As a pair of soldiers approached her, the crowd nearby began to shout and bay, hoping to see some sport. King Rassal turned to watch the spectacle as one of the soldiers lunged forwards and was swatted back by a powerful blow from the Lupine’s paw. A jeer went up from the onlookers as the other soldier was beaten back, followed by a cheer as the first soldier recovered and dealt a wicked blow to the Lupine, their sword slicing across her back and side, matting her fur with blood. She fell to all fours on the ground, and Torben watched as her arms trembled, her strength failing. She looked her daughter in the eye and mouthed a single word:
‘Run!’
The child knelt transfixed by her side as the soldier’s finishing blow punched through her mother’s rib cage, then she ran, only to be plucked i
