There was once a legend among the southern water tribe hundreds of years ago that told of a lone arctic wolf whose fur was so white it seemed to glow with such ethereal beauty. When it came to the village it was wounded and with eyes so blue like that of the sacred blue waters of the heavens it silently pleaded for help. The warriors of the village wanted to kill it, but one old woman stopped them. She said if they dared to bring harm to the Spirit of All they would all be cursed.

But it wasn't a curse she feared.

Looking into the wolf's eyes she saw not a Great Spirit but a child. One who was lost and hurting. She feared the poor thing would be shattered if no one helped.

With reluctance the warriors all backed down. As they all went back to what they were doing before their interruption the old woman noticed that not one of her fellow tribeswomen or men would help her tend the wounded wolf.

She shook her head and dragged the wolf to her tent. She was old so she barely made with her breath intact, but she finally got it by her fire. As she tended the wounds she saw something heartbreaking. The wolf shed tears before her. With the heart of a grieving mother she gathered it in her arms and cradled it as if it were her long lost child. She cried with it until it fell asleep in her arms hours later.

With a sad smile she put him to rest. She walked to her sleeping bag and lay down, but she wouldn't rest. Not yet. An hour later she found her eyes begin to get droopy with sleep so she let herself go.

When morning came she heard whimpering from across her tent alerting her to the strange creature she had helped the night before. At first glance she saw nothing, but as she looked a second time she saw a young boy huddled in a corner naked and shivering with cold. On instinct she grabbed her covers and made her way to him. When he growled and try to swipe at her she looked at him with a surprised look. She soon regained her composure and scowled at him.

"How dare you treat me this way pup when I went out of my way to help you when no one else would." She huffed at him when he growled again. "Come here young one you are freezing and I cannot stand to see a child shiver in the cold. Where is your mother by the way?"

At the word mother he shed a few tears and shook his head.

"She died."

The woman was surprised to hear her language on his tongue. How did he know it? But soon the rest of his words sank in and she looked at him in sympathy.

"I'm sorry pup. How did she die?" She asked softly.

His bottom lip trembled as he got a faraway look in his eyes.

"She was protecting me. She was protecting us all. I am asleep one minute the next I am running. I hear them chasing me. Close always so close behind me. Their magic's are powerful. They hit me a few times, but throughout the time they are chasing me I hear her talking to me in my head. She sounds so weak as if dying. She tells me I am to run to the human realm and seek help. She tells me to find my guardian, the one who holds sway over the sun. She says that the moment he sees me he will be bound to me for I am the one who holds sway over the moon. Forever are we bound by fate in every lifetime we come into. We are half of a whole incomplete until together. We are soul mates. I remember my other lifetimes with him. We never look the same as that first time but I will always be able to sense him. But I am afraid because here he does not know me. He cannot remember. His human vessel cannot take the stress. So I ask of you to let me stay here until I can find a solution for myself and my people." He bowed at her feet and let the tears fall.

She had listened to his story with astonishment. For a young looking boy he talked in an ancient way. His eyes looked young yet old at the same time. But she still saw a child underneath who had just lost his home, his friends and his family in a single night. She had lost all of that decades ago as well.

With a shaky sigh she put the covers around his shoulders and pulled him into her arms. She held him as his body shook as he cried once again. He held onto her as if she were a lifeline. It was sad and life could be cruel to those who didn't deserve it. She knew that and yet she still found beauty in that same life. You just had to be strong.

"What are you pup?"

He raised his head. "You said it last night. I am the Spirit of All. The Arctic Wind incarnate, a holy embodiment of the Northern Lights. I am of the moon. I am of life and death. I am of the Heavens. I am Nashoba."

Her eyes widened in shock. This pup was the living embodiment of All? As she thought about it she slowly accepted it. At least it explained how he could take human form.

"So you are a wolf?"

"In a sense yes and no. I was born with the human form it is a part of me."

She nodded. Makes sense. "So where did you come from?"

He thought about it for a moment. "There is a realm between the heavens and the earth where all the Great Spirits roam. I was part of the Nashoba clan. The wolf clan."

"How did you wind up here of all places?"

"My mother was the alpha of our clan. She was the strongest in every way despite how delicate she looked. Her magicks were powerful as well and they allowed her to see visions of the future. When she lay at the brink of death she came to me in my mind and showed me the way here to this realm. She told me to stay here and that everything would become clear in the near future."

"Who attacked your clan?"

"…the Slayers of Vire."

"Slayers?"

"Yes, they are humanoid creatures who hate all things animal. They love bloodshed. They crave battle. We are always at war with them trying to protect the weaker clans from extinction. We always fought by the lions and tigers. We used to fight by the dragons before they disappeared centuries ago."

"Disappeared?"

"Hmm? Yes they came to this realm to teach humans the passion of fire, of the life it can hold and of creation. They were strong and when they settled here they slowly gained somewhat mortal lives. Of course this worked against their favors when humans began to hunt them which led them to near extinction because they had nowhere to hide."

The old woman nodded and felt a little ashamed of her human ancestors. They were in the wrong but no one on this loving earth would think so. It pained her to know how much pain he had been through. She saw such innocence in the young pup.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Humans are pure creatures that live by their emotions. I envy you all that. I wish that I could live only by my emotions but I cannot. Your world would unravel if I did." He sighed and lay down on the floor. "I'm tired."

She smiled as she placed her blanket over him. "Sleep little pup."

He looked so angelic in his sleep that she took a moment to stare at him. He had pale skin that seemed to glisten like ice, his hair was pitch black that dropped down to his shoulders and his overall build was lithe. He was close to perfection.

The next day the old woman found herself surprised when the pup walked out of her tent dressed in foreign clothes that seemed fit for summer. Some of the huntsmen chuckled at his clothes thinking him underdressed for the harsh winter. Little did they know that the bitter cold only fed his weakened body. It was warmth to his skin where they coveted a fire.

He walked around the camp as if inspecting everything and when he came across one particular tent that held the sick he walked right on in. The tribeswomen tried to get him to leave but he was having none of it. He proceeded farther into the sick domain until he reached the back. It was there he found a sickly little girl no older than seven. Her breaths were labored; skin an ashen gray, lips chapped and her heart was slowly stopping. He could hear her soul crying out to be held and not leave her alone.

Without thought he picked her up in his arms and made his way out of the sick tent. Of course the tribeswomen tried to keep him from leaving with her but he only pushed past them. It wasn't long after that the whole village was surrounding him trying to make him put her down. When his silence and determination wasn't enough he opened his mouth and spoke.

"Hear me and be silent!" His voice rang out with an echo. A ripple of power followed it soon after giving him the feel of a superior being. "You see a child in my arms that you think cannot be saved. Is it because of her fate that you have given up on her? Tell me; because she cannot be saved will you just leave her alone to face her death? For the ones she calls her family I see nothing but shameful humans. You who are too cowardly to stand by her side as she faces death alone while her only wish is for someone to hold her hand as she leaves. This child seeks comfort where you seek to forget. She hasn't once asked to be saved. Can you tell me who the true warrior is? The one in my arms or any of you?"

He stood his ground as they looked to the small girl who held onto him like a life line. Once his words truly registered did they look ashamed. He made his way past them all and took the girl in his arms to the old woman's tent. The girl would live this he would make sure but the villagers needed to be reminded of true courage.

"What are you doing pup?" The old woman asked quietly.

He looked up into her face and smiled slightly. "I am saving her, but I needed to give the villagers a small lesson in true courage while I was at it. They seem to have forgotten who they fight for."

"And who is it they fight for? The Spirits or you?"

He gave her a soft smile. "Themselves."

She stood there shocked at his words as he healed the child's body with whispered words. He was such a good pup.

As if reading her mind he turned to her and smiled brightly.

The next day the pup's destiny appeared.