The forest was no longer silent.
It breathed fear.
Kael moved quickly between the dark trunks, Lunaya carried against him. Her weight was light, almost unreal, but every second spent motionless increased the danger.
Behind them, the howls changed.
They were no longer confused cries.
It was a hunt.
But something was wrong.
The voices of the lupines rose and fell irregularly, broken by painful growls. At times, a howl turned into a strangled cry, as if the one uttering it was struggling against its own body.
Kael slowed down.
He looked at the tracks on the ground.
Disorderly.
Crossed.
Some circled around.
They no longer control their pack.
A cold realization settled in him.
The Pack Instinct... was malfunctioning.
A loud crack echoed behind him.
Kael spun around immediately.
A wolf leaped out from between the trees.
A young Croc-Moon warrior.
His eyes were dilated, bloodshot. His breathing was chaotic, his claws digging into the ground for no reason.
His gaze fell on Lunaya.
His body froze.
Then he howled.
A broken howl.
His instinctive aura exploded... then immediately faltered.
The wolf staggered, bringing his hands to his head.
"S-shut... it... up..."
He backed away, trembling.
Kael understood.
It wasn't an attack.
It was suffering.
The warrior's instinct tried to react to Lunaya... but could no longer find a rule to follow.
Submission? Protection? Aggression?
Everything was in conflict.
The wolf-man screamed again.
Then charged.
Not out of will.
Out of panic.
Kael moved at the last moment.
The movement was simple. Precise. Calculated.
Without rage.
Without instinct.
The warrior passed him by and stumbled violently, unable to anticipate a reaction that followed no pack logic.
He got up immediately, even more agitated.
His instincts rose sharply.
Exalted state.
The air vibrated.
Then
He collapsed.
His body convulsed.
An inhuman cry tore through the forest.
Instinct Collapse.
Kael watched, motionless.
The lupine trembled, disoriented, unable even to recognize his surroundings.
His eyes met Kael's.
And something changed.
The panic subsided slightly.
His breathing slowed.
As if the total absence of instinct before him... stabilized the chaos.
The warrior slowly backed away.
Terrified.
Not of Lunaya.
Not of the pain.
Of Kael.
"...you... aren't... normal..."
Then he fled.
Silence returned.
Kael remained motionless for a few seconds.
A thought occurred to him.
They are becoming dangerous.
Not because they were chasing him.
Because they were losing what controlled them.
A shiver ran down his spine.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
He looked at Lunaya.
Her face was peaceful despite the chaos she was unconsciously causing.
"...what are you...?"
A deep rumbling suddenly echoed through the forest.
Different.
Heavier.
Older.
Kael froze.
Even without instinct, his body understood.
The Alpha.
And this time...
The pressure wasn't seeking submission.
It was seeking something specific.
Someone.
In the distance, a voice echoed through the night, carried by the pack instinct.
"Find her."
A pause.
Then, lower.
More dangerous.
"...and bring me the Instinctless one."
Kael's heart beat faster.
Not under pressure.
In response.
As if something, buried deep inside, had just heard that call.
He tightened his grip on Lunaya.
And ran.