Category: Fables

The Healing Flame

Taranis stood before Drax, his bare feet silent on the cold earth. A soft golden light shimmered around his small hand as he reached up and gently placed it on Drax’s forehead. His voice was quiet, yet steady words none had taught him falling like raindrops from his lips.

“The dragon and the wolves told me,” he said, eyes glowing faintly with an ancient knowing.

Lore stepped forward, startled. “The dragons? You mean a tribe, little one?”

But Taranis did not answer. Instead, Drax stirred, groaning as colour returned to his face. His eyes fluttered open lucid for the first time in moons and the golden glow around Taranis vanished. The boy collapsed into Lore’s arms, suddenly limp but breathing.

Lore caught him, heart pounding. He looked back at Drax, who now sat up slowly, blinking into the firelight.

“What were they doing to you, Drax?” Lore asked, still holding his youngest brother close.

Drax’s voice was hoarse, but calm. “Cleansing the darkness. They say I must walk the coals soon burn the madness away.”

Lore frowned, tightening his grip on the child. “Well… this little stormborn saved your life. Whatever you believe, that’s truth.”

Just then, Conan their father, the chief appeared in the doorway, drawn by the strange stillness and the fading light.

Taranis stirred, his head against Lore’s chest. “My fault, Father,” he murmured in a drowsy voice. “He was hurting… so I fixed it.”

Father stepped ahead slowly, kneeling before them. His eyes flicking from the barely conscious Drax to the sleeping child in Lore’s arms. His voice was heavy.

“He’s only one year old… and he’s healing the broken?”

Lore nodded. “He called it the gift of wolves and dragons.”

Conan exhaled, rubbing his weathered jaw. “Then we’d best prepare. Whatever storms are coming, they’ll start with him.”

“You calling the council father?” Drax asked “I will be punished he’s just a child “

“You have many matters to deal with Drax. little Taranis actions his disobedience to rules not to come here and what ever he did to you will be dealt with in due course a water cleansing, more gathering to keep him from wandering “

“How do you feel brother?’ Lore asked

“Clear minded, like what ever was heavy in me is gone. I feel love for the little one shame for wanting him dead. I’m not expecting you to trust me”

“Trust is earned, ” father said and looked to two men ran. “let him out but no contact with the others no binds this time. I see his food is low let him gather but watch.”

The men nodded no one other
a selected group of tribal elders. Had been permitted to talk to my brother for months. Now the discipline was slowly lifting. The men moved their heads indicating for him to move out still not a word broke.

“Now ostracism starts he outside being watched and we can see him but he can’t interact with us?” Nyx asked

“Yes if he talks to us or the tribe he will receive harsher punishment. One of which was decided to remove his tongue As I’m not killing my own kin. He either follows the council and gets well or he will remain how he is until he dies” father said with a heavy heart “this is the first time I’ve seen him in months and your mothers not seeing him like that a once big strong man now skin and bones this isn’t just punishment for him but for us “

I never thought of it like that the cheif and his wife punished for their sons actions. A powerful man within our tribe powerless to protect his son against the elder councils decisions. After a while we carried the little one out and to home. The largest hut of them placing him on his bed.

That night a meeting was called the elders had demanded with my father. But little Tanaris was still sleeping crying in his sleep and burning up.

I walked to the edge of our camp “BOLDOLPH WHERE ARE YOU” Lore shouted seeing a giant of a wolf beautiful black like the nights sky with a gold five pointed star and red fiery moon on his chest and red fiery eyes

Boldolph strode over putting his head in mine nudging it

“You’re upset young one” Boldolph said his mind connection with mine

“I am my friend, your the tribes sacred ally. Your wiser than you know but did you tell my brother Taranis how to heal?” Lore asked the wolf

“I did ” a small grey wolf lowered his front half as if bowing to Boldolph. “I’m sorry sire, I heard the bright one crying and sought to help him. He missed Drax “

“He hardly knows Drax, father forbade any meeting between them unless Drax was bound and flanked by men. You had no right to interfere silver ” Lore replied

“He ran straight in to the condemned mans hut. Pure disobedience when I called him to stop. Drax could have killed him but my brother used the chant Drax said its like a heavy weight was lifted. Now Taranis is sick with fever .

“Your father?” Boldolph asked glancing angry ar the white wolf

“The tribal elders have called council I’m worried this weakens fathers position. If they lose trust in father, if they consider my baby brother ” Lores voice dropped as he looked to the earth

Boldolph launched at silver growling and teeth bared ready to rip the older wolf apart but a pure white wolf red five pointed star and gold sun on her chest

“STOP THIS ” she snapped at the other wolves parted

“Morrigan it’s an honor to see you again “Conan said kneeling to her level “Boldolph let’s wait for council if my family and I find ourselves displaced then kill silver by all means if it makes you happy”

TO BE CONTINUED

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

June 29, 2025
The Awakening of a Charmed Hero

Taranis lay silent in his cradle, just moments after birth. He didn’t cry, didn’t scream only watched with wide, storm-coloured eyes. I sat by his side, listening to the rising argument between our father and eldest brother, Drax.

“No one will hurt you, baby brother,” I whispered, “not while I and the others still draw breath.”

“Lore,” came our mother’s voice, tired but clear, “you’ll be good to him, won’t you? He’s weak…”

I turned to her and gave a gentle nod. “Yes, Mother. And so will you. You’ll teach him to gather berries and cook. And Father will teach him to hunt. He has eleven older brothers, we’ll teach him everything. But… what is Father going to do about Drax?”

I cradled Taranis in my arms, gently rocking him the way I’d done with the others. Even then, he felt… different. Lighter and heavier at the same time.

“We’ll protect him,” Mother whispered. “But if Drax doesn’t stay quiet, your father may have him silenced.”

There was pain in her voice, thick with grief.

“Drax is being ostracised,” Father said later that day.

“He’s moved to the empty hut. My men are watching him. But Lore my boy you are to be chief when I enter the eternal sleep. Drax has forfeited his claim.”

“Yes, Father,” I replied, handing the baby to him before leaving for council training.

Many moons passed.

Drax had become more unstable touched by something dark. He talked to shadows. He thrashed like a wild animal when approached. Still, Father refused to have him killed.

But Drax had never been allowed near Taranis unbound not since the moment of his birth.

One afternoon, I sat carving a storm sigil into a flat stone when a scream echoed across the camp. It was Stone, a tribal woman and healer. I dropped my tools and ran.

Inside the birthing hut, Taranis barely four months old was standing unaided.

“L… Lore?” the baby said softly.

I froze. My heart thundered in my chest. “Yes… I’m Lore. You’re Taranis the stormborne one.”

No child had ever spoken or walked at that age. He was already taller than most children twice his age. His voice was clear. His steps were steady.

Our parents rushed in.

“Conan, he’s doing it,” Mother said, her voice laced with awe and fear. “But it’s far too early.”

Father’s eyes scanned the room. He bent down and lifted Taranis, pride and dread wrestling in his expression.

“Stone,” he said quietly, “you saw nothing. And neither did you, Lore.”

“Drax is here for visitation today,” I reminded him, uneasy.

“The shaman has blessed him. He’s… clear enough,” Father replied. “But I will not kill my own blood.”

“Dadda?” Taranis said with a toothless grin. “Momma. Daddy. Lore.”

“That’s right, my charmed one,” Father said softly. “And you are?”

“Tabaris,” he chirped, mispronouncing his own name.

“Close. It’s Taranis,” Father corrected gently.

“Taranis,” he said again, tapping his chest. “Me Tanaris. You Daddy. That Mommy Sweet Voice. That Lore.”

I chuckled. “That’s right, little one. I’m your brother Lore. That’s Stone. And these are your other brothers. Do you know their names?”

“Lore… Oak, Willow… River, Sky… Star…”

He paused, hiding his face bashfully.

“You did brilliantly,” I reassured him. “You’re only three moons old and already speaking better than most of us at one year!”

Time flew.

Taranis walked and talked far too early. At one year old, he was disappearing from sight vanishing, even. He was growing rapidly, faster than any child the tribe had ever seen.

One morning, he wandered toward the hut where Drax now lived, under guard by two warriors.

“What you doing, little brother?” Rain asked, trailing behind him.

“Why Drax in there alone?” Taranis asked, blinking up at the warriors.

“He’s touched,” Rain said. “They say a vengeful spirit cursed him.”

Taranis tilted his head. “I heal him,” he said matter-of-factly.

Before I stop him, he dashed toward the door.

“TARANIS! NO! STOP RIGHT NOW!” I shouted.

“I heal!” he giggled.

Rain and I exchanged looks. “Get Father!” I barked.

We followed him inside. Drax sat cross-legged, staring at the wall. He didn’t move, didn’t speak.

Taranis approached him with no fear and touched his hand. A strange, gentle glow pulsed from his palm.

“I call on my sacred friends,” he whispered, “to heal my brother Drax.”

And in that moment, something ancient stirred.

To be continued…

Further Reading

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

June 29, 2025
The tragic curse of Boldolph and Morrigan 2

The mystical bond between the black and white wolves, symbolizing the intertwined fates of Boldolph and Morrigan.

Boldolph’s people wept for him and Morrigan.

As the cursed pair fled the stone cave. Their new forms heavy with shame and grief, they knew the truth they would yet be hunted. Death would almost be kinder than living on, watching their people unravel from the shadows.

From the tree line, they watched.

The enchantress Whitehair was dragged to the punishment stones. Her mouth forced open as the chieftain stepped forward.

“Bring me my grandchildren,” he commanded.

A line of children stood before him. The oldest, a thirteen-year-old girl, stared straight ahead as the wind lifted her dark hair.

“Gwyn,” the chieftain said, “you are the eldest of my blood. This honour is yours. Remove her tongue and nose.”

Without a word, the girl obeyed. She carried out the sentence without question her hand steady. Her eyes blank while Boldolph and Morrigan looked on from the trees.

“The youngest three,” the chieftain continued, “shall be raised among us. Spared. But the oldest, Ryn…”

A fourteen-year-old boy was dragged forward.

“…He will be cast out.”

“No! Please…” Ryn cried. “I was hungry she hadn’t fed me in weeks…”

“You’re old enough to hunt,” his father barked. “Old enough to fish. Old enough to gather. You chose to steal.”

As the blade was drawn, Morrigan gave a sharp growl.

Boldolph stepped from the trees not attacking, but shielding the boy with his massive black form.

“Morrigan? Boldolph?” the chieftain asked, surprised but calm. “Do you understand what is happening here?”

Boldolph gave a single nod.

“Do you agree with this judgment?” another tribesman called out.

Morrigan whimpered, then moved beside Boldolph, gently nosing Ryn toward the tree line.

“Boy,” the chieftain said, “how can we speak to the wolves?”

“My father knows a chant, sir,” Ryn answered softly. “I’ve heard him whisper it to the earth spirits.”

A moment later, the chant rose in the air low and trembling. The spirits stirred.

“It is done,” the seer confirmed. “The wolves may not speak through mouths, but they will speak through minds. A bond has been made between Boldolph and the tribe’s spirit.”

“Father,” Boldolph said in thought alone, “let the boy live. Morrigan wishes no harm.”

“If she could poison her own people, she may have cursed him too,” someone muttered.

But Morrigan white as snow, her eyes full of sorrow pressed her head into the chieftain’s hand.

“He has always seemed… touched by something,” she said. “Not cursed. But not untouched either. Let him go. For me.”

The chieftain knelt.

“Boy,” he said, “do you understand what this means?”

“No, sir.”

“It means my grandfather will spare your life,” Gwyn said, stepping forward. “But you must leave, Ryn. And never return. You will walk with the cursed wolves. And you will not bear a name. Not in any tribe. You will be the boy who walks in exile. The boy of silence.”

Ryn’s father added, “You will walk until you sleep. And when you sleep, you will not wake.”

Tears welled in Ryn’s eyes. “Can I say goodbye to my brothers and sisters?”

“Five minutes,” the chieftain said. “Then the exile begins. You’ll be given a spear, a stone knife. One day’s food for you. A week’s for my son and his mate.”

The children nodded.

The chieftain’s hand rested on Morrigan’s head, then Boldolph’s.

“You are not forgotten,” he whispered.

Boldolph’s mother stepped from the crowd, her eyes wet with love and regret.

“Boldolph,” she said, “you are always welcome at our fire.”

And with that, the wolves turned toward the deep forest and the cursed child walked beside them.

© StormborneLore. Written by Emma for StormborneLore. Not for reproduction. All rights reserved.

June 28, 2025
The Tragic Curse of Boldolph and Morrigan

Written by emma.stormbornelore
in Ancient Britain

Once, I was a man.
A cherished warrior.

The youngest of three lords, the only surviving heir before the word chieftain had even been carved into stone.

I was a protector, a trader,

a traveller to far shores…
but above all, I was a husband and a father.

Morrigan.

She was everything.
Three children had blessed our home and that was enough.

It was all her body can carry after the night she met the old crone in the woods.

The one whose words still haunt me.
“The howl will return to your house, but not in the way you dream.”

I remember that day like thunder.

I had walked the long trail from the hunt., a wolf’s pelt across my shoulders, the carved head resting like a crown.

There was smoke above the village.
And shouting.

An old woman beaten, clothes torn was being dragged toward my father’s cave.

“Wait!” I shouted.

I stepped ahead eighteen, tall, muscle-bound, burning with promise.
They said I would one day unite the valleys.

“What’s the meaning of this?” I demanded.

A freckled, tattooed man stepped ahead, fury carved into every line of his face.

“This enchantress worked against us in the last battle,” he spat.
“She betrayed us, Boldolph. We demand justice for our dead.”

My jaw clenched.
I turned to her.

“You?” I growled.
“You’re the reason my brothers now sleep the eternal sleep?
The reason my mother weeps?
The reason the blood of my people feeds the grass?”

She said nothing.

With a roar, I seized her
hauled her high above the firepit, as if ready to cast her into flame.

But then
“NO!”

A voice like wind cut through the rage.

Morrigan.

Only she reach me.
Only she still the fire in my chest.

“This is not you, my love,” she said.
“Let the chieftain decide. Please…”

And I listened. Because she was the one thing I would never fight.

I carried the woman into the cave.

The chieftain stood waiting.
Red-haired, tattooed in victory and sorrow, wise beyond warriors.

“I have heard your crimes, Whitehair,” he said, voice like stone.
“You drugged the warriors. You let the enemy pass through us like wind through grass.
You gave our children to fire. You made the wombs of mothers empty.”

Still, the woman did not plead.

“Death is too easy,” he continued.

“You will be taken to the deepest part of the wood.
Stripped of your name.
Your hands will be marked so that the spirits do not recognise you.
You will eat only what you can dig or steal. None shall speak your name, nor carve it. You will walk in silence until the earth swallows you. Or until the wolves forget your scent. So say the spirits. So says the tribe.”

And so she was cast out not as woman, not as witch. As nothing.

But my rage had not cooled.

“Father, banishment is too easy for one who knows these lands,” I said.
“Bind her. Take her children. Take her tongue, and theirs,so none curse us again.”

And that’s when she finally spoke.

Her voice was dry like wind over bones.
“I curse thee, Boldolph… son of Marnak.
And thy wife Morrigan, daughter of Ayr.
You shall be wolves until the day you meet a boy. a giant of seven feet, who befriends all animals and dragons.
The house of your father will fall.”

The pain came instantly.

My darling wife and I we transformed, howling and breaking,
before the entire tribe.

Thousands of years have passed since that day.
Many cubs later, we have never seen each other in human form.

I bear black fur as dark as night.
a golden five-pointed star on my head,
a red crescent moon on my chest.

And my Morrigan…
She is snow-white,
with a red star between her eyes
and a golden sun over her heart.

If I have spared her this
I would have.

© StormborneLore. All rights reserved.

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The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

June 28, 2025
Taranis: The Legend of Fire and Sky

Taranis Unveiled.

A short ceremonial-style verse, spoken by a tribal Seer during the naming.

Before the first cry,
the fire already knew.
Before the first mark,
the sky already wrote.
Before the first breath,
the wind had already whispered:

He is not like the others.
He is flame clothed in skin.
He is silence that will shout.
He is shadow that will shield.
He is Taranis.
And the storm has given him breath.

© StormborneLore written and created by ELHewitt

Further Reading

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

June 28, 2025
Silent Guardians of Stormborne: A Poem and Artisan Tokens

Hand-painted tokens inspired by the world of Stormborne, showcasing various artistic expressions.

A poem of silent guardianship from Boldolph and Morrigan’s perspective.

The storm broke open,
but we did not howl.
Not yet.

We watched the smoke rise,
the fire crackle
beneath berry-stained hands
and ash-painted cheeks.

The child had come ,
wrapped in fox hide,
named in thunder,
blessed in fear.

They called him Stormborne.
We called him ours.

Boldolph’s breath held steady.
Morrigan’s heart ached with memory.

And though they danced and sang,
we knew
the wind had changed direction.

We were not there for the feast.
We were there for what comes after.

When the songs fall silent
and the prophecy begins to walk.

© StormborneLore. Written by Emma for StormborneLore. Not for reproduction. All rights reserved.

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.Further Reading
https://stormbornelore.co.uk/the-saga-of-taranis-stormborne: Silent Guardians of Stormborne: A Poem and Artisan Tokens

June 28, 2025
Stormborne: The Thirteenth Son and His Prophetic Naming

An artistic representation of a mother holding her baby, symbolizing love and protection, echoing the themes of warmth and celebration in the naming ceremony of Taranis Stormborne.

The fire rose high, its heat warming us as we sang and danced around it.
the Song of the Spirit carried on our voices.

But beneath the music,
there was a chill in the air,
something wrong.
something dark,
as though a shadow had seeped into the world unseen.

“My brother cried once, Father,” I said,
pride swelling in my chest.
“It was like he answered the thunder god himself.
Even the wolves are silent.
Even the dragon doesn’t strike.”

I ran my fingers gently over Stormborne’s face.
my baby brother, wrapped in warmth,
calm in a world that seemed to hold its breath.

Father War, chief of our people
placed a strong hand on my shoulder.

“I’ve noticed the strangeness too, Lore,” he said quietly.
“But tonight we don’t fear each other’s company we embrace it.
Tonight, my son, we celebrate.
Tomorrow… we stand guard.”

“Yes, Father,” I replied.
“As you consider.”

I stepped back and watched,
as he and Mother approached the fire.
They stepped ahead proud carrying Taranis wrapped in the freshly cut fox hide.
its red fur a symbol of cunning and strength.

War cleared his throat,
lifted the baby high,
and turned to face the tribe.

“I name him Stormborne,” he said,
“for he was born from the storm
the thirteenth son, under thunder and fire.
He will be a mighty warrior.”

The people gathered close.

One by one, they reached into the sacred ash. They marked the child’s forehead and chest black smudges to bind him to the tribe,to earth, flame, sky, and spirit.

Food and drink flowed.
Smoke curled into the sky.
Even the animals gathered at the forest edge to witness the naming.

So was born Taranis Stormborne
the thirteenth son,
the thunder child,
and the one the winds would never forget.

Further Reading

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

June 28, 2025
Life and Prophecy: The Birth of Taranis Stormborne

Birth and Celebration

The Naming

The women of the tribe had already begun preparing the celebration.
Only the finest foods would be offered on this special night the night of my brother’s birth.

The birth of Taranis Stormborne.

In the woods, the younger children laughed as they filled baskets with berries, blackberries and raspberries, bilberries (wild blueberries).
elderberries (cooked only), hawthorn berries, rose hips, crab apples, and sloes from the blackthorn.

Their chatter echoed with pride
a new life meant strength for the tribe.

The women worked in quiet rhythm.
Hazelnuts, acorns (leached to remove tannins), beech nuts, pine nuts, and the seeds. Young leaves of nettles
were piled high beside bundles of wild garlic and sacred greens.

I saw my mother’s sister lay a sprig of rosemary at the fire. Not for seasoning but for blessing.

“Hey, young Lore,” someone called, grinning.
“You coming hunting? Father says we’re after red deer and boar, fox, grouse, even river salmon. Only the finest meats for your mother and father. A new chieftain has been born!”

“Father’s naming him tonight? I’m coming!” I said, breath quickening.
I tried to keep the smile off my face, but it broke through anyway.

I was seventeen — broad-shouldered, proud, still hungry to prove myself.
I grabbed my spear and cast a glance back at my brothers and father.

our father, stood straight as an ash tree his expression unreadable.
Part of him was already in the cave, beside my mother and the child.
The rest of him… watched the woods.

I ran to join the others, my heart pounding. Together, we hollered and sprinted into the deep forest
a forest older than memory.

But as our laughter faded behind us,
a silence settled.

And then…
that chill again.

Not the kind that comes with wind or storm. No, this cold was the kind that clung to your bones. The kind that made birds quiet and your breath feel too loud.

Something was watching.
But nothing moved.

Still, we pressed on.
The Naming Feast had to be worthy.

“I hope he survives,” I muttered, trying to sound casual but Nyx heard the worry in my voice.

“Drax is furious,” he said under his breath.“He thinks the prophecy’s come true.”

He didn’t say what the prophecy meant but we both knew the stories.

A child born under eclipse.
A name written in fire.
A brother… destined to break us or save us.

Suddenly, Nyx raised a hand.
A deer just ahead.

I nodded once, crouched low, and let my spear fly.
A perfect strike.

Nyx gave the bird-call whistle to alert his father. We hauled the carcass back to camp together.

The others returned soon after.
The fire was lit. The meat laid out.
Herbs were thrown onto the flames
and their smoke curled skyward.
in a spiral that reminded me of a dragon’s breath.

Tonight, my baby brother would be named.
But even as the tribe gathered in joy.
I couldn’t shake the feeling
that something was coming through the trees.

© written by ELHewitt

Further Reading

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

June 27, 2025
Taranis and Boldolph: The Birth of a Chosen One

The Myth of Taranis and Boldolph.

The rest of us stepped back.

Father’s eyes had changed
flashing a pale shade of red.

Thunder cracked as he stepped into the cave. Ready to lay eyes on Mother and the newborn she had fought to bring into the world.

We stood behind him in silence,
all of us but one.

One brother, whose eyes held no joy.
Only fear.
Only the taste of blood.

“Thirteenth son of the thirteenth son,” he muttered.
“Born during a storm… and an eclipse.
Even the dragons have fallen silent.
And the wolves, they’ve stopped howling.”

Just then, as if the forest itself heard hima sound split the trees in two.

Boldolph.

His howl rose like thunder turned voice,
a cry so powerful the very air seemed to flinch.

Artistic depiction of Boldolph, the powerful wolf, alongside symbols of mythology and nature.

At his side stood Morrigan,
his bonded mate white as new snow.
She gave a low, haunting cry
and pressed her head gently against his.

Then the dragon stirred.

It lifted its head,
wings stretching wide like a storm reborn.

And with a roar that lit the sky,
it rose.

Fire molten and blinding
erupted from its throat,
painting the clouds in gold and crimson.

And there, across the eclipsed heavens, the name appeared.

TARANIS.

Burning.
Brilliant.
Undeniable.

As if the stars,
the storm,
and the breath of the gods themselves
had spoken as one:

This child is no curse.
He is chosen.

© StormborneLore. All rights reserved.

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Further Reading

The Prophecies and Tales of Taranis Unfolded

June 27, 2025
Cymru’s Secrets.
Myths of Morrigan and the Wild.

(Cyfrinachau Cymru: Mythau Morrigan a’r Gwyllt)

Prologue: When the Wind Remembers

The moon hung low over the marshlands of Cymru, a pale and silent witness to all that stirred beneath. Mist curled along the ground like ghost-breath. Threading through reeds and thorns, cloaking the land in a hush that even time dared not break.

Morrigan stood at the water’s edge, her white fur shimmering with silver dew. The red pentagram upon her brow pulsed faintly with memory not magic, not prophecy, but something older still loss.

She remembered the laughter of her children, once. Their small feet dancing on stone, their breath warm against her skin when she had a face and a name.

That was long before the curse had sealed her fate. A punishment for defying death, for choosing the path of protector instead of prey.

She had not been seen in her human form by another soul in centuries.

The wind carried the scent of heather, salt, and far off fire. It shifted, and she turned her head sharply. From the west, a presence stirred. Not prey. Not predator. Something… remembered.

Her mate, Boldolph, emerged from the shadows. A black wolf with eyes like fire and a gold sigil carved into the fur of his brow. The mark of the king of wolves. He towered beside her, but even he did not speak.

Boldolph, the king of wolves, with glowing red eyes and a mystical sigil on his brow.

They not speak.

They had not touched in human form since the binding.

And still, their silence said more than words ever.

A sudden cry pierced the stillness not a howl, but the breathless whimper of cubs. Morrigan turned. Nestled in the hollow of a fallen tree, her children stirred, sensing the shift in the wind. She padded over, nose to fur, and breathed them back into slumber.

Her heart, once burned hollow by grief, beat now for them.

But the forest would not rest.

Tonight, something ancient woke.

Chapter 1

The Scent of a Storm.

The first rain came softly a warning more than a downpour. Tapping gently against the heather and bracken as dusk bled into the marshes. Morrigan crouched low on a rise of dry stone, her pale red eyes scanning the windswept valley below.

Somewhere to the north, a herd of deer was shifting. Their hooves left trembles in the ground. Their scent curled up through the fog.

But Morrigan wasn’t hunting tonight.

She was waiting.

Beneath her, in the hollowed belly of a mossy yew, three wolf cubs whimpered and stirred. Her children not the kind born of curse or storm, but of blood and memory. The youngest one, all white save for a copper ear, squeaked for her warmth. Morrigan tucked her body closer, curling like a shield around them.

Above her, the clouds began to crackle with unnatural colour. A shade of light not seen since…

Not since the last time the veil split.

The Shape of the Wind
A sudden gust brought a foreign scent.

Not prey.

Not predator.

Something old.

Something… broken.

Her hackles rose.

Across the ridge. Boldolph stood, silhouetted against the sky like a god of the old wilds. His black fur glistening with rain, red eyes aflame with alertness. He hadn’t seen her in human form for hundreds of years. Neither had she seen him. The curse did not allow it.

But she felt him now that familiar gravity, that fierce ache of loyalty and loss.

“Do you feel it?” her voice stirred the wind, though no one else hear it.

He gave no answer, only turned his head westward toward the forests. Vasts woodlands of what would one day be called Cannock Chase.

Chapter 2

The boy in the trees

They saw him before he saw them.

A shadow moving through the trees. Too small to be a warrior. Too slow to be a deer.

He was staggering. Starving. But the flame in his eyes refused to die.

Morrigan stepped ahead, paws silent on the stone. The cubs whimpered behind her. Boldolph moved to block her path, lips curled, teeth bared but not at her.

At fate.

At what it meant.

At what it would cost.

Another child. Another risk. Another ache that never leave.

She looked again.

Not a warrior. Not yet.

Just a boy.

But storms followed him.

She turned back to her cubs. Nestled, safe for now. She licked each one gently, then closed the hollow with fallen bark. The marsh would protect them. She whispered an old name into the soil to guard them a name she hadn’t used in centuries.

Then, she stepped into the mist.

Boldolph growled low, a warning.

She brushed against him as she passed her head beneath her head beneath his muzzle, a gesture older than language. Boldolph did not move, but the tension in his shoulders eased. Just for a moment. Enough.

The storm scent was growing stronger.

Morrigan slipped into the trees, her paws silent against the mulch of leaf and root. Branches clawed at her fur like hands from a forgotten dream, but she did not flinch. She knew these woods. She had bled in them. Breathed in them. Hidden in them.

The boy was not far.

She found him collapsed beside a fallen trunk. his arms wrapped around his ribs as though trying to hold himself together. Dirt and blood streaked his face. His feet were bare, blistered, and blue with cold. He had a stick in one hand sharpened crudely, but not recently used.

Even in sleep, his jaw was clenched. Even in pain, his spirit did not bend.

Morrigan circled him in the shadows, one silent loop, then two. She tilted her head. A vision stirred fleeting and broken of a campfire once lit in the hollows of men’s hearts. A voice crying in a tongue lost to fire and flood.

A name.

Taranis.

It did not belong to this boy yet.

But it would.

She drew closer.

The Unseen Form had she still worn her human face, she have wept. But wolves did not weep. They watched. They endured.

Still, some griefs slipped through the fur.

She lowered herself beside the boy, her body a wall against the wind. Carefully, she placed her muzzle against his shoulder. His skin was fever-hot, but beneath it pulsed a stubborn rhythm.

He lived.

From the trees behind, Boldolph appeared, silent as the dusk. He said nothing, but his stare asked everything.

“What are you doing?”

She answered without words.

What we once promised what the old ways demand.

Another life. Another orphan. Another soul cast out by fear and ignorance.

The forest whispered around them voices of old gods and buried secrets. Morrigan raised her head and howled, low and haunting, a call only the wild would understand. It wasn’t a summoning.

It was a vow.

For three days, they watched over the boy.

She hunted while Boldolph guarded. He fetched water from the shallows, carried in his great jaws. She chewed softened bark and nettle, placing it near the boy’s lips. He drank in his fever-dreams, whispering names not yet earned, warnings not yet understood.

On the second night, he opened his eyes.

Just a sliver.

And saw her.

Not as a wolf. Not as a monster.

But as something else.

He reached a hand out. Weak. Trembling.

She did not pull away.

On the third morning, he stood.

Not steady. Not tall. But standing, nonetheless.

And behind him, the sky split with light.

Stormborne

He walked between them then between Boldolph and Morrigan as though he had always belonged.

The name passed once more through Morrigan’s mind like a wind returning home:

Taranis.

Storm-born. Marked. A child of prophecy and exile.

She didn’t yet know the shape of his story. Only that it would be vast. Only that it had begun.

And that somewhere in its ending, her curse would find its purpose.

The bond between Taranis and Morrigan, symbolizing the awakening of ancient legacies in ‘StormborneLore’.

© StormborneLore. Written and created by ELHewitt
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Diolch am ddarllen.
Os gwnaeth y stori hon eich cyffwrdd, eich ysbrydoli, neu aros fel sibrwd yn y coed ystyriwch hoffi, rhannu, neu danysgrifio i ddilyn y daith.
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💬 Got thoughts, theories, or echoes of your own? Drop a comment and join the legend.

🌩️ The storm remembers every soul who listens.

A moment of connection between Tanaris and two mystical wolves under a full moon, symbolizing a bond forged by destiny.

Authors note: Unfortunately I needed to use Google Translate for the Welsh so appologise if I got any of it wrong.
June 26, 2025