[s1e4] The Wolf -

Elena’s younger brother, Leo, had disappeared into the brush just before sundown, chasing a stray lamb. Disregarding the panicked cries of the village elders, Elena ignited a heavy iron lantern and plunged into the tangled web of ancient oaks.

The giant creature looked from the sleeping boy back to Elena. It let out a low, huffing breath that smelled of pine needles and iron. It bowed its head slightly, nudging Leo's wooden flute with its wet nose. [S1E4] The Wolf

Elena didn't waste a second. She knelt down, gently gathered her sleeping brother into her arms, and backed away slowly. The Wolf stood motionless, a silent sentinel in the dark, watching them until they successfully breached the edge of the forest and reached the safety of the torchlit village. Elena’s younger brother, Leo, had disappeared into the

Elena's heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She knew running was useless. It let out a low, huffing breath that

Elena froze. She raised her lantern, the flame flickering wildly in the sudden, biting wind. Yellow light washed over the gnarled roots of a massive willow tree. There, standing just beyond the golden reach of her lantern, was the Wolf.

A low, rhythmic crunch of frozen leaves. Not the frantic scattering of a lost child, but the measured, heavy tread of an apex predator.

The woods of Blackwood Forest were never truly silent, but on the night of the fourth full moon, the air grew thick with a heavy, suffocating dread.