Chapter 4: Broken

After Slash's betrayal, Light was broken. Her partner in crime, her best friend, the wolf who she had trusted beyond all others, was gone from her life. And worse than that, he was both a monster and a traitor. On the outside, she looked and acted normal, albeit being a little distracted and listless. But on the inside, she was completely torn in two. Maybe this is what gave her the incentive to sneak out one night.

It was during the celebration of the orange moon, when all the wolves hunted to the extreme and gorged themselves on the meat. That night, every wolf in camp was asleep, even the guard who was supposed to be defending the entrance. The only pair of eyes that were open were Light's blue ones, shining sapphire in the darkness. She got carefully up from her moss lined nest.

Scarlett gave a little snort, and Light froze, her front paws up and her hind legs still on the ground. For one moonlit and fear traced minute, Light remained perfectly still: a statue carved of ivory and shadows. Then, making no more noise than an owl's wing, she rose onto all four legs and walked out of the den. Her paws made dark prints in the snow.

☯☯☯☯☯

The silent trees cast shadows on the snow blanketed ground, and on the white pelt of a she-wolf moving soundlessly through the forest. Light's paws seemed to find a track through the crystaline woods without her knowing of it. The light spray of the snow that came from her paws was caught in the moonlight like a sparkle of stardust. Overhead, the orange moon watched her progress, and the spirits of the stars whispered questions to each other.

Light forged ahead, her blue eyes cold and hard and her face set. She had set out in the direction that Slash had followed, determined to find him. Unbeknownst to her, she was nearing the camp of the Death Eater's worst enemies--and the camp that would become her home. She paused behind a huge rock and sniffed the air. There was the scent of many wolves here. She looked out cautiously from behind the rock, and gasped. Tens of wolves were standing looking up at the rock. Light stiffened, but the fur on her back had begin to ruffle...

☯☯☯☯☯

In the Fiercepack camp, a large she-wolf stood on the large, gray rock, her golden fur shining in the starlight. She howled to the wolves, "We have a newcomer, a trainee. His name is Slash." Slash stepped forward, his muscles rippling under his gray and white pelt. "Slash comes to us as an escapee from the Death Eaters," the golden she-wolf said, to great murmurs from the wolves. "I expect you all to treat him with the same respect you would to any other trainee," the she-wolf said, a bit harshly.

☯☯☯☯☯

Light breathed heavily. Her wings were out, and quivering with emotion. I don't think I can handle this, she thought. I knew that Slash was different, but I didn't expect him to be a traitor. Then another thought occurred to her. Does being here make me a traitor?!

Bursting with emotion, Light ran back the way she had come, a blur of starlight, wings, and darkness. When she reached the Death Eaters' camp, someone was waiting for her.

"What are we doing out of camp?", the wolf asked, yellow eyes glinting. Light uttered one, confused word.

"Father?"

Chapter 3: Slash

Everything changed the day Slash was forced to kill his mother. Slash had always been a gentle, nice wolf, loving and caring, but that day changed his view on life, as well as Light's. Slash, being a few moons older than Light, was almost ready for his apprenticeship.

On the day before he was to have become a trainee, he got into a fight with another pup, this one called Daemo. Apparently, Daemo had been giving himself a good cleaning when Slash came and shook mud all over him. Daemo was so angry that he rounded on Slash instantly and started yelling at the top of his little lungs.

Slash retorted with vigor, and eventually, it escalated so much that Daemo lunged at Slash. Slash's whole body rippled. And then he grew so he was towering over Daemo, and all of the other wolves as well. He had transformed into a kind of half wolf, half human monster. There was immediate panic. Only one wolf stayed calm--Anubis. He smiled his evil smaile and uttered one word. "Excellent."

That night, after Slash had turned back into his usual self, Anubis himself came to the nursery and asked for him and his mother. Light watched as he led Slash and his mother out of the den. Only one of Light's eyes was open; she wasn't supposed to be awake. She watched Slash's gray form turn silver as he walked into the moonlight. She tried to stay awake until he came back, but she dozed off.

She was awoken a short while later by a grief-stricken howl. Scarlett got to her feet in an instant and peered out of the bramble covering. Light got up to stand beside her. Outside, Slash had transformed back into the beast, and was facing Anubis. Slash's sharp claws were dripping with blood and his fur shone silver. There were scattered bits of blood at his feet. Light drew in a sharp breath. A short way aways from Slash, a figure lay motionless in the snow. It was Slash's mother. As Light watched, Slash let out another howl and darted away into the forest.

Anubis watched him go, his face expressionless. He turned away and leapt onto a sharp outcropping of rock that stood out above the camp. "All wolves gather beneath the sharp-rock for a meeting," he howled, his red eyes blazing. Light walked out onto the soft snow, her paws making small imprints in the snow. She was unable to fathom what had just happened.

When all the wolves had gathered, Anubis began to speak. "As you should know by now, Slash has abandoned us. At the discovery of his amazing talent, I put him to a test to prove his worth to the Death Eaters--to kill his mother." Light was shocked, but all around her, wolves were nodding. Light heard Venom, a female warrior, lean to the wolf next to her and whisper, "She was going soft anyways." The warrior snorted his consent, and Anubis continued.

"He completed the task, but was unable to shoulder the burden of becoming a full member of the Death Eaters. He has left us. If any of you scent him in the forest, report to me. If you see him, kill him on sight. That is all. Meeting dismissed." Anubis jumped down and padded off to his den.

Light was thunderstruck. She was silent the whole night, except for, if Scarlett wasn't mistaken, a few tears in the night. But the next morning, as the dawn light illuminated Light's face, lighting up her white fur and turning it dazzling, there was no hint that anything had passed last night.

Chapter 2: Growing

Light yawned and stretched, her paws making imprints in the dust. She flicked a lazy ear to get rid of a fly, then got to her feet. It had been 3 moons since that thunderous night when Light had been born, and the young she-wolf was growing up nicely. In fact, she was eager to start her apprenticeship, albeit being three moons below the limit.

Her mother had noted the gleam in Light's eye and the way her paws tensed when she watched the trainees walk by, discussing fighting tactics and prey hunting. Scarlett knew that Light would grow to be powerful, an excellent fighter, and willing to kill in an instant: exactly the kind of wolf the Death Eaters needed.

Light had also found a friend in another young pup named Slash, a light gray ball of energy. Slash's grandfather was Anubis, the leader of the pack. Scarlett was delighted. If Light got friendly with Anubis's kin, that would almost guarantee that she would rise quickly through the ranks of the Death Eaters.

Light's early days were passed by a combination of romping around with Slash, sleeping, eating and talking. Talking nonstop. But the biggest sign that Light was growing into her skin came after a ceremony for the death of a trainer.

Light snuggled up to her mother that evening, looked up at her, and asked, "Can you tell me about my father?" Scarlett paused for a second, then said, "Yes. Yes, I can." Scarlett told the story.

"Your father was a brave and handsome wolf. He and I met when we were assigned a hunting patrol when we were only trainees. We grew close, and eventually, we became mates when we were trainers. Then I became pregnant with you and-" Scarlett broke off.

"Who?" Light asked. "With me and who?"

"Your sister."

Light's eyes widened. "I have a sister?"

"Had," Scarlett corrected quickly. "She died right after she was born."

"Why?"

"Oh, she was too weak I expect," Scarlett said carelessly. Light looked curious. "What was her name?"

"We didn't name her," Scarlett said. "She wasn't worth it."

Light looked shocked. "But-but what if it was me that ha been weak? What would you have done then?"

Scarlett's voice softened from rock hard to honey soft. "But it wasn't you, was it honey?"

Light nodded her head, and Scarlett continued. "So when it came time for me to give birth, I went away from the pack and made myself a den in the woods. Your father hunted for me, and that night you and At-your sister were born. We buried your sister, and we headed back. But on the way back, your father was so eager to feed you that he went hunting again, and never returned." Scarlett sighed. "We asume he was hit by a tree until we found his body. It had been ravaged by other wolves."

Light's deep blue eyes were wide. "What wolves?" she asked, her voice high.

"Fiercepack," Scarlett said. "They are the most evil, vile, and scummy creatures in this world or any other. If you see a Fiercepack wolf, you must kill them on sight." This, of course, was a lie. Morpheus had disappeared, along with Ataxia, never to be heard from again.

"Okay Mother," Light said, curling up next to her.

Chapter 1: The Prophecy

Thunder crashed and lightning flashed overhead as the rain poured down on the old bramble den. Inside, a trickle of water made it's wet way down through the roof, dripping on the heaving flank of a red, brown, and white she-wolf. The she-wolf's golden eyes rolled in her head and her breath came short and fast. Her legs twitched and her tail flopped nervously against the floor. This she-wolf was in the worst of labor: her pups would be arriving soon. Two of them, although she did not know it yet.

Outside, a shape moved fluidly through the darkness, entering silently into the bramble den, which was no small feat considering the rabbit he was carrying in his jaws. He flopped down the rabbit and padded over to his mate. "How's it going, Scarlett?" he asked.

Scarlett's eyes rolled to her mate. "fine, just fine," she gasped.

The male wolf, who's name was Morpheus, resisted the urge to shake his black and white pelt. Scarlett gave another sigh and her sides rippled. A pure white pup slid onto the floor. Morpheus instantly dragged the pup away from it's mother and began to lick it the wrong way to keep it warm.

Scarlett's flank heaved again and the black pup was soon joined by another, this one jet black. Scarlett lifted her head and turned around to lick this pup as well. A few minutes later, both female pups were nursing at their mother's bellies. "What shall we name them?" Scarlett asked. Morpheus studied the pups. "You name the black one, I'll name the white one." The she-wolf, too tired to argue, watched the black pup. "Ataxia," she said at last.

Morpheus nodded, then looked at his older by a few minutes daughter. "Light," he finally answered.

Suddenly, all was quiet. The sound of the rain and thunder ceased, and a voice was heard by every wolf in the room.

The children of the red will be adorned with black and white. The twins are the key to each other's downfall, for as long as the live they shall oppose their other half. Only one shall triumph, and the other shall perish.

The silence that followed this was so quiet you could have heard a twig drop. Morpheus and Scarlett stared at each other in horror. Ataxia and Light, oblivious, were now curled up in their mother's belly.

Finally Scarlett broke the silence. "One of them needs to go." Morpheus nodded in silent agreement. "I'll take Ataxia. I know a rouge--she can help. With a little persuasion, of course." His mouth curved into a toothy smile. "She'll raise Ataxia like her own. With luck, no one will make the connection. We'll tell Anubis that you gave birth to two, but Ataxia died and we buried her on our own."

"Excellent," Scarlett said. "Take Ataxia." Morpheus scooped up the pup from her mother. Tiny Ataxia cried out in indignation, opening her mouth to reveal the miniscule beginnings of teeth. Morpheus trotted out of the den with the pup swinging in his mouth. Little did Scarlett know that that was the last she would see of her mate. Ever.

But Scarlett did not know this, so she bent her head to her remaining pup and licked Light on the head. The little white pup gave a muffled sound, somewhere between protest and exhaustion, and flopped her head down. A sudden wave of thunder crashed outside, and Light was on her feet in an instant. The soft fur on her back rippled, and suddenly two white wings appeared on the pup's back.

Scarlett stared in disbelief. Light looked positively radiant. The light from her wings almost seemed to cast a glow about her, and the crash of thunder had done more than force her to her feet and display her wings. The pup's eyes were open now. A deep, piercing blue, they stared at Scarlett with wonder and a hint of anger. Light's stance on the ground was almost challenging, and Scarlett suddenly imagined her daughter, many, many moons later, standing poised, ready to charge into battle.

Yes, the red she-wolf mused. Light will make an excellent addition to the Death Eaters*. She will help to bring about the downfall of Fiercepack. Yes, indeed.

*Not Harry Potter Death Eaters. The Death Eaters are an evil pack that Scarlett, Morpheus, and now Light belong to.