Snow was falling from the dark sky yet again as Mycah led the rest of what was left of the Pack travelled deeper into the mountains, literally. They were underground, in a system of caves that ran underneath several of the mountains, branching out in several places. There beautiful pillars of stone, stalactites and stalagmites everywhere, as well as small underground streams and pools made from dripwater or where water had seeped in from the ground above. A few bats had been spotted at the entrance to the cave system, but they had long since disappeared as the single human and bunch of wolves moved deeper into the subterrainean world.

Netto had once observed that the Heart of the Forest had felt very ancient, more so than anywhere else, and Tainn had told him that he was correct. But as old as the Heart was, this place below ground was older still, and that feeling hung heavy in the air. At some point in time, some ancient people had come deep into the cave and left images painted on the walls in pigments of red, blue and green. The images were strange to Tainn and the other wolves, and yet oddly familiar as well, but there was nothing in their memory or stories that had been passed down that told them why the images looked familar. They could only guess that Mycah would give them an explanation whenever they reached what it was she wanted them to reach.

Tainn watched the old woman as she climbed over a small ledge, amazed that so old a creature could still move so well. Her age showed in her white hair and wrinkled skin, but she was still sharp of mind and quick of limb that defied the years she had seen. She had been old when Tainn was a cub, and that had been several winters ago. He had to wonder, though, if it was because of the recent events that she was moving as she was now. They had all felt something be released a few nights ago, worse than when Netto had been stabbed and the demon released, and Mycah had immediately exclaimed that something had happened to Netto. She hadn't said what; she had only called, or rather, ordered, all of the Pack to meet here at sunrise the next day for something important. That had been hours ago, and she showed no signs of stopping yet.

The ring of bells around Anuzu's paws rung eeriely in the hollow caves, broken only by the muffled sound of many paws on stone and the occasional drip of water into a pool. The only light came from the lantern Mycah carried, though the wolves could see just fine in the dark. Still, Tainn and the others were no less surprised when they came to a huge spire of twisted silverish metal jutting out of the bowels of the earth, even as the Heart of the Forest jutted out of the earth. There were more designs in the spire, these ones carved, and scenes of human warriors dressed in the skins of various animals, and images of sun-in-glorys, moons and stars covered the walls of the cave they had entered. The entire place raidated a power the likes of which the Pack had never felt before.

((What is this, Old One?)) Tainn asked, his voice soft and timid in the presense of this power.

"This is the Cave of Memories," Mycah replied, sitting down on a stond outcropping that looked as if it had sevred as a seat many times before. She set the lantern down in front of the spire, letting the light cast reflective glows of light onto the walls around it. The wolves all gathered around Mycah, all of them carefully keeping away from touching the stone. Mycah waited until they were all settled before continueing.

"This spire has been here for as long as the mountains have been here, and it is this that protects the mountains from the mess of technology that would bring danger to this place. It is the resting place of the Spirits that dwell in the mountains. That is the power you feel radiating from this place. It is the power of the earth itself, and all that is within it."

((Why have you brought us here, Old One? What is the purpose of this journey?)) Tainn asked.

"That is for me to answer." Said a voice that echoed throughout the room like thousands of chimes ringing in the wind. A bright light radiated from the metal spire, engulfing Mycah for a moment! When it faded, it was no longer an old woman that stood before the wolves, but an ageless figure that radiated with as much power as the spire behind her, and its light shone from within, making it seem as if she was glowing. All of the wolves had jumped back and were now cowering before this strange being. Most certainly this being wasn't human.

"Do not fear me, for I shall not harm you, oh brothers and sisters of my soul. I have come to show you your past, in hopes that it shall help you with your future."

The being turned to the spire and placed her hand on one of the intricate carvings. The design lit up with a blue light, and suddenly gave way to a hollow space inside of the metal! Inside of the hollow was a small box that fit in the palm of the being's hand. It was made of the same metal as the spire, and like the spire, it was covered in intricate designs, and radiated a similar power. The being slid the lid off of the box and a bright white light shone up through, slowly taking form and creating an image within. Once the image became clear, the being began to speak once more.

"In times long forgotten, when this place was still new to the world, Spirits like myself lived along side the other creatures of this world. Nature was in balace, and all was well. But that was not to last."

The mountains turned dark and the lush green land turned sickly and brown with death and decay. There were fires burning, and ash fell from the skies in dark clouds, choking out the sunlight and smothering everything it touched. The creatures that had once lived in the forest had already fled, or had been killed by the poisons that were seeping out of the earth in toxic clouds.

"There was an erruption, and a darkness beyond all measure came out of the bowels of the earth, determined to choke all life out of the land and all that depended on it. The balance of nature had been upset, and all things suffered. At the center of this darkness was a cruel moster, a demon with unspeakable power. It was he who was causing all the pain and death to our home. But we ourselves were not without power. Being spirits, we could not take a physical form in this world without a creature to serve as a host, while the demon used such things as fire and disease to spread his power. We searched very carefully before finally choosing a host. Or rather, I should say, our hosts found us.

The image of about ten wolves appeared. All of them were varied in size and coloring, but all of them had eyes bright with intelligence, intelligence that no normal wolf carried, for all that they were clever creatures. The spirits very much like the Being that had taken Mycah's place stood before the wolves, their forms as tentative as clouds of mist. There was a flash of light, and the Spirits were gone, now merged with the wolves. And now all of those wolves were as white as the snow that fell from the sky, and they radiated with power.

"We merged with the those wolves, giving them our powers in exchange for the use of their bodies. Through them we fought the demon that was destorying our home, and eventually we won, using this."

The Being reached into the box and pulled out a stone that had been carved into the shape of a ten-pointed star. The stone itself looked as if it had been carved out of the night sky. The Being set the stone down next to the lantern, then turned back to the wolves.

"This stone possesses the power to seal the demon away once more."

((We thank you deeply for this weapon. We shall carry it to the humans as quickly as our paws can carry us.))

The Being nodded slowly. "However, I fear there is something that we cannot help you with, wolf. It is unknown what the trigger for this weapon is. That is something that must be found out on your own."

In another flash of light the Being was gone, and Mycah had returned. The old woman looked weaker than she had ever looked before, and Tainn rushed to her side to offer her his body for support, and lent her his own strength to help her recover. The other wolves crowded around her, offering her their strength as well, until she looked more like herself instead of a half-dead skeleton. Wordlessly Mycah picked up the stone and lantern and stood back up.

"Well, it seems that you all have another journey to make. You must hurry, for time is running out."

((Give us the stone, Old One. We shall take it where it is needed, and pray that we shall not have to use it.))