h furious rage as the air grew thicker and pressed down like a heavyweight. Desperate to become one with this new pr

I had experienced. This was something more deadly, deeper, and older.

re's eyes met mine like blazing coals of icy light, piercing every secret I'd

What was it requesting from me? With the weight of a thousand wh

ere, I had been lured into a trap that I was not yet aware of. The apparition then extended hands that appeared to ripple like vapor. I recoiled, but a wave of icy knowledge swep

attles and secrets hidden beneath the earth.

ad ever thought. A darkness that had devoured entire packs before me was a part of my bloodline. Th

rather than words. It showed me my course, whether it was a climb toward

e pack, leaving me to fend for myself. But I wasn't merely punished by the darkness inside o

dea. I was lost, broken, and weak. I was s

was a po

d stones moaned. My inner darkness screamed not out of hunger, but out of caution. I wasn't alone.

and alive, as I unscrewed the cap. A fire flared inside me as it hit my to

I experienced power like never before, but I also felt a piercing pai

ng and out of breat

er. I had evolved from a girl lost in the woods. I was the target. With the pendant's constant pulse in my hand and the vial's fire dir

A savage, ferocious pack that was unlike any I had ever seen was waiting. They weren't hunters. The

mselves, not a friend, call

r. Silent yet lethal, the movement in the darkness behind the trees pulsed. I was afraid my heart might burst from t

rive, a need for strength, answers, and survival drew me on. Fear was extinguished and replaced with

heir shapes alternated between wolves and more dreadful creatures monsters created out of suffering and darkness. I gripped the pendant tightly, sensing its steady rhythm under my hand. T

, strong creature emerged, its eyes blazing gold like a predator's. He was different from t

his eyes. I gasped. Was he an adversary? Or another thing? I wanted to ask, but I couldn't f

xtended his hand to offer a h

d, my fingers shaking. I felt a shockwave as soon as our f

and conflict. I saw an abandoned youngster who had eyes just like mine, yet

told of a prophecy one that identified me as the key to either harmony or dest

ishment served as preparation rather than punishment.

he creatures charged forward, pressing in like a tidal wave of terror. With a fighti

with the fire from the vial to form a raw and fierce strength. I f

irst rays of dawn penetrated the canopy, their cries becoming quieter. The warrior gave me a strong, intense stare

oo long, the word replayed itself in my head. I su