The midday sun hung heavy over the pack’s central pavilion, a massive open-air structure of rough-hewn cedar and stone.
And today wasn't just a regular training day; it was the Grand Recruitment Assembly, the day the elders and the Alpha themselves came to witness the strength of the new warriors and the mastery of the veterans.
Aria moved through the rows of long tables at the edge of the pavilion, her hands shaking as she set down heavy ceramic platters of roasted venison and bowls of spiced tubers.
As part of the kitchen server team today, she was forced to be in the heart of the crowd, her apron stained with grease and her hair escaping her ponytail in frantic wisps.
“Keep moving, Aria! The warriors are going to be starving after this round,” the head cook barked, but Aria barely
