The tension finally snapped. The silence of the evil beasts exploded into a wall of noise as they attacked from all sides. It was a chaotic mess of growls from both sides.
Hu Yan was a whirlwind of orange and black, his tiger claws shredding any beast that came near the circle.
Beside him, the young lions and foxes fought with everything they had.
Even Tu Yelang, the Rabbit Tribe leader, was kicking out with powerful legs, his face pale but determined. But there were just too many evil ferocious beasts. For every beast they knocked down, three more jumped over the pile to snap at the females.
"There are too many!" Elder Bao shouted, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "We can't hold them all!"
The circle was buckling. A group of mutated wolves broke through the line, their eyes fixed on the basket of cubs in Su Qinglan's arms. Su Qinglan pulled her bone knife, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Suddenly, a shadow darker than the night swept across the grass.
