My footsteps faltered when I noticed the powerful glow of fire in the mineshaft, far brighter than it normally should be. Frowning, I walked closer. A fire had been built in the entrance to our home, flames tall enough to reach my shoulder.

I kept my distance from the dangerous heat as I looked at the little kit hiding in a fire of her own. Fear spiked when she saw me. Her emotions were at war with each other, battling inside of her head. Fear, disgust, and shock were on the winning side.

"You watched, didn't you?" When the silence stretched for several long seconds, I sighed. "Such a battle should not have been seen by someone as young as you. I'm sorry you had to witness that."

Memories of the battle threatened to overtake me, but I pushed them away. They were with Mafrel now. It was too late for me to do anything but to pray for their souls. "If it's any consolation, I took no pleasure in killing them."

My shadow laughed at my words. Lies. We both experienced more than a bit of pleasure. Ignoring it, I continued. "I did so to protect the pack, and you. If I hadn't stopped them, they'd have found you and would have killed you, or worse."

I sat down against the wall opposite to the entrance, knowing she'd be able to see me through the flames. Another heavy sigh escaped me before I spoke once more. "The Emio pack attacked with a force of twenty-three wolves. This wasn't a serious attack. If it had been, they'd have used all their warriors, which is roughly around eight hundred. They will return.

"Oscen has ordered me to stay close for when they attack again. This may take weeks or even months. I may be gone more than I have the previous weeks, as I will help run patrols along the border. If you want, I can ask one of the pack members to keep you company while I am gone."

I looked in her direction, but more than anything, I was watching her thoughts. She was struggling to see me as someone capable of caring now that she had seen the beast that resided within me. In all truth, I couldn't blame her. I felt much the same way she did.

Several long minutes passed, during which I listened to the fire hissing and crackling. It didn't seem like she was ready to have me anywhere close to her in the near future. Despite that, I still needed to watch over her.

Eventually, I nodded slowly, thoughts settled. "It's a lot to take in at once. Until you feel safe enough with me again, I will stay here. I will not force myself upon you, not now you have seen what I can do. Take your time."

Moving slightly to get in a more comfortable position, I closed my eyes and feigned sleep. I had a feeling that life was going to change once more.

I picked up the last stray chair and put it where it belonged before looking around. All signs that there had been a grand celebration in the name of Bleoles last night were gone, except for the scent of alcohol and the now-devoured feast. Most werewolves were sleeping it off, leaving me and a handful of the Omegas to clean up the mess we had left behind.

A faint hiss of pain escaped me when I stretched. Esna walked over to me, a sympathetic smile on her face. "She still hasn't let you in, has she?"

I shook my head. "It looks like I rattled her far more than we thought. It's been over two weeks."

"She'll come around soon enough, don't worry. The little fox has a kind soul, just like you did."

"How would you know what my soul looked like?" I quizzed, eyebrow arched.

"For someone to turn out the way you did, they must've had a good soul."

"Let's hope Mafrel agreed with you," I murmured silently. She didn't reply, instead settling for a comfortable silence. After a few minutes, I shook my head and looked at her. "I should go back to her. Goddess be with you."

She gave me a motherly pat on the shoulder as I walked past her. "Goddess be with you."

I walked back to the mineshaft in silence, mentally preparing myself for resting on the floor once again. Originally, I had thought Zanixa would get over it quickly and realise I wouldn't hurt her, but she hadn't. It had been a very long nineteen days since that one blood-filled night.

My footsteps became louder as I approached our home, allowing the little fox to know I was coming. To my surprise, the fire that had burned steadily in the entrance to the side room had turned to ashes. My gaze found its way to Nix. "Can I come in?"

'If you promise you won't hurt me,' she replied, a half-eaten coal trapped between her paws.

"Thank you." Stepping over the fallen barrier, I gave her a smile. I walked over to my chair and moved the furs around, dusting the ashes off of them. Giving my handiwork a small nod of approval, I settled down in the chair.

After a moment of silence, I said, "I am sorry for scaring you that night. I had to protect you and the pack."

'What if they return while you're out hunting?' Genuine worry for me tinged her mind, but I wasn't afraid. The beast curled up my lips, showing off my fangs.

"I can still teleport. I would be upon them before they realized, but not before you were brought to a secure place."

The little fox nodded before tilting her head. 'Why did my momma tell me to stay away from silver?'

The sudden change of topic surprised me a little, but I recovered within moments. "It burns shifters such as you. We think it may be a curse that Daskil put upon you, the moon being silver-colored, but that is a mere theory. All we know that it causes extreme pain and even death."

Her eyes went wide with surprise and fear. 'Wait, is silver common around here?'

"No. Our mines mainly produce gemstones, not metals. I may show you how the pack produces gemstones, how they cut them and make them beautiful. Do you like sparkling stones?" I asked.

Zanixa bobbed her head up and down rapidly in excitement, all fear of me gone. Smiling inwardly, I told her about the various stones that our mines produced.

Want me to tell you a little secret? I will post the first chapter of Scales of Ice next Wednesday, February 5th. Are you ready for it? Are you ready for the dragon? Because I'm certainly ready to show you. 

EDIT 05/02/2020
Due to Wattpad being broken, the launch is pushed forwards.

This promo picture and cover below are made by my awesome friend calmwolf! Do let us know what you think. I personally think it's hecka amazing.