The first drops fell as the sun disappeared behind a wall of dark clouds that had been building all night. What began as scattered droplets quickly intensified into a steady drumming against the settlement's newly constructed defences.
Maria stood inside the medical centre watching water cascade from the gutters in growing streams. "Everyone inside," she called to the workers still moving materials. "This is going to get worse, let's not have you guys getting sick."
Lightning struck in the distance with thunder rumbling overhead moments later.
Walter made his way carefully across the muddy plaza, his cane sinking into the uneven ground. "The watchtowers aren't going to be helpful in this," he said to Sam.
"Visibility's down to maybe twenty metres," Sam agreed, shouting to be heard over the rain. "Let's just hope those wolves don't get any funny ideas..."
---
Families had gathered in their homes, children pressed against windows to watch the lightning while adults tried to maintain calm confidence. The storm's intensity exceeded anything they'd experienced since arriving at the settlement.
Janet kept the children entertained with stories, her voice competing with the thunder. "And the brave knight faced the dragon," she continued.
Tom huddled with his family, his wife Sarah—not the veterinarian—and their 8 year old daughter Emma crowded around their small fireplace.
The events of 2 nights ago still haunted him, Mark's scream echoed in his ears and he couldn't shake the memory of the creature's amber eyes.
"Daddy, why do you keep looking at the window?" Emma asked, tugging at his sleeve.
"Just watching the storm, sweetheart," Tom replied, though his attention flickered between various moving objects.
The rain intensified further, drumming against the roof with increasing violence. Streams of water found their way through gaps in the hastily constructed defences, creating muddy rivers that carved new channels through the settlement's paths.
Lightning struck somewhere close, the thunder following almost instantly. In the brief illumination, Tom glimpsed something that made his blood freeze.
Shapes moving through the rain.
"Sarah, take Emma to the back room," he said quietly, his hand moving to the spear AJ had created for him. "Lock the door and don't come out until I tell you it's safe."
"Tom, what—"
He left without another word, his fears had become reality, the wolves were on their way.
---
The first attacks struck the eastern perimeter where the palisade remained incomplete. The wolves moved like grey ghosts through the rain.
The sharp stakes that had been driven into the ground served their purpose, forcing the creatures to slow and navigate carefully rather than charging straight through. The delay gave Tom just enough time to shout a warning that carried across the settlement despite the storm's roar.
"Wolves! Eastern approach!"
Ethan emerged from his shelter, axe in hand, water streaming from his hair as he assessed the situation. Victor appeared moments later, his knife already drawn.
AJ's form moved through the rain, his senses cutting through the storm's confusion to track the approaching threats. "At least 15 of them," he called to the others. "They're using the storm as cover."
The wolves had indeed timed their approach perfectly. The combination of heavy rain, lightning-split darkness, and muddy ground created conditions that leaned in their favour.
Tom had positioned himself near the settlement's eastern edge, determined to face the creatures that had already taken one friend.
A family with small children emerged from their house in a panic, trying to run away, he moved to protect them without hesitation.
The wolves were quick to catch him though, one had already circled to his side and pounced, its powerful jaws clamping down on his shoulder before he could bring his spear to bear.
The creature's weight brought him down to the muddy ground, as it continued to bite and scratch him.
"Run!" Tom screamed to the family just before the wolf's teeth found his throat. "Get to the centre!"
The family fled towards the plaza while Tom's life faded away in the mud, his sacrifice buying them the precious seconds needed to reach safety.
---
The main battle developed rapidly as the settlement's defenders responded to the attack. The wolves had scattered into smaller groups, as they isolated and overwhelmed individual defenders rather than charging further into the settlement.
Kate found herself part of a 4-person team with David and Carl, they were defending the northern approach, with their newly crafted obsidian steel tipped spears, curtesy of AJ. Elena completed their formation, her shield and short sword making her the team's anchor point.
"Remember the training," Carl shouted over the storm. "Stay together, watch each other's flanks, don't let them isolate anyone."
Kate's first real encounter with a stone wolf came when one of the creatures managed to circle around their position. She turned to face it just as lightning illuminated its scaled form, amber eyes fixed on her with predatory focus.
The wolf feinted left before darting right, a move that caught Kate off-balance on the muddy ground. Her spear thrust went wide, leaving her exposed as the creature's claws raked across her ribs.
Pain flared throughout her body as the wolf's follow-up attack caught her shoulder, its teeth puncturing her leather armour with ease.
Kate screamed, the sound lost in the thunder as the wolf tugged at her, bringing her to the ground.
Its weight pressed her into the mud while its jaws went after her throat, her desperate attempts to keep her forearm between its teeth and her neck momentarily saving her.
"Kate!" David's voice cut through the storm as he saw her predicament.
David and Carl moved quickly, their spears struck at the wolf's side while Elena covered their rear. The creature's scaled hide resisted their first strikes, but their repeated attacks managed to break through.
The wolf released Kate with a yelp as it faced this new threat, its snarl vibrating through its chest as it assessed them. Silver blood streamed from its wounds, mixing with the rain to create gray pools of water in the mud.
Carl's spear found the creature's shoulder, the obsidian steel point punching through scales and tearing through the flesh underneath. The wolf's counter-attack caught his weapon's shaft, powerful jaws splintering the reinforced wood and leaving him with a broken handle.
David's spear thrust at the wolf and just as it was going to avoid the spear Kate grabbed onto its leg, holding it back.
The spear drove deep into the wolf's ribs. The creature's death throes knocked him sprawling, but Elena was already moving in to finish the job.
Kate lay in the mud, her consciousness was starting to fade as blood loss and shock took their toll. The claws and teeth had opened deep gashes across her ribs, shoulder and arm, wounds that would require immediate medical attention if she was going to survive.
"Get her to Doctor Hayes," Carl commanded, helping David lift Kate's limp form. "Now."
---
The battle raged across multiple fronts as the settlement's defenders engaged wolves that had penetrated their incomplete perimeter.
The storm also continued its assault, lightning providing brief flashes of light between periods of darkness.
Ethan found himself facing 3 wolves simultaneously, their attacks forcing him to use every advantage his Earth Realm cultivation provided. His axe work was precise and devastating, each strike aimed to kill or seriously injure.
The first wolf fell to a blow that shattered its skull, Ethan's strength driving his weapon completely through the creature's scaled hide. The second wolf learned from its packmate's fate, circling to attack from behind.
Faster than they expected, Ethan thought as he spun to meet the flanking attack. His shield caught the wolf's charge, the impact driving him backwards in the mud but failing to knock him down.
His counter-attack opened the creature from shoulder to hip, his axe cutting at vital organs despite the wolf's natural armour.
The third wolf's attempt to capitalise on his momentary distraction was met with his shield slamming it down, the blow crushing its skull.
Victor moved through the storm like a shadow, his knife work surgical in its precision. Where Ethan used overwhelming force, Victor employed speed and accuracy to find the gaps in the wolves' defences.
2 wolves had cornered some people near the workshops, their coordinated movements preventing escape while they prepared for the kill. Victor's intervention came from their blind spot, his blade finding the lead wolf's spine before it realised he was there.
The second wolf turned to face this new threat, its jaws snapping at Victor's knife hand. He pulled back, using its momentum to guide its head past his body while his blade found its throat.
The group fled towards the medical center while Victor ensured the wolves wouldn't get back up.
---
AJ's approach to the battle differed from his companions. His slime body moved through the rain, flowing around obstacles and reshaping itself to meet each threat.
4 wolves had broken through the settlement's eastern defences, AJ engaged all 4 simultaneously.
The wolves' confusion was understandable. AJ's ability to constantly shift and change made it extremely difficult for the wolves to keep up.
His first strike disabled the lead wolf's front legs, hardened appendages acting like maces, crushed bone with relative ease.
The creature's howl of pain and confusion alerted its packmates, but their response proved inadequate against an opponent who could attack from multiple angles simultaneously.
The second wolf found itself grappling with what it thought was multiple opponents as AJ's attacks came for its front and sides simultaneously.
Claws and teeth that should have dealt serious damage proved harmless as they found hardened sections of AJ's body, the Ravager scales once again proving to be an invaluable asset.
AJ's counter-attacks were devastating, similar to Ethan, he didn't waste time with precision. Each wolf fell one after the other as powerful attacks impacted their sides or heads.
---
Lily had positioned herself in the partially completed northern watchtower, her elevated position providing the best available view despite the storm's interference.
Her bow sang repeatedly as she provided covering fire for the defenders below.
The rain made archery challenging, but she managed to land her shots without hitting allies. Each arrow, while not necessarily killing the wolves, disrupted their attacks and created opportunities for the others.
A group of settlers had emerged from their shelters to witness the battle, their curiosity overcoming their survival instincts. The wolves immediately recognised these non-combatants as easier targets than the armed defenders.
Lily's arrows found 2 of the 3 wolves threatening the civilians but the third wolf closed in on its intended victims before she could nock another arrow.
Walter appeared at ground level, his sword emerging from its cane sheath as he moved to intercept.
The wolf's charge met Walter's blade, the creature's momentum carrying it onto the point despite its attempts to avoid the strike. Walter's follow-through ensured the wound proved fatal.
For the first time since meeting him Lily witnessed Walter raise his voice in anger. "Get inside, this isn't a show. You almost became dog food!"
---
The battle's conclusion came as suddenly as its beginning. With Ethan, Victor, AJ, Lily, and Walter as well as the trainees playing their roles, the wolves found themselves outmatched. Even with the advantages that came with the rain they were simply too few in number to be a real threat.
The last wolf attempted to retreat as it realised the battle was lost, but AJ made sure it wasn't able to escape. The creature fell to a precisely targeted strike that left it laying dead in the mud.
Rain continued to fall, but the lightning and thunder grew more distant. The settlement's defenders stood among the scattered wolf carcasses.
Tom's body lay near the eastern perimeter where he'd made his final stand. The family he'd saved gathered nearby, their tears mixing with the rain as they mourned the man who'd given his life for theirs.
Kate had been moved to the medical centre, where Doctor Hayes worked frantically to clean and stitch the wounds. The injuries were serious but treatable, assuming infection could be prevented.
6 other settlers had died during the attack, 3 of the 10 volunteer fighters and 3 civilians who'd been caught in the open when the wolves struck.
The losses weighed heavily on their hearts and minds.
"We held," Maria said, her voice carrying across the settlement as people emerged from their shelters. "We held, and we'll keep holding."
The wolves' attack had tested their defences and revealed both strengths and weaknesses. More attacks would come, and the settlement would need to learn from this experience.