The air froze.
Clara, Rufus, Jessy, Alex, and Jake—all paused mid-motion, the tempo of battle crashing to a halt.
Even the squirrels, halfway through another daring acorn assault, blinked and instinctively stopped moving.
Because the words had been shouted.
"That creature won't attack until it's attacked first!"
Suddenly, it all made sense.
The way it hadn't moved when Selena and the others fought around it.
The way it had stood there during the early fight with Raven, responding only after a strike landed.
Raven stumbled back, blood smeared across his jaw, and looked toward Selena.
"…Are you serious?" He asked, panting.
Clara shouted, "Don't hit it! Don't provoke it!"
Raven blinked—processing.
Then his eyes widened.
'That's why it protected Travis. I couldn't even get close without triggering it.'
Jake, panting, glanced at the creature, whose head tilted slightly as if waiting for an excuse.
