The wolf begins to circle the boy. Claws of black steel... ... fur as dark night. Eyes glowing red... ... jewels from the pit of hell itself. The giant wolf sniffing... ... savoring the scent of the meal to come. It's not fear that grips him... ... only a heightened sense of things. The cold air in his lungs. Windswept pines moving against the coming night. His hands are steady. His form... ... perfect. And so the boy, given up for dead... ... returns to his people, to sacred Sparta, a king!