The first Howler charged—a blur of muscle and shadow. Jayden sidestepped and countered with a vicious claw swipe across its ribs, slicing open dark fur and muscle. Blood sprayed in arcs as the beast yelped and stumbled.
But the second was already on him.
Its jaw clamped down on his arm—teeth sinking into fur but not drawing blood. Jayden roared and spun, dragging the beast with him in a full-body torque before slamming it into the rocky floor.
CRACK!
The earth buckled. Dust exploded.
Jayden leapt back, but not in time. The first Howler had recovered—leaping and ramming into him with a body-check that sent him flying ten feet.
He rolled, caught himself mid-slide, and paused.
He stood up and sprinted forward again—like a bullet fired from a gun. He dipped under the first beast's swipe, sliding low and slashing at its legs. It howled and toppled. He flipped up into a spinning roundhouse and nailed the second right in the jaw mid-leap, sending it flying into the ridge wall.
