Daughters of Winter

Winter had come to the mountain fortress of the Cestal pack. It’s the old stone walls covered with the first snow of the season, and it brings beauty to the dark, cold stone—a peaceful scene with only the winds blowing through the stronghold. In one of the many rooms, a hearth was burning, bringing both warmth and light into the room. A sizeable bed was against the wall, facing the fire, a figure lying in it, looking to the left, where a small cradle was placed. A soft melody fills the room. Soon, the wooden door opened, and a large man entered the room. His eyes went to the figure on the bed, his body relaxing as he walked to sit beside him. The man was in his late 30s, with midnight-black hair and deep-blue eyes, skin as rough as stone. “How are my treasures tonight?” he gently asked, his voice sounding like rough stone. “Hush, I just got them to sleep,” the figure replied to him. The said figure was a woman in her late 20s, her hair snow-white, loose, and falling to her shoulders. Her skin was as pale as the snow outside, and her eyes the golden color of dawn—a gentle smile on her face, looking from the man to the small crib. “I’m sorry, I forgot that dawn wolves are hard to get to sleep,” he said, teasing a little. “And earth wolves have a problem getting up, or do you forget how many times you have slept in?” she replied. “Point taken, now are you going to answer my question?” He asked, placing his hand on her cheek, running his thumb over it. “We're fine, I’m healing, and they transformed into their wolf forms,” she replied, kissing his hand. The man’s face broke out into a smile, hearing that, and he pulled the woman into a kiss. As they pulled away, he looked over to the crib to see two small pups. One had winter-blond fur, while the other was deep gray. “Have you thought of names?” He asked. “The winter blond is Lumi, and the gray is Kari, our girls,” the woman replied, snuggling him. “Yes…” The man wore a slight frown. “Furrow? What’s wrong?” “I just got word from the King, it seems both he and the dragon king have been given heirs this year; they want mates…” “Our daughters haven’t even had their first birthday, and they are to be used as pawns!” the woman growled, her eyes sparking with magic. “Steady Stella, don’t forget we were promised to each other.” “Yes, but that was after meeting a few times, when we were children,” she pouted. “I know, but the king is worried,” Furrow replied, holding his wife tighter. “It’s getting worse…isn’t it?” Stella looked up at her mate. “There have been more attacks at the border, dragons are blaming the beastfolk, and the beastfolk are blaming the dragons…” he sighed. “And they think that our daughters could help stop it?” she said with a frown. “The King thinks that if we have a bond between both beast and dragon, we can live in harmony. Maybe he’s right…” “But our daughters?” “They are of the Cestal pack and Earth pack, two of the oldest and most powerful Wolves in the history of the land.” “Don’t quote the bloodlines to me, I have memorized the wolves of magic and warriors of blood. The Lion’s dogs and the Queen’s mages. Our daughters aren’t a bloodline…” “I know Stella, right now they're pups, or pups. I will speak to the King. I will tell him that we need to wait. That our children need to grow as adults before any talk of marriage,” Furrow said with a determined glare. “Furrow…” “Besides, my daughters aren't prizes; they are my treasure, and anyone who wants them has to go through me. “ Stella started smiling at that, turned her eyes to her sleeping pups. They would be protected and grow up strong. No matter what happened, she would make sure they grew up loving everyday life. She promised this as Stella Lunaria, the female alpha of the Cestal pack and wife to Furrow Craig, the captain of the King’s guard and eldest son of the Stone Pack’s Alpha.