The Shadows of Erisdar 1 of 3 [REWRITE]

Chapter 1

Autumn 1628, Boronduin Territory, Ardaman

Alpha Markus was about to retire for the night when a warrior burst into the house, "Alpha, I apologise for storming in like this, but savage ones are making their way down the ravine towards us."

Without another word, the alpha, followed by his alpha female, made their way to the ravine. It was raining hard tonight, and the ravine would become flooded in a few hours, so it was extremely strange for anything, even savage ones, to be trying to enter the territory now.

They ran as fast as they could to the mouth of the mountain pass, flanked by several other wolves. Carefully, they moved forward into the ravine as the rain pelted down. The savage ones cannot be allowed to get further than the opening of the pass. The beta, gammas and several guards moved in the shadows.

After quite a few minutes' walk, they noticed movement coming their way and they lay low, hiding next to large rocks and under protruding rocks as they watched. Some guards crept silently along the edges of the canyon walls, closing the trespassers in.

The four savage ones were moving along the ravine, sniffing and occasionally scratching at the ground. They were tracking something. How stupid of them to hunt food in a ravine during a storm, and in pack territory nonetheless.

The savage ones were getting more excited the closer they came. Suddenly, one came to a stop, looked up with perked ears, and after a moment, he trotted closer excitedly, followed shortly after by the others. He came to a stop at a large, rough stone lying among the pebbles and sand. There must be a hare or something beneath that stone, the alpha thought. The savage was joined by his three companions, and they bounced around the stone excitedly, pawing and sniffing around it.

The Alpha was readying himself to strike when one of the savage ones nudged the stone and it gave way, opened up and fell to the side. Alpha Markus and the wolves accompanying him all flattened their ears and bared their teeth as it dawned on them that the 'stone' was an unconscious wolf.

Unbeknownst to the savage ones, the pack silently stalked closer, the rain helping in covering any scent and sound that might arise, and encircled them before swiftly killing them.

Back in the heart of the territory, the unconscious wolf was being carried into the medical house by Alpha Markus and his beta, Albert. The alpha and beta saw that it was a young female who was injured and exhausted. She looked normal and was therefore not considered a threat, but was most likely just lost, or she had been running from the savage ones for a while.

"How old do you think she is?" Alpha Annobel asked the healer once they were in an urgent care room inside the infirmary.

The doctor looked back and forth between the wolf and his alpha pair as he prepared bandages and ointments while a nurse dried her off and warmed her up. "Judging by her size, she should be around fifteen, maybe fourteen, unless she has alpha lineage. We'll be able to know for sure once she wakes up," he answered after a while, to which the alpha female nodded while her mate and the beta stood watching from the doorway.

"Why is she still in wolf form?" the beta asked curiously.

The doctor fiddled with his various tinctures before he answered, "Well, her back leg is quite swollen and hot to the touch, which means it's most likely broken, and shifting back into her human form may cause damage. She's also been exposed to the elements for a long while, it seems. So, her best chance of survival is staying in wolf form for a few days. Her body will heal and strengthen faster that way." Satisfied with his answer, Albert turned and left the room.

The alpha stayed by the doorway as he watched the wolf. He wanted to know who she was, where she was from, and mostly, why she was in the ravine. But he was not one to stand idly and wait. "Let me know when she wakes up," he said as he lifted himself off the wall and escorted his mate back to the house.