by Sophie Torro
Sandstorm shrugged unapologetically. “I wanted to test out a theory of mine,” she rumbled. Sandstorm grinned at the three wolves. “It looks like I was right.”
Aurora and Ember dragged themselves out of the pool, their pelts sodden and their temper short. Nautilus stayed in the water, enjoying a short swim. He must have missed getting his fur wet after his time in the scorching desert.
“Right about what?” the hybrid asked curiously.
“Right about what motivates you to fight,” Sandstorm explained gruffly. “You three are weak, pathetic, and nowhere near strong enough to beat a wolf like Queen Tempest. But that’s when you’re on your own.” Sandstorm’s yellow eyes were as hard as diamonds. “Although I’ve never understood the appeal of friends, I can tell that you three care about each other a lot. When I put one of you in danger, all your hesitance about battle crumbled away. Your instincts kicked in, giving you the fire you needed to accomplish your goals.”
Aurora stared down at her soaked paws. Sandstorm was right. Although Aurora hated fighting, she couldn’t allow anything to harm her friends. Perhaps that was what she needed to focus on while confronting Queen Tempest and the Sky Pack. Their mission wasn’t about violence and bloodshed—it was about protecting others. Aurora had lost sight of that.
Ember let out a frustrated sigh. He shook the water off his dark red pelt and stalked away from the pool. Although Ember would never admit it, he also realized that Sandstorm was right.
Nautilus suddenly splashed out of the water, joining his friends on the dry land. “Hey, at least our pelts are clean now,” Nautilus joked, trying to lighten the mood. “We don’t look like Earth Wolves anymore.”
Sandstorm gave Nautilus a fang-filled smile. “What’s wrong with looking like an Earth Wolf?” she asked in a slow voice.
Nautilus’ light green eyes grew wide “Nothing!” he blurted. “Sorry. That’s not what I meant. Please don’t claw me.” Nautilus backed away from Sandstorm and rushed to Ember, using him as a shield.
Sandstorm let out a rough bark of a laugh. “I think, maybe, you three might turn out okay,” she rasped as she rose to her paws.
Aurora gave Sandstorm a suspicious look as the Earth Wolf strode past her. “That’s the last of your surprise tests, right?” she asked.
Sandstorm kept walking and didn’t look back. “You bet it is,” the Earth Wolf responded. “Now it’s the real deal. We’re going to face Queen Tempest right now, and this conflict will be resolved today… even if it might not be with the ending we’re hoping for.”
CHAPTER 15
A fleet of winged Sky Wolf guards soared overhead. Their silver armour glowed blindingly in the bright morning sun. Aurora felt terrified when she spotted the other Sky Wolves. She hurriedly unfolded her wings and covered Nautilus, Ember, and Sandstorm with her white feathers. They blended in perfectly with the snow of the mountains.
The guards flew past without noticing the four intruders. With a sigh of relief, Aurora folded her wings back, then continued to lead her friends up the mountains.
They had reached the beginnings of the Sky Pack Kingdom. The prairie where Sandstorm had tested Aurora and her friends was far below them now, and was misted by clouds. Aurora shivered as a frigid breeze whirled around her fur. She had forgotten how cold the mountains were, even in the middle of the day. Behind her, Ember, Nautilus, and Sandstorm looked miserable. However, they didn’t complain.
“We’re almost at the Sky Pack Kingdom,” Aurora explained. “It’s just over this peak.”
Snow crunched beneath their pads as they trudged onward. Aurora’s heart began to pound as she approached her old home. She kept her ears perked, listening carefully for the first sign of danger. However, she heard nothing. That was more worrying than an entire army of Sky Pack guards rushing toward them.
The Sky Pack Kingdom was never this quiet, Aurora thought as a cold breeze tossed snowflakes onto her face. Where is everyone? Why aren’t they speaking, howling, or cheering? This isn’t normal. Aurora shivered. Not because she was cold, but because she was terrified of what waited for them up ahead.
It didn’t take long before the four wolves reached the top of the slope. Aurora cautiously crept forward, her eyes narrowed against the glittering snow. They could see the entire Sky Pack Kingdom from here. However, there wasn’t much to see. The city of wolves was practically empty, with only the odd wanderer here and there. Normally, the Sky Pack Kingdom was bursting with wolves.
Ember brushed up beside Aurora. He peered down at the kingdom with narrowed eyes. His black cloak fluttered in the chilly breeze. “Is this place normally so empty?” Ember asked Aurora in a hushed voice. “Where is everyone?”
Aurora shook her head. “I don’t know,” she murmured nervously. “This is very strange.” Aurora’s fur suddenly stood on end. “You don’t think Queen Tempest and her army already started the attack on Elementa, do you?”
Ember’s orange eyes widened. Sandstorm’s ears flattened.
“I see everyone!” Nautilus suddenly gasped. He pointed a webbed paw in the direction of Queen Tempest’s fortress. “They’re over there, in the courtyard.”
Thousands upon thousands of Sky Wolf soldiers stood in neat lines near the base of the fortress. They appeared to be small dots from this distance, but even still, Aurora felt terrified at the sight of them all. The soldiers were almost ready to launch their attack on the other elementals. Perhaps they would begin in a few short hours, earlier than expected.
If that wasn’t bad enough, more and more guards were pooling into the courtyard, joining ranks with the others. It was as if the entire Sky Pack was here and ready to fight, even those from the outer villages.
Aurora felt a strong sensation of vertigo, like she was falling backward. It’s a good thing Sandstorm joined us when she did, Aurora thought fearfully. We might have been too late if we had waited any longer.
Ember rested his head on Aurora’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. “It isn’t too late to stop this,” he told her, as if he had read her mind. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”
Sandstorm growled at them. “Not if you two lovebirds keep wasting time by being disgusting,” she snapped. “Get a move on, would ya?”
Nautilus closely followed Sandstorm as she made her way down the slope. Aurora and Ember were right behind them, feeling embarrassed by being called ‘lovebirds’. Their affection for one another wasn’t that obvious, was it?
Aurora moved away from Ember and took the lead. “Follow me,” she told her friends as they approached the Sky Pack Kingdom. “I’ll take us into the castle through a more hidden route. Nobody should bother us there.”
Nautilus kept nervously looking over his shoulder every few seconds. “If you say so,” he mumbled.
Aurora cautiously led her friends past the countless dens in the center of the Sky Pack Kingdom, and toward Queen Tempest’s fortress. She took a sudden veer to the right, then began to trudge up a steep hill. She wasn’t used to walking to this place. She had always flown here.
“Where in Elementa are you taking us?” snapped Sandstorm.
Aurora’s ears flattened as memories filled her head. “To the place where I used to work,” she explained grimly. “To the place where I helped Queen Tempest build her crown.” Aurora sighed. “The royal mines.”
Before long, the mouth of the yawning cave came into view. Aurora couldn’t believe how much her life had changed since she had last been here. I used to hate wolves from the other packs, she reflected. I used to be so loyal to Queen Tempest that I was obsessed with her. I used to work in these mines, day and night, without a single break.
Aurora lifted her head proudly. But now I’m here with friends from the other packs, she thought. Now I’m here to stop Queen Tempest from completing her vile plans. Now I’m using these mines to help us save Elementa.
Aurora gave her friends a determined glance. “Follow me,” she said, as she step
ped into the cave. Ember, Nautilus, and Sandstorm followed behind her cautiously. It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Only the glow of a few shards of White Elemental Heart lit their path.
“These mines lead into Queen Tempest’s castle?” Sandstorm asked suspiciously. She poked a crystal with a scowl on her face. “Shouldn’t there be guards protecting this place?”
Aurora continued to lead the way into the vast network of tunnels. “I’ve never entered the castle this way before,” she explained. “I only know about this route through gossip, but I’m almost certain it exists. Guards sometimes travel through this main cave, and disappear down this tunnel.” She pointed at the small burrow with her paw.
“Will anyone be waiting for us down there?” Nautilus asked anxiously.
“They all seemed pretty busy in the courtyard,” Ember answered. “I don’t think anyone is expecting us now, of all times.”
Aurora nodded her agreement as she led her friends toward the tunnel’s exit. “We’ll be just fine.”
Without warning, an angry snarl sliced through the silence. The four wolves whirled around to find an elderly, cranky Sky Wolf with bristling fur. She stood near the mouth of one of the tunnels, having just emerged from its depths. Aurora stiffened. It was Shiver, her old boss.
“Aurora,” Shiver hissed. “What in Elementa is the meaning of this?”
Sandstorm shifted into a defensive position, snarling at Shiver. Aurora nudged Sandstorm back with her paw, then stepped closer to her old boss. “We aren’t your enemy,” Aurora told Shiver calmly. “Whatever Queen Tempest told you about me, it isn’t true. Neither is what she said about the other elementals. They are wolves just like us, and they don’t deserve what Queen Tempest has planned for them.”
Nautilus waved shyly at Shiver. Ember said nothing and remained still, while Sandstorm reluctantly forced her fur to stop bristling.
Shiver glared at each wolf in turn. “You’ve lost your mind, Aurora,” she spat after a few long moments. “You were always the strangest wolf under my watch, but I never thought you would fall this far. You used to love Queen Tempest. You used to be loyal to the Sky Pack above all else. I can’t believe you’ve changed so much.”
Aurora flattened her ears, feeling frustrated. Perhaps some wolves would never understand, or change their ways. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sandstorm reacted first.
Sandstorm suddenly lifted a paw and shot forward a storm of razor-like stones. “Sandstorm, don’t!” Aurora gasped. But it was already too late. The stones exploded in Shiver’s direction at breakneck speed. However, Sandstorm hadn’t aimed her blast at the Sky Wolf. Instead, the pebbles slammed into a massive stalactite hanging above Shiver, dislodging it.
With a loud boom, the stalactite crashed to the ground in an explosion of dust. The stalactite blocked the tunnel’s exit, trapping a shaken but otherwise unharmed Shiver inside. She poked her head through one of the small gaps, growling furiously.
“Queen Tempest will have your heads,” Shiver threatened. “She’ll make you regret betraying your pack, Aurora!” Shiver continued to scream, but Aurora forced herself to ignore her.
Aurora gazed at Sandstorm with wide eyes. “You spared her,” she murmured. “I thought you didn’t care about—”
“She isn’t worth hurting,” Sandstorm grunted. “Now can we keep moving, or are we going to stand around gawking at one another all day?” Sandstorm moved aside so Aurora could take the lead down the tunnel. Together, the four wolves plunged into the darkness.
“This tunnel is going on forever,” Nautilus complained. He was already out of breath after only seconds of running. “Are we almost there? I’m exhausted!”
“I can smell something strange up ahead,” Aurora told her friends. “Something that doesn’t belong in these mines. It smells like… metal?”
Sandstorm let out a disdainful sniff. “Don’t you Sky Wolves use metal tools to dig?” she asked impatiently.
Aurora shook her head, although Sandstorm probably couldn’t see her in the dim lighting. “We use our elemental powers instead,” she explained. “Metal doesn’t belong here. I think we’re close to entering Queen Tempest’s fortress.”
There was a sudden turn. Aurora, Ember, and Sandstorm all changed direction gracefully, while Nautilus accidentally flopped into the wall. “I hope we are,” he huffed while scrambling after his friends.
Before long, a metal door came into view. Aurora skidded to a halt in front of it, panting. “We’re here,” she told her friends. “This must be the entrance to the fortress. That, or it’s a really creepy storage room.”
Sandstorm pushed past Aurora. She impatiently attempted to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. She sharply looked the door up and down, then caught sight of a lock and pulled at it with her teeth. After a few moments, Sandstorm angrily backed away. “It’s locked,” the Earth Wolf grumbled. “You don’t happen to know where a key is, do you, Wings?”
Aurora shook her head, feeling worried. Had they come all this way for nothing?
Nautilus suddenly dragged himself forward, wheezing for breath. “I… I can melt the lock,” he gasped. “Just… move over… please…” Nautilus transformed into his Fire Wolf form. The heat from his glowing, fiery paws filled the darkness.
Nautilus sheepishly lifted one of his paws and gently placed it on the rusty lock. It melted with a loud sizzle, becoming a silver, gooey puddle on the ground.
After the job was finished, Nautilus transformed back into his Water Wolf form, looking pleased.
Ember’s eyes narrowed, ever so slightly. The others didn’t notice.
“After you,” Nautilus said politely, opening the door for them. Aurora, Sandstorm, and Ember made their way inside. Nautilus was right behind them. The four wolves were immediately struck by a blast of cold. Freezing, terrible, dreadful cold. Their breath swirled around their muzzles in tiny clouds.
Aurora had experienced cold all her life, but never like this. It was… awful. She immediately wanted to fly all the way back to the desert just to warm herself up. “What is this place?” Aurora whispered. It was so dark that she could barely see two pawsteps ahead.
“Transform back into a Fire Wolf,” Sandstorm bossily ordered Nautilus. “But only long enough so we can look around. You’ll melt the floor otherwise, and who knows what problems that might cause.”
Nautilus nodded. Within moments, the red light of his paws filled the darkness, causing an eerie red glow to fall over the room. It revealed just how long this place was. The room appeared to be a gigantic hallway, stretching deep into the earth. On the far side of the hallway rested another door that must lead into the main castle.
Although the walls were made of metal, they were lined with many panes of thick ice. They looked like shiny doors and were all in neat rows. Each ice door seemed to lead into its own small room.
“Strange,” Aurora said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. She slowly made her way closer to one of the ice doors. Aurora cautiously stretched out a paw and cleared away the snow that had formed on the outside. With a deep breath, Aurora peered inside the small room. She recoiled, as if she had touched fire.
There was a wolf inside!
The wolf was curled up in a tight ball, trembling violently from the cold. His dark blue eyes stared at Aurora miserably. Then, something brightened his eyes… recognition. The wolf dragged himself closer, looking shocked. He said something, but the words were unable to slip through the thick ice door.
Aurora cautiously crept closer and studied the wolf more carefully. She nearly collapsed. “Blizzard!” Aurora screamed. “Blizzard, it’s me, Aurora!” Her abrupt cry startled her friends. They moved closer to Aurora nervously. “Guys, look, it’s Blizzard! He’s my brother!”
“Why are you just standing there?” Sandstorm snapped at Nautilus. “Get that poor wolf out of there!”
Nautilus stood on his back paws, then rested his fron
t paws on the ice. It melted away with a ghastly sizzle. Within moments, the ice door was nothing more than a pool of water at their paws.
Blizzard was free.
“Th-th-thank you,” Blizzard said, his teeth clattering and his body shivering. He didn’t have the strength to say anything more than that. Instead, he moved closer to Nautilus, attempting to warm his frozen fur.
Ember and Sandstorm began to peer into each cell of ice, looking more and more distraught by the second. “There’s a Water Wolf in here,” Sandstorm told the group. “There are two Sky Wolves here, and a Fire Wolf.”
“I see a couple of Earth Wolves here,” Ember told Sandstorm. “And there are lots of Water Wolves here. Sky Wolves… Fire Wolves… wolves from every pack. This is terrible. These wolves are all innocent. I recognize everyone from The Hidden Howl.”
Aurora felt livid. Her paws curled into tight, trembling fists. Her jaw clenched so hard that she thought her fangs would crack. So this is how Queen Tempest treats her prisoners, Aurora thought furiously. By sticking them in rooms of ice to freeze. How can a wolf be so cruel?
Once Blizzard started to thaw, Nautilus moved away and began to melt each cell of ice, freeing the wolves trapped inside.
Aurora crouched down beside Blizzard. “I’m so sorry this happened,” she said. “I should have done more to prevent this.”
Blizzard shivered. “It’s okay,” he responded. “You would have done the same for me. It’s what siblings do.” Blizzard’s eyes suddenly widened as he looked at her muzzle. “That’s a big scar you got there. It makes you look tough and brave, like a warrior.”
Aurora smiled. “Thanks,” she responded. “It doesn’t ruin my good looks, does it?”
Blizzard laughed. “No,” he replied. “You’re okay.” His dark blue eyes turned to stare at Nautilus, Ember, and Sandstorm. “So,” he said, strength returning to his voice. “I see you made some friends. What happened to my defensive big sister that didn’t like the other elementals?”
