1 Part One: Cry of the Fallen

"The White River is a festering wound gouged deep at the heart of the mainland with the fury carved by the thrashing claws of the River God after his beloved twin had forsaken him. The river was born of deathly cold and unyielding darkness where sickness plagued the soil and life alongside it while forcing the indigenous who had lived at peace there for centuries to adapt or die. Generations of wars now lost to memory echo beneath his murky waters, a graveyard filled with the contorted corpses of soldiers and their former kings. Their remains sink endlessly into the chasm's hellscape, a warning to all who seek to cross the divide; passage comes at a price, and those who follow the old laws will avoid his retribution. For none can cheat the River God and woe betide all who dare defy his will." -God's Wound: The White River

Past: Last month of spring. The night before sunrise.

A blighted storm let loose upon the sea had pushed inland from the far east, sending monstrous dark waves to wreak havoc as it neared the coastline. The howling wind carried the fresh scent of salt and pungent sweetness as the icy rains struck the Wolfwoods in a matter of seconds. The full force of the storm touched down before the birds were able to flee, disrupting their sense of direction as they bound themselves from the swaying trees. A cacophony of deafening cries reverberated through the downpour as feathered bodies got swept away in the swirling turbulent skies. Their feathers were ripped away like dandelion seeds as their limp and lifeless bodies plummeted into the devouring darkness below. Animals on the ground floor were no better off as they struggled to keep their footing, searching frantically for cover.

The ground beneath the great white oaks rumbled as violent tremors churned the soil. Some of the weaker oaks bellowed and tore from their foundations, while smaller trees and shrubs were ripped away like weeds by the punishing gales as if plucked from an invisible giant's hand. A violent tornado of topsoil and roots erupted from the landscape where a clump of young oaks once stood, spewing dirt and stone into the air as the funnel led the earth to the heavens. Sharp roots torn free from their mooring just through the upturned soil, tangled in serpentine tendrils and splintering, appearing more like gnarled fingers reaching skyward. As if they too wanted to be carried away.

In a shatter of molten furies, white-hot lightning pierced the heavens and crackled across the seething sky, puncturing the dense air with a deafening roar that lingered long after in the ears of the Azuren fleeing from her oppressors. It was a warning that rang loud and clear.

Stopping will ensure her death.

The storm pursued her into the denser wood, a living beast tormenting overhead as its mind, clouded from anger, was lost to the chaotic sky. The wind lashed at her body, but it was nothing compared to the sting of a whip wielded by a cruel hand. It almost seemed as if the storm was pushing her to move faster, urging her to hurry as if it knew where she was running to. The winds soon became fierce, their ghostly wails and eerie moans lacking any warmth as the darkness dispelled sending with it a blinding flash of brilliant white light. The bolt struck through one of the larger oaks in her path, igniting its parched leaves with a rush of intense heat. It burned brighter than starlight as the white flames lapped and licked their way up toward the night sky. A dense and electrifying energy appeared to swirl around the tree, emanating from the split trunk and pulsing with power that could be felt deep beneath the soil. The ground trembled as the thunderous echoes of the lightning strike traveled for miles in every direction, like a living inferno's heartbeat. 

The fire had morphed the oak's once ashy bark into an otherworldly sight, consuming its bone-dry timber like a ravenous monster cursed with a boundless hunger. The flames danced and shifted from blinding white to a deep blue violet over a matter of seconds, pulsing with intense energy before fading into hues of orange and smoldering scarlet. Darkness returned in the form of a tidal wave crashing over the landscape and engulfing everything in a terrible blackness. The energy around the oak had shifted in tune with the flames, mirroring the rapid passing of the lightning as the fire within the split trunk took on a warm golden hue, a lone light illuminating the dreadful darkness surrounding it. In the split second between light and shadow, the Azuren's dark flank plunged into the brushwood, following closely behind the lightning strike that had torn through the massive oak tree. What appeared to be shadows had consumed the flames, darkening them like spectral smoke, near-transparent yet impossible to see through the dark. A distraction, the Azuren had not realized, but just like the forest, she too vanished under the cloak of darkness. But alas, her movements were not fast enough, nor were the false shadows impossible to see. Amidst the rain and wind, the crackling of burning wood, voices could be heard. The shouts of men mingled with the growls and snarls of dark creatures. To say she was aware of what hunted her would be untrue, as there were numerous formidable beasts within the King's Calvary that did not exclusively attack on horseback.

Attracted by the faint flicker of ember flame within the oak's split trunk, a group of two dozen men come to a halt several strides from the tree's base, their movements flanked by great swarthy beasts both wolfish and feline. Some were larger than the horses themselves. Each one an embodiment of a starless night. Against the brightest flames, they remained shrouded in shadows leaving only crushing red eyes and ashen teeth. They are the King's prized possessions, holding the name Jagannath or Juggernaut for their size and unstoppable force. They are lethal hunters, making them highly valued. On the right side, next to a pale horse, one of the larger beasts with feline features let out a low snarl as its crimson eyes narrowed, reflecting the flame's fierce glare. The fire pulsed again within that living heartbeat of heat, crackling so loud it could have been bones being crushed in vigorous jaws. Every crackle ended in a seething hiss, drowned out by the pouring rain. One of the men urged his steed closer to the fire, and it responded with a renewed heat, not quite reaching that blinding white intensity but potent enough to spread without the interference of the rain. The flames darkened each figure's shape as the man closest to the oak led the rest of the group around the sudden inferno, making them appear as if they too were shadows. Yet, the sharp squealing of their horses through the downpour spoke otherwise. The fire, however, spread quicker than any sickness, compelled by a deep-rooted rage that seeped through every fiber of the Azuren's being. Flames erupted and surrounded the King's Calvary in a wall of burning heat, rising as high as the great white oaks themselves. It pushed them toward the blazing oak at its center, without mercy and with no chance of escape.

The deafening roar of thunder echoed overhead as the rain pelted down in torrents, gradually advancing towards the Northern Mountains. The wind howled on, beckoning the raging storm further inland like a siren luring a sailor toward the sea. More tornadoes tore through the landscape, growing thinner as they twisted and turned as dancers caught in an ethereal waltz. The trees around her had gone mad; their branches whipping wildly as if reaching towards her like the backlash of a limber whip. Though she felt the impact of each strike against her numb flesh, the Azuren barely registered it. The rain turned to ice, stinging her hide like sharp shards as she desperately climbed forward toward the mountains ahead. Every inch of her ached with a mixture of searing heat and bone-chilling cold. But she could not give in to her body's screams for rest. Desperate and determined to reach the safety of the mountainside, the Azuren pushed herself harder, fighting against the strain in her muscles.

An explosion of pure white illuminated the surrounding wood with a dazzling flash so intense it caused the Azuren to stumble as she blindly leaped down the slope of a steep hill. Before striking the muddy ground, she caught herself with her right arm, plunging it deep into the thick and saturated mud. The impact sent shockwaves through her body, causing her jaw to nearly clench shut. A piercing cry confirmed she had punctured the skin, but there was no time. In her struggle to free herself, her left paw sunk further into the muck following her back legs. Panic flooded her veins in a rush of adrenalin as she recalled her harrowing tread across the wetlands hours before the storm had stirred the air. What ghostly horrors had watched her from within those tainted waters would forever haunt her memory. She had no choice but to cross those waters since there was so safe way to cross the wall and an entire ocean separating her and the lands beyond. The absence of dark murky eyes watching her yank her legs from the muck is far from reassuring as a chorus of menacing howls erupted from all directions. They grew louder with each voice blending into the next until the howling echoed through the wind and rain, bouncing back and forth between the mountains and hills. The sound seemed to rumble through her body, like being caught in the midst of a massive earthquake. Her whole body trembled while her ears rang with the intensity of the howls. The sound was distorted as it was disturbing, but the Azuren knew better than to be fooled by such tricks. Despite being drenched down to scentless if not still reeking of that terrible mire, she was still being tracked. If not by scent, then perhaps through the mark of enslavement bestowed across her throat left by a powerful sorcerer. There must be at least one among those who hunt her. Knowing this, she realizes that she cannot outrun them or hide from their magic for long.

She takes another breath, inhaling through her nose deeply. Her chest rose and fell with visible effort as she fought to keep her composure. Panic could not overthrow her here, not when she's come this far. With great effort, she yanked her left paw free before using her claws to dig out the other. She strained against the mud, squirming and pulling until her arm was finally free. Tugging forward, her hind legs followed. With a forceful shake of her body, the last remnants of the mud fell away. The Azuren staggered forward on wobbly legs, free from the mud but far from the true freedom she sought. Her determination to reach the Northlands had dwindled as her body started to revolt against her. Each stumble sent waves of adrenaline shooting through her body like needles, a fiery pain searing beneath numb flesh. Every breath felt like fire in her nostrils burning down her throat, as if she was being consumed from within by that same inferno. The burning sensation flared where the brand remained, a permanent reminder of what she endured. The memory of that scorching hot iron pressed against her neck causes another surge of pain to course through her. A muffled groan no more than a whisper trapped in her throat threatened to crush the bundle of blue fur locked between her teeth. Her pace slowed significantly then, remembering that sharp cry she had caused. Exerting all of her strength to avoid crushing the small creature, the Azuren did the only thing she could do.

She prayed to the only entity who had been present when she first regained consciousness. The one who had listened before.

As the howling winds and pouring rain enveloped her, the cold devoured her whole. The elements became a blur. Her body lurched forward now with dead weight, her paws sunk into the soppy earth. The sensation left the Azuren lifeless, a corpse tethered on strings and only reanimated by its maker to keep moving. She didn't feel present in the forest, in the storm, or tied to this earth. This body did not feel like hers. Thoughts drifting to irrational places, the Azuren found herself back in a dark unkept cell. A memory beyond her control, refusing to be ignored any longer. It had become an unrelenting force of torment and despair, an entity of its own accord prodding at the back of her mind until it forced itself in, bringing with it every single reminder of pain. Her throat locks up; it's suffocating. A heaviness so pronounced weighed down on her chest until the oppressed memories rushed at her like a pack of dogs. Suddenly, her legs gave out and her body collided with the wet earth far harder than it should have been. The small cub was heaved forward, free from the Azuren's maw. The pitiful thing tumbled into the brush with a cry that went unheard amidst the roaring storm. The sounds of her hunters had gone quiet, not even a howl to break through the rain.

Movement snagged her attention at every angle. Her head spun in circles only succeeding in making the Azuren ill. Her eyes refused to focus as her vision remained in a constant blur with the sway of the trees. She lay there on her side, feeling helpless as the weight on her chest pressed down harder. Each memory was a wave coaxed by fear and manifested into the crushing cold sea, threatening to drown her. Her eyes searched desperately for the cub, her anchor to reality, the only bind she had left, but all she could see were the tangled branches of dog brush scratching at the wind. Those darkly thin branches seemed to mimic the gnashing teeth and claws in her nightmares, snapping and slashing at the air in a manner that disturbed her. The motion ensnared her in full-fledged hysteria; deep citrine eyes widened as the memory became its own distorted entity once more.

The icy metal of the cell bars chilled her skin as she gripped them, faint traces of tooth marks marring the surface. Everywhere she looked there was another body, faces gaunt from hunger and desperation, straining against each other in a chaotic frenzy. A guttural snarl pierced her eardrums as two bodies fought for space. Every muscle in her body tensed at the sound of cracking bones and hollowed moans of pain until the returning void of silence fell. The silence did not last. With a single movement, chaos descended upon the cell. Ice-cold fear flooded the air as dog teeth snapped in unison against the rusted iron bars like panicked battle drums. Bodies, both living and dead, became a macabre mountain of skin stretched tightly across bone. Chained to the walls or to one another, nearly all of them bled hollow eyes that had yet to glimpse a ray of sunlight. Breath came shallow and choked with terror, fear was thick on every tongue, and the scent of feces and death clung to her nostrils. She heard the anguished wails of mothers mourning their stolen children while some screamed in anguish, but it was the rasping crack of a whip that silenced them all.

It came to her in a blaze of flashes as the echoing crack of the whip sent the others running to the farthest corners of their cells. Bodies piled over one another; the air thinned with smoke masking the sickly sweet scent of rot and fear. It pressed down upon her as she too coward back into the corner of her cell, struggling to breathe. The shadows that licked the floor showed a glimpse of the two men with twisted cruel features stalking between the rows of cells. Two predators searching for potential entertainment for the evening. They passed her by without interest for she had already been picked by the King himself. A fate she could not fathom being worse than a dog left to rot in the crypt. The fiery tongue of the whip moved in a perfect symphony with them; each snap demonstrated a mere pulse of their unsettling magic, leaving a wave of shudders down the backs of those in fear. Fear soon turned into panic when they opened a cell and dragged a dog pale as ash by the nap of her neck using a snare made of wire. Watching from her cell, she clasped her ears with the palms of her hands trying to block out the deafening screams. She could do nothing as the dog was dragged across the stone floors, choking on the snare crushing her windpipe as the men led her away. When they passed her cell once more, she saw the dog's frantic gaze begging for the help that would never come. It locked eyes with her, but she turned away too afraid to face such pain.

The Azuren never heard the door to the crypt shut, but the screaming continued to rise; the might of the storm a faint whisper away. Her eyes swelled with tears as the memory was slow to fade. The smell of smoke and rot lingered in her throat making her voice hoarse and dry. The weight on her chest was impossible to disregard as if she was indeed a corps sinking into the ground soon to be buried by the elements. As her vision remained cloudy, she frantically scanned the brush where the cub had tumbled into, remembering the child who had slipped from her grasp.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her face twisted in agony as black lips curled into a wordless plea. Her prayers had gone unanswered for so long while she was trapped in that dark crypt, and doubt began to creep into her heart. Why else would she be ignored? Tears streamed down her cheeks, the only movement in an otherwise still world. The screams, memories, and the storm that surrounded her all faded away into a tranquil silence. Even the rain stopped falling. As her body relaxed and her heart beat steadily, she felt like she was slipping into a peaceful dream.

And then she saw it, like a lantern illuminating in the darkness, it beckoned her closer.

The child's eyes opened for the first time since its birth, and within them glowed a vast ocean of crystalline blue hues. Mesmerized by their alluring and tranquil beauty, the Azuren sucked in a sharp breath. The child had only blinked, but the light in its eyes was gone, replaced by a black void compared to the dark around it. The sudden shift chilled the Azuren to her core. But it was a familiar coldness, one that soothed rather than hurt. Just like the storm, it seeped into her flesh and down into her bones but did not make them ache. The weight on her chest lifted, leaving her feeling lighter than she had been in a long time. It was that same cold that somehow lulled her into a peaceful slumber on the nights she couldn't stand being locked away. She welcomed the feeling graciously and as her body continued to feel less pain, the Azuren soon realized who had answered her prayers as it was not the same entity that pulled her from that deep death-like sleep. She looked at the cub before her, born from her own flesh and blood and given life from her undefiled womb. The Azuren had never been touched in that way, not even by the King as he forbade it. But life had been placed there inside her and she was starting to suspect it was for a reason. Deep down, that reason terrified her. The Azuren's gaze returned to child staring back, drawn solely by a whisper that seemed to have come from inside her head. It was a voice that did not belong to her and was unfamiliar to her ears.

'Hide her', it said.

Its hollowed eyes engulfed her while at the same time pushing every terrible memory away. Every tormenting thought fell into nothing. She rose slowly, as if in a trance as those dark eyes called to her. The icy chill came again as a touch along her cheek; a caress from the coldest winds she has ever felt, until that caress felt akin to cold hands gliding through her fur. It felt grounding, real, and she leaned into it with eyes fluttering shut. Those icy fingers traced the length of her neck, spreading out like multiple sets of hands exploring every inch of her body. She felt their cool embrace encompass her torso and down over her ribs; strong yet gentle, they slipped beneath her skin and into her muscles until they enveloped her heart like vines encircling a tree trunk. The Azuren's determination hardened as the final shreds of fear retreated deep into her core, coiling in her belly like a dry leaf in winter.

'You must hide her,' the voice says again. 'Hide her and flee.'

The breath she took was steady and slow, the cold embedded deep in her lungs. First came the rumble beneath her paws, the sound was a crash of cymbals alongside the roar of a giant bellowing beast in her ears. Then came the wind that rushed through the trees, striking her hard enough to take her breath away. But the Azuren remained still. Not even a flinch as the rain pounded down upon her like it had always been.

Flee. That word seemed to echo in the back of her skull because that was exactly what she had been doing. To reach the Northern mountains, a place she had only heard whispers of from the dogs trapped in that crypt. It was a place no one dared to cross into and a feat no non-northern blood had ever accomplished before. She knew the risks, and grasped the consequences of leaving His woods, but there was no turning back now. Fear had become something unrecognizable to her. Senses heightened, black lips parted to reveal perfect ivory teeth, the Azuren breathed out a slow, controlled exhale. A fierce snarl emerged from deep within her throat as she closed the gap between herself and the cub, never breaking eye contact. She moved in a way too precise and frightening, yet the cub remained vacant and unresponsive, all but its eyes that continued to whisper.

"You will live to see the sunrise," she drew out in a voice full of smoke and shadow. It was not her own voice, nor was it the one she had heard in her head. It was many that echoed long wintery nights where darkness resided, and they spoke together as one. The Azuren towered over the child and spoke as if declaring a revelation of a prophecy, "And you will walk amongst His earth and the very lands of the All-Mother, without fear and without weakness. You will flourish into something others will dread, something pure, and you will brave the violent seas of the All-Father to put an end to those who have tainted our lands and the lands of the All-Mother. As the blood of life is forged by flesh and fire, the soul is its malleable thread that tethers the body to this earth and to its maker, and woe betide the soul who dares defy its maker."

In one swift motion, the cub is plucked from the wet earth, and returned to its mother's jaws. She did not waver and carried the child to a nearby burrow beneath the base of an oak tree still rooted to the soil. The water fled from the burrow as if it were alive and terrified of the child now nestled inside. A lightning bolt streaked across the sky gloomily, illuminating the forest around them. The cold blackness that overtook the child's eyes revealed no hints of the alluring blue sea secluded someplace beneath. She doubted she would ever see those alluring eyes again. Another wave of cold hands swept over her, providing a sense of comfort, but she knew the truth behind that touch. The truth of what she needed to do to ensure her child would indeed see the sunrise. Darkness descended upon Wolf Woods once more, accompanied by a distant rumble she felt beneath her paws.

"You will not die here," she spoke softly, sounding more like herself than the words spoken before. And this she knew was true.

That word, flee, still lingered in the back of her head, a silent nudge from a bundle of light fingers. She ignored it, knowing exactly what must be done. Nothing mattered to her as long as the child lived. A moment passed before the child suddenly recoiled into the burrow, as if sensing what the Azuren must do. The cub retreated until the water settled over the hole, appearing as if it was never disturbed. The Azuren's ears flattened against her skull, twitching against the rain. A heartbeat passed before she too withdrew from the burrow. A small voice inside her head cried out, already knowing where her path ended. But there wasn't time to mourn. Her child would be safe, but the child would never truly belong to her. She realized this now. An invisible hand stroked the side of her cheek, feeling rougher than the hands that carried her to her paws. It too felt familiar and while it left chills in its wake, the touch encouraged the Azuren to follow His will. She had already been marked by the sorcerer, but she wasn't useless.

Speaking to a being only she knew was there, she whispered, "Hide her scent. She is yours to protect now." That coldness pressed against her, too stiff, a nudge and a warning. "Let the true King of the Dark Coniferous lead her home and keep her safe. Follow the hallowed flowers and uproot the bramble that binds Him."

Her voice sends ripples through the wind, each word echoing louder and stronger as her pace quickens. The Azuren turned swiftly and dashed through the forest in a flash of blue fur and dark streaks, utilizing her newfound strength to propel her toward her hunters. A maelstrom of fury coursed through her veins, pulsing like a heartbeat. Shadows gathered beneath her skin, blending through her fur like ink in water. With each thrust, the Azuren changed, evolving into something more - a shattering force that rose from within that demanded only one thing - one that screamed into existence, growing louder with each passing second until it consumed her entirely, feeding into the unquenchable rage that drove her forward.

Free Him! Free Him! Kill all who dare oppose Him!

The thoughts rang deafeningly in her head, morphing into an instinctive demand that could no longer be contained.

Lightning struck and the forest ignited. In a narrow clearing, a beat of stygian fur came lunging at one of the men on horseback. Despite her weakened state, and though ephemeral, she moved with precision as the recalcitrant Azuren turned on her hunters, becoming the savage beast that their kind once feared. Stentorian screams filled the air as fangs and claws tore into the horse's brawny forearm and chest, along with the hunter's leather-clad knee and upper thigh. More shouts followed the screaming, but their words were incomprehensible and held no sway over her actions. Wrath had consumed her very soul.

A gurgled scream echoed from the man's throat as she ascended his body, her sharp teeth piercing straight through his armor and into the flesh of his shoulder blade. His horse in a panic struggled to shake off both the additional weight of the Azuren and the rider himself, making it difficult for the poor animal to escape. A wave of agony coursed through the Azuren's body like a tremor. A sharp crack from the man's collarbone sent her into a thrashing frenzy that could not be stopped as she tried to rip the arm from his body. She felt the surge pull at her core, a sudden pleasure stemmed from the man's screams that urged that dark frenzy from within to continue. That pleasure and agony intertwined in a deadly embrace as feral as the onyx liquid shrouding her eyes. The Azuren's grip tightened as shadows enveloped her in a rippling fog. The metallic taste of blood pooled in her mouth, provoking an uncharacteristic savage sound that mimicked the man's gurgled scream—a sound that should not have come from an animal. In a swift motion, she wrenched the rider from his mount and he smacked the ground with a sickening crack that ended his screams abruptly. The horse then reared up in response to the Azuren still clinging to its back, squealing frantically as it tried to throw her off. Her claws shredded and sliced through its seal brown hide like warm clay, never fully catching a firm enough grip. She knocked the oil lamp from the stake tied to the saddle as she tried to hold on, causing a trail of blazing orange flame to ignite from the shattered glass surrounding them both. The horse bucked hard, and the force from the motion was just enough to throw the Azuren off balance. She fell sideways, colliding with the ground with a wet smack, and an arrow lodged deep in her hip. Though she hadn't felt it pierce her nor did she notice the other arrows strewn around her right away, the shadows covering her body started to flicker erratically like that of a dying flame. She felt a sudden weakness draping over her just as the cold had numbed her comfortably. But this didn't bring her comfort. Her heart sped faster and yet she couldn't move fast enough. Another arrow struck her side just below the ribs, igniting a burst of pain that was slow to fade. Those same cold hands pressed against her skin tenderly as if to apologize. Her eyes fluttered shut as she focused on their comforting touch one last time, taking shallower breaths.

The wounded horse took off with a piercing scream, sprinting through the mud only to disappear into the trees as several of the hunters reached the group scouting ahead. Instantly, a few of the wolfish beasts lurched after it, aroused by its fearful scent until a thunderous shout from a deep-voiced male called them back. Her eyes suddenly snapped open at the sound of that voice. Armed with ashen arrows and glistening bloodstone blades, the men surged forward creating a circle around the Azuren, their snarling beasts closing off all means of escape. All they needed was their master's command to attack. That same deep voice shouted something at her, possibly an order, but his words didn't process. It was if a shroud had fallen upon them and all she could see was his threatening expression that promised violence. As she rose cautiously, her body still tense, she sensed a certain familiarity. Her gaze suddenly shifted to a man closest to her, and that icy hand seized her still racing heart. It was a snare looped in his clenched fist, and the sound that left her should have reminded these men of her true nature - something far more dangerous than any predator in these lands. It was an unnatural sound emanating from a primal place within her, however, there was not a single trace of fear on their faces.

Her nostrils flared with a bone-chilling exhale as the air around her filled with charged energy similar to when the lightning bolt struck the oak. Except the tension in the air thinned, becoming colder as raindrops halted in mid-air. Everything seemed to stop around her. Even the trees had become still. And then the Azuren moved. Faster than the eye can track, she left no time for the men to respond before slamming into another rider. More shouts and painful cries flooded past her as she shredded the flesh of the horse's throat until it's squeals faded into a blissful silence. Both stead and its rider slammed into the earth along with another lantern, catching the now pinned man on fire. Flames followed her swift movements briefly, leaving a trail of bright white in her wake as she turned her attention to another rider. Arrows jutted through the air, several missing her entirely as she plunged into the dense brush for cover only to reappear moments later leaping onto the backend of a horse, and wrenching the rider off. The man's screams echoed as she dragged him with frightening speed back into the darkness of the surrounding tree line. The terrified horse bolted in the opposite direction as those same screams were immediately cut short. In that moment, the Azuren transformed into an unstoppable force of nature. A palpable aura of wrath emanated from her, shrouding her mind in a chilling mist until there were no rational thoughts left - only a burning desire for retribution.

Frustration and anger seeped through that same deep voice as he called out to the others, but she struck faster than their arrows could make their mark and more lethal than their swords. She leaped from the darkness again and again moving with fluid grace; the hard features of her face illuminated by the light of their lanterns each time a hunter's eyes met hers before she ripped them apart. She fled back into the darkness once more, but the next rider she targeted was no hunter. At the last second, she's struck off balance by an invisible force that hurled her out into the open of the clearing. She rolled briefly, catching herself in a crouch before whirling around at the sound of a growling hound. One of the wolfish beasts caught up with her, one that resembled a big black dog with thick fur and a tail nearly as long as its well-formed body. The beast gave her no time to process where that force had come from as it made no hesitation to close the distance between them. It charged with a gaping maw full of sharp ashen teeth only to miss after she deftly maneuvered its attack. With preternatural speed, she twisted herself around to seize hold of the beast's throat before tearing out the jugular, soaking the ground in its blood. As more arrows rained down on her, a handful struck her body causing her to stagger long enough for another wolfish beast to attack from behind. She twisted around again, darting to evade those sharp teeth, but at a cost, as the impact of a bulkier body came crashing into her. It knocked her to the ground, expelling the air from her lungs and causing the stillness around them all to shatter. The full weight of the storm came crashing back in a heavy downpour along with the searing pain that those cold hands tried so hard to smother away. Slowly her eyes fought to focus, but a deep exhaustion was taking hold of her. She knew if she gave in to this exhaustion, she wouldn't be able to get back up. But a physical weight was preventing her from moving. One that had claws digging into her flesh and teeth baring close to her face.

Distant murmurs filled her eardrums as her chest burned with the first gulp of air she was able to take. The coldness that held her was receding, and that deep voice was becoming more distinguishable. Her eyes struggled to find him, not the one that deep voice belonged to, but the one she once trusted. And eventually, they did find him. Familiar once, but now another monster, those hellish eyes peered out from beneath a hood adorned with silver trim. She stared a nearly empty look.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be, Lucinda," he said sternly, causing her to flinch at the sound of that gods awful name. It was engraved onto the very jeweled collar that the king had fastened across her neck like some prized pet. But that wasn't her name. It had never been her name, and he had never once used it with her before.

Her eyes slowly shifted to the other man beside him, another familiar face in long dark robes embodied with silver lions. The king's advisor sneered her way, spitting out each word with venom. "You've demonstrated well enough how much you value your life, despite the kindness of His Majesty in welcoming you and giving you a purpose. Yet you dare defy His Majesty's generosity and take what rightfully belongs to him? How dare you. You have already pushed his patience to its limit, but continue to pursue this act of defiance and there will be no mercy left for you, nor will there be a place dark enough for His Majesty to place you in. Now, tell us where your cub is before I make you regret ever crossing the crown."

The Azuren's discomfort was evident in the way she snarled and shook, despite the heaving weight of the beast holding her down. The mere mention of the name evoked an emotional response that she struggled to conceal. Her tail flicked back and forth at a rapid pace as the shadows around her started to fully disappear. Soon her fur returned to its original blue hue as her strength diminished to almost nothing. The force that had been weighing her down had finally let go, but she remained still as the beast stalked around her. She found that she couldn't move much, as exhaustion clung to her bones.

The sorcerer's intense stare narrowed as he leaned forward. His words had never been so cold, but they forced her gaze to meet his. They were insistent now, those words, drawn out painfully slowly in a vain attempt to get her to speak, "Tell me. Where. Did. You. Hide. Her."

Her response was faint, almost a snarl with no real language as she struggled to stand on her trembling paws. But it attracted the attention of another large beast, one that loomed over her as the embodiment of an eternal night. Only then did she realize there were two of them now, both feline and equally powerful. Their fierce crimson eyes bored into her own, causing her to recoil out of instinct from the wave of fear that washed over her. There would be no escaping them again, as they were not like dogs or wolves.

Only then did she muster the courage to glance back at the sorcerer, whose intense gaze had never left hers. For the first time, she realized, since they'd spoken, she had never been afraid of him until now. "I will not ask again," he said, his tone steady, but there was a sharpness to it.

Behind the sorcerer and the king's advisor stood another individual watching, listening. The top half of his face was hidden beneath the hood of his cloak similar to the sorcerer's, but the trim is crimson, not silver like all sorcerers wore. She did not recognize him or his cloak. The only visible feature was his chiseled jawline which made him appear timeless; youthful and indifferent to those in his presence. He was slightly taller than the sorcerer too, even while seated on horseback. Something about how he was sitting atop the animal seemed off to her; he appeared calm, unbothered by what was happening around him. Still, she stood as firm as her legs would hold her; she had come too far to give up now.

The Azuren opened her mouth wide, eliciting a loud hiss that only made the stranger beside the sorcerer react. But it wasn't the reaction she was expecting. He grinned, the expression sending a wave of anxiety to wash over her in that same form of fear she always felt when looking into the predatory eyes of those felines. But his eyes...they were identical as he pulled down his hood. The muscles in her body tightened and she instinctively shrunk back.

"Not very feisty now, are you?" the stranger said in that deep voice. Those burning crimson eyes flickered over to a remaining hunter to the Azuren's left. The one holding the snare. Her heart dropped in sheer terror. The hunter's face stretched into a sickeningly wide smile. He looked as if he had prepared for this day all his life.

"If you won't tell us where you hid your cub, " he continued in that deep grated voice, that grin now gone from his face, "well then, we'll just have to look for her, don't we?"

No.

"Henrik, if you will," he gave the young hunter a crude nod, "subdue her."

NO.

"Yes, sir," Henrik answered right away.

Her frantic gaze shifted back to the sorcerer searching for his aid, but he remained stoic and unresponsive. She couldn't let them take her alive. She wouldn't be thrown back into that crypt. Her bowels liquified, and all she could think was of the bugs eating into her flesh as she screamed, bringing with them a slow and painful death. They would seal her away in one of the tombs. Hidden and forgotten. No. She wouldn't go. She'd rather snap her own neck than be buried alive. The pounding of her heart was so fierce that she believed the dreadful felines could feel every beat in her chest, the quivering of her legs through the soil. They could certainly hear it. The sound of a bowstring being pulled taut jolted her into motion and she lunged without warning towards Henrik. She would not live long enough for them to snare her. She would make sure of that.

The arrow met flesh before the two felines reached her, lodging itself in the side of her throat. Teeth like serrated blades sunk into her hind legs, yanking her back to the ground. She hit the wet earth hard enough that her vision blurred to near blackness and starlight. The pain was unbearable, her screams shrill and gut-wrenching as she felt her legs crack under the pressure of the feline's jaws. The Azuren doesn't hear the sorcerer's words being yelled through the air as agony invades her veins like a searing fervor. The man with crimson eyes uttered some incomprehensible phrase as she desperately fought against the teeth still embedded in her limbs. Blood pooled in her lungs, and a wet croaking sound reverberated from her lips every time she coughed. A twisted snarl contorted her face as she gurgled on her own blood. Dark drool dripped from blackened teeth, trailing down her neck. Her ghastly screaming ceased when an arrow punctured her eye, which left her body completely limp. Only then do the two felines let go.

"Find her! Find the child!" Came the words spoken by the tall man cloaked in blackened ore and crimson trim. He sat atop his silvery mount, a strange red stone concealed beneath the fabric across his chest. The hood of his cloak had been yanked down over his face. "Go quickly!" he shouted again in that voice deep and unnatural. He yanked on the reins to lead the horse away from the dead Azuren and all those who lay injured or worse. She had killed few but caused injury to many — at the snap of his fingers, those who were still breathing seemed to die before his very eyes. The remaining hunters looked on in horror, yet the sorcerer settled himself on his horse, unbothered— as if this show of power is an everyday occurrence for him, same with the king's advisor who had already begun turning his steed. The sorcerer spared another glance at the body of the Azuren, not entirely pleased with her death before leading his horse away. His movements seemed almost reluctant, and that caught the taller man's attention. Crimson eyes linger on the sorcerer, as the wolfish and feline beasts follow his stare.

"Leave them," The sorcerer said when few still held their gazes on the fallen. He cleared his throat and barked out the order, "You heard your lord, now move!"

The sorcerer's demand echoed through his men as the lord's uncanny stare slowly swept over them in unison to the beasts moving closer to his side. Both lord and beast watched on as the men began to split into pairs, until one after another a beast or two started to trail them. One of the groups hurriedly passed by a burrow just as quickly as the lightning overhead, without noticing the child hiding somewhere beneath. Two gigantic black dogs shadowed the riders along with a larger feline. With eyes as red as freshly spilled blood, they scoured eagerly through the downpour, tearing up soil with every harsh grasp of earth in their paws. Their bulky bodies rushed by the burrow in a matter of seconds, without knowing what they were leaving behind. The sorcerer's mark had not touched the child's throat like it had her mother's, making her as hidden as one could be from magic.

Another shout coming from one of the riders further away was barely heard through the wind and rain. His shouting became muted as thunder rumbled and shook the ground beneath in a vicious uproar as the sky overhead whirled luminously. A sequence of lightning bolts tore across the sky one after another and then another, violently striking near each of the groups like that of the claws of an enraged sky god seeking to rid his woodlands of the intruders creating impulsive mayhem. The thunder that came after shuddered the ground to which the trees groaned and shook arduously.

"We should leave. There's no point in searching with this storm raging over our heads." Hollered one rider to the other. It was a man bound in onyx opaque armor with a noble's sword resting in its decorative hold at his hip. His face was shadowed against the darkness of the woods, and when lightning tore through again, his features lit across wet sable skin mirroring the other rider to his right. The other looked many years younger than the rider to the left. Both wielding crimson eyes as they looked at one another. An understanding passed through their held gaze. Before the younger rider could respond, one of the larger black beasts snarled from behind, drawing their attention.

"What of the child?" asked a guttural voice through the maw of the larger black beast. Its bulky body loomed out of the darkness with crushing red eyes that narrowed at the older rider before slowly settling its sights on the much younger man. Its torn lip curled slightly in a twisted smile as it added, "Or have you become cowardly, boy?"

An anxious hand gripped the sword's hilt fully prepared to draw it, but the older rider placed his arm out to steady him. The look he gave was one of warning, but as they both took in the malicious sky weighing in the dangers happening all around them, the younger rider let go of his sword's hilt. Instead, he gripped the reins of his horse to steady them both, then gave a curt nod toward the older rider.

He looked to the beast first, leaving his arm extended out over the younger rider, the action to some extent protective, and said, "The storm will likely drown the cub if the cold hadn't killed it already. It is not worth the risk, and the storm is only getting worse the longer we stay out here."

The beast only bared its teeth further, that twisted smile turning feral on the older rider, "You would disobey the words of his lord and the King because you are afraid of the weather, dear Knight?"

"We won't be able to find anything if the scent is gone," the other beast replied as it stepped forward, not looking at the men on their mounts, but instead at its kin. The snarling beast angrily turned its attention to the other, red eyes blazing wickedly but listened as the other continued. "The cub isn't branded like the mother. Perhaps we should wait out the storm and return once the rain has settled and scents return."

"You would side with the Knight, Taque?" The beast's fangs seemed to extend as its lips curled back in that same twisted smile, challenging him.

"It is better to be wise than act as foolish as you are now," the other beast, Taque, added sternly and turned to the Knight without giving the other beast time to speak. "I will speak with them," he said. Taque then turned, becoming nothing more than the surrounding darkness moving unseen through the wind and rain. Without waiting for a response from the other beast, the knight gripped the other rider's reins as he hauled both their horses around, uttering the words, "Come on. We will regroup at Stilwell."

With the few wolves still at their sides, the two riders fled south. The beast lingered behind, watching them fade with its heightened vision, eventually wandering off to search for the others.

Another pair of riders withdrew from the woods in alarm at the thunderous boom that shook the trees from beneath the earth. Seconds after, three others came rushing out of the trees nearly colliding with the pair that darted out of the way last moment, swearing loudly through the storm. Their wolves fled to their sides, the sheer panic showing in their frantic eyes as they all ushered south.

"Cowards, the lot of you," the black beast snarled lowly to himself as he bolted after the riders.

Before catching up to any of them, another sequence of lightning bolts touched down in their path. One pierced a horse and its rider in two, killing them both at once, and then a wolf whose hind legs had been severed down to the bones yet remained alive. The storm's wrathful uproar swallowed up its dreadful cries as the flaccid creature was left behind without pause. Muffled shouts followed the remaining riders as the black beast reluctantly withdrew with them, having been summoned by the hooded man who wielded no weapon. The red jewel illuminated unearthly abnormal light in his gloved hand that made the lower part of his face visible as he murmured an inaudible tongue. Once the beast and its kin had passed him, his lips fell still. In one swift motion, he concealed his jewel beneath his cloak and took off. With a final flash in the wake of its rapturous thunder, all the riders, wolves, and their beasts were gone.

As the hours passed, the storm began dying down to a gentle downpour. All wind had eased, the fires long gone, leaving the Wolf Woods dark, and wounded. Gradually the rain quelled as clouds departed from a sky littered with stars and a waxing moon. The moon cast a faint light across the gloomy wet woodlands that fell into an unsettling quiet.

The glowing haze, brought on by the moon, lit a path for the small cub to follow as she emerged from the abandoned burrow unscathed. Her empty eyes looked into the sky first and she stared. Flecks of stars filled those wide eyes until the entirety of the night sky reflected in that vast darkness. Silently the cub broke away and moved on. Small paws sauntered through the soft wet earth following the lingering stench of blood that remained in the air mixing with the earthy smell kindred with the rain. Eventually, the cub came to a small clearing where her mother's body lay soundless, nearly peaceful. The stench of blood pooled around her silent frame, leaking from the arrows embedded in her moonlit hide. And if it weren't for those arrows and blood, the cub would have believed she lay sleeping. Not a sliver of emotion was shown through the cub's inky gaze. She blinked twice, slowly, and calmly, but no tears were ever shed. Wordlessly the cub crawled over her mother's legs and curled up against the tigress's throat where the blood smelled strongest. Here she curled up against her mother's still warm body and rested her little head on her paws, not seeming to mind the blood and muck that stuck to them. Black eyes continued to blink slowly as the hours passed slowly. Soon the stars would fade, the sky would change, and she would finally feel the warmth of the sun.