The Lightest Obscurity

An unrelenting squall swept the rocky mountain face, sending blustering snow to get caught up in the draft from the peaks above. The white flakes danced gleefully, as though they were overjoyed to see more of their surrounding world, but their adventures were short lived. Eventually, the snow settled, leaving a thin layer of white to cover the gray stone. The tracks left behind by the creatures who ruled these parts were camouflaged, but not forgotten.
Resting below an overhang, his dark pelt shielded from the icy flurries that followed the coming of the season of no leaves, was a wolf. His yellow stare, narrowed at the stone that had been brushed free of snow by the movements of his fellow pack mates, burned so intensely that one might have sworn it would disintegrate the hard rock into nothing but thin air. He swiveled what remained of his right ear-- a tiny scrap of pink flesh, scarred by the teeth of a former and defeated enemy-- as he could hear footsteps approaching him from behind.
“I've come with your report.” The voice belonged to a small she-wolf, her blue eyes quivering with uncertainty. She was timid and kept to herself when she could get away from the rest of her pack, but remained the most loyal being to him nonetheless. It was why the larger male had chosen her to be his mate.
“My dear Amicae-- speak.” The dark wolf sat up, his coat rippling with the layer of strength and muscle he'd spent lunar cycles training for below his fur. He looked warmly at her, but there was a hint of mischief to his gleam.
“It’s the Legiones. They have completed their training,” she replied, her voice unwavering. It was clear that, despite the male’s intentions for his warriors, she believed in their strength and their determination to defend her mate’s, however forced, legacy.
Her mate’s eyes flashed with pride before he approached her, rasping his tongue roughly over her cheek. She flinched almost unnoticeably at first but quickly corrected herself to look him in the eye before he could reprimand her. Amusement caused his shoulders to shake for a moment. He then gazed up at the overcast skies, unable to spot the moon. The full moon had passed a few days ago, signaling the coming of a new lunar cycle. By the time it had made an appearance again, the season of bloom would have made its way into the mountains once more. Though there would always be snow, the flakes that were shed from the clouds would be lighter, and prey would begin to wander spinelessly from their homes in search of new food.
“Preparatory measures shall be taken then, shall they not?” he spoke gently, as though afraid to startle the clouds lingering above. “Store plenty of herbs, my darling, and send out patrols to keep our pack-mates’ appetites sustained. For when the next full moon climbs its way into the sky, we shall be charging our way into battle with those mongrels down amongst the trees. Our warriors will need to be in premium condition.”
The white she-wolf bent a leg, resting it on the cold floor beneath them, and lowered her head in the form of a bow. “It goes without saying, my Baron.” She held her position like that until he gave her a lick to the shoulder as a signal of her dismissal. The male watched the swish of her tail as she trotted down the side of the mountain, her voice resonating in the wind as she howled to call the Legiones. For a moment, he imagined the dappled gray she-wolf in his place and was rattled with bewilderment. He had killed her. She was dead. Anger growled in the pit of his throat as he thought back to her betrayal. Those days lived on in the past now, however, and she had paid for her mistakes with her life.
Scraping at the stone with his claws in thought, he lifted his gaze to the clouds once more in search of the stars that were hidden from sight. Whenever he felt misguided he would study them, hoping that they might lead him in the right direction. Though he understood what he needed to do to preserve his father’s legacy he felt a spark of uncertainty. The Legiones had been training for nearly a year now and had proven themselves to be sturdy soldiers, and yet when he dreamt of the approaching battle he found himself staring into his own ambitious eyes before being struck down.
I will not bring myself to my demise, he reminded himself just as the idea began to trickle itself into existence. Another gust of heavy wind stirred his pelt, causing a shiver to crawl down the male’s spine. When the time came, he would not fail.