Chapter I

Look around you and think of what you see. There are a million ways to view something as simple as a glass of water. One might see the glass half full – the other might see it half empty – or when one sees just a glass, the other sees something almost symbolic. Now, think about how you see what you see; you have to know that your perspective is just a fragment of that glass, just a sliver in the vast world of billions of points of perspective. Everyone has their shard of glittering vision, based on the twisted tangle of the world.

When it all comes together – when everyone has finally shared their sliver of sight with the world – then I finally see what I have always wanted to see. A perfect mosaic of perspective vision; with a certain finesse to each shard, each sliver that brings its' own to the picture. What do you see?

I'll tell you what I see. As my eyes opened – pupils dilating as the soft sunlight filtered through the cavern entrance – I saw the dust danced in the air; flitting in and out of the beam of light that crept forth from the cavern door. It swirled around my body as it set into motion.

I stood up from my mat on the floor – nearest to the makeshift hearth –. My body full of ache from the hard day's work past.

The two cots near mine were empty and a groaning ache settled in the back of my head.

My brothers were gone; there was no warmth from their cots, meaning it had been a while since they had been here.

I directed my attention to the cavern entrance that yawned open, the lopsided wood door ajar and letting soft sunlight into our cavernous home. The cold air from the vast taiga outside fluttered bast the dense foliage that shrouded our hovel from the chill. I felt goose bumps arise of my skin before the natural warmth of my body began to compensate for my lost heat.

I walked over to the door – my bare feet padding softly across the stone floor that had been worn flat by lengthy years of being trodden across – and I peered outside, using my left hand to part the hanging vines of frosted ivy. A thin layer of frost covered the podzol ground and Pogonip clung to the large spruce trees around me. It was the dawn of, yet another winter here is this dense forest, and a groan of dread echoed inside me.

I pulled the faded denim jacket from the wooden pegs on the wall beside me and pulled it on over my old white long-sleeved sweater. I did not bother with pinning up my chaotic auburn shoulder length hair. It frizzed and clung to my skin. Split ends and tangles were the least of my problems now.

I stepped out onto the frosted ground – which creaked painfully in the cold – my eyes scanning the woods around me. I could smell the taiga in its full glory; the wetness in the air from the frost and snow to come; the filtered pine smell and the tang of deer hide were on the wind.

My name is Azure, and I am a wolf – not right now obviously, but point is I can be one –. That is usually were I lose people; but you have continued, for which I am grateful.

Anyway, I live with my brothers Faust, and Noah who had apparently gone hunting... without me... again. I huffed and left the safety of the cavern; each step more deliberate as I followed the smell of my brothers.

There were no other wolves for hundreds of miles; our kind was a rarity in these lands now – forced to live in high alps, or secluded forests – far from modern medication and feather beds.

I am no princess, but I was in line to be a ruler alongside my brothers. It was the year 3012 when my father died as a casualty from The Horde.

The Horde was an army set forth on the path of destruction – claiming cities and killing people –. I had lost many people to The Horde over the years. My father, my mother from sickness. My oldest brother Cosmo, and my kid twin sisters Elizabeth, and Fern.

Fern, and Liz had perished in the plague that one got from the water after The Horde poisoned it in an attempt to flush us out of our protected lands of ice and dense woodlands. Cosmo had led a swarm of bots away from us when we were escaping during the destruction of Lupin, my city.

I tried to shake these memories that plagued my mind, it was six years ago since I had seen my city fall, and I wanted; no, I needed to forget.

Trekking almost a quarter of a mile out into the frosty woods in my bare feet was enough to trigger homicidal thoughts towards my brothers. It was then – when I had thought up twelve ways to suffocate them – did I find the prints in the snow that had escalated as I neared the roots of the mountains that bordered the valley of frost and shriveled ferns.

I crouched to the ground placing a hand beside the wolf print. It was larger than my splayed hand and was at least an hour or two old. I stood back up and followed the prints. They were sporadic, and off pace; this had been a chase.

I looked around for sign of what they had been hunting and sniffed the cool air. There was the musk of my brothers, and something smaller, nearly masked by the larger sent masses of pine and earth, but I deciphered it easily.

"Hare." I mumbled to myself. Scarcely enough to feed us three, but it was still food.

Our bodies – in their consent state of flux – needed almost three times the amount of food regular wolves did. We should roughly be consuming nine pounds of meat a day.

Abandoning my search for my brothers, I loped back to the den. Once I had traveled back to the comfort of our cave, I walked over to the hearth, kneeling to ready the empty pocket for a fire. The hearth was just a grove in the stone floor and bordered by a half circle of stones.

The cave we had reformed over time was large – spacious even – There were two rooms connecting with one another; separated by a wall of wood planks. The ceiling was secured by the spruce beams that my brothers had set up. It was a simple home but protected by layers of thorny underbrush that grew over the sloping ledge of the knoll we lived beneath.

I took a tightly bundled wad of kindling and set it in the grove and pulled the small flint and steel kit that was wedged between two of the stones. Striking the flint and a steel together; I watched as a cluster of sparks flicked onto the kindling. A flame started, devouring the kindling, and spreading over the wood in the hearth.

Warmth crackled, and I warmed my hands before I stood, looking around. There was a small table off to the left – near Noah's wicker trunk of clothes and miscellaneous items –. Atop the trunk was a small blanket, and I decided that lazing around in front of the orange tongues of flame wouldn't be a waste of time.

There was a great thump, and the frosty ground crackled. I froze were I was in the middle of walking towards the table; hand extending out for the small blanket.

Was it a Horde drone?

The maker of the sound started walking drawing near. There was a soft beat of a heart just outside, calm and collected. At least it wasn't a drone; they have no hearts to call their own, only programed heads of metal.

I pressed myself against the cave wall, and waited, sniffing. Too much smoke. The sent of the intruder was masked by the sent of burning wood.

The creature outside inched around outside, snuffling in the ivy vines that hung around the knoll. Whatever it was, it knew that there was nothing natural about the hollowed knoll. My eyes glanced frantically between the fire, and the cave opening.

Did I dare to try to put out the small flame? There was a pale of cool water on the table for drinking, but I couldn't use that; the hiss of the steam would surely give me away.

Whoever it was, they were not leaving. Taking up a crude hunting knife from the small table next to the water bucket.

I slowly crept towards the entrance and listened. Paws caressed the ground carelessly, and I caught a scent for only a moment, but a moment was all I needed.

The scent was a mix between the rich earthy soil that populated Etheria so plentifully. There was the smell of cool sweat and maple. Altogether it was a pleasurable pallet of scents, and one I recognized.

I breathed deeply and stepped out into the open, seeing the black, and brown wolf. It was massive; almost eight feet tall, possibly nine feet long. I knew this wolf, and it was obvious that in the six years of absence she never forgot my own scent.

"Petra." I smiled, and the wolf froze. Her black and pink nose was buried in the ivy tangles a few feet away from me. Her large head reared on me with an excruciatingly slow pace, and ocher eyes locked onto my face.

The wolf opened her mouth, and leapt over to me, towering over my body with an intimidating height. I wrapped my arms around her neck as she jumped around, excitedly yipping. Her warm fur offered comfort and I was lifted off the ground repeatedly and spun around. The fur melted against my skin until I was being embraced by a fellow human being. I dropped the knife in surprise, and it landed by my feet, only missing my big toe by a few inches.

"Azure!" She squealed and hugged me tighter.

This was Petra, a long-time friend. She had gone from wolf to human in a matter of seconds, and now put me at arm's length, I could finally breathe. I felt my nose sting as I fought joyful tears; a grin seemed to be plastered onto my face,

Petra was shorter than the other wolves our age, like me; around 5'6, with tanned skin and straight jet-black hair that cascaded down to the middle of her back. She wore a grey shirt that was rumpled and slightly dirtied, with leather elbow patches and collar. Her ankle high boots were soft leather, and she had a pine-green cloak draped over one shoulder. A bag was tucked under the cloak, and it bounced against her hip.

"By the Moon, Petra I've missed you so much." I said embracing her. "What are you doing here?" I asked as I whipped my nose with y jacket sleave with a sniff, and she hurriedly drew a tanned leather bag from under her cloak.

She drew a thin and small silver cylinder, from within the clutter of items stuffed inside. The container was embossed with intricate patterns and had a circular symbol in the middle. It depicted a silver phoenix riding a crescent moon.

"Solace." I mumbled the name of the pack that dwelled near the frost lands that bordered the Kingdom of Snows. I looked up at Petra, who nodded, adrenaline slowing in her veins and a looked of distress replacing jubilation. It was now clear to me that this was not a social visit, this was a call of urgency.

Solace was a pack like ours, but much larger, this one had still been a city standing proud, last I heard of it. I had been there once when I was six years old. Petra's mother had remarried, and they invited us to the reception.

I recognized the subtle deep lines around the symbol in the center of the silver canister. It was known as a Blood Seal. It would open when blood of the receiver settled into the symbol.

I bent down and took up the hunting knife from the ground and examined my calloused finger. I hated pointy things, but I pressed the tip to my knife to my finger all the same. The blade pierced my skin and a drop of crimson blood welled up on my finger. I winced but pressed it to the symbol. My finger came away smeared with red, and the silver cylinder opened.

A small onion skin paper roll was tucked inside, black ink visible through the underside. Taking the paper out with my clean hand, I unfolded it; using my thumb and forefinger, and read aloud.

Solace has fallen, and what is left of us have headed to The Place Where Its Hidden. Horde attacks stronger, and the elders have foretold downfall. A bounty has been placed on wolf heads; we must all take extreme precautions. Good luck.

I looked up at Petra who nodded. This was the news the last remaining wolve packs have feared. With Solace gone, there would be no safe haven aside from the hidden place. Solace was one of the cities that still held some position of power.

"They gave us a similar one and we deactivated our beacon; I think you should as well, it'd be the best way to get our message across, since no one else can read the Aurora" Petra advised, and I nodded.

The Aurora beacon was a long-distance communications signal; created and used by wolf shape shifters. It could carry sound across vast distances through color and reflection.

"My brothers are hunting." I informed her when she looked around expectantly. "There was a Horde drone here a few weeks ago, they don't want me leaving the den without one of the other, but I live to disappoint." I informed Petra with a proud grin.

If the Horde had taken Solace, the only place that would be safe is the place that is hidden. It was known by many names through out the names, but they all meant the same thing, underground prison.

I pointed towards the tallest point of the mountain due south of us. "It's not far. We should be back by dark." I said and took her hand.

"If we use our wolf forms, we'd get there quicker." Petra said, and sat down her bag that was hidden under her cloak.

My hair whipped around my head in the wind as Petra waited for me to shift. I shook out my body in the cool morning air. Fur spouted from my pours, and my clothing sunk past my second skin as I felt every inch of my body change, and I blinked my lapis eyes over at the mountain.

With a groan, Petra stood beside me in her wolf skin, and I beckoned with my large head, for her to follow me.

We started off at a slow lope, a sort of prance into the woods; the clouds were becoming paler as they filled the sky and blocked out most of the sun. I could feel the cold nip my nose, and I would rub my shoulder against the tall trees, to leave my scent on them for when my brothers returned to the den and wondered where I was.

The sun was halfway through the sky by the time we reached the mountain path. It was sheltered by thickets, and the mountain was steep here.

After we tackled the steep slopes of the mountains, we reached a stone staircase, sheltered by an overhang of slate sheets. I stopped at the top of the stairs. A cave entrance yawned into darkness before us. It resembled a canine skull with gaping eyes, and slits for a nose. The wind whistled out like a rumbling exhale that ruffled our fur.

Petra puffed, and tossed her head saying, "Spooky".

I nodded and gathered my courage before stepping into the cavern. It was dark, but the end of the tunnel pulsed with a pale light. As we moved my vision grew sharper defining every rock, and mushroom that grew here.

"If we die in here, I'm totally blaming you." Petra grunted, and I playfully shoved her with my shoulder.

The wind raced as I tried to piece it all together. Soles had been conquered. One of the last standing cities for wolves was gone, and our kind was forced to go further into hiding and distance ourselves to such an extent that we would never see daylight again.

The tunnel opened into a volcanic like cave leading up, and into the open sky. Below, a ring of water sparkled, reflecting on the minerals growing in the rocks. Large mushrooms grew in various pulsating colors, and there was pearly white orb settled right in the center of the water ring. My paws made faint clicking sounds against the stone, as I walked.

I had been up here before; to signal our new residence to the others. I stepped into the water which was deep enough to reach my under-belly, and chest. I heard Petra behind me as I stepped onto the mossy island in the middle. Water was dripping from my fur as I reached the orb. Petra looked at it with familiarity, and I shook out my fur before trying to remember the words of activation.

"Luna Selene." I called softly.

The soft sound echoed in the cave, magnifying the sound. The orb shuddered, and the surface melted downward, until it rose, sending streams of the pearly substance up into the sky rippling above the volcano like tube.

Colors erupted in the swirling mass, and it traveled into the dusky sky. I sat down, and Petra looked down at me as I rested my head on my paws before she lay next to me, pressing her body to mine to keep us warm.

Instead of walking back down the steep mountains, we decided to wait for my brothers, who were undoubtably looking at the same array of dazzling color...