The Alpha lay on a rock, its eyes shut tight, seemingly in a deep sleep if there was not a deep red bloodied stain on its body. The other wolves lay, partially covered in the deep snow, and the scene drew closer.
There was a twitch, suddenly on its snout. The view paused, before drawing closer till it was so close it was right beside the Alpha's eyes.
Then it opened.
The Alpha's eyes flickered open. But its eyes flared with savageness, red and menacing and bloodthirsty like a wolf born to kill. The wolf the Alpha once was was long gone, now he could feel the indomitable spirit for revenge and the will to slaughter.
***
Kilfer woke.
The dream was so surreal, and he woke in gasps of shock, and slowly he surveyed the surroundings. It was still the silence of the night, accompanied by the soft night breeze.
Ferhia was still asleep, but Kilfer just could not sleep, as the reddish glow of the Alpha's eyes in his dream still scorched his mind.
"Young Kilfer," A voice whispered from behind him, he turned and there the old dwarf stood.
"Oh hi," Kilfer jumped but pretended nothing happened.
"Let us talk," The dwarf hobbled up the steps, and Kilfer followed suit. Outside, the wind was not just a silent wisp, but a raging gust that whipped across Kilfer and the dwarf's cheeks continuously. The dwarf continued with Kilfer trailing behind until they finally entered a hut that Kilfer barely managed to fit through. It was a simple single-storeyed structure and in the interior is a wooden floor with a rectangular table and four chairs, all looking so simple in design.
"Come, have a seat," The dwarf ushered him to the table and they sat, while the dwarf continued, "Bronswig is my name, sorry that we did not have a good introduction to each other previously. But I have vision about the Pack--"
"I have a vision too," Kilfer cut him off yet again, "About the Pack. About the Alpha."
"What dream, you speak first, young Kilfer."
"The Alpha has awakened, its blood-red eyes. The eyes of a killer seemed so surreal, I have a bad feeling..." Kilfer's voice trailed away.
"I see. I have the same vision. This is my final warning. When you step within the Swamps, beware your family, for the spirit of the Pack might have been used by the evil forces against... you. Beware, young Kilfer. Beware," Bronswig leapt down from the chair and tottered towards the window, where the first light emnated from the east, "As the five hundredth leader of the dwarf race, I never thought the darkness would rise during my time. But now times are changing. No matter how powerful we are, fate still goes its path and there is nothing we can do to stop it."
Bronswig turned back to Kilfer, "But I hope fate would be kind to us, and I am sure of that."
***
As day came Kilfer and Ferhia left, and Bronswig showed them the shortest route to the Swamps but still full of dangerous traps from savage beings that stalk the Swamps.
They neared the veil to the Swamps by midday, and they felt a tugging sensation towards the Swamps, something they could not see, perchance an echo in their minds, so faint but powerful, dragging them towards the Swamps.
"You feel it?" Ferhia frowned, thrusting her gaze upwards where the veil extended upwards into the cloud, "It seems like something is calling to us..."
She paused when Kilfer placed a finger on his lips, and they halted. There was silence all around them -- until she heard it, a whistle of a simple tune emnating from the bushes in front. Silently, Kilfer crept towards the direction of the music, while Ferhia crept stealthily behind.
The bushes led to a grass patch, separated by the veil, the misty veil blurred what was on the other side, but they could still make out the silhouette of a woman dressed in old fabric playing a flute. Ferhia glanced at Kilfer, who swallowed anxiously. They did not know who was that, but the fact that she is on the other end of the veil (which, in short, meant that she is in the boundaries of the Swamps) meant that she is not a normal human as they were.
Between the duo and the woman was simply a few metres, but between them was the veil, the separation between living beings and the dark forces. The tension swelled to a deafening crescendo and they did not move, but instead the woman stopped mid-note, and placed her flute on the stone she sat on, and turned.
Time was stagnant to Ferhia for a moment until she faced them. Her features were just like the normal woman they saw, but something seemed so different about her, they did not know. Something that was so subduing that made Kilfer want to walk past the veil towards her. Kilfer frowned, and turned towards Ferhia. She seemed to have lost her consciences, blindly staring forward, taking slow, shaky steps forward lije being controlled.
Kilfer turned back. The woman smiled, her lips curling upwards slightly. "Come, come to me," The woman's voice echoed, "Come and I shall give you what you want. Parents, right? You do want parents, yes? Then come forth, your parents are here waiting for you."
"Stop!" Kilfer let out a burst of magic that sizzled through the veil to the woman, and she was thrown back. For a moment, her face changed into a four fanged, ten eyed monster with limbs as long as ten feet with spines from its back that stretched out from its bony body at grotesque angles, and Ferhia finally jolted back, bewildered.
"Who are you?" Kilfer took a step back as the devilish creature inched forward.
"You need not know, mere mortal," It placed a bony palm on the veil, "But halt. How do you have magic with your blood? What do you seek? Monies? Power? Glory? I have them all." It studied Kilfer for a moment, before grinning, its bony cheeks flicked upward, "Or the Pack, alive?"
That caught both Kilfer and Ferhia by shock, and Kilfer unleashed a pounding blow of magic directly slamming into the creature right through the veil. The creature tried to ise its own magic, but no matter how hard it tried no magic could reach Kilfer.
Silently, it bounded back, deep into the Swamps and Kilfer knelt on the muddy soil, his face expressionless. Or the pack, alive? The words revolved in his mind, the temptation he tried so hard to forget but just could not.
"Kilfer," Ferhia spoke beside him, "Don't listen to it, the Pack is..."
"No, you don't understand," Ferhia could see tears in Kilfer's eyes, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it, "I had a dream, so surreal. That the Alpha is coming for me. It's red eyes of an assasin... I can even visualize it now..."
Kilfer's voice trailed away, and Ferhia let out a deep sigh, not because of the dream or the creature, but because of Kilfer. She loved him as a brother, even though they did not speak to each other often she still could not bear to see his heart punctured with sorrow and grief.
"Let's go," Kilfer finally stood up, "If the Alpha wants to kill me, or is manipulated to kill me or anything, let it be the case. I shall face anything to avenge the Pack."
***
They ventured through the veil, which was thicker than they expected, and as soon as they passed it a pungent smell took over their senses, those of rotting meat and flesh while everything was in a chaos, winds threatened to hurl them into the air and ripped into shreds, and bats and remnants of trees (which mostly were left with tree barks and probably one or two brown leaves) filled the place, the ground trembled and shook as if it were alive. Ferhia did not know how Kilfer thought, but to himself this should be the exact resemblance of hell.
They staggered fowards, holding hands and once in a while when Kilfer or Ferhia peered up to the skies filled with thick, dark skies that seemed to resemble the hate and menace in around them. The clouds took form of huge faces, their empty eye sockets filled with greenish light and the clouds that took on those phantom-like faces morphed around each other, sometimes forming huge faces and dissipating into several smaller ones.
"Ferhia, greetings," A voice whispered in Ferhia's ears. Ferhia jumped and turned, but there was no one besides the brown sand and gravel blown around them.
'Who are you?' Ferhia thought in her mind, trying to communicate with the voice.
"You need not know for now. But I mean no harm... as long as you comply."
'Comply? To what?'' Ferhia frowned.
"Just do as I say, I own the Swamps. Your brother wants the Pack back alive and you want your parents? Yes, they are with me. However before you meet them you must follow what I say. Take ten steps to the right, and close your eyes."
Ferhia decided not to reply, aware that the Swamps was a place that they might die anytime. She squeezed Kilfer's hand and he turned towards her.
"Come," Ferhia yelled over the roaring of the wind, and Kilfer seemed bewildered but followed her. Together, they took the ten steps and closed their eyes, suddenly Ferhia could not feel the wind, instead it was exchanged by numbness, cold, she felt it.
"Open your eyes," The voice echoed in her mind. Ferhia did so, and the wind was totally gone, the dark ferocious clouds and the veil was gone, now all the sounds was only replaced by the soft clang of glass on glass, the sound was like diamond -- so transparent, so serene -- yet for some reason seemed dangerous.
Kilfer was nowhere to be seen, but she was wary about the place, all the stone statues around the side of the hall made her feel uneasy. Then from the corner of her eyes a statue moved. She swivelled her gaze to the statue, and its limbs started moving, and as it did so the ground beneath her split open and she leapt back in shock. From beneath, two stone sarcophagus raised up, each one carved as a wolf's face on the bottom face of each sarcophagus, and at the top it was a face, one of a man and one of a woman.
"Greetings, Ferhia. And welcome!" From within the wall a voice echoed, and a part of the wall tumbled down, revealing a throne made of glass, and on top was someone, yet everytime she brought her eyes to meet it her eyes simply would not obey her.
"The spirits of your parents are within -- I have trapped them, and they can return to their mortal bodies, if you would not try to escape," The figure on the throne seemed to be mocking her, "And by the way, call me the Ghost, if that may please you."
Ferhia did not want to speak. The darkness was right in front of her, but she could not kill it, but it was just in front of him. Only if she could...
"Before I let you return to your parents, let me just show you... something interesting," Within the low monotonous voice of the Ghost there was a tint of humor. A vision spread across her pupils, and what appeared first is Kilfer lying, and the vision morphed into the Alpha, red-eyed, and Kilfer stood, cornered on a wall.
"Look, they are having so much fun," A voice whispered in her head. On the screen, the Alpha cornered Kilfer on a wall. The wolf's eyes were deep red, and Ferhia could see within. The hatred, the bitterness and the wanting for revenge. The canine inched closer, snarling, and leapt forward.
Ferhia did not dare to open her eyes, but there was warm, thick fluid running down her face. She opened her eyes, the Alpha was already on Kilfer. On her face was the blood of her brother. The leader of the pack. Kilfer.
The wolf turned, its blood red eyes staring into her. She felt small, weak, and could be gnarled to pieces between the wolves' teeth. "Yes, my dear," The voice spoke, this time even more menacing, "Slaughter her."
Then, the last vision she saw was the canine's razor teeth clamping down on her, and the next thing was darkness.
It was her own dream barely a few days ago, Ferhia realised that. "Let him die," The Ghost's voice echoed, then followed by a mirth of laughter, and the scene turned back to Kilfer on the bed, not showing a sign of pain but blood was seeping out of his tunic.
Save him. A voice sounded in her head, willing her to rush forward and wake Kilfer out of the horrendous, demonic dream that was plaguing him and stealing his life force away.
Ferhia took a step towards Kilfer.
"Don't do anything!" The Ghost's voice echoed in her mind, "Or your parents' soul shall not return once I let them out of the sarcophagus!"
Ferhia paused, but after a second sprinted towards her brother lying on the floor.
"Stop! NOW!" The Ghost's voice sounded, this time louder but Ferhia continued. The view of Kilfer was escaping from her vision, but she knew that she could make it.
Three more steps.
Two more.
One more...
Then she pushed Kilfer, just as the view receded totally from her view.
Ferhia woke, and at the same time she saw the Ghost, and could even sense its hatred and vengeance.
"You wanted to kill my brother!" Ferhia yelled, but the Ghost paid her no heed.
"This is your last chance," Ferhia felt the temperature in the hall soaring, and the Ghost's voice was filled with anger, "Give me your blood, or I will achieve it by force."
"No," Ferhia heard herself say.