Night had fallen upon the land hours ago, an inky blackness causing even the monstrous forms of trees to appear opaque and formless. The two figures that strolled through the thick forest were barely discernable except for their movements, which differed. Both forms were lupine. One was burly and tall, yet moved with caution, his large bulk seeming to flit from tree to tree. The other appeared to care little about detection in the darkness so thick it was almost palpable. He plodded onward with a determination to keep up with the larger. It is doubtful that he would have if the other was not taking such painstaking care to be undetectable, for the second had a severe limp. With each heavy step he would seem to sway precariously, yet regain his balance in time to take another. It was a system the had obviously taken some work; and it still did: judging on the expression of effort in the elder’s face as his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, appearing dull gray in the surrounding night.
“Rav, I can sense something up ahead. Do you feel it? The message of the air is changing,� The younger wolf’s voice was akin to a young man’s; the only thing making it unique was his poorly veiled enthusiasm. He did not attempt to hide his hopefulness at the possibility other wolves residing in the area, for he had known Rav for ages, and trusted the old wolf more than any creature still alive.
The younger wolf had paused suddenly, and it took Rav a few swaying steps to catch up. When he did, he too could notice the sudden heaviness of the air, a smell that many loners feared. Rav took a quick step forward, then stood at attention, as he had not done in months. His neck and back stiffened, and the old wolf drew himself up to full height. The younger could not help but stare at him with delight at his stature. Rav gazed around, the few extra inches giving him a more detailed report of the scents in the air. But as he inhaled, his position wobbled, and the old wolf seemed to be a shell of his former self for a moment, giving a vain effort to stand tall once more. Then he crumbled, emitting great whooping coughs that were so common these days, and made the ruff of the younger wolf bristle worriedly every time he heard them. But the larger youth never had the time to rush forth and inquire after Rav’s health, and when he seemed as if going to take a step closer, the elder wave him away and limped on a few paces, trying to control the cough that caused his body to twist and writhe to accommodate it. He did not even have the chance to voice a few concerned thoughts for, having finally controlled his illness, the older wolf broke out in a speech so enthralling that the younger dared not interrupt. Rav’s voice had become hollowed in the six months the youth had traveled with him, and though it still had exuberance about it, the pitch had dropped to a level akin to a whisper. When the old wolf became excited, as he was now, he often had to pause for fits of coughing before continuing.
He started off this speech, as he had so many others, with the young wolf’s name. “This pack…I know it well. It speaks of the past, dear Azu. The lands past these borders have always been of dark ownership. But it is very odd that the scent on them seems so weak. When I happened past with pack so many years ago, it was full of activity. I wonder-,� He incomplete musing was cut short by another bout of coughing, this one even more violent than the others. Azu’s brow furrowed, but he said nothing, and waited for the fit to be over. But this was no ordinary outbreak, and soon the old wolf’s face was close to the moist grass, his body tense under the cough’s choking grasp. Azu could see the old one’s weathered muscles straining under the weight of his sickness, and became concerned. He paced up and down beside Rav, desperate to help, but never daring to nudge the weakened form of his mentor. Finally, with one final heave, the old wolf released the phlegm in his throat onto the soil, where is formed a thick, semisolid puddle near Rav’s gnarled nails. Rav held himself up for a moment on his front paws, then collapsed upon the rich soil, his chest beating a swift momentum.
“Azu, I am dieing. I have something I must tell you, before I can finally rest. Please, do not interrupt me. It is about your family.� Azu’s eyes widened in shock at both announcements. One was impossible to believe, the other seemed too good to be true. He remained silent, which the elder took as invitation to continue. “I will start at the very beginning, Azu, with your great grandfather. I never met him, but the stories I heard of him. He was a truly ethereal creature, that Longtooth.� Azu’s ears twitched as he heard the name echoing within his skull. It seemed so plain yet…so powerful. He was glad the story was being told in a whisper. Rav continued, “Yes, your great grandfather…where to begin? First off I will say this: your grandfather was an ordinary wolf. He was born without power to a regular couple that passed away with no great deeds to their name. It was what Longtooth did with his life that made him so special. He was born a light wolf…and he died a light wolf. Longtooth wished above all that he could create justice, and that is what he fought for. He considered the dark wolves unjust, and traveled many miles to give his service to the light leaders in a land known as SwiftWolves. There he was considered typical, one of hundreds of light wolf knights. It was there that he met your great grandmother: Aphrodite. She was a delicate beauty, a weakly built frame of creamy white, which contrasted so much with Longtooth’s large, midnight body that it seemed they could be opposites. But their love was strong, and they fought together in the battlefield though Aphrodite was weak. One of their early battles was with the heir to the dark wolf throne, Phantom, and his mate. The battle was a fierce one, and in the end there was no victor, though both parties left with a firm hatred of the other. During this time, Longtooth trained in battle and white magics. He used his powers mainly for healing himself after battles, but as he gained experience, he began to need them for his opponents, who had magic that would choke and burn. Aphrodite had long since retired from the battlefield to their pack’s land, where her talents as a socialite blossomed. Their pack was small and considered insignificant, but it was all Longtooth and Aphrodite had ever wanted. Their joy was doubled when they learned she was with pups, and Longtooth even left the battlefield for a while to care for his mate while her belly swelled. They were ecstatic when two healthy pups were born, and they gave them natural names: Lightfall for the male, and Glidepath for the female. Lightfall was your grandfather, Azu.� Azu had been listening with his mouth open, never wanting the speech to end. Rav grinned at the youth’s expression, gave a few hacking coughs, and continued, “This is where the story takes a turn for the worse. If was a month or two after the birth of his children, and Longtooth had long since wandered back to the battlefield. He had many victories under his belt, and had never felt more confident. Longtooth was one of the most powerful light wolves at the time, and was beginning to receive attention from some extremely influential pack alphas, even Whitelightning herself. She was the leader of the oldest and largest light wolf pack, and one of the most powerful wolves to have ever lived. She informed Longtooth of a tournament being held for any who had the nerve to enter. The winner would earn a fabulous prize and boost the morale of their faith through the roof. Longtooth entered that day. When he rushed home to tell Aphrodite, she seemed happy, but inside I think she knew no good would come of it. You see, her children had grown to become young adults. She had to look after them without Longtooth’s aid, for he was off fighting most of the time. The once happy family was losing stability. Longtooth was fooled by her poor show of enthusiasm, and left the next day to compete. He defeated each of his opponents with ease, as he knew he always would. In fact, it seemed everyone knew that in the end, the light champion would have to face the dark. Longtooth’s final opponent was a female called Darkfate. She was revered by the dark side for her cunning and power. Longtooth had heard of her, and she of him. They finally clashed on the battlefield, and as they exchanged blows, the weak-hearted Aphrodite lost control of her children.�
At this moment, Rav paused for yet another fit of coughing while Azu sat stunned before him. Rav, taking advantage of Azu’s stony silence, continued as if he had never paused, “Both of the children resembled their father in build, but it was only Lightfall whose personality matched Longtooth’s almost exactly. Perhaps if Longtooth had exercised more influence over him, he would have become a famous light wolf knight like his father. But this was not to be. Glidepath had the liquid-like personality of her mother, one that can be easily shaped and molded. I actually think Aphrodite favored her lovable daughter because she was the only thing the poor alpha female had control over. Glidepath was a beauty with long reddish-brown hair and an innocence that made her easy to like. Lightfall was a different case. While Glidepath dealt with the absence of their father by becoming the social director of the area, Lightfall became more reclusive and difficult to be around. He wanted so much to attract the attention of his famous father that he was willing to go to extremes to do so. He became sullen, got into fights, made a decision that broke his family’s heart and eventually destroyed his own: he left the pack and became a dark wolf. Here is where the story leaves Longtooth. No one ever knew what became of him. The last anyone ever heard was that he was still away at the tournament. But Longtooth, unlike his opponent, was mortal. He died a long time ago. Aphrodite and Glidepath lived with each other for comfort, and for all anyone knows, died together as well. It is Lightfall who made history. The dark brown wolf joined the pack of Dark Angel, the leader of all dark wolves. Few dark wolves ever knew Longtooth had sired two children; so many assumed Lightfall was simply a dark wolf from other lands. He was treated with a sort of cold politeness, and spent his days in solitude, until he met a wolf that changed his life forever. Her name was Talon. How Lightfall loved her… When I spoke with him before his death, you could feel his passion when he spoke her name. She was the granddaughter of Dark Angel however, and the lupine equivalent of royalty. Though they quickly became friends, Lightfall could feel her older brothers watching him with suspicion, for never had their sister taken to an unknown wolf so quickly. Surely Talon saw him as only a friend, but to Lightfall, she quickly became much more. His love of her gave him ambition, and he trained relentlessly in schools such as hunting, battle tactics, and magic. Lightfall’s specialty was magic of the flame, and he soon found how easy the fire was to control with such feeling burning inside him. Lightfall had made up his mind to win Talon’s heart, but unfortunately, he was not alone. His main competition was from a wolf known Thorn. Thorn was enamored with Talon, a feeling that had developed over time, as they had been inseparable as pups. Falling in love seemed the next step and, much to Lightfall’s annoyance, Thorn seemed a perfect candidate for Talon and was heartily supported by her brothers, who looked upon Lightfall as some sort of scum unworthy of Talon’s time. Thorn was a very influential dark wolf, being a student of Darkfate’s, the same Darkfate the Longtooth had fought so long ago. As Lightfall and Talon began to spend more time together, her brothers, seeing him as a threat to Talon and Thorn’s union, decided to run him off. They confronted him in front of her, calling him a light wolf (who knows if they truly knew of his heritage) and urging Talon to choose the right wolf to give her heart to. Now everything was out in the open, and Talon was unable to choose. While Lightfall argued with Talon’s brothers, Thorn strode silently from the undergrowth, and gave his attention to Talon alone. Her brothers did not interfere, and shoved the rejected Lightfall out of the way. Lightfall knew Talon’s choice as he studied the look in her eyes when Thorn comforted her, and felt his heart crushed under an unsupportable weight. He stumbled away from where Talon had made her choice, and vowed to become a greater wolf than Thorn, so Talon might see all he could offer her. He took a student, a female less interested in learning the dark art of magic than attracting his attention. He loved Talon still, but this female eventually won over his weak conscious, and became pregnant soon after. Lightfall had long left the pack in shame, and now felt similar feelings as he saw the loving emotion in the female’s eyes while he thought of Talon still. He wondered what had become of her, for he had not seen her face in months. When the pup was born, a weak, little male, Lightfall was absent for several weeks, pining for his youth. The pup was weaned and fed up by his simpering mate in preparation for the day Lightfall would return. When he did, he stayed only long enough to give the pup a name, Sharptrail, before leaving once again. Lightfall wandered across the lands, searching for Talon, yet hoping he would never see her and have to feel such pain again. This was not meant to be, however, for one day he strayed into a neutral territory quite new to him, and there she was…with him. She and Thorn romped and played like puppies, her laughter like a bubbling creek as they rolled together in the grass. Lightfall forced himself to feel no emotion, and turned away. His breakdown came several days later. Lightfall tortured with passion, lost his mind. The magical power surged through his veins and was released in a giant explosion that rocked the earth. All around him the anguished cries of creatures rose into the air as the earth crumbled. Within an hour, all of SwiftWolves had been destroyed, the mangled corpse of Lightfall slipping into an open chasm, never to be seen again.�
Rav’s breath was stuttered, but he continued to speak. “I was there, just a pup at the time. Your father and I had met at a young age when I wandered away from my den. Your grandmother used all the magic Lightfall had taught her, probably all the power her weakened mind could hold, to conjure a portal for the three of us. We did not know where we were going, but had we not left, neither you nor I would be alive today, Azu. We landed in a tropical place. I remember the heat was sweltering and the air moist, but at least the ground was intact. It was so bright, so…� Rav’s voice trailed away. He had obviously not dug these memories out from the back of his mind for a long time. “Sharptrail’s mother, when we turned back to look at her…she wasn’t there. We never knew what became of her. We feared for our lives in that uncharted place, but we were saved before we came across anything harmful. There was a tiger that lived where we had left the portal. His name was Kyros. He claimed ownership over the lands, and assumed that we were siblings and our mother dead. He took us to his den and kept an eye on us. No, we never saw him as a father figure. He was more a visitor that fed us than anything. As we grew, we saw him less, but we did not really mind. I think we always feared he would one day tire of our presence and decide to kill us. So we left when we around your age. There had once been wolves in the area, but for some reason there were none at this time, so we simply traveled through the abandoned territories, hunting the area and moving on. They were restless years. It was this way until Sharptrail met your mother. It was a random thing. We were traveling in the area where you were born and we came across a flighty female. She was not a loner like your father. In fact, Azu, she was the daughter of an alpha in the surrounding area. This is where I left the story. The two were in love, and I felt it was not my place to intrude upon their happiness. It was several months later when your father appeared out of nowhere, terrified and pale. He and his mate had been discovered by her pack, he told me, and he was running for his life. He also told me of your location in a nearby dark pack. He begged me to keep an eye out for you when I was in the area, and reclaim you on your first birthday. I have not forgotten my promise.�
Azu continued to listen intently to the silence, ears straining to catch any sound at all. When it was obvious that Rav had finished his tale, the youth ventured a question cautiously, “But why did you never-�. His voice was suddenly drowned out by another fit of the elder’s coughing, so violent that it rocked his body. Then, as sudden as a light being switched off, the fire in the old wolf’s eyes was extinguished and his body lay limp and fragile as a twig upon the ground. The air became cold, and Azu bucked backwards as if a putrid stench had invaded his nostrils. He knew that Rav had been correct when he predicted he death, he had known it then also. For months Rav had seemed different, and Azu cursed himself for always tiptoeing around like the old wolf was on his deathbed. At least that is what he had done. He had always expected the elder’s failing health to be some sort of act, a test. Yet now there was a rigid carcass (the thought chilled Azu to the bone) before him. He had never been more alone. But even as he felt such sorrow boil inside his body, he could hear the gruff voice of the living Rav in his brain, telling him to get over it, not show any emotion. Was this what Rav had meant? It seemed so easy to understand when the elder had lived. Azu took a shaky step backwards as the thought dawned upon him that he would never be given advice he could trust again, that he would never have his mentor at his side again. As the emotion welled up inside him once more, churning his organs into a bottomless pit, Azu closed his eyes forcefully and clenched his jaw. In the next moment he whipped around and was racing through the brush, barely noticing the scent of ancient wolves becoming stronger in his nostrils as the pale mists of morning cleared to reveal endless hills. He ran to escape his pain, to escape his past. He collapsed at what seemed to be ages later, deep in the heart of an unknown territory. The sun blazed mercilessly upon his shaking back. Where was he?
