Elementals: Book 1: Resistance

Chapter One

As Ash ran through the forest, thunder boomed overhead, signaling to him that they were close, too close. Ash ran as fast as he could but he knew they'd be able to follow his every move, each step he took left a scorched foot print behind. Rain dropped from the sky, patting against the leaf covered ground, they would've pelted Ash if he hadn't had a wave of heat radiating from his blood red fur. The forest clearing was coming up, he'd nearly made it, just a few more meters until he was home free. As he was about to reach the clearing, a wall of Ice erupted out of the ground, halting his advance. Unfortunately for him, Ash couldn't stop and slammed straight into it. He turned and rubbed his snout, two other wolves appeared through the trees.
"Didn't see that coming, did you?" came a male voice from the wolf on the left. He had orange fur covering most of his body, with purple fur running along his back in the shape of a lightning bolt, and ending on his forehead where it split into two smaller bolts that ran over his eye and down to his snout. Yellow bolts of lightning protruded from his feet and joints, as well as smaller ones sparking at his feet wherever he stepped.
"It did just appear right in front of me, Voltier," Ash replied, "truth be told, I thought my heat would melt it and I could run right through." Ash spoke slowly, hoping they wouldn't notice his slow retreat as the wall melted from his heat.
"Don't think I'm letting you away that easily," the female spoke. She was a light blue wolf with striking blue eyes. Ice crystals formed along her back and encased her feet, freezing whatever she stepped on.
"I don't know what you're talking about Glaziel," Ash replied subtly.
"You're trapped now," Voltier said as a smirk crossed his face.
Ash realized his mistake half way into the ice wall, there was nowhere to run as both Voltier and Glaziel opened their mouths and began to charge their breath attacks. With a quick bound, he ran forward and leapt upwards, just as the two of them fired their breaths. Ash's wings held him aloft as he faced the wall and fired his fire breath, creating a hole, straight through the wall, leading back to the den. He rushed through the gaping hole, the Ice melting and evaporating before it could touch him. As he flew, he heard the wall smash behind him as Voltier and Glaziel bounded after him, trying to beat him home.
Ash landed meters away from the entrance to the den, he headed inside and found the other wolves going about their daily life. Voltier and Glaziel ran in a few minutes later.
"You win Ash," Voltier said puffed from lack of breath.
"Yeah, I do," Ash replied, "What did you expect?"
"We had you trapped for a second there," Glaziel said, "you also have wings, how are we expected to compete with that?"
"Good to see you're all back from your little adventure," a deep voice boomed. The three of them turned to see a pitch-black wolf walk towards them, he was the Alpha of the pack, and was aptly named so. "Voltier, may I have a word with you in private?"
"Ahh of course, sir," Voltier answered cautiously before walking off with Alpha.
Ash and Glaziel took little notice of their brother walking off, the Alpha often speaks in private in the pack. They decided to go off and play by themselves.
Hours passed and it was time for bed, Voltier hadn't come back yet so Ash decided to stay up and wait for him.
Ash looked around the den, it was a natural cave hidden in the face of a mountain accessible only through a small concealed hole. The entrance opened into a large open cavern, light streamed from a single hole in the ceiling. Stalactites drooped from the ceiling and created tiny pools of water on the grey stone floor. The wolves slept in formation, with the Alpha sleeping in the center, and his inner circle around him.
Ash yawned and let sleep consume him.
Minutes later, Voltier returned, he walked around carefully, trying not to wake anyone, unfortunately he managed to wake the one wolf he had hoped he wouldn't.
"Ugh, Volt? What are you doing?" Ash asked lazily as woke from slumber.
"Uhh nothing bro, just go back to sleep," Voltier replied.
"Ooh okay, night night," Ash managed to get out before falling back asleep.
Voltier sighed, he knew that if anyone caught him there would be big trouble. Alpha had sent him on a mission and he had to do it by himself, he wouldn't endanger any of the pack by telling them. Alpha had recognized his power and had chosen him specifically for the task. Being a part of a pack of non-elementals was hard, there were a few elementals but the majority of the pack were just regular wolves. Being born with an element coursing through your veins was extremely rare, rare enough that each wolf had other genetic flaws, as the others called them. Ash, Voltier and Glaziel were all elementals and each had their own deficiencies, Ash was born part Dragon, having wings and able to breath Fire, Glaziel was born with huge icicles on her back and her body temperature was so low that their mother had died on birth, Voltier was born with a minor deficiency, without a tail, but everyone thought he was weird because of it. Having no tail wasn't a huge deal, but everyone made it a big deal and that had caused Voltier to get an anger issue problem, whenever someone would insult him or his siblings, he'd get angry and his powers would get out of control, Lightning would crash down from the sky, even on a sunny day, and tiny bolts would shoot out of his fur in random directions, often injuring someone.
As Voltier stepped over the last wolf, he scanned the pack and looked over the thirty or so wolves that he used to call family, this mission that Alpha had tasked him would force him to leave home for a long time, and neither of them knew when he'd be back. Something caught his eye, another wolf looking at him, Voltier simply nodded at him before turning back and walking out, not knowing when he'd be back.