Chapter 5 The black Howl

Everything went dark.

Not just the trees or the sky but the air, the ground, everything around Lyra. It felt like the whole forest had lost its sight. Lyra couldn't catch her breath. Her heart was beating even louder than the howl they'd just heard.

"Lyra!" Elias called out, but his voice sounded distant.

She turned in his direction, reaching out with shaking hands. Then she felt his hand grip hers, strong and steady.

"I'm here," she said, still trying to breathe.

Little by little, the darkness began to lift, like mist being carried off by the wind.

Moonlight returned, pale and cold. The grave looked sunken. The trees seemed smaller. The wooden box was still in Lyra's arms.

And in front of them

The pale man was gone.

Now, something else stood there.

It was huge. Bigger than a man, bigger than any animal Lyra had ever seen. Its fur was pitch black, like it was made of shadows. Long claws scraped the dirt. Its eyes were glowing gold-sharp, alive, angry.

But not wild.

They were looking right at her.

Lyra couldn't move. She couldn't speak. All she could see were those eyes.

"Lyra, stay behind me," Elias said softly, stepping in front of her. He held her hand a moment longer, then let go and pulled a small blade from his belt.

The creature didn't move. It just tilted its head, like it was curious. Then it bared its teeth and growled deep and low.

Not just angry.

Ancient.

Tristan moved up beside Elias, sword ready. Athenana raised her arms and drew a glowing shape in the air. A wall of light formed between them and the creature.

The wolf growled louder and pawed at the ground. Then it threw back its head and howled.

The sound ripped through the air.

It wasn't just loud it hurt. It shook their bones. It felt like something old and terrible had just woken up.

Then, from far away more howls answered.

One after another. Coming from all sides.

Lyra felt a cold chill run through her.

"There are more," Selena whispered, eyes wide with fear.

"Too many," Jasper said quietly.

The black wolf looked at Lyra once more.

Then it turned and disappeared into the trees quick and silent like smoke.

No one moved for a long moment.

Finally, someone spoke.

"What was that?" Selena asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"A Black Howl," Athenana answered. Her voice sounded heavy and old. "It's not a normal werewolf. It wasn't born or bitten. It was made... through blood magic."

Lyra's hands were shaking. She looked at the box in her arms. The heart inside was still beating. Slow and steady, like it wasn't afraid.

"Was it here for the heart?" she asked.

"No," Athenana said, meeting her eyes. "It came for you."

Lyra felt dizzy. "Why?"

"Because you have Fenwood blood. Because you opened the box. Because it knows something about you. Even if you don't know it yet."

Elias looked at her seriously. "Lyra... there's more going on here than curses and monsters."

"I know," she said softly. "I just don't understand it yet."

Tristan scanned the woods. "We should go. That thing wasn't alone."

"I don't want to leave my father's grave like this," Lyra said. Her voice was stronger now. She looked at the messy ground, the broken flowers, the strange footprints.

"He would understand," Elias said gently.

Lyra knelt and touched the earth. It was still warm like the heart's heat had spread into the ground. She placed her hand on the headstone, then stood.

"All right," she said. "Let's go."

No one argued.

They walked through the forest quietly. The trees didn't feel scary now just quiet. Watching. Lyra held the box close to her chest. She could still feel the heartbeat inside it. Steady. Waiting.

When they reached the edge of the village, they saw torches glowing. Doors were locked. Windows covered.

People weren't hiding from wolves.

They were hiding from the past.

Athenana turned to Lyra. "Come with me. Your father didn't tell you everything. And there's someone you need to learn about."

"Who?" Lyra asked.

"The Queen of Thorns," Athenana said.

Lyra blinked. "She's just a myth."

"No," Athenana said, her voice low. "She's real. She's older than myths. And if the Black Howl is awake... she is too."

The name hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.

Selena crossed her arms, clearly shaken. "Do you think she's after Lyra too?"

"I think," Athenana said, "she's been waiting for her."

Lyra looked out into the dark forest.

Something was after her. Something ancient. Something tied to her family, her father's grave, and the box she now carried.

And this was only the beginning.

Suddenly a sharp whistle cut through the quiet night.

Tristan stopped. "That's a scout signal."

Another whistle answered, short and broken.

Then someone screamed.

Elias took off running. Lyra ran after him.

They reached a narrow trail in the woods. A young lookout boy stood there, shaking with fear.

"There," he said, pointing. "Something fell. From the sky."

They hurried down a hill. The smell of smoke and metal hit them.

Then they saw it.

A deep hole in the ground. Steam rising from it. And in the center something glowing.

A cracked stone. Glowing with strange purple light.

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

The stone pulsed once. Then again. A shape started rising out of it, not fully human, not fully shadowed, Something in between.

And glowing red, carved into the stone

Lyra Fenwood.

The air turned freezing cold.

Jasper stepped back. "What is that?"

Athenana's face was pale. "It's a summoning mark. But not for a monster."

She looked at Lyra.

"It's for a key."

Everyone stared at Lyra.

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

Lyra couldn't move. Couldn't speak.

The stone pulsed again.

And this time, the light didn't stop.

It started to spread.

Outward.

Toward the village.

Toward her home. As the fog faded, Lyra saw two glowing eyes between the trees. They were low, like an animal, and staring right at her. A deep growl filled the air, shaking the ground. Elias quickly moved in front of her, holding her close. Then, from the shadows, a huge black wolf stepped out. It was bigger and scarier than any wolf she had ever seen.

Before they could run, a strange voice whispered in their minds: "She has returned. The Blood of the First must bleed."

The wolf jumped at them , and everything went dark.

Just before the darkness took them, Lyra's eyes shimmered silver. The wolf stopped, trembling, fear in its glowing eyes. The forest fell silent. Even the wind seemed to pause. Then, from somewhere far beyond the trees, a deep, aching howl rose into the night. It wasn't angry. It wasn't wild. It sounded like a call, like someone searching for her heart.