Divinity. Mortality. War.
Silva, Queen of Wolves, Lady of the True Woods, seeks her only friend Etan, who, along with other deities of the Council of Divinity, has gone missing for reasons unknown. Her search traps her on a world where the wolves ha...
That night Thalaea's wolves slept in the forest, long and deep. All day canvassing of the woods in bird form had confirmed the lack of any more Minae troops, so she ordered they stop and get some sleep before moving on to the location of the next pack. Loncra would join them there, and continue on with them until they found the next pack, and the next gray wolf sentry.
They found a small clearing and curled up together — their fur kept them warm enough, but each wolf needed something extra that night. The comfort of their pack. The knowledge they weren't alone.
Solace, after what they'd seen and done over the past week and a half.
Still, Thalaea ordered sentries. Only one per two-hour shift. The danger was mostly past; she was only taking precautions.
Her work done, she curled up, nose under her tail, and fell into a deep slumber within minutes.
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Ruk stood above her, smiling, panting.
Come play with me.
She got up slowly, feeling a deep sadness welling up inside her, though she couldn't say why. She smiled and leapt after her friend, and he bounded away, laughing.
She chased him through the forest, intent on tussling him good when she caught him. He ran ahead of her, loping easily where her breath caught. His tail bounced, as if mocking her.
Each mile came harder, as Ruk just bounced away, laughing more.
Wait! she called, wondering why she couldn't catch him, wondering why she felt she couldn't breathe, wondering why it felt as if there were an arrow in her centre heart.
She stopped, panting, trying to catch her breath. Ruk was far ahead, running up a hill. No, not a hill. A mountain.
What was a mountain doing this far north?
Renewed vigour surged through Thalaea's lupine form, and she put on a burst of speed. Ruk was already half-way up the mountain-side, but she was determined to catch him.
He'd stopped looking back at her, and his laughter was gone. Now he seemed just as determined as she, chasing something her nose couldn't smell.
She barely stopped to look around as she climbed the mountainside, but now, now as she crested the summit she took a breath. Thaen stretched beneath her, wild forests and wolfhavens. She could see Spiral City to her left, in the north, and to her right, in the south lay Min. From Daetus City the machine of war marched, slowly, inexorably over the land, towards the Eronenian Mountains, towards Thaen.
Kaz led the charge, wearing a cape made of wolf's fur, a wolf's head mounted on the catapult that followed behind his horse.
She whimpered, and moved forward to stop it — she had to do something. Her cubs would never be safe if Min brought war to Broomgap. She'd already lost so many.
