The sun glared through the trees and awoke Alyster. They wished they had put up the tarp so they could get more sleep, but they remembered how close they were to the city and they felt hopeful they were going to make it there soon. Walking down to the lake along with the pack to get a drink of water, they felt their stomach gurgle and the wolves noticed. They all went off to get their own prey and while waiting, Alyster noticed a squirrel hopping on a tree and a pigeon close to it. Closing two fingers together, they shot a streak of fire at the bird first and the rodent second. They picked up their prey and made a small pile of branches in the rocks, Shooting a larger beam of fire on the makeshift pit, the blue blaze turned orange as it took to the twigs. Just before they set the squirrel over the fire, one of the wolves returned with a shrew in its mouth. The wolf sat down to eat as Alyster picked the feathers off their food and cooked the whole thing. Doing the same to the small rodent, they had a good amount of food for breakfast. As they were wrapping up their meal, the rest of the wolves returned with full bellies and brown fur caught in their teeth. "Oh, did you guys get a good meal?" Alyster asked. One barked back happily in response. "Good boys!" They went on. It felt really good to have some furry companions on their trip now. Their first night in Pointe Tallion park had wrapped up, and them and the pack had a lot more ground to cover. They kept walking around the coast of the lake, checking their compass to see if they had reached the end of the lake or were still going the right way.

After a few hours, the pack had reached a delta and the lake looked like it was getting smaller and smaller. They could actually see the other end now and each town they passed through got even larger. The sun was really beating down on them and they found themselves panting like the wolves. All they needed was more water to go on. As they sat down to drink, the wolves went to fetch more food and one wolf offered Alyster a squirrel he had caught. "Oh, thank you!" They said to him as if he were a cat that had just caught a mouse. They weren't hungry yet, but they had no good place to put the prey. They had taken their armbands off, since it was so warm, and they decided to use a part of their sleeve as a bag. As Alyster took their armor and shirt off, they realized they had gotten a lot more muscular. "I guess fighting for my life does pay off a little…" They thought aloud. Holding the sleeve up, they lit up a finger to a sharp flame and were able to slice the sleeve in half with precision. Doing the same to the other sleeve, they put their new tank top and chestplate back on and put the wolves' offering in the sleeve, wrapping up both ends and putting it in their backpack for later. The other wolves came back with no luck of finding food since they were basically in a marsh that didn't even have fish. Alyster was surprised how much wolves liked to eat though. They guessed they could go a few days without food up north, but down here there was a plethora of prey and the pack was always fully fed! It was a little hard to walk through the marsh, but they knew it was better to stick to the water so they wouldn't go off course. After a few kilometres, the ground got easier to walk on as they walked along the Saguenay river. The pack crossed through a few abandoned neighborhoods and crossed the first bridge they saw near an old dam that was starting to crumble. Alyster was starting to see the scope of the damage they did to the earth when they pulled out the core. If they had kept the power to themselves for any longer they could've rid the earth of plant and animal life as well. The more they thought about the capacity they had for evil, the less they believed what Astrosatis said to them. That they were a hero. They had saved themselves, but would they be capable of saving someone else's life when they failed to save Cassie's? It just didn't add up. Before they could make sense of it, Alyster heard a rustle behind them. The packed swivelled to see a bear lumbering towards them on the bridge! They made a break for the field in front of them, and the wolves ran with them. Once they were in the meadow the wolves slowed down and snarled at the predator. Alyster was surprised that they were turning to fight! They weren't going to leave their pack behind though. As they swivelled back, they lit their hands on fire and shot the bear right in the face! It only seemed to singe his fur, so they shot arrows of flame straight at his feet and sides instead. The bear was getting closer and the wolf beside them leapt and bit at the bear's neck. It was way more effective and the predator growled in pain. Another wolf went for it's back and that slowed down the bear even more. Just when Alyster thought they were alright, the bear lunged at their chest and knocked them down into the rocks. They could feel the bear's claws sink into their shoulders and before they could fend it off, their body went limp. Everything was going black and just before they slipped into total darkness, they saw their whole pack leap on the bear, dragging it off of them.

Time slipped by and Alyster heard the bear whimper off. They felt the wolves scamper around them, some licking their face to help them wake up. They tried to get up but they couldn't move just yet and their chest was aching. Alyster could feel their body healing though, and just as they started to come to, they felt a massive gust of wind and heard something scraping the rocks.

"Alyster! Wake up!" They finally opened their eyes to see Astrosatis towering over them. It was nighttime now and the full moon cast a white light over him and the pack. A wolf helped them sit upright and they tried to look at their shoulders. They felt alright now but were still tired.

"God, that hurt." Alyster groaned. "Were you coming to check on me?"

"No, I picked up on your thoughts." Astrosatis corrected. "I saw you were doubting yourself again and I came to encourage you. I didn't expect to see you lying here, are you alright?"

"Well, I'm fine. Thanks to these guys," They said, patting the wolves who laid down beside them. "And are you gonna swoop in whenever I have the slightest existential crisis?"

"No, but I could see your self esteem slipping again. You doubt yourself, but you do have the ability to help others, you'll see what I mean soon!" He reassured.

"Really? All I can do is hurt people with my abilities. Look at what I've done! And my lack of self esteem isn't just from what I've done recently." They said sorrowfully.

"I know. I've seen you all your life. You poured out love to everyone and got nothing in return." He recalled.

"You say that like it's nothing!" Alyster retorted, curling their knees up. "You don't know how much it hurt, feeling like nobody wanted me!"

"I may not, but I saw you learn to love yourself despite all that." He consoled, resting his wing on their knee. "You knew how special you were even if nobody else did.

"Yea well look where that got me!" They argued, tears welling up their eyes.

"It's ok Aly. You have been been a lone wolf but I promise you will find a family!" He said, lifting a feather to dry their tears.

"No one's called me Aly for so long." They whimpered.

"Does that comfort you?" He asked.

"Yea, it does….Cassie.…called me that all the time." Alyster whispered her friend's name to themselves. I miss her so much, I wish I could've done something more…."

"Well, it'll comfort you to know that you did." He replied.

"What are you talking about?!" They asked, confused.

"When you were at her side comforting her in the meadow, you were healing her." He revealed.

"How?! She was dying, I wasn't doing anything!" Alyster countered.

"You were easing her pain." He corrected.."There are some wounds you can't heal, but you can transfer the same ability your body has to heal to others. I was waiting for you to figure that out"

"Really?! Woah..." Alsyter said."I wouldn't have known that, thank you!"

"You're very welcome." Astrosatis said, his deep voice resounding in their heart. "I must go now, but remember you are worth more than you know. You will be a hero. You just need to wait. For now, get some rest." Looking at the ground he saw it was fairly rough. "Hmmmm, I'll make this area a little more comfortable." Alyster felt themselves levitate a little along with the wolves, and the rocks and roots tumbled away underneath them, leaving soft cotton and grass. It was so comfortable and they felt like they would be asleep in seconds.

"Thank you." Alyster sighed. The black crow nodded, looked up into the sky and the golden crest on his head glowed in the dark. As he took off into the sky, the wolves howled at the full moon and Alyster joined in yelling AAWWOOOO as they shot a plume of blue flame from their mouth. They were really a part of the pack.

A week later:

After an arduous trek along the St Lawrence river, Alyster felt like they were getting close to home as they had gotten passed Trois Rivieres last. The wolves would hunt for them and they would be able to cook the freshkill easily with their own flame. It was also comforting to sleep without a tent in the warm spring air, snuggled next to their new companions. The wolves had to fight off a few more bears, but they would fight them off together. Alyster felt like they were becoming one of them, yipping as they did, running through the trees and the marsh, and howling at the moon. The closer they were getting to the city, they realized the vegetation was running low and so was the prey. They saved more and more food by cooking it right away and storing it in pieces of tarp. The worsening climate was really concerning for them and they hoped that whoever they were supposed to meet in the city would help them before then.

There was still a sweet smell in the air though and they milled over what their new mentor had said to them. There was no way of knowing who this new family would be, but they hoped whoever they met would be able to accept them and what they had done. Or maybe it would be safer just not to tell them. To let the past die and just hope it won't catch up with them. To just say they were lucky to be able to defend themselves as the earth was stripped of life. They were a pretty good liar when they needed to be. But Alyster hoped they could be honest with their new family as well. Whatever would happen, they felt safe that they could defend themselves. Cassie would be proud of how strong they had become. If she could see them now, she probably wouldn't recognize them. Alyster's hair was longer and fell to one body was laced with scars and they had covered most of their wounds with strips of animal hide. They had ditched most of their armor, only keeping the belt and part of their gloves. They were just left with their tank top and the pants Maestro had fashioned for them. They had adapted very well to the apocalypse they had caused.

Passing an old marina, the pack skirted the river and walked out to the end of the dock. Taking out their compass and looking ahead to the next delta, they realized they were so close to home! Walking just a little further up the main road, they crossed the bridge and finally made it back to the island. Alyster breathed a sigh of relief as they knew their journey was finally coming to a close! It had been a long day's walk though, the sun was setting and they were all tired. As Alyster set up camp, the wolves went off hunting again through the marsh. Just as they were about to set fire to some branches they had gathered, they heard a loud yelp through the trees! Taking to their feet, they ran towards the river and found that the wolves weren't the only ones hunting for fish. An adult cougar was at the shore, sinking its teeth into the white fur of one of Alyster's guides. "Oh, god no!" They whimpered under their breath. "He was my favourite." It was too late to save him now and no other wolves were nearby, but they knew the massive cat would come after the rest of their companions. Alyster waited where the cougar couldn't see them and heard it finish off the wolf. They just grimaced, waiting for the chance to strike.

After ten minutes the cougar was still eating and the other wolves were nowhere to be seen. They knew their guides would come looking for them soon, so Alyster knew they had to take down the cougar before then. Holding two fingers together and pointing them to the left, they shot a blue blaze and went right. The cougar perked up and followed the ashen trail to the fire they started. They crept up as silently as they could and when they were close enough, they lit both their hands ablaze and whipped their wrists together in a swift motion, making a white hot ball of fire that burned the fur right off the cougar's back! It knocked the animal out and just for safe measures, Alyster kicked the massive cat into the river with a massive grunt. They didn't want to deal with the massive predator again! Panting heavily, they went to the wolf's side. It's insides were clear and there was just bones and fur. Alyster heaved and started to tear up. They couldn't believe how savage they were becoming. And that they lost their sidekick. It felt like losing the childhood pet they never had. The other wolves herded around them and started to whine and whimper, then they all broke into a howl. Alyster joined in and breathed out a massive plume of fire as they did. Alyster took the body to the edge of the river and washed it out, leaving nothing but a white, furry pelt. Using a narrow flame, they melded parts of the hide together and made themselves a cloak. It was all Alyster could think of to have a part of their friend with them forever. They only wished they could have something from Cassie.

It had been a month since Alyster had reached the city center, the meadow where Cassie was taken. It was strange being back here, and they were impatient to see when these 'heroes' would come to help. They still had faith though. Sitting in their makeshift tent, they boiled the last few scraps of food they had and took a sip of the desalinated water they had taken from the river. They were feeling hungry all the time now and worst yet, all their companions had fallen to hunger as well. They had taken strips of brown fur for sleeves and had used the bones to make a tent on the side of a building. Taking their food from the boiling vat, they ate up and could only satisfy a little but of their hunger. They missed their companions so much. Without them now, they realized they had become a part of the pack. They were one of the wolves no doubt. Feeling exhausted, they started to drift off a little and were about to fall asleep, but then in the distance they heard a warping sound. Alyster got to their feet and ran out of the meadow into the deserted lot, seeing two figures in the distance, one entirely black and the other was similar but with a white shirt. Finally, Alyster thought, people! Before they could get any closer, the two dropped to the ground. Running to their sides, they realized they were more than human, they were heroes! They had seen them on TV before, back when they were a journalist. Using what strength they had left, they dragged them to their shelter. They were going to leave and get more food and water, but Alyster didn't want them to wake and run away. They might never see them again. They tied them up, gave them a small bit of water, and then left. They returned just in time to see them wake.

"What's going on here?!" The one in white asked. "Excuse me, whatever your name is, can you tell us where we are?"

"Or better yet, untie us?" The one in black asked.

"I found you passed out in the desert!" Alyster replied.

"Who are you?" The man in black asked.

Proudly, Alyster said "I'm the White Wolf."

The rest of Alyster's story is continued in the Illusionist Two from Spectrum Productions.