The silence of the deeper forest seemed so complete, as though no living thing existed among the massive, motionless trees. The ground was so perfectly blanketed in cold snow, undisturbed by even the tracks of the birds that managed to survive in the winter. The sky reflected the ground, like a mirror, giving a ghostly light to the surroundings that made the late evening seem much earlier. Beyond the silence, the voices arose: Wolves. Their calls were coordinated, lifting above the still air and lightly drifting snow. While their bodies were solid, they moved through the trees with liquid fluidity, spirits of gray, black and mixed, few of white. Their eyes, yellow and blue and green, mixed among the pack, running swiftly, like a river, winding their own way, their territory reigned over by one, whose eyes of silver gazed from their perch above.

Kaori’s fur was white. But it was long. It seemed to almost glow in the dark, and billowed a bit around him in what breeze found him at his height. His eyes, a silvery tone, could catch the slightest thing amiss. His pointed ears were a bit larger than the rest, cupped a bit more to hear what none of the others could. His paws were flatter, larger, and his tail was much stronger. None of the others dared challenge him. Of course, none of the others wanted to challenge him. Their god would not be challenged.

Kaori watched his pack congregate at the mouth of the cave below where he stood. The cold air started moving as the breeze picked up, shuddering the accumulated snow from the bare branches of the trees standing like giant guards in circles. Through the whistling of the wind, Kaori was the first to speak, raising a mournful howl into the sky. His followers did the same, various voices joining in, a solid wall that flew through the forest, out from the heart to be heard in the distant outskirts.

Running with her friends and family, Kaya let her tongue hang freely, her tail wagging when she was forced to slow due to the heavy snow blanketing the world. In the heart of winter, the heavy white rug of fur kept her wonderfully warm. Even the pads of her feet had fur over them, the fur on the outside of them growing dense and thick to protect her feet as she dove through the white world.

At two years old, Kaya knew her place in the pack, and being rather low on the rung, she wasn't privy to most information, so when they reached the cave, it was rather surprising to see the silver eyed wolf standing far above them. She whined slightly, glancing around nervously. Kaori was well known, of course. He was their protector and guide. It was even rumored that he wasn't a true wolf, but something far more. Kaya herself, however, hadn't interacted with the tall male, and had no idea how to judge for herself what the large wolf was. He was called their god, though, if she was to be honest, Kaya had difficulty believing what she hadn't seen.

She did know he deserved the allegiance he received, and he tilted his head back, his voice rising in a rather sorrowful howl. Few wolves were submitted to that didn't deserve it. And there was something about the male, some aura that called to Kaya, forcing her to lose her desire to test him. She tilted her own head back almost immediately, adding her own tone to the voices around her.

Kaori let the noise go on for several minutes. The itself was held to an individual and varied from one to the other. He could identify each and every one of his followers by the sound of their song. He moved to the left, down the gentle slope beside the mouth of the cave, moving to a slight bump in front of the cave. His eyes flashed as they gazed about the congregation, unsettled and hushed. The howls had quieted, echoless, and only the breeze dared make a sound.

Kaori took a deep breath. “Children of this pure earth.” He began, in a voice deep and resounding, and those present stood at attention. “Spirits of my world. Our lives will soon come under great strife. I have been to the far shores, where winter has yet to snatch the life away from the earth. Upon the far horizon, odd creatures approach. Their scents, brought to me on the wings of the seabirds, is foreign to me. Dirty to me. Filth not of the ground we walk upon.”

Kaori’s words sent waves through the group, whispers and mutters, the crunch of paws as they adjusted themselves on the cold ground. “Calm yourselves.” Kaori raised his voice, easing them into silence once more. “By the words of the seabirds, I’ve learned they are more than several days away. We will have more than enough time to consider what these odd creatures are, and what their intent is. Until then, I will make my presence permanent, and patrol the packs more obviously. I want none of you to fear approaching me for any reason. There is no reason to hold questions or secrets from one another at this time.”

Kaori turned. “Rest this night, my children. The light of tomorrow will bring the packs together.” With an audible sigh, he moved out of sight, into the dark of the cave.

Kaya sat still upon the snow, laying down as their leader began speaking. She listened quietly, and remained silent as Kaori finished. Around her, various wolves were speaking quickly. Some excited, some nervous, and some speculating. But the female didn't see what point any talk would do. These creatures-whatever they may be-hadn't done them wrong. Maybe they were naive and stupid, not even knowing of the wolves, just as the wolves hadn't known of them. And surely they wouldn't try to bring any harm to them. They were, after all, the best predators. The only thing a wolf ran from was a bear, and sometimes they would try their packs strength against one. So why worry about some strange creature from a distant land?

She did, however, wonder. How would they be arriving? The wolves roamed the land, and their territories were vast. All the packs may squabble from time to time, but they still spoke among each other. Then, there was also the mention of seabirds. So they came from over the sea? But it was vast, and Kaya herself had tried to plunge into the waters, swimming out as far as she could. She hadn't gotten far, and there was a strong current she had been lucky to survive. So how were these strange creatures getting across? Strangely enough, Kaya didn't doubt Kaori's statement that he had been across the gigantic sea himself. He was the best of the best, and although they couldn't see the far side, surely the strongest wolf they had could make the trip. Lying was a foreign notion to Kaya.

She hesitated, her blue eyes roaming over her pack mates, before lifting up, and shaking herself. Though it wasn't her place, Kaori himself had invited questions. She would go straight to the source.

The female shook once again, before padding to the cave, slinking inside. As wolves do in the face of a superior, she lowered herself to her stomach, inching forward. "K-Kaori?" She questioned into the darkness. Her eyes would adjust to the darkness of the cave soon, however, now it looked like shadows on top of each other, some darker, some lighter. "You said we could ask questions..." She pointed out, hesitantly.

Kaori was the first in the cave, but in reality, any of the wolves could, and usually did, retire under the domed stone ceiling for the night, a bit safer from the outside world. Kaori only wanted to grab up the place he preferred before one of the others took it: A ledge about a head taller than he, which let him be out of the way of the others while keeping a keen eye on the mouth of the cave not far away. Breathing carefully, he stretched his long legs and flexed his black claws, studying them for a moment.

He glanced up when a young female voice broke through the cavern. His ears twitched, noting the voice as one slightly new to him. She probably wasn’t more than several years old. He dragged himself to the edge of his place and looked down, finding a wolf of white underneath him. It was rare to see others completely white, unless they were alphas. He had to assume she would soon be one.

“Indeed, I did say that.” He nodded in agreement. “What is it you want to know, little....?” He cocked his head at her.

"Kaya." The female supplied. Her name was special to her, though somewhat of a warning to others. It helped her remember what others wanted to forget. "I wanted to know if you had seen these creatures with your own eyes?" She continued, her voice speeding up a bit in her excitement. "What do you mean: They smell dirty? As in, ill? Why must we worry about them at all?" Kaya tilted her head a bit. "They can't harm us." She stated it simply, a fact to her. The pack was strong. All the packs together were stronger.

Her blue eyes peered up curiously at the silver eyed male. He didn't seem particularly powerful, though she didn't dare voice her opinion and be proven wrong.

Kaori shook his head. “You’re young, yet.” He sighed. “Kaya, these creatures are humans. I’ve seen and interacted with them. They’re mostly fur-less, save for a couple patches, mostly on their head. They walk upright, and are able to pick up and use things easily, much more than us. Wherever they go, destruction follows. I’ve seen it, yes, with my own eyes. Hoards of them approach, take over a land, cut down the trees and kill the animals mainly for their fur. They build huge structures to live in and rake up the earth to put hard stone on it, build ugly metal things that puff out filth into the air. They breed like rats, but can create weapons. These weapons are much more powerful than us. They can use them from a distance and kill groups of us in moments.”

He put his head down. “They smell diseased. You know, Kaya, how a carcass smells in the height of summer, when it’s left alone for several days? They smell a bit like that. That and... death.” He closed his eyes. “I dislike speaking about it. Dislike speaking about how I even know this. It’s something no wolf, a spirit free to do as they please, should have to deal with.”

The young wolf’s blindness would be her downfall, he was worried. If a human targeted her with one of their guns or bows, she would be dead before she even knew it.

"Humans." The wolf rolled the word around, testing it out. The things Kaori spoke of sent shudders down the white female's spine, and she glanced towards the ground, submitting silently to his wisdom. "If they are so dangerous, then...why allow them to come? Surely there is a way we can stop them from crossing the water..." Those weapons Kaori told her of sounded far worse than the creatures themselves. "Why do they scar the earth, then? Why do they kill so much? Only for fur? I don't understand...what good is the fur?"

“There is nothing we can do to stop their arrival.” Kaori said. He glanced around. Others were coming into the cave now, and settling themselves on the stone. Below the rock floor was a hot spring that didn’t quite make it to the surface, and kept the place warm. “They have massive ships, things shaped a bit like a cupped leaf, made of wood from trees. We would be killed, run into the water and drowned, if we tried to do anything.”

He recalled seeing others, humans, large in body, heavy and muscled, draped in variously-colored furs. He could still smell the animals they were taken from when he got close enough. “Humans don’t have much fur. There isn’t enough on them to keep them warm in cold climates, so they take the fur of other animals to wear instead. They call it... clothes. Clothes to keep warm, sometimes just to look better. They can’t see the natural beauty of the earth, so they change it to their liking. Humans don’t like mystery, or feeling insecure, so they have to put up a wall to keep them safe.” When he was in a larger town, Kaori had watched a massive metal thing wheel past him, raking up the soft earth and shoving it aside. It had hurt his heart to see it.

His words answered Kaya's questions, but they made her feel far more unsettled. After thinking for a few long minutes, she spoke again, her voice low. The other members of her pack were filing in and settling down for the night, and she was afraid her talking would disturb them.

"What do you think we will have to do, then, to fight these huu-mans?" She stumbled over the word, but got it out quickly.

Kaori stared at Kaya for a few moments. None of the others had so many questions, and if they had, they didn’t come to him at the same time. “I don’t know yet.” He said at last. “Humans are so unpredictable, yet I can determine their every move. It’s strange... We will have to prepare for their arrival, and watch them from a distance. They won’t know of our presence for a while, if we be careful.”

Outside, an owl called. Its voice fell away into the distance, echoing to the others nearby. Slowly, Kaori put his head down. “For now, however, we must sleep. Few resolutions can be made when one is tired during the day.”

The white wolf wagged her tail a bit, thankful he'd answered her questions. She did, however, take the hint, and step away to let the silver eyed male sleep. Kaya moved to her own spot, fairly close to the hot spring, though it was far enough away to stay off the ground wet from the water. She curled into a ball, tucking her nose under her fluffy tail.

Silence reigned for a while after Kaori closed his eyes. But sleep didn’t come to him. Instead, he raised his head and surveyed the group below him. Only thirty wolves, young and old, of varied colors and status. Each one he knew; he’d been there when they were born, and had watched over them as they aged. And now they were in danger.

He stood and, on silent paws, slunk out of the cave. Once he was in the fresh air, he started away, running as fast as he could through the trees. The snow was starting to fall again, freshly blanketing the world once more, obscuring the blemishes that showed. Kaori’s stature was slowly changing, however, the faster he ran. His front legs lost their fur, his toes becoming longer, the white changing to a protective and thick cloth that draped his elongating front arms. He rose from four legs to two, his snout shortening, his fur lengthening and retreating to his head. His feet were wrapped in warm cloth and leather. He wore white and red, a long-sleeved shirt that wrapped around him several times, billowing pants that were held up and secure with a thin series of knitted ropes.

Kaori came to a stop atop a tall cliff that dropped steeply into a valley, where a river sped past. It didn’t freeze, however, the water rushed far too quickly. He stood still for a moment, getting used to his human state, brushing his long hair back while flexing his fingers. Few wolves had seen him in such a state, and it seemed their stories of him were becoming more myth than reality. After all, the wolves who still told the stories were elders, some blind, some unable to even walk.

From his perch he looked down upon another wolf pack. Their shelter was something made over several years of cooperative work, a stone and wood cave-like structure. Folding his arms, he stared at the group below him. They weren’t asleep yet. Once again, Kaori contemplated approaching them in his humanity. They knew his scent, after all.

Kaya was willing sleep to come to her, however, it didn't want to obey, and sleep evaded her. She flicked an ear and lifted her head, positive she'd heard a sound. Peering around, she noted a wolf slipping from the cave. Blinking and peering a bit longer, Kaya was sure it was Kaori.

Curious now, Kaya lifted up, slinking along behind the male. She was careful to stay far back, unsure if following him would upset the elder wolf. Snow was falling again, making her sight blurry. Wolves couldn't see particularly well anyway, but still, the lack of sleep must of been affecting her. It looked like the wolf was walking on his hind legs. Her amazement over took her wariness as Kaori stopped, looking at something far below. Kaya trotted closer, tilting her head and whining. He had changed! She kept trying to think of how, though to be honest, the only thing the wolf's mind could grasp was that Kaori was indeed a god.

Kaori had to squint to see so far down, especially through the snow as it thickened. But it seemed as though the blood within his veins had frozen from the cold when he heard a familiar voice that made his human ears involuntarily twitch. Spinning around, he found a familiar white wolf among a matching backdrop.

The initial shock passing quickly, Kaori placed a calmer demeanor over his face. "Hm, curious to the point of tailing me, are you?" He asked, tilting his head. "I'd certainly hoped not to show you this image before the morning." He crouched to come to Kaya's eye-level. "But being here, you see now. This is what a human appears as. Most others, though, are much more formidable than I." He smiled a bit. "Perhaps you question what you see? Or did you ever believe the stories of the elder wolves?"

Kaori spun around, and Kaya backed up a bit too quickly, ending with her back legs sprawled out under her in a strange parady of her sitting. Her hackles were raised, not really liking this strange form. She did, however, listen as Kaori spoke to her. This was what the humans looked like? They didn't look so scary.

She ignored the male's first question, but answered the others. "I don't understand it...and no...I didn't believe the tales about you...Why...why do you look like them?" She forced herself to calm, and her fur lowered slowly as it dawned on her: "You really are a god, then?"

Kaori grimaced. "I... Suppose I could be considered a god. I'm certainly not human in more than my secondary form, absolutely not. I don't age, now that I've reached peak maturity, I travel quickly, as swiftly as the wind. Yes, I'm a god, the god of the wolves, their protector, the spirit of everything you are. I've been throughout the world, and I've seen humans firsthand. This land, however, has been untouched by their hand, until now. Their threat is looming. I fear for you. For the wolves of this land. Are you not?"

Kaya was puzzled. Was she not what? A wolf? She stiffened, feeling insulted, if that was what the male meant. "Of course I am." She snapped, forgetting for a moment who she spoke to. She lowered her head in apology before continuing. "You can change to be like them, and if you are truly our protector, why can't you go to them and plead our case?"

"So you fear for the other wolves." Kaori knelt on the ground, wrapping his bare hands in the excess cloth of his sleeves. "Then you must understand how absolutely different humans are. They don't like things that are different. I may appear their peer, but if they knew what I truly am, they would shun, possibly try to kill me, or catch and study me. They wouldn't listen to what I had to say. In their eyes, an animal is something to be awed at, then killed and used for food or clothing and nothing more. They don't appreciate the lives given to keep them healthy and warm the same way we do."

He stood again and turned to the pack in the valley below. They had begun to settle, huddling together to share their warmth. "This land is so remote... I thought you would be safe. Unlike the others... I couldn't save the others."

"The others?" Kaya questioned, her worry growing and growing. These humans were sounding worse the more Kaori spoke. "You smell like them right now, though...how would they know you were different?"

(My brain is dying...Im'ma head to bed. Promise for a long reply tomorrow.)

((Is okay. I'll be heading off soon too.))

"I don't act or look like them." Kaori said. "I have strange eyes, a strange hair color. I dress differently. When I walked among them I posed as a blind man, one who wears a cloth over his eyes and keeps many layers of clothing. I hid my hair by hoods that go over the head, and kept my distance. Few times have I approached others. But I've watched the transformation they force the earth into. And I've seen them hunt animals for sport. I wouldn't dare approach another human, however. They seem to be able to know... I'm different."

He turned back to look at Kaya. "Young one, you need to get back to the others. Come morning, I'll have given word to all the alphas, and we will be gathering in the clearing nearest to our pack's den. Everyone must be in top shape and alertness."

Kaya listened to his explanation quietly, and lowered her head further in obedience. She wagged her tail, and stood. "Alright...T-thank you...for answering my questions."

Without waiting for any reply, she set off at an easy lope, breaking through the snow when her sturdy body fell through. She made it back to the den quickly, and shook the snow from her fur before settling back in her spot, yawning and falling into a deep sleep rather quickly.

(I can't sleep. v.v)

Kaori watched her go from the corner of his eye. She vanished quickly among the white backdrop, and when he heard her footfalls silence out among the trees, he slid down the steep drop and, before reaching the clan in the valley, returned to his four-legged form.

Morning came with few clouds, a clear sky that let the cold light of the sun shine through the trees, making the snow glitter like billions of diamonds. Kaori had gone to each and every clan and pack of their unnamed land, giving word to every elder and alpha. Twenty of them, each containing at least seventeen wolves. Through the trees the followed his scent, coming to a clearing that harbored a clear, still, and perfectly round pond. Its water was warm, because it was where the underground hot spring bubbled up, and the water so clear one could see to the very bottom.

Kaori didn’t follow the other packs to the clearing; instead, he went back to the one he’d watched over during the night, where he had been confronted by Kaya, one of the youngest, it appeared, and one of the few all-white wolves. He entered the cave, standing close to the entrance, and called them all to wake.

“My friends, family.” He said. “The time has come to meet with the rest of the packs. You will all bear witness to something you... most of you... have only ever heard about in stories from the elders.” He turned. “Please, follow me. Time is of the essence.”

Kaya had been in the cave with most of the other wolves, running through the morning rituals. Hers was grooming. She was rather vain, to be honest, and white fur was hard to keep clean. At the sound of Kaori's voice, however, the female jumped up, glancing over. She hadn't spoken to any of her pack mates about what had occurred, though she was filled with excitement at his words. Perhaps he would show everyone else what she had seen?

The other wolves were filing out, some excited, and some worried. Kaya followed along, pushing and nipping her way through. Outside, she paused to sniff the air. Various wolf scents filled her nose, all from other packs. Some were strangers, some were fairly well known. Patiently, she fell into step behind Kaori.

Kaori glanced back for the others. They had all followed, in an orderly set of several lines after jockeying for position. He had set a steady trot, something easy for all the ages to keep up with. The clearing and spring location was obvious when one fell onto the correct path, for the trees had made a path after so many years of being traveled upon. He could hear the voices and movements of others, still arriving, some having traveled for hours at a speedy pace.

They arrived with time to spare, though Kaori was fidgeting a bit as he broke away from the pack’s front and ran to the head of the spring, where a stone formation stood much like a stage above the still water. The wolves were settled, some lying, some sitting and others standing far from the rest, loners he had found along his trek throughout the land. They were especially disheveled and a bit torn about the ears and muzzles, scars from fights long past. Kaori took a deep breath, puffing out his chest a bit before speaking.

“Wolves of Spirit Forest.” He began. “I call you to attention!”

The packs fell silent almost at once, their eyes staring up at him. Kaori raked his claws along the stone below his feet, hiding his nerves. “I’ve brought you all here for one reason: Our lives will soon be at stake. A new threat approaches from the sunset horizon, to be here in several-days time. These threats are many. Many more than our numbers.”