Authors: Samantha McGivern
Chapter 2: A Mystery.
It was another glorious sunny day. The sea was rustling quietly, sparkling like diamonds when the sunlight hit it. The wind blew gently through the trees and bushes, making the leaves dance. The birds sung happily in the trees, filling the air with joyful music that could cheer the dimmest of souls. The sky was a light blue and the sun was shining brightly over the land. It was tranquil once again, or for at least a few hours it was.
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Warclaw came out of his darkened room and walked down the curving stairs. Once he had got to the bottom he looked across to the lifeless corpse of Willow. Dragging the corpse out of the lighthouse and onto the glittering golden beach, he dug a hole and pushed the corpse into it before covering it back up and walking back towards the lighthouse. Having only one thought, Warclaw had decided to move the body as he didn’t want the corpse smelling the lighthouse out and to be found out that he had killed the Alpha’s mate, just yet. Walking back up into the lighthouse, he shut the door behind him and smelled the freshness that was back in the room, allowing it to fill both his nostrils and relieve his senses. Warclaw walked up the stairs and into the darkened room, where he sat wondering what Willow was doing for her mate. What did the Alpha want from Warclaw that he would easily send his Luna to be killed?
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Warclaw’s past. What past? No-wolf even knows of his past. No-wolf even knows where he came from. No-wolf even knows if he even has a past. All they know is that he came out of no-where, and then joined the pack. Warclaw had challenged the Alpha to fight many times to become Alpha. Unfortunately for Warclaw, he had always lost those battles. What the Alpha didn’t know was that with every battle Warclaw fought with him, he was becoming even stronger…
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Warclaw came out of his darkened room around mid-day. The sky was blue and the golden yellow ball was high in the sky, peering down on the world. He walked calmly down the winding stairs, strolling out of the front door just as if it was a normal day and no bodies had been buried. He certainly was a mystery! Warclaw walked down the sparkling golden beach and into the ever lush forest. Warclaw hadn’t eaten in days and was extremely ravenous. So, deciding that he wanted to silence the dark voices in his head, he went to find his next tasty victim.
A few hours later, Warclaw came through the oak front door to the lighthouse, full. Blood had begun to descend down his jaws again and splashed onto the tiled floor. Sauntering to the window that was on the ground floor, Warclaw looked out of it, examining his view that looked out towards the crystal clear sea. He could sense a storm was brewing. Warclaw bolted up the stairs and into his darkened room. As he sprinted into his dark room, he looked out of his window. This window was stain glass that contained blue, yellow and misty green colours. This was the only one not broken. Warclaw could sense that it wouldn’t last long and that to him would be a terrible shame! The birds started to fly away, out of the trees and into the darkening sky. The sea was becoming rough and harsh and unforgiving. The sky had started to darken quicker and began to thunder as the clouds crashed together. But still Warclaw just sat, not panicking.
Soon, it started to rain. The sea started to shift, bashing against the rocks below the lighthouse angrily. The lighthouse started to quake with the force of the sea targeting against the lighthouses foundation. The ground shook and threw Warclaw about. The darkened room was now bright with the colours of the stain glass window. The window started to shake and at the edges of the window, it started to crack. Warclaw watched as the cracks headed towards the middle of the window. Suddenly it smashed, littering the floor with fractions of the coloured glass. Warclaw tried to stand but couldn’t because the glass cut into his pads. The lighthouse had begun to slide down the rocks. Warclaw, finally managing to stand up, jumped over the sliding shards of glass, knowing that he had to get out now before the lighthouse smashed into the sea. He darted out of the door and down the spiralling staircase. The lighthouse came crashing down into the ferocious sea, just as Warclaw came racing out of the spray form, of the water!
Warclaw sprinted into the forest, not a sound was to be made as he made his way through the forest. The forest was usually alight with colours but was now dark and dingy. It was eerily quiet. Warclaw searched for a cave or some sort of shelter, to protect himself from the worst of the storm. For miles Warclaw walked, getting soaked from the cold rain as it beat down onto his fur but he still had no luck. Then suddenly stumbling across the remains of an old house, that had lay to ruins in the forest, he decided that this would be substantial enough for him to stay out of the rain. The problem was that the house was inland, too far from the once smooth and glittering golden beach. Warclaw would have to wait for the storm to pass, the tide to go out, before he can get at his precious treasure from what remains of the darkened room!
Warclaw’s throat had become parched with thirst, as he wandered looking for something to drink. His stomach rumbled as he thought of his delightful meal he had had that morning, as he searched for something to eat but nothing; except for the odd insect flying by; not exactly crème de le crème! Knowing that tropical storms could last for days or even months, with the tide to go out as well, yet Warclaw knew that this would be an even longer wait. The trouble was, for him to get at
it
or what remained of
it
, he’d have to wait for the sea to be at a safe distance. The chance of
it
being intact was slim! Yet, in the back of Warclaw’s mind he knew if he didn’t get to it soon, that
Alpha
would be at it and that’d be the end! Luckily for Warclaw, it was in a solid chest and should (theoretically) still be intact, but the chances were still minuet. In that room, there was something Warclaw would easily die for!!
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Days later after the lighthouse had crashed into the sea; the storm was still carrying on without rest. The terrain around the house had started to flood, and had begun to come seeping into Warclaw’s short term den. He started to puzzle to himself, if his treasure was safe and if the Alpha had realised that Willow hadn’t come back from her mission yet. Remembering Willow’s screams as he took her last and final breath, he felt the ground quake beneath him as if it was striking back for her.
For many decades Warclaw hadn’t faced a challenge, an opponent, but he remembered how she had nearly beat him to the darkened room and to that precious treasure of his but unfortunately for her; he was more powerful and quicker. Willow had never stood a wolves chance against him! There was no doubt in his mind that he was smarter than Willow. Her only downfall was to think that she could outwit him and get to that room, without him stopping her. Warclaw had fought in many wars over the past few centuries, so knew where to kill quickly and give the most damage! Shaking his head in shame, he thought ‘It was such a pity to lose such a beautiful wolf and one that was such a good fighter. I could’ve had her as my Luna, I could’ve been more powerful but not everything goes smoothly!’ He sighed to himself. Warclaw needed to surmise a plan, a way to get around the current situation quickly; before the Alpha came for him. Warclaw knew that he had to get to the darkened room before the Alpha. Before it was too late...
Chapter 3: Alpha
The sky had become dark with cloud cover. The moon that would shine brightly in the sky was covered with miserable cloud. With everything else it surrendered itself to the darkening sky, the rain ceased to surrender and fought more angrily at the world. Not a star shone on this gloomy night. There may have been many stars out behind those possessive clouds but they would not let them be seen. The grass would squelch under the paws of the wolves, as they ran for shelter. The trees moaned as they were thrown around in the harsh, reckless wind. Branches would fall to the ground, calling out for help as they snapped. There was a bright bolt of lightning. A tree screamed in pain as it got set alight, the lightning bolt had struck to its roots. The day was becoming late. And so was Willow. There was shouting coming from a cave that was in the very middle of the wolves den.
“Where is she? Where is Willow?” shouted the Alpha. He paced around the cave. His Luna had gone missing. This made him look bad, very bad. And with his pack slowly turning against him, he desperately needed Willow to return with Warclaw’s precious treasure. Time was ticking by; days were ticking away and there was still no sign of her. Each minute, each hour, each day was going quicker. He could feel his heart lurch inside his already aching chest. At the back of his mind, he feared that she was dead. His instincts could feel it. ‘It cannot be true! I have to believe that she is alive! How can I not? She isn’t... she isn’t.... she cannot be dead!’ He thought as his heart lurched again, knowing that this was most likely true, that she was no more. The cave was getting darker along with the light outside. He was afraid for Willow and he should have been so, but unknowingly for him, it was already too late to be afraid for her. Willow was gone and he would never see her again.
The Alpha was jet black. His eyes were bright green with the hate for Warclaw turning inside him like a furnace. The Alpha’s name was Waya. Waya was a powerful Alpha but without Willow, his Luna, he was weak and feeble and lonely. Willow was beautiful, and he had loved her dearly for that. While in mid-thought, another wolf had come into the cave and walked cautiously up to the Alpha, before speaking and breaking Waya’s concentration on the thoughts of Willow. “Waya, there has been no sign of Willow in days. We cannot keep searching for her day and night. I sent one of the Warren brothers to the lighthouse yesterday but he came back just a few minutes ago without Willow. He said that the lighthouse was empty. There was no sign of either of them. In fact he said that there was no lighthouse! It has just simply vanished! What can we do now?” Wibeke looked at the Alpha to see if there was going to be any response to what she had just told him. But the Alpha kept looking pass her and out of the cave. Waya was sure Warclaw had had something to do with the death; as he had now heard that Willow was dead. Having this dying feeling inside of him, Waya hung his head in shame. After all, it was his fault, as he did send Willow after Warclaw. The desperation for Warclaw’s treasure had grown so heavily out of proportion, that he could see the treasure in front of his eyes and could taste the revenge...
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BANG
! Warclaw jumped waking himself up. A bolt of lightning struck nearby. Warclaw had become alert, very alert. Another clash of thunder. Another bolt of lightning. This was a dangerous place to be and Warclaw knew it, but he stayed where he was as he was already too far away from the rampaging sea. Slowly drifting back to sleep, he let his mind think back to the treasure he loved and protected so dearly. The love and the protection that Warclaw felt and showed for his treasure was more than the love and protection that he had shown his pack (well, what he thought was his pack). Warclaw thought back to the times when he was truly free and didn’t have to hide his treasure away from this wicked world. Knowing what Warclaw hid from every-wolf, it made him have so much pain and despair, but Warclaw was not one for despair. This life his treasure had chosen for him had caused him too much pain. All the time, throughout the past few decades, his past had caused him shame and fear. There was too much shame and fear to share with any other wolf.
He never let any-wolf know of his past. It was too dangerous. They'd use it against him; he had to make sure that if any-wolf heard him talk about the treasure, that they wouldn't be able to imprison him. This was a dangerous time and place to be. Warclaw knew he was in danger if he told any-wolf his secret. He never even talked to himself about it. There was too much shame and dismay, to let any-wolf know. Besides talking to yourself is a sign of madness and he didn't need that. Not at this moment in time, anyway.
Time was passing and Warclaw knew he had to make a move towards the beach. Unfortunately for Warclaw, he didn't know that Waya was on his way there as well, both making the same distance at the same time. The ground between them was quickly closing. Warclaw had started his journey through the forest. The forest still had no colour to it. It was dull and lifeless. There was the odd branch on the floor, from where the lightening had struck it down. Walking for hours on end, Warclaws paws had started to ache. They ached even more as Warclaw took each and every step towards the lighthouse. 'I must be near the sea now, surely?' Warclaw thought bemused. As he walked he couldn't pick up the sound of the sea. It was quiet. Too quiet for Warclaw's liking. He liked the silence but today this silence was uncomfortable and unbearable. Silence wasn’t his best friend today... no, it was his worst enemy. He needed the sound to direct him on his way. Sniffing around, Warclaw tried to paint a picture in his head of where he was. No. Nothing. The ground was bare and had no scent to it. There were no trees or bushes around him. There were no birds in the sky. There wasn’t even a cloud in sight. This was somewhere where Warclaw had never been before. He looked around again but still there was nothing. The dark sky was bare and there was nothing towards the horizon. Where was he?