Chapter Two, Part Eight.

"But I'm getting off-track," he said, breaking the line of discussion. "After their Pathguides assess them, New Bloods are brought before the Council, where they are evaluated, and then, if they pass, undergo a Blood Trial."
"Wait a minute."
"Yes?"
"What exactly is a Pathguide?"
"A Pathguide is an older wolf whose responsibility is to determine whether or not a New Blood should be recommended, and mentor those who pass the Trial. Though we decide our own rulings, the Pathguides' recommendations are crucial in determining the future of the New Blood.
"Now, the Trial. During a Blood Trial, a New Blood is brought into the main chamber of the Den."
"The Den?"
"Yes. The Den is what we call this area within the ivy walls." I nodded, connecting the dots, and he continued. "This may panic you, but you must know the truth first off. The one at Trial is strapped to a table, where one of the Council members, usually Adellinde, will perform the Trial. She takes a knife and draws it across the top of the collarbone. It's very sharp, so, initially, the New Bloods don't react. Then comes the real Trial, the real Blood test. She uncorks a vial of vapor, and pours it into the cut.
"You see, the Human hunters and the Shadow Children -us- evolved slightly differently. Vapor causes extreme pain to us both, and forces us to change. The Hunters, however, change into black wolves. We, the Shadow Children, change into brown wolves. Additionally, our slightly divergent evolution led to our ability to stave off the change when we're out of direct moonlight during a full moon. The Hunters do not have that ability."
"What do you do if they turn out to be Human hunters? You don't kill them off, do you?"
"No, we don't. We've found that if we inject silver nitrate, a small dose, into the bloodstream, the change can be permanently halted."
"So wolves have an aversion to silver, like in the myths." He nodded. "What if there is a new Shadow Child who doesn't want to join... this?"
"Well, we never force anyone into joining the clan, but we don't take any steps to prevent their transformations. Without guidance, they will be unable to control their own bodies over their instincts. Suffice it to say, they all come back eventually."
"So there is no real choice."
"In the end, no."
"Oh..."
"What is it? Do you wish to deny your birthright?" He smiled to alleviate the heaviness of what he had said.
I smiled back crookedly. "I don't know my birthright."
"Ah, right. Well now, princess, first, you are of Shadow Child descent. Second, you are no ordinary wolf. You are of the Cavailier bloodline."
"What makes the Cavailiers so important?"
"They are the original bloodline. Our version of royalty." My jaw dropped. Carmen and me? Royalty?! He laughed at my expression. "Not even blooded, and you're already of pretty high rank."
"What about my sister? Is she royal too?"
"Well, she's still a little young. The Blood doesn't always present in all descendants of wolves, either. Some are born human. As for your sister... I really don't know for certain. I don't think so, just based on her appearance."
"Her appearance?"
"You haven't noticed? We all have dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and pale skin."
"Ohh." Carmen had a slightly darker complexion than I did, with black hair and brown eyes. "Oh! What's with the yellow eyes?"
He was caught off-guard by the question. "I didn't know you'd seen that."
"I saw yours, Rafael's, and... and mine."
"Yours? But you haven't undergone your first change yet; your eyes shouldn't be turning at all yet." I gave him a quick run-down of the dream I'd had. His expression hardened. "This is troubling. Proceed with caution, Athaliah. Our dreams are more than works of the imagination." He chuckled. "Maybe our princess is in need of a bodyguard."