Zaelen scrabbled back, ready to strike down as many wolves as he possibly could. The kierin shrieked angrily and started to bombard the wolves with attacks that were much more effective on them than they were on the zysiruis.

“ENOUGH!”

The roar echoed through the cavern and the wolves immediately froze. However, Zaelen and the chickens certainly weren’t going to listen to a big snake. They took the chance to bombard the wolves with attacks, beating them back. Then Zaelen yelped as he was swept off his feet. He glanced at the zysiruis, who was in the movement of drawing its whiplike tail back. However, the zysiruis gave a hiss as Zaelen struck it with a [Lightning Strike]. Whether from annoyance or pain, Zaelen didn’t know, though.

“This is a sacred place – too much blood should not be spilled here,” continued the zysiruis.

Says the one who tried snapping up my chickens!

|||To be fair, your ‘chickens’ were gobbling up its entire food supply|||

Well, my chickens weren’t trying to gobble IT at least.

|||I’m fairly sure that if they’d tried, they would be in its stomach right now|||

...You have a point.

Zaelen went and dragged the mystirin off its pinned wolf. The mystirin squawked, turning to peck the eyes out of whoever had pulled it away. When it saw it was its ‘mother’, however, it relaxed and obligingly stepped away. The frost wolf streaked back to its pack, terror clear on its face. The three other chickens alighted around Zaelen, chirping and chittering. Apparently, they enjoyed bringing terror onto creatures.

The zysiruis lowered its massive head to face Zaelen.

“What are you doing here?” it hissed.

Zaelen shrugged. “We... fell here? So, like, we didn’t actually want to come here?”

|||Dude, why are you phrasing everything like a question|||

You want to do better?

The zysiruis drew back with what seemed like a frown on its face.

“No matter how you came to be here, you are still here.”

I think that’s plenty obvious.

|||Imagine NOT seeing you|||

Was that supposed to be an insult?

|||...Perhaps|||

The zysiruis heaved a long sigh then turned to look at the frost wolf alphas, who had padded up. They spared a wary glance at Zaelen and the chickens, who clearly didn’t spare a wary glance at them in turn. The elderin, in fact, had already fallen asleep, head tucked into its silver and gold feathers.

Seriously, didn’t they just have a nice long nap a few hours ago?

“What will we do with them?” asked the one who had ordered the wolves to attack.

The zysiruis contemplated the question for several moments. In that time, yet another chicken fell asleep – this time the aquaerin. Finally, the zysiruis spoke once again. “They clearly did not mean to come here – they likely never knew of this place until now. I believe that, for the ‘trouble’ you have caused them, they should be allowed to rest until they are ready to leave.”

The lead alpha narrowed her eyes. “They should be allowed to stay just because of my actions? What are you really thinking?”

Dang, she has grit for talking back to something that could swallow her up in a single gulp, no questions asked.

|||Unlike you?|||

Hush.

“Fyrn, your suspicions are well warranted. No, that is not the only reason. Have you heard of the Ebony Phoenix?”

Why’s she named after a plant?

|||Don’t question it|||

“You mean the myth?” asked Fyrn.

The zysiruis heaved another sigh. “It is not a myth, my child.”

Hold up, hold up. How does a serpent have a wolf?!

|||DON’T QUESTION IT|||

Er... alright.

The zysiruis continued, “The proof lives in front of your eyes.” It pointed toward Zaelen and the chickens. Zaelen noticed that another chicken had gone down, AKA fallen asleep. Now, only the aetherin remained standing, and its head was tipping dangerously. And then, a few seconds later, it shoved its head into its feathers and fell asleep too. Noooooo! My chickens have all abandoned me!!! Zaelen gave a long, despairing sigh.

“You mean him?” asked Fyrn, sending Zaelen a disdainful look.

“No. The golden and silver kierin.”

The other alpha padded up. “So it was truly real? The myth? Then... why...?”

The zysiruis sighed. “The future is not set in stone, Velwraith. Things do not always turn out as they were told to be. You should’ve learned that by now.”

“Yes... I am sorry, Master.”

Oh, are they servants of the zysiruis like my chickens are to me?

|||Likely, yes|||

“But what will we do with him?” asked Fyrn.

“And what are you going to do with my chickens?” replied Zaelen, glaring back at Fyrn.

Both Fyrn and Velwraith stared blankly at Zaelen, wide-eyed. Finally, Fyrn found the words. “Chickens?! Chickens?!! CHICKENS?!!!”

Dang, she said it 3 times in a row. Zaelen tilted his head. “Yes, chickens. What else are they?”

“They. Are. Not. Chickens!!!” shrieked Fyrn.

However, Velwraith found this very amusing and fell onto the ground, rolling with laughter.

|||Finally, somebody who understands my plight|||

Hey, don’t go into old man mode.

|||How does – you know what?|||

What?

|||I’m not going to ask|||

That’s perfectly fine with me! Zaelen turned back to Fyrn and Velwraith. Though his relationship with the two alphas hadn’t been great, it seemed that they had gone opposite ways. Fyrn was glaring at Zaelen like she was wishing he would drop dead right where he stood -

|||I’m pretty sure that she does. I wish that too sometimes|||

- and ignoring the system, Zaelen thought that Velwraith now seemed to carry a more friendly aura toward him. The zysiruis let no expression show on its face. Fyrn growled, bunching her legs underneath her as if readying to leap at Zaelen. Then the elderin gave a massive yawn and stretched its wings wide. Its wings knocked over the aquaerin, which in turn knocked over the mystirin. The aetherin was awoken by the noise and looked around frantically. When it noticed the two knocked over kierins, it let out caws of laughter gleefully. The mystirin and aquaerin picked themselves up grumpily, shaking off leaves and dirt. Zaelen imagined that being woken by being pushed over wasn’t exactly a nice experience. Still, he snorted with amusement, and the two kierins turned to direct glares at him.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“T-the Ebony Phoenix!” cried Fyrn, scampering over to bow before the elderin. It stared at her in confusion, then looked over to Zaelen for advice on what to do. When Zaelen made no obvious movement, the elderin looked back to Fyrn and poked her with its beak. Then, perhaps remembering that she’d called the frost wolves on them, it gave an angry hiss and flapped its wings.

Servant [Elderin] has learned new skill: [Light Beam Lv1]

Some sort of glowing white magic circle appeared above the kierin’s head. A quickly growing ball of white energy formed, and Zaelen suspected that Fyrn was about to have a hole blasted through her. Not that he minded in the least. In fact, he supported the idea and gave the elderin a thumbs-up when it glanced at him as if checking for permission. It squawked in delight and the beam shot toward Fyrn, who remained prone on the ground. Just before it hit, however, a glittering blue shield formed around Fyrn, and the beam slammed into it instead. Cracks splintered through the shield, but the beam wasn’t let through. Zaelen glanced back to see that the zysiruis had intervened. He gave a huff of disappointment.

When Fyrn glanced up, saw the shield, and quickly pieced the pieces together, she seemed to be crushed.

“Ah... you do not accept me...” she murmured.

To be fair, you DID call the wolves on us.

|||That’s one of the few points you make that I agree with|||

Exactly! Zaelen then looked toward Velwraith, who seemed to be waiting for Fyrn to step away. When she did, he stepped forward, looking up at the elderin. They’re treating the elderin like a celebrity...

|||Something you’ll never be, don’t worry|||

The elderin didn’t have such a frosty attitude toward Velwraith and nudged him up when he bowed gently. Then it turned and waddled over to Zaelen. He patted its head, which in turn made the elderin let out a few chirrups. The other kierins came over, wanting to get a part of the attention as well. Zaelen gave them all head-pats. Fyrn stared at Zaelen furiously, seeming to be envious of his relationship with the chickens. Velwraith padded to sit next to him, curiously staring at the chickens.

“Do they have names?” asked Velwraith curiously.

Zaelen turned to look at the white wolf. “No?”

Velwraith coughed, seeming surprised. “Why not give them names?”

“Haven’t really thought about it.”

|||More like if you DID name them, they would turn out to be Slime Murderer or something|||

“Do you want to?” asked Velwraith, trying to make amiable conversation.

“I don’t really care.”

“Then you should.” decided Velwraith.

“Salt.” stated Zaelen.

Velwraith squinted. “You mean for the phoenixes?”

“Chickens,” corrected Zaelen.

“Er, alright. Chickens then... however wrong that sounds.”

|||NOOOO. YOU’VE INFECTED YET ANOTHER?!|||

Dang, the system’s mad. Well, if the system’s mad, then I’m happy. Fyrn interrupted the conversation with a growl and turned on Velwraith.

“You dare call them such names?!”

Fyrn’s eyes blazed with indignation.

“Fyrn,” rumbled the zysiruis. “You must remain calm.”

Fyrn gave a snarl and reluctantly turned away, padding to the rest of the frost wolves.

The zysiruis nodded toward Zaelen. “I trust that you will handle this.”

|||NO!!! DON’T TRUST HIM, HE’S AN IDIOT!|||

However, the system’s messages were only seen by Zaelen, and therefore went unnoticed by the zysiruis.

⋆❖^⧫/-\⧫^❖⋆

Zaelen yawned, emerging from the den. The chickens, who had been playing around in their roosts above, fluttered down to greet him with welcoming chirps. They were all plump and well fed from the prey in the cavern – it was somehow rich with all kinds of wildlife. Zaelen scuffed at the dirt, watching as a worm slithered from the hole he made in the ground.

“We should leave now. It’s been a few days since we’ve come here already,” he announced to the kierins, who seemed to quail at the mention of going back out to the cold hellscape of snow and wind. However, they all knew that it was inevitable; they couldn’t stay here forever.

Velwraith padded up, glancing at the chickens before turning to speak to Zaelen. The white and gray-blue wolf tipped his head to the side. “You’re leaving?” He sounded disappointed. Zaelen had gotten along well with Velwraith in the short time he’d spent, though the same couldn’t be said for the wolf that followed Velwraith.

Fyrn snorted. “About time, after you’ve been growing fat from our prey.” Then she turned an adoring gaze on the chickens. “Don’t worry,” she purred, her voice turning silky, “I don’t blame you.”

I don’t think the chickens care about that. In fact, the chickens turned cold whenever faced with Fyrn, likely because the wolf wasn’t so kind toward their ‘mother’.

The elderin hissed, its wings fanning out protectively in front of Zaelen. “We’ll be happy when you leave our sight!”

The other chickens gave agreeing responses and Fyrn jerked back, as if someone had raked sharp, burning claws across her face. Her ears flattened to her head for a few moments, then she turned, swiftly trotting away to the lake. Velwraith went as well, motioning for Zaelen and his chickens to follow too.

“I’ve never attempted to go outside, so we’ll have to consult the zysiruis,” he explained.

When they arrived at the lake edge, ripples almost immediately broke the lake’s calm surface. Soon, the head and neck of the zysiruis appeared, rising above them.

The zysiruis focused its eyes on Zaelen. “So you have decided to leave. I suspect you’re here to consult me for directions?”

“Yes,” answered Fyrn, even though the zysiruis had been speaking to Zaelen.

The zysiruis shot a glance at Fyrn. “You do know that you and Velwraith will be leaving as well? I have already made arrangements with Zyrren for him to select a new alpha and beta.”

“W-what?” yelped Fyrn, surprise painted clearly across her face.

Zaelen vaguely remembered that Zyrren was the beta. Or at least had been until now. He hadn’t communicated much with any of the frost wolves besides the two former alphas.

Fyrn quickly regained her composure. “I understand,” she murmured, dipping her head. Velwraith nodded as well. There was the thump of paw steps and the rest of the frost wolf pack appeared.

“We have come to say our goodbyes,” said a dark blue wolf as he emerged to the front of the pack.

“Zyrren.” Fyrn dipped her head, as did Velwraith. “Take good care of the pack, and do not falter during hard times. I trust that you will make a fine alpha.”

Is it just me, or does she sound somewhat bitter?

|||Zyrren certainly doesn’t mind. Are you sure your ears are working fine?|||

Maybe you should check YOUR ears! I definitely heard that. Zaelen waited as the frost wolves finished their goodbyes. It finished quicker than expected – Zaelen had expected the pack wolves to be more... sobby.

|||Sobby? Are you serious?|||

Zaelen ignored the glowing blue message as Velwraith padded up to the zysiruis with Fyrn. It whispered something to them before the wolves came to Zaelen and the chickens.

“We know the way now. Let’s go before I regret it,” hissed Fyrn.

“Seems like you already regret it,” muttered Zaelen under his breath.

|||Hah!|||

Fyrn didn’t hear him, luckily, though Velwraith did. He snickered and Fyrn whacked him over the head. Velwraith gave a yelp and jerked back, glaring moodily. Zaelen blinked as they reached the edge of the cavern.

“What now – GAH!”

A hole cracked open the wall and sucked Zaelen into a swirling portal, the others not far behind. The portal proceeded to plop them in the middle of a snowstorm. Well... at least most of them. Zaelen was dumped into a 10 feet ditch.

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” shrieked Zaelen, extremely pissed. He’d had plenty enough of him being dumped into some other weird place. First, Lyceris pushed me down a hole, then the chickens made me fall into yet another hole, and now a portal does the same THING! Zaelen looked up to where Velwraith had poked his head to look at Zaelen in the hole. He snickered.

“Hey, what side are you on?!” yelled Zaelen as he painstakingly clawed his way out of the ditch. Velwraith, however, was too busy rolling on the snow laughing his head off. Zaelen whacked him with his tail, albeit gently. Still, it managed to stop the wolf from laughing.

Velwraith stood up and glanced around. The snow peppered Zaelen’s face and his eyes stung whenever the snow got into them. Cold was quickly encasing his body; it was a stark contrast from the warm climate just seconds ago. The chickens were visibly shivering, their feathers puffed up but not doing much. Velwraith and Fyrn weren’t much affected, and Zaelen suspected that was because they were frost wolves.

Fyrn seemed to be very stressed about the elderin’s comfort, worriedly padding around her.

“Oh great Ebony Phoenix, are -!”

Fyrn swung around, muzzle twisted into a ferocious snarl and her ears flattened to her head. Velwraith had a similar reaction, except he seemed to slightly more fearful then Zaelen. Then some sort of wave washed over him. There was no other way to explain it. It was a wave that emanated pure terror. Zaelen felt chills run along his spine. The chickens gave hisses of fear, moving closer to Zaelen. There had been a nagging feeling in his stomach before but now he was certain.

This wasn’t a normal tundra. Nothing about this place, to be honest, had been normal, but Zaelen had managed to cover it up deep down within him. At least, until now. He had to admit it. The chances of him dying here were high. Very high. He glimpsed something within the snowstorm. A shadow of something mutated, but he couldn’t make out a clear form through the rapidly becoming stronger snowstorm. And while it wasn’t raining ice shards like the blizzard before, Zaelen wished it was. Because what was in the snowstorm was much, much worse.