Prologue

Fang walked into the forest, her tail raised and her ears pricked. The forest was eerily silent, something was wrong. She whipped around at the sound of rustling bracken, pinning her ears back in embarrassment when she realizes it is only an acorn. She pricked her ears again, keeping alert. She knew it would happen, she saw it coming. A twig snapped. A leaf was brushed by fur. Wolf Fur. The attacker leaped, smashing me to ground, belly up. She scented the air, realization hitting me, it was a he, definitely an Ocean Pack warrior. Fang pummeled the ocean warrior with her claws raking his belly fur. She was able to wrap her hind paw around the attackers leg and trip him down. Now she was on top. Fang sliced his side open in a thin cut. Then she snapped down on his neck, he whimpered so she let him go. He got up, snarling, but she could see he was backing away slowly. She stepped forward threateningly and the warrior turned tail and ran.
She licked her paw, where he had bitten it, and stared smugly around, he was probably surprised to be beaten by an apprentice. A loud thump sounded in the ferns, and Fang whipped around, teeth bared, for a fight. It was a black and white wolf, with white speckled around his muzzle. His claws were twisted and something about him scared Fang. He was apparently very old. His maw opened as though he were to say something, but he closed it again. When he finally spoke though it sounded as though several voices were talking. "Welcome, apprentice, pup of the shadow king." I looked at the wolf. Was he crazy? she thought.
He bowed his head, and his voice became hard as ice. "Welcome to the prophecy, young one, we have waited for you. And from us all, greetings, shadow pup of the prophecy..."

1.

The Fang woke to the sound of rustling bracken, as much as she tried to forget, her visit was still fresh in her mind. What prophecy, she thought. Fang had had that dream for a half-moon now. She shook herself, walked out of the apprentices den and sighed. The clearing was layered with frost, and not a sound rustled the forest around her. Leaf-bare was upon them. When she had been hunting late at night she had trod on a thorn, apparently she had forgotten to see Echosong, the Jace of Seapack. She thrust her nose through the brambly entrance and called out softly. Nothing moved for a few heartbeats, then she sensed movement and Wavepaw emerged from the lichen covering.

Wavepaw yawned and mumbled, "Yes Fang, may I help you?" She licked her paw and drew it over her muzzle. Fang replied slowly, "I believe I brought a thorn back to camp with me." She motioned towards her front hind paw, which had dried blood encrusted around the sides.

Wavepaw nodded and turned around to the storage cleft, reaching her paw to grab herbs from the hidden rock opening. She turned with a soft strong smelling herb. "This is Marigold, it make sure it doesn't get infected. Now, lets have a look at your paw." She lifted Fang's paw up and studied the wound. "This won't hurt much, just a little sting." She remarked softly.

She gripped her teeth on the thorn and pulled, Fang gasped as the thorn came out, coming with fresh blood. Quickly Wavepaw chewed the Marigold into a poultice and dabbed it on the bleeding wound, Fang hissed inwardly at the sting but stayed still as the juices trickled in. "There we go. Your finished." Fang nodded in thanks and started to pad out. "Good job, Wavepaw." Commented Echosong. Wavepaw dipped her head, but Fang heard nothing else as she padded out and into the clearing. As she stepped out Elktail, the packs alpha, was calling patrols, as he spotted Fang he called her name, "Fang! Border patrol, then you may rest, then hunting patrol."

Fang nodded, she was the greatest apprentice at fighting, and with the end of leaf-bare, there was bound to be prey-stealers.

She bounded up to the alpha; he looked at her and said, "Go find three or four wolves to go with you." She did a sharp nod and bounded off to the crusaders den, poking her head in and calling out to her mentor. "Border patrol." She barked, just to see who would reply. Sharptooth, her mentor, emerged from the hiding wall of ferns with Ivytail, a pretty grey and brown she-wolf, and trotted closer. He yawned, rubbing sleep from his eyes while his ears flicked at the afternoon noises, "Border patrol?" He mumbled. Then his eyes opened and she lashed his tail in a gesture of eagerness, "Let's go." He yipped. She replied, looking around the den, "Er, is their anymore wolves in here? I need at least one more." She sniffed the air, sighing when most was stale. Fang turned and walked out of the den, spotting Whitestorm sitting in the center of the clearing, "Whitestorm!" She called. The crusader turned his head, looking at her, "Yes, do you need me?" She talked quieter as she reached him, "Yes, we need border patrol. He dipped his head his eyes slightly clouded; she wondered what he was thinking about. Then it passed and she thought she had imagined it. "Then lets go." He said in a deep voice. She, Whitestorm, Ivytail, and Sharptooth gathered at the entrance, Whitestorm took the lead and they bounded out running to the forest to the Frost Bite Wolves Terra border.