Chapter 8: Blackstone Wolf Tribe – The Extinct Wolf Legacy
The forest was still.
The howling winds that often swept through Nightmare Forest were absent today, as if the land itself was holding its breath. The canopy above shimmered under the pale moonlight, each leaf gleaming like polished emerald. Beneath the shadow of towering black-pine trees, Fury followed closely behind Varok, the elder wolf's silver mane brushing low-hanging branches with each step.
Fury's paws padded silently along the moss-covered trail. His body still hummed from the clash with the scout squad. His claws had slashed, his jaws had torn, and his heart had pounded with a savagery he didn't recognize before.
He had felt alive.
And yet, amidst the adrenaline of victory, the whisper of something older had stirred in his blood.
A calling.
---
[Status Window – Level 4]
Name: Fury
Race/Species: Chimera Wolf
Bloodlines:
Royal Blackwolf Bloodline (Active)
Dark Elf Bloodline (Locked – Awakens at Lv.10)
Wyvern Bloodline (Hidden – Awakens at Lv.20)
EXP: 40 / 120
Skills:
Midnight Sovereign (Active)
Predator's Sense (Passive)
Lunar Pounce (Active – New)
Class: None
Title: None
Class and Title unlock at Lv.5
---
The towering trees parted as they reached a circular glade veiled in mist. In the center stood a lone, crumbling stone obelisk—charred at the top and covered with creeping roots.
Varok halted. "We rest here."
Fury glanced around. "This place… It doesn't feel like the Nightmare tribe's territory."
"It isn't," Varok replied with a low rumble. "This is what remains of the Blackstone Wolf Tribe."
Fury froze. "Blackstone…?"
Varok lowered his massive frame beside the obelisk, his amber eyes dimmed with memory. "You should know, Fury. You carry their legacy."
The words hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.
"I… I was born in a cave. Alone. No memory of my pack. Only hunger and instincts. That's all I've ever known."
Varok turned to him. "And yet, your blood roared during that fight. Your fangs moved like one who hunted under a moon of fire. Your Lunar Pounce—only one tribe ever mastered that technique…"
Fury's breath caught.
"The Blackstone Wolves," Varok continued. "Long before the Nightmare Fang ruled these woods, the Blackstone tribe hunted here. They weren't the largest or most feared, but they were ancient. They were the first to form a bond with the darkness of the forest."
He pointed a claw at the obelisk. "That stone was their Soul Marker. A monument where every fallen alpha's essence was bound. Their bloodline wasn't just strong—it was sacred. And your scent carries their echo."
Fury's ears flattened. "You knew them?"
Varok's face hardened. "I fought their alpha once. A beast of shadow and fury. His name was Kael of the Hollow Howl."
Fury's pulse quickened at the name.
"He stood twice my height, with fur as dark as volcanic rock and eyes that burned gold. The fight lasted a full night. I barely survived with my throat intact."
"Who won?" Fury asked, breath held.
Varok smiled grimly. "Neither. We both lost. But days later, the Blackstone Tribe vanished. Wiped from the forest… their scent erased, their howls silenced."
"Who did it?"
"No one knows. Some say the humans unleashed cursed fire. Others speak of a traitor within the Blackstone wolves. One theory… is that they sealed themselves."
"Sealed themselves?"
Varok looked directly into Fury's eyes. "To protect something. Or someone."
A shiver ran down Fury's spine.
"You carry the Royal Blackwolf bloodline. That confirms it. The only tribe that ever mated with shadow-aligned nobility from the southern mountains were the Blackstones."
Fury's claws dug into the moss. "Why don't the other tribes know?"
Varok's expression was grave. "Because the knowledge was buried. The Nightmare Fang claimed dominance after the Blackstone's fall. Any talk of their legacy is taboo. Forbidden."
"Yet you told me."
"You are not just some wild pup anymore," Varok said. "You are… a ghost of the past reborn."
Fury stood silently as the mist swirled around the stone.
"I don't remember anything about them. How can I inherit a legacy I never knew?"
"You don't need memories. Your blood remembers. It will awaken what it must when you are ready."
Fury took a step closer to the stone, the markings faint but strangely familiar. The obelisk pulsed softly as he approached, as though it recognized him.
The moment his paw touched the cold surface, a flicker of warmth spread through his chest.
A voice—not of words, but of sensation—whispered in his soul.
He still lives.
Fury's eyes widened. "Who?"
But the presence faded as quickly as it came.
Varok's ears perked up. "What did you hear?"
Fury shook his head. "A voice… it said someone still lives."
Varok's gaze hardened. "Then perhaps… Kael survived."
---
They traveled in silence after that. Fury's thoughts were a whirlwind of questions and instinctive fear. The truth of his origins felt too massive, too buried in time to grasp all at once.
As they crossed deeper into Nightmare Fang territory, howls echoed faintly in the distance—low, rumbling signals carried on the night breeze.
"We're close," Varok growled.
The terrain became harsher. Jagged rocks jutted out from the ground, and the trees grew twisted and dense, forming a near-impenetrable canopy above. Dotted across the land were wolf dens—large burrows reinforced with bones and black vines.
Eyes glowed in the dark.
Wolves of all sizes and breeds prowled, snarling or bowing as they recognized Varok. Some sniffed at Fury with curiosity or suspicion, but none dared approach him too closely. Something about his scent made them wary.
"Remember," Varok said, "don't reveal your bloodline or your true race. To them, you are a strong warrior under my protection. That is all."
Fury nodded.
Finally, they entered a hollowed basin where an enormous tree grew sideways, its roots forming a throne at its base.
And there sat the alpha.
A massive, bear-sized grey wolf with golden-brown eyes and whitish-grey claws. His presence radiated authority. He did not snarl, nor growl. He simply was.
This was Alaric, Alpha of the Nightmare Fang Tribe.
His eyes locked with Fury's the moment they entered.
"You brought the cub," Alaric rumbled, voice deep and calm.
"I did," Varok said, bowing his head slightly.
Alaric studied Fury. "You killed six scouts. Used the old pounce. You aren't ordinary."
Fury met his gaze evenly. "I fight to survive."
The alpha gave a low chuckle. "And yet, you stand with pride, not desperation. Good. Pride belongs to the strong."
He rose to his full height, fur rippling like wind-blown steel.
"You will join the Nightmare Fang as an outsider wolf. No blood oath yet. You'll hunt with us, fight beside us. If you prove worthy… you will be one of us."
Fury lowered his head. "I accept."
"Then tomorrow," Alaric said, "you hunt."
---
That night, Fury lay alone beneath a jagged overhang near the outskirts of the camp. Stars glittered above, cold and distant.
He closed his eyes.
The name Kael echoed in his mind. The flicker of power within the obelisk. The legacy of the Blackstone Tribe. His blood felt heavier now, thick with untold truth.
"I will find the rest," he murmured.
"I will uncover who I am."
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End of Chapter 8