1 4: The Chosen
Scout Leader Elan and his second-in-command, Miken, were stationed at the Edge of Hollowridge Pass. They noticed a strange scent - a combination of iron and rot. As they neared the origin, birds abruptly took to the skies, and an eerie silence descended upon the vicinity. Upon finding the remains of three scouts, they understood that something was indeed wrong. Their throats had been slashed, and one corpse was impaled on a tree. They burned at the edges, like acid had touched them.
A black fang was stuck in a tree trunk, vibrating with cold energy. Miken whispered, "This isn't vampire work." Suddenly, Elan was snatched away without a sound. Miken ran, and later reported to Mia at Pack Hollow. "They didn't smell alive," he said. "They moved too fast, and there were whispers in my head." After looking at the fang, the Seer declared, "It wasn't vampires." Mia felt an odd bond with the fang and studied it that night. She touched it, saw blood-soaked chains, flashes of pale eyes, and a hybrid monster kneeling in front of a lady with brilliant red hair, whose face resembled hers but was older and colder. "The claw marks match nothing in the archives," Kaian said as he walked in. In response, Mia said, "That's because they were erased." Meanwhile, something ancient stirred deep under the ground. Through the stone came a voice that said, "The Second Name has been spoken." In the darkness, glowing red eyes opened, suggesting the rise of a strong and evil entity.
The Crimson Emissary
A vampire named Valen appeared at the Border Gate, dressed in velvet and exuding an air of danger Although he spoke in a calm manner, the guards felt a sense of danger. Valen asked for a meeting with Mia, the holder of the Second Name. During his encounter with the Elders, Valen disclosed that his people were under attack from the same beings that were slaughtering the wolves. He presented them with a drawing of curved claws that matched those discovered at the ambush location.
Mia trusted Valen, and the Seer verified that the entities were Silenced Ones, outcasts spawned from coerced bloodbond ceremonies. Valen articulated that they were believed to be mere legends, yet Mia was aware of their existence and their advance toward her Mia later revealed the truth about the Silenced Ones by using her blood during the Ritual of Truth. The vision saw Thessan and another Elder talking about a ceremony that didn't work and hiding the truth from the pack. Mia discovered that one of her packmates had helped create the Silenced Ones and had been keeping it a secret. When Kaian approached her, she was honest with him. Kaian remarked, "It's not just a hunt," "It's a reckoning." An impending conflict within the pack was initiated.
Pack Hollow – Midnight The council fire had burned low, and most of the Elders had left, shaken by the Seer's vision and Mia's accusation. Only Lira remained by Mia's side, looking grim. Valen, the vampire, waited across the circle. "You've seen the truth," he said softly. "Now what will you do with it?" Mia stared at the black fang, still glowing faintly in the runes.
"If I reveal it, the pack will tear itself apart," she said. Valen stepped forward, saying, "And if you bury it, the Silenced Ones will grow bolder, fed by the lie." He suggested a pact between the Luna and Crimson, an alliance of need, not trust. Mia narrowed her eyes, asking if he'd kneel to a werewolf. Valen smiled, saying he'd fight beside her to stop what's coming.
A cloaked figure, the Exile, walked alone through the ruins of an old temple. He knelt at the stone gate, whispering that Tala'Ra walks again, and they'll need him soon.
Later, Mia stood at the high overlook above the hollow, Kaian beside her. "They lied to everyone," she said. "Covered it up. Buried the cost." Kaian replied, "And now it's rising." Mia held the fang over the edge, thinking about tossing it into the dark. But she didn't. "We fight," she said. "But not like them. We don't lie. We don't hide."
Kaian looked at her, asking, "Even if it splits the pack?" Mia replied, "Especially then. Because this isn't just about wolves anymore." In the Crimson House, Valen knelt before his Queen, reporting that Mia agreed to the pact. The Queen smiled faintly, saying, "Then the game begins." From the shadows, something moved – a creature that was both vampire and wolf.