Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf Lake or original characters. I do own Rowan, Amelia, Mikhail, and Darius.
~*Prologue*~
There were two paths set before her. One on her right, down a well worn dirt path. Another, that twisted through the forest. She looked left, then right. The dirt path was the obvious choice, but as she looked longer at the second path, there was a force, almost as if something was calling her to the path of the forest. That feeling only intensified as she took one step on the dirt path. That one step felt as if a bucket of ice water were thrown at her, and waves of hatred, jealousy, disappointment, failure, longing and loneliness washed over her. She jumped back, afraid of the path and what horrors await down its road. But, as she turned to the forest, there was a overflowing sense of love, warmth, joy, happiness and acceptance.
Choice made she took the path on the left, and as the forest enclosed her, it felt as if she had walked through the door of home.
The forest felt warm and inviting, the longer she walked down the path, the more she felt she belonged. The moonlight filtering through the branches produced enough light that she could see what was around her. The plants shimmered with fresh dew, twinkling like diamonds giving an ethereal feel. The trees were high and coved in moss and gave the smell of something pure.
She followed the path for what felt like hours, and then days, until the path ended. She was at a meadow, there was a lake in the middle and the trees encased to make a barrier around the entire clearing. And as she turned back, the path she had just followed seemed to have disappeared. Tentatively, she made her way until she was at the water's edge. The lake was crystalline clear and calm and, if there weren't the small ripples of the fish, she would have thought the lake itself was glass.
She inspected the water, feeling it was safe enough to drink. She bent down, cupping with her hands and brought it to her mouth. A twig snapped to the left. She jumped to her feet and looked all around her, she started to turn in circles. She kept turning and turning, seeing nothing. Her back to the lake, she made one final look around.
She calmed her breathing, as she turned back around she froze. There sitting in the middle of the lake was a snow white wolf. It sat regally, as if it had always been there, just waiting for her. It rose to its impressive height and trotted across the surface, the ripples from its paws spreading out across the lake.
As the wolf got closer and closer she felt her heart skip a beat. She tried to move but it was as if her feet were glued to the ground. She tired to turn her body, but there was a pressure that kept her completely immobile. The wolf was only feet away. She had no choice but to look into the eyes of the beast. The wolf was at the edge of the lake now, but made no move to come any closer.
She and the wolf were caught in a staring contest until finally she could look no longer and blinked. The moment she did the wolf lunged at her, she tried to move, to scream, but nothing happened. The whole world slowed and dragged by. She braced for the feel of teeth ripping into her. But the wolf just passed right through her. Immediately her body was hers again. She whipped around to find the beast it was nowhere to be seen.
A howl in the distance distracted her, she turned in the direction, instantly wishing she hadn't. Dozens of glowing, golden eyes were staring at her out of the forest. The white wolf from before emerged from the shadows and the ghostly figures of the other golden eyed beasts followed the white wolf . Heart pounding in her head, there were no weapons for her to use and no way to out run a pack of this size. She just prayed it would be quick.
She waited and waited and waited. She watched to see the wolves had surrounded her, but what was odd was that they were all sitting. They just stared, the white wolf stepped forward. The wolf sat so it was only feet away from her, took one long look at her and lowered its' head in a bow. The others followed the white one and they all bowed their heads. She looked around her in disbelief and shock, the white one lifted its head and howled at the moon, soon another howl, then another and another until the meadow was filled with their song.
As soon as the howls started a burning had begun at the base of her spine and the burning heat raced up to her head. An explosion of pain erupted inside of her and their voices filled her head.
"Join us sister! Join us! Take heart in the past and embrace your nature."