A chill crept into Velika's Den, snow crystals being blow from the white landscape to where she sat. A black wolf shivered beside her, it's head buried in it's fur. Ataxia was all Velika had left, her mate and son had died in an attack from a mountain lion while out hunting. A pang of sadness went through her 'It was Pepper's first hunt...' she thought, her mind drifting. Paw steps from outside the Den thrust her back to reality. She jumped to her feet, growling. Ataxia lifted her head in surprise and pricked her ears to listen as well. A black and white she-wolf padded in front of the Den, pelt shining against the pure white snow. A russet she-wolf and a grey male joined her. Velika gasped
"The Leaders of The Guild!". Ataxia was confused, "You know these wolves?" she asked Velika. Velika merely stared at the ground. The russet she-wolf spoke.
"Ataxia must come with us, her destiny must be fulfilled, and she cannot do that here, constrained to this cave", the other wolves simply nodded. Velika snarled.
"You are outnumbered Velika, and she is not trained yet" the grey male challenged. At this Velika dropped to the floor, defeated, and motioned for Ataxia to join the Guild Leaders. Unsurely, Ataxia padded up to the black and white female. "Welcome to The Guild of No Moon, I will train you to fight in preparation for the day you must face the prophecy given to you...My name is Rahna, and I will tell you of your past" she greeted Ataxia. Rahna said no more, and they four of them stepped from the cave, into a flurry of snow. When they became unseen to her Velika sighed.
"I have failed in my task, Morpheus, and for that I apologize, and can say no more" she whispered back to the howling wind.
Ataxia followed the Guild Leaders into a gorge, dangerously slicked with snow on the clefts, but once they reached the bottom where a camp lay, the snow had been cleared away and her paws met rough and cold stone. A lone black, green, and white she-wolf stood waiting.
"Makai!" she barked to the grey male beside Ataxia.
"Ivy, how long have you waited?" he asked the she-wolf. She shrugged and replied
"Not very long". Makai padded to join Ivy and the two wolves walked into a Den of some sort.
"Makai is Ivy's father" Rahna explained. Ataxia nodded. The russet she-wolf flicked her ears to the Den where Makai and Ivy had disappeared.
"I am going to rest" she muttered, seeming cross. Ataxia tilted her head, confused.
"Don't worry about Tahira, she's upset that I caught the squirrel she was tracking after she lost the trail. Makai kept her temper at bay while we came for you" Rahna whispered, then laughed as Tahira's tail twitched with irritation, most likely having overheard Rahna.
"Come Ataxia, I'll show you to your Den, Ivy should be joining you shortly" Rahna said, then led Ataxia to a bramble Den, and she felt she'd been somewhere similar, but couldn't quite remember where she'd been. Ataxia settled into a readied nest of moss.
"Tomorrow, I shall tell you your story..." Rahna whispered, then turned and left the Den. Ataxia closed her eyes, and lay her head down. Before she could think of what had happened to her, she had drifted off into sleep.
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