C34 Blood in the pines

The night was thick with fog as the Paxton warriors assembled at the border. Torches flickered against drawn faces, every wolf restless, their claws itching for the shift.

Vashti rode at the front, silver armor gleaming faintly in the moonlight, her crown abandoned in favor of a warrior’s braid. Her eyes, sharp and unyielding, scanned the treeline. Behind her