Wolves of War

4

  The second night after Eryx's visit, Zephyra awoke with a start. The bed was empty, Lykaion was nowhere in the den. She blinked in the darkness for a few moments. It was silent throughout the den and outside. She sat up slowly, pulling a fur wrap around her shoulders to avoid the chill. She worried she might have overslept but the lack of sound told her no one else was up either. Had Lykaion gone outside to relieve himself? Or maybe some early morning exercise with his men? A chill crept through the thick fur into her skin, making her skin goose bump. Something just wasn't right.

Then from just outside, in the common area around the dens, a voice echoed in the dark. "Come, come and see! Come, come!"

It wasn't Lykaion. Zephyra stood slowly, wrapping herself in the pelt and stepping beyond the den door. Several other members of the pack had come out as well, but she did not see them. Her eyes widened and fell on the male in the commons. It was Eryx. He stood, blood soaked sword in hand, his armor splattered bloody as well. In his right hand he held Lykaion's head. The body was nowhere in sight.

Zephyra screamed but the sound would not come out. Her lungs and voice were paralyzed with shock and grief. Her face paled, eyes wide, she sank to her knees by the den door. The sight of the lifeless head, separated from the body, was more than she could stand.

"I am your alpha now!" Eryx shouted. "I have taken the head of the old one. He was weak."

The other wolves didn't move. Eryx had killed their leader and under wolf law he could claim the position. Though they had many concerns, none had the courage to challenge Eryx. He was a full on war God, and if he could take Lykaion like that-- what would he do to them?

Eryx saw no resistance, so he turned to Zephyra. "I told you, my beauty, I would come back for you."

By the time it registered to her he was speaking to her, Eryx had already moved to her side. She vaguely recalled his threat that she would be his when he killed Lykaion. A possibility she never considered. But now faced with it, she could only stare at him in shock.

"I am not even a real wolf. I was human until-- you cannot take me." Zephyra found her voice, but it sounded nothing like her. The voice that came out was high pitched and hysterical. Her body refused to follow her mind's orders to fight as she was dragged to her feet and back inside.

Eryx tossed Lykaion's head carelessly to his right. But his eyes bore into Zephyra's frightened ones. He pivoted to the pack. "His body is near the river. Have it buried before sunrise and we will mourn. It is my wedding night-- do not disturb us."

Several Months Later

Icy wind shook snow from the trees, sending mists of sparkles into the air around Zephyra. The snow on the ground was covered in a layer of ice that crunched and sank beneath her as she walked. The weak sunlight offered no warmth, so she pulled her fur pelt around her and her swollen belly. She was heavily pregnant and stuck in human form. She was unsure why she could not change and if it had something to do with the baby she carried or not.

Pausing, Zephyra looked around. It had been summer when she and Lykaion had come out here. Things were so different now with everything dead and covered in snow. The river was partially frozen, only small parts of it bubbled along in the deepest part of the river. Grunting with the strain of hauling her heavy body down to the banks on the precarious ice, Zephyra kicked around snow to find a stone. She found one but it was frozen to the ground. Her nail was nearly ripped from its bed as she scratched at the stubborn thing in desperation. She lost her balance and slipped backwards, landing on a solid sheet of ice in the river. With a muffled scream she hauled herself back to the bank, holding her stomach protectively. She was unsure if the child she carried was Lykaion's or Eryx's, the day of conception was too close to call. Either way she did not plan to bear a child for that bastard Eryx. She would go into the underworld and find Lykaion.