Cierra
The clearing that had once felt like home now reeked of expectation. Wolves lined the circle in tense silence, their breaths clouding in the sharp morning air. The fire from the trial pit still burned, its embers painting every face in red and shadow.
“Strength,” the eldest declared, voice ringing with authority. “Let the pack see if she can stand where even beasts would fall.”
My stomach knotted, but my spine stayed straight. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me bend.
Two massive figures lumbered from the tree line, each step shuddering the ground. The air seemed to shrink around them as the ettin emerged.
The creature was a mountain of meat and scarred hide, its twin heads squabbling in guttural tones even as it lumbered into the circle. Its breath stank of bloo
