Prologue

The woods were quiet, eerie, as though the creatures of the forest had decided to hide away from the night. Perhaps they had, for it was the night of the full moon, and only the bravest, most courageous beings chose to stay out after the hour of midnight. Only the wind whistling through the trees, and the waterfall pouring over the cliffside could be heard in the darkness, and even these sounds were uncanny, almost sinister. Even the crickets did not dare to make a sound. In this absurd silence, the world itself seemed to stop moving. Maybe it would have - had there not been a tall, gray wolf to disrupt the night’s stillness. He moved slowly through the wood; twigs cracking underfoot and every breath seemed to be the loudest breath he had every taken. His bright yellow eyes never blinked, and a scar along his left shoulder reflected one of the many battles he had survived as Pack Leader. Though he was hardly ever fearful of another wolf, the forest’s silence disturbed him, and though he would never admit it, he always felt uneasy on the night of the full moon. 

He was almost at the forest’s edge now, and he could now see the edge of the cliff, a massive rock pointing out over the gorge. Taking a deep breath, the old wolf stepped onto the rock. He felt his heart start to beat a little faster as the wind ruffled through his fur, and he tried not to wonder if it was a spirit. 

“Magni.” The whisper seemed to come from the sky itself, and its voice shook the wolf leader to his core. It always did - every month since he had won his leadership, he had come down to the edge of the gorge to speak with the draug. The ancestors always had something to tell him, but Magni had quickly discovered that they rarely ever gave them answers. Rather, the spirits spoke in prophecies; in frustratingly complicated prophecies. 

“I am here.” Magni barked, and not a stutter or a whimper shook his voice, for he was trained in keeping his outward appearance confident, even when he was internally shaking in fear. He truly hated speaking with the draug, but he could never let them know it.

“It is good to see you again, Pack Leader.” This time, the whisper came from behind him, and Magni turned his head away from the gorge and back to the forest, where he saw a pair of bright, orange eyes watching him. These eyes had no body, and the face they were attached to was not a physical one, but a ghostly, transparent outline of a stark white wolf who had once been a member of the River Pack, but was now a faded spirit, a draug, who could now only contact the living on the night of the full moon. 

“It is good to see you too, Tia.” Magni straightened himself up, turning his body entirely to face the draug. His left ear flicked in uncertainty, and he cursed himself for having shown such a sign of weakness in front of his ancestor. He had to get through this. The sooner he talked to the starry figure, the sooner he could return to his pack, 

“I have no real news from the River Pack. We are strong and well-fed, for spring has been good to us so far.”

“I am glad to hear it.” The orange eyes pierced Magni’s, and the ghost’s mouth was so transparent that he could hardly see it move, “The River Pack’s good health is essential for its survival, Magni. Especially during these times. You have seen what Hati can do. Do not forget; he is still out there, and now, there is a pup who share his blood.” 

Magni’s eyes widened, and his lips pulled back into a light snarl, “I hope, Tia, that you are not accusing me or any my packmates of false loyalty. The pup you speak of is the child of my mate, Luna. All of our children have the purest of blood any wolf could ask for, and they would never turn against us.” 

The orange eyes continued to glisten in the darkness, and they showed no emotion - no pity, nor judgement. 

“I appreciate your trust in them, Magni. I hope it is not proven wrong. I am aware that most of her pups are yours - but you know there is one who is not.”  The chilling eyes of the draug seemed to burn brighter. 

Magni’s fur was beginning to spike up in anger. How dare she bring Luna’s ex-mate into this?

“The pups are all mine now!” He snarled, “I raised them, I cared for them. Do you doubt my leadership, draug?” 

The ghost-wolf did not answer him. Instead, she blinked her fiery, blazing eyes and spoke in a softer, kinder voice,

“We are running out of time.” This time, she spoke with a sudden whisper, “The draugs have been sent a message, and it is essential that I give it to you.” Her face was beginning to fade into the night, becoming more and more transparent until her bright, orange eyes were the only parts left visible to the living world. 

“What is it?” Magni barked, “Tell me! Tell me now!” 

The she-draugs eyes were fading as well, and they were now becoming one with the dark woods that stood behind her. When she spoke again, her voice was beginning to crack and the words flowing out of her mouth were like those of a witch,

“Beware the wolf as dark as night, 

Fear thy howl, and dread thy bite.” 

Then the orange eyes of the draug suddenly turned red, blazing like fire for a second or two, and Magni had to shut his own eyes to protect them from the bright glow. When he opened them again, the draug had vanished entirely, and the forest had returned to its previous silence. For a moment, Magni dared not move. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins as his heart raced in his chest. He was used to experiencing a similar feeling of nausea and terror after his experiences with the dead wolves, but tonight it had been worse. He had met Tia many times, but he had never seen her eyes blaze like that. She had looked worse than a ghost; she had looked like a demon. 

As the cold air swept through Magni’s fur, the Pack Leader felt a shudder wrack his body, and he knew it wasn’t only from the cold. 

Taking a deep breath in, and then exhaling out, Magni forced his legs to move. One step at a time, he made his way off the rock and back onto the forest floor. All the while, he kept his tail lowered to the ground and his head lowered in fear. The shine of the full moon lit up the woods to light the way back to his camp and Magni quickened his pace, hurriedly making his way home. It was not until he reached the peak of the gorge that he straightened himself and forced himself to keep his head up.

It’s just a stupid draug. He told himself, There’s nothing wrong with my pack. My pups are all loyal, well-trained packmates. They would never do anything to harm us.

But as much as he tried, he couldn’t keep himself from remembering a young dark-furred she-wolf. He remembered the times when he had trotted into the den to check on his sons, and he had seen her pinning them down and biting them. Of course, all pups wrestled - but she had been noticeably more aggressive than any of his sons had ever been. 

It’s her father’s blood in her. The thought entered his head, and he shook it away. She never knew her father - and she never will. She will grow up to be as kind as Luna, and as fair as me. 

He pushed through a bramble bush, and passed into an opening, where a smaller gorge lay out before him, filled with dens in the sides of the walls where wolves lay sleeping in peace, and Magni knew he would do whatever it took to protect his pack.

And if she ever gives me a reason to doubt her, he thought, as he looked over his beloved home, I’ll exile her myself. 

Author's Note

Just looking for any kind of constructive feedback - what do you think I could improve on? Regarding story, grammar, dialogue - anything you think needs constructive feedback. And let me know if there's anything you like about it too :) Thanks!

Reviews

[Emily Y]

Hello! I love this! Although it sounds more of a first chapter than a prologue. My suggestion is to always write the prologue first, because the prologue shouldn't be the very beginning of your story, more like the best snippet of the center of the story that intrigues readers, but doesn't give too much away. I love this ominous, spiritual tone you've set, and Magni has a very strong voice. The draugs are really an interesting concept, because I haven't heard many stories of wolves having anscestors to communicate with. I'd totally read this if it were a book.