Songs of War: The Forgotten Pack

Prologue

    The violent winds roared through the hushed night. Flames danced with the breezes, spreading across the alpine forest of Mendoria. Water splashed as a she-wolf raced through a puddle of water, panting as she neared the flame-wall. She slid down the slope, her glowing paws halting as she saw a dead body laying on the ground before her. No... how could this be..? She gazed around with terror for the killer of the Mendoris Master, hoping not to be their next victim.
    A yelp erupted from beyond the fire wall. The she-wolf hesitantly glanced at the dead Mendoris before dashing off again. She maneuvered through the walls of fire to see a young male wolf limping towards her. He collapsed about mid way and coughed from the smoke arising in the air.
    “Lagi? What happened?” She asked, helping pull him up by his neck scruff. The young Lightstepper panted, catching his breath which had been taken away with the smoke circling around them.
    “That… that Voltaris… he attacked me…” He whispered, leaning against the she-wolf. Lagi gazed up at her weakly. “Sombra… he has the Protosium Prime…” The she-wolf’s eyes widened with disbelief. 
    “Then we have to catch up to him!” Sombra barked in sheer panic, picking up her pace. Lagi didn’t move, and collapsed back to the ground as her body moved out of range to support his weight. She circled back and padded over to him.
    “No, Sombra, you do not understand… he already knows we're here…” The young wolf choked slightly from the over-inhalation of smoke, as he moved his forepaw, revealing a gash on his underbelly. Sombra felt her eyes starting to tear up as she peered into Lagi’s depsrate eyes.
    She sighed and nodded, turning away from the Lightstepper, she charged deeper into the flames, rage burning under her pelt. That monster has slain a friend, my people, countless families… tonight, he slays no more… Sombra ran, the fire closing up the way she had come, blocking her only escape. 
She spotted a glowing aura from the corner of her eye and turned to face an Ardoni, Voltaris she could make out, holding a blue song, his blazing sword in his other hand as he studied the Protosium Song.
    Sombra padded forward, gazing at the distracted Voltaris who didn’t seem to hear her pawsteps.
    “You! Put that Song down, it does not belong to the Voltaris. Let alone one who snuck into the clans and fooled everyone as a fake friend! ” Sombra snarled. The Voltaris slowly turned his gaze towards her, dropping her element of surprise. “We trusted you, Ingressus. Now look what you’ve become! A monster, thirsty for power, hungry for the blood of the four Masters.”
    “I do not have a taste for blood unlike the rest of those against my scattered, maybe even extinct clan. I am helping my people, and if the Masters will not welcome me, they will lay on their deathbeds.” Ingressus snapped. Sombra bared her fangs.
    “You would never dare challenge the four clans and the four packs would you? You know how weak you are, even with three Prime Songs, you will never win a battle against an army of us alone.” Sombra growled, hoping to get through to her old friend. Ingressus closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.
    “This is a waste of my time. I will not listen to your useless words.” Ingressus then charged at an unprepared Sombra, blade twisting as it struck into Sombra’s chest.
    Sombra gasped as blood dripped down from her chest fur, oozing onto the burnt ground. Her violet eyes stared into Ingressus’s as she breathed raspily.
    “Weak, as usual…” He twisted the sword back out, opening the wound even more. Sombra blinked at him before collapsing on the ground, her thoughts unreadable. She gulped for air and turned her pupils towards Ingressus as her vision blurred. 
    All she saw was him cackle out a laugh before turning away and leaving her. Sombra felt her life fading quickly, like the fire around her fading out with it's dying flames. She let her eyes close as she drew in a final breath, before letting the gloom of failure take over her.

Three months later...
  
  The scent of smoke arose from the magma vents that were scattered across the crimson ground. The young male wolf kept his head forward, though he had the urge to keep out of formation and go explore the entire new world his father, the Flamestepper Alpha, had brought him to. 
    “Father, why don’t we move the pack into the Nether? It's so much warmer down here, much better than staying in the frozen region of Hailstone, don’t you think?” He asked, catching up with the Alpha. The older Flamestepper let his gaze drift to the side, as though lost in deep thought.
    “Keep up Lasair. You have a role here. A purpose that is not to be denied nor ignored with these silly, useless questions.” He answered, ignoring the question. Lasair let his ears droop back as he followed the older Flamestepper, a few of them behind, including his mother and older siblings. His father stopped for a moment and turned to his mother. “Brasa, perhaps you and the others should remain here.” 
    “Why Feuer? We have come this far, surely they know we are all coming, correct?” Lasair’s mother asked, stopping in her tracks. Feuer gazed back at her, sighing.
    “You decided to come, it doesn’t mean they gave all of us an invitation. I came here to meet with them to help gain back our place with the world, but they also wanted… a souvenir…” His gaze fell on Lasair as he ended his sentence, sending a shiver down his spine. Brasa narrowed her eyes, recognizing the gesture immediately.
    “A souvenir? What are they going to do to our son? Why even choose Lasair of all Flamesteppers?!” Brasa demanded. “He is our son, Feuer. He has a happy life with his brothers and sisters, he is not a test subject. I would have appreciated it even more if you’d talked this over with-”
    “Enough. I made my decision, I do not need your permission to choose one of my wolves. You may be my mate, but I’m still Alpha here.” Feuer growled. Brasa gazed at him, then at Lasair, then closed her eyes in defeat. 
    “Fine. But if they do a single thing to harm him, you and I are not going to be mates any longer!” 
    “Fair enough. Come Lasair.” His father beckoned him away. Lasair glanced at his mother one more time, before following Feuer farther up the mountain.
    “Father? What are they going to do with me? I thought we were just here to negotiate whose side we were on?” Lasair whispered. Feuer scowled.
    “It's Alpha for one, you disloyal brat. And for second, they ordered me to bring a Flamestepper to test something on, and it might as well be my son who thinks he can do anything he puts his mind to.” Feuer snarled silently, padding up the curved slope. Lasair sighed as he trailed behind, keeping his mouth shut the rest of the way.
    Eventually they arrived at the top of the mountainous hill. Feuer gazed around for who he was meeting with, which Lasair wasn’t even sure who these secret people were. Lasair opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, movement shadowed nearby, making him close it shut.
    Around eight figures surrounded them, blocking off any exits if they tried to escape. Feuer seemed calm, though Lasair could feel panic and uneasiness course through him. A young Ardoni walked forward, his markings lava-like. He’s Voltaris! Lasair realized as he began to make out the red markings around him.
    “Feuer. So you did turn up, it seems.” The voice of the young Ardoni mocked. Feuer remained silent and gazed over the terrain. “There is no escape from here… unless you’d like to perish, that is.” The Voltaris chuckled again.
    “Just get on with our meeting.” Feuer yawned in boredom, leaving the Voltaris scowling as he put away his spear. 
    “I suppose. I am General Blurri Voltaris. Our Master sent us to meet with you,” Blurri introduced himself, bowing respectfully to the Alpha. Feuer rolled his eyes.
    “Yes, yes, now then. Shall we get down to business or are we going to lope around like some lowly humans and chit-chat?” Feuer growled. Blurri didn’t seem surprised by his behavior, and simply nodded.
    “So. The test subject? We had a deal, you know.” Blurri smirked. Feuer stepped aside and revealed Lasair, making the young Flamestepper tense up as the Voltaris around him gazed over him. “This one?”
    “He’s a young wolf. Cabilly suitable for such a task. I do not fear that he will die, he’s proven to survive… worser things in the past…” Feuer growled. Lasair gulped as he hesitantly took a step back from the lead Voltaris.
    “Very well.” Blurri answered, drawing out his spear once more. Lasair watched as he dipped it in some sort of green liquid to the point where the diamond tip was glazed over with green. 
    “W-what are you doing?!” Lasair barely spoke out, backing away. The other Voltaris blocked his exit and Feuer just looked away as though he was disappointed at him. Blurri raised up the spear and jabbed it down into Lasair’s chest, making him yelp in pain.
    A feeling of power and strength coursed through his veins, a feeling he never wanted to feel again, even if he felt like he could take on the entire world. As Blurri removed the spear, Lasair’s eyes flashed light orange.
    Something in him felt changed, felt different somehow. His claws gripped into the ground as a mixture of red blood and green liquid dripped on the Netheracked ground. Feuer gazed back and his jaw flew open.
    Lasair shook his head furiously, trying to regain control of himself. But he forcefully marched towards the Voltaris general. Blurri backed away hesitantly, as though he had never expected this.
    Several Voltaris lunged forward and pinned Lasair down to the ground. Feuer padded over and gazed at the Voltaris general.
    “I have never seen anything like this in my entire life.” He admitted. Blurri smirked as he looked over the young Flamestepper.
    “You have provided the Voltaris more than just your own pack… you have given us something even better… a weapon to use in combat…” He rambled. “You have created us a monster…”