The Forbidden Forest's dark and gloomy apperance was suddenly pierced by millions of rays of sunshine.

Light streamed trough the gaps in the trees. But even this sudden

change could not remove the mask of darkness. Anyone watching would

have sworn that not a living sole was there. However, nobody had been

looking for a pack of wolves. Nestled deep in the heart of the forest

was where twenty-six pack wolves made their home. Twenty-six wolves

and one outcast. She called heself Marenvia, and she was a favorite of

the cubs in the pack. In fact, as Nikomel, the leader, streched his

legs after awakening from a soft slumber, he was reminded of the

first time Marenvia had came to the pack in search of food...

~~~

Nikomel suddenly found himself being joustled awake by Amayi, the

watcher for rainy nights. It annoyed him at first, as he had just been

in the middle of a particularly delicious dream, but he shook himself

awake. Whatever Amayi had to say, it was probably important.

"Nikomel," Amayi murmered softly. "There is a stray wolf on the

outskirts of our land."

"Kill him," Nikomel grumped. "I was sleeping."

Amayi hesitated for a moment "Sir, 'tis a female. She says she needs

to speak with you. It is important, she said."

Nikomel gave his a rather bossy glance. "Since when do you listen to

what outsiders tell you?" he quipped.

But he got up anyway.

As he grew nearer, the noise of the pack grew louder. Whoever this

wolf was, she was causing quite a disturbance. Nikomel didn't like

disturbances.

As Nikomel came to the front of the cave, he spotted what must of

been the stranger. She was sitting on the very edge of the land, with

a guard on either side of her. He noticed, with a small amount of

satisfaction, that she was very careful to not put even one paw onto

his territory. He approached her catiously, but boldly. It helped to

put on a brave front when you were dealing with outcasts these days.

"I am Nikomel, the leader of this pack," he began as he came closer.

"You have no right to be here. Who are you and what do you want?"

She gazed at him for a moment, as though she were sizing him up

before replying,

"I am Marenvia. I come to warn you of the danger that approaches you

pack. I must talk to you alone. If you do not listen, I assure you

that your entire pack will be killed."

Her words offended him a little, as she apparently thought that he

couldn't look after his pack without guidance. However, some unseen

force guided his decision. Though he had every intention of sending

her away with a sharp warning, something in the way she spoke advised

him otherwise. Agaist his better judgement, Nikomel relented.

"Very well," he sighed, then turned towards the guards. "Aiakla,

Kirkan, please leave us."

The guards turned and retreated to the cave without question. Many

years of experience had taught them both that there were many wiser

then they were, and Nikomel was one of the wisest. Whatever he

ordered, no matter how strange it sounded at first, would be done only

for the good of the pack. As he had never led them astray so far, both

guards were inclined to let him have his way with this strange outcast.

As soon as the guards were out of hearing range, Nikomel turned back

towards the she-wolf, Marenvia, she had called herself, with

determination. "What reason do you have to warn me? How do I know

this is not a trap."

Nikomel could have sworn she looked amused. A sparkle cam into her

otherwise dark eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a

wolfish grin. "You don't," she told him flatly. "You will have to

trust me, won't you? For the safty of your pack."

Right about now, Nikomel was becoming very angry. She was laughing at

him! He was caught between a rock and a hard place, and she knew it.

However, he would not rise to the bait. He would retain his

composure, and defeat her in this battle of wit and will.

He settled for a measured glare, and this seemed to amuse her to no

end. Scambling desperately for his last scraps of dignity, Nikomel

lifted his head in a show of leadership.

"I do not trust you, nor have you done anything remotely like trying

to gain my trust, but I will listen to what you have to say before I

decide."

She nodded at him in apparent approval. Nikomel wondered just who she

thought she was, daring to waltz into his life like some crazed badger

and demand his attention, all the while acting as though he were some

disobedient pup.

Marenvia, having gained permission to speak, began right away. Her

smile was gone, and her eyes darkened even more then Nikomel thought

possible.

"A great danger approaches your land, Alphir. An evil being swamps

throughout the world, capturing and killing all that do not serve him

and his purposes. He thinks nothing of bloodshed and war, rather, he

lives for it. Death is his favorite form of entertainment. He lurks

everywhere, so that nobody in my world can trust their neighbors, for

fear that he has taken over their soul."

In spite of his inner promise to remain aloof, Nikomel shivered. She

no longer spoke with her earlier wit and amusement. Now her words came

in a rush, her eyes were filled with fear, her ears were back agaist

her head. She gave every impression of a tiny wolf pup confronted by a

bear.

Nikomel could actually see her take a breath before continuing, so

hard was she breathing.

"This person has chosen me to be his mate, to give him a child of his

own flesh and blood, one who could aid him in destroying the world,

to carry on where he fails. I was warned of this danger through a

friend of mine. He is the beakon of light that will vanquish the

darkness. He is the one who will save us all."

Once again, she paused to regain her composure, for, with every word,

her eyes clouded with more and more fear, so that each time she

stopped, Nikomel could no longer see who she truly was, only the fear

that had gathered in her eyes, in her very soul. It disturbed him very

much, for she seemed like a wolf who did not scare easily.

"But," Marenvia continued faintly, "he cannot do this without help.

There is a prophecy, you see, that tells how he must defeat this evil

creature. I was of the few who were instructed to help him. He cannot

save us without my help. But how can I help him?" she finished in

dispair. Nikomel jumped back, shocked at the sudden change in her

words.

Marenvia looked as if she would cry. "How can I help him," she

repeated in a bitter whisper, "if I am to be the vessel for the Dark

Lord's seed? How can I help him if my entire future is to be the

servent of this monster? How," she wailed, practically shouting into

Nikomels ear at this point. "How can I help him if my purpose in life

is only to serve him, to bear him a child, to aid him in his

destruction of the world?"

Nikomel sat down silently as Marenvia was reduced to a sobbing

bundle of fur that collapsed at his feet. For several minute, neither

wolf moved, until suddenly, Marenvia looked up. The dispair in her

eyes was quickly replaced by shame. She stood up abruptly and turned

away.

"Forgive me," she muttered as she began to walk away. "My behavior

was shameful. I bid you farwell."

Nikomel almost let her leave, but as she neared the trees, a voice

spoke in his head. "Marenvia," Nikomel spoke, hardly aware of what he

was doing until the words left his mouth. "How can I help you?"

She paused, then turned to him with a grateful look in her eyes. So

they sat together and conversed on the hilltop for many hours, as the

sun inched it's was up over the horizen, bringing light and warmth for

the dawn of a new day.

Nikomel learned much. He stored all of this information away, for he

had a strong feeling that it would be useful later on. He had been

having those feeling alot lately, come to think of it. He offered

Marenvia an empty den and as much food as she would need in return for

her acceptance of the position of Pup-Watcher, for, as he explained

rather regretfully as they made their way back to the cave the next

morning, nothing was free these days.

But it was three nights after Marenvia had arrived before Nikomel

found out the real reason he had never heard of this dark lord before.