Kingdom Wolves: The Flames of Struggle

Prologue

    "And from then on, the Wolves and the Great Forests lived in peace."
  
     The storyteller's soft, calming voice was soon blocked out as the three young pups' whines began to start. "Another story! Another story, please, Araya!"

     "Hush, my dears. It is time to sleep now. Return to your nests." Two of the pups silently obeyed, but one remained at Araya's paws. It was the tough little black she-pup, Moon. She was quite the handful, but her determination was very admirable. "Come now, Moony. It's late."

     The pup's fiery blue eyes narrowed and she shook her head. "No! One more story. A short one even. Like... Like the story about the Great Alpha! Please Araya. I won't sleep if you don't tell me that story." Araya studied the pup's fierce but pleading eyes for a few moments, then sighed. "Cory, Mace. Come here children, I shall tell one more story."

     The boys cheered and bounded over, nearly landing on top of Moon. "Story! Story! One more story!" The pups squealed with excitement. "Hush, hush now. Do you want me to tell the story or not?" The three snapped their jaws shut and looked up at Araya with attentive eyes.

      "Alright. This is the story of Great Alpha Norris, and how he became the high Alpha of our dearest lands of Forevia." Araya took a deep breath, letting her eyes fog up in a deep recollection of the story, then began the tale in her special storytelling voice.

     "Once upon a time, many years ago, the wolves lived in chaos. They had no leader to guide them, and they cared not for the great wolf of the skies. Some tried and failed to unite the wolves into an equal pack, and it always ended tragically. Everyone was divided, even the families and friends, until one day, a wolf named Rodado lost his mother and his father in a territory skirmish."

     "Uh. Araya? What does skirmish mean?"  Mace asked quietly.
"It means a silly fight. The kind that you and Cory get into sometimes. A fight with little reason." Mace blinked and nodded. "Oh. Okay."

      "Back to the story. Rodado loved his mum and his dad very much, and when they were killed, he was determined to find the killer. He began to hunt for the killer, but what he found was more than he had reckoned for. An underground group of wolves dedicated to removing other wolves from their territories and giving the territory to their leader. They were working towards uniting the wolves, but in the darkest, evilest way possible. And Rodado was determined to stop them. He began his own pack of wolves who had been hurt by the evil group. The evil ones had hurt so many all over the place, and many, many wolves were willing to join Rodado's cause. Soon, Rodado had a massive following, and he was ready to eliminate the evil ones. He hunted them down, and with his group he found a way to the leader and destroyed him. With His parents avenged, he settled down with his pack, found himself a mate named Maury and had a pup whom they called Norris. Rodado raised Norris to be the same wolf that he had been, strong, determined, and.... and...."

     Araya's voice broke and she closed her eyes, fighting tears. "Auntie Ara? Is something wrong?" Cory's timid, half asleep voice asked. Araya slowly opened her eyes. The pup looked terribly concerned and confused. She took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Sorry, dears. I'm just a little thirsty. I'll finish the story now."  Araya sunk back into her storytelling voice, but this time it was slightly shaky and much less controlled.

     "Strong, determined, and with good cause. Norris grew up to be just like his father, and became the leader of the pack when his father retired. Meanwhile, the packs had grown and spread out over all the lands which Rodado had called Forevia, but they were all still ever loyal to Rodado and his son. And they have been until this day, and hopefully for many days to come." 

     Araya took a deep breath and she glanced down the the three now lightly sleeping pups. She smiled at them and sighed. They were so sweet. She picked each of them up and carried them to their nests, carefully tucking the leaves and fur in around them. Finally, she gave each one a quick lick before turning and leaving the den.

     The humid summer evening air greeted Araya with a blast of warmth as she stepped out of her cave. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, then gazed up at the brightly shining stars. They were always brighter during the fall, but tonight they were exceptionally bright, especially for a summer evening. The Lupus constellation was easily picked out above the rest, but Araya spotted a few others randomly here and there. Being the pack storyteller, she had to know the constellations and their stories. She yawned and looked around. The pups' mum would be here to get the pups by morning, if everything went to plan.

     Araya sighed heavily. Plan. Stories. Everything about this was so wrong. Why did they have to pick the Norris story? It was a big, fat lie. And even if it wasn't, it felt like one. And she had to go see him in a few days. Oh well. She would make the most of it. Maybe she could run away. She could denounce her pack, and she could finally be free from the lies. Free. That word sounded so magic to her. If only it was real, not just a fairy tale like the stories she told. Someday I'll be free. Someday.