Chapter 5

  Dawn…

  The night felt different as Celeste and Koa approached the ancient oak. Heavier. The forest, once a comfort, felt watchful. They moved slower than usual, Koa’s new caution a necessary check on Celeste’s impatience.

  "It's too quiet," Koa whispered, his ears swiveling cautiously.

  They reached the split trunk. Celeste scanned the base, looking for the usual smooth white stone. Her paws brushed the moss, finding the stone instantly, but her eyes landed on the trunk just above it.

  A crude symbol, stained bright crimson with berry juice, stared back at her: a sun rising over a jagged line.

  Celeste’s blood ran cold. "Dawn."

  "Dawn what?" Koa asked, leaning in.

  "An attack," Celeste whispered, the fire in her heart flaring to life, cold and hard as steel. She looked at the symbol, then back toward the royal caves, an image of Alexandra's trembling form flashing in her mind. "In two days. Evelyn is planning a dawn ambush on the camp."

  Koa’s jaw tightened, his expression grim. "That little princess has guts."

  "Guts won't save us if we don't move now," Celeste said, snatching the white stone. She turned and sprinted back through the forest, the fear replaced entirely by focus. "We can't just fight them, Koa. We're outnumbered. We have to use their ambush against them. We need to turn their dawn into their darkest night."

  The countdown had begun.

  The two days vanished in a frenzy of silent preparations. Celeste and Koa rallied their small pack, their faces grim as they shared the intelligence provided by the princess. The fire that had once burned solely in Celeste was now a shared flame of defiance.

  They couldn't fight the royal army head-on. Their numbers were too few, their weapons salvaged, their strength drawn from necessity rather than a queen’s decree. But what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in knowledge of the terrain.

  Koa was looking through the weapons they had, coming across a sword with a handle and gaurd as red as garnet. Woah… he thought, pulling it out of the box it was in. “Wait…” he said to himself, holding it up to the light, a fire starting even bigger in his heart in realization. Father’s sword…. He thought, his eyes widening in shock. Celeste walked up to him, their mother’s sword that she ended up keeping for herself was fastened along her chest. Kairo was busy looking at the sword and didn’t notice her approaching. She lit up as soon as she saw the sword. “Is that…?” She stared in awe. “It is…” He breathed out, his eyes still locked on the sword with fascination. “Do you think you will inherent his powers like what happened with moms?” she asked, tilting her head while looking at the sword. “Only one way to find out..” He said nervously, unsheathing it. A dark red aura surrounded him, his brown eyes turning red and glowing slightly. “Father’s eyes…” Celeste said softly, watching him recover from the power shock. “Woah,” he found himself saying, new power and strength running through his viens.

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  “Alright, lets go,” Celeste said, going towards the crowd of rouges that were huddled.

  Koa followed, mind still reeling with question and wonders, he got there in time to hear;

  "Evelyn wants an ambush?" Celeste whispered to her assembled pack under the cover of night, her mother’s sword gleaming in her paws. "We'll give her one. Just not the one she’s expecting."

  They spent hours rigging traps. Snares made of interwoven vines were hidden in the brush; deadfall traps were carefully balanced above the main paths the royal army would likely take. They rerouted a small stream to turn a clear, open field into a muddy, confusing mire that would slow the organized army to a crawl.

  Meanwhile, back at the castle, Alexandra was a nervous wreck. She couldn't sleep. She spent the two days performing her "perfect princess" routine, her paws shaking as she organized scrolls, her ears straining to catch any extra information. Kane, still confined to his chambers, was equally restless. She snuck him food and updates when she could, confirming that the army was indeed mobilizing.

  "Be careful, Alex," he had whispered to her during one nervous meeting outside his door. "Mother is a different kind of wolf when she smells victory."

  Dawn of the third day. The sky was the color of a bruised peach. A heavy mist clung to the ground, exactly as Celeste had predicted. However, there was something she didn’t predict. Not even Alexandra saw this coming. “Come with me, Alexandra,” Her mother said, leading her down a hallway.

  “Of course mother,” Alexandra said, following immediately. “I need to do something unfortunately.” she said, her head straight ahead. “Oh, what is it mother? You can tell me anything.” Alexandra said in the sweet voice, Maybe I can learn something from this… Alexandra thought, still looking up at her mother. Once she did, she saw her face, grim, annoyed? Maybe even hurt? They stopped walking, pausing in front of a room. “See sweetheart,” She said, pausing. “You’ve been a great help, but unfortunately. I can’t allow you to come with me this time.” Evelyn said, smiling cruelly. “What!?” Alexandra said. But before she could say anything else or react, Evelyn shoved her into a dark room, shutting the heavy door before saying “Have fun in there….little Alex.”. Alexandra’s heart ran cold. How had she figured it out? Was it something she gave away? How was this possible? Her mind kept thinking while in the dark. Suddenly a gas appeared in the room. The moment she inhaled, her body went limp and she fell unconscious. Her mother watched her fall to the floor from a camera. “Good, now we are ready in case we ever need a hostage.” she said quietly, her eyes still glued to the shape of Alexandra’s body on the floor. “Your majesty?” a guard stumbled in. “Yes?” Evelyn plastered a fake smile and a fake happy voice on, turning the cameras off quickly. “The guards are ready to deploy,” the guard reported, saluting her. “Perfect…. Prepare to head out!” she commanded the guard and he nodded, running back to the rest of the squad.

  Queen Evelyn led her army through the forest, a silent, deadly force moving with practiced precision. Her grim smile was back, anticipation in her every step. Her claws twitched, eager to end this rogue problem once and for all.

  But as they approached the border of the rouge camp, the ground changed. The first rank hit the sudden mire, sinking to their knees in mud and water. Confusion rippled through the royal line. They struggled, trying to free themselves, and others trying to free their friends.

  "Keep moving!" Evelyn snapped, shoving a bogged-down guard aside.

  Then, the traps began to fall. Vines caught paws and torsos, pulling guards off their feet and into the air. Heavy branches crashed down, forcing them to scatter and break formation.

  From the shadows, the rogue pack emerged, not as a charging army, but as silent, strategic hunters. They didn't engage in large battles; they used guerrilla tactics, striking from the mist, using the chaos of the traps they had set. They stalked them slowly, observing the movements. Finally, they charged, a full frontal charge towards the queen and her guards.

  Celeste moved like smoke through the fog, her sword a blur of coffee and tan colors. This was the fire she had cultivated, refined into a precise weapon. She was in her element, fighting for survival and vengeance, turning the royal army's perfect dawn ambush into their bloody, chaotic reality. The war had truly begun, and the rogues were ready for the fight.