Winds of Change

Nighttime had fallen over the lands of Aberdeen. A hulking shadow of a wolf sat alone near the ocean’s edge, sea water lapping at enormous white paws. The tide was high beneath a perfectly round moon, its light illuminating the otherwise empty beach. The sound of the gentle waves crashing against the sandy shore filled his mind, the scent of the salty air overtaking his senses so that he experienced nothing else – no more bad dreams, no more negative thoughts that seemed inescapable. As soon as the sun set, darkness seized Summit once more.

Terrible nightmares haunted his sleep every night now – every sort of horrible thought that he pushed away during his waking hours, they all emerged in his dreamscape. From conjuring up all manners of grizzly fates for little Daisy, who had been missing now for months, to losing the rest of his sisters… Haunting screams… Devastation…

This was why he had to stay close: so that no one else would end up like Daisy.

The family had traveled to the coast, nearly as far from the Fae Forest as they could be. But the war had seemingly followed on their heels, for now the threat was close again. The neighboring lands were now infested with soldiers, who waited eagerly for the bloodshed to continue. To say that Summit was nervous was an understatement. He was aghast. He was no longer naive to the horrors of war, and the soldiers who fought them.

Summit could not fathom… Why would anyone want such a fate – to kill and be killed?

Mismatched eyes closed lightly as the ocean breeze tousled his fur. He took a deep breath, attempting to steady his nerves in the solitude of the dark night.