The night wind carried the stench of rust and smoke through the safehouse. The city didn't sleep; it trembled. Whispers of the wolves echoed in every alley, and the predators stirred restlessly, sharpening their claws.
Inside the dim room, Ayu sat cross-legged on the floor, her blades spread before her like offerings. She sharpened each edge slowly, methodically, until the metal gleamed with a predator's hunger. Her jade-like face was calm, but her eyes burned.
Luv leaned against the cracked wall, arms crossed. His black eyes stared at nothing, but his senses traced every sound outside—the hum of a broken streetlight, the flap of pigeons on a rooftop, the muffled footsteps of a drunk stumbling home. He was a man made for silence, but tonight the silence pressed heavy.
A knock came at the door. Three soft raps, uneven. Not the rhythm of an enemy.
Ayu's hand instantly found her blade anyway. "If it's a trap—"
Luv raised a hand to silence her. "It won't matter."
He opened the door to reveal a man drenched in sweat, a trembling servant they recognized from one of the bigger dens. His eyes darted wildly, like prey cornered by wolves.
"They're coming for you," he gasped. "All of them. The council met. Moraku himself leads the plan. They're pulling soldiers, assassins, spies—every gang in the city. They'll smoke you out, trap you, and burn you alive."
His voice cracked. "You don't have time."
Ayu rose gracefully, her blade sliding into its sheath with a hiss. She looked at the man with a faint smile that sent shivers down his spine.
"Finally," she whispered. "They're taking us seriously."
Luv's voice was flat, cold, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it.
"So the storm begins."
The servant fell to his knees. "You can't fight them all! You'll die. Hide, run—leave the city before it's too late!"
Luv crouched before him, his black eyes piercing like blades.
"We don't run," he said. "The wolves don't bow. The city wants war? Then we'll turn their streets red."
The servant fled before dawn, carrying with him the memory of eyes colder than death.
Ayu turned to Luv as the first light crept into the broken window. "So, what's our move?"
Luv picked up the bandages from the table, wrapping his fists slowly, deliberately.
"First, we prepare. We'll need weapons, safehouses, and eyes in every alley. Then, when they come…" He tightened the bandage until his knuckles cracked.
"…we don't defend. We hunt."
Ayu's smile was sharp, hungry. "Then let's start the war on our terms."
Outside, the city simmered. Predators gathered, sharpening blades, waiting for the order to strike.
But the storm they thought would crush the wolves… was about to be claimed by them.