Chapter 1 . Wolves

That night the blue moon came. Unexpected, anxious. It scorched the gloomy firs with its dead light, sparkled in the snow and ice. The air smelled of confusion, anxiety. And she, an unexpected guest, shone proudly, with courage dispersing the darkness.A bad harbinger - that's what they called her ..."I'm not afraid," he said, squinting up at the sky.It was an old wolf whose name no one will remember. With ice-blue eyes on a gray, trembling muzzle and gray hair sparkling like snow. Nameless . The one who remembered what was not supposed to be known.He, tired, looked longingly at the moon. She, full and round, shone brightly and did not think to melt, like a mirage.The third time he saw her in his lifetime... And every time she brought misfortune...– Do you believe? In omens? came a soft, crackling voice from behind.Darina, dressed in a simple white dress, carefully stepped barefoot on the ice. The light fabric flowed like mist. Dark ribbons curled like snakes in her light blond hair, tied like a human into a braid.“Don't believe me, child. Should I not believe ... - he repeated, and then fell silent. Do not call trouble.She brought him dinner. Darina... a young she-wolf with a warm heart that remembered the old man whom everyone preferred to forget. Dear, kind Darina... Will the changes that come with the blue moon spare you?..While the old man ate, she sat nearby, thoughtfully fiddling with her scythe. Then the wolf cubs came running - Aleyna and Veslav. Those that were born this spring began to carelessly play with each other, tumbling in the snow. After running, they got tired and sat down, clinging to their mother's legs.“Mother, tell a story…” little Aleyna asked, looking into her eyes with hope. Hearing his sister's request, Wiesław also moaned:- A fairy tale! .. A fairy tale! .. - he whined loudly.Darina, tired from household chores, sighed heavily. Every evening she told the children stories, but the ones she knew were gradually coming to an end. The she-wolf thought to tell the puppies how the old man saved her:“Do you want me to share a story with you?” - said the wolf. He knew a lot. But, although many considered his stories to be difficult, everyone invariably hung on every word with bated breath.Will there be love there? And daana? Alayne asked enthusiastically, wagging her tail.What about battles and great deeds? Her brother showed interest.The old man smiled slyly.- This story is old ... A lot of things are intertwined in it.The cubs, along with their mother, froze in anticipation.“They say it happened a long time ago, long before I was born and before yours. They say that then Icebang was not known as such a harsh and cold land, and spicy herbs that love the sun so much bloomed on the northern plains. But even then, great wolves lived here, whose blood is still flowing through our veins. They, our ancestors, were all brave warriors: both women and men skillfully wielded weapons, and there were no equals in battle. And each ... each! .. wielded a special named blade, cast from living steel. The great wolves protected their world from those they fear in the night. Legends were made about them, songs were sung... They were admired, they were feared...But envy leaped into the heart of the overseas king Niven, named after the mountain flint. Amazing plants grew in his domain, but they did not bloom so beautifully and did not give such tasty fruits; his warriors seemed strong, but not as strong as the great wolves; and women in the country were born beautiful, but not as charming as northern she-wolves. And the king wanted to conquer Icebang, to subordinate it to his will. And he did something terrible... Niven turned to the underground ruler for help, and he had nine Valkyrie daughters. The ruler of the underworld promised that in less than a year the peninsula would never be the same, and he gave his daughter, Kalukk, to help the king.They say that her contemporaries found her unusually beautiful: her hair, dark as night, fell in waves behind her shoulders, and emerald green eyes shone brightly. From the shine of the armor of the Valkyrie, the northern lights arose, spilling water colors across the sky. Sacred dew fell from the horse's mane, awakening to life, and the sword illuminated the impenetrable darkness with fiery light.It is not surprising that the king soon fell in love with her. But the daughter of the underground ruler did not want to become his wife, her heart longed for freedom, like a hawk in the sky, and she only laughed at the stupid mortal.The war has begun. The people who were protected by the great wolves drew their swords against them. Blood was shed... Niven's warriors, endowed with unprecedented power, did not bend under the weight of wolf blades, and were not afraid of the skill with which the Icebeng warriors wielded enchanted blades.People died; werewolf wolves died... Only Kalukk flew across the battlefield on a winged horse and picked up the dead. The souls of those went to the father of the virgin for the chamber. Valkyrie just laughed carelessly. She didn't care about the troubles of mortals.People, endowed with the power of an underground ruler, destroyed the houses of their recent defenders, killed their small children. Everywhere reigned only death and violence.Indestructible warriors perished.There were no separate packs then, all the wolves united under the command of one leader. His name was Heilden. No one could compare with him either in the skill of warfare, or in wisdom and courage. With pain, he watched as people, in whose eyes madness settled, destroyed everything dear to him. The wolves could not defeat this darkness. Realizing that defeat was inevitable, the beast forgot about its own pride and went to the one in whose power it was to change everything ...Every wolf is inflexible, proud and chooses death to retreat. Only the leader cannot think about his pride, for him the pack is more precious than his own skin.Bowing his head, Heilden stood before Kalukk. Interest flared in her emerald eyes. She listened carefully to the petitioner. For the immortal Valkyrie, the life of a man, and even a wolf, meant nothing, but for some reason she agreed to help a mortal. She didn't even know why...