QUEEN OF THE LYCANS

The Fallen Pack

Episode 3 – “Echoes of the Fallen Pack”

1. Dawn Breaks Over Valea Strâmbă

The village stirs. Snow crunches under boots, and the stone wolf statue at the crossroads still glows faint amber—its eyes flickering like a heartbeat. Nina checks the wooden box; the wolf‑tooth fragment inside hums faintly, resonating with the amulet’s scar. Marco’s camera battery flickers low, the memory card still holding the cryptic PDF.

A *young boy, Ilie*, darts out of “The Hanged Goat.”

*Ilie:* “Old Kaleb wants you at the tavern. Something’s moving in the forest.”

Kaleb sits at a corner table, a map spread out—*the same map from the monastery’s archive*, now marked with three *“Echo Caverns.”*

*Kaleb:* “The Pack left a trail. Three caves, three echoes. If we don’t silence them, the Blood‑Hound will track the amulet to us.”

He slides a *copper compass* across the wood; its needle spins wildly toward the north‑west.

2. The First Echo – Cavern of Whispering Stones

The forest path is slick with frost. The compass steadies, pointing to a sheer cliff. A low *hum* vibrates the air—like distant chanting. Inside, a cathedral of stone pillars etched with wolf heads. At the centre lies a *crystal shard* pulsing violet.

Nina places the amulet fragment against it. A *low tone* rings, echoing three times. The ground shudders, revealing a narrow tunnel.

*Marco* (recording): “First echo captured. Tone: 432 Hz, duration 2.1 s.”

3. The Second Echo – Cavern of Echoing Blood

The tunnel opens into a grotto bathed in a river of dark, viscous liquid—blood‑red water that pulses like a heartbeat. Stalactites drip crimson. A *stone throne* holds a *silver bowl* filled with the river. Beside it, a *carved wolf statue* with ruby eyes.

Nina drops the fragment into the bowl. The water mirrors the cavern and flashes a *silhouette of a massive scar‑covered wolf*—the *Blood‑Hound*. It lunges, but Marco’s flash blinds it. The statue cracks, spilling the bowl. A *second echo*—a deep bass howl—reverberates, shaking dust from the ceiling.

The Blood‑Hound snarls, its form flickering, then retreats into the shadows.

4. The Third Echo – Cavern of Silent Pact

Beyond a frozen lake, a *circular basalt altar* bears three runes: *ᚺ, ᚠ, ᚢ* (Hagalaz, Fehu, Uruz). On it sits a *golden harp* with strings of intertwined wolf hair and a *vial of black blood*—remnants of Drago’s ritual.

Nina lifts the harp. A single strum merges the three recorded echoes into a *harmonious chord*. The ice cracks, revealing a *deep chasm* where wolf spirits rise—transparent, amber‑eyed. The largest spirit steps forward, shifting between wolf and human—*the Alpha*.

*Alpha:* “The Pact is broken, but the Covenant remains. The Blood‑Hound seeks the Seal. Destroy the vial, bind the Echoes, seal the Pack’s fate.”

5. The Final Choice

Nina holds the vial of black blood. Marco aims his camera. The Blood‑Hound bursts from the shadows, eyes burning crimson. The Alpha offers a *silver fang*, the key to the harp.

Nina inserts the fang, pours the blood onto the strings. The liquid sizzles, turning to steam that carries the Echoes upward. The harp emits a *final, shattering chord*. The cavern quakes; the Blood‑Hound dissolves into ash. The Alpha howls—release—and fades, leaving a glowing wolf rune on the altar.

Kaleb arrives, breath heavy, compass now still.

*Kaleb:* “The compass points to peace. The Pack is bound to the land, no longer to blood.”

6. Epilogue

Back in Valea Strâmbă, villagers gather around a bonfire. The harp’s melody drifts, weaving forest, wolves, and people. Nina and Marco sit on a bench, the wooden box open, the wolf‑tooth fragment *glowing faintly*.

*Nina:* “We stopped the curse, but the world will never know.”

*Marco:* “Maybe that’s for the best. Some stories are kept for those who need to hear them.”

A lone howl—soft, almost a whisper—drifts on the wind, a reminder that the *Covenant* endures.