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Chapter One - Prolog (old style)

The shape's silhouette slowly rose at the top of the hill while the beam of the moon enlightened it. She stretched herself in the direction of the moon which slowly was about to break through the clouds. There was a muzzle that turned to the enthroned moon in the sky. The figure slowly tightened and suddenly stretched out himself while a long lasting howl left his throat.

Very pleased it peered down on a small camp which was hidden from the world by the canopy of the woods.

Although if there were less traces of its very existence he knew it was there.

His fur glimmered in the light of the moon and he enjoyed this view very much. While he would like to stay a little longer he knew that the time had come to head back to the camp again.

With a leap he jumped onto the nearest tree's crown.

He took certain smaller hops down the tree until he had reached safe ground again beneath his feets. His paws touched the cool and slightly wet ground. A fragrance of fresh plants directly came to his nose followed by another delightful smell. While this smell played around his countenance he rose his nose into the air toward the fragrance. A pinch of spice combined with a fine scent of meat was in the air. Now he was aware of what was to come. Swiftly he headed to the camp in which direction the delicious smell came from. With rapid leaps he jumped from one tree to the next and swept through the woods. The crude figure, like a human would like to define it, was very agile. Swift but unseen for the eyes. The branches that he touched with every single movement he made fewly gave in under his weight. With every leap he got closer to the camp. In the meanwhile all the fragrances got more precise while others mixed up with them. He smelled flesh garnished with spices which danced already onto his tongue in his mind. Finally the smell of a bonfire came to his mind and mixed up with all of them. The heat started to warm his fur as he reached the last tree as he suddenly stopped. He stood on a branch of the tree at the edge of the camp. The intensity of the fire now started to warm up his cold fur. The canopy of the wood completely locked out the rays of the moon. In front of him were some of his fellow clan members deemed in the camp.

His view gazed over the camp while he watched the colorful hustle and bustle. After a brief moment of peace a voice sounded out to him from the direction of the bonfire.

>>Wouldn’t you get down and have dinner with us?<< she asked and smiled.

A smile decorated his face while he nodded and looked down. A last leap he took down to the ground as he stepped close to the bonfire.

>>Here. I’ve prepared a bowl for you.<< the young wolf girl said to him. Lariana handed him over a bowl with delicious smelling meat in it which he snooped in the woods already. So close to the source of this deliciousness his mind started to play with him. The thoughts of eating this delightful meat was a blast for him.

>>Thank you!<< he said while water gathered itself in his muzzle. Lariana started to smile and took her place near the bonfire again while her fur began to shine and twinkle. Colorful the soft fur of the she-wolf twinkled near the cracking bonfire. Also the fur of Varshgar gleamed in the radiance of the fire. Silver tint mixed up with the gleam of the fire and the colors of Larianas fur. It was a sight to see for everyone.

Varshgar, who was about to gladly feast upon the meal, peered up into the deep blue eyes of the beautiful wolf girl Lariana.

The daughter of the warchief Krashak she was. Lariana began to smile as she noticed how the wolf boy ate up the meal she offered him lately.

“He is so cute while he eats my meals.” she thought to herself. Varshgar couldn’t keep his thoughts together like every other young man of the tribe that looked into her eyes. And so he lost himself in them.

>>Varshgar?<< she smiled and nudged his nose lightly. As she did this the eyes of the wolf focused on her paw.

>>Yes?<< he asked with his full mouth.

>>You seem to be absent.<< she said smirked.

>>Yes… no… I…<< he babbled due to her sight.

Again Lariana began to giggle as it was always the same with every man in the tribe. For him her sensations were far the most. Varshgar was the one special wolf as they had many experiences together since their childhood. Even Though she was the daughter of the warchief it was not important. Also as he became an orphan. While they grew up, times changed. The peace was gone and now there is only war. As the time passed by, many things changed nearly overnight. Not least due to the war that was waged by the humans as the tales tell. Many good and brave warriors and clan members lost their lives. Many children became orphans or half-orphans. Now there is a time reigned by terror and fear. Varshgar still looked into the eyes of Lariana as one of the other warriors hastily passed by.

>>Krashak! Krashak!<< he called out of breath.

The guards in front of the tent grab hold of him as he seems to break down every moment.

Krashak stepped out of his tent and looked at the wolves. A superb and muscular figure now stood in front of them. His black fur was only interrupted by some nuances of white stripes. The whole wolf was almost majestic as he stood before the young warrior.

He putted his left paw on his shoulder and spoke to him: >>Calm down and tell me what happened.<<

Once again the young wolf takes a breather and said: >>One of our patrols was killed.<<

The faces of all surrounding wolves were covered in fright as these words were spoken. Many of them knew what this was supposed to mean. The humans did get dangerously close to the camp. Soon their options would run low as they only could put on a fight or flee.

Krashak lifted his head and took a deep breather.

>>Okay, my son. Come with me and tell me everything.<<

Shortly after that he and the warchief vanished into the tent and once again the guards returned to their former posts again.

Varshgar and Lariana could easily follow up this spectacle from the bonfire. Her usual jolly eyes now appeared to be anxious. For the tribe it was usual to flee from the lands they inhabited. It was even more terrifying if they lost members of the clan. This was always the worst case as the tribe of her father only counted two hundred folks. All the other tribes counted four or five times that much. Lariana now focused on the fire right in front of her. Her mind was heavy and saddened. As Varshgar took note of it he got closer to her. Slowly he put his arm around her and cuddled her slightly. For a brief moment he kept her in his arms and gently he spoke to her: >>Everything will be fine again. I promise.<<

The gaze of the wolf now focused on the fire again as his thoughts slowly were dragged away by the blazing fire. In the meanwhile the young wolf told everything he did know to his warchief. He sat down at the edge of the table. On top of it there lay a map of the territory and he concentrated on the point the young wolf marked on it. The humans did get very close to the camp as he saw without ambiguity. It took a moment for him until he composed himself again. Soon after he got up and looked at the wolf in his tent.

>>So you did find our folks right there?<<

Krashak pointed to the marked area on his map.

>>Indeed. All of them had got a snare around their necks and they hung on the branch of a tree… and…<<

Krashak waved off as he could adumbrate which details would now follow but he now knew what was important. All that had to be done now was to put the fallen to their rest. Again Krashak got up from the map and focused on the young warrior again which stood before him. As the warchief he was aware that all of this won’t work this way. This pup was barely old enough to be a warrior. He had to bear the witness of being a full member of the tribe and becoming a warrior.

But it wasn’t a warrior that stood before Krashak. At best he was a young member of the tribe which hardly went through his youth and now was forced to face things he barely could handle. The impressions he got could not be worse than that. The horror of what he saw was still to see in his face. Although he tried to hide his feelings, his warchief did not have any hassle reading it in his eyes. Krashak stepped towards him and put his paw on his shoulder like he did before in front of the tent. The young wolf-boy jerked slightly. The warchief had no doubt that the trauma was far more severe than anyone could ever see. Krashak looked up his eyes and said in a calm and friendly sound:

>>My son, please be so kind and take a rest. You have faced many horrible things. I am thankful that you brought me this terrible lore. If you are in need of anything else I’ll be there for you. And please head out to Lariana she will take care of you with a pleasant meal.<<

The wolf looked into the eyes of Krashak which were more warm-hearted than before. Thanks to this brief moment the warchief was able to take the horror from the mind of the warrior.

>>Thank you.<< he said.

No more than that was necessary for Krashak to know that the young wolf could calm down a little. Once the young warrior had left the tent of the warchief he turned again onto the map on his table. Again he focused on the marking.

“I don’t like it at all. They are far too close to our camp and start to threaten it again.”

Inwardly the warchief and customary chief had issues to gain control over his anger due to the loss of his man. However, he was aware that if he was forced to fight he would only lose. The marked point laid inside the inner safety limit Krashak had drawn. An incursion in the area would mean that the camp is in strikt danger. The time to act had come and even if the tribe wasn’t prepared for such a situation it was now important to make the right steps. Even though Krashak would order the tribe to evacuate the camp he had to assure that his people could escape unmolested. Over and over again he played with his thoughts and all possible options. In the end there was only one solution. His wrath was so immense that he needed a ventil. He scratched the table so harshly that his claws left a furrow on it. When his wrath faded away he turned to the entrance of the tent and left it. Lariana, Varshgar and the young warrior sat down by the bonfire. Despite the fact that the clan members looked calm, everyone could sense the impending crisis as everyone was aware of what was to come. The warchief now had to endow a direct order and depending on this order a fight would start followed by the loss of men or to flee from the enemy. Lariana and the young wolf were still focused on the fire while Varshgar took note of the warchief in front of his tent. While their sights crossed each other he was aware what would happen. As Krashak noticed that Varshgar did take note of him he nodded slightly. The customary chief vanished again into his tent and the young scout turned his mind again on Lariana and the young warrior beside him. His thoughts were tough as he hoped that the impending order would save the tribe he loved so much. And as always he trusted Krashak that his strategic moves would do what was necessary. An elusive moment passed by before Varshgar got up from the log and said briefly:

>>I am sorry. I will be expected.<<

But these words were far enough and anybody did know what it would mean. The young scout, which was also the best the warchief had to offer, stood up and headed directly to the tent of his leader. The guards bow before him without any words and let him pass. Varshgar entered the tent and stepped a little closer to the table Krashak was standing in front of. Varshgar canvassed the current situation and took a closer look at the map.

“Interesting! They already passed the inner safety limit of our camp? How did they even manage to pass the outer security limit?” he thought about it for a moment. Now he looked at Krashak whose face spoke clearly that he was full of anger and helpless.

>>Don’t get me wrong, Varshgar. I am prepared to make this decision and take all the consequences for me. I have no doubts nor issues to give you this command. But I am afraid of the consequences for our folks. Our tribe. I am not a fool and I know what this means.<<

Krashak, the warchief, lowered his head and continued on while Varshgar listened.

>>You are my right paw. You also know that I trust your judgment more than everyone else's. As my blade you are always at the front line for me and now I am in dire need of your help. That’s why Varshgar I beg you to help me… your tribe.<<

The young scout did not calculate such an addressed speech towards him but he knew what this would mean to him. Krashak made Varshgar his right paw before for quite a while. He was like a tool with his very own thoughts and emotions that were taken seriously and this was important to him.

>>You know that I would also take the order from you.<< he said to him calmly. Krashak just nodded and answered him:

>>Of course I do know. But I can not give you this direct order.<<

Varshgar nodded because he did understand what the warchief was up to.

>>I will do this. You can count on me.<<

Krashak gazed to the ground due to the fact that Varshgar accepted the order even though there was none. For the great warchief nothing changed at all or did become more easily.

>>Varshgar… I…<< he started but was suddenly interrupted by the scout.

>>Not now. Just tell me where we will meet again.<<

The warchief pointed on the map.

>>Ah, the place which I found lately. I like it. Fair enough. I will prepare everything in my tent and then I will leave.<<

Again Krashak nodded and said:

>>Thank you, Varshgar.<<

He waved aside and left the tent of the warchief.

Outside the bonfire was still burning very strong and Lariana still sat at the fire alongside the young warrior. He told everything he had to face as best as possible. The fire tried to warm the fur of Varshgar but in the end the heat was faint. After a brief moment he walked over to Lariana to say goodbye.

>>I am here again.<< he just mentioned it shortly.

Lariana looked at the face of Varshgar and her eyes still spoke clearly about her feelings.

>>Listen, Lari. I need to go. But I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible. I promise. Everything is gonna be fine. Okay?<<

Lariana nodded and gifted him her brightest smile that she could offer in this situation. She got up and hugged him as tight as she could and gave a long lasting kiss. Shyly the young wolf smiled and with mixed feelings he went on to his tent. He entered the tent and looked around. It was sparsely equipped but it was all that he needed. Next to his bed there was a packed backpack and on the opposite stood a small chest. Quickly the wolf got to the chest and opened her. Inside the chest there was a harness for his back and one for his hips as also another one for his leg. He grabbed all of the three parts and put them on. Afterwards he grabbed his sword and placed it into its sheath on his back. The dagger he put into its sheath which was placed on his leg harness. Last but not least he put all of his paraphernalia into the bags at his hips. Once he was done he grabbed his backpack and looked around for one last time.

“I guess that I’ve got what I need.”

With these last thoughts he left his tent behind as he noticed the guard of the warchief which stood before him.

>>Hello Varshgar. I was ordered to wrap up all of your belongings.<<

>>Fine. It isn’t much but please be careful, yes? Thank you.<< he said and with a huge leap he jumped into the nearest tree at the edge of the camp and vanished.