Space beasts were often like that. Their resilience could be ridiculous right up until the moment it ended.
But survival in that state was not the same as a threat. The alpha had lost speed, coherence, and control in a single exchange. Even if it had not died outright, it was finished in almost every sense.
The rest of the pack seemed to understand that before any of them did.
The Fenrir reacted with immediate fury.
The death or crippling of the alpha shattered whatever loose hierarchy had been holding the front of the migration together.
Instead of continuing to chase the easier targets Solenne had dangled in front of them, hundreds of beasts shifted all at once and turned toward Lysara and Rhoswen's position, pulled by the clearer, more hateful source of destruction.
"There it is," Lysara said quietly.
The true chase had begun.
Aurelian did not hesitate.
"Start engines. Maintain distance. Draw them wide."
