Chapter 5 The black Howl

Everything went dark.

Not just the sky.

Not just the trees.

The world.

It was as if the forest itself had lost its memory-forgotten how to hold light, or time, or breath.

Lyra gasped, unable to see, unable to move. Her lungs felt crushed beneath invisible weight.

Then-

a voice, distant but familiar.

"Lyra!"

She turned toward it, arms outstretched, fingers trembling.

A hand closed around hers-warm, firm, real.

"I'm here," she whispered. Her voice barely existed.

The darkness peeled back in slow, cautious layers, like fog being chased away by breath.

---

Moonlight returned.

But it was different now-cold, distant, as if unsure it wanted to be here.

The grave looked sunken, as though something had pulled at it from below.

The box still rested in Lyra's arms.

The heart inside beat... slow, steady. Calm.

But the pale man was gone.

Something else stood in his place.

---

It towered over them-

a beast cloaked in shadows.

Massive. Lethal. Silent.

Its fur was pure black, absorbing the light like a living void. Its limbs were long and coiled with muscle, ending in claws that carved slow furrows into the dirt. Its eyes burned gold.

Not savage. Not wild.

They were aware.

And they were looking directly at Lyra.

Her breath caught in her throat.

She couldn't run. Couldn't hide. Couldn't look away.

"Stay behind me," Elias said gently, stepping forward. He squeezed her hand once before letting go and drawing his blade.

The beast didn't flinch.

It tilted its head. Almost curious.

Then it snarled. Low. Deep.

Ancient.

Tristan appeared at Elias's side, sword already drawn.

Athenana whispered words in a language that made the trees shiver. Light bloomed in front of them-an arcane wall of glowing sigils.

The creature growled again and pawed at the dirt.

Then it threw back its head-

and howled.

---

The sound split the world.

It tore through the forest like a scream passed through generations. Trees shook. The earth groaned. Lyra dropped to her knees, clutching the box.

More howls answered.

Distant at first.

Then closer.

And closer still.

"They're surrounding us..." Selena whispered.

"There are too many," Jasper murmured.

The black wolf locked eyes with Lyra again.

Then it turned.

And vanished-into the trees like smoke, like it had never been.

---

Silence fell.

Not peace.

Tension.

"What was that?" Selena finally asked.

Athenana's voice was low and grim. "A Black Howl. It's not a natural werewolf. It wasn't born. It wasn't bitten. It was made."

Lyra blinked. "Made? How?"

"Through blood magic," Athenana said. "The darkest kind. The kind used in wars we don't speak of."

Lyra's fingers trembled around the box. The heart inside kept beating-unbothered. Unafraid.

"Was it after the heart?" she asked.

"No," Athenana replied. "It came for you."

---

Lyra's stomach twisted. "Why?"

"Because you carry Fenwood blood. Because you opened what was sealed. Because you're more than you think."

Elias placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lyra... this isn't just about monsters. This is about you."

"I know," she whispered. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to be."

Tristan's eyes swept the woods. "We need to move. That thing wasn't alone."

"I don't want to leave him like this," Lyra said quietly, turning back to her father's grave.

"He would understand," Elias said softly.

She knelt and touched the headstone one last time. The ground was still warm. As if her father's heartbeat was echoing through the soil.

Then she rose.

And they left.

---

They walked in silence.

The forest watched them.

Not cruel. Not kind. Just... waiting.

The box pulsed gently against Lyra's chest, the heart inside still beating like a drum from another world.

When they reached the village edge, the streets were empty.

Doors barred.

Windows shuttered.

Not from wolves.

From memory.

---

Athenana turned to her.

"You need to come with me," she said. "There's someone you must learn about."

"Who?" Lyra asked.

"The Queen of Thorns."

Lyra stared. "She's a myth."

"No," Athenana said. "She's older than myth. And if the Black Howl is awake... she is too."

The name hung in the air like a knife waiting to fall.

Selena paled. "She's after Lyra?"

"I don't think she's chasing her," Athenana said. "I think she's waiting for her."

Lyra felt the truth settle in her bones.

Something had been watching her since the day she was born.

And now it was coming closer.

---

Suddenly, a whistle split the air.

High. Sharp. Urgent.

Tristan tensed. "Scout signal."

Another whistle answered-short. Broken.

Then-

a scream.

Elias sprinted toward it. Lyra followed, heart racing.

They found a lookout boy on the trail, shaking violently.

"There," he pointed. "It... fell. From the sky."

They reached a clearing where smoke rose from the earth.

A crater smoldered at its center, steaming with heat.

Inside-

a cracked stone.

Glowing. Purple and black. Like lightning trapped in rock.

Athenana gasped. "That's not of this world."

---

The stone pulsed.

A shape rose from it-neither shadow nor flesh. Something caught between.

Then Lyra saw it.

Etched into the glowing surface in red, ancient script:

Lyra Fenwood.

The air turned freezing cold.

Jasper stepped back. "What the hell is that?"

Athenana's voice shook.

"It's a summoning mark. But not for a monster."

She turned slowly to Lyra.

"It's for a key."

Everyone stared.

"You," Athenana said. "You're the key."

---

Lyra's knees wobbled.

The stone pulsed again.

Harder.

Wider.

Spreading.

A ripple of light raced toward the village. Toward home.

Then-

Golden eyes in the trees.

Low to the ground. Watching her.

A growl rose from the forest floor.

Low.

Hungry.

Elias stepped in front of her again.

Held her close.

Protective.

From the shadows, another beast stepped out.

Massive. Black as ink. Its body rippled with power. Its claws cracked the soil.

Before they could run, a voice-not spoken but heard-filled their minds.

"She has returned. The Blood of the First must bleed."

The wolf leapt-

And everything shattered.

---

But just before the darkness swallowed them, Lyra's eyes changed.

They turned silver.

Glowing. Ancient. Impossible.

The wolf froze midair.

Its body trembled.

Fear-real fear-flashed in its eyes.

The forest fell completely still.

Even the wind dared not breathe.

Then, from somewhere far beyond the trees-

A howl.

Low. Long. Searching.

Not a war cry.

Not a threat.

A call.

Like something ancient and lonely was trying to find her heart.