Mysterious Circumstances

  The small group of young wolves have done remarkably well on their own. However, the next challenge facing our young friends is to be their hardest one yet. To begin this part of the story of these wayward adventurers, we must go back before the horrible start of their journey, where disaster struck elsewhere...

 Kinto walked between the frosted trees toward his home, where the rest of his pack were awaiting his arrival. He was a tan-furred wolf of about two years old, and soon he would be a father. His mate was due to give birth any day now and he was eager to get home and check on her.

 The sudden sound of a snapping twig off to his right caught his attention and he stopped to investigate, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Hello! Is anyone there?", he called, but the only answer he got was the slow creak of the tree limbs as they swayed in the softly blowing wind. He flinched as the call of a lone bat emerging from its roost in the twilight hours of the evening shot out of the darkness. Deciding that it was nothing more than his imagination, Kinto continued to make his way through the soft snow towards home.

 Snap! He whirled around, knowing for sure that he had heard something that time. "Who's there?", he called. Again, no answer came. Kinto began to feel very nervous. He was being followed, but he didn't know who, or what it was. He turned around to run the rest of the way home... and suddenly found himself pinned to the ground. 

 The breath was knocked out of him as he landed hard on his back. His attacker's face was shadowed in the fading light of the day, but his dark brown eyes shown out with hatred. Kinto looked upon them with terror, fear gripping him like an iron fist, forcing him to stay where he was. He closed his eyes desperately trying to escape the piercing gaze of this horrible creature. The last thing he saw was his mate smiling beautifully back at him, the image seemingly burned into the backs of his eyelids. Then he didn't see anything, ever again.

-Two Months Later -

  The four siblings walked through the slowly melting snow. Spring was upon the land, and in only a few days, the once frozen and snow-covered ground will have thawed out. Spring was Winter's favorite season. All the colorful flowers would bloom,and the green grass would grow, feeling soft and comfortable against the pads of her paws as she walked, as opposed to the cold, hard, icy snow crystals that covered the ground during the colder months of the year.

 The knowledge that her favorite time of year was fast approaching, however, did little to quell her growing unease. The small group had entered a forest early that morning and, now more than ever, she heard in her head the words of caution that her father had spoken to her what seemed like ages ago. "A forest can be dangerous place for those unfamiliar in its mysterious ways. Be wary of where you step, for you can never know what terrible enemy could be lurking behind the next tree. And not all enemies, Winter, come in the form of flesh and blood.", he had said to her. Winter wished now, as she had many times before already, that he could be there with them, so that she could assure herself that everything would turn out alright in the the end. But he wasn't. And she couldn't. And despite being in the company of her siblings, Winter was beginning to feel more alone than she ever had before.

 Although, she was not the only one who felt uncomfortable walking under the shadows of the forest branches. Twilight gazed up at them now, ever watchful of the sinister, twisted forms as they snaked their way towards the cloud-covered sky. He quickened his pace and walked up beside Winter. "We should never have entered.", he said. 

 Winter glanced at him and said, "I agree, but we have no choice but to continue on. I'm not sure how to get us back the way we came."

 Twilight thought about this situation that they found themselves in as they continued on through the shadow-filled forest. "This is bad.", he thought. "Something terrible is going to happen. I can..." He never finished his thought. They had entered a small clearing, and as he looked around he caught sight of a large boulder a few feet to his right. 

 He stopped walking as his vision slowly blurred from the outside in, until the boulder and a snow-covered branch above it were the only things that stood out in sharp detail. He found four places on the boulder where the face of the rock caved inward, and it was this that he focused on specifically. Suddenly, the snow on the branch slipped from its perch in three separate chunks, and two of the holes were covered by the falling snow. Just like that, his trance was broken.

 "Twilight!" He turned to see that the others had stopped. "What's wrong?", Winter called out to him. 

 He was about to reply that it was nothing, but, as if from a ruptured floodgate that could no longer hold back its waters, a wave of unease swept over him. Instead he looked up with anxious eyes and yelled, "Run!"

 It was no sooner than when the four of them left the clearing that two more figures dropped from the trees on either side of the clearing and a third emerged from behind the boulder. All three were dogs with rough and tangled fur.

 The third dog stared at the spot where the young wolves had made their exit, his dark brown eyes narrowed and blazing, and said, "Let them go. There is nowhere in this forest that they can hide from us." With that, the other two dogs followed their leader as they started to head back for town.

* * * 

 Winter leaned up against a twisted and knotted tree, panting heavily from the long and hard run. She turned to Twilight and asked between breaths, "What... was that... all about?" 

 Twilight looked at at the ground as he to, recovered his breath, and said, "I can't explain it... but I had this sudden feeling... that we were about to be... attacked."

 Winter stared at him, thinking of questioning him further, but she gave up on the idea. He would most likely find a way to avoid the questions, or he'd just flat out ignore her. She sighed, looked back the way they had run, and said, "Well, if we were about to be attacked, they must have decided not to follow us." 

 Jared suddenly spoke up, saying, "You know, Twilight. That's the second time I've seen your face go blank like that, and then you all of a sudden come up with these gut feelings that have turned out to be right.  What is goin' on?"

 Twilight slowly turned to look at Jared, who suddenly seemed to shrink beneath his brother's piercing gaze. Jared asked, "What?"

 "Did you or did you not just hear me say that I can't explain it?" Twilight asked. Jared gave his 'Oh, now I get it' face, and waited for the sarcastic comments that were sure to follow from Twilight. 

 Luckily enough for him, Winter interrupted the conversation before it could continue. "I think that we should get moving." she said. "We don't know whether or not we're being tracked by whoever tried to attack us, and staying here could be dangerous."

 While they were talking, Veena had been quietly sitting nearby. The sun had finally come out from behind the clouds, and she found that everything about the forest had changed. It no longer looked sinister, but beautiful. The birds began to take flight from their nests, twittering as they went, and rays of golden sunshine lit up the snow making it ever brighter, as if bright-hot gold. She closed her eyes, listening to natures wonderful symphony. Then a sound reached her ears that she did not expect, and her forest-green eyes suddenly flew open.

 She stood up and walked over to Winter, who saw the look on her face and asked, "What's wrong, Veena?"

 Veena said, "I can hear someone laughing." 

* * *

 Arlen sat watching as her children played in the small clearing, her every sense on high alert. How had the forest she had grown up in and called her home ever become such a dangerous place? Two of her three young pups were in the middle of the clearing, romping around with each other. The third was a little bit away from them, walking along in the snow.

 "Renn, don't wander too far!", her mother called.

 Renn looked back and said, "I won't, mama!" 

 Renn continued to look around. She only rarely got to come out and play. Looking into the trees, she wondered what it would be like to see what was beyond this small clearing, which was as far away from the cave as she had ever gotten before. She turned around to see her mother walking over to break up the fight that her brothers, Orek and Pine, had gotten into. Now was her chance. All she had to do was take a step forward and she was free to explore to her heart's content.

 Renn turned back to the trees with a determined look on her face. She took a step forward, and was surrounded by a mass of green, white, and brown color. She made her way into the forest, excitement boiling in her blood. The young pup stopped to take in her surroundings. She heard the birds chirping, the dripping of water from icicles, and the crunch of snow as... "What?", she thought. Crunching snow that sounded as if a large animal were making it's way. Right towards her. 

 She immediatly became frightened and ran back to the clearing. "Mama!", she called. 

 "Renn!?", Arlen said, fearing the worst. She nuzzled her daughter as she ran up to her. "What is it?"

 Renn motioned towards the trees she had emerged from. "Something is coming. It scared me."

 It scared Arlen even more. "Run for the caves.", she said. "Now."

  They ran, but Arlen stayed behind. She had to make sure that her pups were safe. She backed up behind a rock, hopeful that she might catch them off-guard. She knew that this might be the end, so she gave her final goodbyes to her family and friends in her head and waited for them to come.

 Winter emerged from the trees into a clearing. It was fairly large, with two rocks on one side. Twilight followed her out of the forest. "Are you sure this is the direction you heard it from?", Winter asked. She turned to look at Veena, who nodded.

 Arlen was startled. She was expecting to see a group of murderous dogs looking for blood, but instead she finds herself staring at a group of young, curious wolves. She had never seen them before which led her to believe that they weren't from around the area. She decided to wait and see what their intentions were. 

 Winter had a look around. It looked normal enough. She nodded her head and the group made their way into the clearing. About halfway across, Twilight stopped and stared at the ground. That blank look came over his face once again, and they waited for his next miraculous prediction.

 Arlen watched from behind the larger of the two rocks as the group stopped. "What are they waiting for?", she thought. Then she was nearly stunned as the black-furred wolf looked up at her hiding place, as if he could actually see her. Arlen became frightened as those two eerie yellow eyes seemed to bore into her mind. 

 "You can come out.", Twilight's chilling voice snaked it's way through the air. "I know you are there."

 Arlen's hair instantly stood on end. "How could he know I'm here?", she thought. There was no way she was going out there with that horrible creature standing there. Then, a much more pleasant voice spoke out.

 "Please come out. We mean you no harm.", Winter said. She was curious to see who was hiding behind the rocks, but also cautious, as they could easily be the ones who attacked them earlier.

 Arlen came to the decision that were most likely not a threat. She came out from behind the rocks and said, "I am Arlen." She looked at the group once more. "You aren't from around here, are you?"

 The white-furred wolf shook her head, saying, "No. We come from far away from here." Arlen noticed a sadness in the young wolf's eyes as she said this, but said nothing. "My name is Winter," the young wolf said. "And this is my sister, Veena, and my brothers, Twilight and Jared."

 Arlen nodded to them. "You shouldn't be wandering around out here. It's dangerous."

 Winter nodded and said, "We know. Someone tried to attack us earlier." 

 Arlen's eyes widened. "You were lucky to escape.", she said. Then she looked about nervously. "Come with me."

 The siblings looked at each other then followed Arlen. She led them between the trees, constantly on the look-out for danger, as if every step she took was right towards some not too distant evil, waiting to devour them if the approached too near. They walked for some 15 minutes, then they came to a cave.

 "Mama!" Arlen turned and sighed with relief as her three pups ran up and nuzzled her. They were soon followed by two more wolves who stopped talking with each other at the sight of the four young wolves who came with Arlen.

 The first, an aging grey wolf with white markings on his back, said, "I see that we have some guests."

 The second, a younger red-furred wolf, who looked to be about the same age as Winter, growled, "Arlen, you know better than to trust outsiders."

 The older wolf shook his head at the younger one. "Always so mistrusting, Navare?" He nodded to Arlen and she walked around them and towards the cave.

 "And why shouldn't I be, Gareth?", Navare asked. "What, with all these attacks happening, you'll forgive me if I'm not a very trusting soul."

 Winter lowered her head before the two wolves. "We don't mean to cause trouble for you. We're just looking for a safe place to spend the night." She looked up at the old one with pleading eyes.

 Gareth smiled kindly down at her. "Of course. This forest is not the safest place to be wandering about in the dark.", he said. Navare looked like he was about to protest, but the older wolf cut him off. "Navare, they look like a band of weary travelers to me. Just relax. Go cool off by the pond or something."

 Navare walked away reluctantly, mumbling under his breath. Winter nodded at Gareth in thanks. "I heard him say something about attacks. We were attacked this morning as well.", she said. "Could you tell us why someone would try to hurt us?"

 At this news, Gareth's smile vanished and he cast an uneasy glance about the forest around them. "Perhaps you had better come inside." he said, motioning towards the cave.

 Winter exchanged a quick glance with Twilight, the same dark assumptions running through their heads. The four of them followed the old wolf into the cave as the sky shaded itself a deep orange color. 

 The cave was large, with a high ceiling and only slightly rough walls. Winter took notice of a smaller opening at that back of the cave. She figured that it probably lead to another chamber. 

 There were nine wolves in the pack. Navare, Arlen, Gareth, Renn, Orek, Pine, and four others. There was one who was larger than the others, who Winter immediately identified as the alpha, two females and a young male.

 Gareth walked up whispered in the alpha's ear. The large brown wolf turned and looked the group of siblings over and then approached. "Welcome, young ones.", he said, his voice kind and yet firm at the same time. "I am Erak, leader of this pack, and this is my mate, Holly.", he said, indicating the grey-furred female with grey colored eyes who walked up beside him. "I understand you wish to spend the night here."

 Winter nodded. "Yes, sir. We have come a long way and are in need of some rest.", she said.

 The alpha took this in and thought it over for a few seconds. They didn't look like the type of wolves to cause trouble. The only one who made him at all suspicious was Twilight, but he could just be feeling that way because he was finding it difficult to read the black wolf's expressionless face. 

 After a moment he nodded and said, "Very well. You may stay for as long as you wish, in order to regain your strength. But I wouldn't suggest staying long. Dark times have fallen on this forest." 

 Winter nodded and smiled graciously. "Thank you sir. We appreciate it.", she said. The alpha nodded and turned, heading into the passage in the wall with Holly. 

 Winter looked around the cave. Arlen walked up to her and smiled. "You and your siblings are welcome to sleep next my pups and I, if you'd like.", she said.

 Winter smiled at her, and replied, "That's very kind of you, but I'll find somewhere else. I can't speak for my other siblings though." 

 Arlen nodded in understanding. "Of course.", she said. 

 Veena and Jared actually did take her up on that offer and went over to lay a little bit to the right of the mother and her pups. Winter smiled at them, then turned to look for a place to rest. Twilight had already sank himself into the veiling shadows in a corner of the cave. Winter saw, with some distaste, that the only other spot that offered a bit of space to herself to think was right next to Navare. 

 Winter laid down in this spot, all the while trying to ignore the glare that she was getting from the red wolf. Then, a voice caught her attention. "Well, hi.", it said.

 Winter turned to see the other two wolves she hadn't met yet looking at her. They also looked to be about her age, and the female was smiling at her. Winter returned the smile and said, "Hello."

 The female had sand colored fur and brown eyes. The male beside her had brown fur and bright yellow eyes. The female nodded and said, "My name's Juno, and this is my brother, Chase." The male gave Winter a friendly smile. 

 Winter nodded and replied, "I'm Winter. The others are my siblings, Twilight, Veena, and Jared."

 "Are you staying with us long?", Juno asked.

 Winter shook her head. "No. Your leader said we should leave as soon as possible."

 Juno's eyes lowered for a moment, and a shiver worked its way up her spine. "Yeah.", she said. "Been bad ever since the attacks started."

 Winter frowned. "I heard him say something about attacks earlier.", she said, motioning towards Navare. "What's this all about?"

 Chase answered her. He said, "We don't really know why, but about two months ago, a group of dogs started attacking the wolves in the forest, and killing them. They're good at it too. We're the only wolves left now. All the other's are either dead, or they left."

 Winter asked, "Well if it's so dangerous, why don't you leave too?" 

 Juno sighed and said, "This is our home. We don't have anywhere else to go."

 Winter looked down and then back up, her eyes roaming around the cave and it's walls. She remembered the cave that she had once lived in, and all the good times she'd spent with her parents and siblings. She missed those days. She wanted them back, but they had gone, and ever would they stay out of her reach.

 Juno yawned. "Well, we should get some sleep.", she said. 

 Winter nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She laid her head down and closed her eyes. "Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day...", she thought. Then she drifted off into slumber.

***

  Veena was more frightened than she had ever been before. "How did I get here?", she thought. She found herself in a room filled with wooden crates. She looked around and saw a door off to hear right. She leaped for it, but it opened before she made it there, the rough iron handle slamming against the wall.

 The dark 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...