Chapter One

**QUICK NOTE: This story is the opening to a story I've been working on for a while. Still a work in progress but I'm satisfied enough with the beginning to make it available to people. Feedback would be appreciated. I do hope to publish the whole book someday and any suggestions to improve this would greatly help to get ready for that.**

Hello, Lupa, and any others who may be reading this. I am Binyamin. The Warrior. I am Headmaster of Volundr, the warrior school, its representative on the ruling council, and the Alpha of the Army of Lykourgos. For now, though, my task is different. I am here to tell you a story. A story of adventure. Danger. Battle. Mystery. The story of a young warrior who saved us all, along with his friends. This, my friend, is the story of Ranulf.

“He ran through the woods. Only fifty yards behind him, toppling trees caused the ground to shake violently, and the air to be filled with a sound like thunder. But it was nothing compared to the roar of the unseen creature behind him, and the miniature earthquake-sized tremors caused by its galloping feet. He ran and ran until he could run no more. Then, when all hope seemed lost, he saw a small cave at the bottom of a cliff, the cave mouth mostly hidden by a bush, a fallen tree, and dead branches. He crawled inside and crouched low in the back, hoping that the creature would be too large to reach him. Hoping that he could make it home to warn the Alpha.”

And did he make it? Or did the creature, whatever it was, lay waste to our greatest warrior? Asked Ylva, who had listened with rapt attention to the tale told by her comrade.

“Oh, yes, he made it,” replied Ranulf, the storyteller, a muscular gray wolf. “The creature was not the brightest to ever walk this planet, and, after trying unsuccessfully to reach him, left to return to his master, planning to inform them that the wolves’ greatest warrior was curled up scared in the back of a cave. Of course, by the time he returned with his master, Binyamin had already left and was well on his way back to the castle. I heard this story from a friend of mine who’s a guard in the palace. He said Binyamin came running in, babbling about a creature chasing him through the forest and ran straight into the throne room. A minute later, he and the Alpha came out and hurried into the meeting room, where they were swiftly joined by Ulrica and Adolfus. They’re still in there, as far as I know. This only happened a few minutes ago.”

“You mean this is happening right now?” cried Ylva. “I thought it was a story!”

“It is happening right now, but it sounds nice as a story, doesn’t it?” Ranulf replied calmly.

“We can deal with your flair for the dramatic later,” snarled Ylva, her red fur bristling along her back. “Right now, it seems, we have more pressing things to worry about.”

“I wonder what kind of creature could make Binyamin run away like that. It must be absolutely terrifying. And huge. Anything that can make the ground shake as you described must be massive,” mused Farenoff, a faraway look in his yellow eyes, more interested in the possibilities of the incident than the argument between his sister and their friend.

“What doesn’t matter as much as who or why,” said Ylva. “It was definitely one of those traitorous cats, but why? What would bring them far enough into our territory to warrant the attention of Binyamin? Or, if they hadn’t crossed the border, what was he doing in their territory? A wise warrior like himself would know it is far too risky to enter their territory alone.”

“Maybe a Synoptigon”, said Farenoff, still pondering what creature could be responsible. “Or a Quinoctarion...”

“Whatever the reason, we should prepare for the worst. Let’s inform our branches what has happened,” replied Ranulf.

“Agreed,” said Farenoff, finally focusing again. “But wouldn’t it be a good idea to find out more of what is going on first? We don’t want to bring false information or be under-prepared for whatever might occur.”

“What are you suggesting?” asked Ylva.

Farenoff smiled. “The council is having an impromptu meeting about it, aren’t they? I say we find out what they’re discussing.”

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“This,” whispered Ranulf, “Is the worst idea you have ever had.”

It was an understandable statement. Most ideas didn’t have him hanging upside down over a doorway peering into the ruling council’s meeting room, spying on possibly the four most powerful wolves in existence, inside one of the most secure buildings on the planet. Even though they were invisible, Ulrica would only have to look their way and she would see right through Ylva’s spell. The stronger a wolf's magical ability, the easier it is for them to see through spells, and Ulrica was the best there was. Everyone in that room was. The greatest warrior, the greatest sorceress, the greatest scientist, and the Alpha, the best overall.

“You agreed,” Farenoff whispered back. “Besides, this is the best way to gain information.”

“Shh!” Ylva hissed. “We’re invisible, not soundproof! Anyway, we’re here to listen, not argue.”

“...were planning something, Ulfr,” said Binyamin. “I’m sure of it. There is no other reason they would risk crossing the border between our lands.”

“How many of them did you say there were?” Asked Ulfr, Alpha of Lykourgos.

“I’m not sure. I counted between fifteen and twenty, but there could have been more.”

“Is it possible it could have been an isolated incident?” Inquired Ulrica. “Just because a group of cats crosses our borders doesn’t mean it was an official act. Draven may not even know about it.”

“The group was led by Fionnaghal,” said Binyamin. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Fionnaghal?” Said Adolfus, stunned. “Draven sent his right-hand cat into our territory? This is far more serious than I thought.” Fionnaghal is a white tiger and an advisor to the feline King, Draven. She hates wolves and all other canines, and will do anything to see them destroyed once and for all. She is responsible for the Conarian Massacre, one of the worst events in recorded history.

“You have convinced me, Binyamin,” said Ulfr. “We must look into this.”

“I will go see what I can find,” said Ulrica.

“No,” said Ulfr. “I need you and Adolfus here. See if you can strengthen the castle’s defenses, and watch for anything unusual on the scanners. I will go myself. Binyamin, I would like you to come with me.”

“Of course,” Binyamin said. “I was going to suggest that myself. If they can overcome me so easily, it will take more than just you to stop them. No offense, Alpha, but even as strong as you are, you may not survive the encounter alone, or with the Royal Guard.”

“Very well,” Replied Ulfr. “If there are no objections...”

“I don’t like it, but it is a wise course of action,” said Ulrica. “Binyamin is right, though. Be careful.”

“Maybe we can add a few more layers of Ulfrite to the palace…” Mused Adolfus. Ulfrite is an element that disperses magic in ways that are not fully understood, making it an excellent defensive material. A common mistake is that the Alpha named it after himself, but in actuality, a scientist by the same name discovered and named it.

“Do what you think is necessary,” said Ulfr. “Binyamin, appoint someone to be in charge of Volundr and the army while you are gone, and to be your successor if you do not return. I do not expect we will be gone long, but you can never be sure.”

“It will be done, my Alpha,” said Binyamin, crouching before his ruler. He got up and swiftly exited the room, passing directly beneath Ylva, Farenoff, and Ranulf.

“As for who will rule if I do not return, you already know the answer. Guide him as best you can. I have no doubt that he will prove to be a great ruler, perhaps greater than I could ever hope to be.”

“Let us hope we do not have to find out soon, my lord,” said Adolphus.

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“I was so sure Ulrica would spot us,” said Ylva. “I mean, she would have just had to look up. It isn’t like I’m strong enough to hide from someone of her skill.”

“Maybe not, but the chances of us being spotted were 3-4 times more likely if you hadn’t shielded us,” Ranulf pointed out.

“I’m surprised nobody noticed as we left,” said Farenoff. “We had to drop in front of the only exit from the room. I’m glad Binyamin isn’t good enough to easily see through your spell. Otherwise, we would have been caught for sure when he left.”

“Well, anyway, we got out without being caught. Either that or they knew we were there, though I can’t see having gotten away with it if they did.” Said Ranulf.

“Come on, we’re almost there,” said Farenoff, even though they all knew. They were walking toward Anantha, the Academy of Scientific Pursuits and Endeavors. It also housed several of the many entrances to a mostly secret underground complex.

“What new surprises have you got in store for us this time?” Asked Ylva. She was always fascinated by what their organization's scientists could come up with.

“You’ll just have to wait and see, now, won’t you?” said Farenoff, smiling. He loved showing off the latest inventions even more than Ylva liked to hear about them. They walked across the campus, entered Farenoff’s dorm building, and climbed the stairs to his room. Once they walked through the door, Farenoff locked it behind them and pressed a button. Cameras in the room scanned each person and relayed the information back to a computer mainframe. The computer calculated what people would most likely expect them to do and sent that information through the camera lenses and hologram projectors instead of what was actually happening in the room. Farenoff pressed another button, and a section of the floor spiraled open, and a round platform rose a few claws (~4.8 in) to come level with the ground. The three wolves stepped onto the platform, and it descended into the secret complex beneath the capital of Lykourgos.

As they descended, the floor spiraled back into place above their heads, and blue lights flicked on all around them.

“Identity confirmed.” Said a robotic voice. “Alpha level status recognized. Welcome, Farenoff, Ranulf, and Ylva.” The platform descended out of the darkness into the center of a command hub. Monitors lined the walls, showing everything from the latest news to piggybacked satellite feed from Lykourgos’s Orbital Spy Satellites’ (OSS's). On the few screens that weren’t in use, a circle image revolved slowly, depicting a fox's head peeking out from behind a wall, ears pricked, listening intently - the symbol of the wolves' top spy organization, þagall drengr. Or, at least, it would be, if anyone besides its members knew it existed. þagall drengr had formerly been an official organization that had been recognized by all wolf packs but had been officially disbanded by Ulfr when he took the throne and created the ruling council. Now operating in secret, and led by Ranulf, Farenoff, and Ylva, the organization used the base left over from its official days that had been abandoned after it was disbanded. The organization is divided into three main branches, the same as the wolves society: might, magic, machine. The people in these branches worked round the clock to monitor communications, enemy and friendly movements, and anything else they could lay their paws on. Scientists worked on improving the technology currently available and developing entirely new gadgets, gizmos, machines, surveillance equipment, and weapons. Magicians practiced spell after spell, and some of the more ambitious even tried to make their own. The warriors trained in a wide variety of fighting styles, and combined them in unique and interesting ways.

“All right, listen up,” said Farenoff. Everyone working in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him. “There has been an incident with the cat’s, led by Fionnaghal, within the last couple of hours. I want everyone to monitor the border between our territories, and report anything, and I mean anything, that happens, even if it’s just a scouting party. Do I make myself clear?” Heads nodded all around the room.

“But first,” continued Farenoff, “I want everyone to split off into your separate branches for briefings. You have 2 minutes. Go!” Instantly, everybody got up and proceeded to their branch’s briefing room. Ranulf turned to Farenoff and Ylva. “I guess I’ll see you after the briefings,” he said. Ylva nodded.

“Let us hope we have the opportunity,” said Farenoff. “We don’t know when they’ll make their next move.” And with that cheery thought, the three young leaders followed their branches down various corridors.

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“All right, listen up,” said Ranulf into a microphone. “You already know Fionnaghal is behind an incident. What you don’t know is everything else. Fionnaghal led a team of about 20 cats into our territory. As far as I know, they’re still there. I don’t know all the details, but I know Binyamin encountered them, and the confrontation ended with him running for his life from a huge, so far unknown, creature. I also know that Binyamin and the Alpha are going back out there, presumably with the royal guard and maybe with some of the army, to find out more, and to deal with the situation. This situation takes priority over everything else. I want all training to cease for the time being. We don’t know how long this situation is going to last, but we need to assume the worst. Also, I want our best scouts to follow the Alpha’s party and help them if they get into danger. Try to remain hidden; reveal yourselves only if absolutely necessary. So, normal procedure on our missions, understood?” Everyone nodded. They all knew that the work they did would be much more effective if done in secret. If they were to reveal their existence, the organization would likely be closed again, permanently. Even if they weren’t forced to close, they would have to be subject to the ruling council, and the time it took them to respond would increase significantly.

“OK, then. Sinopa and Tokala, take two other scouts and follow the Alpha.” Two foxes nodded, and turned to the people next to them, quickly selecting another fox and an albino wolf, then hurrying out the door.

“The rest of you, show me why you’re the best.” Ranulf said, then shouted, “Are you ready?” The crowd of assembled warriors roared in confirmation and turned and charged out of the room to perform their tasks. Ranulf stared after them, a grim smile on his face. They were ready. This is what they had trained for. So why did he have such a bad feeling about what was going to happen? He frowned in concentration for a moment, then shrugged. There was nothing he could do to be ready for something he knew nothing about, except gather information and prepare for anything, both of which were already being done. There was nothing left he could do about this feeling. Unless… He looked up as a thought struck him, and he raced out of the room. He had to find Farenoff and Ylva.

• Photo by Milo Weiler on Unsplash