Winter's End

The Valley of Snow. Situated in the caldera of an ancient volcano, it had once been lush and tropical, home to a wide population of cold-blooded mobians. That was until the Snowbirds came to conquer it. Under the command of Colonel John Snow VII, their mages quickly put down any resistance, chilling the valley's inhabitants to near hibernation as they hid in their homes. Within hours of the 'battle' ending, the valley had been terraformed, no longer a tropical paradise, but a new winter wonderland. Trapped within her house, Hisspan Down lay on the bed, her children, Katlin and Leon, tucked snugly inside her coils. She shivered, giving her babies what remained of her body heat. Leon whimpered. The cold did not affect him as much as his mother or sister, and the young wolf struggled to understand why they were so listless. Large tears welled in his eyes. A voice, soft and ethereal spoke out.
"Do not fret, Little One."
Leon looked up, blinking away the moistness and gasped, spotting a figure standing beside the bed. The figure smiled.
"Be brave, Little One."
Leon nodded, recognizing the figure from his dreams. She was his imaginary friend, watching over him and his sister. The young wolf opened his mouth, about to speak, but the figure silenced him, a finger held to her lips.
"Rest now. Salvation is close. Sleep and forget, for when you wake, your home will be yours once more."
The figure shimmered and faded. Leon lay down, gently nuzzling into his mother and sister, eyes closing as he drifted off to sleep. 'Nubi' had told him everything would be OK, and the young wolf had no reason to doubt his imaginary friend.

A figure walked across the snowy ground, her footsteps leaving no trace in the snow. She moved like a ghost, unseen and unnoticed by the valley's new occupants. A snow mage working his magic caught her attention, and the figure glided over to observe. The large golden wings on her back fluttered as she neared the arctic fox, and she smiled as she noticed his powers start to falter and die out. The mage frowned. This had never happened to him before. He looked at his hands, lips moving as he recited his spells over and over. The figure cocked her head in amusement. Slowly she turned and walked away. A strangled cry reached her ears and the figure chuckled. The mage's powers had suddenly returned, striking him full blast in the face and freezing him. The figure walked on, her destination an irregularly shaped block of ice. She reached out, placing a hand against the frozen pillar. Inside the ice was a wolf, caught in the midst of combat. The figure spoke.
"It is time to wake, my Dear Wolf."

Wolfen was floating in blackness. There was no up or down. No left or right. He had no idea where he was, or how he had gotten here. Desperately he tried to call out, but the words caught in his throat. Wolfen flailed, confused and growing angrier by the second. A voice spoke to him, and the wolf tensed. He knew that voice. It was the voice of God herself. Or the Devil. Wolfen growled.
"Anubis..."
The world around him erupted in a riot of colour, bright vibrant eddies swirling in impossible patterns. A figure, that of a golden-winged jackal clothed in armour appeared before him. She smiled, her large wings fanning out.
"Greetings, Dear Wolf."
Wolfen's jaw clenched.
"Where am I? What's going on here?"
Anubis sighed.
"You are in the Emperium, Dear Wolf," she said. "Under my protection."
Wolfen frowned. He looked at the entity before him and noticed she seemed to shimmer, the form he recognized superimposed upon a monstrosity he could barely fathom. Anubis smiled, her 'normal' mouth briefly splitting wide into a jaw impossibly full of jagged teeth.
"Do not try to see my true form," Anubis said, her jackal form solidifying, "lest you wish for your mind to be torn and devoured for the rest of eternity."
Wolfen blinked, struggling to comprehend.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked.
Anubis waved a hand and the Emperium changed, the 'world' condensing and growing cold around the pair. Wolfen shivered.
"You are trapped, Dear Wolf," Anubis said, ice growing thick on Wolfen's fur. "Your friends and family suffering imprisonment at the hands of invaders. But I offer you the chance to save them."
The ice grew thicker and thicker. Wolfen struggled. His legs froze in place and icicles hung from his arms.
"Don't toy with me, Anubis," Wolfen growled, causing the entity to laugh. "What's the catch?"
"There is no catch," Anubis said. "I offer you this as a gesture. A perfect opportunity to see the powers you could have on the day you become my avatar."
Wolfen tried to protest. Tried to argue. But it was to no avail. The ice froze him in place and the darkness took him over. The last thing he heard was Anubis' laughter echoing in his brain.
"I'll take that as your willing acceptance..."

The valley was cold, a light snow falling and dusting the ground. The Snowbirds went about their business, putting the finishing touches on their new home. No one noticed the melt-water dripping from one irregular pillar of ice, nor the cracks that spider-webbed throughout the block.  Only when the ice shattered, shards exploding out, did anyone turn to look. Steam rose, and an audible hum filled the air. Wolfen Down, fur damp with water stood at the ready, eyes blazing with fury. A large polar bear ran over, throwing himself at Wolfen, aiming to tackle the wolf to the ground. Wolfen spun. With sudden speed he dodged the bear and struck out, an elbow driving into the back of the soldier's head. Two more Snowbirds charged forward. A nearby mage raised her wings, her magic spilling from the tips. It kicked up the snow and flung it at Wolfen's face. Wolfen snarled. His gauntlet hummed and he vanished from sight. The mage frowned. Her comrades skidded to a halt, glancing about in confusion. Without warning Wolfen reappeared, a grey blur as he struck, taking care of the two soldiers before turning his attention to the mage. Once more she hurled snow at him. A sister spell, cast at the same time formed ice about Wolfen's body. The mage smiled. The wolf may have been a temporary threat, but nothing could defend against her magic. Suddenly the ice and snow surrounding Wolfen flashed, the steam rising up in a dense thick cloud. The mage blinked. From within the heated veil Wolfen struck. His gauntlet clad fist struck the mage, knocking her out. More Snowbirds ran towards the commotion, the alarm that something was wrong spreading like wildfire. Wolfen ducked and weaved. Blasts of green energy shot forth from the Infinity Gauntlet. A trio of snow mages lined up, combining their magic to form a wall of ice, but an explosion of red energy reduced it to a bubbling pool of water. A voice, loud and commanding, called out and Wolfen paused, looking over.
"Hold your fire!"
The Snowbirds obeyed, surrounding Wolfen, but holding off their attacks. Soldiers readied snowballs, and the mages sparked with barely contained magic. Colonel John Snow VII stepped forward, clapping slowly. Wolfen growled.
"I must commend you, wolf," Snow said. "It's not often we find an opponent who can give our glorious forces a run for their money."
"Leave my home, now!" Wolfen commanded.
Snow laughed.
"Your home? We conquered this place fair and square. It belongs to us now."
Wolfen took a step forward and the Snowbirds reacted, waiting for the Colonel's order to attack.
"You attacked my home," Wolfen repeated. "You threaten my friends and family. Leave now, or face the consequences."
"And what consequences could they possibly be?" Snow asked. "The finest mages are at my command. Their power is unmatched in all of Mobius. What do you have?"
Wolfen's eyes narrowed. The Infinity Gauntlet hummed, a new purple energy oozing over it's surface. With a thrum it exploded out, taking on the silhouette of a giant winged jackal. Wolfen smiled grimly.
"I have a god."

Anubis watched as her wolf sank to his knees and into unconsciousness, his rest well earned. The battle with the Snowbirds had ended quickly once she had shown herself. Many had run, and those who remained to fight were swiftly banished. The entity laughed. It was with no small amount of irony that she had sent them to an oasis deep within a desert. Anubis fanned her wings, looking about. The valley would eventually return to normal now that the magic used by the Snowbirds was no longer present, but the entity was not satisfied. This place and it's people were important to her wolf, and by extension, to her. She rose up into the air, glowing brightly like a second sun. The frozen valley began to thaw under her gaze, the excess water steaming away. Greenery bloomed, and the Valley of Snow was transformed. Once more it had become the Valley of Venom. Anubis faded, leaving the residents to return to their lives as it had been before. Her gift to her wolf.

In the small house Leon opened his eyes, sitting up in his mother's coils. Sunlight, warm and bright, shone through the window. The young wolf yawned, feeling hot. He heard his mother sigh and slowly wake up, and beside him his sister stirred. Leon smiled, laying back down and bopping his sister playfully on the nose. Things were going to be alright after all. Just like 'Nubi' had promised...