***
17 years before.
In the midst of winter, across a vast expanse of mountain, a group of people trudged between towering cliffs. They moved in a long single file. In the middle was a mother carrying a child on her shoulders, while a slightly older boy walked behind her, clutching the back of her clothing; she was a mother of two. They wore thick garments lined with grey fur.
The wind howled between the cliffs, biting through even the thick fur they wore. Their movement was painfully slow in the cold winter. The child walking behind tugged at his mother's clothes, trying to get her attention, and she glanced over her shoulder.
"So cold..." The boy muttered.
"Use your hybrid, Saugrar." His mother said.
Saugrar closed his eyes, trying to concentrate, and in an instant, fine gray feathers appeared on his cheeks, while his eyelashes grew longer and turned gray.
Saugrar then, tugged his mother's clothes again, causing his mother to turned back to look at him.
"Why, Saugrar?" His mother asked.
"Why we are going so slowly, mother?" He asked.
"The people at the front are responsible for setting our pace, sweetheart. Got it? Now stop tugging at mom's clothes. Your little brother is asleep, and if he wakes up, it'll be difficult for me to get him back to sleep."
"But... alright, mother."
He returned to holding his mother's shirt. Once again, they walked in a long line, across the never-ending snow.
***
These formations have been passed down and used for generations over thousands of years. We called it, wolf line formation. This formation consists of several groups.
The front of the group was made up of the elderly and the sick; those responsible for setting the rhythm and ensuring that no one fell behind. They are the reason we are moving so slowly.
The second group, meanwhile, consisted of brave and strong men, tasked with defending the front line. They were called, Alpha's Lead. And the third row is where we are, the row filled with women, children, and expectant mothers.
At the back, there was one last group; strong and ferocious men, known as The Lone's Guard, responsible for protecting all of us from any attacks from the rear.
Yet, one thought still lingered in my mind.
***
"Mother, can I know something?" He asked.
"What is it?"
"Why is there someone trailing so far behind? Has he been abandoned or shunned?"
His mother's eyes opened wide as she pulled Saugrar's hand forward.
"Watch your mouth, Saugrar, That's The Lone." She said.
"He's... The Lone?" Saugrar said in confusion.
A man from the Alpha's Lead row shouted, drawing everyone's attention.
"The cycle will change and the stormrill will arrive in a few days. We need to find shelter."
His mother's grip on his hand tightened. From behind them, a woman spoke up.
"We won't survive if stormrill arrives."
Suddenly, a man from The Lone's Guard rushed to the front, shouting.
"Faster! Faster!"
Everyone moved quickly, as if something bad were about to happen. But Saugrar's gaze never shifted from the person he saw as an isolated figure.
They walked across the vast snowy mountains for days, stopping only to eat and sleep. At night, they rested beneath the endless, twinkling stars. Saugrar lay on the snow, gazing up at the sky.
When it was time to eat, they would gather in large groups, and Saugrar would carry his little brother on his shoulders, running around. Each time they did so, his mother would scold them.
But as they continued their journey, something began to trouble him; something he couldn't ignore. It was the one said to be their leader… the one walking alone at the very back, the one he saw as a solitary figure.
And slowly, he began to realize something; this formation was useless.
The following day, they discovered a cave within a mountain that soared into the sky. Inside, glowing fireflies lit up the entire cavern. They had made it just in time, before the stormrill fully descended.
The sky darkened, and the wind howled heavier.
"Ha, we're safe." Someone said.
"Stormrill will arrive in less than half an hour. The next few days will be spent here, so let's get ready." A man from the Alpha's Lead said.
Saugrar saw his mother busy arranging their belongings and preparing a place for them to sleep.
"Mother, can I ask something?" He asked.
"Just ask." She replied, still not looking at him.
"I think The Lone is nothing but useless... he shouldn't exist."
His mother froze and everyone who heard it fell silent, staring at the boy who was asking his mother a question. His mother glanced around, noticing everyone watching them with wary eyes. His mother then held Saugrar's hand.
"You're joking, Saugrar, right?" She smiled, albeit falsely.
A man who overheard the conversation between the mother and child watched from a distance.
"I don't think so. All this time, we've been led by the Alpha's Lead and The Lone's Guard, but him? If he truly is our leader, why is he at the very back? Isn't that an insult? He should be at the front, leading us."
Whispers spread through the gathered group. Some frowned, some glanced nervously at each other.
"What are you saying, Saugrar? You have no right to speak like that."
The man who heard that walked up to them.
"But it's true, mother." He said
The wind grew colder, and a distant rumble echoed through the mountains. The man was standing behind Saugrar. Suddenly, his mother's eyes widened and bowed down, quickly.
"The Lone! Forgive him, he's just a child, he doesn't understand anything." She spoke.
Saugrar glanced over his shoulder.
"Who is this old man?" Saugrar said.
His mother then pulled him down.
"Don't be so rude, Saugrar!"
The man crouched down until he was at Saugrar level.
"Hurry up and apologize, Saugrar." His mother said.
"It's okay." The man said. " Is this your son?"
"Yes, The Lone. Please forgive my son."
"What's your name?" The man asked his mother.
"Eris, The Lone."
"So Eris, can I borrow your son for a while?"
"O-Of course." She said, trembling.
"What's your name, kid?" The man asked.
"Saugrar."
"Saugrar, huh... What a beautiful name; just like your mother."
"May I ask how old you are?"
"Nine years old."
Everyone looked at them, speculating about what would happen to the child.
"But before that, should we go somewhere else? A place where no one could hear or grow suspicious." The man said.
Saugrar looked around, and all eyes were on him. The man held out his hand, and Saugrar took it. Side by side, they walked until they stood at the entrance of the cave, looking out at the outside world; the sky growing darker, the snowfall having already ceased, though the ground was still buried piled layers of snow.
"Let me introduce myself first, as it would be impolite to ask for your name without doing the same." The man said. "My name is Fernris."
"Fernris?" Saugrar asked.
"Yes."
"Just like fenrir?"
"You could say that."
Saugrar let go of his hand and looked toward Fernris, whose gaze was fixed on the outside world.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"So, Saugrar, what is your opinion of The Lone and how much do you know about it?"
Saugrar looked ahead.
"To me, The Lone is the most useless of all and offers nothing to the formation. He's nothing more than someone left behind, doing whatever he wants."
"I see... so what are you going to do about it?"
"I... I–" Saugrar looked down at the ground beneath his feet. "I will become the next Lone and change this old system."
"I see..." A smile crept across his face.
"The old system... maybe you're right. The formation we've used all this time is not truly perfect just because it has been passed down for generations."
"But maybe... with a new generation like you, Saugrar... perhaps something better can be created than before. And I'm sure that if not you, someone else will come to improve this imperfect system."
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the ground, sending nearby clumps of snow bursting outward in all directions. Thunder roared everywhere, and lightning continued to strike the earth without end. At that moment, everyone knew–stormrill had arrived.
"If you think about it, it's no different from what we're seeing right now. We were told stormrill would arrive in less than half an hour, yet it came within minutes. No one ever knows the exact moment it will strike... but one thing certain–it will come." Fernris said. "Life is like a cycle that always change; nothing stays forever."
"But do you really know the truth about The Lone?"
"What is it?" Saugrar said.
The place fell into silence.
"It is a burden and a destiny that no one can understand except the one who bears it. One day, you may understand, Saugrar... Because you might be the one to break it."
"I'll be the one to break it?"
"But for now, you're still only a child... you may truly able to break it one day if you train under me."
"Under you?"
"Yes... what do you think? Do you agree?" He said.
Saugrar looked at Fernris and reached out his hand with a wide smile.
"Of course I want to, old man."
"Do I look that old?"
Saugrar laughed joyfully, and Fernris, watching him, felt something for the first time, something he had never felt before... this feeling...
"Yes, it is, old man." Saugrar said joyfully.
Fernris watched Saugrar laughed with joy, and little by little, a smile formed on his face as a soft laughed escaped him.
For a moment, everyone stood frozen, watching the two of them laugh endlessly while stormrill raged outside, striking the earth without mercy. From afar, Eris smiled as he watched Saugrar. 'It's the first time I've ever seen that old man laughed like that.'