1 5: Divided Council
The Regional Shifter Council met in a stone hall, carved into the northern cliffs. Mia stood before the semicircle of high-backed seats, Kaian by her side. The other Alphas watched her with suspicion. Arek of Stonecliff growled, "You come bearing a vampire's words. Is this what Pack Hollow has sunk to?" Mia replied, "Valen brought proof. The Silenced Ones are real, and they're killing wolves."
The council exchanged uneasy looks, but some scoffed. "A Seer's vision is just a trick," Arek said. Mia countered, "The Ritual of Truth doesn't lie. And neither do the dead." Councilor Tess asked, "You said the fang showed visions. Of a woman like you, older. Who was she?" Mia hesitated, unsure how to answer.
As the debate continued, Mia revealed that someone among the packs helped create the Silenced Ones and covered it up. The silence was heavy, and Kaian warned, "If we don't act now, there won't be a council left to argue." As they left, Kaian leaned close to Mia, "You saw Ratha's face? He knows more than he says. And he's afraid."
Outside, the wind howled over the cliffs, and emissaries from other packs waited in tense silence. Meanwhile, in the Crimson House, Valen reported to the Queen that Mia told the council, but they dismissed her. The Queen smiled, saying, "The old fear the old truths most of all." She asked about the Exile, and Valen replied, "He moves. He remembers the First Name. He'll come when the Third is spoken." The Queen's smile hinted at the start of something ominous.
Hollowridge Winds
Mia and Kaian rode down the pass, their wolves pacing behind them. The council chamber had burned with disagreement, and each Alpha had retreated into their own fears. "We won't get help," Kaian said. "Not from them." Mia's jaw tightened. "Then we find the truth ourselves. If Ratha's hiding something, I want to know what and why."
As they approached the Hollow, a scout sprinted toward them, frantic. "North watch tower, it's gone. Nothing left but ash and bones. And the trees... they screamed when they died." Mia's blood ran cold. "Silenced Ones?" The scout shook his head. "No scent. No sound. Just... a shadow that walked on frost."
Meanwhile, the Exile moved through moonless corridors, his steps stirring no dust. He knelt at the broken altar, laying a bone-colored key into a hollow shaped like a fang. A voice emerged from the darkness, female and ancient. "You would return, oathbreaker?" The Exile whispered, "I never left. Only waited. The Second Name is spoken. Soon, the Third will follow."
At Pack Hollow, Lira stood watch over the black fang. Valen watched from the shadows, saying, "It's waking them. They're drawn to it. Every fang is a call. A summoning." Mia returned, snow-flecked and tense. "Rally everyone," she said. "We're not waiting for another tower to fall." Valen stepped forward, "You'll need more than wolves." Mia met his eyes, "Then bring your kind." As they prepared for battle, the Silenced Ones stood in the clearing where the tower once stood. They moved like liquid shadow, their eyes pale like a storm's eye. One bent over a bone, whispering something to it. Then they all turned at once - toward the south. The fang had pulsed again, and something else was coming. A creature, both wolf and vampire, stepped forward, holding a second fang. As the creature held the second fang, the Silenced Ones seemed to acknowledge its presence. They began to move in unison, their bodies fluid and menacing. The creature, with its unnatural grace, led the way, its eyes fixed on the south. In the Hollow, Mia and Kaian prepared for battle, knowing that they would.
As the night wore on, the tension built, and the stage was set for a confrontation that would change the course of history. The Silenced Ones, the creature, and the Exile all seemed to be moving towards a common goal, and Mia and her allies were determined to stop them.