Howls Beneath the Stars

Through the high mountain passes of Tailwind, the wind carried the aroma of distant frost and pine. Two border guards patrolled the ridge above Crescent Hollow, their breath curling into the cold, the sky streaked with the violet light of early dawn.

Laiken muttered, his ears perking up and down as he looked over the tree line, "Something's wrong."

Marek stopped beside him, staring narrowly at a flash of black caught in the thorns of a juniper bush up ahead. "There."

He took a step forward and pryed it loose.

A raven.

No, the raven. One of the council messengers, still with Barduff's seal on its silver-tagged claw.

Its feathers were twisted and burned at the tips, and its wings were bent strangely. A crude sigil, a broken crescent with jagged thorns on either side, was etched across its chest in fine, blood-red lines.

Laiken inhaled sharply. "The mark of the Hollow Alpha."

Marek's heart pounded as he fell to one knee. "This served as a caution."

The body of the raven was on a stone table in Tailwind's council chamber within hours, and the tense expressions of Alpha Samuel, Luna Henrietta, and their top scouts reflected the image of the raven. They had already dispatched a messenger to Silverwind and another to Barduff Castle.

At dusk, Serafina rode in on a chariot with Roman by her side. As she stepped into the room, her dark cloak billowed behind her, and her gaze instantly landed on the charred raven.

As she walked over to the table and leaned in to examine the burn marks, the room fell silent. She clenched her jaw. "This is more than just an assault. It's a signature. A statement.

Roman used a gloved hand to trace the etched sigil. "This mark was last observed prior to the collapse of the Ashen Pact—three packs that disappeared without a trace."

Samuel folded his arms. "Do you believe this was sent by a council member?"

Serafina made a snap decision. The Hollow Alpha is probably already here. In influence, if not in the body. We now know that this raven was carrying an urgent update from Leah.

Henrietta moved to the front. "How can we be certain that Tailwind itself was not the source of the corruption?"

With a calm yet firm tone, Serafina answered, "No one is above suspicion anymore." That's precisely what they desire. We are more weakened by doubt than by swords.

Samuel gave Roman a quick look. "What if it's war?"

Serafina replied. "Then, it won't be the typical kind. Truth and treachery are at stake in this conflict, not numbers. Furthermore, we cannot combat what we do not reveal.

"We need a purge," Roman said softly. A private inquiry. The Hollow Alpha has been receiving information from someone inside the allied community.

Once more, there was a heavier silence.

Then Serafina took a step back and looked up at the room.

"I'm asking Leah to call forth the entire Flame Pact. We must get together once more, in private, in Barduff. Not a guard. No politics. Only those who are prepared to protect this tranquility.

Samuel gave a serious nod.

Henrietta covered the raven with a white cloth and shut its eyes.

Outside, a second raven screamed somewhere deep in the woods as the wind howled across the ridges.