Chapter 4

One wolf rushed the spruce where the bird was hiding, and Espen whirled around, tackling him. For a second, Espen believed he’d be able to counterbalance the impact, but then he lost his footing and slid on the wet ground.

Sharp claws dug into his flank. His fur shielded him from most of the damage, but a new set of claws dug into his buttock, making him roar.

Turning, he no longer cared who or where he hit. He attacked, ramming his paws into the closest body, piercing the skin with his claws. When teeth cut into his shoulder blade, he saw red. He turned, flung a wolf into a tree, broke the leg of the next, knocked one out with a blow to the side of his head. Fucking wolves.

He looked around. Where had the leopard gone?

Tilting his head, he spotted him on a branch above, nearing the spruce from a neighboring tree. Pain sliced into his side, and he swiped his paw down hard on the attacker. A whine followed the impact before the wolf fell to the ground.