The first sign of disaster was Tom's voice—a raw, broken sound that cut through the evening air like a blade through silence.
His words tumbled together, fragments of terror and disbelief that made little sense to the construction crews still cleaning their tools by the river.
"Mark—gone—teeth—so fast—" Tom staggered into the settlement's perimeter, his hunting pack forgotten somewhere in his flight.
Victor spotted him first, dropping the stone block he'd been moving and sprinting towards the delirious hunter. "Tom! What happened?"
The man's eyes darted wildly, seeing threats in every shadow cast by the evening fires. "Couldn't—we ran—it was waiting—Mark screamed—" His legs gave out, sending him to his knees on the packed earth.
AJ's form shifted from his position near the medical centre, flowing across the ground with urgent purpose. Others began gathering—first the nearby workers, then families emerging from their new homes as word spread that something had happened.
Maria appeared at Victor's side, her expression already understanding the implications of a hunter returning alone. "Where's Mark?"
Tom's response was a strangled sob that told them everything they needed to know.
---
Within minutes, the settlement's evening routine dissolved into a relatively mild chaos. Doctor Hayes worked to calm Tom while extracting fragments of useful information.
"Large—razor sharp teeth—" Tom's hands shook as he spoke. "It came from the trees. We weren't able to escape."
The hunting team gathered around them, faces grim. Walter leaned heavily on his cane, his expression carrying the weight of sudden understanding.
"The safe zone," he said quietly, his words cutting through the murmur of worried voices. "It should have prevented this."
The murmur of worried voices exploded into full blown arguments as fear overwhelmed reason.
"The safe zone's broken?"
"How long has it been broken?"
"Why didn't anyone tell us?"
"What else is out there?"
Multiple conversations erupted simultaneously. A group of newer residents huddled together, speaking in urgent whispers about whether they'd made a mistake coming here. Some of the original settlers began moving toward their homes, abandoning the discussion entirely.
"Everyone calm down!" Maria shouted, her voice somewhat calming the chaos.
A man near the front pointed an accusing finger at Tom. "You led them here! You brought those things to our settlement!"
"You know that's not true," Victor snapped, "Speak nonsense again and there'll be trouble." The man that spoke out and others who were about to speak out immediately quietened down, though their expressions weren't good.
Ethan's axe appeared in his hands as if summoned. "What kind of creature was it, Tom? Can you describe it?"
"Wolf—but not wolf—gray, stone colour—very fast—" Tom's words came in gasps between attempts to control his breathing. "Mark tripped on a root. It caught him."
Sam stepped forward, his notebook already open as he processed the description. "Let's call it a stone wolf. If it's anything like wolves we know it's a pack hunter."
The crowd around them had grown, residents drawn by the commotion and the unmistakable scent of crisis. Children pressed against their parents, sensing the adults' fear without understanding its source.
Catherine pushed her way through the gathering. "If the protection's failed, we need to know how bad it is. Are we talking about a localised failure or complete collapse?"
"Only one way to find out," Victor said, checking his dagger. "We send scouts to test the boundaries."
"No." Maria's voice cut through the developing arguments. "We don't send anyone anywhere until we know what we're dealing with. Tom, how many wolves did you see?"
"Only one." Tom's breathing steadied slightly.
AJ's form rippled. "If they're pack hunters, there could be more, a lot more."
A settlement of nearly two hundred people, almost half of them children or elderly, suddenly exposed to predators that had been held at bay for months.
Janet's voice carried over the crowd, tight with fear. "What do we do?"
"We consolidate," Ethan said, his usual humour absent. "Everyone into the housing area. Set up a perimeter."
"With what?" someone called from the back. "We've got farming tools and a few hunting weapons."
Walter tapped his cane against the ground, the rhythm helping him think through their options. "AJ can create weapons. Our construction teams can build barriers. We're not helpless."
But the fear was spreading through the crowd like ripples in disturbed water. Voices rose in pitch, conversations fragmenting into arguments about whether to flee or fight, whether the safe zone could be repaired or if they were all doomed.
Catherine's group exchanged meaningful glances, memories of their previous settlement's failure written clearly on their faces. Sarah, the veterinarian, moved closer to Catherine's side. "We've seen this before. The constant attacks, the fear, the way communities tear themselves apart."
"This isn't the same," Catherine said firmly. "That group is strong, much stronger than anyone from the old settlement."
As if summoned by her words, Lily appeared at the crowd's edge, her bow already strung and ready. Her expression carried the focused calm of someone preparing for battle. "The eastern approach is clear for now, but I can hear howling in the distance. There are multiple sources."
The sound she described reached them moments later. Not the random calls of wild animals, but the purposeful communication of hunters.
"Right," Victor said, his voice cutting through the air. "Here's what we do. Everyone who isn't essential to defence moves into the housing area immediately. Families with children get priority placement in the central buildings."
Sam was already sketching in his notebook, mapping defensive positions and calculating sight lines. "We'll need watch posts at the cardinal points. Overlapping fields of observation to prevent surprises."
"I can create basic weapons for anyone who knows how to use them," AJ added, his form beginning to shift as he prepared for rapid production.
Thomas stepped forward. "We can use the building materials we've stockpiled. Create a basic palisade around the housing area within a few hours if everyone helps."
Doctor Hayes looked up from her examination of Tom, her expression carrying concern. "I'll need to set up a triage station. If we're expecting casualties—"
"We're not," Ethan interrupted, his grip tightening on his axe as his voice lowered. "We're going to pull through this without any other losses."
His words sent a ripple through the crowd. Their faces showing relief at the prospect of them taking action.
"Three teams," Victor said, understanding Ethan's train of thought immediately. "Scouting / hunting parties to figure out what we're dealing with and clearing the immediate area while the others fortify."
AJ's form pulsed with agreement. "Ethan leads one team, Victor another. I'll take the third."
Maria studied the three of them, seeing the resolution in their stances she knew arguing against it would be futile.
"Equipment first," she said. "AJ creates weapons, teams get supplied, then we establish communication protocols. No one goes out there without a way to signal for help."
---
Catherine's engineers threw themselves into the fortification planning. Their previous settlement's failure had taught them that half-measures led to complete catastrophe.
"A wooden palisade with fighting platforms at regular intervals," Catherine outlined to Thomas as they surveyed the housing area. "We can build something defensible by dawn if we work through the night."
Thomas walked alongside her. "The river protects our southern flank, but this northern approach..." He gestured towards the open ground where families had been playing just hours earlier. "It's completely exposed."
"Exactly what I was thinking." Catherine stood beside a pile of quarried stone, running her hands over the blocks. "We need to secure the most vulnerable areas first."
"The materials are scattered," Thomas spoke.
Catherine stood, brushing dust from her hands. "We'll need teams dedicated purely to moving materials. There's no time for anything fancy, we'll build functional barriers that can be improved later."
Thomas followed her gaze as she looked towards the eastern edge, where the forest grew closest to the settlement. She pointed to the treeline. "That's probably where they'll come from. We need clear sight lines and we should clear out any potential cover they could hide behind."
"We can add a few sharpened stakes angled outward," Thomas suggested. "Create a few obstacles they have to avoid, possibly slowing them down."
---
Meanwhile, AJ had positioned himself in the plaza's centre, his form flowing and reshaping as he produced weapons at remarkable speed.
Spears, short swords, and shields emerged from his translucent mass, each piece crafted hastily and out of basic wood and metal, but they would do.
Lily worked with the hunting teams, distributing arrows and checking bow strings while offering rapid instruction to anyone with archery experience.
"Aim for the center of mass and try to predict their movements."
The evening air filled with the sounds of urgent preparation—hammering, shouting instructions, children crying as their parents rushed them to safety. Through it all, the distant howling continued, sometimes closer, sometimes further away, but never absent.
Tom had been moved to the medical centre, where Doctor Hayes kept an eye on him as she prepared herself and the others at the medical center for what was to come.
"They observed before attacking," Tom mumbled during one lucid moment. "Probed for weaknesses, and took advantage of a moment of carelessness."
Walter exchanged glances with Sam, both recognising the intelligence Tom was describing. These weren't simple predators—they were thinking opponents who adapted their strategies based on their targets' behaviour.
"The safe zone isn't just broken," Sam realised aloud. "It's been down long enough for them to establish themselves. They might've been studying us too."
The others shuddered at the thought. If the wolves had been observing the settlement, they where much more intelligent than the average beast. They might've even learned some of the settlement's routine and habits.
"How long?" Maria asked, though she suspected she didn't want to know the answer.
"Days, maybe even weeks," Walter replied grimly. "The 2 missing hunters—we assumed they'd left or had accidents. But if the protection had already failed..."
The realisation that they'd been living exposed while thinking themselves safe added urgency to every aspect of their preparation. The wolves hadn't attacked immediately, they were waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Well," Ethan said, hefting his newly sharpened axe, "at least we don't have to wonder about their intentions anymore."
Victor was checking his equipment preparing himself for combat. "Three teams, three directions. Focus on gathering information first and foremost, we need to learn about our enemy before we can fight them."
"If anyone encounters more than they can handle fall back immediately. Don't take unnecessary risks." AJ emphasised, as he took on his human form.
Lily nodded. "The moment you guys figure out what we're dealing with, return so that we can adjust our plans."
As the hunting teams prepared to deploy, the rest of the settlement worked desperately to transform their peaceful community into something that could withstand a siege.
Maria stood at the centre of it all, coordinating efforts while maintaining the calm authority that kept panic from taking hold.
Her children worked alongside other youngsters, carrying materials and running messages, their involvement helping them feel useful.
The night stretched ahead of them, filled with unknown dangers and the constant awareness that their safe haven had become a battleground.
As the hunting teams prepared to venture into the darkness, the settlement's response revealed something the wolves might not have anticipated.
This wasn't a community that would collapse at the first sign of danger. These were survivors who'd already proven their resilience, and they had no intention of surrendering what they'd built without a fight.