A/N: I've rewritten the first chapter and I did things differently after everyone disappeared, so I highly recommend you read it again.
Chapter 2
- - - The North - - -
Jasper North; April 28th, 2018
A light gray furred wolf with a white underbelly was sitting in a large den, overlooking multiple dens further down the mountain side. The moonlight shone through the opening and reflected off of the white flecks in his fur coat as tears fell from his face. He was staring down at a shiny, flat, silver rock that was laying on the den floor. Carved into it was a sketch of two wolves, presumably his parents.
A shadow suddenly blocked the moonlight as the figure of a brown furred wolf stepped into the entrance of the den. He stood tall and proud, indicating he was a highly respected Alpha of the pack.
"John… Sir… everyone is waiting." The wolf said.
"Thank you, Nars. I will be with them shortly." John replied, then Nars bowed his head in respect and exited the den. John placed the rock he was staring at into a small alcove just a couple feet off from the ground, then headed towards the den exit. When he came out, he found what was left of the Northern Pack waiting below him. The Northern Pack was always strong with their belief in Fenrir and John was planning to use that fact to explain the events from the day before.
"Attention!" John shouted, then the commotion died down as the pack members stopped chattering amongst themselves.
"Yesterday, a strange event took place! Our brothers and sisters have vanished into dust! And though we are saddened by this… we must gather our strength and courage! For today, we march to war!" John announced, followed by murmurs of surprise amongst the pack.
"Fenrir has punished us for not aiding our Western allies in their fight against the Easterns! We, Northerns, are proud and strong and will fight to the last wolf, but may He forgive us for staying neutral while our allies are threatened by those Easterns dogs! Today… we march to fight for our missing brothers and sisters! Then should Fenrir forgive us… our brothers and sisters will be waiting for us upon our return!" John shouted, then the pack erupted into cheers and began chanting his name.
"John! John! John!" They chanted continuously, then they all howled as loud as they could. Nars approached his superior and sat down near him.
"Without the whole pack, we can't guarantee everyone's safe return." He said, then John sighed.
"I know that, Nars." John replied.
"But if we still had the whole pack, then my father would still be here, and we both know that he would stay neutral." He continued, then Nars nodded.
"Understood, Sir." Nars replied.
"Besides… even though we are few… we're still strong." John finished. Nars bowed and left, then John addressed the crowd again.
"We have a long journey ahead of us! So, get as much rest as you can, because we're not stopping until we get there!" He announced, then the pack dispersed. He headed back inside the Alpha Den and laid down towards the back. John began to think of the events that had transpired the day before as a tear fell from his eye.
John was sitting inside the Alpha Den with another snow white she-wolf with dark blue streaks of fur on her back. She smiled warmly at her son.
"John, sweetie. Have you found a girlfriend yet?" She asked, making him chuckle.
"No, Mom. None of them have really interested me." John answered.
"Your father and I aren't getting any younger, you know. I'd like to see some grandpups before I pass." She said, then John smiled at her.
"You're still quite young, Mom." He said.
"Why, thank you, Son." She replied, then pulled John into a hug as another gray wolf entered the den. He was dark gray with a white underbelly and blue eyes.
"Son." He said, then saw the pair hugging each other and smiled.
"You know what? It can wait." He said, then John pulled away from his mother.
"What is it, Father?" He asked.
"Oh, nothing extremely important." His father answered, as he sat down by his mate.
"Also, don't worry about finding a mate so soon. They may be fun in the beginning, but after you're married, they bring nothing but pain and misery." He continued, then his mate punched him in the shoulder at that remark and he chuckled.
"See what I mean?" He asked, then she stood up and flicked her tail in his face as she walked by. She exited the den and John's father sighed.
"She's right though… we're not getting any younger, Son." He pointed out, then John chuckled.
"Oh, right! Your mother and I wanted to give you something!" His father exclaimed, then faced the den exit.
"Hey, Liz?!" He called, but there was no answer and he frowned in confusion.
"Lisa?!" He called again, as he stood up, then the two males exited the den, but didn't see her anywhere. Only tiny dust particles floating in midair.
"She can't have gone far… where did she go?" He muttered, then John widened his eyes in shock as he watched his father's back leg almost instantly turn to dust.
"Dad!" He shouted, then his father suddenly fell backwards from the lack of balance and landed on the ground with a grunt. The rest of his body was quickly turning a dark shade of brown and blowing away with the wind. John quickly rushed to his father's side and they stared into each other's eyes.
"Son… under… the Eye." He said, then the rest of his body blew away with the wind as it turned to dust. John suddenly heard screams from nearby and quickly ran towards them to find out what all the commotion was. Though… he already had a pretty good idea of what it was. He arrived in the feeding grounds and wolves were running around in a panic. Families were huddled together before some of them instantly turned to dust. Mates held each other as their spouses vanished right before their eyes. Parents stayed close with their pups before their entire litter turned to dust. Pups wandered around, crying for their parents. A she-wolf suddenly ran up to John with tears in her eyes.
"Have you seen my so-" She asked, but was cut off when her lower jaw suddenly turned to dust and blew away. John just stood there in horror as the rest of her body vanished. He was unsure of what to do while he watched more and more wolves turn to dust. Just as quickly as it started, wolves stopped turning to dust and the survivors looked around in confusion before laying eyes on John.
"Under the eye." He muttered, then turned back towards his den. He entered the Alpha Den with a heavy heart and sat down towards the back, facing a small hole in the wall. When he was a pup, he had scratched an oval shape around said hole to make it look like an eye. John began digging at the base of the Eye until he unearthed a small, flat rock. It was silver in color and words were carved onto one of the smooth sides.
To my one and only love,
Lisa
He flipped the rock over to reveal a rough sketch of his parents when they were his age. Small tears began falling down his face and he sniffed. A shadow suddenly fell over him and he turned to see Nars entering the den.
"Nars?" He asked, "What are you doing here?"
"The pack wants to know what happened. What should I tell them?" Nars asked, then John sighed.
"I… have no idea." John answered.
John woke up the next morning and let out a high-pitched yawn as he stretched. He stood up and walked out of the den to find the sun was already high in the sky, then he sighed.
"I slept in. I wonder why Nars didn't wake me…" He muttered to himself. John wandered down to the feeding grounds, where most of the pack would be at this hour, but he found no one around. Not even the scent of any caribou hunted for breakfast that morning.
"Where is everyone?" He wondered, as he looked around in confusion. John headed to the dens and inspected them, but they were deserted. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small tail duck inside the Healer's den. He quickly headed over and found a small group of pups, no more than a couple months old, all huddled inside with the pack's healer watching them.
"What's going on here? Where is everyone?" John asked her, then she looked at him in confusion.
"Nars took the pack south to the rendezvous point. He said you ordered him to take everyone and you'll meet him there." She explained, then frowned.
"Why? Is there something wrong?" She asked.
"I never ordered Nars to do that. He's taken my pack from me." John said, then the healer gasped.
"Now tell me… where is this rendezvous point?" John asked.
Nars looked down towards the pack as he stood on top of a large boulder. He led them south towards a clearing, which would serve as a rest area before they continued moving towards the Western territory. The wind changed direction and started blowing from behind him. His nose twitched as a wolf's scent wafted towards his nose from behind him. Without turning around, Nars paid close attention to the intruder with his sense of smell and hearing.
The wolf suddenly pounced and Nars was pushed off the edge of the boulder, then he landed on the ground with a thud and the wolf pinned him to the ground. The pack watched in astonishment as they saw who was fighting. John glared at his Beta and Nars snarled, then tried to roll his leader off of him. Nars succeeded and John fell to the ground a few feet away before quickly standing up and facing Nars.
"You went behind my back and tried to lead my pack to war without its rightful leader, Nars." John said.
"The pack may be with you on the idea to aid our allies against the Easterns… but if we are getting into a war, the pack needs a leader, not a pup." Nars replied. The rest of the pack was staring at the two as they faced off.
"You and I both know that the Northern Pack has always been led by the strongest of us all. Your father fit that description perfectly." Nars continued, then John looked down solemnly.
"I may not be my father…" He muttered, then looked up at Nars with fierce determination.
"But I am just as strong as he was!" He growled, then Nars chuckled and lunged towards John. John moved to the side like the wind and Nars barreled right past him. He skidded to a stop and turned around before growling.
"Just like a pup! Always avoiding the fight!" He growled, then started running again. This time, John again moved to the side to avoid him, but grabbed Nars' scruff in his jaws as he passed by, then swung him around and Nars did a faceplant into the nearby boulder. John held him in place as he stood over him.
"I am no longer a pup, Nars. I will do what it takes to protect my pack, even if I have to kill you to do so. Unfortunately, only half the pack is left, so I need every able-bodied wolf that I can find, on my side. The choice is yours." John said in Nars' ear, then the brown wolf sighed.
"I… I submit." He muttered, then John let go of him and Nars fell to the ground. John turned towards the pack.
"The North is strong. Long live the North!" He shouted, then the pack stamped their paws on the ground.
"Long live the North!" They chanted.
"Prepare for battle! We march tonight. Those Eastern dogs will rue the day they threatened our allies!" John said, then the pack howled in agreement.
Claws, the only female Alpha left in the Eastern Pack, was lying below the Alpha Den in the eastern territory. She had been proclaimed the new leader of the pack after Tony and Garth's vanishment, since she was the highest-ranking Alpha in the pack aside from her mate, Scar. Normally, the feeding grounds would be abuzz with chatter at this time, but with half the pack missing… all of which being friends and loved ones… no one was in a cheerful mood. The brown furred she-wolf looked down at her breakfast, but didn't feel the urge to eat. After the loss of her mate, she had become depressed and barely ate anything, but that was with everyone.
Three wolves silently crawled through the bushes, making their way towards the Alpha Den. The leader was female with black fur, white underbelly, and purple eyes. Her companions, two males, one with dark brown fur and red stripes on his back and green eyes, the other with dark gray fur and silver stripes all over his body and bluish purple eyes, followed close behind her. She motioned for them to stop, then she crawled up to the edge of a cliff that overlooked the entire eastern territory.
"Austin! Daron!" She called in a hushed voice, then the two other wolves crawled up on either side of her.
"What is it, Star?" Austin, the dark brown furred wolf, asked. The other wolf, Daron, looked down towards the territory and tilted his head in confusion.
"I wonder what's going on. Why is everyone so depressed?" He said.
"That's not important right now. Our mission is to locate Tony and get a census on how many we're facing, then report back to John." Star said.
"Well, I don't see him anywhere." Austin said, as he examined the territory. There were many wolves roaming around the territory, but still not as many as there should have.
"Where is everyone? Shouldn't there be more than this?" Daron asked.
"Probably on hunting trips or border patrols. They are preparing for war, after all." Star pointed out. She spotted Claws laying below the Alpha Den and muttered to herself.
"What is it?" Daron asked, as he noticed Star was confused about something, but she shook her head.
"It's nothing." She said.
"I don't think it's nothing. Tony's not here and there's a lot less wolves here than there should be, even if they were on hunting trips." Austin explained. Star furled her brow.
"How many are left?" She asked, then Daron gasped.
"Oh, my Fenrir. She's right!" He exclaimed, and Austin looked at the pair in confusion.
"Care to fill me in?" He asked, then Star sighed.
"I'm beginning to think that what happened to us, also happened to the Eastern Pack." Star explained.
"Well, that's good news. Fenrir must've taken them as well, as punishment for threatening the Westerns." Austin said, but Star shook her head.
"That's not his style." She said, then Daron scoffed.
"What? Have you talked to him recently? How would you know what his style is?" He asked.
"Whatever. Let's just report back to John." Star said, then motioned for them to leave, but caught something of interest out of the corner of her eye. Daron and Austin noticed she wasn't following them and they looked back to see her staring down towards Claws. Austin approached her from behind.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Something's up." She said, then pointed towards where Claws was laying.
"Why is she there? That's where John said Tony would be at this time. Isn't that where the Pack Leader stays?" Star questioned, then Austin examined the surroundings and nodded.
"You're right. Something must've happened to Tony or he's currently not around. Either way, it gives us the advantage, because they're without a leader." Austin said.
"We should capture her and bring her back to John for questioning." Star stated, then stood and got ready to jump.
"Hey, wait. What are you-" Austin started, but Star had already jumped off the cliff and did a somersault down before landing safely on the ground. She immediately ducked behind some bushes as a couple of Eastern wolves walked by.
"Okay, well… that works, I guess." Austin said, as he and Daron watched Star slowly make her way towards the Alpha Den without being caught. After ducking behind boulders, bushes, even risking hiding inside a vacant den, Star was now crouching under a bush beside Claws.
"So… how do you think our sister is going to get herself out of this one?" Daron asked, as he crawled up beside his brother. Austin shrugged.
"I don't know. She always does. It's… quite annoying actually." He said.
"Are you two going to stay there and chat, or are you going to help me drag this prisoner back to John?" Star asked from behind them. They turned around to see Claws tied up with vines and their sister standing beside her with a smile on her face.
"How did she-" Daron started, but Austin shrugged and Daron groaned in annoyance.
John and three other Alphas, including Nars, were inside a small cave just a couple miles from the northern border of the Western Pack. The four of them were seated in a circle with a rough sketch of the eastern territory, thanks to the scouts who mapped out the terrain, drawn in the dirt floor between them. Nars raised his paw and pointed towards a few X's drawn in the center of the map.
"That's where their dens are. That's where Tony will be. With your permission, Sir, I will personally lead a small party deep inside Eastern territory and take out Tony…" Nars explained.
"…and while they're without a leader, I march in with the rest of the pack and finish them off." John finished, then nodded.
"Sounds like a good plan, except…" He said, then Nars frowned.
"Except what?" He asked.
"Except I won't lead the pack into battle. I have something else that needs to be done, that is just as important. Instead, Sapphire will lead the pack." John stated, gesturing towards the bluish gray furred she-wolf sitting beside him. She had a black underbelly with dark blue eyes and a black tipped tail. Her black tipped ears perked up and she stared at John with a look of shock.
"Me? Why? Why not Felix over there?" She asked, pointing towards the white wolf with dark purple eyes.
"Felix is an advisor and I need him to stay here to watch after the remaining pups. You, Sapphire, will lead us into victory." John said.
"I won't let you down, Sir." Sapphire replied. A tied up she-wolf was suddenly tossed inside the cave and Star entered with her brothers.
"Tony isn't there. Half of their pack is missing." She reported, then Nars approached Claws, who was still tied up, and cut the vines wrapped around her muzzle. Claws looked around and gulped when she laid eyes on the three large wolves in the cave.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"We will ask the questions here." Nars said.
"What's your name?" John asked.
"Claws." She answered.
"Where is Tony? You're Pack Leader." John asked.
"I-I don't know. I don't even know if he's alive. He… disappeared." Claws explained. John and Nars shared a worried glance and Nars spoke up.
"Disappeared… how?" He asked.
"Did he fall apart into dust?" John asked, then Claws nodded.
"It was strange. I've never seen anything like it. Everyone was scared during the wedding." She said, then tears began to well up in her eyes.
"I lost my mate. Wh-Why did this happen?" She muttered, before breaking down in tears. John sighed.
"Let her go." He ordered.
"Sir?" Nars asked, shocked.
"I said, let her go." John repeated. Nars nodded, then reluctantly cut the vines binding Claws' paws.
"Before you go, who else has disappeared?" John asked, as Claws stood up.
"Pups, families, friends, loved ones. Both the East and West have lost their entire leadership, except for Winston and Eve's Omega daughter." Claws explained, then John perked up his ears.
"Lilly." He muttered, then looked over at Daron and Austin.
"You are dismissed." He said, then the two brothers bowed in respect and left the cave. Star was about to leave as well, but John stopped her.
"Not you. I need you to escort Claws back to her pack." He ordered, then Nars gasped in shock.
"What?!" He exclaimed.
"You heard me." John said, then Star bowed as well and left the cave with Claws.
"B-But she'll warn her pack." Nars said.
"We are not fighting. What happened to us, happened to them as well. The best thing we can do is come to a peace agreement, instead of creating bloodshed." John explained, then Nars growled.
"I knew you were weak!" He shouted, then lunged towards John with his claws prepared to tear his throat out, but Sapphire lunged as well and pinned him to the ground.
"Put him in a prison den. His punishment will be decided in the morning." John ordered, then Sapphire grabbed Nars' scruff and dragged him out of the den.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Felix asked, then John sighed.
"No… but if what Claws said is true, which I believe it is… then there's more to this mystery than we thought." John said.
"Let me go! Don't you see what he's doing?!" Nars screamed, before two other Alphas grabbed him and tossed him into a small den.
"The only way to get our family back is to join the Westerns in their fight! We stay neutral, we'll never see them again!" He shouted.
"You heard Claws." Sapphire said, as she stood just outside the den.
"They, and the Westerns, have lost half of their packs as well. This is not what we thought it was." She explained. Nars snarled, then tried to lunge out at her, but the guards held him back.
"And what? We accept defeat? What about Ruby? Are you just going to let her go?" Nars questioned, then Sapphire sighed.
"I loved my sister more than anything in the world, Nars, and I would do anything to get her back." She replied.
"Then why aren't you?" Nars asked.
"Because it's out of my control. Personally, I don't think this happened to just us. I'm going to head to my parents' pack down south and find some answers." Sapphire said.
"So, you're just going to leave the North? Leave your family?" Nars asked.
"Ruby… was my family… and yes." Sapphire answered, then walked away before Nars could respond.
"He'll be the death of us all! He can't protect us! This is just the beginning, we're all in danger!" Nars screamed, as Sapphire walked away with tears falling down her face.
"I need to go." John said, as he headed towards the cave exit. Felix looked at him like he was crazy.
"What? Why?" He asked.
"I'm going to head to the Western Pack and speak with whoever's in charge there. I'll be back in the morning." John answered.
"What about the pack?" Felix asked.
"They'll be fine for a few hours, but if anything happens, you're the acting leader. I'll leave my orders with Austin and Daron." John said, then left without another word. Felix looked around the cave and thought to himself. He let out a huff and left the cave, heading towards the den that Nars was being held in.
"I would like to speak to the prisoner alone." He said, after he arrived and approached the guards.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but we need John's order to let anyone see the prisoner." One of the guards said.
"John has left for the Western Pack and left me in charge. Again, I wish to speak to the prisoner alone." Felix said, then the guards nodded and left before Felix entered the den.
"Did I hear that right? John has left?" Nars asked. He was laying in the dirt towards the back of the den.
"He left to speak with whoever is in charge of that pack." Felix said, then crouched down to Nars' level.
"I heard you screaming earlier. Tell me… how are we all in danger?" Felix asked, then Nars chuckled.
"I thought you of all wolves would know. If this wasn't Fenrir's doing, then it was something else, right?" Nars asked.
"Maybe." Felix said.
"Maybe…" Nars muttered, as he looked down towards the ground. After a few seconds, he looked back up and stared Felix in the eye.
"Maybe it was the work of a Dark Mage. I'm sure you know the legends. If it is, then this is only the beginning, all of Jasper is in danger." Nars explained.
"Don't tell me you actually believe in those legends." Felix replied.
"You don't?" Nars asked, then Felix stood up.
"Sir!" One of the guards exclaimed, then Felix exited the den while the guards took their positions.
"What is it?" Felix asked, then one of the guards pointed towards Austin and Daron standing nearby. He approached them.
"This better be good." Felix said.
"We caught someone by our border. She's waiting in the cave." Daron said.
"Tell her that John isn't here and won't be back by morning." Felix ordered, then turned to leave until Austin spoke up.
"Can't." Austin said, stopping Felix in his tracks.
"She specifically asked to speak to you." Daron explained, then Felix turned to face them.
"Me?" Felix asked, surprised. The three of them headed back to the cave and Felix saw a white she-wolf pacing in the back of the cave. She happened to look in his direction and he recognized her immediately.
"Lilly?" He asked.
"It's been a while, Felix." Lilly said.
A/N: Stardust "Star", Austin, Daron, Sapphire, Ruby (mentioned), and Felix are The Return of the Enclave's OCs.
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Till next time,
~Demonwolf102