Ren stood on the porch, staring at the empty trail where her white tiger had just disappeared, taking her sense of security with him.
"That absolute turnip," Ren hissed, gripping the porch railing. "He actually left."
"Alpha Female?"
Ren looked down. Bark, the Scout Leader, pressed his side against her leg, trembling. Without Kael's huge, intimidating presence, the wolves seemed less like an army and more like stray dogs caught in a thunderstorm.
"We are few," Bark whined, his ears pinned back. "The Tiger King took the heavy hitters. We only have... the biters."
"Biters are fine, Bark. We just need to hold the fort." Ren forced a confidence she didn't feel into her voice. She walked down the steps, her boots crunching on the gravel. "Everyone, defensive positions! Eyes on the treeline!"
She marched to the center of the clearing, near her bubbling pot of bamboo brine. The sun dipped below the canopy, turning the sky shades of purple and orange.
Then, the wind shifted.
