Chapter 8: Howls Across the Mountains
Far to the east of Black Ash Vale, beyond the withered roots of the Bramble Pines, three distinct howls pierced the dawn. They echoed across snow-capped ridges and deep ravines, where only the brave or foolish tread. These were not idle cries, but messages—coded signals understood only by those born into the blood and claw of pack society.
Within a rocky cavern shaped like the maw of a beast, Tamir—Alpha of the Hollow Shade—stood before a council of ten. His black robes swayed as the wind blew through the jagged rocks behind him.
"They survived," he muttered, pacing before the fire pit, his steps slow, deliberate. "That whelp… Kael. He rallied them."
An elder from his right, hunched and covered in bone charms, spat to the floor. "Impossible. The Crimson Howl was finished. That boy never even—"
"He did," Tamir cut in, raising a hand. "The flame bearer and the broken fang. He's gathering titles. Something… is guiding him."
A silence fell.
One of the younger alphas, dressed in ironwood armor, narrowed his eyes. "You speak as if some old force has awakened. You think it's the Chaos Bloodline?"
Tamir turned to face him fully, revealing a jagged scar down his left eye. "Maybe. Or maybe something older. I don't believe in coincidences, not when a pup barely out of the cradle unites a shattered pack."
Meanwhile, back at Crimson Howl territory…
Kael sat cross-legged beneath the Wyrmroot tree. The land felt different now. Not as dead. Not as silent. Like something ancient stirred beneath the soil.
"System," he whispered. "What did Flam mean when he said something was guiding us?"
System Response:
Clarification:
— Only the Alpha can perceive and interact with the Ultimate Pack System.
— Flam's statement refers to instinctual resonance experienced by pack members due to bloodline synchronization.
— Chaos Bloodline now evolving in parallel with system progression.
Kael exhaled slowly, gaze drifting toward the sky.
A tremor rumbled beneath his feet. He snapped up.
Moments later, a scout wolf—half-shifted and breathless—darted into the camp.
"Alpha!" the young warrior barked. "Smoke rises from the east! A signal. Three howls from the Hollow Shade!"
Kael's face darkened.
"Then the game begins."
He stepped forward, voice clear and sharp. "Flam. Seth. Prepare the warriors. If Hollow Shade thinks we'll wait to die quietly, they've forgotten who we are."
Behind him, the Lawstone pulsed faintly.
And for the first time in years…
The Crimson Howl prepared to roar again.