I stumbled forward, my knees buckling. The world around me twisted and spun like a nightmare.
"No... stay awake," I mumbled, shaking my head hard.
I froze where I stood, panic racing through my veins. I turned my head to the side, trying to call my wolf back with my mind, but got no response.
Just then, I felt a strong wind hit my back, causing me to stumble forward. It was the wings of the bird-women, their fierce flapping pushed me, forcing me to move.
I clenched my teeth and kept walking.
Ahead of us, a strange arch rose from the ground. It looked like tree branches twisted together, making a crooked doorway. The women flew lower, guiding me through it.
I had no choice but to walk under it. As soon as I stepped through, a heavy feeling hit my stomach. It twisted so badly that I almost threw up. The smell was awful. It felt like it was slowly killing me, taking away all my strength. I could barely move my feet.
After a few minutes, we came closer to the black cloud I had seen from far away. Now, I could see it clearly.
It wasn't just smoke. I Couldn't tell exactly what it was. It was coming straight from the ground, through a vent, rising up like a giant.
The earth below it wasn't normal either. It cracked open like a mouth trying to swallow something. Red light leaked from deep inside the cracks, pulsing like a heartbeat.
I heard strange whispers, cold and cruel, in a language I didn't understand. The air around the cloud shimmered, twisting the sky. It smelled like burning hair and rotting things.
It was terrifying. I wanted to turn and sprint as far away as I could. But the bird-women were flying close around me, trapping me.
I felt something brush my face, and I looked up. My face lost all its colours. Before my eyes, the sparkling insects I had seen earlier in the smoke were changing. They grew bigger and bigger, their bodies stretching and twisting.
Soon, they became creatures with the upper body of a bird and the lower body of a woman. Their wings flapped slowly, thick with black and red feathers.
I stumbled backward in horror. My wolf would have fought, but he was still silent, inside me.
My heart pounded. I had to shift. I had to call my wolf back. I gritted my teeth and focused, trying to pull him out. I dug deep inside myself, reaching for him with everything I had. But nothing happened.
I pushed harder, screaming for him inside my mind. Still nothing.
My body shook. My skin itched and burned like it was about to tear apart. But the shift wouldn't come. It was like my wolf had been ripped out of me and thrown away.
Tears filled my eyes. Weakened, I dropped to one knee, gasping for air that felt thick like mud. The warriors above me didn't stop. They circled once, then descended, landing around me like shadows.
Millicent, the Plume Queen landed in front of me with a heavy thud. Her wings folded behind her back, melting into her skin like they were never there.
"You must pass through the Veil," she said fiercly, pointing at the thick cloud before us, her eyes burning like flame.
"The Veil?" I croaked, barely able to form the words.
The thought of walking through that thick cloud, where those scary creatures floated, made goosebumps cover my whole body. I couldn't see what was inside the cloud, but I was still expected to go through it. What if I went in and ended up in another time, like the year 1100?
Before I could ask more questions, two warriors grabbed my arms and lifted me to my feet.
Millicent raised her hand. "The Goddess Caelira demands it. You entered our sacred lands without rite or bond. Now, you must be tested. Only those worthy may cross the Veil."
"Or what?" I rasped.
She stared at me, her golden eyes hard. "Or you will vanish forever. Body and soul."
A chill colder than anything I had ever known ran down my spine. Vanish. Forever. No body. No soul. No return.
I struggled weakly in their grip. "You're insane," I spat roughly.
Millicent smiled thinly. "No. We are faithful."
The warriors dragged me closer to the Veil. The ground beneath my feet trembled with every step. I began to hear voices inside the smoke. They grew louder, crying, laughing, screaming. I didn't know if it was real or if I was already losing my mind.
When we reached the Veil's edge, they released me. I stumbled forward, catching myself just before falling in.
Behind me, Millicent spoke again. "If you truly were sent by Caelira, you will survive. If you are an enemy, the Veil will consume you."
I turned to look at her. Her face was blank, unreadable. No mercy. No pity.
"You hurt her people, you inflicted injuries on them. You are required for a ritual to calm tje wounded souls." Her deep, shaking voice rang.
"I never said I was sent by your goddess!" I snapped.
"Neither did I hurt your people intentionally. They were trailing me, what do you expect me to do?" I roared, but she didn't flinch.
"You intruded into our sacred land, and you expect them throw caution to tbe wind?" Her fiery eyes burnt my skin.
"I'm no intruder! I found myself here!" I roared, my breathing heavy.
"You have no excuse. Step in!" Her voice came, like a clap of thunder, with pulling force that pulled me to the veil.
"Selene, if you're listening," I whispered, "help me. Or at least let my death be quick."
A force pushed me into the Veil and at the same time, I roared. "I am Drake Campbell, Grand Alpha of Crescent Mont Province!"
My voice crashed through the smoke. The black cloud trembled. A strange sound filled the air, like a deep moan mixed with a thousand whispers.
Before I could understand it, something inside me tore open. The cloud rushed toward me, sucking into my chest like a river of fire. It burned worse than anything I had ever felt.
I screamed, falling to my knees, clutching my chest. It was like the Veil was trying to rip me apart and put me back together at the same time.
My wolf, silent for so long, suddenly howled deep inside me. But it wasn't the same howl as before. It was louder. Wilder.
My body shook. My skin split open in places, light pouring out. I felt my bones break and fix themselves again. I felt my blood turn into something older, something powerful. I felt my spirit grow huge, bigger than my body.
The dark cloud melted into me, and with it, the cracks below pulsing faster and faster, rose through my veins. It pushed my wolf out.
But when he came, he wasn't the wolf I knew. He was bigger. His fur burned with silver and black flames, swirling like living fire.
His eyes glowed red and gold, not the usual blue. I floated above my body for a moment, feeling weightless, like a god reborn.Then I slammed back into myself.
Outside the Veil, Millicent stumbled back, her face white as a sheet. The dark cloud that had fed her land for so long was disappearing. She felt the power draining from the ground under her feet.
"No..." she whispered. Her heart thudded with fear.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
The villagers, who had rushed to the edge of the sacred land when they felt the Veil weaken, now screamed in terror. They had seen it too, the black smoke sucked away, swallowed by a strange, growing light.
Some fell to their knees, wailing. Others turned and ran, shouting about doom.
Millicent stared at the dying cloud, her hands shaking. The Goddess Caelira. What had she awoken?
She turned her terrified eyes to the Veil, just in time to see a new shape walking through the smoke. Not a man. Not a wolf. Something else. Something ancient. Something furious.
Her mouth opened in a silent scream.
And, then, the vent exploded.