Proluge
The forest had always been quiet at night.
Not peaceful quiet - but the kind of silence that felt heavy, like the woods were holding their breath. Tall trees stretched toward the dark sky, their branches twisting together like skeletal fingers blocking the moonlight.
The wind whispered through the leaves.
Somewhere deep in the woods, something moved.
A young woman stumbled between the trees, her breathing uneven and panicked. Twigs snapped beneath her shoes as she ran, her heart pounding so loudly it felt like it might burst from her chest.
She didn’t know how long she had been running.
Minutes.
Hours.
Time had lost meaning the moment she heard that sound.
A howl.
It had echoed through the forest like a warning from something ancient and hungry.
She stopped for a moment, leaning against a tree, trying to catch her breath. The cold air burned her lungs as she inhaled sharply.
“Hello?” she called weakly.
Her voice disappeared into the darkness.
No answer.
Only the wind.
Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her phone. The faint glow of the screen illuminated her frightened face.
No signal.
Of course.
The forest outside town was known for that. Once you walked deep enough inside, the outside world seemed to vanish completely.
The girl swallowed hard.
“Okay… okay…” she whispered to herself.
She just needed to find the path again.
If she could get back to the trail, she could follow it back to the road.
But the deeper she walked between the trees, the more unfamiliar everything looked.
The shadows felt thicker.
The silence heavier.
And then she heard it again.
A low growl.
The sound came from somewhere behind her.
Her entire body froze.
Slowly… carefully… she turned around.
At first, she saw nothing.
Only darkness between the trees.
Then two glowing points appeared in the distance.
Eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat.
They weren’t human.
They weren’t normal either.
The eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, watching her with quiet patience.
Predatory.
The girl took a slow step back.
The eyes moved closer.
Branches shifted as something large stepped out from the shadows.
At first, she could only see the shape — massive, towering, far larger than any normal wolf. Its body was covered in dark fur that seemed to swallow the moonlight itself.
Its breathing was slow.
Controlled.
The creature tilted its head slightly, studying her like prey.
The girl’s voice trembled.
“Stay… stay back…”
The creature didn’t listen.
It took another step forward.
Now she could see it clearly.
A wolf.
But not a normal one.
This one stood taller, stronger, almost unnatural in its size.
And its eyes…
They glowed deep red.
The girl’s survival instincts finally kicked in.
She ran.
Branches scratched her arms as she pushed through the forest, her footsteps uneven and desperate. Every breath burned in her chest as fear drove her forward.
Behind her, she heard it.
The sound of something massive moving through the trees.
Fast.
Far too fast.
The ground shook slightly as it chased her, closing the distance effortlessly.
She dared to glance behind her.
Big mistake.
The creature leapt from the darkness.
She screamed.
Pain exploded across her body as she fell to the forest floor. The world spun wildly as leaves and dirt filled her vision.
Above her, the massive wolf stood still.
Watching.
Its red eyes glowed in the darkness like burning embers.
For a moment, the forest became completely silent again.
Then-
A distant howl echoed through the night.
Long.
Deep.
Powerful.
The sound carried across the entire forest, sending shivers through the trees themselves.
And somewhere far away, something else in the darkness stirred.
The age of wolves… had returned.
