outline of a dog stood in the light of the doorway. His brown eyes blazed with passionate hatred. "Are you prepared to die?", his cold voice asked, filled with unspoken anger and pain.

 Veena spoke, but she was not the one controlling what she said. "Why are you doing this?", she asked. "What have we ever done to you?"

 "I don't need to explain myself to you, wolf!", he snarled, spitting on the ground at her feet. Veena flinched but said nothing. She continued to watch this intimidating and utterly frightening dog as he moved a little to the right of the doorway.

 "Perhaps you'd like to see what is in store for you.", he said. With that, the dog used his shoulder to hit a button on the wall nest to him, and the lights flared to life.He then motioned with his head and said, "Look behind you."

 She turned around and froze. Veena opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. She was too shocked. Too horrified. No words could describe the sheer pain, sadness, and fear she was feeling. She began to shake her head slowly, saying, "No... no..." Before her were her siblings, all of them dead. Winter's lifeless eyes stared back Veena, dull and pained.

 "And you're next.", the dog said. She turned around in time to see the dog leap at her, baring his fangs for the attack...

***

 "No!", Veena yelled as she awoke, bolting upright. She looked at her surroundings and briefly wondered where she was , before remembering yesterdays events. She sighed and laid back down. "It was just a dream...", she said with relief.

 "It looked like a bad one to.", said a small voice. Veena looked up to see one of Arlen's pups watching her. 

 Veena smiled shyly. "Sorry if I woke you. It just seemed so real.", she said with a shiver.

 The pup got up and moved closer. "Gareth says the dreams usually mean something.", she said. "I'm Renn. Who are you?"

 "I'm Veena.", she said. Then a thought occurred to her she asked, "Where is Gareth? I'd like to talk with him."

 Renn lifted a paw and pointed outside the cave. "He always gets up real early and goes outside to think."

 Veena nodded and said, "Thank you." Then she turned and left for the cave entrance.

 She found the old wolf standing on a snow-covered rock next to the cave mouth. He heard her coming from behind and turned around. "Well good morning, my dear.", he said with a smile. "What might I do for you?"

 Veena walked up beside him. "What do you know about dreams?", she asked.

 "Dreams? Well It depends on what you want to know about them.", he said. "It's a very broad subject."

 Veena looked down at the snow covered ground beneath her paws and said, "Well, I had a dream last night. And I have this horrible feeling that... it might come true." 

 Gareth looked down at her. "Have you had dreams that have come true before?", he asked.

 Veena shook her head. "No. I haven't."

 He frowned. "Well, it's not unheard of for wolves to have dreams of the future.", he said. "Is there anyone else in your family who can do this?"

 She shook her again and looked up at him. "No. But Twilight has been acting strange lately. There's been a few times when his face has gone completely blank and he'll be staring at something. The next thing we know, he tells us something that usually comes true some way or another."

 Gareth's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "A Signreader."

 Veena frowned at him. "What?"

 He looked back out at the forest that surrounded the cave. "That's what we call wolves with a gift like your brother's. They are more attuned to subtle signs and forewarnings in nature than anyone else is. It's a very rare gift." Gareth turned and smiled down at her. "It seems you have a very special family.", he said.

 Veena looked down and a small smile had spread across her face. "Yeah... I guess I do."

***

 Just outside of the small village, halfway between it and the edge of the woods, a small and abandoned barn stood out, black and menacing in the stark white snow. Inside, a group of eight dogs sat in a half circle around a ninth dog, who sat upon a platform. He gazed out at the others with a conviction in his eyes that flared with unwavering purpose. The wind that seeped through the cracks in the barns walls gently swayed his fur, which was brown with a tan underbelly.

 Then he spoke to them, his voice resounding throughout the barn. "It's almost over. The wolves are beaten! There are only a handful of them left." The dogs around him nodded and muttered their agreement. 

 The dog waited for them to settle, then continued. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm getting tired of these small ambushes and traps we've set for them up until now. All of you know what a threat they pose to our homes, our owners, and our families. Some of us know better than others." He looked down briefly, as the dogs yelled out their ascent. The dog looked back up. "I propose we end this! In two days I say we sweep the forest, and kill any wolf we find! Are you with me?", he yelled.

 As one, the dogs cried out, "Yes!" Then, one dog stepped forward, and said, "You brought us all together for this Kale. We'll follow you anywhere."

 Kale looked down at him and smiled. "And I appreciate everything that all of you have done. This would not have succeeded without you're help." The emotion flared up higher in his eyes as he spoke, "We can do this together. In two days, this town will be a safer place. In two days, all the wolves in our forest... will be dead!"

 The dogs all let loose a rousing cheer and began making plans as the sun slowly began to rise, casting a red horizon across the morning sky...

To be continued...