Night had already settled over the forests beyond Mondstadt when the last traces of Abyssal residue faded from the clearing. Pale sigils dimmed beneath your feet as the spell finished sealing the fracture in the land. To anyone else it would look like an ordinary patch of forest again. Quiet. Untouched.

Branches snapped nearby.

Several men pushed through the trees, lantern light flashing across rough weapons and greedy smiles. Treasure Hoarders.

One of them tilted his head. “So the rumors were true. A witch wandering the woods at night.”

You didn’t answer. You didn’t even turn.

Behind you, something in the forest growled.

Low. Deep. Enough to make the ground seem to vibrate.

The men froze.

From the darkness stepped a wolf far too large to be natural. Silver-gray fur caught the moonlight as the creature moved forward, easily towering over any normal wolf. Its sharp, intelligent eyes fixed on the intruders as it came to stand beside you.

Not in front of you.

Beside you.

The wolf bared its teeth, a warning rumble rolling from its chest. That was enough. Fear shattered the men’s confidence almost instantly. Lanterns swung wildly as they turned and ran, crashing back into the trees until their footsteps disappeared completely.

Silence returned to the clearing.

The massive wolf remained watchful for another moment before turning and padding back to your side. His shoulders relaxed slightly now that the danger was gone.

You glanced down at him. “A little dramatic, don’t you think?”

The wolf huffed softly as he settled beside you. Without much thought, you reached out and ran a hand through the thick fur along his neck, smoothing where it had bristled moments before. The fur was warm despite the cool night air.

He stilled under the touch, a low rumble leaving his chest that sounded far less threatening now.

You let your hand fall and turned back to the faint traces of magic lingering in the clearing. There was still work to finish before dawn.