PROLOGUE
He was planning to return home eventually, of course, but he had needed a night of freedom to keep himself sane. But how did everything end up going so wrong? Why was he here? His headache began to worsen. Delta cautiously felt the back of his head with a paw. Dust and fragments of rock fell to the ground at his slight touch. How embarrassing. Delta must have gotten trapped in a powerful current, hitting his head on a boulder in the process, then was washed ashore while unconscious… ending up here—wherever here was. It was the only explanation. Delta scanned the volcanic island again. It was creepy, yet oddly exciting. With a shiver of awe, the prince wondered if he had stumbled across an unexplored land. I left the empire seeking adventure, Delta thought, and destiny brought me here. Maybe I should explore this island for a bit. I’ve already been gone from my empire for so long. What’s the harm in staying away for just a little longer? The Water Wolf hesitated, shifting his weight from paw to paw. If my parents caught me exploring, they’d be furious. He grinned. But they aren’t here right now. Delta lifted his head. He strode confidently to the heart of the island. The sand gave way to hard volcanic rocks as he reached the end of the beach. Black spikes surrounded him on all sides, sticking out of the ground like glistening fangs. Smoke billowed through the sky, rancid and terrible. The Water Wolf was seized by a loud coughing fit. Instantly the silence of the black hills and lava pools was shattered. Delta froze, hoping that he hadn’t alerted anything, or anyone, of his presence. When all remained silent and still, the prince continued exploring. He quickly got the feeling that he wasn’t alone. Delta inhaled, trying to take in all the nearby scents, but his nose was assaulted by the rancid tang of smoke. If there was indeed someone watching him, he wouldn’t be able to tell, unless he heard or saw the stalker. Delta gulped, feeling suddenly worried. His ears flattened. Maybe I should have stopped to think before wandering into unknown territory, the prince thought. Lava pools? Volcanic rocks? Clouds of smoke? This must be Fire Wolf land. Or the outskirts of it at least. Delta paused. I should turn back, he thought. This isn’t worth running into an angry Fire Wolf. I just hope it’s not already too late to get out of here alive. The prince turned around. He padded to the ocean, his pawsteps silent and deliberate. Slow and steady. I’m almost at the beach. Once I get out of this maze of spikes, I’ll run the rest of the way to the ocean, and then I’ll be safely beneath the waves. Without warning, black pebbles skidded down the slanted spike behind him. Delta whipped around with wide eyes. Before he could run, a Fire Wolf leapt forward, tumbling into the Water Wolf and squashing him beneath her. Delta cowered underneath the stranger. He’d never been in a fight before! He was a prince, not a guard. He covered his eyes with his paws, trembling, hoping for the stranger’s mercy. He expected a menacing growl, but instead heard an embarrassed yelp. “Oops! I’m so sorry,” the Fire Wolf said. “I meant to land beside you and look really cool. That, uh, failed miserably, didn’t it?” Delta slowly moved his paws away. He looked up at the Fire Wolf in astonishment. She was… beautiful. Her bright yellow eyes were warm, and her light red fur reminded Delta of a sunrise. When she smiled at him, his heart began to flutter strangely. Why was his heart fluttering? This had never happened before. When the Fire Wolf reached out a paw to help him stand, Delta surprised himself by taking it. After rising off the ground, he merely blinked at the Fire Wolf, unsure of what else to do. “Hi,” she said cheerfully. “I’m Ash. It’s nice to meet you.” Delta took a step back and shook his head, snapping out of his trance. “I beg your pardon,” he protested. “It’s nice to meet me? Are you blind? I’m a Water Wolf. You know, the sworn enemy and opposite of your pack? You should be tearing off my fur, not greeting me. Why in Elementa are you being nice to me?” Delta began to wonder if Ash was out of her mind… or just special. His brain told him to flee into the ocean, while his heart wanted to get to know her. What is wrong with me? the prince scolded himself. If my parents ever found out about this, they’d lecture me for days, then have my head! “Why not?” Ash responded with another warm smile. “I’ve always thought the rules separating the packs are dumb. Why should we hate one another just because we’re different? I think the other elementals are cool. Especially Water Wolves!” She lifted to full height so she could gaze at his tail and fins. “Wow! You’re pretty fishy. Not fishy, as in suspicious. Fishy, as in, you look like a fish! Is your name Fish?” Delta was smiling without realizing it. “My name is Delta,” he said. “Prince Delta of the Water Pack Empire.” Oh geez. Why was he trying to impress her? Was his fluttery heart the one to blame for this? Delta tried to push away his affection for Ash, tried to think sensibly about talking with his sworn enemy, but he couldn’t. There was just something about this Fire Wolf that made him feel alive and free. “A prince!” Ash exclaimed. “Wow! This is like a fairy tale I heard as a pup. Wouldn’t it be funny if I fell in love with you? Oh! But you don’t think this is one of those tragic love stories, do you? The kind where one of us dies in the end? Do you think I’ll be the one to die, or you? Or both? Ack!” Delta coughed. “First of all, we just met,” he spluttered. “Secondly, I can’t die now. I have too much to do. There’s definitely no time to die. My busy schedule just won’t allow for it.” Delta kept his face serious for a moment, then gave her a bright smile. “Just kidding.” Ash laughed—genuinely laughed. None of the noble wolves in the Water Pack Empire ever laughed at Delta’s jokes. Listening to Ash chuckle was almost hard to process after so many years of disregard. If this was a dream, the prince hoped that he wouldn’t wake up soon. Once the slender Fire Wolf stopped laughing, she flicked her ear in amusement. “Fishy and funny?” Ash said with a grin. “A perfect combo. You’re way more interesting than any Fire Wolf I’ve ever met.” She laughed nervously. “But if any of my packmates ever saw us together, we’d both be in a whole lot of trouble. It’s a good thing nobody lives on this part of the island but me.” “You’re all alone?” the Water Wolf asked in a small voice. Ash hadn’t sounded bothered by that, but Delta couldn’t help but feel sad for her. Surely it was better to have pushy family than to have no family at all. Living alone seemed dreadful. “It’s no big deal,” Ash responded genuinely. “My brother comes to visit me all the time.” She suddenly halted with wide eyes. “Oh, of all the times to be forgetful! Back, back, back!” Ash hurriedly escorted him toward the ocean. “You need to hide. Now. Flame is here. I can’t believe I forgot about that. Argh! I’m such a scatterbrain.” As if on cue, the sound of pawsteps emerged from the silence as Flame approached. “Ash?” he called in his slow, monotonous voice. “Ash, is that you? What’s going on over there? Who are you talking to? Is everything okay?” Ash frantically paced along the shore as Delta scrambled into the ocean. His instincts screamed for him to swim far away from the Fire Pack and never return, but instead he halted and gazed at Ash, only his head above the surface. “Okay, uh, hide here,” she nervously told the Water Wolf. “I’ll take care of him.” Ash turned around and tried to look natural. Delta dipped his head beneath the waves, keeping only his ears out of the water. He listened. “Hi, Flame!” Ash greeted with a bit too much enthusiasm. “I was just, uh, talking to myself. You know how I am. Ha ha. I’m such a weird-o.” Delta could only imagine the awkward smile on her face. Poor Ash. He hoped that she wouldn’t get in trouble because of him. “Uh huh,” Flame responded slowly. There was a pause. “Why do I smell Water Wolf?”
