Relief flooded through Kimi as she witnessed the enemy forces falling back. The Thunder Growl pack would survive this nightmare. Victory felt within their grasp.
She pushed forward through the battlefield debris, her torn dress snagging on every obstacle. Sharp thorns and broken branches had left angry red scratches across her pale legs, but she barely registered the stinging pain. Her dress caught on a twisted piece of metal, and she yanked it free without a second thought.
Something made her pause. An instinct, a whisper of danger that raised the hair on her arms. She lifted her gaze toward the towering oak trees ahead, their ancient branches casting ominous shadows in the flickering light of distant fires.
Her mind raced, trying to process what felt wrong about this scene. Before she could identify the threat, searing pain exploded through her upper arm. A scream tore from her throat as cold steel bit deep into her flesh.
