The White Wolf

Sharla is on the move on her own. As she finds a quiet place to gather her thoughts and try to sort out all the details of how to go on an unexpectd threat aprroaches her.

4. The White Wolf

The many colours of twilight slowly depend into a darker tone heralding the velvet blackness of the coming night. The top of the tiny hill wasn’t so overgrown with greenery, a few smaller and bigger rock stood scattered around partially hiding the flames of the campfire from the slight winds. Streaks of greyish smokes rose towards the sky as the dinner was being made. Sharla sat on the ground, leaning against one of the rocks, staring into the depths of the dancing flames. It was her third night at that site. She got far enough from the area where the villagers would appear in their everyday routines, but it was still close enough so the area wasn’t completely unknown for her.
Before she went on, she wanted to think through everything again. She hoped, after a day she will have a clear plan and she will see things better; but she still felt she had been tossed into the midle of chaos and uncertainties. What if Dracas was wrong, or what if he was lying? She should have waited for her mother to come back.
But what if Dracas was right? If soldiers who were looking for Sharla came to the village while she was still there, she would be a goner. If the villagers had tried to help the daughter of their healer, Fiude could have been erased in a worst case scenario. No, she couldn’t risk that. Not to mention no matter how many times she rethought the conversation with the adventurer, she came to the same conclusion �" Dracas was telling the truth. The worried, burdened look in his eyes, the grimness in his tone he tried so stubbornly to hide, and the complete lack of the honied bait which would have lured her in a trap.  No, Sharla was certain, that she was being hunted, and she had to make a move and quickly.
However, was it the right decision to make? To become an adventurer, and try to join his father and Dracassor’s sister? She could have just gone to Lightshore and try her luck there. Although nothing guaranteed she would get there safe and sound. The more she dwelled on it, the worse headache she got. She didn’t know where her father was, and the only person that might be able to help her find him was a mysterious woman, who could alter her appearance.
‘Great.’ She murmured it to herself desperate and frustrated. Avoid risking getting caught, but get as much information as possible. It seemed like balancing on a tightrope when she had no experience in it. It simply felt impossible to manage. If she entered a village, town or city one watchful man would be enough to alert someone of her presence. But then again, who would recognise her? How much do her pursuers know about her? She had so many questions, and she lacked the answer for almost all of them.
The slight scent of burnt meat pulled her back to reality. She bolted up, grabbed the stick she was using as a skewer and yanked it away from the fire. The pieces of white bird meat were ready to eat, though some parts were definitely overcooked, even charred a bit here and there. Sharla sighed. So much for the lucky catch. She set up some very small and simple traps not far from her camping site. No luck for two days but eventually, on the third day one of them caught a forest runner, a small, common bird in the woods with brown and black feathers and the incapability to fly �" but they were fast as lightning, when it came to sprinting. Thanks to Sharla getting lost in her thoughts and doubts the delicious, freshly made dinner almost turned into a disaster.
‘Well, most of it is still edible.’
She turned towards her bag to get her knife when she heard the snapping sound of a twig. She instantly froze, looking around anxiously. A gentle breeze brushed the leaves on the trees, but other than that everything was quiet again. Too quiet. She carefully laid down the stick so it wouldn’t end up landing in the dirt with the meat on it, and grabbed her sword. She pulled the blade from its scabbard and took a defensive stance. Darkness surrounded her in the woods, the crackling flames of the campfire being the only source of light in the top of the hill. Things didn’t seem good.
She waited motionless, sword in the hand, but nothing happened. It could have been a second or an hour while she was standing still, but nothing emerged from the thick blackness.
‘I know you are there.’ Sharla stated with a grim voice. No one replied. Maybe it was just an animal, Sharla thought. She eased her muscles, and began to lower her sword. It was that moment when the lurking beast showed itself.
A huge wolf emerged from the dark woods. It was larger than the average canines but it wasn’t in a good shape. Its body was visibly thinner than it should have been, its once white fur was greyish and brownish because of the dirt and dust. Nevertheless, it had a vicious snarl on its face, baring its teeth and fangs at the girl. Sharla readied her blade again, fixing her gaze on the beast. She did not waste time for words, no matter how intelligent the animal looked; it would not understand she didn’t necessarily want to harm her. She was out in the wilderness where different rules formed the game of survival. The beast was staring at the girl with its intense icy blue gaze while it was slowly moving to get to a better position. The modest campfire stood between them, and that was the only thing that stopped the wolf from instantly leaping to the prey. As the creature began to bypass the flames on the right side, Sharla stepped to the left side still holding the sword. She didn’t want to give up the tiny advantage that stood between them. The angry growl from the wolf made it clear the situation annoyed it, but the girl continued to circle around the campfire stubbornly. Occasionally she made a quick, circular move with her wrist to relieve some of her muscles in her lower arm. The beast tried to cut the distance with the sudden change of direction, but to no avail, the girl was on her guard and reacted in time.
Another angry and threatening growl gushed out of the wolf’s throat. The patience of the quick tempered beast ran out. It stopped in its tracks, and took a leap right across the middle of the campsite. The shaggy fur, the clawed paws, the fierce gazed ice blue eyes, the sharp fangs ready to shred were lit from below by the orange light of the flames gave an even more menacing sight. The blood in Sharla’s veins almost froze, and tumbled to the left in the very last second. She was now on the same side as the snarling creature. The beast did not hesitate; it lunged at the girl as soon as she landed steadily. Sharla barely had enough time to get to her feet and leap away from the jagged fangs. The wolf did not stop, it snapped again at the girl. Sharla did not hesitate anymore to swing the blade at the beast. A quick and precise stabbing and withdrawing afterwards, yet it did not hit her attacker. Surprised and frustrated a little bit, she took an offensive stance and slashed towards the beast head. The wolf dodged it, as if it could read the movements and intentions of its prey.
Minutes passed and neither the wolf nor the girl could land a hit on the other one. Sharla had the advantage of the sword’s length, but it seemed the beast knew exactly how to avoid the manoeuvres. No, it didn’t just seem so, the creature knew exactly how to position and move to sidestep the cut and sting of the sharp blade. The realization shot a chill through Sharla’s spine. A beast of the forest that knew how to counter man made weapons. It wouldn’t be so surprising if the huge wolf was a spirit, but it was clearly just an overgrown beast. There were no strange markings on it, no glowing auras, nothing otherworldly or mystical in its appearance. She switched to purely defensive tactic, hoping for a mistake from her opponent. Fear and panic began to build up in her as well as a strange sensation that made her feel more tired and tired. Her attention was driven by the unfamiliar feeling �" and the wolf noticed it. It leapt as soon as it saw this small opening made by the unknown distraction. Sharla didn’t have enough time to strike at the beast, even worse; she dropped the sword as she fell on her back as the creature landed on her chest.
Suddenly the world around her felt very slow, as if everything was about to freeze in time. The loudest sound she heard was the fast-paced pounding of her own heart, the frenzied rhythm of war drums. She landed hard on the ground, a few smaller rocks piercing her back through the clothes. Her head also hit the dirt, yet her body refused to pay attention to the pain. The stench of the wolf’s warm breath almost slept her. Fear tightened its grasp on Sharla’s throat, but it did not freeze her anymore. The strange sensation was gone, strength returned to her limbs, her mind felt awkwardly calm and focused.
Although the beast was larger than the average, it was surprisingly light weighted, and after the initial shock, it also felt like it was weakened. With a quick move, she slid her lower arm under the wolf’s throat to keep her fanged face away from her. She gathered all her strength and tried to push away the creature. Sharla had to fight for every inch of progress, but soon she could lean on her free arm’s elbow.  The wolf tried to press her back, but to no avail. With a kick of her knee, she forced the beast to stop stirring and focus on its own balance. Sharla’s tensed muscles began to burn, but she was ready to push herself to the limits. Her life was at stake. With a desperate shout, she began to rose, making the wolf rose as well as she continued to push the beast with two hands. It was soon standing on its two hinder legs fiercely trying to stabilize itself. Eventually the creature tripped and the situation got reversed. Now, the wolf was lying on the ground with its back, and Sharla was on top of it, panting and trembling. The beast was stirring as wildly as it could. Although the girl was hardened by the everyday though duties, she didn’t weigh that much and she was getting exhausted. It was hard to stay on top of the creature. The wolf would free itself soon enough, so she had to settle things quickly. She tried to keep the creature pinned down with the heft of her body as best she could, while trying to pull the small knife hidden in her boots with her right hand. It wasn’t an easy task with the beast constantly throwing itself left and right, but as soon as she felt the hilt she grabbed it with a firm grip. The orange flames glimmered on the sharp steel edge, as the small blade rose to strike down the beast. As soon as the wolf saw its demise it froze.
‘Okay, okay, I give up, you won!’ Said the female voice of the wolf.
Now Sharla was the one frozen in astonishment. The beasts mouth did not move, but the girl clearly heard it speaking. To make sure Sharla wasn’t imagining things, the beast did not move, and it held upwards its front leg in a way to signal its surrender. A talking wolf. The girl did not expect that. Was it a spirit then? No, she was sure it wasn’t. Then how was this even possible?!
‘What do you mean you give up?! You just tried to kill me!’ She shouted frustrated, surprising even herself that these words were her first reaction to the peculiar scene. Even the wolf looked amused by the girl’s outburst.
‘Actually, I was hoping I can scare you away and get all the food you had, but I didn’t expect you’d fight back. Especially not this hard.’ Sharla blinked surprised after hearing the long and complex answer. Not only did the wolf talk, but it was a rather intelligent one with thoughts and plans of its own. Actually, it seemed smarter than some people she knew. No wonder the beast was able to dodge the sword strikes. Or rather not that unbelievable anymore.
‘So, if I let you go, you won’t attack me?’
‘I am tired and starving. Even if I wanted to continue fighting, I have no chance against a tough brat like you. I mean, since when do villagers learn to actually fight not just swing pitchforks randomly?’ The wolf grumbled. Sharla sighed and crawled off from the wolf. While she picked up her sword, the wolf turned onto its belly, but stayed lying on the ground.
The girl still looked a little confused and uncertain about what to do with the beast. The wolf was lying on the ground patiently.
‘So why did you not hunt if you’re starving?’
‘I tried, but I had no luck. I was badly injured, and by the time I healed enough, I got too weak to be able to pursue the prey.’
‘Instead you attacked travellers?’
‘It worked one time. That guy ran screaming after only just seeing me. A giant wolf emerging from the shadows? Not every villager got a sword to pull out.’ Sharla looked rather displeased with that answer, not that it bothered the wolf for even a split second. She then looked at the now cold fried bird, and reluctantly cut it into two with a single sword strike. She threw one part in front of the beast, than sat down and began to eat her own portion. The creature looked surprised.
‘You don’t want it? I thought you were starving.’
‘It’s… mine?’
‘Well, you attacked me for food. To prevent such incidents, I am willing to sacrifice half a forest runner.’ The wolf did not ask again, with a few bites the meat and the bones were gone.
‘Slightly overcooked, but not bad at all.’
‘I usually cook better.’ Sharla murmured defensively.
‘I didn’t mean to complain. These few bites were already lifesaving. Thank you.’ The wolf bowed her head. Sharla smiled back unaware with a modest smile.
‘You’re welcome.’
No one spoke after that for a while. Sharla was eating her own dinner, while the wolf was staring at her with her intense, pondering gaze. It unnerved the girl a little bit, but she tried to hide that from the beast. Even after she finished eating, only the cracking of the flames made any sound. Sharla put the last of the gathered branches in the fire. She mostly gazed into the flames, only shooting a few hidden glances at the beast. The wolf was still gazing at her.
‘No matter how hard I think about it, I have no idea why would a village girl travel alone in the woods, even if she has a sword with her.’ The creature began hesitantly.
‘How do you know I am from a village?’
‘Clothes and scents. Those gave it away.’
‘I have my reasons.’
‘True, it was rude of me to ask at this point of our relationship.’
‘What relationship?’ Sharla looked puzzled.
‘A hopefully beneficial one for the both of us.’ The wolf did not smile but the tone of her voice was rather cheerful and hopeful.
‘What do you have in mind?’ The girl asked rather distrustfully.
‘The world is full of dangers. Especially for a young maid travelling alone. A sword alone won’t defend you from everything and everyone.’
‘So I should hire a skinny she-wolf?’ Sharla asked cynically.
‘As soon as I… get back my former glorious state, I will be a serious threat I can assure you. But apart from that, I have a vast knowledge that would be useful to you.’ Somehow Sharla did not doubt for a second that the talking wolf was telling the truth about that. Nevertheless, she was still a bit suspicious and sceptical.
‘So what would you need from me in exchange? What can a village girl offer?’
‘Company, most importantly. I don’t mind being in the forest, alone, but I cannot really talk with anyone there for obvious reasons. Not to mention most would want to capture me, and sell me for good money as an exotic pet. I’d avoid that if it’s possible. Plus, while I am recovering I would appreciate a little… help.’
‘How would I prevent people making you a pet?’
‘With a simple lie, like you being my owner. And I would keep my mouth shut in public of course.’
‘So in exchange for nurturing you and giving you company, you would defend me and…?’
‘And provide you with information you might not know as a villager, and train you to be a better swordsman.’
‘That I would like to see!’ The girl snorted. The wolf looked amused.
‘You will. You can, if you accept my offer. Of course, you should consider me a person, and not a too clever for her own good beast. Agreed?’ Sharla looked at the she-wolf hesitant. Find companions. The voice of Dracassor echoed in her mind.
‘Agreed.’
‘Splendid! Now, I can imagine you have many questions…’
‘How can you talk? Your jaws aren’t even moving!’
‘… yes, like those, but I’d suggest we rest first, and postpone the discussion for the next day. You won, I admit, but you got exhausted as well. Don’t even try to deny it, I can see it clearly.’ The wolf was right. Sharla still felt her muscles slightly burning from the effort they had to give. She nodded.
‘Just one last thing.’
‘Yes?’
‘What’s your name?’
‘You may call me Iya. And you are?’
‘I am Sharla.’
‘A pleasure. I promise, you will get answers tomorrow. Good night!’
‘Good night!’
Sharla lay down and covered herself with the cloak she got from Dracassor. She wasn’t entirely sure this was a good idea, but she couldn’t say it was a bad one either. She will see it soon enough. She glanced at the wolf one last time. Iya already curled up in a dirty ball of fur. She looked peaceful in her sleep, but she did not forget how fierce she looked during their fight. That beast was a mystery. She sighed silently and tried to get some rest herself, hoping, she won’t wake up dead the next day.
The first thing Sharla heard in the morning was the merry chirrups of the forest birds. Last night’s event seemed like a strange dream, yet the living proof of its truth sat just a few feet away. Iya was gazing into the woods, but as soon as the girl made her first conscious movements she turned her head towards her.
‘Good morning!’ She greeted her.
‘Good morning! How much time has passed since dawn?’ Sharla sat up.
‘It’s about two hours after it, roughly.’
‘Damn, I didn’t want to sleep that much.’
‘So you usually rise early. And you usually cook better, noted.’ The wolf’s voice sounded amused, Sharla was almost certain she also heard a faint chuckle at the end.
‘Very funny. I would have gotten up in time if a certain food bandit wolf didn’t make me so gods damn exhausted.’
She glanced at the beast grumpily, but her gaze and features soften in an instant. She already saw in the dim light of the flames that Iya wasn’t in a good shape. The she-wolf was thin and dirty, and all four of her legs had bruises on them, which couldn’t heal properly due to them being sore.
‘How can you walk on those?’ She hissed painfully even just at the sight of them.
‘I have no choice. If I just lie around doing nothing I simply die. At least I try to survive somehow. And yes, this is the main reason why I was unsuccessful at hunting the game of the forest.’
‘There’s a stream not far from here. Let’s go there first. I’ll treat your wounds then I’ll see what we can share to eat.’
‘Do you know how to treat wounds?’ The wolf tilted her head.
‘Yes. I mean I did help my mother to treat the villagers, and for a time now I handled the minor injuries treatment alone.’ The girl said with some pride in her voice. ‘Though I’m not sure how well my medicines will work on you.’
‘Actually, anything that would fix a human should be able to help me too.’
‘Okay, we’ll see what can be done.’ Sharla nodded. She quickly gathered her things, and cleared the signs of her several days stay of hers as best she could. The act did not pass by the wolf, but she asked nothing about it. Iya just quietly followed the girl as they left the hill behind.
It didn’t take a long time to reach the stream mentioned by the girl earlier. Sharla put her backpack next to a tree trunk, and moved to a sunny spot.
‘Let me examine the wounds first.’ Iya nodded with her head, sat in front of the girl, and held out her left front leg. Sharla gently but firmly grabbed it, and took a thorough look at it from up close. She then continued with the other front leg and after that the hinder legs. Sharla frowned more and more, as she continued the examination. The area around the bruises were swollen, the skin turned red. The body tried its best to heal itself, but it couldn’t do much because of the inflammation.
‘You noticed it, haven’t you?’ The wolf asked grimly. Sharla nodded. All injuries were roughly in the same height, and all of them had roughly the same depth, bearing the typical marks of a coarse rope biting into flesh.
‘You were captured. But why would they tie you up like that?’
‘They didn’t have any collar of my size and my kind, nor did they have any leash. They thought this was the best way to keep my movement restricted. Their plan worked and failed at the same time. I couldn’t run away, but I could barely keep up with them. Still, I managed to free myself and get away from those slavers. Most of them were a bunch of idiots, except for their leader. He was the only one who knew what he had to do.’
‘They wanted to sell you on the market?’
‘They wanted to give me as an interesting present. I guess they wanted to please one of their buyers who collected exotic things.’ Iya rolled her eyes.
‘When did you escape?’
‘A while ago. Actually I didn’t count the days passed since then. I was happy I got rid of them, and focused more on putting some distance between me and their lot.’
‘Okay, first, let’s get rid of the dirt.’
‘I know I lack the ability to provide proper medicines but I kept those wounds clean as best I could.’
‘I meant all the dirt on you. Your fur is brown and I bet that’s not the original colour.’
‘Oh. Yes, that would be nice.’
Sharla kicked off her boots, and rolled up the ends of her trousers as high as she could. She waded into the stream followed by the wolf. The current was quick but not too strong, the water cold against the warmth of the beams of sunray touching her skin.
‘Okay, let’s get on with it.’ Iya sighed and murmured as she took a stable stance. The girl grinned, and began to splash some water on her.
‘Are your legs going to be okay?’
‘They’ll manage.’ Soon, the fir of the she-wolf was soaking. She stood still as best she could; while Sharla rubbed and scoured as hard she could and dared to. Streaks of greyish brownish smudge stained the clear water, as the blinding snow white fir regained its former magnificent colour. As soon as the washing was done, they both got out of the cold waves before their limbs got cold. When Iya was already standing on solid ground, she shook her whole body intensively, sprinkling zounds and zounds of droplets all around herself.
‘Hey! Stop it! It’s damn cold!’ Sharla held her hands up protectively but there was no escape from the sudden rain attack.
‘Woops! Sorry about that! It was instinctive.’
‘No problem. Just… do it farther away from me next time.’
Sharla went back to her bag and got the necessary items to treat Iya’s wounds. She brought the ointment she would have used on a human.
‘Okay, this should cure the inflammation and ease the pain.’
‘Let me smell it.’ Iya asked. With a curious look on her face, Sharla opened the small clay jar. The she-wolf took a few sniffs. It seemed the scents she smelled were familiar.
‘Satisfied?’
‘I can never be too sure. Some of the so called human healers are bogus and do nothing, or simply want to trick easy to fool people, or make the sickness or injuries even worse. But depending on the scent of herbs used in that ointment, this should be a proper medicine.’
‘Well, thank you in the name of my mother as well.’ Sharla added still somewhat offended.
‘Your mother is a healer?’
‘She is… kind of.’ She answered a little bit uncertain, as she began to put the ointment around the first bruise.
‘Oh, family problems? Did you run away?’
‘No. There is no tension between us. I just… didn’t know as much about her as I thought.’
‘Ah, a dark secret in the past.’
‘No! I mean, yes, but not in that way.’
‘In what way?’
‘She didn’t do anything wrong…’
‘Just illegal.’ The girl continued to apply the ointment in silence. ‘You don’t need to fear me, Sharla, I won’t run and tell it to the empire’s officers. You know, I am on the run as well.’
‘Yes, but you are being chased by slavers.’
‘Not buy the empire like yourself?’ Sharla stiffened in an instant. ‘You have nothing to fear. I do not wish to be a part of the empire. I loathe the emperor and his methods and the force he uses. Yes, slavers captured me, and are hunting for me, but what do you think, who are they selling their wares to?’
‘Slavery is not permitted.’
‘Here, in the northern region it is true. But in the south, below the Ivorfang mountains, slavery has a long history and they always welcome more. The further they come from, the more exotic they are. And we’re only scrapping the top of the issue here.’ Sharla looked at the she-wolf with eyes wide open in shock.
‘You’ve got to be kidding!’
‘What do you think, where does prisoners held in the great dungeons go to? The emperor is not a fool, he won’t let work force rot away in dim, lightless cells, but it would cause a lot more riots in the northern regions, if he allowed slavery here openly.’
‘So if someone got arrested, they might end up somewhere in the south. They might end up somewhere in the lands of the Fire-ocean.’ Sharla murmured upset.
‘You heard about the southern regions? The lands where winter does not exist?’ Sharla nodded.
‘Mother and the adventurers who stayed at our house for short times told me about many-many distant places.’
‘Aww, your mother hid the treasure seekers. That’s nice, brave and bold of her.’
‘It turned out she used to be one. Just like my father.’ Sharla said in a low voice.
‘It runs in the family. Why the long face? Are your parents… well?’
‘Mother stayed in the village. She should be safe for now, or so I was told. But… I don’t know about my father. I hoped… if I follow his footsteps, I might…’
‘You might find him.’ Sharla nodded, while she was putting on the first bandage.
‘That was a stupid idea. The world is too big.’
‘It’s not a stupid idea. Hard, but not stupid. It shows how important for you he is. It might take time, but there is hope. Do you have any clues about his whereabouts or plans?’
‘I know only what I was told by his former companion. Actually, that’s not much.’
‘I’m listening.’
‘Didn’t you say I will be the one getting answers?’ The girl looked up from bandaging with a suspicious look on her face.
‘True. Ask, and I will answer what I can.’
‘You’re not a spirit. But than what are you? A werewolf?’
‘A reasonable guess, but no. Were-creatures cannot speak in their animal or hybrid form. I am a unique being, a result of magic.’
‘Who made you?’
‘I wasn’t made, I was born. The person, who put the spell or spells on me is already dead however.’
‘Did he or she give you your name?’
‘No, I use my own name.’
‘You said you have great knowledge. About what? And how did you get it?’
‘I acquired knowledge as everyone else: by learning and experiencing. As for the type of knowledge, I know obviously a lot of things about nature, plants, creatures, signs of the changing weather and so on. I know many things about fighting, though I cannot show you the moves themselves, I can still try to tutor you. You have solid basics in swordsmanship, but that won’t get you far against experienced opponents. I also have a quite vast geographical and cultural knowledge, I am a master at hunting, when I’m fully functional of course, and the list goes on. Ask me about the things you want to know, and I will provide the answers if I have them.’
‘I’m kind of impressed.’
‘I’m glad to hear that. Anything else you wish to know about me?’
‘Now it feels like I’m interrogating you.’
‘We can continue in a more spontaneous way at other times, I’m sure it will go smoothly then.’
‘Agreed, this is beginning to be awkward.’
‘So…. back to the former topic.’
‘You’re very curious too.’
‘Is it a sin that I want to know where we are headed?’
An uncomfortable silence began to settle in.
‘You… don’t know where to start.’ The wolf stated. Sharla nodded embarrassed.
‘I have only a name, and a characteristic.’
‘That’s not much of a lead, but go on.’
‘I was told to find my father’s other companion, a magic user who can alter her appearance, but her eyes stay orange like the trickling flames. Her name is Nestra.’ The wolf’s head jolted up in an instant.
‘Now that’s an interesting twist.’