Chapter eight-Bodies collided Teeth clashed
The horn call faded, but the forest did not return to silence.
It held its breath.
Ava felt it first in the ground beneath her feet a subtle vibration, too steady to be thunder, too deliberate to be chance. The wolves felt it too. Their bodies shifted almost as one, paws spreading, claws flexing into soil that suddenly seemed less familiar.
Amelia's fur bristled.
She did not growl.
That frightened Ava more than any sound could have.
The responding howls came again, closer this time. Lower. Heavier. Not the sharp-edged warnings of patrol wolves, but something broader, layered voices overlapping in practiced harmony.
A pack.
Not scattered. Not desperate.
Organized.
Charlotte was already moving, issuing quick instructions to riders and elders alike. "Children inward. Fires low. No sudden movement."
The tribe obeyed without argument.
The trespassers were pulled to their feet and moved deeper into the clearing, guarded tightly now. The woman's face had drained of color.
"That's them," she whispered again, almost to herself. "They don't sneak. They announce."
The chief stepped forward, staff in hand. He did not raise it.
Ava noticed that detail and tucked it away like a blade in her mind.
Across the tree line, the undergrowth shifted.
Then parted.
The first wolf emerged slowly, deliberately, as though stepping onto a stage.
He was enormous.
Larger than Noah. Larger than any wolf Ava had ever seen outside the oldest stories. His fur was a deep iron gray streaked with black, scarred in places where battles had left permanent memory. One ear was torn halfway through. His eyes were pale amber, sharp and assessing, missing nothing.
He stopped just beyond the edge of the clearing.
Sat.
Behind him, others emerged twelve at first, then more. Wolves of different colors and builds, some lean and fast-looking, others thick with muscle. Riders followed, but fewer than Ava expected.
That alone told her everything.
This pack did not rely on riders.
They did not need to.
The lead wolf lowered his head slightly, not in submission, but acknowledgment.
Amelia stepped forward.
She did not wait for the chief.
Ava's breath caught.
Her mother moved with authority that came not from rank, but from presence. She scratched into the dirt between them, the motion slow, unhurried.
You enter claimed land.
The large wolf watched the words form. Then he tilted his head and responded not with claws, but with a deep, controlled vocalization. A series of low sounds, layered with meaning Ava could not fully understand but felt resonate through her chest.
Translation came through motion.
He stepped forward one pace.
Then stopped.
We do not recognize hidden borders.
A ripple moved through Ava's tribe wolves bristling, riders stiffening.
The chief raised his staff halfway.
Amelia did not move.
Instead, she scratched again.
Borders exist whether you see them or not.
The large wolf's tail flicked once.
Not anger.
Interest.
Behind him, a she-wolf stepped forward smaller, lighter in color, her eyes a bright, unsettling gold. She looked past Amelia.
Straight at Ava.
Ava felt the gaze like pressure on her skin.
The she-wolf's ears pricked.
She scented the air.
Her eyes widened.
Ava's necklace burned.
Not heat.
Recognition.
The she-wolf let out a sharp sound half-snarl, half-laugh and said something Ava had never heard spoken aloud by a wolf.
A name.
Not a human one.
Not a pack name.
Something older.
The clearing froze.
Amelia whirled, positioning herself fully in front of Ava, her body a wall of silver and muscle.
The large wolf's head snapped toward the she-wolf.
He growled a single, warning note.
She backed down immediately, lowering her head, but her eyes never left Ava.
The chief's grip tightened on his staff. "What did she say?"
No one answered.
Because no one knew how.
The large wolf returned his attention to Amelia. He stepped forward again, close enough now that Ava could see the scars along his flank old claw marks, burn marks, a jagged line that looked suspiciously like silver.
He scratched into the dirt at last.
The symbols were rougher than Amelia's. Older.
We seek passage.
Amelia's claws dug deep.
You bring disturbance.
The wolf's gaze flicked toward the trespassers.
Not ours.
A murmur rose.
The woman among the trespassers shook her head violently. "They're lying," she whispered. "They take land and say the land chose them."
Charlotte moved to the chief's side. "They're too many," she said under her breath. "Even if we fight"
"We don't," the chief replied quietly. "Not yet."
Amelia scratched again, sharper now.
You call attention.
The large wolf tilted his head.
We do not fear it.
Ava felt something shift inside her.
Not fear.
Not awe.
Recognition.
She understood, suddenly, what separated these wolves from her tribe.
Her people had survived by endurance.
These wolves survived by dominance.
The she-wolf who had spoken earlier stepped forward again, carefully this time. She did not challenge Amelia's space.
Instead, she angled her body respectful, but bold.
She spoke again, softer.
The sound curled through Ava's bones.
Amelia stiffened.
The large wolf's ears flattened.
Whatever the she-wolf was saying, it mattered.
And Ava knew without knowing how that it was about her.
The chief lifted his staff fully now.
"That's close enough," he said, voice steady but loud. "State your leader's name."
The large wolf looked at him.
For the first time, his gaze held something like amusement.
He lowered his head just enough to be polite.
"I am Korr," he said, voice rough but clear. "Alpha of the Eastern Roam."
Gasps rippled through the clearing.
A name spoken in stories.
A pack that did not vanish.
A pack that hunters feared and followed.
Korr's gaze slid back to Amelia.
"And you," he continued, "are sitting on a spark you do not yet understand."
Ava's necklace pulsed.
Once.
Hard.
Korr did not move closer.
He didn't need to.
The clearing felt smaller now, the space between packs compressed by something heavier than numbers. Wolves on both sides held still, not relaxed, not aggressive waiting.
Ava felt it like a held breath inside her own chest.
Her necklace did not burn again. It stayed warm, steady, like a heartbeat reminding her it was there but refusing to explain itself.
Good, she thought distantly.
Don't react unless it matters.
Korr's gaze remained on Amelia, but his attention was not fully there anymore. It kept drifting subtle, almost respectful toward Ava's position behind her mother.
Her mother, Amelia, moved instantly.
She stepped in front of Ava without looking back, her massive grey body angling sideways so both daughters were shielded. Noah followed just as fast, taking the opposite flank. Together, they formed a living wall fur bristling, bodies low, eyes locked forward.
Liam was already beside Ava.
He hadn't thought about it. He never did.
One moment he'd been behind her, tense and alert like everyone else. The next, he was in front of her, spear raised, shoulders squared.
Mateo stood just behind him, blade resting against his thigh, body angled protectively. Charlotte noticed she always did and reached back, fingers hooking into Mateo's sleeve. He squeezed her hand once, quick and reassuring.
They didn't speak.
They didn't need to.
"You guard her closely," Korr said at last, looking towards Ava.
Amelia did not bare her teeth, but her body lowered by a fraction, protective instinct tightening her stance.
She is mine.
Korr's mouth curved, not into a smile, but into something knowing. "All daughters belong to someone," he said. "Until they don't."
Charlotte's hand found Ava's wrist.
A grounding touch. A reminder.
The she-wolf with the gold eyes stepped forward again, careful to stay within Korr's shadow. She dipped her head to Amelia first, then deliberately toward Ava.
"I am Sael," she said. Her voice was lighter than Korr's, carrying an edge of sharp curiosity rather than authority. "Second Fang."
That title rippled through Ava's people.
Second-in-command.
Sael's eyes flicked briefly to the necklace. Not hunger. Not fear.
Recognition.
"You wear something old," Sael continued. "Older than this forest's current names."
The chief stepped forward sharply. "That is not your concern."
Sael's gaze slid to him, polite but dismissive. "Everything that wakes the forest is my concern."
A murmur passed through the wolves of the Eastern Roam low, layered sounds Ava could feel through the soles of her feet.
Korr lifted one paw.
Silence returned immediately.
"We did not come for her," Korr said. "Not today."
Amelia did not relax.
"Then why speak of her?" Charlotte demanded.
Korr looked at Charlotte properly for the first time. His gaze lingered measuring, respectful. "Because storms announce themselves before they arrive."
"State your purpose," Charlotte demanded, her tone sharp.
Korr's gaze never left Ava. "Migration," he said. "Pressure from hunters. Broken lands. We seek passage. Temporary."
Mateo scoffed under his breath. "They always do."
Charlotte shot him a warning look, but fear trembled beneath it.
Ava finally found her voice. "Why here?"
Every head turned.
Her parents stiffened instantly.
Korr looked pleased.
"Because your land is strong," he said simply. "And strength attracts those who need it."
Liam stepped forward sharply. "Or those who want to take it."
Korr's eyes flicked to him at last. "You're brave," he said. "Or careless."
Liam didn't flinch. "Both."
That was when Korr smiled.
Not kindly.
Amelia snarled a clear warning this time.
The Eastern wolves shifted, bodies aligning, dominance rolling outward in waves that made Ava's skin prickle. One stepped forward deliberately, lowering his head, forcing the tribe's wolves to respond.
This was wolf law now.
No elders.
No words.
Just power.
Noah moved.
Amelia matched him instantly.
They didn't attack not yet.
They claimed space.
The ground between the packs shrank, invisible lines redrawn by presence alone. The air vibrated with growls, each one a question and an answer at the same time.
Mateo muttered, "They're pushing."
Charlotte whispered back, "They're measuring."
Ava couldn't breathe.
Her necklace was cold.
That frightened her more than if it had burned.
Korr lifted his head higher. "Your wolves are disciplined," he said. "But discipline breaks under hunger."
Liam snapped. "Step back." he's already pissed with the way korr has been starring an talking of Ava challenging his patient.
Korr took one step forward instead.
That was the mistake.
Liam moved.
The moment Liam moved, everything broke.
He didn't shout. Didn't warn. Didn't look back.
He lunged forward with a raw, human sound torn from his chest, spear angled low, rage and fear blurring into one sharp instinct: protect her.
"Ava!" Charlotte cried.
Too late.
Korr reacted instantly.
Not by retreating.
By asserting dominance.
He rose.
Not onto two legs never that but higher on his haunches, massive frame unfolding until he loomed over Liam like a living wall of muscle and scar. His hackles lifted. His jaws parted just enough to show teeth the size of blades.
The ground seemed to press downward.
Several of the Eastern wolves slammed their paws into the earth in unison.
The sound cracked through the clearing like a drumbeat.
A challenge.
Liam skidded to a halt only because his body felt the pressure before his mind understood it. His knees trembled. His grip faltered.
He was strong.
But this was not his kind of strength.
Korr lowered his head slowly, eyes burning.
"You should have stayed behind your wolves," he said quietly.
Then he struck.
Not with teeth.
With force.
He slammed his shoulder into Liam's chest, a calculated blow meant not to kill but to break authority.
Liam flew.
He hit the ground hard, breath torn from his lungs, spear clattering uselessly away. Pain exploded through his ribs, white and blinding.
"Ava!" he gasped, coughing.
Mateo roared.
He didn't think. Didn't weigh the odds.
He ran.
"Mateo!" Charlotte screamed, terror shredding her voice.
He was already past her.
Blade drawn, teeth bared, Mateo charged straight at Korr, rage fueling his limbs. This wasn't strategy. It was loyalty. Blood loyalty.
Steel flashed.
Korr turned, surprised this time.
Mateo slashed low, cutting across Korr's foreleg. Blood sprayed dark and hot against the dirt.
Korr snarled not in pain, but offense.
He backhanded Mateo with a paw the size of a shield.
The impact was brutal.
Mateo crashed sideways, body rolling, blade spinning from his grasp. He didn't scream just a sharp, broken sound as breath left him.
"Mateo!" Charlotte ran to him, dropping to her knees, hands shaking as she pressed against his chest. "Look at me. Please look at me."
Mateo's eyes fluttered. Blood trickled from his mouth.
"I'm here," he rasped. "I'm… here."
Charlotte sobbed, pressing her forehead to his. "You idiot," she whispered. "You absolute idiot."
Ava couldn't move.
Her world narrowed to red and grey and the sound of her own heartbeat pounding too loud in her ears.
Then Amelia and Noah attacked.
They didn't charge blindly.
They moved like one mind split into two bodies.
Amelia went for Korr's throat, jaws snapping with lethal precision. Noah struck low, slamming into Korr's ribs, forcing him to twist, unbalancing his stance.
Korr roared this time in pain.
The Eastern wolves surged forward instinctively.
The tribe's wolves met them head-on.
What followed wasn't chaos.
It was war with rules.
Bodies collided. Teeth clashed. Dirt flew. Wolves grappled, pinned, drove each other back in controlled violence honed over generations. This wasn't slaughter it was dominance enforced.
Amelia fought like fury given form.
She didn't overextend. She struck, withdrew, struck again ripping fur, tearing flesh, never staying still long enough to be surrounded.
Noah was a wall.
He absorbed impacts meant for others, his scarred body turning aside claws and teeth, jaws snapping with terrifying calm. When he bit down, wolves didn't rise again.
Together, they were unstoppable.
Ava watched her parents become legends.
Not cursed beasts.
Guardians.
Korr broke free at last, staggering back, blood darkening his flank. He shook himself violently, eyes blazing.
The Eastern wolves hesitated.
That was all the tribe needed.
"Hold!" Sael shouted.
The wolves obeyed.
Growls lingered. Bodies remained tense. But the line held.
Korr stood breathing hard, chest heaving. His gaze flicked to Amelia. To Noah. To Ava.
Understanding settled into his eyes.
"You are protected," he said slowly. "Well."
Amelia snarled once more, blood dripping from her jaws.
Leave.
Korr dipped his head not submission, but acknowledgment.
"This land will bleed," he said. "Hunters are driving us all closer. Borders will not hold forever."
He stepped back.
The Eastern Roam followed, withdrawing in disciplined silence, eyes never leaving the clearing until the forest swallowed them whole.
Only then did the tension snap.
Ava ran.
She dropped beside Liam, hands trembling as she pressed against his chest. "Stay with me," she whispered desperately. "Please."
Liam coughed, managing a weak grin. "Still… worth it."
Tears blurred her vision. "You're not allowed to die."
He squeezed her fingers faintly. "Then don't let me."
Charlotte cradled Mateo's head, rocking slightly. "You scared me," she whispered. "You don't get to do that again."
Mateo smiled weakly. "I would," he said honestly. "Every time."
She kissed his forehead, crying openly now.
Around them, wolves tended to the injured licking wounds, standing guard, forming circles of protection.
Amelia approached Ava slowly.
She lowered her massive head, pressing her forehead gently against Ava's chest.
The contact grounded her.
Ava wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, burying her face in warm fur. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
Amelia huffed softly.
You are alive.
Noah stood close, watchful even now, his body positioned between Ava and the dark forest.
The elders gathered nearby, faces grim.
This wasn't over.
This was the beginning.
The necklace at Ava's throat remained cold.
And for the first time, that terrified her.