Kayla’s fingers curled around the hilt of her sword as the wolf ceased its call for backup. This sword was given to her at birth, and she had been trained in its art for decades. Scarcely any common folk or noble alive could match her expertise with it, and nobody could ever beat her in the tournaments.

She lunged forward and arced her sword towards the wolf’s up stretched neck. The wolf snarled and hopped out of the way nimbly. Kayla had anticipated this, so she planted her foot and thrust all her energy into an overhead slash.

The wolf whimpered one last time as the blade sliced deep into its skull. Red blood gushed from the wound as the corpse flopped lifelessly to the red soil. Producing a damp rag from her satchel, Kayla wiped all the blood off her sword. As her hands stroked up and down the blade, the last crimson ray of the sunset caught on the ring on her finger. A beautiful golden ring. One of the few rancorous reminders of her prior life. A peaceful life in the world of–

Angry howls jerked Kayla back to reality. She cursed again. Of course. The other wolves had caught the stench of blood from miles away. Hurriedly, she dropped the soiled rag and scrambled to the nearest Bulrock tree. She knew she could not keep running from the wolves. She desperately needed a respite. Time to rest and plan out her next moves. The wolves may track her here, but they could not climb.

Bulrock trees abounded in the Dark Woods and Swamp of Sudura. With trunks massive enough to house an elephant and branches thick enough to build houses onto. Dense foliage for camouflage…and a haven to all sorts of primates. It wasn’t a safe option, but it was her best option.

Kayla whipped out two daggers from her belt and stabbed them into the gnarly bark. Yellow sap oozed out around the jagged edges. With great effort, Kayla scaled the colossal trunk, one dagger-hold at a time.

Low guttural sounds echoed in the bushes nearby, and Kayla quickened her pace. She peered upward. The branches loomed only twenty feet out of reach. Twenty feet too many. Sweat streamed down her spine as she urged her arms to move faster, reach farther. Any second now, the pack would burst into the area, spot their dead brother, and set out looking to kill. And she didn’t want to be in eyesight when they did.

One wolf scampered into the clearing. Kayla froze instantly, her breath coming in ragged gasps too loud for her comfort. The wolf sniffed the corpse warily, and then let out a mournful wail. An angered wail. Whatever it was saying, these wolves were out for revenge. Kayla’s bones trembled with fear. Is this what happened to Kevin? How had he died?

The smell of burning sulfur was strong up here. It seemed to be replacing all her oxygen. And another scent. Something else was up here. But what was it? She peered into the dark foliage, and that’s when she spotted the yellow eyes of an Onkron gazing down at her. Her blood turned to ice.

Ten other wolves burst into the clearing, joining the first wolf at the corpse. They growled viciously, and split off into different directions, searching for her. One wolf nosed the bloodied rag she’d so carelessly dropped and plopped down at the base of the Bulrock tree, scanning the area. Right underneath Kayla.