It dawned blood-red the following morning.
As a scout, his horse drenched in sweat, thundered into Silverwind's central courtyard, the light filtered uncannily through the clouds. He called for Thomas and Roman, and his voice broke.
"In the woods to the east," he exclaimed. "You must witness it for yourself."
Along with Thomas and a few elite guards, Roman and Serafina arrived at the treeline already armed. The scout guided them back to the glade where they had first seen the odd girl, deep in the woods. However, the trees had fresh wounds this time.
Symbols—dark, jagged spirals with a line that resembled a wolf's fang—were burned into the trunks in a broad arc. Where the mark had been seared in, the trees were blackened, but the bark remained intact.
Eyes narrowing, Serafina took a step closer. "This is more than just a danger. It conveys a message.
Roman knelt next to a tree and brushed the ash off the forest floor. "Accuracy burns." Not with a torch or claw... Power was used to create this.
Thomas frowned as he came up behind. "What does it signify?"
"It's difficult," Serafina remarked somberly. "As well as a warning."
Roman stood up, his face pressed firmly. "This is similar to what I've seen before. Years ago, once. A renegade tribe near the Ashen Reaches claimed neutral territory by branding trees. It was an assertion of power. but this? He gave a headshake. This is more hygienic. ritualistic.
Serafina's eyes strayed to the edge of the trees. "It's supposed to make us uneasy."
One of the guards muttered, "It's working."
Serafina, however, did not recoil. She looked at Thomas and Roman. "We must notify Nightwind. And Tailwind and Whitedawn. This threat is no longer local.
Thomas reluctantly nodded, but his eyes flashed with something that could not be read. "Unless blood is spilled, Father won't like involving the other packs."
Roman's jaw tightened. "And what do you recommend? Hold off until someone gets killed?
Serafina firmly said, "No." "I refuse to let this 'Hollow Alpha' decide on his terms. Too much has already been given up for peace."
Roman studied her for a moment. Her mother's fire and Jacob's determination were evident in the steeliness of her voice. Her name was no longer merely Luna. She was getting up.
The castle halls were quieter than usual that night. After listening to the scout's report, even Maximus appeared quiet. In public he waved it away, but in private he doubled the patrols and called in the Council Guard.
Serafina, meanwhile, lit a candle in her room and meticulously sketched the Hollow Alpha's mark on paper. She would write a personal letter to Leah and Jacob in Barduff Castle, one that her father would comprehend with his eyes and his intuition.
There would be trouble. A silent, insidious danger that spied from the trees and burned vows into the bark.
Serafina would also be prepared.
She was no longer merely a daughter.
She served as a guardian too.