Frozen Secrets: The Wolves of Elementa, Book 1

by Sophie Torro

Aurora wasn’t sure what changed her mind. Was it Blizzard’s carefully placed words, or the desperate, worried expression on his face? The look in his eyes seemed to scream, I care about you! I only want the best for you! And Aurora believed him. She wanted her brother back. She wanted to be his friend again. I guess it won’t be the end of Elementa if I take one night off, Aurora reasoned with herself. I’d give both of my wings to spend time with Blizzard again, and this is my chance to do just that.

  Aurora landed in front of Blizzard and gracefully folded her wings back. “What do you have in mind?” she asked.

  Blizzard’s face lit up with joy. “Can it be a surprise?” he eagerly yipped. “It’ll be so much better if it’s a surprise!” Blizzard excitedly bounced up and down, like he always used to do when they were pups.

  Aurora grinned nervously. “All right,” she responded. “Surprises can be fun sometimes I guess…” Aurora was the type of wolf that liked to have a plan, and to know everything in advance. Organization was the key to success after all. But Aurora was willing to bend her own rules if it meant making Blizzard happy. “Well, what are we waiting for?” she asked. “Lead on.”

  The two wolves left the cave and headed into the Sky Pack Kingdom beyond. Aurora and Blizzard chatted excitedly the entire time, as if they hadn’t spent even a moment apart. Aurora was so caught up in their enthusiastic conversation that she didn’t even notice where Blizzard was leading her. They slunk past royal guards and moved down shadowy, winding pathways between the dens. Soon, the swarm of noise from the city faded away. The light from the torches became too far away to see.

  Aurora immediately snapped out of it. She looked around with wide eyes, while her heartbeat began to quicken. The world in front of her was bare and empty, with nothing but mountains up ahead. It was a wasteland of snow and howling, screaming wind. This was nothing like the cozy Sky Pack Kingdom so far behind them. “Blizzard?” she nervously asked. Aurora shifted her wings, wondering if she should fly back home.

  “Just trust me, okay?” Blizzard responded nonchalantly. “You’re going to love this.” Without waiting for a reply, Blizzard continued on, trudging through the snow that was as high as his chest. Aurora reluctantly followed him, wishing that she could fly on ahead. But she didn’t have the heart to leave her wingless brother behind.

  Blizzard seemed to be leading them around the Sky Pack Kingdom. It was as if he was trying to avoid being seen. Eventually, the two siblings began to make their way down the side of a mountain, where a vast prairie waited for them.

  The meadow was free of snow. It only had green plants and rivers that weren’t frozen. Aurora felt sick at the sight. It just wasn’t natural for a Sky Wolf to be without snow and ice. Why in Elementa was Blizzard taking them down there, so out of their element?

  Far in the distance, but not too far away from the mountains, Aurora could see a vast ocean. Part of the ocean extended in to the continent of Elementa. It was as if a gigantic wolf had scooped away a portion of the land so the water could flood in. That portion of ocean was where the Water Pack wolves lived.

  Even further than that, on the other side of the vast ocean, was the volcanic wasteland where the Fire Pack lived. Aurora could see a faint, glowing blaze in the surrounding sky. The Fire Pack’s territory was constantly on fire, or filled with lava whenever the volcanoes exploded. Not even rain was able to cool down the Fire Pack’s nightmarish territory.

  The rest of Elementa was dry and rocky. That was where the Earth Pack wolves lived, where they howl at the sun instead of the moon, and drink mud instead of water.

  It was no wonder the other packs were so strange. Living in such awful territories would make any wolf lose it. The Sky Pack was clearly the best pack, and the other elementals certainly knew it. Why else would they be such bloodthirsty savages, who constantly try stealing Sky Pack land? They can try all they want, Aurora thought defensively. Queen Tempest will stop those monsters every time.

  Blizzard and Aurora eventually made their way down the mountain. They now stood on flat, warm, snowless land. Aurora officially hated it. “Now what?” she whispered to Blizzard, although she was unsure of why she was whispering. “Is this what you wanted to show me? Because it’s kind of awful. No offense.”

  Blizzard smiled. “We aren’t there yet,” he responded. “But we’re close.” Blizzard gave her a friendly bump on the side. “Thanks for being patient with me. I know this isn’t something you’d normally do, so I appreciate you coming along.” Blizzard began to walk forward, leading the way through the silent grassland.

  A bug suddenly leapt on Aurora’s snout and stared at her with its beady eyes. Aurora let out a shriek. She wildly shook off the freaky creature with her paw.

  Blizzard nearly fell over laughing. “Right, I forgot to mention the bugs,” he responded. “I’ve never seen them in the mountains before, but there’s plenty of them here. Don’t worry, though. They’re mostly harmless.”

  Aurora’s white pelt wildly fluffed out. “Mostly?” she echoed, but Blizzard wasn’t listening. He silently moved through the tall grass, his pale blue fur glowing silver in the moonlight.

  It seems like Blizzard comes here a lot, Aurora thought as she reluctantly followed him. Why has he never told me about this before? Why does this spot interest him so much? I just can’t understand it.

  “Okay!” Blizzard announced. “We’re here.”

  Aurora nervously crept forward so that she was standing side-by-side with Blizzard. She tipped her head to one side, frowning. There was nothing here. Had Blizzard lost it? “Um, where is here?” Aurora asked. “Is this some kind of joke? Because it’s not funny.”

  Blizzard pointed at a small hole in the ground with his paw. It was barely wide enough for one wolf to fit through. “There,” he told her. “This is it.”

  Aurora let out a cold bark of a laugh. “Well, this certainly was interesting,” she said, as she backed away from her brother, “but it’s getting late. I’m going home. I have lots of work to do and not enough time to do it all.” Aurora unfolded her powerful wings.

  Blizzard’s eyes filled with dismay. “No, wait!” he pleaded. “You don’t understand—”

  Without warning, the earth below their paws let out a low groan. Aurora yelped and ran backward. Rocks suddenly lifted into the air and neatly piled themselves to the side, revealing a large tunnel in their place. Even after the earth stilled, Aurora was unable to bring herself to breathe.

  What in Elementa was that?!

  “Welcome to The Hidden Howl!” Blizzard cheered. He playfully nudged Aurora forward. “Come on!” he exclaimed as his tail wagged back and forth. “It gets even better.”

  Aurora gulped before nervously creeping forward. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. What was down there? What had captured Blizzard’s interest for so many moons? She wanted to find out. She wanted all the answers right now.

  Transfixed, Aurora slowly began to walk down the tunnel. The light of the moon quickly became lost, and the two wolves were engulfed in darkness. “Keep going,” Blizzard encouraged her. “It isn’t too much further now.”

  Noises started to emerge from the silence, whirling in Aurora’s ears. Was that… howling? Were there other wolves down here with them? “Oh, I think I know what this place is now,” Aurora told Blizzard thoughtfully. “This must be some kind of secret den where you and your friends hang out. Who else comes here? Breeze and Cloud?”

  “Just Breeze,” Blizzard responded. “Cloud doesn’t know about this place yet.”

  Aurora flattened her ears. That didn’t give her many answers. “How did you get those rocks to move like that?” she questioned. “Some kind of magic? Did you use White Elemental Heart crystals or something?”

  “You’ll see,” Blizzard patiently told her. He went silent after that, leading Aurora deeper into the tunnel without saying another word.

  Light suddenly emerged up ahead. A frenzy of noises crashed down on Auror
a like a tsunami. Wolves howled and cheered. Music blared. Glass shattered. Aurora let out an agitated whimper, pawing at her ears. “It’s so loud!” she gasped. “Your friends are crazy, Blizzard!”

  Blizzard smiled. “I know!” he laughed. “They’re a ton of fun! I can’t wait for you to meet them all, Aurora. Just… try to keep an open mind, okay?”

  Aurora nodded bleakly, wincing as someone let out a shrill howl close by. Together, the two wolves turned the tunnel’s corner and entered the chaos. Aurora found herself in a gigantic, frenzied cave. It was absolutely massive—far bigger than the royal mines Aurora worked in. There was a large hole in the ceiling, where bright moonlight pooled in.

  Wolves were packed together shoulder to shoulder. They howled and yapped wildly, causing the very walls of the cavern to vibrate.

  Aurora suddenly felt her blood run cold. She nearly fainted. These wolves. They were red. Others were blue. Some were brown.

  Aurora took a horrified step backward, and then another. Oh no, she thought in sheer terror. No. No. No! Blizzard gave Aurora a worried look. He went to gently place his tail on her shoulder, but she roughly pushed him away. “You knew!” Aurora screamed, throwing her voice above the sea of noise. “How could you? How?!” Her heart pounded so fiercely that she thought it would burst out of her chest.

  Aurora was surrounded by wolves from the other elemental packs. Blizzard was a traitor to Queen Tempest, and he just dragged Aurora down with him.

  CHAPTER 3

  The walls of the underground cave seemed to close in on Aurora. For a moment, she was too stunned to move. Too stunned to think. To0 stunned to even breathe. “Queen Tempest is going to have our heads,” Aurora managed to whimper. “I… betrayed her. Just by being around these wolves, I’ve broken her most important law.”

  Aurora nearly screamed when some of the other wolves started to curiously approach her. She backed away, then gasped as she bumped into something. Aurora whirled around to find Blizzard blocking the tunnel exit.

  “Move out of my way!” Aurora snarled. “You’ve lost it, Blizzard! How could you possibly trick me into coming here? Trick me into betraying my queen?!”

  Just before Blizzard could respond, another voice rose above the clamour. “Hey, Blizzard!” came a cheerful yap. “It’s good to see you again, buddy!”

  Aurora turned to see an Earth Wolf stride forward. Her yellow eyes were friendly, and her brown fur was fluffed out with happiness. The Earth Wolf playfully pounced on Blizzard and nipped at his ear. Blizzard laughed as he gently wrestled her away.

  Aurora was frozen in fear. This had to be some kind of freakish nightmare. It had to be! Blizzard, her own brother, was playing with an Earth Wolf!

  Suddenly, a Water Wolf stepped forward. Aurora yelped and scrambled back, trying to get as far away from him as possible. Her wings pressed against the cold wall of the cavern. Fear surged through her veins. Wake up, Aurora, she pleaded with herself. Wake up and let this nightmare end! Please, let it end!

  The Water Wolf’s blue fur was as dark as the ocean itself, and his paws were webbed. Instead of having a tail made of fur, the Water Wolf’s tail appeared to be one that belonged to a fish. His gills fluttered happily when he approached Blizzard. “Where were you last night?” the Water Wolf teased him. “You missed the fight between Sandstorm and Burn! Sandstorm won, obviously, so you owe me a nice juicy fish.”

  Without warning, the Water Wolf turned to gaze at Aurora. He smiled warmly at her. His fangs, Aurora thought through a haze of panic. They look normal. They look like mine. I thought Water Wolves had more fangs than sharks. But this wolf doesn’t.

  Aurora’s green eyes travelled back to the Earth Wolf. She isn’t acting like a bloodthirsty savage. She isn’t littered with scars or attacking the first wolf she sees. She actually seems… friendly.

  Aurora felt as though she was falling. Her head began to reel with millions of thoughts all at once. Aurora dizzily pressed a paw to her forehead.

  “Hello,” the Water Wolf said welcomingly. It took Aurora a few moments to realize that he was talking to her. “You must be Aurora. Blizzard told us a lot about you. Welcome to The Hidden Howl. It’s good to finally meet you, friend.”

  Aurora opened and closed her mouth a few times, but the words couldn’t come out. This Water Wolf just called me his friend! she thought, aghast. We are not friends! How can he, or any of the other elementals, possibly be my friend? They’re all monsters. All of them! Queen Tempest told me so herself. This isn’t right.

  The world began to sway underneath Aurora’s paws. Her heart dangerously pounded. I need to get out of here. Aurora stumbled toward the cave’s exit, feeling sick. Queen Tempest told me… she warned me… but… but why aren’t they like the stories?

  “Pebble? Gill? Could you please excuse us for a moment?” Blizzard kindly asked the Earth Wolf and Water Wolf. They nodded respectfully before disappearing into the frenzied crowd of elementals. “I’ll catch up with you two later!” Blizzard called after them. Two howls of response emerged from the loud sea of noise.

  Aurora suddenly pushed past Blizzard then ran up the tunnel, desperate to flee this nightmare. Blizzard quickly caught up with her and blocked her way. “Aurora, wait!” he cried, panting to catch his breath. “Don’t go yet.”

  Aurora’s head felt light. “For so many moons, this is where you’ve been going?” she growled, wrapping her wings around herself. Now she understood why Blizzard hadn’t been able to tell her the truth. How could he, when she was so loyal to Queen Tempest?

  “Yes,” Blizzard responded. His spiky ears flattened. “Are you upset?”

  Aurora gave him a glare. “Obviously I’m upset!” she snapped. “Upset, worried, and confused. I’m not even sure what I should be thinking right now.”

  Aurora’s eyes darkened. “But Queen Tempest will know exactly what to do. She always has a plan.” Aurora swiped a paw at her brother. “Get out of my way, Blizzard. I need to tell the queen what’s going on right now.”

  Blizzard’s blue eyes filled with alarm. However, he was calm when he responded. “I can tell that, deep down, you don’t want to do that,” Blizzard said. “Please, Aurora. Give these wolves a chance. They aren’t monsters like Queen Tempest say—I mean, like the stories say that they are. They’re normal wolves, just like you and me.”

  Aurora unhappily stared at her paws. This is probably just some trick, she thought stubbornly. The other elementals are cunning. They’re manipulating Blizzard by pretending to be friendly, and they’re trying to do the same to me.

  Well, it won’t work. I’ll play along and pretend to be on their side, and gather as much information as I can about this place. Then, tonight, I’ll head straight to Queen Tempest and report everything to her.

  Blizzard tipped his head to one side, his dark blue eyes narrowing slightly. “I recognize that glint in your eyes, Aurora,” Blizzard growled. “You’re planning something. Don’t even try denying it. I bet you’ll scurry to Queen Tempest the moment you can to betray me and all these innocent wolves.”

  Aurora remained silent, clenching her jaw. Why did she feel so guilty? Reporting to Queen Tempest was the right thing to do… wasn’t it?

  Blizzard lashed his prickly tail. “Listen to me, Aurora,” he sharply continued. “Queen Tempest isn’t the wolf you think she is. She’s lied to the Sky Pack for moons about the true nature of the other elementals.” Blizzard took a step forward, causing every muscle in Aurora’s body to tense up.

  “Queen Tempest only cares about power,” Blizzard insisted. “She doesn’t care about you, me, or anybody except herself. These wolves have told me what Queen Tempest does to them and their packs. She’s a cruel monster.”

  “She saved our lives,” Aurora growled. “She saved our entire village.”

  Blizzard impatiently dug his claws into the earth. “Two good things don’t make up for a lifetime of evil,” the pale blue wolf retorted. “Wake up, Aurora. You mus
t realize that Queen Tempest has been lying to you. If you don’t believe me, why not meet some of the wolves here and find out for yourself?”

  Blizzard is being misguided again, Aurora thought. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten some crazy idea in his head. I’ll just play along so he doesn’t stop my report to Queen Tempest. Aurora flattened her ears. If nothing else, it’ll be interesting to see what the other elementals are really like. I know I’ll catch one of them in their deceitful act, and prove Blizzard wrong.

  Aurora drew in a deep breath. “Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll give these wolves a chance, I guess. I want to see more of The Hidden Howl for myself, before making any conclusion. But the moment I want to leave, you have to let me, Blizzard. Deal?”

  Blizzard looked thrilled. “Deal,” he agreed with a nod. He was completely unaware of Aurora’s true intentions. “Thanks, Aurora. I promise that you won’t regret this.”

  I really hope I’m not making a dangerous mistake, Aurora thought nervously. She cautiously followed her brother back into the underground cavern.

  Aurora’s throat felt dry when she laid eyes on the other elemental wolves. It was a shock to see them all over again. But Aurora continued on nevertheless. She wanted to discover the truth about the other wolf packs.

  Blizzard quickly noticed the anxious look on Aurora’s face. “Can I introduce you to somebody?” he asked her. “He’s very friendly, and a bit more on the mellow side. I think you’ll like him. Wait here, and I’ll go get him.”

  Aurora nodded slowly. “Okay,” she responded. She sat down and nervously curled her tail around her paws. Blizzard dashed off and vanished into the chaotic crowd, leaving her alone. I can’t believe I’m actually going through with this, Aurora thought with an inward groan. What is wrong with me?

  A red Fire Wolf with a flaming tail abruptly rushed past Aurora. “It’s starting soon! It’s starting soon!” she yapped eagerly to the Water Wolf beside her. “Argh, I can’t wait! I’ve been waiting for this fight all moon!”