The Darkstep Wolves: Waking Secrets

The full moon was an orb of pale yellow, shedding a faint, eerie light over the forest clearing, and turning the fur of the two wolves to silver. They were perfectly still, except for the slight rise and fall of their furry flanks as they slept. The first wolf was enormous, with fur like copper, claws nearly as long as her ears, paws half the size of her head, huge muscles, and a noble bearing even in sleep-- a dire wolf. The second, however, looked like a pup next to the red dire, and her fur was a dusty grayish-brown. She wasn't anywhere near as large, instead having a slim, agile build and a very long tail. Her paws seemed small and delicate, hardly suited to traveling over the rocky, twig-covered ground of Eizhor Remmar Forest. But although she was curled up close to the other wolf, and seemed almost cute, you could sort of... sense... that she was a true Alpha, along with her half-sister, the largest dire wolf in four whole centuries.
At the edge of the clearing, a scrawny, nervous wolf paced back and forth, his dark gray fur blending in with the shadows, his amber eyes glinting; this was Miik, the Omega. His short, scruffy tail flicked side to side, as he kept a close eye on the two entrances to the Den (it was his job to sound the alarm howl if any danger approached), and his long, thin claws dug into the soft ground. Memories-- biting, unsettling memories-- lurked in the shadowy corners of his mind; such as the time he'd let out a false alarm, spooked by the Beta Fhyr returning to the Den at night (that had been a nightmare); or that day last winter when he'd failed to realize that a whole litter of pups had gone "missing"-- when in fact they were right outside the vast snow-bramble thicket known to the wolves as the Den. Miik swallowed hard, banishing these unnecessary thoughts, and once again focused his attention to the entrances. His rapid heartbeat slowed to a calmer rhythm as he took in his surroundings-- still, quiet, and smelling of sweet green growing things. Spring had come early this season-turn, he mused, and winter had been short. The air was warm now, and he wondered how hot the coming summer would be. Miik flexed his paws. He hated the heat... and the cold... and the dark... and bugs... and Alpha Nhamaka's foul moods-- which seem to be ever-present, he thought with a twitch of his ears.
Suddenly, the brambles rustled behind him. Miik jumped about a mile high, letting out a startled yip, and whirling around to see what was there. His heart had reverted to its usual frenzied beating, and his breath came fast and ragged.
"Who--", he choked out. "Wh-who g-goes... there?!"
"Miik," came a voice, low and rough, with a slight snarl to it.
"NO!" he cried, starting to panic. "N-nooo!"
"Miik!" the voice snapped. Wait.... he realized. I know that voice. Miik sighed deeply, and hung his head in shame. He couldn't bring himself to meet Nhamaka's irritated glare.
"Sorry, Alphas," he groaned, just loud enough for the two females to hear him.
"That was a vole," the dire wolf growled. "You're just too high-strung."
"Sorry," he said again. Miik could picture her rolling her fiery amber eyes. Nhamaka muttered something under her breath, then settled down next to her sister, who was barely awake, and gradually became still as she succumbed to sleep.

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