Wolf Prophecy

The towering monastery-fortress that thrust straight into the sky like a long fang amid the Frozen Mountains was the center of Space Wolves activity: Fang Fortress.

Fang Fortress

Built upon the highest peak of the central mountain range on Asaheim, the only geologically stable continent on all of Fenris, this fortress was perhaps the largest stronghold constructed since the defenses of the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra. Its immense height pierced Fenris's atmosphere, providing docking points for orbiting spacecraft and allowing rapid access to the planet's surface without relying on suborbital transport.

Its exterior was cast from heavy armor plates, behind which lay layers of absurdly thick mountain rock. The Void Shields installed within the fortress far exceeded the power of those aboard any Imperial warship. Massive laser cannons hidden amid the freezing winds and mountains could destroy any vessel that approached within range of Fenris. These weapons were as ancient as the Space Wolves Chapter itself, having witnessed countless ages at their side.

Yet this mighty, majestic fortress, bearing countless Imperial honors and histories, no longer possessed the prosperity of its former days. A fortress tailored for an entire Legion had become too vast and difficult to manage for the present-day Space Wolves Chapter, depleted by the Horus Heresy and ten thousand years of warfare. Even with vast sections of the fortress sealed away, the Space Wolves no longer had enough warriors to ensure the patrol and inspection of the remaining areas.

In the Great Wolf Hall, filled with beast skulls and battle standards commemorating the Chapter's glorious past, sat Logan Grimnar, the Great Wolf who had led the Space Wolves to countless brilliant victories and earned the deep respect of the wolves. He sat upon a stone throne at the center of the hall, his expression grave as he looked at the Rune Priest before him.

"You understand how important your position is, don't you? The Chapter's history and the sagas of its heroes still need you to pass them on."

"I understand my duty, but I understand the weight of this prophecy even more."

The fragments of the prophecy Wodhaus had just received surfaced before his eyes once again. What had he seen?

He saw Armageddon. He saw a massive Ork warlord ravaging that world of the Imperium amid mad laughter.

He saw Commorragh, the revolting world the Drukhari had buried deep within the Webway. Countless Dark Eldar xenos drained the blood of loyal Imperial warriors inside their torture chambers of spikes and poison.

He saw, at the edge of the Astronomican's light from the Holy Emperor, a new xenos race stirring at the borders of the Imperium, luring batch after batch of Imperial citizens into that dead deception.

He also saw the fortress world of Cadia. He saw the Blackstone Fortress, like the eight-pointed star of Chaos. He saw Cadia breaking apart, and the horrific sight of the Space Wolves and Dark Angels all dying in service to The Emperor.

But he also saw another possibility: an Astra Militarum sergeant gripping a power sword glimmering with faint blue light, bravely rallying his soldiers to charge with him across a desperate battlefield of Demons. The advancing figures of the Astra Militarum passed through Wodhaus's prophetic soul. Their faces bore rage toward The Emperor's enemies and shame at their own cowardice as they thrust out their bayonets without the slightest concern for their lives. A massive portal appeared out of nowhere upon the battlefield. Wodhaus could no longer make out the shadows before it, but he could still clearly see the actions of that Astra Militarum sergeant and his soldiers.

They saved batch after batch of heavily encircled Astra Militarum warriors, Battle Sisters, and Space Marines, leading them in destroying traitors and Demons. More and more warriors witnessed their deeds on the battlefield and rallied toward them, gathering into an army of steel with disordered ranks but unshakable resolve.

In the final fragment of the prophecy, cries of Loyalty and sacrifice for The Emperor rang across the entire battlefield. Like an unyielding nail, that brave sergeant and his soldiers held their position before the portal against Chaos's apocalyptic tide. After the last army successfully withdrew through the portal, the enormous Gate of Hope closed in an instant, leaving behind only those loyal warriors who had stayed to cover the retreat of the entire force. Cadia was once again reduced to lifeless rubble and dust beneath the cleansing fire of apocalypse. Wodhaus's soul, shaken by the battlefield, finally broke free from the fragmented prophecy.

He understood that he had to steer the prophecy toward the second ending. Most experienced psykers would take no action after foreseeing a prophecy, lest they help bring it to pass. But the price of the first ending Wodhaus had witnessed was simply too heavy to bear. Elite squads from several Chapters—the Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Black Templars, and others—would perish on Cadia. A colossal rift tearing through the entire Milky Way would split the Imperium in two. Such a dark future would be enough to deal a fatal blow to an Imperium that had already decayed for tens of thousands of years, condemning billions of humans to eternal ruin at the plaything of the Chaos Gods.

After ending the prophecy, the worried Wodhaus ignored rest and recovery and quickly sought out Great Wolf Logan to reveal his thoughts. He wanted to depart for Armageddon at once and push fate as close as possible toward the second ending.

Logan Grimnar silently drew out a parchment scroll that appeared to have just been written and handed it to the anxious, solemn Wodhaus.

Written upon the scroll was a plea for aid that made the latter's entire body turn cold: a massive Ork fleet had attacked Armageddon.

"Was this in your prophecy?"

"..."

Silence was the best answer. Logan had clearly understood Wodhaus's meaning. He leaned back against the uncomfortable-looking stone seat. "I'll let you go, but I'll change the reason for your departure. The fewer people who know of prophecies, the better. Kaiser Whitefang is preparing to train the newly inducted pups of the Chapter. Go with him to reinforce Armageddon. Officially, you can say that you are completing a mission while training those Blood Claws with psychic talent. That way, not too many people will grow suspicious."

After saying this, he summoned a writing servitor. With rapid drafting, an order to resolve the Ork problem on Armageddon was placed in Wodhaus's hands.

There were no excessive thanks or formalities. Logan watched Wodhaus disappear into the far end of the Great Wolf Hall.

Even if Wodhaus had not come to tell him of those terrifying prophecies today, Logan would still have felt deeply uneasy about the Imperium's current condition.

Though the Imperium's battles and sacrifices had never ceased in more than ten thousand years, the Space Wolves had long grown accustomed to rushing from one battlefield to the next without a moment to catch their breath. But the number of requests for aid and alarms over the past few years had been extraordinarily high, and the enemies they faced had grown ever larger in scale. It was as if a crude script kept cramming in more climactic scenes before its ending.

The manpower stationed at Fang Fortress was now at its lowest point in history. Numerous Wolf Lords had been dispatched to resolve crises, while the various colossal derelict ships appearing near Cadia had left them running ragged.

"Russ, Allfather, guide this foolish one lost in confusion."

Within the empty hall, only Logan's prayer echoed.