Hallow the wolf

Ch. 1 The Legends are born

On a dark and moony night, three wolves were born. Jacob, Crystal, and Glacier were unusual looking wolves, with stiff but soft fur.“The Legend says that the wolves born on this exact night will have the soul of The Elements. The Elemental Wolves have a different kind of power; their powers are stronger than any of our last ancestors. They tend to learn quicker, keeping up with their strength as well.” Howl, The Leader of The Elemental side said, putting on his casual and unsettling face.

“We still have to test them to see if they have the Elements in them, which means that their powers are not guaranteed.”

“My children may not have powers?” Fortune almost cried.

He nudged one of the pups, the one that would be called Jacob, and the pup whined softly before rolling over, smiling, tongue lolling out.

“This one is destined to be a smart one,” Howl smiled back at the pup, “His fur, eyes, and body structure realistically match everything our original ancestors had almost impeccably."

The second largest pup, the pup that would soon be called Crystal, whimpered, and the elder picked her up and laid her closely next to her sister, who would soon be bestowed the name Glacier, and was the third and smallest pup. “These two are fated to cause mischief. Gotta be careful around this duo.” The elder chuckled, showing yet another rare, toothy smile.

Howl noticed that all three pups were upset in some way. Jacob was whining, Crystal growling softly, and Glacier lying still. 

“My pups are cold.” Fortune told Howl, having also noticed.

“No worries. We will put them in the cave we conduct the testing in. They’ll be nice and cozy there.” Howl’s reply sounded not quite annoyed, but not happy either, so Fortune nodded. Howl was known for clinical detachment, but he was not that bad when you got to know him. 

“We’re almost done with the preparations.” A male wolf with a mask whom she had not noticed before said from a corner of the cave. “Mrs. Fortune, please follow me and bring the pups down to the cave.” Howl had disappeared somewhere. Fortune followed the nurse. They walked down the long stone hallway, Fortune carrying her pups. As she got to the end, she looked up. A few words were carved into the arch at the entry. ‘No pregnant wolves allowed.’

Fortune stepped forward, reckoning she didn’t fit the sign’s conditions. 

“Sorry, ma’am. Please wait out here. The light there and all the chemicals may not be safe for you, as you are still healing from your recent pregnancy.” The doctor said, pulling his mask over his muzzle with a paw while speaking in a matter of fact tone.

Fortune thought about asking if this so-called radiation would hurt her pups, but settled for replying with “Ok, as long as my babies are safe,” and lying down on the cold stone floor near the entrance while the doctor walked on a soft mat of leaves. Instead, she asked “What will you do? To test them, of course.”

“We will test a bit of their saliva, look at their DNA-” Fortune started at that and the nurse put his paw on his neck. “Just their fur, don't worry.” Fortune relaxed. “And finally see if your pups have the power.” And the doctor walked into the room and put some gloves on. 

Each of the doctor's paws clutched a pup, and the nurse carried the last one as they stepped into the room and shut the door. Fortune peered underneath the crack. Everything was dark.

 After a few seconds, there was flashing light through the cracks in the door.

Fortune heard howling, whimpering, and then… silence. A few minutes passed in more, deafening silence, or maybe it was hours.

Fortune started pacing back and forth, “Are my pups okay?” she yipped hesitantly, sounding like  a young school-pup. 

 “Yes.” A nurse responded, stepping outside the door. 

 “Your children are taking the Elemental Test of Powers, They’ll be out soon.” 

“Okay.” she replied, still nervous, but completely trusting the staff here. After all, it was where her husband was born.

She thought about her husband some more. “He had powers too…” she thought. “But then he left me after I found out we were having pups-”

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the doctor walking into the room.

“I have some news for you,” said the doctor with no visible emotion. Fortune sighed, worried.

“Follow me.” The doctor said, and turned around, padding softly towards the nearby hallway.

The doctor led her into another room, and as soon as she entered, the doctor closed the

door. 

“Your children have the Elemental Powers. No young wolves have had more probability of being able to learn all the powers than them in centuries!” the doctor said, smiling.  

“My children have the powers?!” Fortune cried, tears of joy falling down her face. “Amber and Slush will finally have someone to play with with their powers-” she stopped. Right. She had forgotten. Again.

“But there is something weird about the boy, Jacob. His brain is different from the others. He might be more vulnerable to illness. But as long as he is kept healthy and happy, everything will be fine.” The nurse explained. 

“Are you sure?” Fortune asked.

“Absolutely.” the nurse responded. 

“Just don’t let him wander too far away from supervision.” The doctor said, “But the good news is that he, as I predicted, is very smart, and he will most likely be an excellent, curious pup.”

“Please sign this form, to get a scholarship from Mrs. Claws.” added the nurse, “Scholarships are free for such promising pups.” Fortune happily signed the form, grinning from ear to ear, “Thank you!”

____________________________________________________________________________

At first, they couldn’t see, couldn’t hear. The only thing the pups destined for greatness could do, was wriggle and yip.

____________________________________________________________________________

4 weeks of very loud and noisy commotion later…

“Mom!!” Jacob, ever being the excited for learning pup, yelped. “Could you teach me how to hunt some lizards?” 

“I don't have to honey, as Mrs. Claws will teach you tomorrow.” Fortune replied, nuzzling Jacob's side fondly.

 “Ugh, we’re going to school?” Crystal, one of the mischievous duo, muttered to Glacier, the other member of the predicted duo. 

“SO Annoying!” Glacier agreed, sighing.

“Hey, Crystal, guess what?” Glacier asked.

“Yesterday, I heard Jacob go to the bathroom, singing, ‘Oh I'm Jacob, J-A-C-O-B! the COOLEST WOLF you will ever know!!!’”

“Weird!” Crystal laughed.

“And then he started to list all the math problems he learned yesterday from playing with our neighbors!”

Just then their mom said “Kids! Time for bed!”

Jacob leapt out of his chair, just as their mom leaned forward towards Jacob and grabbed him, calling for the others to follow before walking to their beddings. As they snuggled in, Fortune licked each of them goodnight.

“Night Momma.” Crystal muttered. 

“Night Mum!” Glacier whispered.

 “Night Mom.” Jacob yawned. “Hey, Mom, do you think singing in the mirror and dancing in a tutu would make me cool?” 

“I don’t know, honey. I don’t know.” Fortune chuckled.

____________________________________________________________________________

Overnight, Fortune trotted to Mrs. Claw's cave, ears cocked and nose twitching at the smell of something that smelled…different. 

When she walked through the hole to her cave though, she was as happy as ever, and banished the strange smell thought to the back of her mind. 

“Come in, Mrs. Farter, I was expecting you with my physics powers!” Mrs. Claws grinned. 

“Thank you for inviting me. I am here to return the form with the scholarship. Can you please explain how you are gonna teach my kids?” Fortune asked, handing Mrs. Claws the form. Mrs. Claws gave Fortune a curt nod then smiled.

“Well, the first thing I am going to do is to let them pick their powers, and then teach them. It’ll take months for them to learn their powers, especially because it’s their first time.” Mrs. Claws responded. “Then, they will battle and train, and on and on, until they’re mature enough and we will find a better teacher to teach them advanced powers. I’m only the teacher that teaches young pups after all.” 

“Great! Thank you SO much, Claws! I owe you one and I hope they behave!” Fortune replied, lingering at the hole before leaping out into the night, throwing her head back, and howling with joy. 

Once she got home, Fortune lay in bed, thinking about the next day and feeling excited for her pups…

Ch. 2 The Golden Flower 

“Welcome to class everyone!” Mrs. Claws barked in excitement. 

“Where…is everyone?” Crystal asked.

“You guys are the first here!” Mrs. Claws’s nose twitched as she grinned.

“Yay.” The pups mumble-barked, sagging onto the ground and yawning. 

The teacher then quickly realized they were bored. 

“Hey, guys. I’m Mrs. Claws!!! Today we are going to learn about powers! And you get to choose them!” Mrs. Claws yipped.

 “Yay!” Jacob perked up and barked.

  “Crystal, you’re first.” Mrs. Claws said. “Okay!” Crystal exclaimed happily, trotting towards Mrs. Claws.

“Aww,” Jacob sighed, he had hoped he was first. Maybe he’d be second. And he perked up a bit at the thought.

Once the two went inside a gate, Mrs. Claws opened a box with shiny pretty river stones in the box, shining in the sky light. Each had a shiny, engraved and colored symbol.

“Of course! That’s what you're supposed to do!” Mrs. Claws exclaimed, almost vibrating with excitement.

Crystal pawed a shiny silver stone, with an ice symbol.

“Can I have this power?” Crystal asked. “What does it do?”

“Of course, honey!” Mrs. Claws exclaimed. “It’s the ice power, you can freeze your enemies. There are many different kinds of powers, and they are all good at different things; Defense, Offense, Healing, and Distraction. Some can do multiple. The Ice Power is Defense, but can also be used as offense during emergencies, though not very effectively. Now hold still, while I say the magic sentence.” 

“Mighty Stone of Power, add this stone to Crystal’s soul!”

“W-wait the stone just comes to my soul?-" Crystal's voice was cut off by a surprising aura surrounding her. White dust grew around Crystal’s surroundings. “W-what’s happening?!” Crystal asked, panicking.

“Nothing dear, just the magic, well, working its magic. No need to worry. Wait until it disappears, then call Glacier.” Mrs. Claws told Crystal, resting a paw on her shoulder in reassurance.

The mist disappeared and Crystal felt a new found strength.

“Wow! It didn't even hurt and…” Crystal paused. “I feel… powerful! I've never felt powerful before! Thanks!”

“Now, Crystal, we will learn your powers in the next class. Even if you feel powerful, it doesn't mean you are. You need a lot of training classes to get as strong as the full grown wolves around you! Call your sister.” Mrs. Claws ushered her out with sparkling eyes. She loved seeing passion in her students.

Crystal trotted out of the cave, and ran to where her siblings were. 

“Hey, Glacier! You're next!” Crystal barked.

“Yes!” Glacier replied, excited. “Awesome!”

“Aw man! I’ll just explore the bushes for some berries and flowers. I am a bit hungry.” Jacob muttered, clearly upset.

“Jacob, I’ll come with you!” Crystal trotted towards him and they made their way into the meadow.

 The bushes were overflowing with berries and flowers, all of different colors and sizes. He breathed it all in before sprinting over to a nearby bush.

 “Wow, there are lots of berries to eat and lots of flowers to smell!” He exclaimed.

 Sniff Sniff. Nibble Nibble. 

“Woah, these are delicious!” Jacob said to Crystal.

“I’m gonna try one too!” Crystal said and nibbled some more.

“This flower is filled with interesting smells!”

He made his way over, farther and farther into the meadow. A large yellow flower sat in the middle. It was the prettiest flower he had ever seen and looked to be filled with a tantalizing smell. He leaned down beside it.

“Woah, this smells amazing!” Jacob leaped forwards towards Crystal. “Smell this one, it’s-OW.” 

“Jacob, are you okay?” Crystal ambled over as he pawed at his neck.

“I think a bee stung me. Nothing bad.” And then he kneeled over, eyelids shutting.

“Jacob? JACOB?” something fuzzy poked out of his neck, a red feather. “Do bee stings look like that?” a sharp smell drifted from the thing. A rustle to her left. She moved away. 

“HELP US!” she howled and sprinted away. When she came back with Mrs. Claws and Glacier, the body was gone. 

“What could’ve possibly happened to him? Crystal said he was just here.” Mrs. Claws worried, as the town’s security came over to check the case, as well as other relatives.

“Hey kid, what did the so-called ‘bee sting’ look like? Was there swelling?” A cop wandered over to Crystal.

“It was a red feather that had a sharp smell floating from it…” Crystal whimpered. “It made me dosey when I sniffed it…” 

“Hm. Dosey huh? Couldn't be a Boom Stick considering it was a ‘red feather’.” The cop replied, deep in thought.

“Well, Mrs. Fortune, we will make sure your pup gets back in your paws.” An entirely different cop announced. “We have many other cases to get to, but it looks like a case for a missing pup will be on top of the list.” 

Fortune nodded, so in shock that she couldn’t find the words to speak. As all of them walked away, the mother softly replied, “I doubt they’ll do anything.” 

“Oh, pshaw.” Mrs. Claws scoffed. “Don’t worry, he’ll come back anytime soon. Prank, I suppose.” 

“Jacob is definitely not the type to make a prank this alarming.” Glacier replied. Fortune sniffed, tears slowly streaming down from her face. “Or a prank a-at all.”

“Little flower…” Mrs. Claws whispered, brushing Fortune’s pelt. “Don’t cry.”