When Outh'n Durr's path darkens and giving up is the easiest way out, will determination be the light that leads him to true freedom?

Wuveia. It had to be. And this close, the pack would already have his scent. They'd probably picked up his conversation with the bizhal moments ago and were biding their time. Deciding it was now or never, Outh'n made his move and rose from the thorny thicket. Coming to his knees, he met the golden-eyed glare of one ot the beasts.

Dear Tugansol in Zoleta, it was massive! He'd never seen one up close, only from a distance as he'd watched over his babeiya's cattle. The domesticated wuve, relatives of these forest dwellers, never grew this big.

Outh'n sat back on his heels, resigned to a fast, bloody death. Shaking violently, he closed his eyes and bared his throat. If he made himself an easy target, maybe death would be swifter, less painful. He'd had enough of pain over the course of his life and what did he have to live for, anyway? He was more than ready to die.