Mistwood Riverbank — Early Morning
The dawn was pale and mist-heavy, the air thick with silence. Trees loomed like watchful giants, their branches veiled in dew.
Jake padded toward the river, his boots brushing damp leaves. He spotted her.
"Nellie," he called out.
She stood near the water's edge, arms folded, breath forming soft clouds in the cold air.
"You're late," she said without turning.
Jake gave a sheepish smile. "I know. Got caught up… sorry."
She finally looked at him. "I've been waiting for over twenty minutes."
"I'll make it up to you." He grinned. "How about a race? Winner gets a favor."
Nellie raised a brow. "Any favor?"
Jake nodded. "Anything."
Her lips twitched. "Fine. You're on."
Without another word, they stepped back, tugging off their clothes, letting them drop in the grass. The air shifted.
Bones cracked, limbs reshaped. Their bodies shimmered and twisted, fur sprouting, snouts lengthening, power rising.
Two wolves stood where the friends once were, Jake's coat a deep ash-grey, Nellie's a soft brown streaked with ash.
Nellie growled playfully, then darted off.
Jake followed, paws thundering against the earth. Trees blurred past.
She led, swift and agile, but suddenly, she halted.
He skidded to a stop behind her. "What is it?" he mind-linked.
"Scent," she replied. "Something's off."
Jake sniffed the air, catching it too, metallic. Faintly sour.
"I'll check it," he offered, already moving ahead.
They trailed the scent through brambles and stones, deeper into the woods. Then, Jake stopped.
There. A figure. Motionless.
A body.
Drained of blood and life.
Jake's hackles rose. "Darian, come in," he mind-linked, voice urgent.
"What is it?" Beta Darian responded immediately.
"We found another one. Northeast trail, near the river bend."
"Bring us there. Head to the fortress immediately," Darian ordered.
Jake turned to Nellie. "I have to go. Darian needs me to lead them back."
She nodded. "Be safe."
They sprinted back toward the river, paws pounding in unison, then split at the fork, running in opposite directions.
The mist swallowed their tracks. But something darker now moved in its depths.