The courtyard feels wrong from the moment I step into it and not in a loud way or a violent way, but in the quiet stretched way that makes every small movement stand out sharper than it should. Wolves are gathered in clusters instead of moving through the space like they normally would, and conversations break off the second someone important walks too close and no one is standing where they usually stand because no one is sure where they belong anymore.
I slow near the edge of the training field and pretend I am here for something practical, something normal, even though nothing about this morning feels normal and the air itself feels heavy like the pack is still holding the last breath from the challenge and has not decided whether to let it out yet.
Two warriors argue near the supply
