SWNOVELS Chapter 36
Lyra’s grip on Fenris’s arm tightened. “Fenris is his own person. He doesn’t belong to anyone but himself.”
A low, menacing chuckle rumbled through Shadowfang’s chest. “Such naivety. You know nothing of our ways, human. The pack is everything. Individual desires mean nothing in the face of our greater purpose.”
Fenris stepped forward, placing himself between Lyra and Shadowfang. “And what purpose is that? To hide in the shadows, to let the world burn around us?”
Shadowfang’s muzzle curled in a snarl. “To survive. To ensure our kind endures, no matter the cost. The old magics are stirring, Fenris. The barriers between worlds grow thin. Soon, the hunting grounds of our ancestors will be open to us once more.” Understanding dawned on Lyra, horror creeping through her veins. “You’re not trying to prevent the cataclysm. You want to use it, to expand your territory into other realms.”
“Clever girl,” Shadowfang purred, his tail swishing in anticipation. “The cosmic tree may burn, but from its ashes, we will forge a new order. One where our kind rules supreme across all realities.”
Fenris shook his head, disgust evident in every line of his body. “You’re mad, Shadowfang. This isn’t preservation, it’s conquest. Destruction on a scale beyond imagining.”
“It’s evolution,” Shadowfang countered. “The strong survive, the weak perish. It is the way of nature, the way it has always been.”
Lyra’s mind raced, trying to find a way out of their increasingly dire situation. The artifacts thrummed with power, eager to be unleashed. But in such close quarters, surrounded by Shadowfang’s pack, any attack would likely result in a bloodbath.
Fenris seemed to sense her dilemma. He caught her eye, a silent message passing between them. Whatever happened, they would face it together.
Shadowfang’s patience had clearly run out. With a sharp bark, he issued a command to his pack. “Restrain them. The human we’ll use as leverage. Fenris… it’s time to remind you of your true nature.”
The wolves lunged forward, teeth bared and claws extended. Lyra raised her hands, magic crackling at her fingertips. But before she could release it, Fenris let out a roar that shook the very trees around them.
“ENOUGH!”
Power exploded outward from Fenris, raw and primal. The charging wolves were thrown back, yelping in surprise and pain. Even Shadowfang stumbled, his eyes widening in shock.
Fenris stood tall, his form seeming to grow larger, more imposing. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of mountains, the fury of storm-tossed seas. “I am not the pup you once knew, Shadowfang. I’ve seen worlds you can’t imagine, faced trials that would break lesser beings. I’ve loved and lost and found my true self.”
The clearing fell silent, every eye fixed on Fenris. Lyra watched in awe as he continued, his words resonating with a power she had never felt from him before.
“You speak of pack, of loyalty. But true loyalty isn’t blind obedience. It’s standing up for what’s right, even when it’s difficult. It’s protecting those who cannot protect themselves. It’s sacrificing your own desires for the greater good.”
Fenris turned, his gaze sweeping over the assembled wolves. Some cowered back, while others stared at him with a mixture of fear and dawning respect.
“I left because I could no longer follow a leader who had lost his way. But I never forgot the lessons of the pack. Strength in unity, yes, but also compassion. Wisdom. The understanding that we are all connected, all part of something greater than ourselves.”
He looked back at Shadowfang, his eyes blazing with an inner fire. “You’re right about one thing. A great change is coming. But it’s not an opportunity for conquest. It’s a call to action, a chance to heal the wounds in the very fabric of reality.”
Lyra stepped forward, her hand finding Fenris’s. As their fingers intertwined, the artifacts they carried pulsed with renewed energy. The magic spread outward, enveloping the clearing in a soft, multi-hued glow.
Shadowfang’s eyes darted between them, uncertainty replacing his earlier arrogance. “What… what is this power?”
“It’s hope,” Lyra answered softly. “The power to mend what’s broken, to bring harmony where there is discord. It’s what we’ve been fighting for, what we’re willing to die for if necessary.”
Fenris nodded, his voice gentler now but no less resolute. “We don’t ask you to follow us blindly, Shadowfang. But we do ask you to listen. To consider that there might be a better way, a path that doesn’t lead to destruction and endless war.”
A heavy silence fell over the clearing. The other wolves looked to Shadowfang, waiting for his response. The alpha’s expression was unreadable, a storm of emotions warring behind his eyes.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Shadowfang spoke. “You’ve changed, Fenris. Grown in ways I never anticipated.” He paused, his gaze shifting to encompass both Fenris and Lyra. “Perhaps… perhaps we have all grown complacent in our old ways of thinking.”
It wasn’t acceptance, not yet. But it was a start, a crack in the armor of certainty that had driven Shadowfang’s actions for so long.
Lyra squeezed Fenris’s hand, hope blossoming in her chest. They had a long way to go, many challenges still to face. But in that moment, standing united against the darkness, she felt the first stirrings of true belief. Together, they just might be able to save not just their world, but all worlds.
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows through the ancient forest, Lyra, Fenris, and the wolf pack settled in for a long night of discussion, planning, and perhaps, the forging of new alliances in the face of the coming storm.