The helicopter bucked over the battlefield while smoke rolled above the Blackwood walls. Rotor noise filled my earpiece, then the pilot broke through it.
"Commander, the landing zone is overrun. We can't put down here."
I unfastened the harness.
Below us, the Blackwood line had collapsed around the inner gate. Exiles moved through the stronghold. I recognized the walls and little else.
I crossed to the open door. Wind snapped at my black tactical gear.
"Commander!"
I jumped.
Wind tore the breath from my mouth. I shifted in the fall. My jaw pushed forward, bones moved under skin and limbs lengthened. Black fur sealed out the cold before the ground reached me.
I tucked my legs beneath me.
I struck the center of the Exiles' formation with all four paws under me. Dirt burst outward, a
