The Unraveling - It Spreads

Walking across the vast tundra, Clove was following the rumors of sick prey animals wandering the abyss of the North. There were herds of diseased prey up here and that needed to be hunted, to preserve the health of the prosperous herds. Seemed simple enough. If they weren’t hunted, the disease would spread into the neighboring territories, and eventually, reach her home in Auster. And that was a risk Clove didn’t want to take- especially with Mother and Father’s newest litter. Now where was that boat…

The icy tundra started to tremble before she could move into the next territory. The first tumor was subtle. Almost imperceptible, as if the tundra was holding its breath. Then, the earth shuddered violently, a deep, thunderous rumble resonating from the earth's core. The ice beneath her paws buckled, cracked, and shifted with an eerie, ominous force.

Racing across the tundra, Clove catches sight of a massive cavern beneath one of the largest glaciers. It seemed untouched by the tremors- a source of safety. Other wolves were racing toward it too- and Clove fell in line with them, bursting through the entrance and stumbling into one of the cavern’s icy walls. Deep within the glacier, a dark, hollow silence emanates, broken only by the faint, high-pitched whistling of the wind.

Panting, Clove is catching her breath, and testing the space around her for any familiar scents. Ciaran. She can smell the male’s scent in the glacier, somewhere nearby. He must have come looking for the sick herds too. Driven by familiarity, Clove treks deeper into the cavern, following her pack mate's scent, hoping to find him before another tremor shook the icy world around them.

"Clove Carpathius"