Chapter Text
You really can’t beat the smell of the royal capitol. Eiden spreads his arms wide and inhales deeply.
“Ah, yup! Just like I remember!” He sighs cheerily, not neglecting to tip his hat at the nearby border guards.
Entering the Light Kingdom after months of kicking around Klein continent feels a bit like coming home. He was born here, after all. He grew up trawling the dirt roads of the shady southern district alongside his fellow orphaned street urchin friends. They survived on charity bread and soup from the nearby churches, compounded on whatever else they could safely steal. The good part was, someone always found a way to pull together a makeshift kickball. They could spend all day in the streets playing, only moving when a noble carriage kicked them off the road. Or when it got dark. Or too dangerous, even by south-side standards. The local citizens dubbed that district Southmouth because it is positioned closest to the Dead Zone in the south. And because the nature of life in those places seemed to equate to a hungry mouth. Always open, for good or ill or whatever may come. Always yearning, gobbling, searching.
Nostalgia, to Eiden, has always been bittersweet.
These days, he is a dyed-in-the-wool traveler. He goes to new places, finds new people. Adventures, on whatever scale, that can hold his attention. He’s happy to say he has had quite a few fascinating experiences. And that’s all the currency he needs in this life.
But! He is still a citizen of the Light Kingdom. Southmouth-er or not! He’s welcome in the royal capitol anytime with a flash of the golden parchment that serves as his birthright and passport between territories. Of course he and the other orphans had to cobble together forgeries of these papers, since they were not lucky enough to be born with access to them. But the forgeries serve well enough. Most of the knights stationed at the border can’t tell the difference, and they generally wouldn’t give a shit even if they could.
Eiden tucks the wrinkled parchment back into his vest pocket. He pats it for good luck, thanking it for its service. The familiar sights, sounds and smells of the capitol coalesce around him and his mind comfortably slips back into the fog of city life. Steamed baked goods from the street vendors. Dusty clothes hanging for sale in the nearby shop windows. Pushing your way through crowds of people that would just as soon step on you as greet you with lukewarm courtesy. Horse manure. The rhythmic swaying of carriages to and fro, a lullaby of near-constant movement.
Yes. Eiden is home.
His first order of business is to find a job.
No, scratch that. His first order of business is to find a drink! He still has some Light Kingdom coins left in his pouch from the last time he was here.
Strolling closer to the center of town, Eiden finds a tavern called “King’s Feast.” The owners no doubt took the name to profit off the nearish distance to Kingsrook district, the palatial part of the city where the king lives. That district is well out of Eiden’s price range, so he’ll take the cut price version! He has a good feeling about this place. The drinkers and so-called feasters around the tables seem like local residents, merchants and farmers on their lunch breaks looking for a halfway decent ale before getting back to work.
Eiden slaps the remainder of his coins on the bar and accepts the cheapest ale in the house. Okay, so, he didn’t have as many coins as he thought he did. That’s what you get for being gone over a year!
Not that it’s his fault. He got tangled up in the bedsheets of a forest dweller in the Wood Territory. That guy had a cock that went on for days, and muscles strong enough to hold Eiden aloft while fucking him. Sure, Eiden got carried away moving in with him so fast. He tends to jump the gun with that stuff. And sure, it ended the way it was always meant to end: The forest dweller simply moved out. Needing some time away from Eiden’s constant chatter. It wasn’t a break-up, it was a pause. A time-out. A ‘thanks for all the sex, now I need to get my head on straight’ kind of thing.
Eiden respected that. He didn’t even disagree. They needed some time seeing other people and doing other things. Too much time together can be bad. He gets that.
That house, though. A cottage in the deep woods sounds nice in theory, but not when you’re all alone. Eiden couldn’t hack living there by himself. So it was time to move on. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever see that forest dweller again. Maybe he will. Maybe not.
It’s fine, it’s fine. Eiden always lands on his feet.
No matter how far he roams, from Solaria to the easternmost ports of the Water Territory, Eiden always finds a way back here. The royal capitol. It’s in his blood, maybe. It’s where he goes to reset. Lick his wounds. Figure things out. He can always make a living here. Doing whatever the fuck.
He takes a sip of ale. It tastes slightly more like piss water than he remembers. That just means he needs to drink more! So he gulps down about half. The fizz settles mid-chest and he burps to clear it. With that burp goes some of his clarity. The ale is doing its job. Taking the edge off. He would do well not to drink the rest too fast though, only because he can’t afford another.
Right. He wipes his mouth on the back of his hand. Time to find a job.
Oh, look. There’s a wall in the back full of postings.
This is why Eiden loves taverns!
He picks up his ale and shuffles his way to the back, cheering random strangers as he goes. Unfortunately for him, the selection of postings is on the thin side. The tavern owner copied the same few postings several times and strung them up together to make it seem thicker. Busier.
There are really only three jobs. One is for what looks like a guardianship position; a middle-class woman’s elderly father needs constant care. Eiden would jump on that one (sounds like work in a house! Off the streets, safe!), but the posting date is too distant. Someone must have snatched up that gig already. Damn.
Another is for sewage work. Cleaning out the subterranean tunnels of sewage that need human attention to function properly. It’s decent work, but the pay is not really what Eiden is looking for. If he’s going to be shoveling literal shit all day, he wants to get good money for it at least! So, moving on.
The most intriguing posting is one in the far corner. There are many copies of this one with several dates. Each date raises the offering price another hundred coin. No one is taking this on. Eiden finds the most recent positing—a thousand coin!—and rips it off the board in haste.
The nearby farmers are looking for a hunter. (Farmers have a thousand coin to spare? Did they pool their resources or something?) Their livestock are being targeted by a wolf. A huge one, apparently. It comes in the dead of night and steals animals from their hutches, leaving only a bloody trail in its wake. The wolf is crudely drawn on the posting.
Eiden rubs his chin. Hm. That’s a wolf? Maybe, but it could also be a coyote. A wild dog. Anything! Who knows what’s stealing the livestock? If all they can give is a faint drawing of something dog-like, these people are not at all close to actually taking this thing down. No wonder the posting has been up for months.
…Not that Eiden cares. He is quick to note that the poster is offering a hundred coin in advance upon accepting the job, with the other 900 to come when the wolf is dead. A hundred coin is a hundred coin. Eiden can take that and duck out if he has to! Thank you very much! Or, he could do the right thing and at least try to find the coyote or whatever.
He has some hunting experience.
That is to say, he once had a part-time job sharpening knives in a butcher shop. And he recently spent a fair number of months getting his back blown out by a guy who set traps for a living. Eiden can set his own traps now! What can he catch? Rabbits, mostly. A slow-moving squirrel once. But hey, a trap is a trap.
If you put together his knife-sharpening experience and his trapper life, that basically equals hunter status. Right?
The point is, Eiden needs the money. A hundred coin is good and a thousand coin is great. Eiden will get on this ride. See where it takes him, however much he can reasonably get out of it.
So he brings the posting to the bar and speaks to the owner. “I’ll take this on,” he declares, with a fair helping of unearned confidence. “Who should I talk to? It says ‘inquire with owner.’”
The bartender pauses wiping mugs to give Eiden a quizzical look. “This one?” She screws her mouth to one side. “You sure you’re up for it, kid?”
Eiden shrugs. “Sure, yeah. I’ve got some decent hunting experience. Do I have to bring my own knives to the party or…?”
A few people nearby smirk into their drinks. The bartender chuckles, putting a hand to her head. “You’ve got jokes. Let’s see how far that gets you.” She resumes wiping. “Go take a seat. For that posting, you have to speak with the Vice Captain.”
Now that is a surprise. He thought the farmers were the ones who put this up. But somehow the knights are involved?
Well, all the better for Eiden. If this gig is being funded by the royals, then he’s much more likely to get paid.
The bartender explains that the Vice Captain and his troop of knights should be on patrol in the area within a few hours. They usually stop in the tavern for a report on the day’s activity before day’s end. That’s unusual, as far as Eiden remembers. The knights weren’t always so involved with the locals. He tries to think back to the last Vice Captain, but that was some time ago. Maybe it’s someone new these days.
The lady is nice enough to give Eiden a few beers on the house while he waits, along with a plate of fried meat and bread. She says that no one else has shown any interest in that posting lately, so it’ll be nice to have something to bring to the Vice Captain.
Must be an impressive guy, Eiden thinks, chowing down on his free food. To inspire people to acts of kindness.
As the day dwindles and evening settles, Eiden is well into his cups. The food in his stomach keeps him from getting flat-out drunk, but the beer is strong enough to keep him suspended in a nice state of detachment. A veil between him and the world. He’s in a good mood. The kind of mood where he might agree to something stupid.
He is mid-conversation with a nearby guy about the increasing price of fish (anything to pass the time), when the knights finally arrive. You can feel their presence, the bright white uniforms, the steadfast footsteps. You can almost smell them. Straight out of Kingsrook, medals polished, boots shined.
Eiden perks his head up. Oh yeah, this is definitely new.
He spots the person who must be the Vice Captain. The guy decked out in medals with a royal blue cape. He is slim but lithe, head held high, shoulders straight. He has long silvery bluish hair swept into a ponytail. It falls perfectly over one shoulder. His eyes are piercing crystal blue. Bright, clear. Sharp. They survey the interior of the tavern with a cursory glance, checking that everything is in order.
The Vice Captain’s steps in his knee-high boots are determined. Poised. Definitely noble. Graceful, even after a day of patrolling. Stringent, you might say. Like he’s practiced this way of being and cannot stray beyond its confines.
But he’s easy on the eyes. Young, no older than Eiden himself. Studiously fit, with an arc to his hips that helplessly catches the eye. Eiden doesn’t mind staring. That sword dangling off the Vice Captain’s hips. Hypnotic as it sways, drawing the gaze of quite a few people in the tavern.
The guy is hot . For real. Eiden definitely doesn’t know him. He would have remembered if the capitol had a Vice Captain like this!
Talk about an upgrade. No wonder the knights have stepped up their game.
The Vice Captain speaks quietly with the bartender. She gestures at the posting then nods in Eiden’s direction. Right on cue, a pair of breathtaking blue eyes lands on Eiden. He can’t help smiling; it feels special to be singled out and seen by someone so important and beautiful. He gives a little wave.
Truthfully, he is a fool for a pair of hips like that. Doesn’t matter which guy they belong to.
The Vice Captain speaks with his knights. They nod in agreement and stand outside in unison. It seems the Vice Captain wants to speak with Eiden himself. Impressive. And unusual. A noble who speaks man to man with a commoner. Eiden’s esteem for this new guy ticks ever upward. (Buoyed somewhat by the ale.)
“Good evening. Are you applying for the hunter position?”
Ooh, this Vice Captain has a nice voice. Low, smooth, and serious. No nonsense. He towers over Eiden’s table with the dignified air of a man who has never sat in one of these tables himself. Speaking like that, he might be in Kingsrook or the palace itself.
Eiden finishes his drink with a flourish, hiding a smirk. “Yup—yes. I am. Are you the guy I need to speak to? The Vice Captain?”
The nobleman nods once. “Yes. My name is Edmond. Please, come with me.”
Eiden steadies himself on his feet, salutes the bartender graciously, and trails Edmond out of the tavern. That royal cape swishes to one side and he catches a glimpse of the Vice Captain’s precious behind.
What a peach. More than a handful. Perky. It gives a gentle jiggle with each poised step. Somehow dignified, but absolutely magnetic. That is a nice ass, for real.
He feels the full impact of the ale when he starts to walk. Oh, hell. In this kind of mood, he’d be willing to follow Edmond absolutely anywhere.
___________________________________________
“You must excuse the vagueness of the posting. The farmers did not have enough funds for compensation, so they asked for the knights’ aid. The Captain himself put up the money and spread postings around town.”
That explains a lot. Like how the asking price is so high. And why they’re headed further into the heart of the city, towards Kingsrook, instead of further out where the farms are.
But it doesn’t explain one thing. “That’s awfully nice of the Captain,” Eiden says. “I didn’t think the knights had much interest in a few livestock going missing.”
Edmond frowns. The dark circles under his eyes are exaggerated by the look. “Of course the livestock are important. The farmers must be at liberty to continue their work. Otherwise meat and dairy production throughout the capitol will be stalled.”
Okay, true. Though that’s not what Eiden meant.
“Furthermore, the welfare of the sovereign citizens is of paramount importance to the knights. When we are called to aid, we must oblige.”
Wow. This guy really takes this job seriously! His tone is clipped, annoyed. Quick to correct any misconceptions. He must take it personally when someone implies that the knights do not care about the citizens.
Even though that has been the way of things as far back as Eiden can remember.
When he was a kid, the knights used to visit Southmouth only to take a piss in the streets, instead of waiting to use proper bathrooms anywhere else in the city. Too young to understand, Eiden thought pissing was their job. Why they wore uniforms. Once, his friend got annoyed that a knight’s piss landed on his kickball. He shouted at him to stop.
The knight sneered. He said, “What’s a little bit of piss in an ocean of shit?”
Eiden never forgot that. Squaring his memory of the knights with his impression of this straight-laced nobleman is…
He can’t help laughing.
Edmond whips around to face him. “Did I say something amusing?”
“Kind of, yeah.”
Edmond’s expression sours like he just bit into something rancid. “That was my mistake, then. Understand that I am speaking frankly with you.”
Eiden has to admit he’s impressed by the level of this man’s earnestness. Such earnestness might in fact be naivete, but even so. A gremlin desire to pepper Edmond with invasive questions blossoms in his chest.
“I’ve been away from the city a while. How long have you been Vice Captain?”
“A little over a year.”
Eiden speeds up to walk alongside him. “Oh okay, so you’re relatively new to the job. How do you like it so far?”
Edmond shoots him a sideways glance. “It’s…I’m sorry, you’re asking how I ‘like it?’”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s…” Edmond shakes his head. “A ridiculous question. I’ve never—”
“Sir, we’ve arrived.” The knights stop outside a mundane city building. Royal knight headquarters, Eiden recognizes. As bland as ever. At least this place hasn't changed.
Slightly flustered, Edmond rushes into the building. He quickly returns to tell his knights to retire for the evening, which they happily agree to do. Then he beckons Eiden closer, holding the door open for him.
Inside are a few more knights sitting around idly. The Captain’s chair is empty, however. Eiden recognizes the garish helmet the Captain always wears perched on the grandiose table towards the back. So Edmond is still the one in charge at the moment.
“Sit down.”
Eiden takes a seat across from Edmond at a smaller desk in front. This feels like a job interview. He’s been on enough of those to know.
“State your name.”
“Eiden. Nice to meet you.”
“Primary occupation?”
“I’m in between jobs. Been spending a few years traveling, seeing the countryside. My mother always used to say—”
Edmond cuts him off mid-lie to request his passport. Eiden brandishes the faded gold paper with practiced ease. He might be sweating under his collar just a bit. He can only hope Edmond doesn’t notice the crookedness of the star seal on top or the unnatural wrinkling in places. Except, well, everything he’s learned about Edmond in the past ten minutes tells him that most likely—
“It says here you’re from Fayswell. The northeastern docking district?”
Oh, right. That’s what it says. “Yes sir!”
Edmond turns the passport around a few times.
Sweating a little more, Eiden decides to double down. “I’m a total sea rat! Grew up by the ports. The marina is what I call home—”
A heavy sigh stops Eiden in his tracks. Edmond closes his eyes, scratching his eyebrow in irritation. “Fayswell is spelled F-a-y-s-w-e-l-l. Not F-a-e-s-w-a-l. And the official star here has six points instead of five.” He fixes Eiden with a weary stare. “This is a very poor forgery.”
…Maybe, but it’s worked fine until now! Eiden doesn’t say that, though. He just smiles. There’s really nothing else he can do.
Okay, he’s sweating a lot now! He’s never been found out before! He doesn’t even know what the punishment for forgery is. Jail time, deportation? What the hell will an uptight guy like Edmond do—
“Where are you really from?”
Eiden pauses before answering. In the end, he tells the truth. “Southmouth.”
He braces himself for what he knows is coming. This nobleman is going to wrinkle his nose in disgust. He’ll shake his head and refuse to look at Eiden, knowing what trash sits before him. With a callous wave of his hand, he’ll summon the nearby guards to permanently alter Eiden’s fate to whatever end—
Actually, Edmond does none of those things. “I see.” That’s all he says. No glint of repugnance on his face. Instead, there is a touch of silent acknowledgement. Awareness.
For once, Eiden doesn’t know what to say.
Edmond quietly tucks the fake passport into his desk. “Well, this is ultimately a victimless crime, so I won’t pursue charges. But I will have to confiscate this forgery. Please obtain your travel documents through legal means next time.”
Seeing an opportunity to escape with his skin intact, Eiden hurries to agree. “Yes, sir, I will!”
He won’t, but still. It’s really nice of Edmond to let him slide. He wouldn’t have thought Edmond was the type to cut anyone any slack. Especially not someone from Southmouth. But it seems Eiden’s first impression was wrong. In a good way.
A dull feeling of respect grows hotter and bolder in Eiden’s stomach. Edmond is nice! Too serious for his own good, sure, but nice.
Sighing again, Edmond glances around the room. Is he nervous? Why? What’s going on?
He lowers his voice. “Tell me, do you honestly have any hunting experience?”
“I do,” Eiden casually lies. “I mean, some. I’ve done a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I’m pretty skilled with a knife—”
Edmond raises a hand to stop him. He’s heard enough. “Right. So, I assume you want this job because of the hundred coin advancement. Correct?”
Unsure if he should continue lying or not, Eiden sucks his teeth. “Well…the advancement doesn’t hurt, that’s for sure.”
Edmond nods. He pulls a hefty bag of coins out of the desk. “Here, then. A hundred coin. As promised.”
“You’re just giving that to me?” Eiden is almost too incredulous to take it!
Almost.
He snatches the bag before this knight can change his mind.
True to his word, Edmond lets him take it. “Of course. That was the stipulation put forth in the posting.”
A hundred coin! God, how will he even walk around the city with this much money on him?
He stuffs the bag down his shirt. “So, does this mean you’re accepting me in my capacity as a hunter? Do you want me to go kill this wolf or what?”
Edmond steals another nervous glance at the other knights. “I would advise against it. From what others have said, this wolf is a fair bit larger than most. I think it’s reasonable to assume you would be out of your depths. However…” He lowers his voice a little more. “I am not at liberty to advise you one way or the other. If you choose to go out there and hunt the wolf, that’s your prerogative. As long as you know that those hundred coins are yours to keep, whether the wolf lives or not.”
“What about the farmers, though? I thought you said you were concerned for their well-being.”
“I am.” Edmond’s blue eyes flash dangerously. “But putting a task like this in your incapable hands helps no one. You’ll only get yourself killed and the livestock will continue to be lost.”
That makes sense.
“So then what will you do?” Eiden asks. “How will you stop the livestock from getting killed?”
A rush of coldness seeps into Edmond’s eyes. He stares at the floor in abject hatred. Directionless, it seems. Anger morphed by time. He must be so frustrated by this situation. The farmers are losing livestock and yet Edmond doesn’t want to risk anyone else getting hurt engaging with the thing.
Is this wolf such a big problem?
“Why don’t you just hunt the wolf yourself?” Eiden suggests. “Can’t the knights do it?”
Despite Edmond’s best efforts, their conversation is overheard. A knight at a nearby table cuts in. “Hey, that wolf is huge, buddy! You ever seen that thing?”
To be fair, Eiden has not.
“We sent a patrol out there a month ago,” the lower-ranked knight continues. “Those poor devils came back spooked as shit from the sight of it! They high-tailed it out of there!”
Another knight joins the conversation. “Good thing, too. My friend said that thing’s paw was bigger than his face! With the helmet on!”
A low murmur spreads around the room. Several knights have stories to tell. The lore of this wolf is not localized to the farmers. Many people have seen it and run from it.
“Twice as big as any farm dog.”
“No, three times! Four times, maybe!”
“You kidding me? Four times?”
“I’m serious! Teeth like ice picks!”
“All white! Not a hint of color in its fur! Can’t be local, we don’t have that kind of breed around these parts.”
“Must have come down from the north. Or up from the south.”
“It’s a demon, I bet. Nothing natural about it!”
Eiden is honestly shocked at this level of buzz. There were no spooky wolf stories back a year ago. Whatever this thing is, it has everyone scared. No wonder the knight captain funded the posting. The king must want this whole issue put to rest.
Sounds more serious than Eiden realized.
And yeah, sure, he’s probably way out of his depths.
As for Edmond…
The Vice Captain scratches the tip of his finger against the desk. Nonstop. He realizes he’s lost control of the conversation. In a quiet voice, still staring at the floor in vehemence, he says, “There’s always a chance…the wolf will not return this time. It’s been weeks since the last sighting.”
A chorus of groans rings throughout the room.
“Sir Edmond, be reasonable!”
“It’s still out there, I tell you!”
“Of course it’ll be back. Those baby calves are like sitting ducks! Farmers ought to lock up their cattle at night—”
“They have been. Didn’t you hear? That wolf—or whatever it is—can knock down barn doors. They spend days repairing their barns after an attack.”
“Sweet God of Klein…”
Wow. Okay, then. They’ve got a real problem on their hands. Eiden doesn’t know what he can do—most likely, he can’t do anything, but…
He has a few questions. Maybe an idea. “Why did the wolf appear so suddenly,” he wonders out loud. “Are its hunting patterns messed up for some reason? Like, is there construction somewhere or deforestation? Maybe we can have it follow us to a distant land or something…” That’s what his forest dwelling lover would have done!
After all, is it really the wolf’s fault that he’s killing to eat? Sounds like a natural thing for a wolf to want to do. They should think about this situation from the wolf’s perspective. Might be safer than fighting it head on.
“Listen, kid.”
No one takes Eiden’s suggestion seriously. A low-ranking knight ignores him and gives his own advice.
“If you want to face this monster, go out tonight. It’s a full moon. That’s when they say this thing gets real bloodthirsty.”
Several others agree. “That’s right. I’m sure there will be a sighting tonight.”
“Take this sword. And this dagger too.”
Before Eiden knows what’s happening, the knights are arming him to the teeth. So they’re desperate enough to throw just anyone at this thing? Eiden clearly has no idea what he’s doing!
Still. He shakily accepts their weapons. He doesn’t feel like he has much of a choice now that he’s nominated himself. The knights are not giving him an out like Edmond did.
And…
Eiden feels bad for them. The farmers, too, especially. They are losing livestock every full moon. It’s not right. The wolf is a wild animal, it doesn’t know what it’s doing is wrong, but it needs to be stopped. Someone should really step up.
Besides, let’s just say he manages to do something. Anything at all. There’s 900 coin waiting for him in Edmond’s desk. Nothing to sneeze at. Eiden would be able to rent a nice room for however long he feels like staying in the city…months, if he wants…
“I’ll go out there tonight,” he says before he can stop himself. “Let me see this thing for myself.”
He can decide what to do once he’s out there.
The knights pat him on the back in respect. Suddenly it doesn’t matter where anyone is from. They all just want to swap stories about the mysterious beast. The knights offer up several more tales of woe, seeking reactions from Eiden.
Amidst all the commotion, the Vice Captain wordlessly retires for the evening. By the time Eiden turns around, Edmond is gone.
___________________________________
“Are you the hunter from the capitol?”
“Yup, that’s me.”
It’s weird that in the span of a day, Eiden finds himself in a completely new profession with a brand new title. Being treated to hot stew from the local farmers, a sword slung over his back and a dagger around his waist.
This is an interesting end to his first day back in the royal city. But, interesting is what Eiden lives for.
“Thank you for your bravery, young man,” an elderly woman says. Her knobby hand pats him on the shoulder. “We haven’t had anyone from the capitol to deal with this wolf problem in months. Not since those cowardly knights fled the scene.”
The stew in Eiden’s mouth is starting to taste like glue. He’s having trouble swallowing. “Happy to help, ma’am.” He flashes her a smile that could break diamonds. A hard won asset of his.
She smiles and passes him some of the bread from her own plate.
After dinner, Eiden follows the farmers to a spot deep in the woods where they all swear they’ve seen the wolf before. Some say it emerges from a cave, others say it slinks through the trees on its way down from the hills.
“This wolf is wily,” the oldest man says. “Smarter than your average beast. Be wary and take caution. You hear?”
Eiden puts a hand on his stomach. He shouldn’t have eaten so much. His beer buzz from this afternoon is totally gone. Now he just feels sick. A squirming feeling rises up in his stomach and he presses a hand to his mouth to stifle the sound.
He’s scared. That’s the truth.
With stone cold reality back in his grasp, Eiden realizes he is in way, way over his head. There’s absolutely no way he’s going to be able to fight this thing! Eiden doesn’t fight wolves! What the hell was he thinking?
The farmers sense his fear. Before they leave for the night, they offer him a flask of straight liquor. Straw moonshine from the smell of it. Eiden gladly accepts.
There. A little better.
Okay, so. If that was his last meal and drink, Eiden could have done worse. He finds some peace in that.
Besides, he is not planning on dying here.
He unsheathes the sword and stares at the sharp tip. Sizing it up. Yeah, this isn’t happening. He could maybe wield this thing like a club if the wolf gets close enough. But one swing of the sword and his arm instantly loses all its strength. This thing is too damn heavy! The dagger at his side is more useful. He might be able to do something with this in close proximity. He picked up a trick or two from the butcher.
Exercising his best judgment, Eiden leaves the sword inside the nook of a tree. He might be able to sell it if he survives tonight. But for now, he can’t afford to be weighed down.
He has no intention of engaging the wolf in an actual fight. That’s suicide. What he’s planning to do is track its movements. He needs to learn this thing. What it is, why it’s here, where it comes from. If he can figure out something about its nature, maybe he can lead it out of the farmers’ pastures and back into the woods.
He’s no wolf expert. But you can learn a lot about an animal just by watching it.
So Eiden will watch.
_____________________________________
The night stretches on.
He sits in a relatively comfortable tree that gives him a good vantage point. The branch gets more and more comfortable as it gets later and later. Around midnight, Eiden is dozing against the bark.
A howl startles him from sleep.
It is a lonely sound. Sustained, even-pitched. That cry floats over the night gracefully, echoing around the trees. It permeates the wind so that the wind may carry it further across the forest.
That’s a wolf.
Eiden is fully awake now. That howl sounded so close! The wolf must be nearby, right?
Oh, there! A white dot on the nearest hill. Well, more than a dot! It’s…
Big. For a second Eiden thinks he’s discovered a boulder that he just hadn’t noticed before. But then it starts to move.
Holy shit, it’s big! The wolf looks out at the forest, searching for something. Two pointed ears stick straight up. It has a long, hefty snout. A body like a sleek canine statue. Totally white. A thick tail about as long as Eiden’s legs. If this wolf were to stand on its hind legs, it would be at least twice as tall as Eiden himself.
Apparently the wolf has found its target for the night. It descends the hill in a graceful gait. Eiden can’t lose track of it! He has to follow. So he jumps down from the tree and heads in its direction.
This is stupid, right? Going towards a giant wolf who’s probably looking for its next meal? Yeah, that’s fucking crazy. But here Eiden is. Doing that.
As much as his self-perseveration warning bells are going off, he is also morbidly curious. That was no ordinary wolf! It was like a dire wolf straight out of a storybook. Giant dog of legend! And that pure white color. Eiden’s never seen anything like it. He can’t help wanting to get a closer look, whatever it might cost him.
The wolf’s white outline is visible through the trees. It’s running towards him!
Eiden ducks behind a log. Hopefully this will give him enough cover.
Here it is. In all its glory. The wolf comes within a ten foot radius of Eiden’s hiding spot. It sniffs the ground, sussing out a trail to follow.
There is a word that comes to mind when Eiden looks closely at this thing. Majestic. This wolf is majestic! Royal, in a way. It holds its head high. Like it knows it is the strongest thing for miles in any direction, and it is comfortable wielding that power. The forest is its home. It looks comfortable and innately natural.
Where on earth did this thing come from?
As the wolf scans the small clearing of trees, Eiden gets a good look at its eyes. Sharp, stark blue. A pair of icy crystals. Domineering, but somehow emotional. There is more than animal instinct in those eyes, Eiden is sure of it. There is intelligence .
Those eyes scare the hell out of him, if he’s being honest. They take his breath away. Make him freeze in place, muscles taut, not even daring to blink.
The wolf scrutinizes the log where Eiden hides. Can it see him? How can it not! Those eyes give the impression that they see everything. Even through your very soul!
The wolf sniffs the breeze. It tracks a smell in the wind and heads down a different path, padding away into the night.
Miraculously, it has not discovered Eiden.
Even so. Eiden needs a minute to recover. There is still ice in his heart! Thawing slowly! In the Wood Territory, he ran into all kinds of weird animals. Some of them dangerous. But this is different. There is no one to protect Eiden now that his friend is not here. And this wolf is more intelligent looking than anything Eiden encountered before. Larger too, and therefore more deadly.
Still. The farmers are counting on Eiden to figure this whole thing out. The knights won’t be able to do it alone. There’s no one else.
It has to be Eiden.
He takes a deep breath and follows the wolf’s tracks.
______________________________________
The tracks lead to the edge of the forest. On farmland, Eiden has no cover at all. It’s just green pastures for livestock and grain.
How will he follow it without being discovered? The wolf is running straight for the barn. How is Eiden going to stop it from stealing a cow or whatever?
Well, his plan was to watch. If he keeps a safe distance, maybe the wolf will be too focused on its prey to notice Eiden. There really is no way to stop it tonight. Eiden will just have to watch how it hunts to learn its predatory habits.
He doesn’t love the idea of seeing all that, but it’s the only thing he can do.
He trails the wolf across the pasture. It barrels straight for the barn, knowing exactly where its prey is kept.
Just like the knights said, one mighty swipe of its paw yanks the barn door clear off its hinges. Horses and cows bleat helplessly as the wolf prowls through the barn.
The sound of crunching jaws and bones breaking. A sharp bovine cry, then silence. Well, the wolf found what it was looking for.
It’ll be coming this way soon. Eiden needs to find cover—
Too late. The wolf carries its meal through the barn, leaving blood and straw in its wake. The cow’s body is so much bigger than the wolf’s snout, but it has no problem dragging it by the neck. The hungry wolf wants to take its prize home for the night.
With one fatal step, the wolf sees Eiden.
“Shit.”
There is a brief moment of silence. The wolf might be surprised it’s been followed. Eiden sure as hell doesn’t know what to do! The wolf is staring right at him!
“Uh…” he wants to say something. As if this thing understands human speech. But when his fight or flight instincts are triggered, they hit him hard . He needs to run. Run!
Scrambling with all four limbs, Eiden turns around and runs as fast as he can.
Not fast enough. Of course.
At a smooth gait, the wolf catches him. It pins Eiden to the ground with its two front paws, knocking the wind clear out of him.
“Wait! Wait!” Eiden’s brains are leaving him. His quick tongue, the most reliable tool he has, moves on its own. “Wait, stop! Hang on!”
Growling, barking menacingly, the wolf flips Eiden over onto his back. Why? Does it want to get a look at his face? That’s not something a wild animal would do—
Now, Eiden gets the best view of this wolf he could have ever hoped for. Face to face. A huge canine skull bears down over him. Its mouth drips with blood, teeth not even a hair’s breadth from Eiden’s nose. Its lips quiver in a snarl.
So this is how Eiden dies. He never thought it would be like this. On a farm. In the jaws of some demon wolf. It’s not the worst way to go, maybe. At least he can say he died a hero, trying to save the farmers—
Suddenly, with a dismissive bark, the wolf moves away from him. It lets him up, freeing him from underneath its massive paws. It turns its back on Eiden and returns to the cow carcass.
“H-huh? You’re…letting me go?” Eiden feels like he’s talking to a person. He is far too stunned to move. He wants an explanation!
Why didn’t this thing kill him? It must not sense Eiden as a foe. Still, how does it have the understanding to make decisions between life and death? Is it self-control or instinct?
What is this thing?
The wolf chows down on its meal, tearing into the guts of the cow with loud, wet relish. Eiden can’t move. He’s too paralyzed by fear.
Fear and…
“Hey, thanks,” he says to the wolf’s back. “Thanks for not killing me, man.”
Delirious, Eiden has an urge to pet the thing. He should be running the hell out of there, but instead he finds himself smiling on one side of his face. Speaking to the wolf like he would speak to a person.
Come to think of it, has this wolf ever killed a human? In any of the stories the knights and farmers told, Eiden doesn’t remember them mentioning harm done to an actual person. Only livestock and barns.
“Are you just killing to eat, big guy?” Eiden is floating around in some headspace between life and death. He feels giddy. He’s actually chuckling. “I get it. That makes sense.”
The wolf lifts its head. Bovine intestines dangle from its jaw. It regards Eiden, realizing he’s still there. With a loud huff, it goes back to eating.
Eiden laughs harder. “Of course, you’re hungry! But why don’t you eat the game in the forest? Is that not enough for you?”
Naturally, the wolf doesn’t answer. It continues to enjoy its meal.
“Hmm.” Eiden lays on the ground and rests his chin in his hand. He’s happy to hang out with this wolf for now. There’s an unspoken agreement between them. The wolf won’t kill Eiden. It has what it came here to get, this apparently delicious cow, so Eiden is free to stay or go.
A tenuous connection is forming between him and this wild wolf. The inexplicable bond between human and animal. Eiden is comfortable here. And he has a feeling that the wolf is too.
The night begins to fade. The sky is getting lighter. Almost morning now.
When the first pale blue hues of dawn shine on the wolf’s fur, it automatically freezes. Stopping mid-chew. Its whole body tightens and it trembles, like it’s having a seizure.
Eiden sits up. “Huh? What’s wrong?”
In a mad dash, the wolf runs back into the forest. Its legs are shaky where they were graceful before. Like it is walking on stilts.
“Wait up!” What’s going on? Eiden is freaked out!
He has to run after it.
The wolf is much slower now. It has to stop, lean against the trees, and catch its breath. Its bloody mouth emits an odd sound. Halfway between a human gasp and a canine pant.
Now Eiden is afraid again. This thing is clearly not just an animal—so then what the hell is it?!
The wolf stumbles blindly through the forest. It is rapidly shrinking in size. Every breath it takes sounds more and more like a human voice. It gnashes its teeth a few times, shaking its head. As if fighting against itself.
Deep into the forest, the wolf finally collapses near a stream. It moans like a man and curls up into a fetal position. While Eiden watches, the wolf’s fur disappears and slowly morphs into skin. Pale skin. The span of white fur—actually slightly blue, Eiden notes with help from the daylight—shrinks in size and settles atop the creature’s head. Hair. Long, straight hair that spills down its back.
“Nnngh…”
Paws fade into hands. Feet. Sinewy limbs, lithely toned. A beautiful, smooth body. A man, definitely, from the slender thing between its legs. The man turns over onto his stomach. Bones rearrange themselves as he moves.
Magic. This is magic. A curse? Eiden has only seen real magic maybe once or twice in his life and it was never anything this extraordinary—
The sharp sound of choking breaks through Eiden’s mystified thoughts. This guy is coughing! Pretty hard from the sound of it!
He takes out his pouch of water and rushes over. “Here,” he says right away. “Take this.”
The man is struggling to breathe. He might be gagging. His mouth is still covered in blood, and the taste must be horrendous. Blindly, he squints up at Eiden in the early morning light.
…This face!
Sharp blue eyes—just as the wolf’s had been, as well as another person’s, whom Eiden recently met. An angular face with delicate features and noble finesse.
It’s the Vice Captain.
“Oh. Hey!” That’s the first thing Eiden can think to say. “Edmond! It’s you!”
Awareness dawns on the Vice Captain and he yelps in shock. He scrambles away from Eiden on his back, a panicked crab walk. He looks incredulous, afraid, and hurt. Like he believes with certainty Eiden is going to harm him.
“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Eiden holds up both hands. “It’s just me! Eiden, remember? We met in your office today.”
A hundred thoughts and expressions fly across Edmond’s face. “I…” he struggles out. “You…!”
In a savage instant, his face settles on rage. “What the hell are you doing here, you idiot?!”
That’s the only thing he wants to ask? Isn’t it obvious? “I came to kill the wolf! You hired me, remember? I just didn’t know…”
The reality of the situation creeps into Eiden’s understanding. This is Edmond. The wolf everyone’s talking about is in fact the Vice Captain himself! The monster everyone is so afraid of—
“I…didn’t know it was you.”
How could he have known? And now that he knows, what the hell is he supposed to do about it?
Okay, okay. Let’s de-escalate this. There will be time for explanations and all that stuff later. Right now they both need to relax.
Taking a deep breath, Eiden sits down on the ground. He doesn’t want to be standing while Edmond is crouched. That seems unfair. He puts the water pouch on the forest floor between them, so Edmond can have it whenever he’s ready. Then he rips off a piece of his shirt and soaks it in water from the nearby stream.
Edmond watches his every move. Frozen and vigilant.
With a soft expression, Eiden offers him the wet cloth. “Here. For your face. You’ve got, uh, something.”
It’s cow blood. That’s what Edmond’s face is covered in. But no need to say it like that. Edmond touches his own chin and realizes right away what it is.
Gasping in horror, he snatches the cloth from Eiden’s hands. He scrubs his face, glaring daggers at Eiden. He simultaneously becomes aware of his own nakedness, so he sits up to shield his manhood from view. Not like it really matters now, but Eiden averts his eyes anyway. He doesn’t want to make Edmond any more uncomfortable than he already is.
He takes off his outer tunic. It’s cheap cloth, but it’ll do. He holds it out for Edmond to take.
After a tense moment, Edmond hesitantly accepts. He wraps the tunic around his body, covering himself.
“Th…thank you…” he murmurs. His gaze is focused on the stream.
“You’re welcome.”
They sit in silence. The birds are rising in the trees. The sun dapples the forest floor with spots of yellow. It is calm here. The stream babbles beside them.
It’s probably time. Eiden sits back. The way he looks at Edmond is conversational.
“Okay, so. You ready to tell me what’s going on?”