“I’m not sure of anything. We’re just exploring theories for now,” Anna said.
I nodded for her to continue.
Her fingers traced a paragraph lightly.
“Also, there was an ancient practice. Rarely documented in full detail, but referenced across several regions. It involved severing the conscious tether between wolf and human mind before exile.”
I went still.
“Severing?” I repeated.
Anna nodded.
“The ritual did not kill the wolf. It did not remove it. But it fractured the awareness. The host would lose access to memory, instinct, identity... sometimes entirely.”
A quiet chill crept along my spine.
“That sounds terrible,” I said.
“It was meant to be,” Anna replied. “The purpose wasn’t mercy. It was containment. A wolf stripped of memory would not know its territory. Would not remember
