The moon was bright and the sky was alive with howls as a pack of wolves celebrated the birth of the winter pups, the she wolf, Lenore, was weary and tired, she settled her head down to sleep leaving her new born pups in the care of the pack nurse, an old wolf named Wynona. The wolves outside jumped in circles and howled frequently welcoming the pups, then suddenly all was quiet, the dragga, the alpha male, walked heavily towards the mouth of the cave,

“Dragga” said Sultan the packs lead hunter

The alpha turned slowly, he was covered in muscles that rippled when he walked, his paws were that of a lions which spread out on each step, his eyes were golden and fierce, his coat was rough, thick and dark grey, his fangs protruded slightly over his jaws, he was almost twice the size of any normal grey wolf and his voice was so deep and resonant it shuddered the very spine of the earth.

Still he turned placing his golden gaze upon the cowering hunter, yet silent he remained while the once brave hunter spoke

“We are tested with a lean season, the herds have moved on, perhaps the cold was too much for them, what do you propose we do”

Sultan was strong and sturdy he had pointed ears and dark brown fur,

The dragga just stood staring through Sultan, a wolf will never look one another in eyes for it will stir their deepest darkest pasts,

“Dragga we cannot linger here, half of us will be dead within the month”

A sikla, the weakest of the pack, sneaked to the mouth of the cave to peer at the pups, he was weak looking with light brown fur and white pointed ears, the Dragga`s large ears swivelled round then suddenly he turned and bit the backs of the sikla`s legs, the sikla yelped in pain and rolled on his back offering peace, the alpha dragged his neck and flung him to the paws of sultan who stood bewildered and terrified,

“I will not have a weak link in my pack, if you are a kink in my chain I will have to dispose of you”

He snarled at sultan

“Be gone from my sight and do not dare bother me again”

As quick as they had arrived the sikla and sultan fled into the trees taking a hunting party with them,

“What can we hunt if everything has gone sultan”

He looked to the limping sikla trying to run at his side

“I don’t know brother cole”

They began to slow down till they came to a halt, sultan looked shameful and nuzzled his younger brother for comfort, then sultan began to lick Cole’s wounds clean,

“OW” he yelped

“Stop squirming ya big sikla”

They both laughed, and then cole looked to the sky,

“The stars OW are out”

“The stars are always out baby brother”

Cole turned back to sultan

“OW do you think OW mums watching OOW”

“I hope not, she’ll see you still squirm on bath day”

They started to laugh loudly again

“OOWW”

There was a young female too, her name was Tani her and her older brothers Kye and Usher made up the hunting team, Tani was smaller than the others although she had long thin legs, she had rounded ears and a bushy tail she looked like a fox but had no relation, however her brother Kye was tall and strong his ears were pointed and his back sloped slightly he was grey with a white under belly, his brother Usher was also strong with a sloping back but he had rounded black ears with brown fur and a white under belly.

At the caves the dragga lumbered into the mouth his head down awaiting approval to approach from his mate, Lenore lifted her head and stood to greet him,

“Rodan”

She seemed to smile as he approached, quickly Wynona struggled to walk by him she was very old and her time was near, Lenore sat with her pups as Rodan greeted her, the small bundles of fur nuzzled closer to their mother for warmth, there were three females and two males, two females were twins and looked exactly like their mother rounded ears with light grey fur and black socks on their front paws, the other was a slightly darker grey with a black ear, one male looked liked his father dark white and pointy ears, there was a runt who looked like neither of them he was a black with pointy ears and a white diamond shaped mark on his forehead, this would have bothered Rodan the fact that his son didn’t look remotely like him but the pup was so small and sickly looking he wasn’t expected to last the night, they couldn’t see their eyes for it would be weeks before they could open them.

“Have you named them” Rodan asked in his deep voice

“Yes,” Lenore said again seeming to smile

“Artemis and ambess” she said nuzzling the twins

“Kamria” she looked to the lonely female, then to the two males

“Mortimer and Achilles”

Rodan looked at Achilles, then turned to his mate with a disappointed stern look

“Get rid of him”

Lenore looked at him shocked, but still she looked through him,

“He’s a runt, he won’t last the night, don’t prolong the inevitable”

He snorted and was about to leave the cave, Lenore snarled at him not to leave and he turned glaring at her, so she whimpered softly,

“Don’t be so foolish Rodan, he’s your son”

She nuzzled Achilles gently but she dare not move him, he looked so fragile she feared he would shatter if she did, Rodan`s glare tuned into a vicious growl

“Don’t you dare disagree with me”

He readied to pounce when Lenore stood over her pups and growled back, Rodan stopped and hung his head to the floor in shame, Lenore stopped too and went to comfort her mate, she rested her head on his back, Rodan looked to the nest of grass and fur where the pups lay calm and dreaming, he walked to them Lenore readied herself to strike if she had too, Rodan looked at the runt squirming and fighting in his sleep, he licked him softly and Achilles settled, Rodan laid down near in the nest with Lenore and drifted into dreams.

The hunting party was growing bored and tired, they had travelled many miles searching for some game but there was still no sign of anything, when they came to the edge of the forest and stood on a cliff overlooking the ice flats,

“I don’t get it how could everything have disappeared,” said Tani looking out onto the empty ice flats that was once full of caribou and game,

“Sultan?”

Sultan turned to her quickly as if waking from a dream

“Sorry, I must have wondered off” 

He gave her a happy look but it was not returned

“What’s wrong Tani?”

She looked at sultan and was about to speak when Kye called for her

“Tani”

He had a rough voice, Usher ran to them and nudged Tani towards where Kye was standing and she walked away, Usher scowled at sultan snorted and walked away knowing he would never win a fight between him and sultan he didn’t want to stir his leaders anger. Cole was sat beside sultan,

“What’s our plan now, this was the last place left and it’s empty”

Sultan breathed hard, the cold air smoking from his mouth,

“There’s not even any dead ones we can pick at,”

´Such a typical thing for a young one to say´ thought Sultan to himself

“I don’t see any caribou, I don’t see anybody” continued Cole

“What do you mean Cole?”

“There were no birds or mice or anything on the way here, look to the sky”

Sultan looked up, it was almost dawn and the birds would have been out filling the sky like every morning, but the sky was empty, as was the fields and the forests the rivers and the streams, their was nothing. Cole turned to sultan

“What could be wrong?”

“I don’t know, it’s eerie, the world is loud with the noise of silence”

“Do you think it has anything to do with the other side?”

“SIDE” Kye rudely interrupted

“Side of what, your nothing but a bunch of suppositious mutts”

Sultan stood up towering over Kye and the others, he curled his lips back into a snarl bearing his white fangs

“Call me a mutt again, and I’ll tear you limb from limb”

Kye stepped back lowering his head so not to reveal his throat, sultan was about to strike when he noticed the look in Tani´s eyes, she seemed frightened, this wasn’t right for her, sultan, still keeping his guard up grunted with satisfaction and turned to cole who seemed worried, he was hunched over shaking, sultan sat by him for comfort,

“What do you fear my brother?”     

“Death, I fear existence ceasing to exist, I fear emptiness, and I fear this,”

He looked out towards the empty soundless world then he turned back to sultan,

“Tell me brother, are we dead”

“Were very much alive cole I’m definitely sure of that”

This seemed to comfort cole for he stopped shaking and raised his head,

“It’s the rest of the world I’m unsure about”

The team, starved and weary trenched through the forest back towards the cave, the forest was dense yet dead the sunrise shone through the trees creating beams of golden light, cole stayed close to sultan who had promised to look after him when their mother was taken by the forest spirit,

(the forest spirit was a pure white wolf the size of a large horse, it had large white and gold wings like an angel and thick twisted golden dragon horns pointing from behind its tall ears, its eyes glowed white and had no pupils, the forest spirit gave and took life away from the forest and its creatures)   

Sultan loved his brother and did take care of him well but it was almost time when cole would have to leave the pack and sultan knew he wouldn’t last a week on his own, he was stuck, no power and no plan, however it wouldn’t matter for if sultan can’t persuade Rodan to lead the pack else where they’d all be dead anyway, Kye and Usher were standing on either side of Tani, sultan was curious about what she was going to say to him earlier he would ask but he didn’t want to start another argument between her brothers, strange really considering the five of them grew up together, but since Tani and sultan had fallen in love Usher and Kye never let her out of their sight, only the alpha male (dragga) and the alpha female (drappa) are allowed to mate so perhaps you could say love is forbidden. They were approaching the stream that ran through the forest, they would follow this east to find their way back to the den, Sultan ordered

“We’ll rest here for a while”

Cole looked at him puzzled and worried

“Are you ok, you’ve not been yourself since we left the ice fields?”

Sultan slumped to the floor and stretched out his legs,

“I’m fine”

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with Tani would it”

Sultan just looked sad and stood up again,

“I’m going to get some water”

“I’ll come too”

Sultan shook his head and walked into the forest where he would be out of sight, he drank some water and rested in the shade, there was still no sound no birds or rodents, sultan closed his eyes and dove into the silence, suddenly there was a crunch of snow and sultan spun his head round snarling, his snarl relaxed when he saw it was Tani,

“Perhaps you shouldn’t be alone”

She said light heartedly sultan sat down and stared at the floor

“I had to think”

“About what”

He looked at her and whimpered softly

“You…”

Her heart hugged the back of her throat, sultan looked down again

“…And what you were going to say earlier”

Her heart sank again and she went to sit by him, it was quiet for a long time, an awkward silence were no matter what you said to break it, it would all come out wrong. Sultan stood up,

“Tani….”

“….I love you”

He looked at her stunned, but she just stared at the floor and padded around the snow, no one said anything, no one could say anything till a distant shouting rose above the loud silence,

“TANI”

It was Kye and Usher charging towards them, and cole trailing in the back still limping, Kye bounded over Tani and landed in front of Sultan growling and Usher stood by her growling too, Sultan was still unable to speak, he thought she fell out of love with him a long time ago, still in shock sultan just stood there, Kye saw his chance and leapt for sultan tumbling into him, sultan snapped out of it and bit Kye´s legs hard, Kye yelped in pain and pounced away sultan dived on his back and pulled him over, Kye kicked his legs up throwing sultan over him, sultan got up quickly and ran at Kye, Kye went to bite him as he passed but sultan moved to the side grabbed him by the throat and swung him around into a tree, Kye was instantly stunned, he couldn’t move, Usher rushed in and sultan jumped off his back, he ran round and tried again but sultan grabbed his ear and ripped a huge chunk off, Usher ignored the pain and they leapt at each other, locked together in mid-air sultan clamped his jaw round Ushers throat and pulled him to the ground landing with a loud thump. Usher struggled to move, sultan was about to strike again when he caught sight of Tani, her eyes were streaming with tears, she looked so sad, Usher darted towards sultan, he had let his guard down and was knocked to the floor, Usher was about to move in for the kill when Tani ran at him knocking him sideways, she helped Sultan to stand, he was bleeding and sore, Usher struggled to his feet, he noticed Kye was in pain and helped him, they both looked at Tani who was stood with Sultan, they nodded their heads in submission at them and began to leave,

“WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”

Tani howled after them

“Home”

Was the only reply they got for they fled off into the forest, Sultan looked at Tani and rubbed his muzzle on hers, he fell to the ground exhausted and slept for a while.

Rodan woke suddenly as the sunlight shone brightly through the cave entrance disturbing his eyes, Lenore was sleeping by the pups, Rodan stood up and stretched, he sniffed, the air was warmer and thicker spring was on its way, although the snow still laid thick on the ground and on the bows of the forest trees. Rodan looked around at his pack, they were still sleeping although the sun had already begun to rise, Wynona was no where to be seen, nor was the hunting party that had left the night before, he trenched through the snow ignoring the pain the cold was causing his feet, this winter was the harshest Rodan had ever seen, he was thankful it was nearly over, he looked around him, everything was still and quiet, he started to think that maybe sultan was right perhaps the herds have moved on but to where. He reached the edge of the glade where the grass meets the trees, something didn’t seem right, the snow laid thin and patchy in the forest where the trees had stopped it falling, and there lying in the last of the wintergreen plants was Wynona, lifeless and broken, her body was mangled and pierced, her eyes, ears and tongue were torn from her head, Rodan stood in shock, no wolf could have done this, no wolf WOULD have done this, to maul someone of your own kind, to take away their eyes ears and tongue so they will walk the afterlife blind deaf and dumb, Rodan had seen this before when he was young, this was the work of a shade,

(a shade is a creature disfigured, cold and black hearted, they are summoned to destroy existence they have no fear or hesitation to kill and cant be killed themselves, to be rid of a shade you must destroy the summoner)

Rodan shook his head and ran back to the den, his pack was just waking up, Lenore was at the mouth of the den looking for Rodan when he came charging towards her,

“Lenore, Wynona has been killed”

Lenore looked at him in disbelief,

“Who could have killed her?”

Rodan breathed hard

“The shades”

He said slowly, Lenore fled to her puppies and laid by them in terror, Rodan approached her, her head was nestled between her pups, Rodan continued towards her when suddenly Lenore lifted up her head

“What shall we do?”

Rodan looked through her then to their pups, he couldn’t leave they were so young and weak they wouldn’t survive the journey, Lenore lifted Rodan`s muzzle with hers

“What shall we do?”

“I don’t know” he said turning

“What can YOU do Rodan, think of your pups”

“I AM”

He span round and snarled at her, Lenore ran quickly cowering to the comfort of her children,

“What do you want me to do Lenore…Lenore?”

He sighed and laid next to her, she turned to him and rested her head on his, outside the rest of the pack was waking up stretching their limbs and smelling the cold dead air, the smell of blood exited some of the younger ones but the more experienced hunters knew it was dead blood, blood from their own kin, a young wolf named Oslak began sniffing franticly hoping to find the source of the blood smell when an older wolf stepped in front of his wondering nose,

“Oslak, we don’t eat from the dead”

He was tall and strong, his fur was dark brown and he had intense golden eyes.

Oslak looked up at him puzzled

“The dead…I haven’t found anything yet how do you know its dead Hord”

Oslak was shorter then most other wolfs but he was strong and quick on his feet his fur was light grey with a white under belly. Hord signalled for Oslak to follow him and he lead him to the source of the smell, he pulled back the branch of a red cedar tree to reveal the torn mangled body of Wynona, Oslak jumped back in surprise, suddenly the scent wasn’t so sweet for him, Hord started to walk back to the pack and Oslak was quick to follow him. Rodan had stepped away from the den when Oslak and Hord returned,

“Hord” Rodan padded heavily towards him

“Brother” the two greeted each other

“I take it you’ve seen the body”

Hord lowered his head out of respect for his Fallen clan member,

“Do you think we should go to the elders?”

“it would seem to be the best choice to make but it’s a long journey to the meadows of the sacred fallen and I have five new born pups to fend for I don’t think I can risk it”

“Why don’t you send a small party out and they can bring back the information for you”

“I wouldn’t risk the life of my pack like that, not with the winter we’ve just had, it’s to difficult”

“What do you suggest we…”

Hord was cut off by the crunching of snow and heavy foot steps, he curled his lips back and pinned back his ears, Rodan sniffed the air,

“Relax brother, it’s your clan brothers”

Kye and Usher broke the tree line seeing Rodan and Hord they lowered their heads, Rodan shouted after them

“Where are Sultan and the others?”

Kye turned to speak but Usher stepped in,

“They left”

“Left…what happened?”

“We travelled for miles, we went all the way to the ice flats, but there was nothing to be seen”

“Where is Sultan?”

Kye and Usher looked at each other

“WHERE IS SULTAN”

Snapped Rodan, Hord readied his self to strike, Kye and Usher cowered

“He stole Tani,” quivered Kye

“Stole her heart now they’ve gone him and his brother”

Hord looked at his brother, he seemed surprisingly calm.

“Brother…what do we do?”