Kayla's POV
It lunged before I could finish drawing my blade, a blur of motion too low and too fast for a wolf.
Torran shoved me sideways, rolling the opposite direction as the creature's claws raked through the air where we'd just been standing.
We both landed hard. With a jarring thud, Torran push had sent me colliding against a moss-covered stone. Torran hitting the ground in a crouch. I bit back a yelp of pain as I got to my feet. I held my blade out as I scanned the dark.
It wasn't a rogue. It wasn't even a wolf. All I knew was that it was hostile.
The creature slinked from the trees. It was four-limbed, but it moved like smoke, like it was phasing in and out of existence. Its skin was mottled gray and was stretched too tight around the bones as if it was starving. It
