A loud thunk jarred Nova from sleep. Her heart pounded, and her eyes swam as if from a nightmare, but it was only the weight of exhaustion pressing down on her. She lay still, ears twitching at the faint rustle and scrape nearby. The wind shifted, carrying with it an unfamiliar scent that made her stomach twist with hunger.
Her head snapped toward the sound. Crouching low in the shadows, she waited.
Before long, an enormous, grizzled boar appeared, rooting around. Whether it was hunger or the excitement of the hunt, she didn’t know, but her body trembled. As soon as it moved within reach, she lunged. Her large lupine form sprang forward, powerful jaws snapping at the boar’s flank, claws tearing in an attempt to bring it down.
The boar let out a deafening squeal and retaliated with surprising force, its tusks slashing through the air. Nova's inexperience betrayed her. She miscalculated her attack, and one of the tusks caught her side, ripping through her thick fur and drawing blood. Pain shot through her, sharp and searing, but it only fueled her desperation.
The struggle was fierce, a brutal dance of claws, teeth, and tusks. Despite her exhaustion, Nova’s raw strength began to overwhelm the boar. With a final, feral snarl, she brought the creature down. Her side throbbed, blood soaking into her matted fur. She collapsed beside the boar's lifeless body, her breaths ragged and shallow.
Her relief was short-lived.
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A screeching snarl ripped through the trees. The sounds of their scuffle and the scent of blood had attracted the attention of another predator—a mountain lion. The large cat emerged from the underbrush, eyes locking onto Nova. It was lean and powerful, muscles rippling beneath its tawny coat. Nova snarled, her hackles rising as she shifted into a defensive stance. She was injured, exhausted, and still unfamiliar with her wolf, but the mountain lion didn’t care. All it saw was an easy meal.
It lunged, claws outstretched. Nova dodged clumsily, her injured side slowing her down. She countered with a snap of her jaws, narrowly missing the cat's leg and pushed it back. The cat responded quickly, its movements brutal and precise. It lunged again, scoring deep gashes along her flank and into her shoulder. Pain flared, but adrenaline masked the worst of it.
She thought she had been ready to give up. Maybe this is what I deserve, she mused bitterly. For everything I’ve done, my parents, my life, the blood on my hands—maybe this is justice. But even as the thought crossed her mind, another voice rose within her, fierce and defiant. No. Not like this. She didn’t want to give up. Although guilt gnawed at her for her parents’ deaths, she was also finally free from their ridicule and judgment. Free. She could be free.
Desperation surged through her veins. Just as she braced for another attack, a blur of dark fur leapt from the shadows, colliding with the lion. A massive wolf, larger than Nova, tore into the cat with ferocious precision. It yowled in pain and scrambled to escape, retreating into the forest with its tail between its legs.
Nova staggered back, her legs giving out beneath her. She collapsed by the stream, her vision dimming as blood loss and weariness claimed her. The last thing she saw was the other wolf standing guard over her before everything went dark.