A dark wolf wove through the lush green undergrowth of his pack's territory. It seemed unfair for the world to look so beautiful and right, when everything seemed to be going so wrong. No birds scattered from the trees as the wolf plodded by them. No mice ran for the shelter of their burrows as he passed. The world was a silent, still jail with only the wolf's elongated shadow drifting through the leaves.

He had a jack rabbit clasped in his mouth: a very unsustaining hunt. Normally, at this time of year, there would be herds of caribou flowing through the woods, enough meat to last several packs for years on end. But this moon, there was nothing. The rabbit was the first prey that had been spotted in over a week.

The dark wolf finally stopped next to a trickling stream, another reminder of a beautiful world gone wrong. Normally it was a slow, steady river, as wide as five wolves or more. Now, it was just a lightning-fast trickle, strong enough to sweep a pup off its feet and send it crashing into the sharp stones below.

The wolf glanced around nervously before darting into a small, hidden cavern. It only took his eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim light after the blinding outside sun, and the wolf counted up his pack members anxiously.

Four adults. Three pups. The old wolf sighed in obvious relief. The last time he'd returned to the cave after a long day like this one, the pack's Beta male had been missing. Gone, without a trace. Just like the caribou, water, and smaller prey.

Two of the starving pups, a dark brown male named Velik and a pale gray she-wolf called Kamis, tumbled over each other in their haste to reach the old wolf and his kill. The third, a black-and-white splotched female named Tamil and nicknamed Tami, padded to him with her head and tail high, staying away from her siblings so that they wouldn't trip her up.

Tami had always been different. The old, dark wolf had watched her from the moment she opened those sparkling blue eyes. She was ambitious, and he knew all too well that that could be dangerous. But she had also stolen his heart right from the start.

Once she had reached her elder, Tami ditched her dignified air, dropping down on her forepaws to stick her tail in the air and wag it furiously. Her tongue lolled out of a wide-open mouth in that trademark grin.

"How'd I do, Kirio?" she barked in her high-pitched puppy voice.

The old wolf leaned down and dropped his prey to lick her head affectionately. "We'll make an Alpha of you yet," he teased. Tami's greatest ambition was to take her parents' place, and she didn't keep it a secret. Now she barked with delight and plopped down in front of Kirio.

The other two pups clambered over her, and Kirio picked up the rabbit before they trampled the only food the pack may get for another week. He joined the Alpha pair and the Beta female in a far corner of the cave.

The male glanced at the limp jack rabbit sorrowfully. "Is that it?"

Kirio nodded, his eyes finding the ground. "I searched all day. I'm sorry, Vytil. There's just nothing to be found anymore." The pups had stopped their scuffling to listen in, but the adults had long stopped trying to hide their pack's desperate situation from them.

The Alpha female glanced at her pups. "There has to be more! There's always something more!" She had a glint of desperation in her eyes, which worried Kirio even more than the lack of prey. Wolves could go insane with a full stomach, and the pack's minimal food supply just made the threat even more dangerous.

Kirio shook his head weakly, tired from his full day of futile, hopeless searching. "I'm sorry, Tamil. There's nothing left."

Tamil looked at the pup that had been named after her and whimpered. Vytil licked her cheek. "It'll be okay," he promised in a low whine.

The pack had stopped truly believing that long ago.

The young Beta female stood up and barked for command. "We have food," she announced confidently, but Kirio knew her well enough to detect the flicker of total despair in her voice. She knew their entire situation was hopeless, but she kept going as if they had simply experienced a failed caribou-hunt. Kirio had always admired Brima for that. "Now, let's eat."

Normally the Alphas may have punished their second-in-command for giving such an order, but hard times had united the pack. Now Vytil just nodded gratefully at her.

The pups stepped forward, Tami unsurprisingly in the lead. Velik followed, then Kamis. They took a few bites of the meat and stepped away. Kirio felt his heart melt for the obviously hungry pups, giving up their own meat so that others wouldn't starve. Normally, that rabbit would've been already gone, polished to nothing but gleaming bones.

The Alphas stepped forward together to eat, taking a few bites. They didn't eat anywhere near as much as they should've, either. Unfortunately, the jack rabbit's meat was almost gone anyway.

The Beta approached the remaining meat after her superiors left, again taking only a few bites. Kirio felt his stomach growl in protest at the pitiful amount of meat left on the animal's bones. He dug in at his turn, but made sure to leave the Omega, a scrawny black wolf whose name no one truly knew, a few scraps. It wasn't much, but it was the best Kirio could do. He'd always had a soft heart.

After nightfall, the pups approached him, begging for a story. He lay down patiently and told them to gather around. The moon was out, a full white circle in an otherwise pitch-black sky. Kirio honestly didn't feel like telling stories tonight, but that was part of his job in the pack. Also, there was something indescribably wrong about this night, and a particular story that the pups needed to hear.

Tami sat up straight, tall and proud, like the Alpha she so desperately longed to be. Her siblings followed her lead, but then gave up and flopped down on their bellies, eagerly facing Kirio.

Kirio took a deep breath and started his story, weaving together words as he went.

"Once there was an ancient magic that roamed the world, manifesting itself in one wolf at a time. It was such a powerful prospect that some, even then, questioned its existance." The Alpha female was staring hard at him. He had known that she didn't like this story, so he had put it off for as long as he could. But tonight... somehow, the old wolf just knew that he had to finally share it, whether or not Tamil approved. "Whenever the current holder of the power was coming close to passing away, his-"

"Or her," Tami interrupted.

Kirio smiled faintly. "Yes. Or her, duty was to find the next Magic Keeper–the wolf with those rare powers–and teach them about their magic. These wolves were special. Their gifts were for good, and the world prospered under their guidance." He paused. "But with great good, comes great evil. One of those wolves was betrayed. He had no one left to help or guide him, and the current Magic Keeper had not found him. So he used his gifts for evil, awakening others' worst nightmares and wreaking havoc wherever he went."

"What happened?" yelped Janis excitedly.

"Shush," Tami scolded, staring wide-eyed at Kirio.

He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Finally the old Magic Keeper found the wolf gone astray, who had started calling himself Dreamer. He wore a mask made of dark metal, and his eyes had turned red. There was a great battle between good and evil, and the clash of the wolves' teeth and claws sparked so much that an entire forest burned to the ground and the sky swirled with glowing lights."

"The Northern Lights!" Velik yelped eagerly.

Kirio smiled gently. He felt suddenly weak, but he knew somehow that he had to finish this story. "Yes, my boy. The Northern Lights. They are a symbol of the fight that rages to this day, good versus evil. But in this original battle, the wolves killed each other at the very same time. The Magic Keeper and Dreamer died together, in the forest that we know now as the Ashe Woods. The magic of our world broke, and we were suddenly left to fend for ourselves. Now good and evil rage against each other constantly, fighting for our very souls. But the kindly old Magic Keeper and the evil Dreamer live on in our stories."

Suddenly Vytil stood up and barked viciously, a sound that rang violently through the cave. Live on, we do. Kirio backed up abruptly, nudging the pups to follow his lead. The voice wasn't the Alpha's. It was dark and bitter, hatred and fear wrapped up in a neat package. It sounded to Kirio like razor-sharp nails scraping and ringing against metal, and it set every nerve in his body on fire. Oh, you have no idea how true that story is, dear old storyteller. Now the prey disappears, as do your own wolves. The water dries up and turns vicious, attacking your own pups.

Tamil also stood and spoke in a voice that wasn't hers. Neither wolf's mouth moved, but the words were clearly coming from them. This time the voice was kind and gentle, soothing Kirio's nerves a bit against his will. But there is hope. Soon another of our line will be born, and...

The two wolves spoke in unison.

An ancient line will be aroused

To finish evil's spread.

The incomplete will become complete,

And blood will spill blood in the lands destroyed.

Then both Alpha wolves fell to the ground, motionless. Dead.

2: Fila

Years Later...

The black wolf first opened his eyes to darkness. The smell of milk and the feel of other tiny, warm bodies surrounded him like an aura, while the sound of a deeper, slower heartbeat lulled him back into a milk-induced sleep.

Days passed, turning into weeks, and then slowly into entire phases of the moon. The pup learned his name, Kere, and his siblings' names: Kimpu, Taalis, and Fila. Kimpu was an ordinary-looking gray male, and Fila was just a shade paler. Taalis had an unusual speckled brown-and-black coat. As the pups grew older, Taalis quickly claimed the role of Alpha to Kimpu and Fila, who were her constant shadows.

When they were old enough to explore on their own, Taalis would lead her two cohorts deep into the forest, all three coming back bruised, exhausted, and sometimes bloody. Kere didn't follow for nearly a week, until finally he felt brave enough to stalk the trio.

The pups' mother, Tamil, nudged all four wolves out of the den that morning, eager to get outside and do whatever the older wolves did while Kere and his siblings were playing. Immediately, Taalis started off with her head and tail high and stiff, not looking back. She knew Kimpu and Fila would follow. Fila cast an almost guilty glance at Kere as she passed him, and the black wolf pup responded by dipping his head in polite acknowledgment. Taalis noticed and shot both Fila and Kere an icy glare.

Once they were out of sight, Kere sniffed the ground, eyes fixed on the others' forest path. The oldest pack member, a graying dark wolf named Kirio, noticed and nudged him gently. Kere looked up into the storyteller's wise eyes.

"What are you up to, Wolfling?" Kirio said softly.

Kere glanced down, unable to lie to the elder. "I'm going to follow them."

Kirio looked thoughtful. "Hm." He paused, nudging Kere's cheek again to meet the pup's eyes. "You want them to accept you, but that's not what you need."

Kere cocked his head to the side, not quite understanding.

Kirio smiled kindly. "Don't let them get to you, Wolfling. You are different. Better. Your path won't be easy, but it will be...significant."

Kere didn't look down this time. "But what if I don't want to be different?" he whined in a small voice.

"I don't think that's something we decide." The old wolf smiled again and joined the other adults' conversation, turning away from the black pup.

Kere fixed his eyes on the forest again, took a deep breath, and plunged into the trees' shade, following the scent of his siblings.

The worn trail wound a serpentine path through the woods, ducking under fallen trees and avoiding the occasional burrow or stream. Kere kept his nose low, his young senses struggling to pinpoint the other pups. Finally, after almost getting hopelessly lost among the trees, Kere stumbled into a clearing. He darted backwards as the coats of his siblings shone in front of him, and accidentally snapped a twig under his paw.

Taalis turned toward the sound and snarled menacingly, whereas Fila winced. Kere wished he could simply melt into the shadows and not have to face the trio. Kimpu followed Taalis's lead, growling at his brother.

"I know you're there, Wolfling," Taalis spat, using Kirio's nickname for Kere. "Come out." Her tone was hard and threatening, and Kere realized that she would attack if he made even one wrong move.

When he didn't move, Fila interfered. "Please come out, Kere," she pleaded.

He stepped slightly out of the shadows. Kimpu snarled again.

"Oh, shut up," Taalis scolded. Kimpu went abruptly silent.

Kere stepped forward again, gaining confidence. He shot a glare at Kimpu. "You're just going to let her order you around like that?" he taunted disbelievingly. Then he turned to Taalis. "I wanted to know where you went every day. Without me," he added under his breath.

Taalis grinned cruelly. "We come here. You know why?" She waited for a response, and Kere stubbornly refused to open his mouth. "To get away from you."

Kere stumbled back like she'd slashed at him, eyes wide, and Taalis just grinned wider. "That's right. Look at you! It's not natural." Kere's breathing came out hard and fast, his bravery draining. "You're not natural," Taalis added, smothering her cruel smile.

"You are different. Better," Kere repeated to himself in a voice quiet enough for the others to ignore. Then he spoke up again. "I get it now. You're afraid of me," he shot back at Taalis.

She narrowed her eyes. "Afraid? Of the runt-pup? I don't think so. Have you seen yourself?" There were no still pools of water near the den, so Taalis knew just as well as he did that the answer was no, and his confidence wavered again.

Fila interrupted before Taalis could get any further. "Leave him alone!" she howled.

Taalis turned on her. "What did you say?" she snarled threateningly.

Fila shot a terrified glance at Kere. "I–I said, leave him alone!" she stammered weakly. "Please."

"You were always second-worst," Taalis sneered. "Now you're a traitor, and for the runt-pup!" She turned back to Kere, another of those cruel grins on her face. Her eyes shone with a quiet fury, almost madness. "This will be you soon."

With that, both she and Kimpu advanced, snarling, on Fila. The pale gray pup backed up and hit a tree before she could run. Kere stood frozen as his sister whimpered in fear, and Taalis took turns with Kimpu lunging and snapping at her. The third time they drew blood and Fila almost crumpled to the ground in shock and terror. At the fifth they slashed at the wound again, careful to get as little blood on their fur as possible. Finally Kere lost track of how many times they lunged at Fila, viciously biting into her pale coat. She gave him one last beseeching glance, her eyes betraying what she was too terrified to voice.

Then she crumpled to the ground, limp. Kere charged forward finally with a furious howl, as Taalis lunged forward one last time and bit at her throat. Immediately Fila's eyes glazed over with death, her blood still seeping onto the spongy ground around her. Kere's anger drained as fast as it had come, leaving him to watch his sister's dead body in horror and shock.

Taalis snarled at him one last time. "That's what we do to traitors." The hint of a threat burned in her voice, daring Kere to tell the adults what had happened. Then they left, but Kere hardly noticed, stunned into silence.

He buried his muzzle into Fila's fur, feeling the fading warmth and the stickiness of her blood, howling his anger and sorrow to the world. The noise was muffled by Fila's body and his own young voice.

Finally, a long time after the sun had set and his howls had faded away, Kere heard other voices howling in the woods. He yipped back weakly, too exhausted to do anything more. The sound of heavy paws finally broke through his numb daze, and Kere realized with horror that he was sitting next to Fila's body, covered in her blood.

When the pack arrived, they weren't relieved to see him. They stared in utter horror, and Kere was shamed into silence.

Maybe he hadn't killed her himself, as the adults assumed, but he hadn't saved her, either. She had stood up for him, and he'd sat there, watching as Taalis and Kimpu attacked. And that, in his mind, made him just as despicable as his remaining siblings.

3: Magic

Kere returned to the den that night with his siblings, dazed and dejected. The rest of the pack avoided him, and he padded along the trail alone, his paws moving as if on their own. After a while, Kirio joined him, nudging the pup's head up gently. Kere met the old wolf's eyes, and Kirio smiled gently despite everything.

"What happened?" Kirio woofed quietly.

Kere shook his head, keeping his story secret with Taalis and Kimpu so near. "You already know."

Kirio stopped for a moment, using a paw to stop Kere from walking any further. "I know what the other two say happened. But I also know you. And that doesn't match up, in my mind." Taalis had said that Kere had followed them out into the woods, and she had gone off to play with Kimpu. Supposedly he had been mock-fighting with Fila, and when she bit him, got mad and attacked. Kirio paused. "And I don't see any wounds on you."

Kere stared at an ant as it made its way across the spongy ground, staying silent.

Finally Kirio sighed and jumped in front of the pup, nudging him backwards. Kere started at the sudden change in the storyteller's demeanor. "Wha–?"

"Come on." Kirio headed off, back the way they'd come. The rest of the pack either didn't notice, or didn't care, because none of the wolves turned around. Kere hesitated before plunging through undergrowth to follow Kirio.

"Where are we going?" he yipped.

Kirio didn't respond until they were well off the path and into the dense, wild forest. Kere shivered in the nighttime cold. "Can you keep a secret?" Kirio asked with mock seriousness.

Kere nodded, curious. "Yes," he said earnestly.

Kirio grinned. "Okay, then. Welcome to my hideaway!"

Nothing happened. They were in the middle of the woods, and the trees hemmed them in so tightly that Kere had to reach around one to even see the elder. Kere sniffed the air uncomfortably and yipped. "Um, Kirio..." he trailed off, at a loss for words. Finally he settled on the most pressing question for the moment. "Why are we–"

Suddenly the trees shimmered like a mirage, replaced for a millisecond by a huge white cliff, dropping not a tail-length from Kirio's paws. The question died in Kere's throat. "Woah," he breathed as the trees disappeared, giving way to the cliff and valley below.

Kere motioned with his tail that Kere should follow and picked his way down the slope slowly, careful to test each stone. Once it slipped out from under his paws and Kere yelped before the old wolf recovered, wincing from his near-fall. Kere let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

They climbed until Kere's paws felt like lead weights, ready to fall off with each step. Then, finally, he felt cool, soft grass, and let himself collapse. They were at the bottom. Kirio sat down, panting, to let himself rest for a moment before leading the black pup on.

Kere noticed a huge cave not far from where they were standing, maybe ten wolf-lengths away. A stream flowed by it lazily, winding across the ground like a snake. Dozens of questions swirled in Kere's mind, and he felt too overwhelmed to ask any of them.

Misty shadows swirled around the valley, occasionally hesitating near the two wolves, and Kere realized with a start that they looked distinctly canine. One dipped his head to Kirio before drifting away with the breeze.

Kere found his voice. "Where are we? What is this place? What happened to all the trees? What are these things?" He gestured to a misty wolf. "Why did you bring me here? How do we get back? Can we get back?" he fell silent nervously with the last question.

Kirio made a rumbling sound deep in his throat, a laugh. "All in good time, Wolfling."

Kere was reminded of Taalis's taunting earlier that day, the way she spat his nickname like she'd just swallowed foul water, and didn't answer.

Kirio nudged his chin to get Kere looking up. The pup didn't realize his eyes had strayed toward the ground again. Kirio woofed softly. "I don't know what happened today, but I think that it wasn't your fault. When you're ready to share, I'll listen. For now, though," Kirio smiled, "I have something to show you."

He padded to the stream, confident that Kere would follow. The water flowed by lazily, and Kirio barked at it, the sound reverberating through the valley, echoing against the white walls. The water went entirely still, evening out to a smooth, glassy surface. Kere felt a sense of vertigo as the ripples cleared to reflect the cliff walls stretching high above them, stark and white.

Kirio was staring at him, Kere realized with a start. The old wolf woofed softly. "What do you see?"

Kere glanced down. "Um, the cliffs," he stammered. "And–and clouds."

Kirio nodded toward the water. "Try again."

Kere stared into the water, watching the minnows swim around in a panic as they noticed his shadow. Nothing happened. The water stayed completely still, reflecting the sky, broken by white cliffs.

Suddenly a ripple spread from the center, slowly making its way toward the pup. Kere jolted back nervously, looking up to see if something had fallen into the water. Kirio nudged him forward again, and Kere padded uncertainly to the edge of the stream as it smoothed out. He stared down at the sky for a few moments, feeling vertigo settle down around him again, this time anticipating the ripples.

They spread out serenely toward him, and the cliffs vanished. Kere saw himself, terrified and stunned, staring at something in a forest clearing. The ripples cleared, revealing that something to be Fila, Kimpu, and Taalis. The water lapped at Kere's paws, but he didn't notice, staring in awe at the picture.

Until it started moving. Taalis and Kimpu lunged, attacking Fila again. The Kere by the stream stumbled back again in horror, whimpering.

Kirio was by his side in an instant. "What did you see?"

Kere tried to calm down. It was just an illusion, he thought. When he finally felt controlled enough to answer, he turned to Kirio. "Fila–and the others. They–they were attacking her. And–and me," he stammered.

Kirio looked surprised. "They attacked both of you?"

Kere shook his head, one thought lodging itself in his mind that had little to do with the attack. "No. Just her. I could see me, though. And..."

"But what?" Kirio prodded gently.

"Is that what I look like?"

Kirio looked taken aback, and a little guilty. "Yes, Wolfling." He gestured to the stream again, and Kere padded toward its edge nervously, licking his chops.

A black wolf pup stared back at him from behind a mask of white fur. The mask ran from his nose to the back of his head, with black rings around his eyes. Kere looked into his own eyes. One was a deep brown color, whereas the other was bright emerald green. Kere closed his eyes for a long second. They were right.

Kirio gently nudged him away from the water. "Come here, Wolfling. We have some things to discuss."

4: Kamis

Kirio led the black pup back to the cave before he started speaking. "Do you know what that was?"

Kere had to think for a moment before realizing what he meant. The pictures in the stream. "Oh." His voice came out tiny and exhausted, and Kere realized that the ground beneath his paws was soft sand. He blinked forcefully to stay awake. "No."

Kirio nudged him and pressed for information some more. Kere, for his part, had gone numb with exhaustion. "You haven't ever seen that before? Done it?"

Kere shook his head again. "What...what was it?" he mumbled around a huge yawn.

Kirio gave a smile that didn't reach his worried eyes. "Sleep now, Wolfling. We can talk tomorrow, and I'll tell you everything I know."

Kere yawned again and collapsed on the sand, his eyes closing before he hit the ground.

It felt like the pup blinked open his eyes only seconds later, his gaze bleary with sleep and senses dulled. His nose tickled, and Kere sneezed to get a few lingering grains of sand out of it. Kirio darted awake, wincing as his old joints protested at the sudden movement. Kere blinked at him, remembering the storyteller's promise from the night before.

"Can we talk now?" Kere woofed.

Kirio smiled kindly. "Yes, Wolfling. We can talk now." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I will start with this valley. It is a place where the past, present, and the future collide. The ghosts from our past wander, and it is easier to let the water show you what it will here. Or, in your case, what you will."

Kere's mind had stuck on the word ghosts. "Fila...is she here?" He looked up desperately at Kirio.

"Maybe. If you wish, we will seek her. But for now, I think you'd appreciate me finishing my story." Kere nodded, and Kirio continued. "Now, I have been a storyteller for many long years. Eventually, the stories I told granted me some power. The waters here obey me to a degree, and they will show me what they wish. Sometimes it's a piece of the future, sometimes a forgotten piece of my past. Sometimes I see what I can only guess is the present, somewhere else."

Kere watched him intently, soaking the words up like a sponge.

"But, well...the water seems to respond to you more aptly. It showed what was on your mind instead of what it felt you needed to see. I can also assume it was a very clear vision."

Kere remembered what he had seen and nodded with a shudder. It had felt and looked like he was back in the clearing with his siblings.

Kirio sighed. "I told you I would tell you everything, and so I will. Years ago, when your mother was just a pup like you, the world fell into depression and chaos. The pack received a prophecy that was very vague, and I had no way to interpret it. But then you came along, and the prey returned, the water started flowing again. The world returned to normalcy, and now I think I can give an explanation for a bit of the prophecy. That's why I brought you out here. I needed to know for sure, and if my prediction rings true, there are things you need to know, things that should stay between you and me."

Kere's head was spinning with the new information. "Prophecy? And what's so different about me? What do you need to know?"

Kirio took a deep breath and recited something in a low voice.

"An ancient line will be aroused

To finish evil's spread.

The incomplete will become complete,

And blood will spill blood in the lands destroyed."

Kere released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "That's the prophecy?"

Kirio nodded. "Yes. And..." He paused, not sure whether to voice his suspicions or not. "I think you may be the key, Wolfling. Do you remember the story of the Magic Keeper and Dreamer?"

Kere nodded. "They burned the Ashe Woods and created the Northern Lights. Beauty from darkness," he quoted the storyteller.

Kirio smiled. "Yes. But the first line of the prophecy is what I'm getting at with this–"

"An ancient line will be aroused," Kere remembered.

"I believe it means that another Magic Keeper will be born."

Slowly, Kere's tired pup mind registered what Kirio meant. "You...you think it's me. I'm the Magic Keeper."

Kirio nodded. "I don't pretend to know everything, but I believe that if you truly are the Keeper, then there will also be a Dreamer once again. Good versus evil, to complete the battle started all those eons ago in the Ashe Woods. If you win, it will finish evil's spread by finishing Dreamer."

"Assuming I'm the Magic Keeper."

"Assuming," Kirio confirmed.

Kere paused. "If I lost the battle, wouldn't I be finishing evil's spread as well? By letting it spread until there's nothing left for it to spread to."

Kirio winced. "Yes, that's the alternate interpretation. To be honest, I was hoping that you wouldn't connect those dots." He smiled grimly. "Now come on, maybe the prophecy is useless to fret over until you're a bit older, but now that I've told you all of this, it's time to see if you have magic in you at all."

Kere followed him out of the cave, blinking as the bright sun stung his eyes. The river glinted in beautiful morning light, and the cave yawned behind him, dark and welcoming.

Kirio padded on until they had reached an open, sandy area. "The powers in my stories were never really described, except for the part you've already noticed. Seeing the future, present, and past. That will get even stronger as you get older. Another of the magic effects I have heard of is healing. I won't test that, as it would involve you being harmed. So we will turn to mock combat for now."

"We haven't been taught in that yet!" Kere protested.

Kirio lunged and snapped teasingly at his cheek, just brushing Kere's fur. "That's why I'm testing you in it. But maybe not against me."

"Why not?" Kere whimpered.

Kirio smiled. "I am much too old for this." He turned and motioned a misty ghost to join them. Her fur was a pale gray, though Kere assumed that could've been because of her transparency. What was even more surprising was that she was about his age, and he recognized her in an instant.

"Fila?" he yelped.

Kirio and the spirit-pup winced. "No, Wolfling, not her. This is Kamis."

Kere wilted. "Oh."

Kamis nudged his chin, and to his surprise, he could feel her cold nose. He looked up at her and she smiled. "Hello, Kere." Her voice had a far-away, singsongy quality to it.

"How–how do you know my name?" he stammered nervously.

"Kirio summoned me last night to talk. Wolf of the prophecies, huh?" She shuddered. "The prophecy..."

Kirio shook his head, and she trailed off, staring at the sandy ground. Finally she broke the silence, addressing the old storyteller. "So, this is Tami's?"

Kirio nodded. "One of four, now three." Kere noticed a dark note under the words.

Kamis cocked her head. "I'm guessing from that tone that I don't want to know what happened."

"No."

"Ready, Kere?" Kamis turned to the black pup. He swallowed and nodded, bracing himself by digging his claws into the sand.

She lunged almost immediately, and Kere threw himself to the side to avoid being trampled. She may have been a spirit, but she was plenty solid.

Kirio nudged Kere forward. "You attack now."

He threw himself forward, wincing and looking away before he hit Kamis. The impact never came, and Kere rolled onto the ground realizing that the spirit-pup had sidestepped.

She laughed. "Come on, you can do better than that!" Kere lunged again, this time snapping at Kamis before she could react. His teeth passed through air, giving no hint that he'd even neared her, though he was certain that he'd brushed her.

Kamis laughed again at his confused expression. "You can only touch me when I want you to."

Kere glowered, and Kirio chuckled at his naive expression.

They fought again and again until finally Kere managed to wound her as she darted under his legs. He came down hard before she could make herself invulnerable again, slashing across her belly. The cut sealed up almost immediately, but the duel left her panting hard.

She turned to Kirio, grinning wide. "No previous instruction?"

He shook his head.

"Well then, you'll be glad to know that your prediction rings true. The Magic Keeper is unnaturally skilled in combat."

They headed back to the cave again that night, Kere limping from exertion but grinning wide-mouthed. Kirio licked his muzzle before curling up himself.

It was a long time before Kere drifted into the land of dreams.

5: Ghosts

Kirio made Kere practice every skill known to wolf-kind, plus some, until the pup thought his paws would fall off. They stayed in the magical hideaway for a full moon, and Kirio finally concluded one day as Kere was practicing his hunting.

Kere pounced again on the mouse, and it scurried away. But Kere anticipated its move, and blocked the prey's path with one paw. The mouse panicked and ran again, right into Kere's claws. He bit the mouse hard and ended its life quickly, then turned to Kirio, who was wagging his tail at the pup, though there was a shadowed look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Kere woofed.

Kirio nudged his cheek affectionately. "It's been a moon, Wolfling. It is time for us to return to our pack."

Kere wilted visibly. "Can't we just stay here for a while longer?" he whined softly.

Kirio shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Kere. Your life will never be easy. But you can make it happy. Remember that."

Kere nodded dejectedly and stared at the sand where he'd accidentally dropped his mouse. "We'll leave tomorrow," Kirio decided before changing the subject. "Thank you for coming with me, Wolfling. I never new what the Magic Keeper was capable of. Past, present, and future-sight, combat–"

"Hunting–" Kere interjected enthusiastically, making Kirio laugh deep in his throat.

"That sixth sense–"

"It's like I can feel body heat," Kere explained with a grin.

Kirio nodded. "Elevated senses. And I'm sure there are more, waiting for you to discover them, Wolfling. Possibly even elemental powers. It just takes a bit of patience."

Suddenly a misty wolf pup shimmered into being in front of them. "Kamis!" Kere yelped in an excited greeting.

She gave a strained smile before turning to Kirio. "You are leaving tomorrow?" He nodded, and Kamis considered something. "Then tonight. Meet me here."

He nodded, and she disappeared in a shimmer of light, like a mirage.

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Kamis was waiting for them that night, true to her word. She looked anxious.

"What's wrong, Kamis?" Kirio woofed.

The spirit-pup shook her head. "Nothing. Well, I'm nervous, but nothing's wrong. She is here."

Kirio's face went slack with realization. "At last? I didn't think that she was coming!"

"Who?" Kere whined.

Another patch of mist materialized beside Kamis, and Kere yelped.

"Fila," Kirio breathed.

Kere threw himself at her in his excitement, and apparently she was okay with being touched, because the impact sent both pups sprawling.

"Kere!" Fila barked happily.

He took a step back, suddenly overwhelmed with too many emotions. His tail was moving so fast it might fly off in his excitement, but he felt the guilt of her death all over again. The sadness, fear, and horror that had come with that were coming back to him, and he made a frozen, strangled whine.

Fila licked his cheek sweetly, her eyes full of sadness and compassion. "It's okay, Kere. It'll all be okay."

Kere buried his head under his paws. "I'm sorry." It came out as barely a breath, but she heard.

Fila looked hesitant, but finally she nudged him to look up again. "I was dying, Kere. There was nothing you could've done anyway."

"What?"

"Mother knew. I was sick. Really sick. I would've died anyway. Don't blame yourself."

Kere remembered vaguely a foul scent lingering on Fila's breath and fur whenever she came close. At the time, he'd been too young to know, but it was the scent of sickness. Death.

"Fila..." he breathed, at a complete loss of words.

She licked his cheek again. "It's okay. I'm happier now. Taalis and Kimpu don't have power over me anymore. And did you know that..." she leaned closer to whisper into Kere's ear. "Kamis is our aunt?"

He yelped and pounced on his sister, and they played until the sun threatened to break the dark horizon. "Stay!" he pleaded as Fila began to fade.

She smiled but shook her head sadly, grey fur glinting in the almost-dawn. "I can't appear during the day. Not yet. But we'll see each other again. I love you, Kere!"

And then the sunlight returned, but Kere did not welcome it.