The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 6: The path of the Silver wolf.

The Harsh winds of the Alaskan winter blew harshly over the forest of Tongass. A lone shadow darkened the snow as it trekked through the snow slowly. A muscular six-foot-three man in a white robe and red raven-shaped mask carried a small girl with Silver skin and a balaclava on her head. She was no more than four feet tall and wore a dark blue silk dress. Both of them wore clunky brown mukluk boots that the man had made himself.

"Where are we going, Daddy?"  Chirped the little girl in Haidan language as she gently kicked her legs. The man stopped and stood her in the snow. "Home, my child... Home," he said in a soft voice as he knelt down to her level and patted her head before removing her balaclava, revealing her to only have a very small tuft of white hair.

The little girl self-consciously tried to cover her head as she puffed her cheeks out. "But this isn't home! Home is in Florida with Mama and Rosie! ...And my friend Derek too! It's so cold up here I can see my breath! I've never seen anything like it back home," she said as she tried to reach for her balaclava, only for the man to pocket it. 

"I know you haven't, dear..." He said with regret as he took off his robe to reveal his medium brown skin. He was wearing only a black pair of self-made shorts to cover himself, clearly unaffected by the harsh cold around him. "If I had my way, you would have stayed here the day you were born... You can thank your mother for that..." He continued.

"I have heard and seen more than enough of the way children treat you at that 'school' your mother is so adamant we send you and your sister to. All because of your skin and hair color from that accident... While I admit it was unfair to blame your friend Derek, and while I ALSO admit that he has been a good friend helping you fight your battles... We are Haidan... we fight our own battles... So I will be training you properly." He told her while he flexed his muscles.

The little girl gulped. "But Daddy.. I don't like to fight." She tried to protest as she backed away, only to trip and fall on her behind. The man adjusted his mask and shook his head. "This isn't about fun, Sera; this is about Necessity... I  once thought of you as my little Raven, but fate has decided to make you my Silver Wolf... As such, you must be fierce like the wolf; you must fight like the wolf." He answered.

Sera nodded and stood up, taking a beginner's fighting stance. "Yes, Daddy... So what do I do now?" She asked with determination in her eyes. The man chuckled and took a more experienced stance. "Now? For the next six months, I will instill in you the pride of our culture, as well as the skills necessary to defend yourself... Who knows? Maybe one day instead of your friend helping you, you'll be helping him!" He retorted.

Sera's eyes lit up at the thought of fighting alongside Derek. Childish fantasies of them going on adventures together began to fill her mind. "I'm READY, Daddy!" She exclaimed fiercely. The man laughed proudly and nodded. "Excellent, my little Silver wolf! Now... hit me with everything you've got and let that pent-up energy flow!" He told her. Sera nodded and threw the strongest punch we had.

Silver opened her eyes and punched a reinforced five-ton stainless steel punching bag back in a slow, steady rhythm as she chanted. "THAT'S RIGHT, I FIGHT! THAT'S RIGHT! FIGHT!" She chanted as her punches got stronger and stronger. "For my family waiting back home. I FIGHT! In the Darkness when I'm all on my own. I FIGHT! Haidan Ancestors, can't you see? Honor pure and ripe in me! Body trained to suit my need, to meet the demand of my creed. I will pledge this until my last rest! I will pledge this until my last breath! I will pledge this until my great death!" She chanted in flawless timing with her powerful punches.

After a full hour had passed, she adjusted her sky-blue training Bra and matching spandex-lined shorts before chugging her grape-flavored vitamin water. "Good training today...  Perhaps one day Father will see how far I've come." She told herself with a proud nod.

A deep laugh came at the entrance of the gym. "Father? Really, Silver?" You still believe our parents are alive?" asked a dark-skinned woman in a rose-colored dress. Her Dark green boots echoed as she strutted toward Silver nonchalantly, as her long pink ponytail trailed behind her.

"Rosellia... Oh, how I've... MISSED you so much." Said Silver with a strained smile as she reached out for a handshake. Rosellia reached for it, only to lightly pinch the braid of white hair on Silver's head where a Golden ring shined. "I'm sure you have, dear sister... I'm sure you have..." She said as Silver smacked her hand away, causing Rosellia to smirk down at her.

"Well, Silver, I really only dropped by to announce I'd be in this dreary state for a little while... Perhaps later on you can introduce me to this quaint little family you've raised? It's been ever so long since I've seen Derek!" She said, smiling wide enough to show her teeth.

Silver's eyes narrowed hard as she glared up into Rosellia's brown eyes. "Why are you really here? You've never given a damn about me OR Derek! What in god's name could you possibly need to be here for?!" She demanded angrily, to which Rosellia waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, calm down, little sister. I'm merely here on some personal business... maybe when we next meet, I'll talk about it with you, or maybe I'll leave without a trace and never see you again! Where would be the fun in knowing the end result in a story that's just beginning, am I right? Anyway, It's been real, and it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun... have fun praying to the ancestors or whatever Father has you doing!" she said as she waved behind her while leaving the gym.

Silver growled angrily and headed to the shower. "She's nothing more than a brat... She has been ever since we were kids.. Not sure why I thought over a decade of not seeing each other would change that." She said while standing under the near-boiling hot water. "That's fine, my REAL family needs me right now anyway... I need to hurry up and get changed if I want to make that dinner date at Larry's." She told herself as she started her many beautification processes.

After a five-minute lather, a ten-minute rinse, the application of a deep root shampoo, and a matching conditioner, Silver finally stepped out of the shower. She then dried herself off, carefully stepped into a metallic sky blue dress, gently eased her size 8 feet into her white heels, and applied her makeup. "Flawless." She said as she blew a kiss into the mirror.

"Whatever Rosellia has planned, it can wait; right now, Derek and Lisa are my main priorities." She said simply as she got into her army green jeep and zoomed off into the approaching night, all her cares being left behind as she hit the road.