All Chapters of Dogtags and Direwolves - Rowan’s Awakening : Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

The horn sounded again.Closer.Its mournful note rolled through the Black Forest like a funeral hymn, vibrating in Rowan’s chest long after the echo had faded.No one spoke.Every Warden stood frozen.Even Kael had gone still.Rowan scanned the faces around her.Matthias.Elias.The younger Wardens.Every one of them looked… afraid.Not nervous.Not cautious.Afraid.She leaned toward Elias.“You called it the Hunt.”His jaw tightened.“I prayed you would never hear that horn.”“What is it?”He looked toward the trees.“A promise.”⸻Branches swayed without wind.The silver moonlight seemed to bend between the ancient pines, casting long, shifting shadows that moved against the direction of the breeze.Fen lowered himself slightly.Not submissive.Ready.His massive body positioned itself half in front of Rowan without blocking her view.Protecting…while allowing her to choose.She smiled faintly.“I’ve noticed you keep doing that.”Fen’s ears flicked back.His blue eyes met hers fo

The silver feather lay across Rowan’s palm.It weighed almost nothing.Yet somehow, it felt heavier than the rifle she’d carried through basic training.She turned it over beneath the moonlight.The surface shimmered with faint runes that seemed to disappear whenever she tried to focus on them.“What is it?”Elias stepped beside her.“A memory.”She frowned.“It looks like a feather.”“It is.”“But nothing Arawn leaves behind is ever just what it appears.”She looked toward the trees where the mysterious rider had disappeared.“Will I see him again?”Elias didn’t hesitate.“Yes.”The certainty in his voice sent a chill through her.“And next time…”“…it will be because you have a choice to make.”⸻The clearing slowly returned to life.Wardens gathered weapons and checked the lodge’s perimeter. A pair disappeared into the forest with lanterns to inspect the northern trail. Others quietly repaired the splintered front door.No one spoke above a whisper.It felt less like surviving a ba