The wolf was a top predator, rare and territorial. The wave of possessed beasts must have displaced it or enraged it, and now it saw Kyrian and his horse as intruders in its aerial domain or as defiant prey.
Kyrian's black horse stopped beating its wings, hovering in the air. A low whinny escaped its throat, not of fear, but of a recognized challenge.
Kyrian felt the change in the beast between his legs. It was not terror, but a small, belligerent excitement, the horse's bestial instinct finding an opponent.
'Interesting.' Kyrian thought. He ran his hand along the horse's sweaty neck, nodding.
"Very well. Go ahead."
As if it understood the words, the black horse let out a powerful snort and shot upward, toward the winged wolf.
The Gray Wolf answered with a snarl that made the air vibrate. It did not wait.
