Smoke curled into the morning sky, thick and acrid from the dry kindling stacked at the pyre's base. The father and daughter were bound tightly, the ropes coarse and cruel. The werewolves stood in a wide circle, growling low, the fire in their eyes hotter than the one about to be lit.
And then Kyra ran in.
"Stooooop!" she shouted, her voice sharp, cutting through the growls like a blade of light.
She threw herself between the pyre and the torchbearer, her arms outstretched, chest heaving.
The entire village froze.
Axel stepped forward, tone low and commanding. "Kyra. Stop it. Come back."
But she turned to him, eyes blazing with tears and fury. "No!"
The word echoed.
She faced the werewolves again. Her voice cracked but her will didn't.
"Eating innocent humans is wrong!"
The alpha stepped forward, looming over her like a mountain of fur and fang. His voice rumbled like thunder. "Indulge her," he said to the others, smirking. "Let's hear what the little one has to say."
He crouched, claws digging into the earth, yellow eyes sharp. "So, you say we shouldn't eat humans?"
He tilted his head mockingly. "But they're so tasty. And they deserve it for what they've done to us. What they still do."
Grunts and growls of agreement rippled through the werewolf ranks. Dozens of snarling faces turned toward her, hunger in their eyes.
Kyra began to tremble.
She looked at their faces then at the bound father and daughter behind her.
She felt small. Powerless.
Alone.
Until a hand gently wrapped around hers.
Warm. Steady.
She looked up.
Axel stood beside her.
Expression calm. Eyes unreadable. But his words were simple.
"You got this."
Kyra's fear melted under that gaze. In its place, something brighter flared.
Courage.
She turned back to the crowd, voice steadier now.
"I never said we shouldn't eat humans."
The werewolves blinked.
"I said you shouldn't eat innocent ones."
Confusion stirred.
Kyra stepped forward, lifting her chin.
"Eat the soldiers who burned down villages. Eat the nobles who enslaved our kind. Eat the Exterminators who hunted us like animals."
She pointed toward the humans kneeling behind the circle.
"But not them. They didn't kill anyone. They didn't hurt anyone. They were just living their lives until you took everything from them, family, peace, freedom."
The alpha opened his mouth to speak, but...
Kyra raised her voice.
Louder. Fiercer.
"No wonder the humans treat us like monsters! Because we act like monsters!"
Gasps rang out.
"I believe in violence, yes. But only when it's returned. Only when it's earned."
She turned slowly, eyes sweeping over the crowd.
"We're not monsters. We're werewolves. Ogres. Trolls. Witches."
Her voice shook the silence.
"So stop acting like monsters."
The words struck like claws to the soul.
Silence.
Even the wind held its breath.
The alpha stared at her, jaw tight. His gaze dropped to the father and daughter, then to the humans still kneeling in the dirt. Finally, he stood tall and raised a clawed hand.
"…Release them."
The ropes fell.
Gasps of disbelief echoed.
The alpha's voice was low but firm. "From this day forward… we hunt and feed only on those who wage war against us. Soldiers. Nobles. Exterminators."
He looked at Kyra.
"But not the innocent."
A roar of approval erupted from the village. Howls shook the trees.
"FOR THE WHITE HALO!"
"FOR THE LITTLE WOLF!"
Kyra turned, stunned, as werewolves howled her name. She blinked rapidly.
Axel crouched beside her.
His hand landed softly on her head, ruffling her hair.
"I'm proud of you."
Her eyes glistened. She wiped them quickly.
"I just… didn't want them to die."
Behind them, the father knelt and took her hands. "You saved us," he said, voice thick with emotion.
His daughter hugged Kyra tight.
"Thank you."
Kyra smiled and hugged her back.
The humans were led out of the village peacefully, a free people once more.
And the fire that had once been meant for execution...
... was never lit.
A few minutes later...
The forest welcomed them like a cradle of green.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy, painting gold patterns over the mossy path as the White Halo moved forward. Birds sang, the wind rustled through the leaves, and the distant howls of werewolves slowly faded into memory.
Axel walked at the front, holding Kyra's small hand.
Korrak lumbered behind, his massive feet thudding rhythmically. Sylthea strolled beside him, arms crossed, a rare softness on her face. Brakka trailed on Axel's opposite side, glancing sideways now and then but never saying a word.
The group was quiet.
But inside Axel's mind, a voice stirred.
"She's something special, isn't she?"
Axel didn't even blink. Black Wolf.
"You heard that speech. That fire. The truth in it. She doesn't just talk like a leader... she thinks like one."
"She's definitely super special," Axel thought with a smile.
He glanced down at Kyra.
She was swinging his arm as they walked, looking ahead with her usual energy, but there was a flicker of tiredness behind her eyes. She must've barely slept.
She caught his smile and narrowed her eyes playfully.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because I'm proud of you," Axel replied honestly.
She beamed.
Then immediately pointed at the mossy trail ahead.
"I'm bored. Let's have a dance-off!"
Axel blinked. "...A what?"
"You heard me! Right here, right now, White Halo Dance Battle!"
Sylthea sighed. "Please tell me you're joking."
But Kyra had already leapt into the center of the path and struck a pose. "Korrak, beat!"
Korrak raised an eyebrow… then grunted and started rhythmically slapping his shield Brakka made for him.
Brakka joined in, thudding her fists against her thigh guards. Axel tapped the hilt of Iron Howl against a fallen log. Even Sylthea relented, using her staff to tap a steady beat against a nearby tree.
The forest came alive with rhythm.
Kyra went first, twisting, hopping, spinning on one foot. Her moves were chaotic but full of heart. She finished with a spin and hands on hips, grinning. "Top that!"
Axel shrugged. "Alright."
He stepped into the circle.
And to everyone's surprise… he could dance.
Like really dance.
Sharp footwork, sharp shoulder pops, a perfect spin, and even a low drop that made Korrak's jaw slacken.
Brakka dropped her bark stick. "What the hell... ?"
Sylthea blinked. "Did the Black Wolf just moonwalk?"
Kyra shrieked with laughter.
Brakka went next. Her style was rough and stompy, full of powerful ogre rhythm and headbanging. Sylthea followed with something elegant and theatrical, full of elven grace and sass.
Korrak… well, Korrak tried.
He mostly swayed and looked confused.
Kyra cheered anyway.
When the music ended, everyone looked at each other, panting.
Then pointed at Axel.
"Okay yeah," Sylthea admitted. "You win."
Brakka grunted. "Whatever. That was dumb."
Kyra hopped up and down. "That was amazing!"
Then she yawned.
And before anyone could say anything, she was already climbing up Axel's side.
A minute later, she was perched on his shoulders, chin resting on his helmet, arms dangling.
"…I'm not tired," she mumbled sleepily.
"Sure," Axel chuckled, gripping her legs gently to hold her steady.
The group kept walking through the forest, laughter slowly fading, but the warmth of the moment lingering behind them like sunlight through the trees.
Black Wolf whispered again in Axel's mind.
"She reminds me of someone I once knew. A long time ago. In another world."
"You'll have to tell me about her sometime," Axel thought.
"Maybe. If you earn it, human."
Axel smiled again.
The road ahead was long, but for the first time in a while...
...it felt light beneath their feet.