Racing back to the group to try to get ahead of the situation, Joshua refused Altan's proposal to act as bait and lure the wolves away, not wanting to lose another brother after Arlen.

Finding their way back was no easy task. The pitch-black darkness was eerie, as they could barely see their own limbs. Climbing a tree to try and spot the light from the campfire proved fruitless, but Joshua interpreted that as a good sign. It seemed the group at the camp was also aware of the situation and had extinguished the flames, trying to keep their position from being exposed.

Realizing that speaking in the unnerving silence of the forest would reveal their location the wolves, and not wanting to lose sight of each other, the two grabbed each other's hands as they decided their best bet was to find the running stream and follow it until they reunited with the rest.

For the first time, they were thankful for the weather. The wet dirt muffled the sound of their footsteps as they matched each other's pace. Had the ground been dry, the sound would have echoed across the forest, for it was as silent as the grave, save for the howling, which they could swear was growing nearer.

Soon enough, they found the rivulet, and as they went against the current for a little while, they heard the unmistakable growling and whimpering of wolves. Their friends were engaged in a fight.

Speeding off in the direction of the sounds, Altan got within range of sight first and struggled to make sense of the situation from a distance. They were attacked by three wolves as they were crossing to the other side of the rivulet; it seemed the splashing noises had alerted the wolves to their presence.

On one bank stood Herbert, Sai, and Reynard, each struggling to contain the onslaught of five wolves while the rest of the group crossed to the other bank. It was a wise decision, for those who had crossed were unarmed and had to retreat lest they get in the way.

Herbert was seeing the most success. Armed with a spear, he had successfully defeated one of the vicious beasts and was contending with another; the long reach of the spear, coupled with his long arms, was proving to be an excellent combination.

For the others, however, it was a different story.

Armed with short knives and outnumbered, Sai and Reynard were on the verge of defeat, barely able to defend themselves as the relentless attacks continued. Their weapons were too short, and the only time they could inflict any damage was when they counterattacked after the wolves lunged forward by swiftly maneuvering their nimble bodies. But this was impossible to keep up.

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As they grew tired of the constant back and forth, and with the wolves' increased coordination, they had to fight shoulder to shoulder, aiming to share the burden between them.

Sensing their powerlessness, the wolves changed their formation. Three concentrated their attacks on Sai and Reynard, aiming to tire them out with a cycle of attacks. Herbert tried to aid his embattled companions, but his attempts were blocked as the other wolf stopped him from moving carelessly.

As the cycle of attacks continued, it seemed the defensive line would soon break. Any moment now, one of them would burn out, and the wolves were ready to swoop in at the slightest sign of weariness.

That's when one of the wolves let out a pained cry as a rock hit its head. It came from the other side and was followed by the waving of torches and the taunting sound of Loretta. It seemed she was trying to relieve the pressure on her brothers by diverting the wolves' attention away, but that turned out to be a huge mistake.

Altan and Joshua came upon the scene, bolting ahead as they realized Loretta’s actions could spell doom for the group across the stream, desperately trying to reach them in time.

As the wolf reeled from the strike, the damage sustained from the hit, coupled with the waving of the torch and sound, turned it rabid. Determined to retaliate against its attacker, it surged forward to cross the stream.

Sai, closest to the wolf, jumped to the side in an urgent attempt to stop the beast and managed to plunge his dagger into its back. Dragged into the rivulet as the beast finally fell on its side, he breathed easily, thinking the crisis was averted.

Then he heard Reynard’s screams as he cried out in pain. The wailing sound felt like a knife twisting in their hearts.

In his rush to stop the charging beast, Sai had left Reynard to fend for himself against two wolves. This caused him to become overwhelmed as the two abruptly jumped on him simultaneously, aiming to overpower him with numbers. Reynard was powerless to stop them.

His dagger, planted into the chest of one of his brutal attackers, was a sign of his struggle, but it wasn’t enough to stop the assault. Knocked onto his back, all he could do was attempt to cover his neck and organs as fangs sank into him.

Everyone sprang forward in a frantic attempt to save him, aware that any delay could cost him his life. It was Sarai who reached him first. She struggled to pull the wolf away with her bare hands, but its jaw was lodged in his arm and wouldn’t let go. That was when Teuta slid underneath and grabbed the knife still lodged in its chest, twisting it frantically, finally forcing the wolf to let go of Reynard’s half-torn arm as it howled in pain.

The other wolf had grabbed Reynard by the ankle, tearing it apart as it shook him around. Jasmine and the twins’ attacks left it unfazed. It wasn’t until Sai threw his dagger to divert its attention that it let go of Reynard’s leg.

Sai braced himself as the enraged wolf prepared to leap at him, struggling to find his footing in the muddied river water. He was narrowly saved by Joshua, who tugged at the wolf’s tail and caused it to stop, planting his knife into its skull as soon as it turned around.

An arrow from Altan helped Herbert finish off the last remaining wolf, exhausted from the relentless struggle.

By that point, Reynard had lost consciousness from the extreme pain. The bone was sticking out of his arm, and his Achilles tendons were completely torn as blood flowed from his wounds.

The odds of his survival seemed bleak...