The Queen and the Dark Beyond
Mia stood alone on a cliff, gazing out over a valley that was quiet after a great war. The scent of ash still lingered in the air, and the trees stood like sentinels, their branches bare and still. She wore a crown made of twisted antler and wolfbone, a symbol of unity forged in death. Kaian approached her quietly, and they stood together in comfortable silence, the only sound being the quiet breathing of the pack curled up beneath the black-barked trees.
"You should rest," Kaian said eventually, his voice low and gentle. Mia replied that he should rest too, her voice barely above a whisper. Kaian mentioned that the pack trusted and followed her now, and Mia acknowledged that it was because there was no one else left, and the old ways had been destroyed.
Kaian asked if the prophecy was fulfilled, and Mia said that the world hadn't ended, but had shifted. The fire that had come from within had changed everything, and the world was now a different place. Kaian agreed that it still felt like the end, and Mia didn't disagree.
As they stood there, a chill settled over them, like something was watching from beyond their world. Mia felt a sense of unease and turned her gaze northward, where the mist was thick and dark. Kaian said that they had stopped a war, but not what was coming, and Mia's fingers curled into fists as she vowed to protect her people.
Kaian asked what if it was a war they couldn't win, and Mia's eyes narrowed. "Then we'll become something that can't be beaten," she said, her voice low and determined. Behind them, a howl rose into the night, and others joined in, a chorus of warning that echoed through the valley.
The Queen had risen, but something older and more powerful was rising too, and it was coming for them. The pack's howl was a warning, a call to prepare for the battles ahead. Mia stood tall, her crown glinting in the moonlight, and Kaian stood beside her, ready to face whatever came next.