Chapter 1

The tall trees of the Raha Forest shuddered as a warm spring breeze swept through the weaving branches. Only a few clouds were visible in the early afternoon sky, allowing the rays of the sun to touch everything, warming the air. Birds circled on the quiet wind, chirping at each other, looking for food to eat and feed to their chicks, and tiny twigs of which to build their nests.

The leaves had already turned to a lush green color, and whenever the wind blew, a fresh, cool scent came along with it.

Small rodents thrived, happily hopping around and collecting whatever edible plants and roots they could find.

A bare foot stepped through the outermost undergrowth of the forest, revealing a tall boy, who looked to be about fourteen. He wore his thick, brown hair long, almost to his hips, tangled and greasy. Scars covered his body, testifying of a life full of hardships. Most of the scars seemed to be the remnants of battles with wild animals, taking the form of bite- and claw marks. He had a toned body with no excess fat, which told a story of hunger, deprivation and constant physical exertion.

Slowly, one careful step at a time, the boy walked away from the wood line. So curious was he and so dumbstruck, that it’s as if he’d never set foot outside the forest before. The Raha Forest had always been his land, and the forest was simply so vast, that it’s all he’d ever seen. Then, with a seemingly endless sea of colored flowers at his feet, his world changed. His heart skipped a beat. His eyes were wide open in disbelief. He shrugged, slowly regaining his composure. Continuing at a brisker pace, the boy walked among plants he’d never seen, smells he'd never smelled, sounds he'd never heard.

A small bird with a puffy, red chest perched on a thin twig, looking down at him with round black eyes. Another thing that had not lived deeper in. He followed a narrow trail, trodden muddy by deer.

He liked deer and they were so easy to catch, he thought, their brittle bones so easily broken. Small rocks had always been enough to fell them, and all he had to do was walk over and crush its neck. Easy prey, yet a fantastic taste. His drool flowed.

The trail led to another path, much wider than should be possible. No animal he knew could have done this. He had seen enormous stags and their hundreds of females travel, leaving massive dirt clouds and brown, watery tracks in their wake. But this was neither deer, nor wolves. It was strangely well-made. Too perfect.

The cry of a small animal startled him out of his thoughts, and by scanning the surroundings he caught a glimpse of movement in the periphery of his vision. In the shade of a large green bush covered in blue flower buds lay a small wolf pup. Clearly disoriented and injured, the pup still noticed him immediately, but seemed to lack the strength to run. Whimpering as the boy approached, the pup made a pathetic attempt to stand, but its tired legs quickly buckled beneath its weight.

He had always been a merciless killer, whenever he needed to eat. He never felt remorse when his sharp teeth sunk into the neck of a deer or when he tore off the slimy, scaled skin of a fish. Why would he? It was how the world worked. He could think of no reason why he should yield his life to let another live. He was stronger. He was the superior predator, and they were his prey. Simple.

Yet, now he could not do it. Had something in him changed? Maybe. Was he not hungry? No, that was not it, and as a matter of fact, he was starving. He had been lost in the woods for at least two nights, now. A hunt for a meager hare had led him off course and he had found himself in a part of the forest he had never seen, on paths he had never trodden. An embarrassing mistake, really. And so, he found himself standing over a wounded animal, which would normally have made for an easy meal. Perhaps it was the eyes.

Yes, that had to be it. Each were different from the other. The right eye a rusty orange, like the brittle, brownish leaves that fall from every tree before it gets cold. The left an eerie, milky white color like powdery, newly fallen snow.

The boy showed the pup his open palm in an attempt to somehow signal his good intent, his intent to save the pup from its unfortunate fate. All it earned him was a scare as the pup snapped at his hand and a low, guttural growl escaped its throat. Well, at least it still has some energy, and might not be in such a bad shape, after all. The young man sat down a few meters away to give the pup some space, and let it get used to his presence. If this little one had come from the forest, he doubted that it had ever seen an animal like him before. He was a rare kind after all. Even he had never seen anyone who looked like him.

The pup seemed significantly calmer than before, now that he had moved away a bit. Giving it time to get used to him was key, he figured. Nothing is scarier than the unknown. He would move closer and closer until he could treat it for its injuries, but the real problem was that he was not sure how he would go about treating it.

This environment was new to him, and he was afraid that he would not be able to find any of the roots and herbs that he usually ate or rubbed in his skin when he was hurt. He knew plenty in the forest that could do wonders for the pup, but if he left it here while he was away, it would likely be killed and eaten by other animals. Taking it with him was also out of the question, as it would just make everything worse, and not knowing what was wrong with the pup meant that anything could potentially be fatal.

A long cut smeared in dried blood spanned its ribcage, but it did not seem to be severe enough to cause this much fatigue. No, it had to be something else that he could not see, something inside its body. He was starting to get desperate, now that he had realized how problematic the situation actually was. His medical knowledge was severely limited. He didn’t even have water to cleanse the bloody wound.

The sound of approaching animals made him freeze in place. By the loud sound of their high-pitched cries and stomping feet they were either very close or beasts of enormous stature. He was not sure what would be worse, and frankly, in either case he did not have time to ponder on useless things. He would have to find a way to transport the wolf to relative safety, and he would have to do it now.

Other sounds mixed with the high-pitched ones. Those cries were weird. Like nothing he’d heard before. From nowhere, a strange curiosity woke in him, making him hesitate in his panicked escape. His gut told him that something big, something incredible was right around the corner, something he had to see. And through the years his gut had seldom been wrong. It had, on numerous occasions, saved him from certain death. So, he was not going to disregard his instincts now. But if he was not going to run, then he would hide.

Hoping that the bush behind the pup was not poisonous, he scrambled through the thicket, holding the pup to his chest until he was mostly hidden and sat down to watch the sharp corner, where he expected hideous beasts to emerge at any time.

The little one started whimpering again, clearly upset about the way it was being hauled through prickly thorns. The boy tried, to no avail, to calm the pup, but it was still far from comfortable with being so close to him. Laying down the wolf next to him, he supported his chin on his knees and wrapped his hands around his legs, observing the corner of the road. His heart rhythm rose rapidly, the louder the sounds became. He knew now, that they could not be far away. Soon they would be visible, and he was both terrified and excited to see what lived in these strange lands.

When he saw the animals his first thought was stags, but it was obvious that this was not the kind he knew. They were significantly larger than any stag he had seen. Their muscles bulged visibly under thick skin, and their hooves looked like they could stomp him to death in mere seconds. Horns did not adorn their heads, but instead a dense trail of hair grew on the back of their necks.

These animals, however, were not what made his brows furrow. Behind them was a strange square box made of polished wood. A wheel was attached to each of its four corners, making it appear even larger than it was. On the front of the box was a narrow seat on which a smaller animal sat.

Doing a double take, the boy saw that this creature looked exactly like him, almost identical. Looking down at the wolf pup, he noticed it had stopped whimpering. The pup must have sensed an imminent danger and its instincts had taken over, making it fall silent. His heartbeat went crazy, threatening to jump through his ribcage. He was sure that the people in the box could hear every single beat.

When they passed by his hiding place he grabbed his knees tightly to quieten himself, and when their backs were finally turned, continuing their tireless journey, he allowed himself to relax and fall back onto the dry ground.