The forest was eerily silent. No howls pierced the air. No friendly shadows whispered by the hills. There was no sound of ice cracking or branches creaking in the great grim forest.
But then - then there was one sound. The sound of soft growls from the darkest corner of the woods. There were wolves there.
Five wolves sat in a circle in a cramped clearing. Two were grey and two were white. Only one was black, and he seemed to be the highest-ranking wolf of them all, and yet had the humility of an Omega. The others shifted and fidgeted, uneasy and restless, but he sat as still and silent as the trees around him.
"I still don't understand why we're here," one of the grey wolves whined, scratching his ear and accidentally hitting a white wolf with his tail.
"Watch it!" she snapped, baring her teeth at the clumsy male. Her tail lashed wildly and her eyes almost glowed.
"Frost," the black wolf growled, the mildest hint of a warning in his voice.
Frost shook her head and then glared at the grey male. "Tell Shadow of Dawn to stop being so clumsy," she snarled.
The black wolf sighed. "You all know why we are here," he growled. "You have all received the dream."
"I haven't," Shadow of Dawn said, yawning and revealing his long canines. "I've just been getting prey dreams."
The other white wolf rolled her eyes. "That's because you're not a Real Alpha." She rose. "Darkness is coming!" she howled. "Terrible darkness!"
Frost sighed and then rose too. "Old magic?"
The other grey wolf stood up and shook out its mane. "Oh, good. I haven't done Old Magic in years."
"That's what we're worried about," the second white female growled cynically.
"Shut up, Star," the grey wolf snarled. "I know what I'm doing."
"Are you sure, Tear?" Shadow of Dawn grinned. "You seem to be getting a bit... old..."
Then he stopped, his mouth half-open. Tear stalked over to him. "Say that again and I'll rip out your ugly throat, Alpha of the largest territory or not."
Shadow of Dawn's eyes bulged. He seemed to regain some control of his mouth and rasped a "Yes".
Tear loosened his control on the male and Shadow of Dawn crumpled to the ground, whimpering like a pup. Tear snorted in contempt and left him lying there.
Night, the black wolf, rose too. The four wolves formed a circle.
"I will begin," Frost growled. She lifted her head to the full moon and her yellow eyes glowed. "I give the Shield, so we shall not be interrupted," she howled.
Next, Tear stepped forwards. He drew a circle in the ground with his nose and placed his paw in the centre, then drew it away so there was a pawprint there. Then he howled. "I give the Silence, so we shall not be heard." He stepped back almost at once, unlike Frost, who was still standing near the circle.
Casting a worried glance at the old male, Star stepped forwards. She opened her mouth and bit down on air, and a red fog appeared around her head. From it came her howl. "I give the Strength, so we may finish this Magic safely." She did not step away.
Last was Night. His muscles rippled under his fur as he stepped forwards. He simply looked upwards like Frost, but his eyes didn't glow. Instead, there was a flash of bright white light, and if you looked at him as everything was a blinding white, then you would've seen his True Form, and then died. The flash faded away, and Night howled. "I give the Power, the Magic and the End, so we may all do what we must."
Then they all lifted their heads and howled together...
But Tear coughed and stumbled. He fell back. The other wolves were unaware of the loss of the Silence and kept weaving the Old Magic. Shadow of Dawn didn't hear them. There was no trace of Old Magic in him.
But a young female hiding in the bushes heard every.
Single.
Word.
