A New Era

I was relaxing beside the lake with my father when growls came through the forest behind us. The peaceful lapping of the water against the shore and the chirping of crickets instantly fell silent. My father, who had been lazily casting a line, froze mid-motion. His head tilted slightly, a frown etching itself across his brow. The growls were low and guttural, unlike anything I’d ever heard. They didn't sound like a bear's warning or a wolf's howl, but something older, and much angrier. He slowly reeled in his line, not taking his eyes off the thick treeline where the sound had come from. "Get in the boat," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. I didn't question him. I scrambled into the small rowboat, my bare feet fumbling on the wooden planks. The growling grew louder, closer. My father untied the mooring rope, his hands moving with a speed and purpose that was foreign to his usual relaxed demeanor. "Don't look back," he said, pushing the boat off the muddy bank with a splash. He jumped in, grabbed the oars, and began rowing with powerful, frantic strokes that sent us gliding across the smooth water. I could feel the thrum of his fear through the boat's hull. The air, once warm and soft, now felt charged with a primal cold. I knew he was right; I couldn't look back. But the sound was now a series of deep, shuddering snarls, and I could hear the snapping of twigs and the crushing of dry leaves as something large and heavy moved through the undergrowth at a terrifying speed. It was coming for us. "Daddy, we have to get to Mom," I said, my voice trembling. I knew she would be alone with my little brother. The thought of them being unprotected filled me with a terror far colder than the monster behind us. My brother was still just a baby, so small and helpless. It meant Mom couldn't shift into her panther form, not with him to protect. Her powers were dormant while her cub was so young, a vulnerability we had never had to face before. My father didn't reply, but his jaw was set like stone, and his rowing became even more desperate. He understood the stakes had just been raised far beyond our own lives. We finally reached the other side, and Dad leaped out of the boat, pulling me with him. We ran, a frantic sprint toward the small camp we had set up. I knew there were too many of them to fight. My parents were powerful, but they couldn't protect both my brother and me when we were young. I was only six, and though I had the soul of a panther, I was still too young to shift. I was just as vulnerable as my infant brother, my small body unable to defend itself from what was chasing us. The thought of facing this threat made my heart pound against my ribs with a deafening rhythm. Yet, as we reached the camp, my father stopped dead and pushed me behind him. His body was a trembling wall of muscle and fear. He was trying to shield me from the scene before us, but it didn't stop me from peering around his leg. My breath hitched in my throat. The camp was utterly destroyed, the tent in tatters and supplies strewn everywhere. And lying in the center was my mother, covered in blood, with my baby brother split in half on top of her. The growls sounded again, closer this time, but we couldn't think about whether this was another set of creatures or the same ones from before. My father's eyes were filled with a look of pure, unbridled rage and grief, but he didn't falter. He turned and ran toward the truck, only to find it had also been destroyed, its metal crumpled like a child's toy. With no other choice, he took a deep breath, and his human form shimmered, his bones cracking and shifting as he transformed. Within seconds, a massive black panther stood where he had been. I scrambled onto his back, clinging to his thick fur as he took off at full speed. He leaped and bounded over fallen logs and through dense brush, a blur of muscle and fury. Through our minklink, I heard his voice, a frantic echo in my mind. "When we are close to the Crestmoon pack, I want you to go toward the boundary and tell the wolves that rogues are close. Don't look back, no matter what you hear. Please, angel. Do what I say." "Yes, Daddy," was all I could get out before a powerful hit came from the side. I didn't know what it was, but I remembered what my father had said. So, through the agony, I staggered toward the Crestmoon pack boundary, not looking back. My breath was ragged, and a fiery pain shot through my leg, but I had to save my father. I hit the ground hard, rolling over to see red, glowing eyes looming around me. Just before everything went black, I heard the loudest howl my young ears had ever heard. Then, nothing.