The forest sank back into silence, broken only by the rasp of Lanz's breathing.
For quite some time, it almost felt like everything had stilled, but then the scarred wolf finally made its move.
The scarred wolf's body shifted out of the shadows, heavy paws pressing into the soil with forceful steps, and the growl that crawled from its throat carried through the trees in a low vibration that pressed against his chest.
The second wolf wasn't rushing either, he learned to not do that in this fight.
Instead, it circled carefully to his left, keeping enough distance to wait for the opening it wanted.
Their movements weren't wild anymore, weren't the blind charges of beasts too consumed by their instincts.
They were working him together, tightening the noose one step at a time, and every breath he drew only made it clearer that they were measuring him down to the most minute beat.
