In the Name of Aniu

LoneWolf_fanwriter

Prologue

            Two warm, golden eyes looked down on the Earth from afar, but as they looked, they filled with tears. A young white wolf padded up beside her, ruffling his wings in concern.

            “My Lady, what troubles you?” he asked, sitting down beside her.

            The white female shifted her eyes to the young male and then looked down at the world again. The voices drifted up effortlessly, ringing in her ears.

            “Gail, no! NO!”

“We will not give in, if you wish us to bow, you must kill us first!” 

            “Take them now! Their weakness is our victory!”

            Yet over the battle cries and orders being shouted, the voices that rang loudest in the goddess’ ears never came from mouth or muzzle. Minds screamed and cried out    in distress and agony, sometimes calling to her. The Goddess felt silent tears fall from her eyes.

            “There is much suffering in the world, Treffen,” she said, her voice rising in determination. “My children are dying, but no more!”

            “Is there something I can do, my Lady?”

            “Yes, Treffen, there is…” she replied.

            An angel came down, that night to the Earth,

            A mission from Her, to find out the worth,

            Of everything that, Her children had done,

            Since that winter night, the birth of Her son…

            And then a sound filled the night, in the cold winter air,

            And in the midst of his flight, it was holding him there,

            And as he looked toward the Earth, for the source of the sound,

            On that cold winter night, it was pulling him down…

Chapter One

            In one of the many mountainous areas of Alaska, a female wolf made her way among the trees. Her pure white fur shone in the fading evening light, and her slender but firm paws carried her smoothly over snow and rock until she reached the mouth of a cave, where a black wolf sat waiting. He stood and bowed respectfully, and she smiled and nodded back.

“The preparations have been made, my eva,” he said, revealing a scar that ran from the base of his neck down the front of his chest, “as you requested.”

“Thank you, Tes,” she replied, “But where is Dero? Isn’t he supposed to be on duty with you?”

“He was very tired, my eva,” Tes replied, “He would be on duty now, but I insisted that he get some rest. He took the incident last week very hard… I imagine that all of us did.”

“I understand,” Belle replied with a smile, “I’m glad to have such a dependable friend in the guards. Worthy of even the rank of captain, I’d say.”

Tes raised his head in surprise and shock.

“But, my eva, since Hal…you know…”

“I’ve made my decision, Tes,” she replied, “You have always been here for me when I need you, and I want to see to it that your loyalty does not go unrewarded.”

“Thank you, my eva,” he replied, bowing his head again. As Belle started past him, he added with a smile, “It’s good to have you back, Belle.”

“It’s good to be back, Tes,” she replied.

Belle made her way slowly up the rocky incline in the system of caves that was home to her pack. Though the climb would have been a challenge to nearly anyone else, she knew each rock and crevice by heart, and so allowed her mind to wander. The hunting party had not yet returned from their nightly expedition, and many of the guard were either sparring with one another or resting. She smiled inwardly. She had been waiting for a night such as this to spend time with her mate. They had been apart for many days while he had been on a border patrol with a unit of the home guard, but tonight he would return, and she planned to make full use of the evening. She drifted back to when she had first met Ryder.

It had been barely six months past when she’d first laid eyes upon him. She had come to aid in the overthrow of a militaristic pack under the guidance of a merciless malamute that Ryder and the rest called Steele. Ryder, a lieutenant of Steele’s elite guards, had staged a sort of coup in order to free a horribly mistreated female prisoner who, reportedly, was the center of Steele’s lust. She was a crimson and white husky named Jenna. By the time Belle and her guard had arrived, though, all fighting had long since ended, with Ryder and his unit the victors. Jenna had been rescued, not by Ryder, but her part-wolf mate, Balto. Belle had briefly met the two before Ryder invited her to discuss new territorial needs.

            After quick negotiations, she and Ryder had stood in unison and nodded in agreement. There had been much celebration on both sides, and for that night both packs stayed in the same clearing. The moon had scarcely reached it’s midpoint in the night sky than she had been gently woken by Ryder, who asked if she would like to accompany him on a midnight stroll. She had gladly accepted his offer, and they had walked off among the trees. He had led her to the shoreline of the river, and they had both lain down, letting the cool water lap at their paws. For a long time, Ryder had talked about the river. He whispered that Aniu herself embodied the flowing waters, and when it flowed faster, it was said that Aniu was weeping for the lost souls of her children. She had asked quietly what he meant, and he began to explain from what he had been told as a pup…

            Long ago, before man ever reached this land, Aniu, the wolf goddess, created the first wolves by will. She scooped up a paw full of snow and let the wind carry it freely from her paw while whispering, ‘Fur of snow, eyes of gold, paws of power and strength untold, forever walk the earth in peace.’ And suddenly before Her stood the first wolf, nearly identical to Her. Now Aniu noticed that Her new likeness would want a companion, for she could not see Aniu. But as She prepared to make another snow wolf, She saw a forest and remembered that Her land was not always white. So, She resolved to create a male wolf of brown fur. She took tree bark and a patch of dirt and cast it to the wind just as She had with the snow, saying, “Fur of brown, earthen brother, be to this kind fem a lover.’ And so, the second wolf was created. A brown male. He and the white female quickly grew quite fond of each other and before long they had two litters of pups, with fur of white, brown, and every color in between because Aniu, in Her infinite wisdom, had made it so. Their parents, the original two, told them of Aniu, and they all praised Her daily for her kindness and love. Aniu was pleased, and for a generation, there was peace in the land.

            Unfortunately, this peace was not to last. One of the second generation, a black pup named Kae, grew angry at his brown brother Eli because he perceived that Aniu loved Eli more than him. Of course this was not true; Aniu loved them all very dearly and favored no one. But Kae’s belief drove him to anger, and finally, when he and Eli were alone in the woods, he leapt upon him from behind and killed him. Instantly, he was in disbelief at what he’d done. He’d killed his brother, and for what? As he tried to hide what he’d done, Aniu appeared before him with saddened eyes. He started to back away in fear, but Aniu stopped him firmly with Her voice. ‘Because of what you have done,’ She said, ‘your kin will never live in harmony or peace; there will always be want, greed, lust, and death. Because of what you have done, all of wolf kind has been tainted for eternity.’

            “But, before she vanished, She promised a savior for them and all of wolf kind,” Ryder added, “And so, for generation after generation, we have waited for this savior to come. As the years passed by and the wars raged on, some began to doubt their goddess’ word, while others abandoned their faith altogether. It is for these lost souls that Aniu weeps daily in the flowing of the river.”

            “I don’t think I’ve ever heard something so sad,” Belle said softly, “I’ve never heard so much of Aniu in all my life.”

            They were silent for a long time until Belle suggested that they return to the sleeping grounds before they were missed at the