The loud sound of the crackling campfire, accompanied by the trance-like dancing the flames performed engaged the mind of the beautiful princess, her hands resting flat on her knees, fingers resting comfortably on the fabric of her dress as she sat on the log, her eyes reflecting the flickering performance of the warm, welcoming flames.
The snap of a twig got the attention of the princess, her eyes flicking over to the source of the sound just in time to see a large shape loom into her view. Her fingers tensed briefly before a gloved hand was placed softly on her shoulders and the loving smile of her husband became illuminated by the campfire.
"Sleeping troubles?" he asked softly, sitting down next to her and placing his arm around her shoulder, the tired princess resting her head on his chest.
"Yes" she nodded softly, placing a hand on his chest and toying with a loose thread in the stitching "I... I'm afraid Shining" The man shook his head with a soft sigh, looping a lock of his wife's hair around his finger as he spoke.
"There's nothing to fear my love, this little visit shouldn't trouble you so" Shining whispered, watching the logs on the fire spit embers every so often.
"Of course there is something to fear, we've been sent to secure peace in a land I have no experience with, with people who I know nothing of with a king I've never encountered" Cadance sighed, her eyes falling from the fire and down to a single pebble on the forest floor. Shining was silent for a long second, his eyes looking up at the pale moon while he gathered his thoughts, unsure of what to say to comfort his beloved wife.
"Would you prefer if one of your relatives had come with us?" he asked softly.
"Yes" she responded "Aunt Celestia would be much better at dealing with this problem"
"Do you believe that she has made a mistake in sending you in her stead?" Shining asked quizzically, relaxing his legs and extending them to sit more comfortably.
"I do" Cadance nodded.
"Do you wish to return home?" Shining continued.
"I do" she said after a moment's hesitation.
"If that is what you wish my love then we shall do it, all you must do is give the order to the other soldiers tomorrow at dawn and we can return to Equestria within the week" Shining said, hugging her tighter "You are not being forced to do this"
"I am fully aware of that" Cadance said, pulling away and standing up, much to her husband's dismay "But I feel I can not retreat lest I be branded a coward!" Cadance placed a hand to her face and exhaled a shaky breath, her body tired and cold both from the long trek and the biting temperature of the night.
"So you're staying simply for the sake of your own honour?" Shining asked, standing up and walking over to her "My dear there is not one person in Equestria that will wish you ill will for leaving this matter alone, I myself wish that we did not have to perform this task ourselves and wish that we were both in our own bed sleeping soundly"
Cadance turned around to look at him, wrapping her arms around the taller man's torso and holding him close, resting her head on his chest again. Shining gently rested his hands on her hips and began to slowly sway, trying his best to comfort her.
"My love, I care not for the plight of this country, nor do I care what they think of me" Cadance began, her voice beginning to shake with emotion "And I am more than aware that our own citizens will bear us no ill will for my actions..."
"Then what makes you suffer so?" Shining asked in a confused tone "If you do not care for the people and their opinions and know you will still be loved at home then why are you still here? Who are you afraid of calling you a coward?" Cadance looked up at him with bright eyes, a pouting expression on her fair face that Shining stared lovingly at.
"I fear... I fear disappointing my Aunts, I feel as if they will begin to resent me and begin to question my ability to rule if I return without completing my task" Cadance sighed "I wish for them to think of me as a capable ruler and a skilled politician but I fear that my nerve is weak and my tongue weaker"
"Cadance dear, you are one of the most lovely, gifted and articulate speakers I have ever had the privilege of conversing with" Shining said slowly "I believe with all my heart that your voice alone will be enough to bring reason to this country and that your mind will sow the seeds of stability this country needs" Cadance was silent for several moments, simply listening to the steady heartbeat of her lover and contrasting it to the pounding, terrified beat of her own.
"If we were dealing with Equestrian diplomats then I would feel much more sound about my own abilities, but as it stands my confidence has fled into the woods and left me as scared as a child staring down a ravenous wolf" Cadance muttered. It was as the last sound left the princess's quivering lips that the howl of a wolf pierced the near-silent night, causing the woman to cling to her husband tighter and allow him to be her protection.
"Do not worry my love, there is nothing to fear in the cry of a single-" Shining began before a second howl came, followed by a third and a fourth, the responding howls sounding closer and deeper. Shining removed one arm from Cadance and looked around the dark campsite, an alert look on his face as he furrowed his brow and reached for the hilt of his sword.
"Shining?" Cadance asked in a worried voice "What's the matter dear?" Shining didn't answer, he instead let go of Cadance entirely and moved over to the alarm bell stationed by the fire and giving two short rings.
"Units!" he barked "On guard now!"
"Shining, what's going on?" Cadance demanded, her previously nervous voice now sounding shrill and terrified.
"Its a pack of wolves" Shining answered "They're hunting"
"H-How can you tell?" Cadance asked, beginning to wring her hands in a panicked fashion.
"They're calling out to each other, there's not too many of them, a female hunt leader and three males at least" Shining explained "Normally I wouldn't worry about this kind of thing but the wolves here are nothing like the ones in Equestria, they're bigger, smarter and much more aggressive" There was the faint sound of bushes rustling in the distance and Shining drew his weapon, ringing the bell a third time and barking orders to the groggy soldiers who were climbing out of their tents.
"Captain?" a tall man with greying hair and a thick moustache asked, belting on a sword as he walked over to Shining "What's the matter?"
"Wolves" Shining answered curtly, surveying the area with eagle eyes "Get the others to get their weapons and to form a perimeter"
"Captain, its just a few measly wolves, can't we just light the torches and scare them off or something?" the man asked. Shining's eyes flicked over to him with a cold expression in them, the older man nodding and mumbling to himself as he walked over to the other tents, shouting about needing to get up and get ready. The rustling in the bushes grew louder as the wolves approached, Shining moving over to Cadance and placing an arm around her protectively.
"Stay close to me" Shining whispered.
"Shining, what are we going to do?" Cadance asked, her beautiful face now deathly white with her body shaking in fear.
"We're going to try and make noise and stick together, they may be large wolves but they're certainly not stupid, they won't attempt an attack on a larger group of people, especially with the normal size of a human" Shining explained "Just stay close to me and I'll protect you my love" The rustling was now accompanied by a chorus of wolf howls, going from possibly five to the high twenties. There came snarls from the brush and seemingly organized barks and whines as the predators seemed to converse with one another.
"Frederick!" Shining yelled to the man with the moustache "Get the men to form a circle around Cadance!"
"Aye sir!" Frederick yelled "Move up on the princess lads!" Cadance's heart began to beat wildly as the armoured men surrounded her, her eyes frantically flicking back and forth between the faces of the soldiers, some more familiar than others, and the moonlight reflecting off their weapons. Cadance could feel the tension in the air as it became harder for her to breathe, the blood pumping in her ears as he heart pounded faster than it ever had before.
"Shining..." she whimpered, beginning to feel the rush of adrenaline surge through her veins, preparing her to run.
"Cadance, stay calm" Shining ordered "If the wolves attack we'll be able to fend them off without much difficulty, we can protect you" There then came a bird whistle, followed by several more howls and finished off with a loud click. The click of a tongue. A human
And then the night was shattered.
A ferocious growl came from an enormous black wolf as it threw itself from the bushes, its shaggy fur barely covering the metal-tipped claws that protruded from its toes. Its mouth was a bright pink, contrasting greatly with the solid black of its body with its razor-sharp, yellow fangs slicked with saliva. The men were prepared to handle the stray who broke the line but one thing Cadance noticed before the others was that the wolf had a collar on, a simple leather ring, but a ring that was attached to a chain.
"Shining!" Cadance shrieked, a split second before a flurry of arrows was released from the bushes, the sharp heads of the arrows piercing through the armour like a hot knife through butter, one such shaft burying itself in Shining's right shoulder causing him to drop his weapon and fall back. The other soldiers cried out and fell to the ground while others were lucky enough to dodge the arrows or have them miss completely.
"Princess!" Frederick yelled, an arrow having completely pierced through his chest "Run!" Cadance wanted to leave but she couldn't, she would not leave her husband.
"Shining!" she hollered, watching her husband grab his fallen sword with his left hand and slash at a man wielding a crude dagger and dressed in tattered leather. The man's knife missed Shining, partly due to the wielder's inexperience with the weapon and Shining's superior combat skill, and Shining's blade moved through the air, the polished steel slicing clean through the man's arm and severing his hand, leaving a gushing bloody stump as the hand and knife fell to the floor. Shining pushed himself up and ducked low under another man's slash, the blue-haired knight slashing his sword downwards and taking the man's leg off before standing up and cleaving his chest open.
"Princess, we need to go now!" one of the soldiers ordered, grabbing her by the wrist and trying to pull her along.
"I'm not leaving him behind!" Cadance barked, tears welling up in her eyes. Shining turned around after dispatching another two men and screamed at his wife.
"Get out of here now!"
"I won't leave you!" she screamed, the tears flooding down her face. There was the sound of another arrow loosing from a bowstring followed by blinding pain in her cheek, the skin parting on the area just above her cheek bone and blood beginning to gush out. She screamed in agony before two more arrows were loosed, one going through her thigh and another missing completely. As she fell to the ground, unable to walk, one of the surviving soldiers caught her in mid fall and pulled her up into his arms, sprinting out of the camp with two other soldiers behind him.
"Stop them!" a furious voice boomed from behind them "We've got the prince now bring that bitch back here alive!" Another arrow was loosed and it pierced the neck of the soldier behind Cadance but she was unable to see his body fall to the ground. The sound of heavy breathing mixed with pounding paws was heard alongside them as one of the black wolves threw themselves at another soldier, its powerful jaws closing around his leg and tearing him to the floor.
"Don't look Princess!" the soldier carrying her said as he sprinted, the sounds of the battle fading away but the sound of the pursuing attackers still as loud as ever. Several more arrows were fired but they all missed by a hair's breadth. The pain in Cadance's cheek and leg had taken her mind off all other things, the pain so agonizing and surreal that she was unsure whether it continued to hurt or whether it had stopped only to have it send another wave of agony as she began to ignore it. The soldier carrying her suddenly broke away from their pursuers and into the treeline, approaching a waterfall by the sounds of it.
"Where... where are we..." Cadance attempted, only to discover she hadn't the energy to speak.
"Don't speak Your Majesty, we're going to get out of here" he promised her, the two of them exiting the treeline and running alongside a river that lead to an enormous waterfall that dropped down into a dark cave.
"We're going to escape these monsters and then we'll-" he tried before an arrow pierced the back of his skull, spilling blood onto Cadance's weak body and the two of them began to fall to the ground, sending Cadance flying out of his arms and rolling towards the waterfall. She attempted to stop herself by slamming her hands onto the ground, trying to find some kind of handhold to stop her momentum but this attempt only caused her to tear the skin on her hands and have her once-beautiful dress torn by the sharp rocks surface.
"No!" she screamed as she felt half of her body go over the edge of the cliff, her lungs filling up for a final scream only to have her head slam into the rock and knock her unconscious, her limp body falling like a ragdoll into the mouth of the cave the waterfall entered and plummet into the plunge-pool of the waterfall, however far down it was.
The sound of the gently flowing river was enhanced greatly by the high stone walls of the ravine, the cold, crisp water flowing over the smooth rocks with a bubbling sound as several different kinds of fish made their way down the river's current. From the top of the ravine came the crunch of a dead leaf, left over from the previous year's winter season, as the paw of an animal applied its weight to it.
"Here" the animal said, human words being uttered from its bestial maw "The smell is coming from the ravine" The beast speaking was a colossal mass of fur and power, a mythical creature that remained unknown to the human societies that dominated the once-free land. This beast was a Taelorian Wolf, an animal supposedly blessed by the Mother Goddess with the power of intelligence and speech. This specific Taelorian was covered by silver fur with crisp, snowy white patterns that covered his powerful body, hiding the true build of his shoulders and leg muscles, his large chest supporting a strong head with powerful jaws, powerful enough to tear through almost any human armour.
"If we just find a way down without breaking our legs we'll be fine" it said again, eyeing up the rocks with a trained eye to try and locate a safe path down to the river. Its bright blue eyes covered distances fast, but yet with the precision of an eagle, quickly planning a route down to the river and moving towards it, its sharp claws clicking on the stone as it moved.
"If you'd be willing to tell me exactly what we're looking for here I might be more willing to lend a paw" another, rougher, voice growled. This Taelorian was a similar build to the first, if not slightly larger, with an extra inch of height and a larger muscular build. This wolf's fur was a coal black but broken up by grey patterns in his fur, most notably the triangle-esque grey marking on his head. His own eyes were a powerful green and seemed to be more focused on potential threats in the area rather than his companion's movements.
"When the wind blew in from the south coast this morning, I picked up a faint scent of blood in the air" the grey wolf began to explain, pausing in a certain position before carefully slinking his way down the rocks.
"And this matters to us why exactly?" the black wolf asked in a disinterested tone "We smell blood on the wind all the time, our noses are powerful enough to pick up even the smallest drop from leagues away"
"I am aware of that brother" the grey wolf sighed, reaching the bottom of the ravine and looking up at his brother with a waiting gaze "Come on then!" The black wolf scanned the route his brother had taken and shook his head slowly.
"Not until you give me a reason" he responded.
"Fine, the blood I smelled, though faint, came from quite a large amount of it judging by how long the smell lasted" he explained "And if my nose isn't lying, the blood might be human" This sentence got a strong reaction from the black wolf, he curled his top lip up and looked at his brother in disgust, turning his head to the side and speaking as such.
"And why should we care about that?" he demanded "If those hairless apes were killed by other forest creatures then good riddance! Its about time they were punished for the hell they've given our clans"
"We should care because they might have left something valuable behind, something we can salvage and bring back to the armoury" the grey wolf said in a matter-of-fact tone. The black wolf pondered the chance for a brief moment, knowing that their clan, the Harsh-Tooth clan, were currently struggling for resources to repair the structures they'd created.
The Taelorian Wolves had not only been gifted with speech and intelligence, but a select few were also given the power of magic, allowing them to perform certain actions and jobs that would be impossible otherwise.
Those who were lucky enough to be descended from the first few hundred of their race were also gifted the power of magic and this caused their civilization to flourish. They began to think of new ways to hunt and forage, using their magic abilities and new-found intellect to create traps and tools to hunt prey, allow themselves to forge armour for when combat began between certain clans.
"If there's a chance we can restock our village's supplies then maybe its worth a quick search" the black wolf said "But as the High King of Taelarian Wolves I would expect you to be able to carry the supplies back by yourself, Brynyolf" The grey wolf, Brynyolf, chuckled to himself, always finding his brother's unwillingness to assist amusing at these times.
"Very well Arnyolf, but remember that the one who brings the items back receives the reward" Brynyolf smirked "And that means they're presented the gift by Silena" Arnyolf visibly flinched at the mention of the female wolf. Brynyolf often liked to tease his little brother about his infatuation with the female and constantly reminded him that he would be unable to claim her as a mate due to her already belonging to another male in the clan.
"And I think she'll be very disappointed if her favourite little cub doesn't help out the clan" Brynyolf continued to mock, much to his brother's displeasure. Arnyolf stood still, glaring hatefully at his brother before releasing a loud sigh and nodding his head.
"Fine, I'll help" he growled, clambering down the rocks in the same route his brother had taken before joining him at his side.
"Shall we depart?" Brynyolf asked with a smile. Arnyolf didn't answer, he instead held his strong nose up to the wind and inhaled briefly before taking off on his own. Brynyolf rolled his eyes at his brother's usual aloof behaviour before hurrying after him and quickly catching up to him.
"You know if you keep acting like that you'll never manage to woo a mate for yourself" Brynyolf said.
"I don't need to woo one, I can simply challenge another male in the clan, or in another one, and after I've killed him I can take his mate as his own" Arnyolf growled, looking around as he walked forward "The smell's getting stronger..."
"Arnyolf, I expect better than that from you" Brynyolf said disapprovingly "Its not the Harsh-Tooth way"
"Its the easiest though" Arnyolf muttered "If I claim one as my own I won't have to go through the ridiculous courting ceremony" Brynyolf shook his head but felt the same way about their courting ceremony. Before two could be considered as mates the male must first seek out a single precious item at the request of his soon-to-be mate and retrieve it, no matter what the item was and present it to them along with a identifiable part of an animal larger than themselves in order to prove that they could indeed hunt for their mate and their offspring as well as protect their family from harm, no matter how big the attacker was.
"Aye, the ceremony is quite an ask, especially for the males in better supplied clans" Brynyolf sighed, kicking a rock in front of him with the top of his paw. This was the case because the female requested something valuable. Now if she belonged to a struggling clan that item may simply be a large amount of food or animal hides to use for bedding and clothing.
But if the female belonged to a richer clan, such as the Saw-Tooth clan, who were the current owners of a hunting ground that exists next to an abandoned jewel mine, then the male may have to seek out something more valuable than a diamond or a ruby and this process could take years and also put the male in a great amount of danger.
"I heard that a female from the Thick-Tail clan requested a pocket watch in order to become a male's mate" Brynyolf said before shuddering "And we both know the only place you kind find those around these parts" The two brothers looked at each other before shivering at the thought. There was a human settlement far in the north mountains, the closest one in the region, and it would take well over three weeks to reach the place even at a constant sprint. This settlement was known to the Taelarians as the Valley of Shattered Teeth due to the extremely dangerous location as well as the trek involved to get there.
The journey itself forced one to go through a thick forest that once saw human trade routes go through but was quickly abandoned after legends of a vengeful spirit slaughtering anyone who entered the forest. After that they needed to pass through the mountainous regions of the north, known to the wolves as the Demon's Fork due to the three entry ways that existed with no one knowing which way was the correct one. Several scouting parties had attempted to go through the Fork but they had disappeared, never to be heard from again.
The clans had decreed that the Demon's Fork must be avoided at all costs and that all parties, no matter how large or small, were ordered to go around the dangerous area, a forced option that added at least two weeks to the journey on paw due to the sheer size of the canyon that the Demon's Fork lead in to. After the journey around the canyons the next known landmark was known only as the Phantom palace, an ancient, desecrated ruin of a once awe-inspiring castle that was said to have been the birth place of the Mother Goddess an eternity ago.
"I'd hate to be the poor bastard who made it that far only to be slain by the humans at the Valley" Brynyolf said with a fearful tone in his voice.
"Aye" was all his brother responded with before returning to the search. Brynyolf took several more steps before a fresh scent of blood, much stronger than before, hit his nose.
"Arnyolf!" he snapped loudly, getting his brother, who had wandered a few metres ahead, to turn around and look at him.
"Yes?" Arnyolf asked.
"The blood, its closer than before... and its fresh I think" he explained, sniffing briefly before aiming his head further up river "This way!"
"I thought we were supposed to be scavenging supplies and not looking for dead humans to gawk at?" Arnyolf asked irritably, only to be ignored as his brother sprinted off up the river, his large paws creating huge splashes as he moved "Oh for the love of the Mother..."
"Its just up here!" Brynyolf yelled back before his brother caught up with him, the grey wolf veering left down a smaller yet still powerful water route with Arnyolf following quickly. The two of them caught sight of the source of the smell; a body. They noticed several small fish swimming around the body and seemingly enjoying the taste of the blood from the body. The two came to a stop in front of the body, the body of a young woman with many different colours in her hair, the most prominent being pink.
"Brynyolf..." the younger sibling said slowly. Arnyolf walked over to the body and examined her injuries on the way over. She had a cracked shaft of an arrow piercing through her leg and a large array of deep cuts and bruises on her thighs, hands, stomach, breasts and back. The finely crafted material of the dress she once wore was torn and soaked, both with the clear water and her own blood. There was a deep cut on her cheek that still bled and a wide gash on her forehead.
As Brynyolf stood above her he was able to see that she was still breathing, a fact he was shocked to discover.
"She's alive!" he exclaimed.
"Really?" Arnyolf asked coldly "I'll rectify that" He moved over to the woman and lowered his jaws down to her throat before Brynyolf shoved him away from her, standing protectively in front of the gravely injured woman.
"What the hell's the matter with you?!" he demanded furiously.
"She's the enemy brother, its best that we just kill her now before she wakes up and harms any of us" Arnyolf snarled.
"Look at her brother, do you really think that she'd be able to even scratch one of us?" Brynyolf asked calmly "She's barely clinging to life as it is never mind waiting to slaughter us"
"She'll recover and then she'll bring others" Arnyolf argued.
"She'll die without our help" Brynyolf said, looking back at her with compassionate eyes "She needs us"
"She doesn't need anything from us brother, we should just leave her for dead and get on with salvaging" he said "Like this" Brynyolf walked over to the woman's limp form and lowered his jaws to her shredded dress before tearing it away with a quick tug, leaving the woman exposed for their eyes. It was at this moment that a strange feeling came over Arnyolf, his eyes beginning to examine her sleek, feminine body and the size of her bust.
This was another part of the spell performed by the Mother Goddess, she imbued in her chosen a more human way of thinking, and through this a more human arousal system, thus making certain male wolves as attracted to human women as their own kind.
"Arnyolf?" Brynyolf asked with a confused expression "What's the matter with you?" The black wolf looked down at the woman for a second longer before shaking his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind.
"Nothing, I... we should go now" he said, turning around after dropping the dress.
"We're not leaving her here to die Arnyolf" the older sibling snarled.
"I refuse to help one of her kind" Arnyolf spat "They're responsible for the deaths of our clan, our families Brynyolf, and yet you want to help keep one of them alive?" Brynyolf stared at his brother for a long moment before looking back at the woman, a glint of an idea in his eyes.
"I didn't want to have to do this Arnyolf" Brynyolf said slowly "But as High King-"
"Don't you dare" Arnyolf spat furiously.
"I order you to assist me in saving this woman's life" Brynyolf finished, glaring angrily at his brother.
"You can't force me to do this" Arnyolf snarled.
"I can't, but I can just as easily have you arrested and executed for treason when I return" Brynyolf threatened.
"You wouldn't!" Arnyolf exclaimed "I'm your brother!" The two of them locked eyes for another long moment, Brynyolf speaking without lowering his gaze.
"Then as my brother, I am begging you to help me save this woman's life" he requested.
"I... why should we?" Arnyolf asked "We don't know what she'll do when she wakes up"
"Exactly, she may be able to assist us in finding out what happened to the other humans around here" he answered.
"How do you know there are others? Or that she'll try to help us and not just throw us into the fire-pit as soon as she's healed, she could be a mage for all we know!" Arnyolf snapped.
"Brother please, I feel like this is something we need to do" Brynyolf said, attempting to reason with his brother "I am begging you to help me" There was silence from the two of them for a long second before Arnyolf nodded without speaking, simply lowering himself into a lying position and gesturing with his head towards the woman and then to his back.
"I'll carry her" he said quickly "But we need to hurry back to our camp before she freezes to death"
"Aye" Brynyolf nodded "Let's go"
