The three teams gathered at the settlement's edge as the last traces of twilight faded from the sky. AJ stood in human form, his imposing frame reassuring the people who would accompany him into the darkness.
"Remember," Victor said quietly, addressing all three groups. "We're gathering intelligence first, eliminating threats second. Don't take unnecessary risks."
Ethan hefted his axe, its edge gleaming dully in the starlight. "North for me, east for AJ, west for Victor. We sweep outward in expanding arcs, then circle back by dawn."
AJ nodded, studying the faces of his team—Tom's replacement, a steady hunter named Carl, along with Kate, David, and Elena from Ethan's basic combat training program.
They'd progressed to the Realm of Man in the last few days, this would be their first real test.
"Stay within sight of each other," AJ instructed his group. "If we encounter hostiles, let me take point. Your job is to watch the flanks and prevent encirclement."
The teams first took some time to adjust to the dim moonlight, they wouldn't carry torches in this situation as it would make them easy to spot without providing much vision.
The teams then separated without ceremony, each group swallowed by the darkness as they moved towards their assigned sectors. The settlement's fires grew smaller and smaller behind them.
---
Victor's team moved west along the river, their footsteps muffled by the soft earth near the water's edge. The familiar landscape felt alien in the darkness, shadows creating false threats while concealing real dangers.
"There," whispered Jay, one of his team members, pointing towards a cluster of trees. "Something moved."
Victor squinted, his enhanced senses picking up subtle signs of disturbance. Broken branches hung at unnatural angles, and the ground showed clear signs of passage—multiple creatures, moving in coordinated groups.
"Tracks," he confirmed quietly. "Fresh ones. Multiple animals, probably a pack of stone wolves."
They followed the trail for nearly an hour, documenting signs of territorial marking. Deep claw marks scarred tree trunks at shoulder height, the gouges too deliberate to be accidental. The marks appeared every hundred metres or so, creating a clear boundary line.
"They're not just hunting here," Victor realised aloud. "They've claimed this entire area."
If the wolves established territory extended this far into the safe zone, its protection must've been gone for multiple days at the very least.
As they continued their sweep, the signs multiplied. Scat deposits, more claw marks, and areas where vegetation had been flattened.
"This is bad," Jay whispered. "How many do you think there are?"
Victor studied the overlapping trail patterns, his expression grim. "More than we can handle with hunting parties. This is going to require an entirely different approach."
---
Back at the settlement, Catherine quickly moved between work crews. Torches provided pools of light where teams laboured through the night, their voices creating a constant murmur.
"Keep it moving guys," she called to a group hauling timber from the riverside stockpile. "We need the northern palisade up first."
Thomas coordinated the construction crews, his expertise helping the chaotic effort continue in the right direction. "Logs go here for the eastern approach," he directed, pointing to marked positions. "Pointed stakes there, angled outward at shoulder height."
Maria moved through the construction zones, her presence providing calm authority that kept exhaustion and fear from overwhelming the workers.
"Take breaks when you need them," she reminded a group of women who were working on one of the palisade sections. "We need to keep this up all night."
"How long until the northern approach is secured?" Catherine asked Robert, who was coordinating the metalwork, creating brackets and reinforcements.
"2-3 more hours for basic coverage," he replied, wiping sweat from his forehead.
However not everything was going smoothly, the dim light and fatigue was making things much more complicated.
"Watch it!" Robert shouted as a section of palisade tilted dangerously.
Three workers scrambled to brace the falling section, but the damage was done. Half an hour's work collapsed into a tangle of timber that would take precious time to clear and rebuild.
Catherine surveyed the wreckage, her face grim. "We need to dig the post holes deeper. I know it takes more time, but—"
A scream interrupted her. One of the workers, a young man named Pete was clutching his hand against his chest, blood seeping between his fingers, he had cut himself on one of the sharp wooden stakes.
Doctor Hayes was summoned, she cleaned and bandaged the wound. Pete wouldn't be able to continue working, reducing their already stretched workforce.
---
Ethan's team pushed north across the open ground, their progress steady despite the challenging terrain. The grassland offered good visibility but little cover, forcing them to rely on distance and careful movement to avoid detection.
"Movement ahead," called Sarah, the vet, crouching low as she pointed towards a distant treeline. "Large shapes, moving in formation."
Ethan made out the distinctive silhouettes of wolf like creatures that were too large to be normal wolves. "Stone wolves. Count them."
"Five... six... seven that I can see," Sarah reported. "They're probably patrolling."
The pack moved with obvious purpose, following established routes that suggested familiarity with the territory. Their coordination spoke of intelligence that went beyond simple animal behaviour.
"Territorial patrol," Ethan concluded. "They're keeping close watch of their area."
His team watched the patrol for twenty minutes, documenting their movement patterns and the way they checked specific locations. The wolves investigated scent markers, refreshed territorial boundaries, and maintained close distances with each other.
"They're organised," Another team member observed. "This isn't random hunting behaviour."
Ethan nodded. "They've been here long enough to establish proper territory. This area belongs to them now."
As they continued their sweep, they discovered more evidence of the wolves' presence. Claw marks on prominent rocks, cleared areas that served as gathering points, and well-worn paths that connected different parts of their territory.
"The safe zone didn't just fail," Ethan realised. "It's been gone long enough for them to move in and set up shop."
---
AJ's team encountered their first real resistance two hours into their eastern sweep. They'd been documenting territorial markers—deep claw gouges that scarred trees—when Carl suddenly froze.
"Something's watching us," he whispered, his hand moving instinctively to his spear.
AJ's enhanced senses confirmed the observation immediately. Multiple shapes moved through the undergrowth, positioning themselves with calculated precision. "Three of them. Stone wolves. They're trying to surround us."
"What do we do?" Elena asked, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes.
"Stay together, but give me room to move," AJ replied, his human form beginning to show subtle changes as he prepared for combat.
The first wolf emerged from the treeline with predatory grace, what initially looked like gray fur turned out to be small scales, covering the entirety of its body.
The creature was larger than a normal wolf, its angular head and powerful shoulders primed for combat. Its amber eyes fixed on AJ with unmistakable bloodlust.
Two more wolves appeared from different angles, completing the encirclement with practiced efficiency.
"Coordinated hunters," AJ observed, studying their positioning. "They know what they're doing."
The lead wolf tested their defences with a feint, charging forward before pulling back as AJ shifted to intercept. The movement revealed their strategy—draw the strongest opponent forward while the others attacked the weaker targets.
"They're trying to isolate me," AJ warned his team. "Hold your positions no matter what happens."
The wolves began their attack with sophisticated timing. The lead wolf charged directly at AJ while the other attempted to reach the others from opposite flanks.
AJ met the frontal assault with devastating force. His human form blurred as he sidestepped the wolf's lunge, his hands reshaping into hardened weapons as he moved. Obsidian steel claws emerged from his fingertips, slicing through the wolf's scaled hide.
The creature's yelp of pain echoed through the forest as it stumbled, its charge turning into an uncontrolled tumble.
AJ's enhanced strength had opened deep gashes across its ribs, silver blood streaming from its wounds.
But the other wolves had used the distraction perfectly. Elena found herself facing one of them, its jaws snapping at her spear shaft as she desperately tried to maintain distance.
"Elena, fall back!" David shouted, moving to support her.
Instead of simply rushing forward, the wolf feinted left before darting right, using David's movement to create an opening. Only Elena's quick reflexes saved her from jaws that would have crushed her skull.
AJ appeared beside her, his form shifting as he moved. His arm extended unnaturally, stretching across the distance to slam into the wolf's flank. The impact sent the creature flying backwards into a tree trunk, where it landed with a sickening crack.
The third wolf, seeing its packmates wounded, attempted to retreat. But AJ's speed made escape impossible. He chased after it, reaching the fleeing creature before it could gain momentum.
His hands had shifted into massive, hardened clubs that struck the wolf's back. The creature dropped instantly, its back legs no longer responding to its desperate commands.
"Finish them," AJ commanded, his voice carrying authority. "Wounded wolves are still dangerous wolves."
His team moved, their spears finding vital points while the creatures thrashed weakly. Within a few minutes, all three wolves lay still, their amber eyes dulled by death.
"Jesus," Carl breathed, staring at AJ's handiwork. "I knew you were strong, but that was..."
"These aren't mindless beasts. They learn, adapt, and share information. Letting them escape would have compromised everyone's safety." AJ spoke softly.
Elena examined the wolves' bodies. "Look at these scales. They're arranged in patterns, almost like they where designed to be that way."
David pointed to the lead wolf's paws. "And these claws. They're probably not just for fighting, I bet these guys could climb trees to chase their prey."
"Apex predators," AJ concluded. "The safe zone wasn't just keeping hostile creatures out—it was holding back creatures that see humans as prey."
They spent another hour documenting the wolves' physiology and searching the immediate area for signs of their den or pack structure.
"This pack wasn't alone," Kate observed, studying claw marks on nearby trees. "These territories connect to others. We're looking at a network of coordinated packs."
---
As dawn approached, the three teams began their return journey to the settlement. Each group carried similar intelligence—extensive territorial marking, coordinated pack behaviour, and clear evidence that the safe zone's protection had been absent for quite some time.
The eastern sky showed the first hints of sunrise as they approached the settlement. It had transformed overnight. Where yesterday evening had shown peaceful residential buildings, dawn revealed the beginnings of a fortress.
The transformation showed the beginnings of something more defensible, though much work remained. The foundations for guard towers marked the four cardinal points, with only the northern position showing walls rising above ground level.
Basic wooden palisades had begun taking shape along the eastern and northern approaches—rough barriers of logs that would provide some protection but were far from complete.
Spiked stakes ringed most of the settlement's perimeter, angled outwards to deter charging attacks, though some gaps remained as construction crews had focused on the most vulnerable sections first.
Even the houses showed signs of hasty modification—windows had been boarded up and doors reinforced, creating safe hiding spots if things came down to that.
People moved with purpose between the fortifications, carrying materials and tools as construction continued despite the approaching daylight.
"They worked through the night," Victor observed, his team rejoining the others at the settlement's edge.
Ethan nodded, studying the defensive positions with professional appreciation. "Catherine knows what she's doing. These aren't amateur fortifications."
AJ's team approached last, the wolf body on AJ's shoulder telling its own story about their night's activities. "We need to brief them immediately," he said. "The situation is worse than we thought."
As they walked towards the settlement, each team leader mentally catalogued the intelligence they'd gathered.
The safe zone's invisible barrier had vanished entirely, leaving them exposed to the various creatures that had appeared in their world.
The stone wolves weren't mere animals—they were predators with the intelligence to coordinate attacks and the strength to claim human settlements as hunting grounds.
Every family, every child, every dream they'd built here now stood in the crosshairs of creatures that saw them as nothing more than prey.
Their fight for survival had just begun in earnest.