Songs of War: The Forgotten Pack

Chapter 1

The wind howled as it swerved around the mountain. Kupisa dug her claws into the next ridge formation, which led its way towards the very top of the mountain. She gazed behind her to see the older Flamestepper traveling with her, struggling yet again to get up.

Kupisa rolled her eyes and padded over towards him and leaned down.

"I don't need help!" He insisted in his old raspy voice. She bit her jaws around his scruff anyway and yanked him up.

"Of course you don't, father. And if you don't want my help, feel free to scale the mountain by yourself. You're the one slowing me down!" Kupisa snapped. "You should be more grateful, including to your heir!"

"Grateful?! Gratefulness disappeared from our pack one hundred fifty six years ago! Your brother is dead, and who knows what the Voltaris plan to do to carry out their plans." He growled. Kupisa sighed, shaking her head as she leaped up a bit higher.

"So, remind me why we're meeting with the Voltaris again? I thought they hated us for losing their 'secret weapon' that wasn't so secret?" Kupisa asked, clawing herself up another ridge.

Feuer stopped and gazed up at her before hooking his claws into the frozen rock.

"Because they have a plan, though I know little of it, I know that it will happen soon, and when it does, they have requested we fight alongside them. And they do need to meet the heir of the pack of course." He explained, hualing himself up, panting as he managed to scramble up next to her.

Kupisa gazed around, realizing they were at the top of the mountain. She gazed around, the mist too thick to make out anything. Feuer barged past her and padded into the haze of snowflakes. Kupisa growled softly and followed him, barely seeing anything.

She wondered how their ancestors, Snowsteppers, ever lived in places like this. They had lived in Northwind, the Barrier Mountains, and she was sure she had heard rumors of them once staying on Mt.Velgrin when they first arrived on Ardonia.

She eventually caught up to Feuer, who was waiting on her, staring at an obsidian ring which was off-centered, and had a broken archway in the middle.

Kupisa's curiosity only lasted a few seconds before she heard movement, and the slightest sound of shifting snow. Were being watched... She let her father continue to stare at the archway as she gazed around the clearing, trying to keep a curious expression. She wanted to see who was trying to ambush them.

Kupisa managed to make out a dim red glow from the cliff-sides, higher up than the ground level where she was standing.

"Father..." She whispered, barely turning her head to look at him. "We are being watched." Feuer turned around, much to her demise, and gazed around, listening for sudden movement.

"Enough with your games of hiding, Voltaris. You are wasting your time." Feuer snarled, echoing off the nearby cliff overhangs. The red glow emitted from the cliff sides quickly faded at Feuer's call and she heard several landing footsteps on the snow.

"Your hearing is well, yet you are pathetically weak and slow. We've been waiting for hours now and yet you just now show up." A hostile male voice spoke out as a Voltaris with tiger-like stripes glowered over the two Flamesteppers.

"My father is as deaf as he is blind. I heard you." Kupisa snapped, drawing the attention over to her. The few Voltaris around her just laughed. Feuer seemed to sigh and shake his head slowly.

"Why are you here she-wolf? Are you the Pack Leader's caretaker? If so, you do have quite the loose tongue. Tis a shame you'll be banished the moment you get out of our earshot." The lead Voltaris snarked.