The Hunt of Shadows

Snarling fangs clashed with flashing steel in the dark ravine. Smooth, calculated movements brought Luna's blade slicing through the air as she dodged a swipe from a shadowed wolf. Beside her, Reid fought valiantly despite his injuries, his dagger flashing in the dim light as he parried another attack.


The pack of shadow wolves pressed in closer, their glowing red eyes burning with unnatural fury. Luna's heart raced, her mind working furiously to find an opening. She couldn't let them be overwhelmed—not now, not when they were so close to finding answers.

'Reid!" she shouted over the growls. 'We need to break through!"

'I'm open to suggestions!" he called back, barely managing to deflect another lunging wolf.


Luna's eyes snapped to the trail ahead: steep, rocky, but passable if they could get enough space between them. The decision was immediate.

"Follow me!" she shouted, cleaving at the nearest wolf before dashing for the rise.


Reid didn't waste a second, taking steps back as he fought off the attackers. The wolves howled in unison, their cries echoing ominously across the plain. It wasn't just a battle cry-it was a summons.

The Chase

Luna and Reid struggled up a grassy slope in the face of rock, panting hard. The wolves were at their relentless follow-throughs, their lithe forms bounding effortlessly over the terrain. Luna's boots slipped on loose gravel, but she caught herself, adrenaline surging through her veins.

Keep going!" she exclaimed, looking back to see Reid flagging.

"I am trying," he snarled, clutching his side. Blood seeped through his shirt, but his eyes burned with determination.

The wolves closed in, their growls growing louder. Luna spun, slashing at one that leapt too close. Its body dissolved into shadowy tendrils, but another quickly replaced it.

"We can't outrun them!" Reid yelled.

Luna's head reeled. They had to have a plan, and they had to have it now. She swept her gaze over the terrain, seeking something-any little thing-they could use. Then she spotted it-a cluster of jagged boulders that formed a natural choke point.

"There!" she yelled, pointing.

The two sprinted toward the boulders, narrowly dodging snapping jaws. As they reached the narrow gap, Luna turned to face the oncoming wolves, her blade at the ready.

"Reid, get behind me!

"No way," he replied, standing beside her with his dagger. "I'm not leaving you to face this alone."

Luna didn't argue. There was no time.

The Stand

The shadow wolves surged forward, their glowing eyes locked on their prey. Luna and Reid fought side by side, their movements synchronised despite the chaos.

Luna's blade flashed, treading down wolf after wolf, each one dissolving into shadows, yet seemingly endless. Reid was no less fierce despite his wound, his dagger finding its mark with lethal precision.

But the wolves weren't the only problem. The weighted presence of the puppeteer hung heavy in the air, weighing unseen eyes on them.

"You feel that?" Reid painted between blows.

Luna nodded grimly. "It's watching us. Waiting.

"For what?"

"Something worse," she muttered, her stomach twisting.

As if in response, the earth beneath them shuddered. The shadow wolves ceased their assault, their eyes aglow, fixed on the boulders behind Luna and Reid.

"What now?" Reid asked, his voice tinged with panic.

The rocks started to move, and a low rumbling sound permeated the ravine. Luna's heart fell as, from the shadows, a huge form emerged—a wolf twice as large as any of the others, its body wreathed in dark energy.

"Oh, come on," Reid groaned.

Alpha of Shadows

The great wolf forward, his eyes of molten red fixed onto Luna. A growl rumbled from his throat and shook the air, causing the ground to quake beneath their feet.

Luna's knuckles whitened on her blade as she forced herself to stay calm. This wasn't just some other enemy; this was a test. The puppeteer was testing their limits and probing at their weak points.

Reid, we have to bring this thing down," she said in a steady voice, no longer thick with gnawing terror.

"Any brilliant ideas?" he asked, his dagger quivering in his hand.

"Just one," she said. "Don't die."

The shadow alpha charged forward, jaws wide, snapping just inches from Luna's face. She tumbled to the side, slashing at its flank. Her blade struck true, but the beast barely flinched.

Reid lunged forward from the other side, striking at its legs. His dagger bit deep, but the dark tendrils surrounding the wolf healed the wound in an instant.

"This isn't working!" he yelled.

Luna gritted her teeth, her mind racing. Stronger, faster, and apparently invulnerable. There had to be some weakness.

Then she remembered the seal—the way the shadows had recoiled from its light.

"Reid, distract it!" she ordered.

Easy for you to say!" he snarled, nearly dodging a swipe of the alpha's enormous paw.

Luna paid him no mind and focused on the faint glow of her blade. It wasn't just steel-it was trenched with the same magic that had sealed the ravine. If she could tap into that power…

She shut her eyes and focused. The blade felt heavier in her hand, more weighted. A searing heat crept into her fingers, and when she opened her eyes, a faint glow emanated from the blade.

The alpha wavered. Its lava-like eyes are constricted. It was sensing it.

The Light of Defiance

"Luna, what are you doing?" Reid shouted as he deflected a lesser wolf that had reengaged him.

"Ending this," she declared, her voice firm with resolution.

The shadow alpha lunged once more, but this time Luna didn't dodge. She raised her blade this time to meet the creature head-on. The glowing steel clashed against the wolf's shadowy form, and for the first time, it let out a howl of pain.

The light from the blade spread out, illuminating the ravine. The smaller wolves dissolved into tendrils of darkness, their forms unable to hold amidst the radiance.

The alpha reeled back, its eyes of molten lava stuttering. Luna pressed the advantage, striking at its legs and sides. Each blow caused its body to ripple with waves of light, weakening it further.

Reid followed suit, his dagger aglow with a faint, ethereal light as he hit the alpha's hind legs. Together, they pressed it backward toward the ravine.

"Now, Luna!" Reid yelled.

The alpha crumpled as, in a last resurgence of force, Luna plunged her blade into its chest. The creature roared with a deafening volume as light exploded out from the wound, devouring its shadowy form.

When the light was gone, so too was the alpha.

The Puppeteer's Warning

Luna and Reid remained standing in silence. Both were breathing raggedly. The air felt lighter, like a great weight had been lifted.

But it was a short-lived victory.

A deep, guttural voice echoed through the ravine, chilling them to the bone.

'Well done, little wolves," it said, the words dripping with malice. 'You've proven yourselves worthy… for now."

Luna's blood ran cold. The voice was unmistakable—it was the puppeteer.

'Show yourself!" she demanded, her blade still glowing faintly.

The shadows around them shifted, merging into the vague outline of a humanoid figure. Its face burned with eyes of molten lava, a cruel grin stretching across its features.

"You have delayed the inevitable," it said. "But this is far from over. The seal may hold for now, but it is impossible to stop what's coming. The abyss will rise-and when it does, you will kneel.

The shadow was gone before Luna could answer, and the only remaining thing was an uncomfortable silence.

Reid turned to her, his face pale. "What the hell was that?"

Luna sheathed her blade, her jaw set. "Our worst nightmare."

As they left the ravine, Luna turned to the battlefield one last time. The light her blade had given off was gone but the heaviness in her chest remained.

And then she saw it-a small crack in the earth, where the alpha had fallen. Faint tendrils of shadow seeped out, twisting and writhing like living things.

Her heart fell. The seal wasn't as strong as they thought.