In a tiny, damp, muddy, and cold cave, an unusual wolf lay with its eyes slightly ajar. Its body was comparable to that of a starved calf, and its yellow eyes shone with a determined yet sorrowful glow that made the cave even more unwelcoming. This particular den was nestled in a small hill on the edge of the Endless Forest, a name that held far more truth than most people would ever comprehend. Ordinary mortals saw only a small patch of trees on the desolate Northern continent, but it was far more than this.
It had been raining for days now, and from the dark clouds that completely enveloped the skies, it was clear that the world wanted to weep a little longer.
The wolf's belly was rounder than the rest of her body. With ribs protruding like a skeletal cage, the swollen belly was no sign of health, it was the heavy burden of impending life. The wolf was in extreme pain that forced her body to tremble ever so slightly with each breath she took. Labor's hourglass had run dry, yet her body continued to rack itself with futile, torturous contractions that promised no release. This was not her first time giving birth, but she felt she would likely die this time. The best-case scenario was that most of her pups would be stillborn or terribly deformed. This was the only thing that could explain the agonizing pain that left no possibility of an end.
Even with the excruciating pain, the wolf dared not let out a single howl. This was the Endless Forest, and a cry of pain was nothing less than an open invitation for predators and beings worse than any beast had the right to be.
The grey wolf was far from ordinary. She was a demonic beast, a creature whose ancestors once proudly ruled all there was. However, she was far removed from her mighty ancestors; she carried a bloodline so thoroughly debased that it had no further depths to sink into. Grey wolves generally possessed the intellect of a ten-year-old human child, but some were born with more than enough brains to rival or even surpass most humans. They had desires, hopes, and dreams. They hated and loved just as the humans did, if not even more deeply.
Driven by hope and love for her unborn cubs, the wolf struggled to her feet and walked with trembling legs into the heavy rain. The tall trees surrounding the den blocked what little sunlight there was, helping to conceal the entrance from passing predators. This was one of the primary reasons she had managed to remain hidden from the cruelties of life for so long. In a normal forest, the grey wolf would have been an apex predator, bred for the hunt and endless conquest. In the Endless Forest, however, the wolf was prey to ninety percent of the inhabitants and a primary food source for sixty percent.
With some help from her weak bloodline ability to control the wind, the wolf moved slowly and carefully, hiding deep within the shrubs and bushes to avoid detection. She stayed downwind and avoided entering into territories belonging to other beasts. The inherited memories that had been passed down through her bloodline had kept her kind from extinction for thousands of years, allowing them to get by on this continent that offered nothing but malice and despair.
The wolf knew the secret location of an ancient immortal herb capable of softening the edges of a lethal labor, a prize she had previously lacked the suicidal courage to hunt. Now, with death looming, she had no other choice.
Fortunately, the gods, or perhaps the devils, seemed to favour the birth of her pups. The wolf reached the herb without any incident. It was called the Cardinal Luck Herb, a vibrant yellow plant with four distinct leaves pointing in the cardinal directions. The leaf pointing south, representing birth, was twice as large as the others, which represented life (east), youth (west), and death (north). It was believed to gather the blessings and luck of the four directions, making it a highly coveted herb.
Although it was only of the lowest grade, for a low-level demonic beast such as the grey wolf, it was more than enough. The wolf snatched the herb into her mouth and swallowed it whole. She then quickly but cautiously returned to her den and gave birth to six healthy pups.No one knew it, but this single birth was the nexus event that would permanently and irrevocably change the world and all of existence forever.