A twig snapped, followed by a low animal growl. The hairs on Darian's neck prickled. Wolves were unusual so close to the village...there it was again, a drawn-out snarl that seemed to vibrate through the earth beneath him.

Darian's hand went to the small hatchet at his belt. Whatever beast was out there, he would face it. After losing almost his entire family, he had little left to fear.

Slowly he turned towards the ominous sounds. At first nothing moved among the dense trees and foliage. Then, between two moss-covered trunks, a pair of golden eyes glinted as they caught a beam of sunlight.

Darian's breath seized in his chest.

An entire pack of timber wolves stood there watching him, teeth bared menacingly. There were at least ten of them that he could see, likely more hidden from view.

They had him surrounded.

Darian scrambled to his feet and pressed his back against the great oak. Its sturdy bulk might shield him from one side at least. But there was no escaping the wolf pack now. He gripped his hatchet tightly in one hand, the other hovering over the hilt of his knife. Neither felt like nearly enough protection, but he would not cower helplessly before these beasts.

The alpha wolf emerged first from between the trees, massive black wolf with silver markings. It stared unblinkingly at Darian and emitted a rumbling growl. One by one, the rest of the pack followed their leader into view and began encircling the tree.

His mouth went dry. Ma, I'm so sorry, he thought hopelessly. It seemed Mara would soon endure another family member ripped away from her within the same twenty-four hours.

Darian met the alpha wolf's golden eyes. If these were to be his final moments, he would face them with courage. He owed his mother that much, for all the love and strength she had given him over the years.

The alpha growled again, a clear warning, and took one step closer. The pack tensed, ready to strike on their leader's signal.

Talia's sweet face flashed through Darian's mind one last time. He braced himself for the fangs that would tear his life away.

Suddenly a smaller russet-coloured wolf pushed through the pack to stand between Darian and the alpha.

It was barely more than a pup - could it be...? Darian's brow furrowed as a memory stirred.

Yes, this was the wolf pup he had freed from a snare recently, the one whose eyes had reminded him so much of Talia.

The pup was barking and whining, Darian could not understand but the alpha wolf cocked its great shaggy head, looking first at the pup, then Darian. A low whuff escaped its muzzle. Whatever the pup said appeared to have placated the pack leader's aggression.

One by one the surrounding wolves melted back into the woods as silently as they had come. Darian slowly lowered his hatchet, hardly daring to breathe.

The immediate danger seemed to have passed, thanks to the mercy he had shown the pup. Somehow his act of kindness had been repaid in full today.

Soon only the alpha and the young pup remained facing Darian across the small glen. The great wolf stared at him intently for one more heartbeat. Darian sensed a flicker of grudging respect in its golden eyes.

Then the alpha too disappeared between the trees. Only the russet-coloured pup lingered, watching Darian curiously. It yipped as if asking a question.

Darian let out an overwhelmed laugh. "You saved me, little one! Thank you."

The pup's plumed tail wagged at Darian's words. It trotted nearer, then rubbed affectionately against his leg. Darian slowly extended a hand. When the pup made no protest, he gently scratched behind its twitching ears. Its fur was surprisingly soft.

Darian shook his head in wonder. This was no chance encounter - the pup had clearly sought him out purposely, and somehow convinced the pack not to tear him apart limb from limb. Darian did not understand how, but he owed this young wolf his life.

"You've more than repaid any debt from me freeing you," Darian told the pup. "Now go on back to your pack. I'll be alright now."

He gave the pup one final scratch, then stepped away, expecting it to lose interest and vanish after its packmates. But instead, the wolf pup whined and followed Darian as he headed deeper into the woods to finish checking his traps.

Darian turned back with a frown. "Go on now, go! Shoo!" He waved his hands at the pup.

The wolf yipped petulantly. But it only trailed a few more paces behind Darian when he continued on.

Sighing, Darian gave up trying to dissuade his new companion. Perhaps now they were even, the pup felt some sort of bomd with him. And if Darian was being honest, the company was not entirely unwelcome after the day's events.

Having such a wild creature choose him made Darian feel almost special, like one of those mythical woodsmen who befriended forest beings. The wolf pup's presence filled a tiny portion of the gaping hole Talia's loss had left behind. And Darian could not bring himself to turn it away.

"Okay then, you can come," Darian conceded, "but stay close."

The pup barked happily and gambolled around Darian's feet as he finished checking the snares. It tried bounding off after a squirrel at one point, but soon came trotting back to the boy's side.

Darian found himself smiling as he worked with the energetic pup darting around nearby. Its playful antics reminded him of his little sister.

Just as Darian stood up, ready to say goodbye to the pup and head back home, a pained squeal followed by a sharp crack sound drew his attention. He quickly spun around to see the pup hanging limply from the jaws of a massive panther-like beast.

Out of pure instinct, Darian grabbed the knife from his belt and hurled it at the panther. But the beast was too quick - it dodged to the side in one smooth motion, letting the knife glance harmlessly off its coat.

Darian stumbled backwards, fumbling to ready his bow as the panther fixed its gleaming yellow eyes on him. It had likely been tracking the wolf pup, and now seemed to consider Darian an easy second meal.

With a snarl, the panther flung the pup's lifeless body aside and gathered itself to pounce. Darian shot an arrow desperately, but it missed as the panther charged.

He had no time for a second shot. Darian cried out as the predator crashed into him, its hot breath reeking of blood across his face. They tumbled in the leaf litter, the panther's jaws snapping ferociously near his throat.

As he struggled to keep those razor fangs from closing around his neck, Darian had one horrible thought: Sorry friend, you should never have stayed with me. Death follows in my footsteps. First Talia, then you…and now me...

But just before the panther could deliver the killing bite, the hourglass-shaped birthmark on Darian's chest suddenly flared with a weak golden light. It pulsed once, twice, like a tiny heartbeat against his skin. Darian, however, was too consumed by terror to even notice the strange glow emanating from his own body.

In that same instant, everything around Darian seemed to freeze in place. The trees, the spiderweb, even the drops of blood suspended in the air - all perfectly still.

The panther itself was locked in time on top of Darian, yellow eyes wide and white teeth inches from his skin.

What is this? M-magic? Darian's heart pounded as he lay pinned beneath the unmoving predator. Had some forest spirit taken pity and intervened to save him? He had heard tales of such beings that lived in the woods, but he had never seen proof himself. Perhaps one had been watching over him, and chose this moment to act.

Or was this merely a cruel illusion before death?

Darian strained to break free, but the panther's paws held him down. He felt the sting of its claws digging into his shoulders, the stench of blood and fur smothering him.

Darian's own heartbeat thundered in his ears - the only sound in this still world. He wondered if he was already dead, and this was some vision in the transition to the afterlife.

As he lay there suspended in time, Darian's thoughts turned to his sister Talia. He pictured her sweet face and innocent smile, the way her eyes lit up whenever he returned from the forest. If only he had found the Miriam Grace herb for her sooner, perhaps she could have been saved.

Just then, the golden glow of the hourglass-like mark winked out as quickly as it had appeared, fading back to its normal dark colour, as if nothing unusual had ever happened. And with a sudden lurch, time resumed its flow and the panther's jaws clamped down on Darian's throat in a vice-like grip. He gasped as razor-sharp teeth tore into his flesh. Warm blood bubbled up, filling his mouth with a metallic taste.

Agonizing pain shot through Darian's body as his vision began to dim, the forest growing darker by the second.

As the last sliver of light faded, Darian felt a violent wrenching within his chest, as if his soul was being ripped from his body. The trees and panther stretched and blurred as the world dissolved around him.

I'll see you soon, Talia. Big brother is coming to join you...

Then Darian knew no more.