My heart was pumping in my chest.

The Authorities left.

I didn't leave my hiding spot.

..356, 357, 358, 359, 360..

I slowly retreated from the shadows, stepping into the clear. I watched carefully around me, cautious for any stray Authorities—or worse—wolves.

The wind had rose, and blew an ash cloud in front of the moon. It was now even darker than it was before.

"Kael!" I whisper-yelled.

I unsheathed my dagger from my belt. It was night, and Rifecsa, Mekayka and Authorities were roaming the grounds. I'd better be prepared for anything, even if a small dagger like mine wouldn't make much of a difference. Its worn leather had formed to my hand, stained black from excessive use. I got it from Otanec; he said it belonged to my mother, a long time ago. He gave it to me for my seventh birthday and I've carried it with me ever since.

The freshly sharpened Dark Iron dagger glistened in the moonlight, the small engravings on the narrow blade seemingly glowing black. Its familiar weight in my palm soothed me as I looked around again.

"Kael!" No answer.

Why wasn't he answering?

I took another step on the soft forest floor. My heel sunk into the layer of dead leaves and moss, making a dull, muffled sound.

There were no threats surrounding the clearing, for now. I turned to survey my environment. The tunnel had opened at the face of a small cliff, maybe ten metres high. The cliff went straight up, but made a small curve which casted the bottom in shadows. The rough sandstone rocks were entangled by some stray roots and small plants. In the middle was a strip of darkness, which I recognised as the tunnel. It was hidden by a big rock, covering half of it. If you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't have seen the opening.

The cliff didn't look very appealing for climbing. I saw the small alcove where I had hidden myself. Now, looking upon it, I saw the luck I had had. The rest of the rock face was smooth—although it was covered with jagged rocks and thorny plants.

And... nothing else.

Kael wasn't there. I started panicking, and I felt my heartbeat rise again. I thought he had been just a few metres from me, on the other side of the boulder. Where had he gone?

I rushed over to the rock, eyeing the sides and pacing past the cliff, hoping for an alcove or anything where he could have hidden himself.

My luck ran out. I even ran back into the tunnel, whispering "Kael!" into its pitch black depths, but the echoes were too loud and carried too far. I strained my ears but didn't get an answer.

I sunk to my knees. I took a deep breath, clinging onto my dagger, pushing it into the earth, twisting and turning it around. There was no time to be weak. I had to be strong, or I'd never find him.

I also had to get back to camp. I looked up again, into the darkness of the tunnel. Would he still be in there? I stayed still for a couple of moments, trying to to hear the sounds of Kael's footsteps.

But I heard nothing.

Not only from the tunnel–the entire clearing had fallen silent, like everything held its breath. The bailas had stopped rustling in the wind, and the insects had gone quiet. The moving of leaves and small animals had stopped. It was like the world held its breath for just a second, and you could hear the silence of the universe. The only sound I heard was my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

A snap of a branch behind me.

I froze.

I closed my eyes, my gut twisting in an impossible knot.

My whole body tensed as a low-pitched, ominous growl came from behind me. I felt a warm gush of air in the back of my neck, accompanied by the foul stench of dead meat. The air was packed with static, like the moments before a lightning impact. The hairs in my neck stood up, my skin lined with goosebumps, and my breath stuck in my throat.

I did not move.

It was a wolf.

Time seemed to slow down, my hands balled into the forest floor, the vicious creature behind me huffing and scraping its nails.

Please be quick. I hoped.

Nothing happened.

Think, Tenna. Bit by bit I unclenched my fists that stood in the fallen leaves. I took a shivering breath, and slowly my brain started up again.

I recalled a story Otanec once told me, of a child that had survived the wolves—for a while. It was a bedtime story that mothers told their children, but since I didn't have a mother , Otanec told me instead.

It was about a little boy called Rafa, who had lost his way in the woods. He couldn't find his Tribe, and he knew that if he wandered he could well be walking in the wrong direction. Soon, night started to set in, and it got darker and darker, the yellow moon hidden behind the clouds.

Suddenly, it got lighter and then he saw dozens of fireflies fly up to the heavens. It was like a stream of little glowing stars appearing on the horizon. However, when the lights disappeared and it became dark again, two lights stayed behind.

Two scarlet red ones.

Rafa thought it were two little fireflies stuck in the dense vegetation, unable to free themselves. He quickly came up from his safe hiding spot between the trees, to help the poor creatures.

Little did he know he was walking to a sure death.

When he reached the bushes, he saw it wasn't the little, firefly beetles he expected.

He looked closer, and suddenly both the lights flickered. A blink. The movement startled Rafa and stumbled back from the bushes, not losing sight of the two red lights that were coming closer every second.

He heard a growl and then an enormous creature stepped out of the vegetation, its large claws scraping over the dry floor. Scarlet red eyes were piercing from under hooded brows, dark and menacing in a sea of white fur which covered strong and lean muscles. Blood was dripping from its nose, and out of its throat came another rumbling, deep growl, echoing through the silent woods.

The boy froze, looking up at the Mekayka wolf with big eyes. While the white furred wolf waited for the boy to run, it slowly pulled up its lip, revealing rows of sharp teeth that were ready to rip flesh apart.

If Rafa hadn't moved, he may have survived, but he ran. Running through the woods he recognised his surroundings, relieved he might have a chance to escape. He almost made it to the Tribe. The poor boy tripped over his own feet when he saw the lights of camp, just metres away from safety.

In one leap the wolf reached him, and in a swift move it was over.

Rafa wasn't the only casualty that night, for he had revealed the location of the Tribe. The wolf left no survivors.

That was the story of the second Tribe.

Not all stories have a happy ending, apparently.

I did not want to end like little Rafa, but one thing had stayed with me. When he didn't move, the wolf stayed still as well. Maybe it only fed on moving prey. Maybe it was the eye contact. Maybe it was sheer luck.

It was worth a try.

I still felt the wolf's presence behind me, its breath coming in a slow, but steady rhythm, with an undertone of aggression. I heard it shift behind me, changing its footing, snapping dry twigs in the process. It was almost like it was pacing, waiting for my move.

My breath hitched in my throat as I pulled my dagger out of the earth, and slowly reached to my belt to sheathe it. I now had my hands free.

Nothing happened. I let out a shivery breath.

Inhaling and exhaling as steadily as I could muster, I pushed the ball of my feet in the ground, and carefully twisted on the spot, trying to make the movement as smooth as possible. Keeping my head down, I stared at the broken twigs and leaves before my feet.

The Rifecsa wolf suddenly growled, and I froze. It stood right in front of me. Its damp heat radiated on my flesh, making my forehead slick with cold sweat.

One. Two. Three seconds passed.

I glanced forward, and saw the paws of the beast. They were gigantic, clad with a silvery white fur, entangled with small leaves and a dark red substance. Dried blood.

Its claws dug into the mull ground, as broad as two fingers and as sharp as a razor blade. They were sunk into the soil, half a thumb deep, which only meant that the Wolf was heavy–very heavy. I didn't dare to raise my head, and see how big this creature actually was. I was living on spare time already–I shouldn't have survived this long; the wolf should have attacked by now.

I had nothing to lose. I had to get out of here.

An eerie calmness overtook me, soothing my nerves and calming my rapid heartbeat. I made the decision.

I looked up.