Prologue

A small, glistening shape slunk low to the ground in submission, approaching her matriarch nervously. "Um," she piped up nervously. "M-Mother?"

The huge, light grey she-drake turned around, her cold eyes scanning Snow closely. "Daughter," she hissed. The moonlight illuminated her battle-scarred face and made her orange eyes glow like fire. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to tell you..." she started, secretly petrified, "that two more gammas died of starvation today."

Blight shrugged. "So?"

"Um, well... maybe... I just thought... if you tried to make sure everyone was getting equal rations..." she trailed off, crouching lower as Blight drew herself to her full height.

"Everyone does get equal rations," Blight snarled menacingly, her ears flattening back against her neck as she bared her teeth. "We're a bone pack. It's not my fault."

We're not a bone pack, Snow would never say. Sandsky is a bone pack. Bluemist is a bone pack.  We're just a blood pack who refuses to take care of its low ranked wolves.

"I know," Snow lied, ducking her head.

"I'm a good matriarch," Blight continued, her eyes flashing with malice. "Aren't I?"

Snow's chest felt like a hollow pit. Her mother knew that she was lying. She didn't actually think she was a good leader. She didn't even care that she wasn't.

"Y-yes," Snow forced out. "You are. I'm sorry."

"No food for the next two weeks," Blight growled, turning away. "Leave now."

Her stomach aching with hunger, Snow bowed and hurried back toward the central camp. Like all the other drakes in her pack—except for her mother—her skin was pulled tight against her frame, her ribs and spine visible. Under her eyes were dark circles that told the stories of how she'd toss and turn at night, aching to much to sleep. Her voice was raspy and quiet from not getting enough water, and her eyes were dull, portraying a vanquished spirit.

But her hope wasn't all gone. Not yet. There was still an ember of idiotic faith deep in her heart, the hope that maybe, soon, one of the female deltas or betas would summon up the courage to challenge Blight, or maybe someone new would come along to save them all.

And then she had a vision. She'd read that on very rare occasions, any ordinary prairie drake could have a sudden glimpse of the future, but she'd never expected it to happen to her.

Someone was coming.

Someone with bright blue eyes and courage beyond belief and a heart full of fire and kindness. Snow didn't know why, but her heart fluttered a little, like a bird taking off... or maybe a thousand of them.

Someone was coming.

And she was going to save them all.