The wait seemed interminable; at any moment I expected bloodthirsty wolves to appear and tear us apart. Beside me, Chelsea began to stir, uneasy. She also felt them coming now. They weren't even trying to be discreet, which showed how confident they were. My reputation may have preceded me, but I could easily imagine that they had been tipped off to my weakened state. Suddenly, on the other side of the pond, a wolf appeared, followed by a second, then a third. However, my sharp eye soon noticed that they were not warriors, but rather scouts. They must have sent the fastest ones ahead, expecting that this would be enough to stop us until the heavy artillery arrived. At that moment we were hardly breathing in fear that they would hear us. I could see them coming and going, nose to the ground
