darkness rising ( complete )

Running With The Wolves

Mal lay on the ground waiting for the end. The wolf stood on her chest and sniffed her face. Once they had finished, it leaped off and bowed. Wait, what? Mal shook her head. Wolves don't bow. Raven's wolves spoke, but they were magical, so that was an excuse. Two other wolves the color of snow emerged behind the first and bowed along with the first. Mal began to see a pattern. These wolves were a snowy white instead of pitch black. And they had shining blue eyes, not dark piercing red. They had a soft gentle feel to them, like you just had to walk up and hug them tightly. Mal suddenly realized what was so familiar about these wolves. They acted like someone she knew.

"Mal!" Evie rushed down the dark path and helped Mal up. She saw the wolves and drew back.

Jay came up behind and did the same.

"It's okay," said Mal. She gave the wolves a kind smile. "They're friendly."

At this the wolves stood up and looked at the three. Evie tilted her head. "They seem familiar."

"Yeah," said Jay.

The middle wolf, the largest one of the three, looked up at the sky and let out a long howl. The other two followed suite. Once they stopped, they kept looking at the other three. Suddenly the doors to the inn burst open and Carlos, Uma, Harry, and Gil ran out and to the others.

"We heard the wolves and thought you might be in trouble," said Uma. She noticed the wolves and fell back into the fence. "They're big."

The wolves cocked their heads at her. Carlos was looking at them funny. The largest one saw him. It slowly walked forward and sniffed the air. Carlos held out his hand and the wolf sniffed it. After doing this for a while, it finally began to rub it's head against his hand. Carlos scratched behind her ear. The other two wolves did the same. The others were speechless.

"But it's a wolf," said Harry.

"Why are you petting it?" asked Gil.

"It is an offensive term," said the larger one. "I prefer she, thank you very much."

The VKs stared slack jawed at it, except for Mal and Carlos.

"It talks," said Jay.

The wolf glared at him.

"She talks," Jay corrected.

"Do you have names?" asked Carlos.

"Do you?" asked one of the other wolves.

"Probably," said the third. "Why wouldn't people have names, that's totally lame."

"We don't have names," said the larger wolf. "You could name us."

"Why me?" asked Carlos.

"You created us," said the second wolf. "Duh."

"But I can't do magic," said Carlos.

"Everyone can do magic," said the third.

The other two looked at him. "What?" he said. "They can."

The first rolled her eyes. "What he means to say is that you can do magic. You're our king."

Evie gasped. "The story. What was in the late queen's letter. She said that a queen, a dragon, a snake and a wolf would sit on the throne and Anvia will be safe. Carlos must be the wolf, I'm the queen, Mal's the dragon, and Jay's the snake."

"But Mal's the only one who can change into a dragon," said Carlos.

"You don't have to turn into a wolf to be the king of the wolves," said the second.