The air buzzed with tension. Silence hung like a blade before the drop. Jayden's breath came out in controlled exhales, his heart steady despite the atmosphere thick with anticipation. Every beast in the clearing—scores of them, from lean E-Rank to bulky D-Rank, stood still in a crescent around the stone-scarred battleground, encircling the open space like spectators in a gladiator ring.
The Winter Wolf also remained unmoving, she didn't attack or.. do anything.
She just stood, poised, her glowing blue markings pulsing faintly with restrained energy. The cold wind tousled her snow-white fur as her sapphire eyes glared down at Jayden, unreadable.
Jayden, flanked by the tension of a hundred stares, raised an eyebrow as she suddenly turned around and walked away.
"What...?" he muttered, watching her stride back toward her icy perch flanked by the two enormous D-Rank Howlers.
"Is the fight cancelled or something?" he whispered.
