~«°*°|| Dawn Lupis ||°*°»~

Chapter Six

Running.

It was something she had always enjoyed, running through the dense forest, forgetting all her duties and responsibilities. She was still a pup, but she knew that one day she would have to take over her fathers position. Her chocolate brown wolf shot through the trees, nimbly dodging all the trees and animals. In a way, she was running from those duties. She didn't know why her brothers couldn't take over. They were both much older. It made sense if they did.

The girl didn't slow down, not for one second. She could smell the familiar stench of rogues by this point. Usually, wolves would run with their tails between their legs. But she did not. She didn't slow down as a silver wolf crashed through the brush, running right at her. Smiling a wolfs grin, she quickly moved to the right, avoiding the silver wolfs lunge to tackle her.

"Come on Riles, its unfair that you're so fast. Slow down pup"

She heard her brother speak into her mind, the mind-link they shared. The whole pack shared it, but only family members at the Alpha had direct contact and couldn't be blocked without strains of energy being wasted. She laughed at her brother and didn't say anything. She wasn't strong enough mentally yet to answer. But her body language indicated that she wasn't slowing down. Instead she pumped her wolf legs faster, spotting a river further ahead. The river Styx. She remembered the lesson about rivers, and this one in particular. Styx was named after the river that ran through the Greek underworld. It was an important part of her packs history. But she'd only that once she turned sixteen.

She moved her glowing red and blue eyes around the scenery, stopping for a millisecond, trying to find a spot where she can hide from him. But that second cost her as she felt a large weight slam into her ribcage from her direct left. A small yelp escaped her mouth as she crashed into the forest floor. Before she even had the chance to retaliate, her brother was on his feet and circling around her.

"Awh. Look who's weak now?" He teased her, his voice distant in her mind. And that confused her. It shouldn't be distant. She should be able to hear it loud and clear. Slowly standing up on her small paws, she sniffed the air. Something was wrong, smoke was evident now. The brother seemed to notice her distress. He let out a small growl and looked around at his surroundings.

"Get behind me sis"

She spurred into action and padded carefully towards him. They were too far from home to do anything. But by the way her brothers wolfish face was twisted into a sad look, she knew the pack was under attack.

"Shift" was his only command

She obliged, a flash of light and the horrifying sound of bones cracking later she was in her human form. She was stark naked, her clothes somewhere lost in the woods. But she wasn't bothered, in her pack you saw everyone naked. Though they seemed to keep the kids away from the adults.

Her brother disappeared for a second, a black wisp of shadow left where he just was. It was his magic. Shadow magic, dark magic. Evil magic as other wolves called it. The ability to walk through shadows, use necromancy, twisting the natural shadows to your will. She remembered something her brother told her. That no matter what people said, no dark magic wielder was a necromancer. It took a lot of skill and practice for that, and the only known necromancer was the Alpha of her pack. Alpha Tsukiko. Or Tsuki, as some people called her. No one ever saw her, she was always hidden away. But rumour had it that she somehow made the most sadistic pack her enemy.

She snapped out of her daze when her brother appeared and dropped some new clothes at her feet. He was fully clothed and human now, his light blue hair slightly ruffled and covered in specks of ash. Without asking any questions, she quickly slipped on her clothes, quite baggy as she didn't like tight clothing.