The Contagion's Whisper
The howl of the Vanguards was a symphony of agony and destruction, a sound that grated on Lyra's very soul. Her theory—that these unstable hybrids were not just blunt instruments of war but potential carriers of Project Cerberus—was a terrifying possibility she couldn't ignore. She had to confirm it. As her pureblood wolf form darted through the chaos at the fringes of the battle, her senses were overwhelmed by the stench of blood, ozone, and the Vanguards' unsettling, metallic musk.
She spotted her target: a Vanguard, larger and even more erratic than the others, had separated from the main skirmish, apparently drawn by some unseen stimulus deeper into the woods, leaving a trail of splintered trees in its wake. This was her chance. Lyra shadowed it, moving with a
