Prolouge
Dark thoughts of destruction and sorrow whirled like a tempest through the head of Lucius, one of the last of the Wolves whom were still able to wield the power that flowed through the land: a Guardian. He lifted his sword high above his head and brought it down through the collar bone of a Bear. It gave a mighty roar as the Guardian pushed the blade down deeper, and kicked the body away before evaporating a leaping Snake with a bolt of lightning from his left paw.
He spun in time to see a Bear swinging a double handed battle axe at him, roaring in fury. Lucius froze it with a single touch before shattering it into shards with the hilt of his sword. A sudden assault came from behind. Lucius brought his sword back over his shoulder to block the attack from the huge python. The beast swung once more and the two of them parried back and forth until the Wolf saw an opening, and with a single strike the snake fell down. More leaped upon him without the slightest warning, swinging and slashing at him. Lucius was pushed back, as block after heavy block was preformed from the three assailants. The many counter attacks he had learnt appeared to do nothing as the three pythons held their ground with ease. Quickly, he ducked as two swords swung over his head. His fist began to resonate with energy as he punched the ground and a wave of force shot out, propelling the Snakes back.
While overwhelmed by the roars, howls and hisses which echoed across the frozen lake around him Lucius felt a large paw grasp his sword arm, and suddenly he was faced with the sight of a Bear bringing a sword towards his gut.
“Lucius!” Theo cried, and sent a flaming jet at the Bear which ignited at the touch. The Bear flung himself away, roaring in pain. But his jerky movements were still enough to cut through the armour around Lucius’s shoulder, leaving a nasty gash. More air forced its self in and out of his lungs as blood poured out over his silver armour, and wetted his crystal blue cape. “Are you alright, my friend?” Theo rushed up to him, to which Lucius nodded. “You must tell me, is it done? Was the birth of your pup successful?” he spoke quickly, as though to hide a great secret from hungry ears.
“Yes, I held my son in my arms not two days ago. Sadly his mother did not live through the birth to see it.” Although Lucius said it with such sorrow it was still something which had been expected. The birth of such a powerful an honourable creature such as a Guardian required a huge amount of energy, and quite often took a life from this world to bring the new one in.
“And he is safe?”
“For now; I have let our leader, King Solomon take care of him until he will be old enough to cope by himself.”
“I am glad for you, and for all of Snowlands. Your little one carries the fate of us all,” Theo smiled and his shoulders dropped a little. He sighed as though a life’s burden had been lifted from his shoulders and passed down.
Hordes of Bears and Snakes flowed through the mountain passes which surrounded the frozen lake. There must have been thousands of them, swarming the few Guardian Wolves that remained. Yet despite their lack in numbers the Wolves appeared to be holding their own against the armies which now swallowed them.
Arrows showered down upon them, clacking on the thick ice and snow beneath their feet; a smell of fury and cold steel brewed and boiled in the air, filling their nostrils with a harsh and unpleasant scent. Out of the corner of his eye Lucius could only watch the projectiles pin his friend to the ground.
“Theo!” he called out, struck with horror. Swiftly, he pointed his hand to the sky in a dismissive gesture and waved the projectiles away with a strong gust of wind dispelled from his palm. He then slid and knelt by his friend on the ground. “Theo, Theo, are you alright Theo?” The words were howled as though the creature was very much alive, but the empty silence and streams of trickling blood from his body proved it; Theo was no more.
Despite the battle around him Lucius was engulfed in a silence were one could hear the stem of a flower being cut. He pressed his hand upon his old friend’s heart and cast a spell he wished would be able to heal his wounds; alas it could not, for no spell could bring any creature back from the dead.
Anger boiled in the Wolf’s mind until it could not be contained. He pushed himself up and charged with his sword raised, howling. He slashed into a Bears chest, and pushed his foe to the ground with his other hand. Another creature swiped at Lucius and struck him on the temple. The Wolf hit the ice hard, growling as the pain drove into his back. A bolt of energy exploded from his left paw, hitting the Bears stomach.
Lucius pushed himself up on the ice; his mind blood drunk, avenging his friend his most primary concern. Upon standing on his hind legs, he charged once more cutting and stabbing his way through hordes of Bears, not one of them able to lay a claw on him.
Suddenly Lucius felt something slice through his thigh. He fell to his knees and as he did a constrictor wrapped its self around him and squeezed. The coils tightened, and snatched his breath away from him. He attempted to send a flame into its side, but by then it was all too late, Lucius had become weak. The Snake brought his arm back and slashed his blade across the Wolf’s throat. On unwrapping, Lucius fell to the ground like a stone, his blood pouring over the ice.
As his fellow Guardians fought and died around him his thoughts were only on one of them: his son. He had placed everything on him, the weight of all of Snowlands upon his shoulders. He only hoped that he would be ready when the time came.
