They came at us like a flood.

No warning. No honorable challenge. Just wolves erupting from the tree line with teeth bared and claws extended. Gideon's forces hit our western position hard enough that I felt the impact through the ground.

"Hold!" Darius roared, his voice carrying over the chaos. "Don't break formation!"

But formation was a luxury against this kind of assault. Within seconds, the fight dissolved into brutal close combat. I blocked a strike aimed at my throat, countered with a ...