Chapter 7 - Trials of Fire and Ice
Elan spent the remainder of the night bound tightly with thick leather thongs, thrown into a freezing, damp recess at the back of the cave. His body ached from Kaelen's brutal blow, but the pain in his heart was far worse. He had risked everything to save the people who had abandoned him, and their only response was chains and a death sentence. Outside, he could hear the tribe preparing the execution pyre. Kaelen was using the people's lingering fear of the Dire Wolves to convince them that Elan was the one who had summoned the monsters to the valley in the first place.
As the first pale rays of dawn began to paint the sky in shades of gray and gold, Kaelen dragged Elan out into the center of the camp. The tribe gathered in a silent, frightened circle. Kaelen raised his obsidian dagger, preparing to plunge it into Elan's chest before lighting the pyre. But just as the blade began its descent, a terrifying, familiar sound shattered the morning silence. It wasn't a single howl, but a chorus of deep, deafening roars. The Dire Pack had returned, and they were led by the massive, one-eyed Black Scourge. The monsters had not given up on their meal; they had simply waited for the humans to let their guard down.
Panic erupted instantly. The hunters tried to form a defensive wall, but the sheer size and speed of the Dire Wolves shattered their lines in seconds. Kaelen dropped his dagger in terror as a massive beast lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. In the chaos, no one was watching Elan. The boy struggled against his bonds, his fingers bleeding as he desperately tried to rub the leather cords against a sharp shard of flint lying on the ground. With a final, agonizing pull, the cords snapped. Elan was free, but he was weaponless and surrounded by a sea of teeth and blood. Just as a Dire Wolf turned its hungry gaze toward him, a silver streak blurred through the camp, slamming into the predator with bone-crushing force. Silver had returned for his friend.
