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 Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:06 am
"Please... she was born but a week ago!" The voice was high, distressed. The owner of it shifted uncomfortably, as if there was no perfect spot for her to sit in. Ears flicked this way and that, alert, nervous.
There was a silence, making the night more eerie than anyone could ever be able to take. Finally, though, it was broken; it had to be.
"If you don't give her to me now, she won't ever make it past the week!" The responding voice was lower, obviously belonging to a male. It was also a bit shakey, but not so much as the other. Or, at least, the voice was attempting to be controlled into smoothness. The owner knew the risk the two wolves were taking with this. Dunn wouldn't be pleased. Not in the least.
But the higher voice didn't seem to want to give in:
"She's my child! The only one left, and you know that Raghnall." The female was almost weeping now, the great knowledge of the fact that only one of the original seven puppies of her first litter was actually alive. It was painful for a first-time mother to deal with the early deaths of their young ones.
The male knew this, and so tried to soothe the other.
"How about I make you a promise then?" Pause. He let the other settle down a little before he continued on. "I take her tonight--now, please, let me finish.." Another pause. Raghnall continued on once he knew that there would be no more interruptions. "I take her tonight. With me, I promise you that she will live until adulthood. Whether I am still with her or not at that point is uncertain. But, I will teach her all there is to know: hunting, tracking, living independently. She will grow into a strong huntress. Then, she will come back for you."
"How will you know even I will be alive then, not dead from the loss of my only remaining child?"
"The Dreams have said it is so."
With that said, the mother trusted him. Raghnall was a seer, and his visions were more true and accurate than any others had been in the history of the wolves. Or so was the tale. And the male was not one to lie, as it broke his 'code of conduct'. He was a trustworthy one, true to his word and always reliable.
"How long?"
"Until what, dear Elke?"
"Until Dunn comes. I know he has spies. How quick will word get around? How quick will you be to get away? How long will I have to wait until my little girl--"
Raghnall was staring off into space. Concentrating on something, the female knew. She instantly silenced herself, knowing very well he made better predictions when all was silent and he had peace to think in.
A few minutes later and his eyes still seemed unseeing to whatever was actually in front of him. Blind Seer, some called him; one who could see where others were blind. The mother became worried, but made certain she didn't disturb him. To distract herself, she cuddled her pup while she could, licking and caressing the soft, young fur. For a while it seemed almost safe. But as all things are, they must have some end.
Suddenly the silence was broken by an ear-splitting howl. Others joined in, and the mother had enough sense to know that a hunt was being called. But this was no ordinary hunt, she knew. Instantly she became frightened and couldn't help herself.
"Raghnall!! I recognize that howl, anywhere. Dunn!! It is Dunn. He.. my baby!!"
Still the seer didn't budge.
"RAGHNALL," she snarled, fur bristling. The angry mood was contagious, and soon her pup was squirming with anxiety. Finally, though, the male was brought around.
"Elke! You know how dangerous it is to yell like that," he growled back, though his voice was a sort of loud whisper, acting as if he had been paying attention the whole time. But he understood the mother's worry and so soon soothed himself into a calm feeling.
"But yes, it is Dunn. He is calling together a search party. You are not in your den, and Cyril had probably gone reporting back to the brute of a leader in a fit of confusion and worry of your and his daughter's absence. Don't you worry, though, his intentions were good. It has only given me less time. No matter," he said easily, rising to his paws and stretching as if there wasn't a worry in the world at the moment.
"You will give the pup to me?" he asked, sounding truly curious instead of demanding.
"If it means she keeps her life, then of course. What do you want me to tell Dunn?"
"The boy can't be kept tricked for long. He has a good head, you know." The seer paused, thinking for a moment. "Splash through a river. When he finds you, tell him that the river swept your poor darling away. Also tell him that I ran off looking for her, seeing if her body appeared on a bank somewhere. He knows my love for children, though he may not share it. It will suffice for now."
The female nodded but kept silent. The moment was tense, and she thought that anything she would say would simply complicate things.
And in the next instances the pup was exchanged between mother and seer, a few words passed between the two, then they each went their separate ways; Elke went to find a nearby river while Raghnall ran quickly and silently away with the pup, the One.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:07 am
Dunn was not happy, not at all. The One, smuggled out from right under his very nose!! Oh, some wolves would have to pay for this. Preferrably some of his spies; they had become a little cocky as of late and he was thinking of silencing a few of them anyways. This was simply another excuse for him to go forward with his plans.
Pacing back and forth, the large and dangerous alpha was lost deep in thought. What to do, what to do? Elke had said that her daughter had been lost in the rivers, and that the old Raghnall had gone off looking for her. But of course, the clever male didn't actually believe that. Even though Elke had come back all drenched with proof, literally, he couldn't bring himself around to believe he story. There was a faint scent of Raghnall on her, and it seemed a bit too strong for the circumstance. So now Dunn was a little confused as to where he should send his warriors.
And he would have sent them off in all directions if he wasn't smart enough to know that sending out too many wolves from his trusted would leave himself weak and vulnerable. He couldn't have that.
Suddenly, though, his thoughts were broken by a voice, deep and somewhat similar to his own.
"Dunn," came the voice, the thing belonging to the only one who had enough guts to actually call the alpha by name. It was Dunn's son, the only one of all of his offspring for him to handpick and raise.
"What is it, Taerne?" Dunn replied back calmly, though his tail flicked impatiently. The matter still wasn't solved in his mind, and he wouldn't be able to sleep well until it was.
"A scent was found, one belonging to that of Raghnall, the old seer. One of the keen-nosers found it, as would be expected. Do you want us to follow it?" The answer was obvious, but he had been trained to where he wasn't to do anything big without specific orders.
"Of course. Assemble a group, putting in some of the finest. I will accompany them, let them know. And keep them in their place, Taerne. You know how they get before we go out on a hunt."
"Hunt, fa--Dunn? Are you meaning to say that we will kill these when we find them?"
"How else does a hunt end?" Dunn retorted, feeling irritated that his own son would question such a thing like this. The disappeared pup was born to overthrow him and 'restore peace', and was obviously a threat, if not now then later. He had to kill off the infection before it spread. "We shall track them down, find them." A sudden pause. "But, I suppose we can have a little fun, eh? Keep them guessing, perhaps shake them up a bit. Now wouldn't that be fun?" There was a dangerous glint to his eye now that he had a sort of plan formulating.
Yes, Dunn would find those little worms and make them suffer. He'd follow them, see what they were up to, where they went, what they did. He'd make sure they went down hard, then, after all of their precious little work.
Taerne still stood there, blinking. Dunn suddenly snarled and yelled at him. "What are you waiting for? Get a move on, that trail won't last!" His son blinked again then shook his head, immediately turning about and trotting off into the forest to assemble the hunters.
Dunn turned his back to where his son had vanished, a cold smile occupying his face.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:09 am
A few months later the pressure of his mission was no lighter than it had originally been. Dreams had become nightmares, foretelling the fate that would be his own. It troubled him a little, though he knew that he shouldn't be afraid to accept it. There was still time.
For now, he tried to enjoy the life he had scraped out for him and the One, that pup he had stolen away in the middle of the night, seemingly right from under Dunn's very own keen nose. It gave the seer a sense of accomplishment, and he couldn't help but beam at himself in pride. No one could have done it better. Of course, Raghnall himself couldn't have done it without his abilities. So much he owed to that special gift of his...
"Raghnall, Raghnall!" came a high, chittery voice from the bushes. "I found something, and I think you'd like to look." The voice had a bit of an anxious tone to it, and immediately he snapped out of his basking and focused on the pup that he had been living with.
"What is it, little Eris?" The pup wagged her tail, having been fond of the male from the very beginning, never afraid of him. She had good judgement, he could tell, and she'd need that in the future, but for now...
"It's this way. Come on! I'll show ya." And with that, she pivoted about and instantly leapt into the bushes and out of sight. Without even thinking, Raghnall loped easily after her.
Eventually they came to a small clearing. At first he found nothing out of the ordinary, but he knew that the pup would be quick to show him what it was that she had discovered; the seer had made certain to teach her the importance of quick decisions and actions.
"This--"
"Tracks, little Eris?" he asked curiously, not really finding any importance in them. They weren't wolf tracks, and so he wasn't at all worried that Dunn or his minions were anywhere nearby--in fact, his visions had told him they wouldn't catch up for a while yet. But why had these concerned her so? He had taught her about tracks and which animals made which markings. These were bear. Nothing too strange, right?
But the male had failed to look a little further, for crossing paths with the bear tracks were much different tracks, ones that didn't really have a true shape.
"Humans," Raghnall breathed, feeling his eyes widen slightly.
"Humans?" Eris echoed, tilting her head a little to the side. "What are those, Raghnall?"
The seer snapped out of his shock and was quick to explain. "Yes, humans. Also called two-leggers for their strange habits of walking on two legs. They are dangerous if you catch them at a bad time, and have weapons that could kill a wolf if he isn't careful. There is both good and bad to the humans. Listen, little one."
Eris, staying silent, looked up and around her, trying to listen and also look for whatever it was that her friend was talking about.
"Listen closely, walk carefully, and then you, too, will be able to hear the spirits that surround, protect, and guide us everyday." The pup was in awe. It was almost as if she were seeing the sparkling dots in the sky up close.
"Listen to the spirits, hear what they have to say. They have the ultimate judgement, and can tell whether a being is good or bad. So if you stumble upon some new creature and aren't sure if they are trustworthy or not, turn to the spirits. They will help."
Eris nodded, storing this away in her sponge-like brain. She was learning so many new things with each passing day that she was with Raghnall. It was a wonder she didn't get headaches.
And so the days went by, each sun the little pup learning something new from her mentor and caretaker. But, the seer knew, this peaceful cycle of his new life wouldn't be able to stand strong for long. And with the warnings in his dreams becoming more and more vivid, so he became more and more alert, making sure that nothing in his surroundings was missed or went unchecked. He would keep this pup safe.
But how was he to keep the little one safe if she was no where to be found?!
"Eris... please, Eris!!" he cried frantically, searching with mind and eyes. She had to be around here somewhere. She couldn't have gone far, could she have? Oh, why did he make sure she bathed so much every day that she no longer had a scent of her own?
Frightened that she may have been snatched up by some monster or another, he continued on. Her mind was shielded. Why was it shielded? When had she learned to do that?
"ERIS!" he snarled, both out loud and in his brain. And he made the call in his mind so strong that he broke her barrier, and heard a yip in response. Instantly he followed it, moving quickly over the ground. Eventually he slowed, moved into caution by the sudden scent of two-leggers. This was not good.
In another instant he spotted Eris, accompanied in full by a little human pup. "Eris!" he cried, running up to her and for the moment ignoring the human, who yelped and fell backwards in the shock of seeing a fully grown wolf.
"You had me scared out of my wits!! You little girl, I swear." He was so frustrated that he almost couldn't think straight, couldn't talk. But he forced himself into control.
Suddenly he turned towards the little human kid, focusing his eyes with the baby blue ones of the child. Blind? No.. this eye color was common in humans, he read. Ears folded back, though he tried not to appear threatening, Raghnall mind-spoke with the human.
"Where is your pack, young one?" It babbled something out loud in response, and for a moment the seer became agitated. But he calmed himself once again and tried to speak smoothly. "Speak with you mind, little one." And so it obeyed, awed enough by the large wolf that it didn't even think to wonder why on earth he was hearing some strange voice in his head.
"Mommy is a little past the meadow, with the others. Papa is out hunting, I think. Deer, Mama had said they were getting. I love deer! Very good, very good." The rest was ramblings, and so the wolf paid no attention to it.
And so, from what he gathered of the little human's thoughts, there was a pack of humans not too far away. Recently moved in, he thought, as he would have known of them if they had occupied this area any sooner. He and Eris would have to move, then. A fully grown wolf would not be welcomed in this area anymore, especially when it seemed there were capable hunters in this two-legger pack. This troubled him. How far would they travel until they finally had no where else to go?
Seeing the restlessness in her friend's eyes, Eris became worried. "Raghnall... what's wrong?"
Deciding to be forward and blunt, he made no attempt to make up excuses. "The humans won't want us here, at least not me. And they won't chance you growing up into a real hunter. We are leaving as soon as possible." But from the look that suddenly came over the face of the little wolf, he knew this wouldn't be so simple as he had put it.
"No!" she suddenly cried, backing up. The human became alarmed with the raised hackles of the pup and started to sob.
Then, without so much as another word, the pup nipped the human then suddenly ran off in the direction that Raghnall guessed was towards the humans' main gathering area. And she ran off with the human, no less, so he was frustrated again that she should be so foolish, but he knew there wasn't much to be done. He couldn't very well go running after her, it would raise too much fears in the humans. But soon, yes, he would get the little pup back, and she would get a great punishment for her actions.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:12 am
Eris' time with the humans had been strange. She had run back to where she had known the humans were denning, back with the little human child she had gone. Raghnall didn't follow, and she felt a sort of pride that she had the guts to go where he did not.
At first, the humans seemed almost afraid of her. They kept their distance and called to the child she had traveled back to them with. She sensed that they were trying to take the boy away from her, and she didn't like that idea one bit. So every time that a human dared to look in her direction, she gave them her best silent snarl, but never once made a move to harm them. There was no need, really, especially when they didn't even like to get within striking range. Did that make them smart, then?
But over time they had become used to her presence. She didn't hurt their young, and so that must have made her alright in their minds. Soon enough they actually approached her and one even made a daring move to stroke her fur. She had snapped at this, but of course made sure to only catch air. The wolf wanted them to know that she was still wild and nothing to be touched, but she didn't want them to think that she didn't like them. And they seemed to understand this, which pleased the female.
Soon Eris found herself living with these creatures, side by side like allies of sorts. The human boy was still her favorite among the pack, but she made sure to spread out her attention so that no one felt left out or felt the need to tug on her tail to grab her attention. Eventually she came to think that she owned this lot, and that they seemed to worship her.
And during her time with the two-leggers, she learned a great deal about them. Like how they ate their food. They didn't seem to want to get their faces dirty, and so cut the meat into little, bite-sized strips. They also burned the meat before they ate it, as if the rawness of its first state wasn't appetizing to them. Now this Eris thought quite strange, and preferred to stick to eating the meat straight from the prey's body.
She also learned that they slept in dens at all times, no matter what season it was or even if a pair had offspring. It was strange, and she found the places rather too closed in for her tastes. Another thing she learned was that they decorated themselves with the hides of animals and with some strange color stuff that seemed to cling to their fur-less skin. They even wore dangling things about their necks and wrists, and those the little female found interesting.
The pup did, however, miss her good friend. There was nothing to replace wolf companionship, and she found herself crying and whining to herself at night. What troubled her more was that there were no mourning howls, no calls from Raghnall. Wouldn't he have wanted her to come back? He had, at one point, sort of explained why she didn't have a mother or a real father. He had said it was something of great importance and that he was there to take care of her until she grew old enough to do so herself. So why was he making no attempt to retrieve her?
It finally drove her over the edge enough that she simply couldn't take it anymore. One morning, a crisp morning it was, she stalked out of clearing where the humans were staying. The boy must have sensed that she was leaving with no intention of coming back, for he suddenly came running after her awkwardly, yelling and waving his arms rather stupidly. It was enough, though, and Eris couldn't help but turn to see what he wanted. Then she saw, in his hand, something that she had seen his mother-figure wear on her wrist. Suddenly she became excited, tail wagging.
The boy smiled oddly and offered the bracelet to her. But she didn't understand, tilting her head to let him know that. The smile faded and suddenly he looked anxious. Confused, Eris sat down, allowing the boy time to recover himself.
Eventually he did, and he randomly got this determined look on his face. Then, in the next instant, he reached out, took her left forepaw in his small hands, and slipped the bracelet on, afterwards letting the paw fall back to the ground. It had all happened so fast that she felt there wasn't a single thing for her to do in response. All she could do was blink, and stare. He had just touched her. But in the process, he had seemed to give her the bracelet. Suddenly she became overwhelmed with emotions. Making sure to hide them, she instead simply wagged her tail.
Then, before the boy could do anything more, she leaped forward, licked his dirty face, and darted off back into the forest.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:16 am
Eris was an adolescent now, and her time with the humans no longer brought up in conversations. Though there was the reminder of the human bracelet--she had been too reluctatnt to give it up--it had all mostly been forgotten.
When she had gone back to Raghnall, she had gotten it good. He made sure she didn't eat for a good two days, making her tired and worn out. And while she was exhausted, he moved her to various different spots. Every time they had seemed to come to a good spot to settle in, the seer had suddenly found something bad about the place and moved her elsewhere. She had understood that this was her punishment for leaving him on his own, and she took it silently.
Raghnall had known the female had learned her lesson, and so never mentioned anything about her time with the humans. He didn't ask questions, didn't probe, nothing. He didn't really have to, for it had been almost like he had been there with her. Oh the glories of being a seer. He had picked up images from her brain and had seen what the human encampment had been like. He had picked up on her feelings, of how she had kept the humans in line. A good leader was hidden under her puppy nature, that was for sure. And he had also picked up on her sadness, one of the reasons he had forgiven her so quickly. Eris had truly been sad that she'd been away from him, and understood that humans could not replace that of wolves, and so had finally chosen to go back to him on her own.
So here they were, beat and tired from the day's wanderings. He had truly found things wrong with the other places they had checked out, but then he had purposely found them and led her there as a punishment of sorts. Finally, though, when he had thought she'd learned a good lesson, he took her to a place where they could actually stay safe and hidden for a while.
Eris understood and settled down. She had long been able to eat again, but for some reason she found that her companion liked to work her out and lead her to strange places. It had been that way for a few months, and she found that the wandering life was difficult. But she also found that Raghnall was testing her, making her stronger with every passing day. Now she was simply getting her reward: rest.
Flopping down onto the ground, she let her pride be surrendered for a while so that she could finally get in a good nap, a good rest filled with dreams of their rekindled friendship in which they were as close as ever before. Never again would they bicker or fight, never again would the female run away from him simply because she thought she'd want to check something out. She'd listen to him, now and forever, for he was wise and knew so much more than her...
Raghnall smiled and settled down not far from her, resting his head on his paws before he let himself drift off into what he thought would be peaceful sleep...
But he awoke with a start a day later. Something tugged at his nose, something that set up a warning alarm deep within his mind. Eris was peacefully sleeping, seemingly undisturbed by the new smell. His sleepy mind wanted to shrug it off, but he knew that he had to investigate. The seer seemed to have a sense for danger, and right now he had a tangling feeling in his gut.
Not wanting to awaken the One, he silently rose to his paws and trotted off. He decided it'd be best to do a sort of perimeter check, and so was quick to doing so. What he found wasn't at all pleasing. There were wolf tracks, too many of them to be a wandering wolf or even a pair. It was definitely a large group, and from the looks of the paw sizes in the dirt they were rather large for wolves. He closed his eyes then, letting himself see with his mind. He tried to focus in on the minds of whatever might have been out there. It was difficult, being as he didn't know exactly what he was focusing on, but eventually he succeeded.
Dunn. Minions. Search party. Eris was in danger.
Instantly he was flying off, back towards the sleeping Eris. And he prayed to whatever gods there were that she was still alive.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:18 am
Gone. Everything was gone. His life nearly, Eris, any hope he had had that perhaps the female would be able to live out a normal life before she had to face her destiny. Even Dunn was gone now, obviously thinking that his work had been done with the old seer. Some spiteful words had been exchanged, but other than that the interaction had been mostly action, fighting action.
The brutal alpha had no trouble tearing apart the elder, and it had only disturbed Raghnall that throughout the entire fight there had been a sort of smug look occupying the other's face. Did that mean that he had caught Eris? He had attempted to send forth a message to her, through minds, that she was to get as far away from this place as possible and to not ask questions, that in time she would learn the reason. But had she listened?
Without so much of an answer, or even a last look at the one he had come to love as one of his own, the old male passed on into a different realm, one where he would always be free.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 8:19 am
She stared into the eyes of what could have very well been her killer. Surrounding her and him were the tens and tens of wolves that seemed to be the slave puppets of Dunn. Eris spat, narrowing her eyes distastefully at him.
Dunn, however, didn't seem at all phased. Instead he seemed somewhat pleased, if not in totally disgusting and demented way. "Little girl, or should I say young lady? You have grown up to be quite fine," he grumbled lowly, tail flicking in interest. It disgusted her, and she found her lips pulling back in a silent snarl. He was really sick, thinking that he could possibly get with her.
"You are complete filth, you sick little--"
She was rudely interrupted by the leader's chuckle, deep and low. "My dear, don't get angry. You know, if you chose to cooperate, you might find that you will keep your life and find yourself much happier than living life on the run. Come, my love, bear my children. They will be fine little things." He was blunt, and she didn't like it at all. She couldn't take it any longer, but somehow found herself playing along. Something was driving her to do this, something that told her it would save her hide, but what?
"Oh my, you handsome brute. Why me out of all the others?" Her voice was innocently sweet, so sweet that it even surprised her. "I was born to destroy you, and yet you choose to take a different course and take me into your harem? Oh my, what a tender boy you are!" Slowly, though, she was heading back into hatred.
"So let me get this straight... you want me to mate with you? After you ******** KILLED RAGHNALL?!" She didn't know what was more surprising, seeing the smug look on Dunn's face or the fact that she had actually figured out that her friend was dead. Something whisped around her, sending comfortable chills down her spine. Her tail cricked, and an ear tilted slightly in silent question.
Raghnall?
The wind seemed to respond to her thoughts, and she was immediately filled with a sense of new courage and hope.
Dunn, chuckling again, advanced forward. Eris took a cautious step back. She had to escape, but how? She was about to plan something out when a sudden cry broke through the air. It was startling, and all wolves looked around in amazement. What was about them?
Then, from out of seemingly no where, hundreds and hundreds of little forest critters streamed out from the trees and bushes. The sky turned black as the sun was blocked with a gigantic murder of crows. Owls hooted, squirrels chittered, foxes barked, and everything else seemed to be alive with bustling noise and movement. At first Eris had thought herself mad. Why would a bunch of creatures randomly come out from the forest all at the same time and at the same place? But then she thought.
Raghnall. He had always promised to take care of her, no matter what. It seemed that he was staying true to his word, even after death. He must have called on the help of all these creatures before his spirit left his body.
Suddenly seeing her new chance of escape, she made no hesitation of bolting. Dunn and his warriors were busy with the critters as the wolves tried to fend off all else.
And so Eris ran, away and away, off into the unknown and farther into the depths of life.
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