The Labyrinth // pjo

Prologue //

It was time for her to wake up.

    She had been asleep long enough.

    The wolf sauntered up the steps of the stone house, her head hanging low.

    The child was asleep in the middle of the pack, her arms cradled to her chest as she was curled into the side of one of the betas.

    She looked peaceful, the most peaceful she had been since she arrived in the winter.

    And in the first three months she had been here, she had flourished.

    She was stronger, wiser, more aware.

    She was ready.

    The she-wolf let out a low growl, and the rest of the wolves shot up to their feet, leaving the child on the ground.

    Child, awaken.

    The girl shot up to her feet before respectfully dropping to one knee and bowing her head.

    You are ready, child, The wolf said.

    "Yes, she is..." The tall woman entered the house, her eyes on the child. "Rise..." The girl stood, dressed in dirty jeans and a baggy purple shirt, lifting her eyes to her superiors. The tall woman smiled at her, but the girl did not respond. She turned her eyes to the wolf and said, "Lupa..."

    The she-wolf moved to the girl, their faces at equal heights due to her massive form. She pressed her warm wet nose to the girl's forehead before lifting her head and howling at the moon.

    A sign that the child's trial was over and she had passed.

    The girl closed her eyes, shivering at the sound, and the woman stared hard at her, a small pucker forming between her brows. She knew what the girl had to endure here was hard, but it had to be done.

    The fate of the world depended on it.

    The woman moved to the girl after Lupa stepped out of the way, offering her hand to her, "Come. Let's get you home..."