kael with claws longer than a dagger. Kael barely brought up a wall of wind in time to deflect it—but the shockwave of the hit knocked him back into a tree.
Bark split. His shoulder flared with pain.
System Alert: Minor Fracture Detected – Left Shoulder
Hydrothread Efficiency Dropped: -14%
Kael hissed and forced himself upright. The wolves had begun a slow press inward. Not charging. Corraling.
"Now!" Kael shouted. "We run!"
Joran didn't argue. He dropped the last of his mana into a barrier wall behind them, then sprinted after Kael as they dove through a narrow gap in the trees.
The forest blurred past.
Branches whipped their faces, roots caught at their boots. The air howled louder than before. Not storm-wind—chase wind. The wolves were coming.
Kael didn't look back. He didn't need to.
System Notification:
Pack in Pursuit – Tracking Instinct Active
Estimated Threat Distance: 92 meters… 88… 84…
Joran gasped behind him. "They're closing!"
Kael clenched his jaw. "Don't stop. Uphill. Burn your legs if you have to."
A wolf leapt from the brush to their left. Kael snapped his wrist and lashed it with Hydrothread mid-air, sending it tumbling. Joran hurdled over the body before it could rise.
A second howled, closer. Then a third. Branches shook as the pack broke through the trees, relentless and fast.
They weren't hunting anymore.
They were chasing prey that fought back.
Kael's breath came fast now. Lightning itched beneath his skin—begging. But if he let it out…
Not yet. Not here.
Still they ran.
Behind them, the Alpha gave a low, deliberate howl that made the ground tremble.
And the pack answered.