The air was thick with tension as Dimitri and Amelia’s forces advanced deeper into DruitGuard’s outskirts.
The victory they had anticipated on the northern ridge now felt more precarious with every step.
The rogues, though disorganized, fought with a desperation that suggested something more than mere loyalty to Cyrus.
Amelia's keen senses detected the unnatural stillness lying ahead.
She instinctively had slowed her steps, her hand brushing Dimitri's arm. "Something's wrong," she whispered low, meant only for his ears.
Dimitri nodded, his face unyielding. "I feel it, too. Stay alert."
Before they were able to surge further, a shrill howl rent the air, resounding through the forest like some sort of warning bell.
It was followed an instant later by the sound of thundering paws,
