Fatum Insignio (1st chapter)

                                                      Ch. 1
                                    A Pack of Wolves and News



          A pure white wolf lay in the snow; she matched the ground so perfectly that you almost couldn’t see her. She was staring at the black swirl of an unknown past, feeling haunted by blurs of colour and shouts of indiscernible words. She had had the mark for as long as she could remember but didn’t know where it came from, or what it meant. She put down her paw, deep in thought. Where did she come from? Where was she going? Most recently she had found a small pack that had accepted her, but did she really want to be part of a pack? She was so free spirited but she wanted companionship. She was stuck on her way and not compromise but longed for something solid beside her, and now she had it.

        As she stood up and shook the snow from her coat, birds flew from the trees, she looked up. Snow danced down on the air from the heavens, rays of sun fell from a canopy of conifers and elms. Golden light danced on her coat, dappled by green shadows. The snow here was still up to the middle of a she-wolfs leg, and her belly scrapped the frosty surface. The air smelled crisp as she trotted back towards the valley where the pack was resting. She could see the dragga and drappa of the pack lying in the center napping with the heads on each others paws.

      Dahlia an old black and grey she-wolf was laying away from the pack close to where Mist walked down the hill. She looked up as she heard Mist approach, “Hello young’un,” she said.
        “Hello Dahlia, how are you?” Mist replied.
        “Oh, the usual, you know me dear, neither good nor bad, just here…” her voice trailed off.
        “You really do miss your old pack don’t you?” asked Mist.
        “My grief is not to be your worry, child, and besides, that was long ago. I’ve gotten over the loss.” Mist knew it wasn’t true, no matter how many times Dahlia said it, you never get over a loss like that, and Dahlia’s was great. She lost her parents, mate and many of her friends when her pack was attacked.¹
        “Would you like any company, old one?” inquired Mist.
        “Oh no, I don’t want to trouble you with the small woe’s of and old sot like me. Go and find a nice male to talk to,” responded Dahlia. The old black she wolf laid her head down and closed her eyes, which Mist took as a sign to leave the old wolf to her thoughts. She walked down farther into the valley.

          A few members of the pack were asleep but the majority of the mates were speaking in hushed voices with their heads together. There had been the whisper of a male wolf causing disturbances in packs far from their borders and he was heading this way. Ada and Ashyn, two mates generally high in rank in the pack were talking not too far away and the breeze brought their conversation to Mist’s ears.

          She lay down and pricked up her ears. “Ashyn, what about the pups, they will be coming soon and if this talk of the black wolf doesn’t stop soon," she paused, seearching for words. "Well I just don’t know if this will be a safe place for them to be raised.”
        “Ada, we must listen to the words of our leaders. Myrrh and Gaea say that these concerns are nothing more than rumors, and if they are not, the packs will be able to join ranks and control the situation.”
        “But what if others have been compromised? What if the leaders are wrong?” she pressed anxiously.
        “I understand the worries of a mother and I feel them greatly too, but do not trouble yourself. If that time comes, we can speak to them of going to the Red Woods.”
          Ada and Ashyn were the only mates allowed to breed in the pack besides the alpha pair. Their pups along with Myrrh and Gaea were due in eight weeks. Mist closed her eyes and thought. All this talk of an evil he-wolf didn’t worry her as much as the others and for some reason this made her twinge with guilt. This sin-wolf ² did not yet have a known name but the things that he was doing sounded terrible.

          The wind quickened its pace, Ada and Ashyn lay down their heads and curled up next to one another. Mist wished she had a mate to be with now. She felt separated, a lone female even though she had a pack. Although, she was used to it, for she had always been alone for as long as she could remember. Until, that is, she had wandered along this pack, The Midnight Moon, a few weeks earlier. She didn’t even remember where or how she came to be alone. She just remembered a warm den, a terribly cold winter, an eerie silence, a wolf, swirling crimson blood, a dream, life in a silver mist and a few weeks ago when she woke in the snow and stumbled upon this pack a week later.³

          Mist sensed a wolf padding down the side of the valley opposite her before she heard it. Her ears twisted, almost eagerly, towards the sound as an odd twang entered her, gripping her stomach. She looked up; it was Slae, the messenger he-wolf of the pack. He walked towards the center and up to where the alpha pair slept. He slid down onto his belly, and laid back his ears as a show of lower rank and submission. He let out a low howl and the pair pricked up their ears.

          Myrrh lifted his head and slowly stood up, “Rise Slae and good afternoon. What news have you brought my clan and I?” asked the alpha male.
          “Good afternoon and I have come because my ears have heard of the terrible he-wolf again. He has troops, it’s confirmed, and he is heading this way quicker then we thought,” replied Slae promptly. “And my liege, he is black, a terrible brute with red eyes and black claws, but he has some power, we know not of what yet, but he is strong and very ruthless,” continued Slae breathlessly.
          “Stop,” said Myrrh holding up his paw. “This is worse than I thought. I thought maybe he was just some rouge lone wolf with a few followers, but you say he has troops." Myrrh seemed stunned by it all. "How many?” he questioned, dreading the answer.
          “Atleast three times our size and there may be more…” replied Slae sadly.

          Gaea stood up and sat down next to her mate. “But Slae, why is he harming the varg? What did we ever do to him?” she asked.
        “I don’t know my dear lady, but that just makes it all the worse,” replied Slae.

        Gaea tilted her head toward the ground in thought, he was right. If this wolf was attacking his brothers and sisters for no reason, then there was no end to the possibilities of his actions or their purpose.

          “Tell the neighboring packs to the south and west what you’ve heard. Also, fetch Leeri and Natchgam, they should be told that the possibility of an army formation has arisen. Ne quick and good luck,” said Myrrh seriously.
          “Thank you sire, I will,” said Slae and he trotted off briskly.

          Mist tilted her head to the east as a chilly breeze blew in, it was odd, the chill of winter remained even though it was late February. She wondered if any of this had to do with the black he-wolf.

          “Brothers, sisters, I have…substantial news of which I regret having to say, but must. It seems that the he-wolf of which we have heard about is real and terrible,” began Myrrh, and the wolves started to arise. “Slae has brought me the news that he has followers, three times our size and growing. They have formed a pack against all of the varg, his intentions unknown but we must join forces with our neighboring brothers and sisters and start a rebel pack as one…” continued Myrrh. All the wolves had risen by know and were listening intently. Mist glanced over at Ada and Ashyn; the expressions on their faces were saddening. All their fears had come true and now they would have to ask the alpha pair if they could go to the Red Woods. Normally the whole pack would go, but under the circumstances it would be rude to ask of that now. They would have to venture alone if they got the blessings to. Mist couldn’t listen anymore, she probably could guess what he would say now anyway. She stood and trotted to the edge of the valley.

          She glanced back. Myrrh and Gaea were standing and continuing their speech, and all the wolves were listening with their heads tilted to the ground. Mist turned to leave, and Reku a male her age and one of the most welcoming of the wolves when she first entered the pack looked her way. Their eyes met and she felt and odd lurch in her stomach.  She quickly trotted off. She needed to think.