Part 1: The Vale
The mountain pass was finally within Kara’s reach after hours of struggling through heavy snow. Dual peaks soared upwards, casting deep shadows into the depths of the space between them. Gradually, the ground began to slope downwards. Kara quickened her pace, ignoring the pain that permeated her weary muscles. Behind her, the fading light traced her path through the landscape, and the frost-tipped wind carried with it the sound of the wolf pack that had been trailing her for days.
As Kara reached the beginning of the mountain pass, she hesitated. Ahead, lay the Vale, a steep, rarely traversed valley that ran between the two mountains. Shelter from the elements was a given and so were its unknown dangers, but the haunting melody of a wolf’s hunting cry urged her forward once more.
Nightfall would soon plunge the mountain pass into darkness, but her eyes had already begun to adjust to what little light remained. The increasing slope of the terrain allowed her to move faster as she started her descent into the Vale, but it also put her at a distinct disadvantage. Downhill, the pack would quickly overtake her. They were night hunters, and when they came for you, they struck fast and hard.
Part 2: The Pack
As the last light faded from the sky, Kara scanned her surroundings. Snow continued to fall from the sky, but the surrounding mountains sheltered her from the worst of the cold winter winds. Just ahead, she spotted a solitary oak, one of the few living trees in the sparse, snow-covered wasteland. As she came to a stop beside it, a chorus of howls rang out in the distance. The wolves were close. Too close.
Kara shrugged off her pack, tossed it aside, and reached for one of the thick, lower branches. After testing its strength, she pulled herself up. Carefully, she began scaling the tree, pausing briefly between each transition to allow the burning sensation in her arms to dissipate. At ten feet off the ground, she had reached one of the last branches that would safely hold her weight. There was no telling how the heavy snowfall of the past few days had affected the viability of the aged tree.
Facing the trunk, she gripped the cold, rough bark and gingerly crouched down and slowly turned around to face the direction from which she had come. Cautiously, she slid into a sitting position and pressed her back up against the trunk of the tree, allowing her legs to hang down as her muscles gradually began to relax.
The moon was noticeably absent, as was its promised light, but she felt at home in the darkness. She sat for several minutes in silence as the strength slowly returned to her aching body. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep sigh. When she opened them, their color had shifted from a pale green to a blazing azure blue that emitted an eerie light. They quickly locked onto the pale form of a white wolf that stood no more than a hundred feet away, staring in her direction.
A second wolf, this one much larger and black in color, appeared beside the first mere seconds later. Its eyes glowed red in the darkness as their gazes met. Slowly, it raised its muzzle to the sky and let out a deep howl that shattered the night’s silence. Several more wolves, the same icy white as the first, slowly emerged from the surrounding shadows. One by one their noses pointed to the sky as their voices joined together into a single cry. The hunt was over.
Part 3: Blood
Using one hand to steady herself, Kara slid the other one down her leg and carefully extracted a slender, expertly carved, and unusually long black dagger from the pouch that hung from her belt. One of the white wolves started a slow trot in her direction. As it approached, Kara shifted her weight forward, pulled her legs up onto the branch and transitioned to a crouched position. The wolf paused, its yellow-eyed gaze watching her as it waited patiently for her next move. With a slight thud, Kara gracefully dropped to the ground, landing lightly on her feet. From a distance, the wolf began a wide circle, but Kara followed its movements with her eyes, sidestepping and not allowing it to force her to turn her back to the rest of the pack.
The wolf stopped once more, still silently observing her. It slowly took a few steps forward then stopped again, and Kara’s eyes narrowed in response. In one swift movement, the wolf sprung forward, breaking into a run that quickly closed the distance between them. Kara gripped the dagger tightly in her left hand. Time seemed to slow briefly as the wolf came within fifteen feet of her. Lean muscles rippled beneath its white pelt as its back legs braced against the ground before it launched itself into the air. Just before impact, Kara forced her body to relax.
“Ughh,” Kara let out a yell as the wolf slammed into her, its snarling jaws slamming shut on her right arm, which she had raised to protect her throat mere seconds before they collided. Kara fell backwards, the wolf’s weight forcing them both to the ground. Her back slammed into the thickly packed snow and a high-pitched cry pierced her ears as the wolf collapsed on top of her.
With a groan, Kara shoved the wolf off and extracted her blade from its limp body. Bright red blood from the imperceptible wound began to stain its soft white coat. With the blade still in hand, she shoved the wolf’s jaws open and pulled her bruised, bleeding arm out of its mouth. Jagged rips covered her sleeve, but the bite wounds were already beginning to knit together as tendrils of glowing blue light danced around her lower arm. Though the pain lingered, she got to her feet, casting her gaze to where the rest of the pack stood silently watching and waiting.
Part 4: Alpha
Blood stained the surrounding snow, slowly turning from bright red to a deep crimson shade as it seeped into the ground below. The lifeless bodies of eight wolves littered the ground. In the center stood Kara, her clothes ripped and shredded, and her body covered in half healed wounds. Her eyes still glowed with a haunting blue light, but every so often they would flicker and dim, filtering back to green before glowing blue again. Five feet away stood the black wolf. The alpha. His glowing red eyes locked onto hers once more, and his lips began to curl into a snarl as a low growl rumbled up from deep within his chest.
Surrender.
The word broke through the haze of pain that radiated through her body, filling her mind with one singular purpose. Kara quivered and dropped to one knee, still clutching the bloodied black blade. Blood seeped through her layered clothing, evidence of both her failing strength and ability to heal herself. Her head hung low, and her eyes were cast at the ground before her.
Look at me.
Kara remained still and closed her eyes. Trying to ignore the pain, trying to ignore the voice. She took a shallow breath before releasing it.
Look at me!
The voice erupted in her head with anger and rage, breaking her concentration, but she still would not look up. Several moments of silence passed between them before Kara sensed his movement as he took a step towards her. Her head snapped up, the sudden movement breaking the stalemate. Her eyes blazed a brilliant blue once more as she rose on unsteady legs.
I will not surrender to you, Krave.
Rage burst forth from the black wolf as he lunged for her, jaws aiming for her throat, but she shifted quicker than he anticipated, and his jaws closed on empty air and a few tufts of auburn colored fur. The red wolf bounded away into the darkness, her legs carrying her deeper into the Vale’s vast emptiness. In wolf form, she was fast, but her strength was fading, and she would not be able to maintain her form for long.
One black ear twitched ever so slightly, catching the sound of her flight. Long after the sound had faded, the black wolf still stood there. His eyes no longer glowed red. Like the others, they were yellow once more, but held a striking intelligence in their depth that no true wolf could possess. At his feet lay Kara’s discarded blade.
Somewhere in the Vale, Kara ran. She ran as far as her wolf legs would carry her, but she could not escape those final words that would haunt her every step.
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