The white wolf howled loudly as the following pack began to rush forward, seemingly focusing on Iris. Dante shifted forward in front of her as his sword ignited with flames. He changed his position as he took a wide slash with his sword, sending the flames outward into an arc.
"Flame Arc!" he yelled as the fire sat on the floor as it did before, the wolves stepped back as the heat from the flame singed their fur, causing irritation within them. Iris finished her chant before unleashing a semi-circle of thorny vines, which protected the two from being surrounded by the wolves. Their position on the panel left the wolves with only one way to attack them, since the vines would push the wolves back from attempting to attack head on.
Suddenly with the howl of the alpha wolf, sparks of light shot down from the air, causing the panels on the ground to begin to frost, giving the two less room for error. The pack of wolves began to howl out as beams of ice shards began to pierce the thorned walls protecting Dante and Iris. Two wolves jumped on and off of the back of the other wolves, planning to attack from above.
"Oh, no you don't!" Dante said, swiping the wolves away with a powerful slash. The flamed blade seared through the wolves as they dissipated into mist, dropping materia where they fell. He felt a tinge in his hand as his flames weren't as effective due to the conditions.
"It's a bit tougher to cut through because of their stupid armor!" He said, looking back at Iris who continued to push out her spell. A bead of sweat fell from her head as she considered her options in the situation.
"We're surrounded, yet they don't seem to be attacking randomly…there's tact in their approach."
Her eyes scoured the area before looking through the frozen vines, realizing a factor that wasn't considered in their current defense. Her head snapped back to Dante, who was fighting off another wolf that tried to jump over the barrier.
"The alpha isn't moving! The wolves might be following its commands! That's why they're so coordinated on taking down our wall!"
"Huh!? No wonder–"