Prologue - The Chase

The buck jumped over the logs, leaping diligently and untraceable over the man-fallen trees, into territory that only he failed to fear. The canine pursuers stopped. "Can you see him?" One wolf barked.

"No, and his scent was masked as usual," called another. "No hope of seeing his face. He's gone again."

Suddenly a voice echoed through the trees: "Night shadows have failed you again."

---

The group of wolves slowly returned, their heads low. "He escaped again," one reported. A large wolf immerged, growling.

"No." he snarled. "Not again!"

"I'm sorry," the smaller wolf flattened his ears. "He's going to ruin the Order, isn't he, alpha Lindri*?"

"If you don't stop him, he will," a deer approached. He had at least fifteen points, and was massive. "And what will happen to us if the Order is broken?"

Footnote: Lindri is a variation of the Lapine term for "badger". Alpha Lindri's name means 'Alpha badger', as his bravery proves to be a perfect comparison to the animal. It is also a dirivitive of the word "linderra", 'leader' in Basque.

Chapter 1 - The Scent of the Gaurd

You see, at the time, long ago, there was an order between the wolves and deer. By this, the deer did as the wolves asked, and in exchange, the wolves would not hunt the deer. As far-fetched as it sounded, it was the way it worked! But, there was one deer - only one - who was discontented. He didn't like the Order. No deer understood, really, why he would challenge it, but he did. They were all in a way a bit slaved to the wolves. They could control the deer. But they were safer that way. So, the deer stood for it. It was a show that they were a bit cowardice back then - they had followed the Order for so long that they almost forgot how to protect themselves. This deer, this young buck who challenged, had dreams. He couldn't let the deer become dependant - he knew very well that one day the wolves may turn against them and kill the deer. Though no deer, rabbit, wolf or bird knew who he was. This left them all suspicious, giving him the name of the Shadow - no one had ever seen his face. It was almost as if he knew how each shadow would fall at night and what nights would be perfect to go after the wolves.

What he had done - his crime, so to speak - to anger the wolves so much was that he had killed one. Now, the wolf, he hadn't been justified. He'd attacked the Shadow, but by law of the Order, the Shadow wasn't to fight back. But he did, thus killing the wolf. After that, he had been forced to do the same - he'd planned to turn himself in, shrugging it off as a rare occation -but the next night when he planned to, he was attacked again, recognized as "the one who killed the omega". Thus he became the Shadow.

Now, the thing about it all is this - the Shadow was an accident, and his true identity knew it. Those first two nights coincedence had let him take the cover - he'd had the scent of blood too strong and his body too low in the undergrowth to be identified by scent or sight. The second night, he had happened to wade through a stream on a new moon. This is the story behind the Shadow.

~~

"Hey, Lerah*!" A doe trotted across the grass. A slightly undersized buck looked up - you could tell he had his wits about him though, as he kept himself fairly muscular - and smiled a bit. The doe slowed down, her pale coat gleaming in the morning sun. "That wasn't fair!"

"You never said I couldn't use that rock to jump in front," Lerah pointed out lightly. "You should've mentioned that this was a strictly flat-ground race, Hyzethay*!" he laughed.

"Oh, whatever." Hyzenthay approached slowly, glancing over her shoulder at a large wolf sitting on a rock, watching over the deer carefully.

"What's wrong?" Lerah followed her gaze.

"Just... that one. He worries me, the smell he's had on him recently..." Hyzenthay shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm just a bit crazy, that's all."

"You aren't," Lerah replied quickly. "You know that. I think I've smelled it too. I won't let anything hurt you though, Hyzenthay. Trust me."

She looked up at him, looking a bit sheepish. She nodded slowly. "Okay."

Footnote: Lerah - 'Le' derived from "Inle", the lapine word for 'moon' or 'night', 'rah' being the lapine word for 'prince'. Think of this as a hint.   -Hyzenthay: A lapine word for "Fur that shines like dew".

Chapter 2 - The Spirit of the Night

Lerah slowly walked through the woods, thinking about the scent on the gaurd and the recent attack of the Shadow. The young buck had every right to think about it. The Shadow made an impression on the wolves and deer - Lerah didn't. He couldn't. I might have you know that a restless air had stirred some of the other young deer's instincts. The Shadow was doing just as he wanted, and Lerah couldn't help but marvel at how everything slid into place like ice in the early spring - melting, sliding, and in turn putting cracks in the icey sheet known as the Order until the warm air of the deer's awakening instinct to survive broke the Order for good, destroying it and allowing the live underneath to break free. Huh. Poetically put, Lerah observed, surprised at his own thoughts. He shrugged, pausing, and waited as the sunset slowly faded to night.

When he was satisfied with the darkness, Lerah leaped up onto a flat sheet of rock, glancing around. He paused for a moment, locating everything around him before he allowed his own subconcious to take control. He leaped nimbley, kicking off of another, more upright sheet of rock before he twisted in the air to take of running in a completely different direction, wit a gait resembling that of a horse. Harder. Faster. I'm not going fast enough. he chided himself, lowering his feet to take up more speed. He spotted a stream with some small falls, and he lowered himself to roll down into the water, rolling over and immediately standing back up into a run in one precise, smooth movement. Had any other deer done it, it would've appeared very awkward and clumsy. But this was not any ordinary deer.

You see, this was not Hyzenthay, nor the Great Prince, nor any other deer. No, this deer, running, jumping, twisting, as if a flickering image that you only half-catch from the corner of the eye, was not even Lerah, the deer it appeared to be, for this was not his personality or his mind. Alas, the body may have been his, but the mind and spirit that dwelled within at the time was that of none other than the Shadow.

The truth of the matter was this - in a way, it may have been Lerah. But if it was, he didn't know it. You see, Lerah had split-personality, much to his own ignorance. He didn't even know he was the Shadow. This may be because his restless instincts had become strong enough to manifest themself as another being within him. Lerah hadn't had a clue that there was a reason he was so restless and untrusting. He sometimes got hurt and didn't know how.

Eventually, the Shadow leaped a fairly narrow gorge and twisted around in a way that he leaped off the other edge downward and landed on a wide, flat rock. He ran a ways before leaping again, this time to the ground. The wolves are bound to try and take you to unfamiliar territory. You must be able to navigate it as if you'd run there your whole life. He saw he gourge took a sharp turn ahead and ran it readily, unable to curb enough speed to turn sharply, he found himself running along the up-sloping edges.

"Leyrin?" The sound of the gravelly voice accompanied by the harsh sound of is true name made the Shadow recede, allowing Lerah to come back, tripping up and falling. "Leyrin, for Tarandus* sake! What're you doing?"

Footnote: Tarandus is the scientific name for a caribou or Raindeer. Here it's used as the constellation the deer see as the guide to their heaven - this deer is Tarandus.

Chapter 3 - the Distance too Great

"Um..." Lerah looked up. "I don't..." looking around, the young buck realized slowly, groggily, as if just waking up, that the immense buck in front of him, with his over-fifteen points, was none other than his own father. "I... I don't know, father. I don't... I don't remember getting here."

The older buck, his name being Aydryn, grumbled disapprovingly. "Leyrin. You must know."

"But I don't," Lerah replied. He hated how his father always called him by his true name rather than what he was always called. "I wish I did."

"Fine then," Aydryn sighed heavily, looking coldly down at his son. "Follow me. You're a long wayfrom where I thought you had your den."

Where you think I have my den? Lerah wailed inwardly. You're my FATHER! You should KNOW! It was all too true though that Lerah's father was very distant. He didn't truely care about his son, Lerah didn't think. Ever since he was very young, he only remembered meeting his father once or twice.He didn't even know his name.

The two walked in silence for a very long time. How did I get this far so fast? Lerah wondered, realizing the moon hadn't moved much since what he last remembered. He gave a light sigh. "Leyrin. What were you doing out here?" Aydryn looked down a bit