An Alternate Dimension: The Language of Dawn

Chapter 12- Justin

It had been a day since they started battle-training. Watching Callum totally get beat up by Sabina was surprising, because no one thought she was that strong, she didn't look like she was. Everyone agreed that Aaron would go that day, and Justin was excited for the entertainment that would unfold. He thought about what Izzy had told him and Jacob, about the vision and her powers. He thought about the purple dragon she said she had seen in the fire. Which dragon was purple?

Terrence, of course! He was always grumpy, yet he didn't seem like the type of dragon who would betray others... The purple dragon could have been anyone, and who was he to decipher the prophecy? He just really hoped that the mysterious dragon in the vision would realise his mistake before it was too late, but for now, he could only sigh and direct his thoughts elsewhere. He wondered what they were having for lunch.

Suddenly, he smelt something weird, something he hadn't smelt in a long time, something he had often had nightmares about: wolves. "There's a wolf attack!" He shouted, as he spotted glistening amber eyes from the darkness of the forest. Only he, Aaron, Sabina and Xiaowan were there, the rest were hunting or somewhere else. Out walked a pack of wolves, with 8 grey wolves, a black wolf, and a white wolf. Justin shivered- they were outnumbered. He remembered the techniques of fighting when outnumbered. Aim for their weakness... which was... aha! The white wolf looked quite weak. They should attack it first.

Aaron was thinking the same thing, while Xiaowan was lost in the clouds, thinking about something far away, not even noticing what was happening. Sabina had wide eyes, but stood straight, trying to avoid a fight. Whatever. He and Aaron would protect them, the house and their beach. They launched into battle, heading straight at the small wolf who whimpered and backed away. Something tugged at his heart- sympathy, guilt? But he forced himself on, which angered the black wolf beside the white one, and slashed his claws at Justin's snout, but he ducked away with a screech. The battle was on. The shout had jerked Xiaowan out of her thoughts, and as she realised what was happening, she camouflaged out of instinct. Whether she ran away or started fighting too, Justin was too occupied to notice. The black wolf was fierce, and kept lunging at him. A wolf ran at Aaron from behind as he was battling two other wolves, and was just about to tear off his wings when Sabina growled "STOP!".

The wolves actually stopped, and their gaze turned to Sabina. Aaron took that as a chance, tried to smash one of the wolves, when Xiaowan, still camouflaged, told him to cease. So there they stood, all frozen and puzzled.

"GO AWAY, PESKY WOLVES!" Sabina continued to yell.

The black wolf growled back at Sabina, making her widen her eyes in shock.

"You- you can talk?" She asked. This was weird because all Justin had heard from the wolf was a growl.

The wolf growled again and continued to bark, whine, and growl at Sabina like it was talking. Justin was severely puzzled.

After a while, Sabina turned to Justin, Aaron, and Xiaowan and explained excitedly.

"I can talk to wolves! That's my power." She looked very happy, but then her gaze drooped. "These wolves have been hungry for weeks. They say we've been hunting all their prey."

"Oh." Justin said, guilty.

"I'll see if we can do anything to help them." Aaron said. "I'll get some of the leftovers from breakfast." With that, he flew off.

Sabina turned to the wolves again.

"Do you want to stay with us? We can share the prey we catch with you to make up for us starving you."

The black wolf barked twice, but a grey wolf with scars beside him growled at him. They continued to exchange growls until a loud bark from the grey wolf silenced him. Sabina looked worried and told Justin and Xiaowan what had happened.

"Alright, so the black wolf is the Alpha, but the rest of the pack don't like that he agreed to stay with us, so they're in the middle of exiling him and the white one because she's different." She said sadly.

With more growling, the grey wolves all left for the forest again, leaving the black one and the white one. Justin realised that the white one had not moved during the whole ordeal, and she was only half the size of the black wolf. She was only a pup! How dare they exile a little pup just because she was the wrong colour!

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for your pack to exile you!" Sabina said to the wolves. The black one made a noise like 'gruuuuglugh! Gaargul!"

"You'll stay? Great! It's the least we can do for you!"

Aaron came back just then with half a cow in his talons. "Leftovers." He said, tossing it to the ground in front of the wolves. "Hey, where'd the others go?"

Sabina smiled. "You'll understand the whole story once I tell it to the others!"