Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness or any of the characters or ideas. Also, as I am too lazy to do particularly intense research, this story may contain things that are not scientifically correct. Just bear with it, yes?

Anyways, this is my first fanfiction. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One – Over the Mountain

I am endless and enduring. I give life to all who dwell in me.

The words echoed in Torak's mind as he gazed down through the hazy mist at the never-ending forest far, far below him. The sight was almost breath-taking. His first glimpse of the Eastern Forest the winter before paled in comparison. Now, in the height of spring, with the sun rising steadily above the horizon, the green trees exuded an unearthly presence. For the first time in his life, Torak realized how utterly small his world had been. Just how far did the land stretch on? What kinds of people and animals lived in the Eastern Forest?

The sound of clattering rocks behind him tore through the silent stillness of the early morn, and Torak turned around, expecting to see either Wolf or Renn. But the being he spotted was not one he'd ever seen before––not so close, anyways. He'd seen groups of them wandering around further down the mountain, but this one stood nimbly on a jagged rock but three paces up and to the left. It looked like a tiny reindeer, but its horns were black and stood straight on the top of its head, curling backwards only at the very tip.

Very slowly, Torak drew out his bow and arrow, trying his best not to make any noise or sudden movements. The trek over the mountain had left their food supply depleted. It wasn't big enough to feed the entire pack, but it would suffice for he and Renn, and Wolf and Darkfur would have no trouble taking down one for themselves and Pebble.

As he drew his arrow back and took aim, he heard frantic shouting from further up the slope. The creature bolted suddenly, leaping off of the rock towards a small ledge above Torak. Ignoring the shouts, he moved and took aim once more, just as an arrow whizzed through the air two paces to his left. It hit the rocky ground and bounced off, leaving a small dent.

By then, the creature had made its escape, leaving Torak annoyed and hungry. He turned his gaze towards the two who had been shouting and found them racing down the slope in his general direction.

Swiftly, he put his bow and arrow away and swung himself up onto the ledge above him. Then began his ascent towards the cave where he and the others had set up camp the night before. Wolf appeared like a ghost at its mouth, his eyes trained on the advancing strangers. Torak strode to his side and placed a comforting hand on his pack-brother's head.

Go inside, he told him. Wolf let out a low whine, looked from him to the strangers, then turned and trotted back into the cave. Torak followed him with his eyes, and in the dim morning light he made out Renn's slumbering figure as well as those of Darkfur and Pebble, whose upright positions told Torak that they were just as alert as Wolf was.

Not wanting the strangers to get too close to the others, Torak started forward. He met them a few moments later on a relatively wide stretch of flat, solid ground. They were plainly members of the same clan; both had cropped, light brown hair and wore nothing but a pair of loose leggings and boots. Likewise, they both sported clan tattoos that looked suspiciously like the black markings on the face of the creature Torak had almost killed––a long, black bar stretching from either eye down to their jaw bones.

The shorter one, who had a more fierce expression, took one last step forward, his hands balled into tight fists. "What do you think you were doing?" he demanded. "How dare you try to harm our clan creature!"

The taller one moved his hand to touch his knife, and in response Torak began to reach for his own. At once, all three had whisked out their weapons and taken on defensive positions. But the two strangers looked somewhat nervous, and they crouched in a loose fashion, as if they weren't used to fighting.

"I didn't know it was your clan creature," said Torak slowly, glancing from boy to boy.

The shorter fellow stood up straighter, his chin inclined. "Ha! Don't try to fool us. The Chamois Clan is the largest of the Mountain Clans! There isn't a soul around who doesn't know of us." He pointed his knife in Torak's direction. "And everyone knows not to harm our clan creature."

"Yoan, look at him," murmured the second boy. "I've never seen those clan tattoos before. Maybe he's not from around here."

Yoan heeded to his clan-brother's suggestion and stared Torak up and down. Torak could feel the boy's piercing gaze zeroing in on the dots on his cheek, but it rested the longest on Torak's forehead, where Torak's former-Outcast tattoo poked out from behind his bangs. He resisted the urge to touch his forehead. Even now he felt self-conscious about it, despite the fact that Fin-Keddin had fixed it up to be something much better.

"What clan are you?" asked Yoan.

"I'm clanless," replied Torak bluntly. "I came from the other side of the mountain. I don't know anything about the clans here."

"Clanless?" echoed the taller boy in a whisper. Yoan narrowed his eyes even further, but he seemed to relax after a moment.

"Then I guess it's not your fault. But if I ever catch you aiming your bow at a Chamois ever again..." he said threateningly.

"I won't," said Torak. This seemed to ease the tension almost entirely, so they all moved to sheathe their knives. "Where's your camp?"

Yoan's companion pointed behind him. "It's a long walk," he explained, "but you can't miss it. We're a friendly clan, really. If you visit, we'll take care of you."

Torak pondered this for a moment. Heading back to the Chamois camp would ensure a good meal for both he and Renn and the ravens, and most likely the wolves, too, if the Chamois didn't turn them away. But his heart longed for the forest. It felt like ages since he'd last walked through the trees. Plus, the thin mountain air was giving Renn headaches, and they could easily hunt for their daymeal once they'd reached the forest. On the other hand, what if there were more clan creatures that were against clan law to harm?

"Are you friendly to wolves?" asked Torak.

Both Yoan and his friend seemed to pale. "Wolves? Why? There aren't many wolves around here," said the former while the latter glanced around nervously.

Torak flashed a wolfish grin. "Just wondering. Stay here; I'll be right back."

He turned and loped back to the cave. Renn was still fast asleep, but Wolf was ecstatic to see his pack-brother. He jumped around Torak in excited circles until Torak laughed and asked him to calm down. The noise woke Renn, who turned over and then sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning," said Torak as he dropped to a crouch beside her. She stared at him groggily. "Do you remember those tiny deer-like animals we saw earlier? They're called chamois, and they're a clan creature. I tried to hunt one, but members of the clan stopped me." He paused. "I'm going to go with them to fetch some food and water."

"I'll go with you," Renn said, crawling out of her sleeping-sack.

Torak shook his head. "No, you stay here with the others. The Chamois don't like wolves." With a grin, he stood and began to shuffled through their things for their waterskins. "Is your head feeling better?"

Sighing, Renn snuggled back down into her sleeping-sack. If there was one good thing about her headaches, it was that they caused her to act far less stubborn. "No," she said grumpily.

"Then get some rest. I'll be back soon."

At the mouth of the cave, Torak paused to crouch down next to Wolf. Stay with the pack, he told him. I go to hunt.

And he set off into the morning.