A faint rustling in the undergrowth had her ears pricking forward, her muscles coiling like taut bowstrings in anticipation of an attack. With a sharp hand signal, she brought the patrol to a halt, her piercing gaze sweeping over the shadows that danced just beyond the reach of the moonbeams.

"Who goes there?" she called out, her voice a low, dangerous growl that sent a tremor through the very earth beneath their feet. "Show yourself!"

For a breathless moment, silence reigned supreme, broken only by the frantic thrumming of her heart in her ears. Then, with agonizing slowness, a hulking silhouette emerged from the inky blackness, its outline vaguely lupine...