Crimson Fervor: Demon Birth

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

            It was autumn, the time of the year where the cherry blossom trees would fluctuate to a vibrant orange-yellow hue. It was true that most trees would undergo this change, following with their leaves cascading to the ground, but as the cherry blossoms were carried away by the cool autumn breeze, it gave a sense of warm tranquility contrasting with the bitter cold of the coming winter. In only about a month, the scenery would become blanketed in layers of fresh white snow, and many creatures of the area had begun to prepare for the long winter ahead of them.

           A rushing waterfall spouted out from a jagged outcropping in the hillside, it's crystal-clear waves collapsing into a series of rapids that then split out to calm and almost stagnant rivers. Members of a nearby wolf pack had begun to make their way to these waters, dipping their furred snouts into the surface as they lapped at it in almost unison. There were four of them, three adults and only one pup who had stayed right beneath its mother's paws for most of their journey. His fur was a lovely crimson color, with a small patch of white across his shoulders, and an unusually white nose, as well as his eyes. He had been born extremely late in the year, traditionally, pups being born and raised throughout the spring rather than in autumn.

          The small male was thus considered an outcast among-st the pack due to his late birthing, not to mention for his unusual coloration compared to the other wolves. However, his mother loved and cared for him more than any other she-wolf had done with her pups, and was set on raising him to his full size and potential. He was only about eight weeks old, just barely off his mother's milk on onto real prey, but he was getting used to the massive world around him quite easily.

          The she-wolf lifted her gaze up to the two males who had come to the river with her and her pup, her amber eyes glancing towards the sun that had just barely begun to rise over the distant mountains. "Thank you again for accompanying me here, I wasn't sure if the bears of the area would be up and about at this light."

          "It really is no issue, Shiva; escorting you away from the pack was a much-needed task. Your safety has always been our top priority since you came into our lives, we couldn't just stand back and allow them to take your son, our brother." The larger of the two males, his fur black mixed with grey streaks, had spoken to her with a crestfallen tone, and his gaze trailed down to his paws as he finished.

          Shiva's gaze softened, almost mimicking his sense of sorrow. "Riven, you shouldn't be so down about it, after all, he is my responsibility. I'll take whatever punishment this life can offer me if it means getting Akume to safety."

          She looked back down at her pup, his playful eyes dancing across the scene around him, having no thought whatsoever that anything was going wrong. They had left their pack in a hasty but silent manner, before any of the other members could take notice of their departure. Just the day before, the alpha had declared to have Shiva's son chased out of the territory and left for dead by the time winter had arrived. This was because the pack had begun to befall to a terrible illness, one that rendered their digestion useless and caused many wolves to die of starvation merely because they couldn't stomach any amount of nourishment, and this was all blamed on a single pup because of his unique diversity. The alpha had seemed to convince almost every pack member that the pup was a horrible omen sent by some sort of demonic presence to kill them all off.

          Riven growled, forcing his eyes shut as the ends of his fur quivered in silent rage. "It isn't fair! One individual declaring such a ridiculous statement about one of their own pack members, a pup, even! How can so many of them be foolish enough believe such a thing?"

          The other male, his fur a dark grey color and his paws blackened and his tail like that of a raccoon, his features resembling Riven almost identically, spoke up in a hushed tone. "You're the one who will be foolish if you keep shouting! Do you want them to discover us so quickly? She will never be able to gain any distance with a whole patrol at her tail."