Toivo was back in the darkness.

Black was everywhere, the sky starless. Rustles and faceless whispers accompanied his slight breaths, forcefully steady and controlled. Too many times, this strange place had buried him in panic, and left him gasping, terrified. But this time, he wouldn't let it. Not tonight.

The dark swooped in as it did every night, coiling tighter around him, forming a crushing cage. Pressing his fangs together, he pulled away, prowling through the empty forest. Still the darkness pressed inwards.

He couldn't fight it. He knew that now. It was too strong for him. Every move he made only worsened its trapping grip.

Then don't fight it.

The voice didn't come from outside the darkness. Nor did it come from anywhere inside. It whispered within him, perhaps even somewhere close to his heart, and it sounded so convincing.

The howls sounded, first one then growing in number, calling him to run towards them. His paws moved away. He was powerless to stop himself from chasing after their calls of promise and hope. Yet when he tried to push through the darkness, it pushed back, spinning the world until the howls were impossible to pinpoint.

Don't push. Don't fight it.

Toivo grasped for that whisper. Something deep inside rose to the surface, flowing with a power he hadn't felt before.

Don't fight it. Use it.

He stopped fighting.

The darkness rippled around him, and he let it, feeling it brush against his flank. But instead of pressing in, it sank straight through, blending with the black of his fur.

Suddenly, the howls were sharper, clearer. Directly ahead. A howl of his own burst from his jaw, the sound soaring out ahead of him, and he ran.

The night didn't fight him, and so he didn't fight back. Instead, it seemed to carry him, sending his paws speeding softly through the emptiness.

Dark shapes shifted up ahead, separate from the night. He drew closer to them. So close that he could see the glow of their eyes, brighter than everything else around. Amber. Violet. Real wolves, real companions. He wasn't alone in the dark anymore.

When he howled, they howled with him, and the darkness never dived closer. It clung to his fur, its touch gentle.

"Toivo!"

And then it all shattered.

Silver streaks sliced through the darkness as the stars emerged once more. The tug of the night fell away. For once, he felt almost saddened to see it go.

The dark wolves faded, and the light stole him away.

"Toivo! Toivo!"

The real world returned to Toivo once more, first a voice and then the cold press of stone against his flank. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, not quite ready to leave the dark safety they provided.

"For Luna's sake, you've run away, you little traitor!"

Recognition jolted Toivo awake in an instant. That was Jaser's voice, and it hissed with rage.

"I knew we couldn't trust you," Jaser snarled.

The gust of his lashing tail brushed over Toivo's snout. His eyes snapped open, immediately locking onto Jaser's form beside him, red eyes like searchlights scanning the opposite corner of the cave. Though there was no true light around, the silver flash of his night vision made him shiver, almost as if dust were settling over his fur.

"When I find you, I swear, I'll--" Jaser's voice died away as he whipped around, his blood-coloured gaze locking onto Toivo's form. His anger softened for an instant, then returned in full force as he snarled.

"Trying to sneak away, were you? Thought you could hide from me?"

Hurriedly, Toivo scrambled away as Jaser slashed claws dangerously close to his snout. "I-I don't know what you mean," he stammered.

"Of course you don't." A growl slid between every word, deep and constant. "You can't hide from the Shadewylf Third General, traitor. Your powers are weak and pitiful. If you've changed your mind, I am more than happy to strike you down."

"No, no, I haven't changed my mind," Toivo said as fast as he could, the words stumbling over each other. "I wasn't hiding. I was just sleeping here, like Montasir said. This... this must be a mistake." He tried to slow himself down, taking a deep breath, but it was hard to remain calm with Jaser's claws scraping the rock beside him.

But Jaser didn't look satisfied. Toivo flinched backwards as he bared his fangs, but before the strike could commence another voice cut across the room.

"He's telling the truth, General."

Both of them turned to look as Deimos slipped into view. "Trust me. I would sense if there was a lie."

Toivo's gaze flicked between the two of them, still puzzled. They both ignored him.

For a moment, Jaser hesitated, before nodding reluctantly. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "Annoyingly, I do trust you." The raging glow of his eyes faded, though it gave one final flash as he glanced back at Toivo. "General Montasir says to meet him at the training area. Deimos can take you there."

He stalked away into the corridor beyond, muttering something in a hiss.

Toivo released a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. Even with the words he and Montasir had exchanged the previous night, seeing other Shadewylves still put him on edge. Montasir had said that many of them desired to kill him, and he doubted that the desire had gone anywhere. Especially with a wolf like Jaser.

Still, Jaser's exact words had him at a loss. He hadn't been hiding. There was no way for anyone to say that. He still lay in the exact position Montasir had left him, right in the middle of the empty room. Day or night made no difference to the chill of the air within. Jaser's eyes were sharp, and judging from his frustrated calls, he'd been searching for far longer than should be ordinary.

He glanced down at the rock. Surely his fur was dark enough to stand away from the paler grey beneath his paws.

Deimos gave a growling cough, jerking Toivo from his thoughts. "You coming, then?"

With a brief nod, he tore his eyes from the stone and scampered towards the exit. Deimos' gaze settled on him, a chillingly unnatural yellow. Another gaze that he feared, though now for different reasons. These eyes had been contorted with pain not too long ago. Pain caused by the shadow twisting within his heart.

He cast away the fear with an inward growl. His power wouldn't harm anyone again, not unless he wanted it too. These wolves knew the dark he felt, and they could help him to control it - perhaps even use it.

The darkness of his dream returned to him as he recalled the way the night had finally aided his search. Its meaning was clear now, though he knew inside that it had been clear all along.

It's time to stop fighting the dark.

"Are you following me, or are we going to stand here daydreaming all day?" Deimos snapped, cutting through his thoughts for a second time. Toivo realised with a jolt that his paws had halted at the room's exit. He bowed his head in hurried apology and focused on the movement of his paws, following Deimos out into the cave's corridor, berating himself for looking like an idiot.

Though, of course, his mind continued to wander. He thought again of Jaser's strange claims. This time, however, he grasped the thought before it could drift too far.

"What did Jaser mean?" he asked Deimos, bounding to walk closer behind the other Shadewylf. "When he said I was hiding."

Curiosity quickly fell to a smug glance. "You know so little about who you are."

Toivo's heart froze. The same words echoed from last night's memories.

But he forced himself not to fall into that pit of terror. I might know little now, but I can learn. "Come on, Deimos, just tell me. Did I do something?"

Deimos' stare hardened, and he pulled his head away. "You used your power. Hid yourself in shadow. I'm sure Montasir will explain it all."

A claw caught on an outcrop of rock, and Toivo stumbled, his jaw parting. Deimos kept walking without looking back, and Toivo stared after him. Hid in shadow? It made no sense.

"What--"

A single, flashing glare from Deimos crushed the remainder of the question.

Dropping his gaze, Toivo hurried after him, squashing his confusion. Deimos seemed in no mood for offering him answers. Not that he could let himself growl at his fellow Shadewylf for that - just one fleeting memory of last night was enough to keep him decidedly silent.

Pushing the thoughts away, he sharpened his focus, studying the paths they walked. They were now exiting the corridor that led to his personal prison, entering the widened space he recognised from when he'd snuck in here. He noticed the tunnel Evania had told him led to the generals' quarters, and the sloping passage beside it, descending into the darkness of the prison. Both were just to the left of their own tunnel.

Neither of them were the destination, however. Ahead, Deimos crossed right into the centre of the space, and turned towards a wider opening, almost directly opposite the cave's exit passage. Toivo glanced over to that passage, his gaze lingering as his sensitive eyes caught the glimmer of true light shining beyond. It would be day out there. The sun would be high and bright, glittering like gold.

Gold. His heart twinged. What would Lexi be doing right now? Was she out there, in the sun, able to let her fur glimmer beautifully in the way it always did? Or was she like him, trapped away in darkness, her gold dulled by black and grey.

Perhaps she was dulled forever, her spirit gone from the world, and instead she was among the silver of the stars. For the stars were where only a wolf of her brilliance could belong.

I hope the stars haven't claimed her yet, though, he prayed silently, eyes fixed on that spark of light. I need to see her again. I have to--

His thoughts cut short as the shuddering sensation of eyes piercing his Pelt chilled his bones. Glancing back, he was met with Deimos' sharp gaze, staring with a strange fierceness. His eyes seemed to glow a brighter yellow than usual, their colour starkly vibrant.

Toivo flinched, and they returned to their natural shade. Deimos jerked his head to the side in beckoning, his glazed concentration falling away, and they were on the move once more.

Once Toivo turned away from outside's light, he found it a little easier to cast Lexi from his head. Doubting and dwelling on the past - especially on her - was a dangerous idea. All he had to do was focus on now, on his new choice, and on everything Montasir was about to reveal to him.

The new opening spread in a near-perfect circle, and he smiled.

Montasir stood in the room's centre, his eyes sparking with a cold silvery grey, his tail flicking its steady rhythm. A pair of wolves snapped to attention as Toivo entered, freezing in rigid stances, before a sharp glance from Montasir broke their stunned curiosity. Or perhaps it was anger - they didn't get close enough to tell. With eyes still flitting around Toivo, never directly staring, they both scampered away.

Only as they passed did Toivo realise they were even smaller than he was, with ears that twitched with every glance at their general, or at Deimos. Pups, even younger than him. But even they seemed to know that he was different.

Once they had vanished into the cave behind them, Deimos took a step backwards, making to follow them. "I'll leave you to it," he muttered, before melting into the dark.

He truly did melt away. Toivo blinked, several times, but the yellow-eyed Shadewylf was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't walking away from them, or darting into another tunnel. He was just... gone.

"Come, Toivo," Montasir called, voice snatching his attention with an icy whip. "This is the training circle. I've asked for it to be left to us for the day's remainder."

With a small nod, yanking his eyes away from the empty space Deimos should inhabit, he padded over. They both sat simultaneously, taking the same positions they had the previous night. This time, however, Montasir's grey eyes remained focused.

Toivo waited for him to begin the training, but they sat only in silence. After a few uncomfortable moments, the cave's clamminess beginning to press into his fur, he realised that Montasir was waiting for him to speak first. He shifted, tail coiling and straightening, before allowing the question that had danced on the edge of his tongue since his talk with Deimos to escape.

"When I woke up this morning," he began, "Jaser couldn't find me. Deimos said I hid in shadow, or something. Then Deimos just vanished like that..." He paused, shifting again, those grey eyes boring into him as he struggled to explain. "Can... can Shadewylves become..."

"Invisible?" Montasir finally supplied where he couldn't. "Yes."