The camp had long since fallen asleep.
Only the occasional crackle of a dying campfire and the distant chirping of insects disturbed the silence that blanketed the forest.
Leo lay atop a large boulder near the edge of the camp, one arm tucked beneath his head as he stared at the moon hanging above the trees.
No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept circling back to the same thing.
The song.
A soft rustling of grass drew his attention.
Footsteps approached.
Leo didn't bother looking.
There was only one person in the camp who walked around this late at night.
A moment later, Kieran stopped beside the rock and followed Leo's gaze toward the moon.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Kieran broke the silence.
"Can't sleep?"
A faint chuckle escaped Leo.
"Not really."
The answer seemed to satisfy Kieran.
The wolf leader folded his arms and remained where he stood.
"What's bothering you?"
Leo stared at the moon for another moment before answering.
"The song."
One of Kieran's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Yesterday you called it a children's story."
"A stupid children's story," Leo corrected.
A grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"There's an important difference."
Kieran rolled his eyes.
Leo ignored him.
The moonlight reflected faintly in his golden eyes as he continued staring upward.
"Still..."
His grin faded.
"There's one part I can't stop thinking about."
Now Kieran looked genuinely interested.
"Which part?"
Instead of answering immediately, Leo recited the lyrics.
> "Follow the moon
When you are lost, let moonlight guide,
Follow the path where old ones died,
There you'll be safe by my side."
The words drifted into the night air before fading into silence.
Kieran frowned.
"And?"
Leo sat up slightly.
"Tell me something."
His gaze shifted toward Kieran.
"The war between humans and wolves..."
The change in Kieran's expression was immediate.
His jaw tightened.
A flicker of bitterness flashed across his face.
"The Great Culling."
The words left his mouth like poison.
"At least that's what your people chose to call it."
Leo glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
For a brief moment, their gazes met.
Neither looked away.
Eventually, Leo sighed and returned his attention to the moon.
"Yeah. That one."
He tapped his finger against his knee thoughtfully.
"Doesn't that line sound connected to it?"
Kieran's frown deepened.
"Which line?"
"'Follow the path where old ones died.'"
The wolf leader fell silent.
The words echoed in his mind.
Follow the path where old ones died...
His eyes slowly widened.
A realization began to form.
He looked back at Leo.
"You think Mobius was referring to the battlefield?"
A small smile appeared on Leo's face.
"I think that's exactly what he meant."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
The answer seemed so obvious now that Leo almost laughed at himself for not seeing it sooner. If Mobius had hidden something, then the battlefield of the Great Culling was as good a place as any.
Leo opened his mouth to continue.
Then stopped.
Something felt... off.
His eyes drifted away from the moon and toward the darkness beyond the camp.
The smile vanished from his face.
Kieran noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Leo didn't answer.
He wasn't sure.
At first, he thought it was the wind.
But the more he listened, the more certain he became.
There was a sound.
Distant.
Faint.
Moving through the trees.
Kieran frowned.
A second later, his ears twitched.
Then again.
The wolf leader slowly turned his head toward the same direction Leo was looking.
The forest fell silent around them.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
"Those don't sound like your people."
Kieran didn't reply.
Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The night air rushed into his lungs.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then his eyes snapped open.
The calm expression he'd been wearing all night disappeared.
"Beastmen."
The word had barely left his mouth when—
BOOM!
The night exploded.
A pillar of fire erupted near the camp, lighting up the forest in a flash of orange and gold.
The ground trembled.
The shockwave rushed through the trees, scattering leaves and sending a flock of birds screaming into the sky.
For the briefest moment, everything stood still.
Then chaos followed.
Shouts erupted from the camp.
Wolves scrambled awake.
Children screamed.
Another explosion thundered through the night.
Kieran was already moving.
One second he was standing beside Leo.
The next, he was sprinting through the forest, his figure disappearing between the trees.
"Damn it."
Leo pushed himself off the rock and took off after him.
Branches whipped past his face as he ran.
Ahead of him, the orange glow of fire continued to grow brighter.
The moment Kieran broke through the treeline, the smell of smoke hit him.
Flames danced across several tents, casting an orange glow over the camp. Wolves rushed about in panic, some carrying children to safety while others desperately tried to put out the fires.
But Kieran barely noticed any of it.
His eyes were locked on the center of the chaos.
A man sat calmly atop a fallen log.
Pristine white-and-blue armor gleamed beneath the firelight. A banner planted behind him swayed gently in the night breeze, proudly displaying the crest of the Royal Knights of the Empire.
Around him stood nearly a dozen knights, weapons drawn.
And beside them...
Beastmen.
Hyena beastmen draped in black cloaks.
Their shoulders shook with quiet laughter as they watched the chaos unfold.
One of them let out a low chuckle.
Another licked the blood from his claws.
Kieran's stomach twisted.
Then his gaze fell lower.
An old wolf lay on the ground before them.
Blood stained the dirt beneath him.
One of the knights had his boot planted firmly on the old man's head, forcing his face into the ground.
The elder struggled weakly, but his body refused to obey him.
The man sitting on the log simply watched.
Like it was entertainment.
A growl rumbled deep within Kieran's chest.
His muscles tensed.
In the next instant, he shot forward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
But before he could take more than a few steps—
Shing!
Steel flashed.
The knight casually drew his sword and pressed the blade against the old wolf's throat.
The entire camp froze.
The man on the log smiled.
"Ah, ah, ah..."
His voice was almost playful.
"Let's not do anything heroic."
Kieran came to an abrupt halt.
His claws dug into his palms.
Every instinct screamed at him to rip the man's head from his shoulders.
Instead, he stood there, trembling with rage.
"You cowardly bastard."
The man's smile only widened.
"And yet..."
He slowly leaned forward.
"You're the one standing still."
The man slowly rose from the log, brushing a speck of ash from his pristine white-and-blue armor.
Despite the burning camp around him, there wasn't a single hint of urgency in his movements.
Only confidence.
His blue eyes settled on Kieran.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
He gave a slight bow, more mocking than respectful.
"Alaric Thornvale."
"Fifteenth devision Commander of the Royal Knights."
"A pleasure to finally meet the famous Wolf King."
The hyena beastmen behind him burst into amused chuckles.
Kieran's claws dug into his palms.
"Get your sword away from him."
Alaric glanced down at the old wolf lying beneath the knight's boot.
Then back at Kieran.
"And why would I do that?"
Kieran took a slow breath.
Forcing down his anger.
"You came for prisoners."
"Not corpses."
"Release him."
"I'll give you one in return."
Alaric's eyebrow rose slightly.
"Oh?"
"And who might that be?"
Kieran's gaze hardened.
"Goldy."
For a moment, confusion flashed across Alaric's face.
Then realization struck.
A laugh escaped him.
A genuine one.
Several of the knights behind him exchanged looks.
"Goldy?"
Alaric shook his head.
"You mean Commander Cassian Valemont?"
The hyena beastmen started laughing.
Even a few knights struggled to keep straight faces.
Alaric pressed a hand against his forehead.
"Gods..."
"Goldy..."
A smirk pulled at Alaric's lips.
"You know, I think I prefer that name."
Kieran remained expressionless.
"Will you trade?"
Alaric sighed.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
The smile vanished from Kieran's face.
"Why?"
Alaric looked almost disappointed.
"Because you're trying to bargain with something that has no value."
Kieran frowned.
Alaric shrugged.
"Cassian failed his mission."
"Lost his squad."
"Got captured."
"And somehow managed to get both his arms removed."
The commander shook his head.
"Trust me..."
"The moment I return to the capital, his family will spend more time arguing over his replacement than his rescue."
The words caused several knights to lower their heads.
Even they knew there was truth behind them.
Kieran stared.
"You would abandon your own commander?"
Alaric chuckled.
"No."
"The Empire abandoned him the moment he failed."
A brief silence followed.
The crackling of burning tents filled the air.
Then Alaric's gaze drifted toward the old wolf again.
"Now then..."
"Shall we continue?"
Slowly, he raised his sword.
The old wolf tried to move.
Couldn't.
Kieran's body tensed.
Several wolves stepped forward.
Immediately, dozens of knights raised their weapons.
The hyena beastmen grinned eagerly.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Praying for a fight.
The blade began descending.
Then—
"STOP!"
The shout echoed across the camp.
Everyone froze.
Alaric's sword stopped inches from the old wolf's throat.
Heads turned.
Eyes widened.
Even Kieran looked surprised.
Standing atop a massive boulder overlooking the camp was Sasha.
Moonlight illuminated her silver hair.
Her claw rested against someone's neck.
A familiar someone.
Leo knelt on the rock, his hands tied tightly behind his back.
He looked down at the crowd.
Then at the claw pressing against his throat.
Then back at everyone.
"Help."
Sasha ignored him.
Her gaze remained fixed on Alaric.
"Goldy might not be worth much..."
She pressed her claw slightly deeper.
A tiny drop of blood rolled down Leo's neck.
"...but this one is."
The entire camp fell silent.
Even Alaric looked intrigued.
And for the first time that night—
Leo looked genuinely nervous.