all our attempts at subterfuge had been in vain.

with ice in my heart, i watched him prepare to defend me. his intense concentration betrayed no hint ofdoubt, though he was outnumbered. i knew that we could expect no help — at this moment, his family wasfighting for their lives just as surely as he was for ours.

would i ever learn the outcome of that other fight? find out who the winners and the losers were? wouldi live long enough for that?

the odds of that didn’t look so great.

black eyes, wild with their fierce craving for my death, watched for the moment when my protector’sattention would be diverted. the moment when i would surely die.

somewhere, far, far away in the cold forest, a wolf howled.

序幕

我们设下的所有圈套都白费了。

冰冷的感觉紧紧地攫住我的心，我注视着他摆出保护我的姿势。尽管他寡不敌众，他高度聚精会神的表情没有流露出任何迟疑的痕迹。我知道我们不能指望有救兵——此刻，我肯定他的家人正在为他们的生命而战，就像我肯定他正在为我们的生命而战一样。

我还有机会了解另一场战斗的结局吗？还有机会弄清楚谁是赢家，谁是输家吗？我还能活到那一刻吗？

这种可能性似乎没那么大。

他们漆黑的眼睛狂野而凶猛，虎视眈眈地想置我于死地。他们在等待着我的保护者走神的那一刻，一旦那一刻真的来临，我将必死无疑。

在这片寒冷的森林中的很远很远的地方，一匹狼咆哮起来……