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Juk

Day 5

A nticipation buzzes through my fur as I complete my shift. My Seeker is clear, scanning the horizon as I bound forward on four paws.

Run to the south valley. There, you will find a strange, sleek rock. From the distance, it may appear small, but I believe it to be bigger—the size of a small cave .

My alpha’s words ring through my head as I run ahead as fast as my paws will carry me. The task from my alpha is clear—investigate the fallen rock from four days ago.

I recall the image of the dark streak in the sky falling forward from the entrance of the den. Our alpha had already left on his search of Jenneka—I roll my eyes thinking about her and her antics—and it was my duty to keep the pack safe. Kalpa was first to spot it, waiting anxiously at the top of the ridge for sight of his runaway sister.

We thought nothing of it, as stars mean nothing to Snowscapes. It was an omen for the Stygians. Vekao was warning them of their foolishness, urging them to straighten their ways before she struck them down. Of course, the Stygians have been worshiping the stars since the creation. I would never call Vekao foolish for thinking she could change their minds now, but I do wonder what the omen means for them. What have they done to cause such a smite.

It is not your duty to question Vekao and her ways , my Seeker tells me. Despite it being a sign for the Stygians, I ordered the pack to stay inside the rest of that day. A storm approached at any rate, and by next morning, the dark streak had dissipated. Brex was curious about it, but I quashed his curiosities, and we did not bring it up again to the pack. Everyone had forgotten about it—until now.

I did not get a good look at the alpha’s mate when they arrived. Jenneka said he was coming back with an oddity , something I would never use to describe an alpha’s mate. Every mating is worthy of celebration, but an alpha’s mating is best for the pack. It will bring strength to the Snowscapes. Solidity and prosperity. It is something that, for all we knew, is lacking in the other two packs. But, from the brief glimpse I got of the small female in the alpha’s arms, she has no Seeker. No fluff of tails either. An oddity indeed .

My nose wrinkles at the thought of the Ashen and Stygian packs. We have little way of intel into either enemy’s territory. Vekao would give a sign if either alpha had mated. The Stygians’ den is too far from ours to get any sort of reading. They keep to their territory, as we do ours, which, oddly given their nature, makes them the better neighbours of our two rival packs.

The Ashen alpha is new. That is one thing a whisper on the wind told the patrol last time they were out that way. Their previous Alpha had been usurped and a new one is in place. Unless the new Alpha was already mated when he won the challenge...

I shake my head. Impossible. Vekao would tell us.

My paws are light on the snow, despite the enormity of my body. As the largest of my pack, my legs are strong. The southern valley is a half-day away at a good pace. The sun is already over the half-mark for the day, and the moons will be bright by the time I get there. But the sky looks clear, void of any new storms heading this way. I will investigate what I can, if anything, in the dark, before doing more in the daylight.

As the sky turns dark and Vekao’s bright presence brightens the snow, I spot it. Axyll was not kidding in his description of it.

From afar, it looks like every other rock. It juts out from the ground, and snow coats most of it. But its scent is what hits me first. Metallic and tangy. Even from high up in the valley, the smell carries on the wind. It is foreign to our territory—to our world—and does not belong here. I wonder if all fallen stars smell the same .

As I climb down the valley’s steep cliffs, the rock grows in size, just as Axyll predicted. By the time I reach it, it stands over me like a cave covered in snow. Its color is black, as dark as the night sky. Vekao’s rays of moonlight bounce off the sides that are exposed.

I approach it with caution. The smell is stronger here and burns my nostrils. My Seeker starts to shine though, and my hearts thump loudly in my chest. This is a different feeling than my usual intuition. It is not telling me of what will happen, or what is to come. There is no danger here, but there is something . Something of such importance that it blinds me for a moment and I must look away.

Once it has calmed down, I start to sniff where the walls meet the snow. Most of it is buried under the white fluff. As I scan what I presume is the front of it, I notice what looks like a crack near the top. But the wall there is clear. It’s as clear as a frozen pond. All it reveals is darkness on the other side, and I stare at it in wonder. It makes no sense to me why a star would have a frozen pond on its front.

And then, suddenly, something shifts from within the cave. A piece of snow falls from the frozen pond affixed to its front, and I see a quick glimpse of something inside. A pale, Seekerless face shines in Vekao’s moonlight. A female. My Seeker shines so brightly I blink to clear my head, and when I open my eyes again, she is gone. There is only darkness on the other side of the frozen pond.

Perhaps I imagined it , I think to myself, but by the hammering of my hearts and the flip of my stomach, I know it is not true. My fur stands on end, and I turn my head to look up at Vekao, begging her for guidance.

It will be easier to discern what I am looking at—what I saw—during the light of day. I will return to the cave in the morning, under the sun’s bright rays, and then I will uncover the mystery of this strange, fallen star.

I sleep at a distance from the sleek cave. It’s in my sight, a black blip in the bright snow. The unfamiliar smells and that flash of a pale face through the pond-wall cause a restless slumber. I wake long before dawn. By the time the sun is dominant and Vekao has faded into the bright blue of the sky, I’ve eaten a small drackyr poached from a nearby nesting ground and head back to the cave with a full belly.

The sun is bright this day. It reflects off the snow, the sparkle of the cold powder shimmering under its rays. A breeze rustles my fur. My tracks from earlier this morning have been disturbed by the wind, half-covered with the shifting snow.

I approach the cave from the west. The metallic stench grows stronger the closer I get. It is an odd, unpleasant scent that I have little to compare to. Axyll’s mate had traces of it still on her when they arrived at the den, but I did not get a good glimpse of her before she was whisked off to Nyfer.

As I slink closer to the looming black shape, many thoughts and emotions fly at me. There is happiness for my cousin and my best friend, my alpha, for finding his mate. But there is a wariness too. His mate is not a Celetan. From the brief glimpse I did get of her, she is small and fragile. Her forehead runs smooth, no scar of a ripped-out Seeker or birth deformity, and she had no underlying scent of a celestial form. Never has there been a Celetan with such features.

I stare up at the smooth walls of the cave—the fallen star—and lift my nose. Taking a deep whiff, I filter through the different scents coming at me. The metallic is the strongest. It is everywhere, and I categorize it in my mind as part of the cave itself. The smell permeates from the black walls, and must have to do with their composition. Beneath that, there are various other scents. Rock, earth, blood, sweat. But nowhere do I detect the scent I am trying to find, the one that has my hearts beating hard in my chest with fear and anger: the scent of the Stygians.

The dark pack from the north are our enemies. I did not scent them on the cave yesterday either, but now, in the light of day, I need to be sure. They’re an affront to nature, their minds addled and evil as they choose to worship the stars instead of Vekao. Even the Ashen pack, who worship Jaci, Vekao’s smaller ward, are better than the Stygians. They, too, are our enemy, but they are reasonable. They can be reasoned with . The Stygians are nothing but monsters.

I am hesitant as I start to circle to the other side of the cave. Cautious optimism tries to calm my nerves, as nowhere do I catch the filthy stench of a Stygian. Perhaps Axyll is right: this fallen star is a warning to the Stygians, not a threat to the Snowscapes. This is not of their doing—this will be their undoing .

I often stare up at the stars. They twinkle, bright and distant, far inferior to Vekao and Jaci. There is a beauty to them I dare not admit aloud, but they are nothing special. Nothing to worship in a snub to Vekao. There is something calming about them. And yet, as I slowly circle this one now, I never imagined this as their appearance. Dark like the night sky, with smooth walls, there is no beauty to it up close. Aside from the reflection of the sun’s rays, it does not shine. There is the strangeness of the see-through wall, like ice on a clear pond, and as I inspect closer, I see orange flecks here and there amongst the black. The orange flecks permeate the metallic burning stench the strongest.

There is a light . My Seeker guides me round the corner of the cave and a new scent hits me. It is similar to the scent of a flame, but lighter. It is almost unnoticeable next to the overwhelming metallic that covers everything. As I round the corner, I see it. A wavering red light outlines the entrance to the cave.

My pulse quickens again as I stare into the cave. There is a nearly invisible red wall blocking the entrance. It stretches out from the red light surrounding the entrance. I do not understand it, but I do not trust it. My Seeker warns me not to cross it.

The inside of the cave is dark through the red veil. Beyond its burning scent, my nose picks up different smells. There is more sweat and blood, and metallic is the strongest of all again. But there is also a sweetness I cannot describe. It is faint, wafting from further inside the cave. There is also the concealed smell of feces and urine rotting from the left.

My ear twitches. Soft voices speak inside the darkness. They are female, their words foreign to me. I think back to the face I saw the night before, the brief glimpse of a being inside the cave. An involuntary, soft whine escapes me. I want to see these females up close, see if they reek of the Stygians. I want to know how many there are, and if they are Seekerless like Axyll’s mate. But the red glow across the entrance is impassable.

I decide, then, that the best course of action is to round back to where the clear wall is. The one that I can see through and see the females. Perhaps then I can get their attention. Would it be better if you were in your ancestral form? my mind wonders. Then I could call out to the females from this side of the red warning.

I turn away from the red glow and start to round the cave, still unsure of which idea is best. My alpha commanded for me to come and see what was hidden in the cave. I know it is females, but I need to see them. I need to know how many before heading back with my report. Is his mate aware of the females here? Was she in this fallen star with them? Axyll did not know what the stare contained, which means he must have met her elsewhere, away from this shiny cave.

Something cold and hard suddenly hits my fur. I do not stumble, for my strong legs hold me in place, but I am bewildered.

“Oooo aaayyy!”

I look up as another snowball pelts into me. This one hits me in the face, on my right side as I turn out of the way too slowly. The cold, compact snow does not hurt as it hits my jaw, but it is an annoyance. Snow falls into my eye, and sticks to my fur as I shake my face.

When my vision has cleared, I look up at the source of the assault. My Seeker is blinded by the reflection of the sun on the cave—or so I tell myself—as the outline of a petite female is silhouetted against the sun. All I make out is black hair blowing in the lazy breeze and dark, strong eyes glaring down at me. And the lack of a Seeker.

“Eeet ooout oooof eeere!” she shouts again, as her hands compact the snow into another ball. I dodge this one easily, but the message is clear. She is not afraid, but protective of those inside the cave. She does not understand that I mean them no harm. The female is quick to throw another snowball at me, and I retreat further back.

With one last look at the female atop the cave, I push off with my paws and race back to the den. The sun is past the midday mark, and Vekao looms in the distance. By the time I reach the den, the sun will have set and it will be nightfall.

I push as fast as my legs will take me. My paws barely touch the snow before they are off again, bounding me forward as my mind reels at the discovery. There are more females like Axyll’s strange mate. And, as far as I can tell, there is no scent of Stygian on them.

By the time I reach the den, my legs are aching. Vekao is bright and full in the sky. She looms over the mountains and dwarfs Jaci. The snow is glittering in her reflection.

As I reach the bottom of the cliff, I spot the familiar glow of a fire’s flame on the plateau. The Celestial Moon Bonfire , my mind reminds me. They are celebrating on the plateau in front of the den. The entire pack will be out there and present for my announcement.

At the bottom of the cliff, I shift as fast as possible. It is nearly seamless, my bones snapping all at once, and shifting back into place of my ancestral form. My white fur recedes into my body, replaced with thick skin that keeps my bones and innards warm. I am panting by the time it is done. My arms shake as I sweep my hair up into a knot at the top of my head with a piece of scrap leather that I keep on me at all times.

Just looking at the holdings scaling up the cliff to the den makes me feel tired. I have not eaten anything since this morning and have pushed myself all afternoon to get home. But my alpha must learn of this discovery right away. He will want to know there are more females who, in my opinion, may be in distress. The smell of feces and urine that wafted out of the cave replays in my memory, as well as the underlying scent of blood.

My arms still shaking, I climb up the holdings as fast as possible. As I pull myself over the cliff’s edge, my fingers threaten to slip on the icy surface, but I grunt through it.

I hesitate for only a moment as I stand, my heart dropping into the pit of my stomach as I take in the scene before me. My alpha is in the middle of his bonding ceremony. To be united under a full Vekao is one of the greatest blessings possible. And here I am about to interrupt it.

Axyll does not notice me at first, as he glares over at his uncle, Joval. Perhaps I am not the first to interrupt the ceremony then. Brex lets out a warning growl, and Joval huffs in response.

The alpha then turns his attention to me as I make quick strides over to him. His mate is small and meek beside him. She is the same size as an adolescent, only a few fingers taller than Hexa. Her small round face looks at me curiously, and my stomach twists at her lack of a Seeker. I do not understand Axyll’s choice in her, but I know his Seeker has guided him. Has decided they are to be mates. It is Vekao’s wish, and I will not question or stop it. Her will is absolute, especially on a day such as this when she is full in the sky.

“Juk,” my alpha says. There is curiosity in his blue eyes.

“I have been to the fallen star,” I say. My hearts thump wildly, my lungs still trying to catch a breath. Nyfer listens carefully next to me. “There are no Stygians, no trace of them. But there are females—females like her. And they need our help.”