The cold bit deeper than usual that morning.
Frost had coated the jagged cliffs in a thin, brittle layer, and every breath I drew came in visible wisps that vanished almost as soon as they appeared. I had slept little, muscles still screaming from the Shadow Wolf trial, but Sera’s horns called me out before the sun had risen. Unlike previous days, there was no hint of routine. Something was different. My instincts, honed through weeks of survival and endless drills, prickled at the edges of my consciousness. Today would test more than strength, it would test wit, perception, and the ability to think beyond instinct alone.
The plateau was already alive with movement when I arrived. Wolves from the training pack assembled with precise timing, eyes sharp, bodies poised like predators waiti
