SWNOVELS Chapter 35
The swirling vortex of the Veil of Storms deposited Lyra and Fenris on solid ground with a disorienting lurch. As the world steadied around them, they found themselves in a vast, primordial forest. Ancient trees towered overhead, their gnarled branches intertwining to form a dense canopy that filtered the sunlight into dappled patterns on the forest floor.
Lyra blinked, her senses overwhelmed by the sheer vitality of their surroundings. The air hummed with magic, more potent and wild than anything she had experienced before. Beside her, Fenris tensed, his ears swiveling as he scanned their new environment.
“Where are we?” Lyra whispered, afraid to break the profound silence that enveloped them.
Fenris shook his head, his brow furrowed. “I’m not sure, but something about this place feels… familiar. Like a half-remembered dream.”
As they took in their surroundings, Lyra became aware of a gentle tug at the edge of her consciousness. The artifacts they carried pulsed with energy, responding to the magical ambiance of the forest. She closed her eyes, focusing on the sensation.
“The artifacts,” she murmured. “They’re trying to tell us something. I think… I think they want us to go that way.” She pointed deeper into the forest, where the trees seemed to grow even larger and more ancient.
Fenris nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “Then that’s where we’ll go. Stay close, love. There’s no telling what we might encounter here.”
They set off, picking their way carefully through the underbrush. The forest seemed to shift and change around them, paths appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye. More than once, Lyra found herself disoriented, relying on the steady pull of the artifacts to guide their way.
As they walked, Fenris’s unease grew. His fur stood on end, a low growl rumbling in his chest. “We’re being watched,” he said softly, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow.
Lyra reached for her magic, ready to defend them if necessary. But before she could respond, a voice rang out through the trees – deep, resonant, and achingly familiar to Fenris.
“Well, well. Look what the cosmic winds have blown in.”
Fenris whirled, his sword half-drawn before he froze in shock. Stepping out from behind a massive oak was a wolf unlike any Lyra had ever seen. His fur was a deep, midnight black, shot through with streaks of silver that seemed to shimmer and move in the dappled sunlight. His eyes gleamed with an intelligence that spoke of centuries of accumulated wisdom.
“Shadowfang,” Fenris breathed, his voice a mixture of reverence and trepidation.
The black wolf’s muzzle curved in what might have been a smile. “It’s been a long time, young one. Though I suppose you’re not so young anymore, are you?”
Lyra looked between Fenris and the newcomer, sensing the weight of history between them. “Fenris?” she asked softly. “Who is this?”
Fenris swallowed hard, his ears flattening against his head in a gesture of submission that Lyra had never seen from him before. “This is Shadowfang. He was… he was my alpha. The leader of my pack, before I left.”
Understanding dawned on Lyra. She had known, in an abstract way, that Fenris had once belonged to a pack. But he spoke of that time so rarely, and with such pain in his eyes, that she had never pressed for details.
Shadowfang’s gaze shifted to Lyra, his eyes narrowing as he took in her human form and the magical aura that surrounded her. “And who might you be, little mage? You carry great power, and yet you smell of… mortality.”
Lyra straightened, meeting the alpha’s gaze steadily. “My name is Lyra. I’m Fenris’s mate and partner in our quest to prevent the unraveling of reality.”
A low chuckle rumbled through Shadowfang’s chest. “Mate, is it? How far you’ve come from the pup who swore he would never bow to anyone or anything.” His tone held a mixture of amusement and something darker, more challenging.
Fenris bristled at the words, taking a protective step closer to Lyra. “People change, Shadowfang. I’ve found my place, my purpose.”
“Have you now?” Shadowfang’s voice took on a harder edge. “And what of your duty to the pack? The oaths you swore?”
Before Fenris could respond, the underbrush rustled. More wolves emerged from the shadows – a dozen, maybe more. They moved with the fluid grace of apex predators, forming a loose circle around Lyra, Fenris, and Shadowfang.
Lyra’s heart raced, her fingers itching to call forth her magic. But she held back, sensing that any show of aggression would only escalate the situation. Instead, she placed a calming hand on Fenris’s arm, silently urging him to remain steady.
Shadowfang’s gaze swept over his pack before returning to Fenris. “You left us, abandoned your kin without a word. And now you return, on the eve of the greatest battle our kind has ever faced.”
Fenris’s ears pricked forward at that. “Battle? What do you mean?”
A ripple of unease passed through the assembled wolves. Shadowfang’s expression darkened. “The Veil grows thin, reality itself threatens to unravel. Surely you’ve sensed it, even in your self-imposed exile.”
Lyra stepped forward, her voice steady despite the tension thrumming through her body. “That’s why we’re here. We seek to prevent the cataclysm, to restore balance to the cosmic tree.”
Shadowfang’s eyes narrowed, a calculating gleam entering their depths. “Is that so? And how do you propose to accomplish such a monumental task, little mage?”
In answer, Lyra reached for the artifacts they carried. As she drew them forth, they blazed to life, their combined power filling the clearing with radiant energy. The assembled wolves drew back, some whining softly at the display.
Shadowfang, however, seemed unimpressed. “Ah, the fabled elemental artifacts. So, you fancy yourselves the chosen ones, come to save us all.” His tone dripped with sarcasm.
Fenris growled low in his throat, his patience wearing thin. “We don’t claim to have all the answers, Shadowfang. But we’re trying to make a difference, to save not just our world, but all worlds.”
“Noble sentiments,” Shadowfang replied, his voice cold. “But sentiment alone will not be enough to face what’s coming. You need strength, unity, the power of the pack.” With a flick of his tail, Shadowfang signaled to his wolves. They moved forward as one, closing the circle tighter around Lyra and Fenris.
“What are you doing?” Fenris demanded, his hackles rising.
Shadowfang’s eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity. “Claiming what’s ours. You swore an oath, Fenris. Blood of the pack, now and always. It’s time you remembered where you truly belong.”