The Betrayer
The setting of the sun, gave the world an almost alien look, sending chills down the spine of approaching Tenneths who had been sent to scout the area. Roving bands of dangerous wolves, known as Purists, had been seen in the area. Purists were wolves who were against any mixing of the Packs, believing that pure blooded wolves of their elements were better off in their separate territories, away from each other. So that there would be no possibility of hybrid wolves appearing, since in the eyes of these Purists, hybrids were against the wish of the Gods and to let them exist would be a sin. Of course, the squad of Tenneths on patrol here were given orders to cut off these Purists from a newly settled Dimitrois colony between the Cancius Volcanoes and the ancient forest of the Avens.
One of only a handful of mixed-pack colonies inside Tenneth territory, this mostly Dimitrois settlement, could not be allowed to be hit by a band of Purists. It would only stir up more trouble, and give the Council of Packs more trouble to deal with in an already tough time as it was almost time for the Winter moon celebration. Probably one of the few celebrations that almost all the packs celebrated at once.
It was this future event that the squad leader, Roman, was thinking about. Of his mate and their surviving cubs of many yesteryears ago coming together again for the first time in awhile. It made him thankful for the Council of Packs, since they ended the wars, letting most Tenneth forces to go back to their homes and families instead of fighting to control the borders of their territory. He sighed, and it was this moment that one his young scouts came running.
"Sir, Sir!" He came to a stop in front of his squad leader, panting, "We found something! You have to see it!"
Roman was surprised, and instantly aware of the fear in his younger trainee. "What is it?"
"A monster of some sort."
*****
Inside the dark depths of a cave on the outskirts of what once was solely Tenneth territory, an abnormal wolf hid. A monster of a wolf, quietly panicking about the sounds of approaching wolves.
It gulped, unintentionally letting out a small whine.
The approaching paws stopped.
This time they started for sure in it's exact position. It let out a heavy breathe and it wasn't until the strangers' claws clicked on stone that it let out a snarl that sounded more like a roar. They were too close, and for sure, they had seen it.
The sound of it's aggressiveness snarling echoed in the cave it hiding in. It's tail swished against the cave wall as it stepped forward to pivot before walking into the cave wall, not seeing how close it actually was, and unintentionally scraping it's face against the harsh stone. The sound of metal hitting stone was loud, startling the Tenneths. It was a mistake for it to have moved, as the sudden feeling of heat made it stop for just a moment. Flames had been brought forth by the Tenneths.
"What is it?" A voice, smooth and barely gruff at all. Male. Young.
"I don't know. It's... Go get Roman." Older, more gruff, male. The one in charge. So far, only two of them had chosen to speak, but it was sure there were five of them. Maybe six. Scouts? Whoever they were, it had been cornered. By Tenneths no less. What a mess.
The monster licked it's teeth, and waited, wondering if it were worth the risk to try and escape. It probably wasn't a good idea. And yet, it's enemies also thought it wise to stay back and block the only exit. It was a standoff.
"Can you speak? Do you have a name? What are you?" The youngest voice spoke, letting his curiosity get the better of him. The monster was sure he'd get scolded for speaking out of turn... and within seconds, the older voice spoke, "Quiet. We don't want to stir the monster up."
It growled, "I have a name." The voice was obviously female.
The Tenneths stopped breathing for a second, and the sound of the nervous movement brought the monster's ears forward, straining to catch every bit of sound that would suggest an attack. "What is it? Your name."
Silence passed by, only accompanied by the hot breathe of the creature. When finally, with a deep inhale, she let the word fall out alongside the exhale. "Blue." Her jaws closed softly, only letting the sound of her breathing to fill the tense atmosphere.
She wondered how long this standoff would last before someone made a move. Apparently, she didn't have to wait long, because after several minutes that had also come with the arrival of this 'Roman' wolf, someone had moved too suddenly and Blue reacted by puffing up her hackles and lunging forward to snarl. This was quickly met with rowdy snarls and lick of heat searing her nose. Fire.
She jumped back, knocking her read end into the back of the cave especially scraping her hocks against the uneven stone. She almost lost her sense of balance and staggered to the right, hitting the side of her head against the wall. The metal she wore had taken the brunt of the impact, but to the Tenneths, it made them wonder at this strange creature in front of them.
Was it really a wolf? Why didn't it have eyes? Who could have wounded it so much?
In the end, after hours of watching it, a group had been stationed there to keep it confined, while their squad leader had dispatched a messenger to their Tenneth ambassador. Naming a few specific wolves to come see what they had found. Of course the squad leader wondered how this creature had known such high ranking and legendary wolves. Mydnyte. Durandel. Nova. Vesta. He wondered if they would come.