A dark shape moved swiftly through the heavy undergrowth, his hind paws kicking up the soft ground beneath him. Behind him, shrill cries of a finishing battle could be heard, followed by the lone, haunting howl of victory. A shiver of fear shot through the young wolf’s spine. He began to make his strong legs move faster. To him, the howl could only mean one thing – death.

The wolf’s usual sleek, dark brown fur was now matted with dried blood and grime, a few chunks of dirt flying off as the harsh winter wind begun to blow. His icy eyes were set on the path infront of him as he forced his legs to dart quickly around the trees that were placed in various inconvinent locations. His breaths were heavy and short and his face held the look of a painful memory.

Unforgetable words rang in his dark colored ears, words that he and his brother had shared before this disaster had even occurred. He came to a stop, closing his eyes as an image came into his head, desperate for it to leave his mind. But it wouldn’t. The wolf grunted in frustration as the vision replayed.

The brown wolf walked alone, scouting his pack’s territory, making sure there were no outsiders in the pack ground. His tail swayed in the cool breeze as he tilted his head up towards the sky, scenting the air. The wolf stopped, looking puzzled as a familiar scent filled his nostrils.

“What…”

The wolf sniffed again, trying to convince himself that what he had scented wasn’t real, that it was all in his imagination. But as he scented again, the wolf suddenly realized the sharp truth – one of his pack members didn’t only smell like a Kissimi wolf, but also like a loner as well.

“Boo.”

A harsh voice made the wolf jump back, startled by the sudden noise. He spun around, a strange expression on his face. Infront of him stood a large wolf, his pelt a very dark grey. He had light grey spotches in various locations around his body and his multicolored eyes were shining with an unhidded surge of fearless energy. A hint of amusement flickered in his bright green and yellow eyes, giving an uncomfortable feeling to the already hostage scene.

“Oh, did I scare you, brother? I didn’t mean to.” The dark colored wolf grinned evily, his tail lashing back and forth as he began to corner his brother.

“Neyon, what are you doing here.” The brown wolf stepped back in slight fear. Something wasn’t right with his brother, he could tell. But then again, isn’t something always wrong with him? The wolf backed away, shaking his head. No. Nothing was wrong with his family member. Atleast, that’s what he thought. Neyon just kept walking forward, his grin still sitting firmly on his face.

“I know you’re scared, Kyan. Don’t try to hide it from me. You always were the pathetic one. That’s why I knew this part of my job would be the easiest.” Neyon looked away, as if savouring this moment. He had cornered Kyan into a wall. There was no escaping, and nothing could prepare Kyan for what was about to happen.

“Say goodbye, Kyan. Say goodbye to everything. This world, the prey of the forest. And be prepared,” Neyon looked away, chuckling. He turned back to Kyan, his grin larger than before. “Be prepared to die.”

Neyon had lunged at him, tearing out a few clumps of fur. Kyan had managed to throw his brother off of him, fleeing from the scene immediatley. The words that had followed still rung in his ears as he remembered all that had happened.

“You run, Kyan. Run as far as you want. I’ll find out where you’re hiding. I’ll hunt you down. Then I’ll kill you, Kyan. Did you hear me? I’LL KILL YOU!”

The vision finally stopped, leaving Kyan helpless in the middle of the forest, shaking with uncontrolable fear. No matter where he went, he would never be safe. He couldn’t go to the neighbouring packs for help. Those were probably the first places his brother would look. Then he’d search out of the Kingdom of Ontra and go onto the Kingdom of Pinto, then to Tarta, then Quentan. There was no escaping the wrath of his brother.

“Unless…” Kyan muttered. Yes. He would run to the furthest lands, the Kingdoms of Kantok and Akina. They were mentioned only in the tales told to the newborns, but Kyan was almost sure that the places were real. Kyan closed his eyes, mezmerized by the past. He remembered the tales clearly, seeing everything as if the event was taking place all over again. He could see Dialo, one of the elders of his pack, telling Kyan and his siblings the old folklores they had all enjoyed so much. Kyan smiled and opened his eyes slightly, but to his shock, he didn’t see the forest he was standing in, but instead, he could still see the vision of his past. Kyan cocked his head, making sure he was still listening to the story intently. Nothing like this had happened to him before. Starting to panic, Kyan moved his head from side to side, shaking it violently.

Stop. Everything, just STOP! Kyan opened his eyes and saw the scene again, but with something else in it this time. There was a large wolf infront of him, his eyes blazing with satifaction. It was Neyon.

“I told you I’d find you.” He sneered in an evil tone. Kyan fell backwards as his crazed brother lunged at him, forcing Kyan towards the ground. He hit the hard, dusty clearing with a large thud and began to cry for help – the only thing he could think of doing.

“Help me! Please, somebody help me!” His words seemed to be drowned in the scene around him. None of the wolves even noticed the fighting pair. Of course no one can hear me. This isn’t real. This is all just a distant memory from my past. But as he felt a sharp hind claw dig into his forearm, something told Kyan that this was really happening.

“No. NO! STOP!” Kyan struggled to free himself of his brother, desperate to get away. But Neyon had a firm grip on his throat now, shoving Kyan further into the ground.

“Goodbye, my brother.” Neyon whispered harshly, his eyes flickering with amusement. He swiped one of his sharp claws at his brother’s throat, digging into the flesh. Blood began to pour out of the large wound, Kyan still frantically squirming about. But it was already to late. Soon, the only thing that Kyan could see was completle, utter darkness.