Chapter Two

Enjoy! :) Sorry its a bit rushed, I'm so mad at myself for doing that. :l

     Over the next week I see no more of the strange blue eyes. Still, after the incident I started staying inside when the moon was out and locking Knight into his stall. Yet, after seeing no more of this weird being, my paranoia is slowly ebbing until I don’t fear being outside in the dark anymore. Tonight I even dared to let Knight back out in his pasture. Whatever it was must’ve just passed through and is gone now. I yawn as I turn out my lamp, pausing by the window to look out at the clearing. Everything seems okay, my horse standing under the eve of his stall’s roof, head low as he snoozes. The bushes rustle near the edge of the forest which borders the right half of my little property, but I figure it’s the breeze. I stare a moment longer before walking over to my bed, which I flop gratefully down on. I’m tired after a long day of work, as usual. I close my eyes and wait for sleep, and it isn’t long before darkness pulls me under her sweet influence.                             

A loud neigh splits the calm night air, making me jolt awake in a sleepy blur. I jerk up into a sitting position, blinking deliriously and wondering if I imagined the voice of my horse. Another barely audible whinny shudders through the air, and I know the sound is real. I seem awake now as I slid out of bed and scramble for my boots. It seems to take forever to stuff my feet into them as I stumble to my door. With nimble fingers I unlock it and rush outside, not thinking twice about danger. I’m already gripping my dagger I sleep with, anyways. Another loud neigh sounds; Knight has seen me and is franticly loping around his small pasture, tossing his head grandly and making guttural snorts.             

        I see quickly what has upset my horse, a tall creature standing beside the barn. It has to be a wolf, but it seems huge for such a beast. Then it swivels its head around at the sound of my boots pounding across the dirt, and I skid to a halt as its eyes bore into mine. Bright, clear blue staring right into my own light brown. My heart picks up speed, going faster than I think possible. I grip my dagger’s leather-wrapped hilt, dropping into a semi-crouch; a fighting position. I learned basic combat from Armen when I became a scribe, in case I ever needed to defend myself on the road. I would’ve never guessed I would actually use those skills right in front of my own home.        

     “Alright, beast,” I mutter, shifting closer to the creature. I wonder vaguely if I should throw my dagger, but think better of it. I need to keep all two of my weapons I have, in case this wolf decides to come back. It glances back at the nervous horse that is still quickly loping around beside the fence, moonlight shining on the patches of sweat breaking out on his back and shoulders. Yet Knight doesn’t neigh again.                                                     

       “Oh no you don’t,” I half growl, starting to approach the beast again. It looks back around, staring at me with sharp eyes. The large creature, which would probably stand a little higher than my hip, gives a bark. Then it turns tail and races back into the forest, its long legs carrying it quickly out of sight. I shout and wave my dagger around, chasing after it to the edge of trees. But then I stop, panting at my sudden outburst. The thing should be scared away for now. I walk back to the pasture, tucking my knife into a belt loop that’s keeping my pants up. I should go grab the sheath.                                         

         “It’s alright, boy,” I talk to Knight, rubbing his lathered neck in an attempt to calm him. “The beast is gone and hopefully won’t come back. Let me go fetch my sheath and I’ll stay the rest of the night with you,” I say, scratching his withers for a moment longer before turning around. I jog back to the house and grab my other dagger as well, along with a key so I can lock my door. I don’t know why, but I feel safer with it locked. I jog back and hop onto the fence, making it my perch for the night. Knight walks over and I absently pet him, staring hard out at the forest.

            But the beast never comes back.

 

                                   *

 

            “What has you carrying around those weapons like that?” My sister asks as I slink into her diner. I’m tired from missing my last three hours of sleep, but it was worth it. The wolf never did come back, but I’m one not to settle back down after a near attack.                                     

      “A wolf came by last night, worked Knight up into a frenzy. It was a big one too, oddly large. I reckon it would stand a little higher than my hip if it were to be measured by me,” I tell her, suppressing a yawn and flopping down in the nearest chair. “I never bothered to take off my daggers, I stayed outside the rest of the night then headed directly here.”

            “Oh dear, Lotus. I’m sorry to hear that happened. At least you and Knight are safe,” my sister sympathizes, patting my shoulder as she walks past me with a stack of dirty dishes. At least she understand my ability to be able to defend myself.                          

       “Can you get my usual for me, Flora? I’m starved,” I request. A plus having my sister own a diner; free food. At least it assures I won’t starve, because if this wasn’t so then my story might’ve been different.                                               

    “Of course, Lotus. I’ll be a minute,” she answers, already halfway to the back. Folding my arms onto the table, I yawn again and lay my head down on them. It takes only ten or fifteen minutes for my food to come, piping hot. It’s near another ten by the time I’m finished.                    

    “Bye, Flora. Thanks so much for feeding me, as always. I’ll be on my way to work now,” I say, getting up and digging my hand into my pocket. It reemerges with a grubby copper coin, which I toss lazily onto the table. Though it’s the only diner in town and gets its fair amount of business, I try not to be a mooch when I can.           

     “Of course, Lotus. Stay safe,” she tells me, and I cast her a smile. She returns it, and then I’m walking out to Knight. I quickly mount him and ride the few blocks to the post office, where my usual sack of mail awaits me. I say hi to the attendants behind the counter as I hoist the large bag of paper. Today was going to be a busy day. We gallop across the countryside, the wind whipping our hair back as we breeze through fields and hills. I have fun with sliding stops, causing great clouds of dust at the bottom of farm lanes. Knight is peppy after his day break, and I feel in good spirits, too, despite the scare with the wolf last night. Throttling at full speed in the middle of nothing is enough to make you believe you can do anything, and no stupid beast could triumph this. Laughing, I slow Knight to a trot as we near another farm.                          

   “Nothing can stop us, Knight. Just me and you out in the open country, that’s the life for me,” I whisper to my horse, leaning against his neck and rubbing his shoulder with a happy smile stretching across my face. He utters a small neigh picks up his feet in a prance, and I’m laughing again.

 

            That night I stop by Armen’s, since I haven’t said hey to him today. The sun is going down in a beautiful array of golden against dark blue, and I can’t help but admire the sky. I walk my horse down the little shaded lane, pausing near the barn to dismount. I lead Knight halfway into the building in time to see Armen coming out of a stall, covered in dust and placing a pitchfork against the wheelbarrow before him. He shuts the door behind him and picks up the handles of the barrow when he notices me.                              

  “Oh hey Lotus, what’re you doing here?” He calls.                    

      “Hey!” I yell as he pushes closer to me. “Just wanted to drop in to say hi since I didn’t come by this morning,” I explain as my friend reaches me. He pauses.                                                    

     “Alright, glad to see you. Why couldn’t you come earlier?” He questions.                      

     “I had a run-in with a wolf last night, it was scaring Knight. He was the one who woke me,” I sigh, beginning to realize that I should probably hurry home soon. “That’s also why I’m wearing my daggers you gave me. The beast was unnaturally large, probably a little taller than my hip, and it had blue eyes. It’s weird... About a week ago I saw those same blue eyes watching me. I was paranoid for a while until I let my guard down last night.” I shudder as a realization hits me. The wolf seemed to know when I let lax my guard. The thought was freaky.    

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear. At least you both are okay,” Armen says, a concerned frown creasing his face as he looked girl and horse up and down. “Do you want me to come over tonight for a little while, or are you okay by yourself?” He asks.               

           “I think I’ll manage,” I say, not wanting to drag Armen from necessary sleep. He probably works harder than I do, and that’s saying something. Having nearly ten horses to exercise and care for every day with only two other helpers heaped more work on his shoulders. Plus, I’m probably paranoid for nothing. “I’ll just keep watch for a little while, I’ll keep my daggers with me. The wolf seemed to be scared pretty easily away with just a shout,” I pat my sheaths reassuringly.                     

   “Alright...” He says, clearly unhappy with my answer. “Just stay safe and don’t do anything stupid, okay?”               

 “Of course,” I promise, knowing I look dead-serious. “The wolf is probably more scared of me than I am of it,” I joke, smiling when Armen laughs a little.                       

      “Probably,” he sighs, and then adds, “It’s getting dark, you should go untack and wash Knight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, ‘kay?”                       

    “Okay, see you later Armen.” I answer, giving him a little smile before mounting my horse again. We trot down the road and into my yard, which is thankfully beast-free. I hurry with stripping off Knight’s tack and sponging some cool water onto his sides and back. With a pat to the shoulder, I turn him lose in his stall. Tonight I won’t be as daring letting him out into his pasture.                                    

      “Okay, boy. I’m ready for any nasty wolf that dares stick its snout back into our yard,” I tell my horse, patting his nose. Then I walk outside of the barn and sink to the ground, leaning against one of the walls. My daggers lay unsheathed on my lap, my right hand enclosed around one of them. I’m ready to sit out the night and watch for any beast that might come by tonight. The first two hours fly by pretty quickly, I’m watching the time on an old watch that was once my father’s. I wipe thoughts of my parents quickly out of my mind, deciding not to dwell on them for now. It was... not good right now. Too distracting. The first hour I hear my horse moving about in his stall, his woodchips shuffling peacefully as his hooves disturbed them. But by the third hour he is still.                                                  

  Yawning, I stand up and stretch so I won’t fall asleep as easily. I walk around, back and forth in front of the half-closed barn door. My eyelids feel heavy, and I tell myself not to fall asleep. If it gets too dangerous, I figure if worst comes to worst I’ll just close the door the rest of the way and retreat inside. It’ll be impossible for the wolf to hurt either of us, unless it is very persistent and unnaturally smart as it is tall.                                                       

   “Is it really worth it, even?” I mutter to myself sleepily, settling back down onto the dust. Probably not. Yet my horse is the only way I can live, and keep this old shack of a home. Of course, I could always work with my sister if I ever lost Knight. But still... I’d rather live my own rogue life instead of the way most ladies preferred. I yawn again, and my eyelids start closing. I jerk my head back, angry at myself for starting to fall asleep. I should seriously just head inside, I’ve probably scared the wolf away last night. It probably won’t even come back again.                                                   

   The next thing I know I’m jerking awake at the sound of rustling bushes. I blink and grip my daggers as I stagger to my feet, staring at the forest to my right. It was just the wind, I tell myself as the foliage settles down again. I can’t believe I had dozed off. Rolling my eyes at myself, I close the barn door and turn to go back to my house. I freeze as a terrifying sight stares at me from the shadows of the forest, obscuring the thing from view. But now the eyes are way higher, practically in the air. The bright blue orbs watch me for a moment, before the thing begins to move. Shaking, I hurry toward my home backwards, daggers stuck out in front of me. My back hits my door, causing the whole front of the house to shake. My fingers fumble as I struggle to get my key out.                                    

  “Darnnit,” I snarl to myself as I can barely fit the key in the lock. When I glance back, I swear for real softly at what the moonlight reveals to me. A human, a male by the looks of it. I pause again to take him in. He has dark hair, the color impossible to tell in this lighting, and is wrapped in a cloak. Boots with quite a few buckles are on his feet, and it looks like he’s wearing baggy pants. His hood is down. But the biggest thing is his eyes: the same startlingly bright blue. It was all too weird to take in, so I rattle my poor doorknob even harder as the tumblers start to click.                  

  “Wait,” a deep, rough voice commands, his tone sounding as if he’s used to bossing people around.  I pause despite myself. “Just... wait. Please turn around, Miss,” he says. I wonder for a long moment if I should do as he says, or attempt to hide in my house. But I have no clue what kind of weapons he might be hiding in that large, billowing cloak that enwraps him. Slowly, I turn around.        

   “Why are you here and what do you want?” I demand, turning on my heel and facing him with a sudden burst of courage. I still grip my daggers, slipping my key back into my pocket and holding both knives once again.                                       

        “Simply your attention,” he says almost airily. I glare at his half-shadowed face.              

      “And what are you going to tell me?” I ask, adrenaline pumping in me and helping scare my fear away.                                      

      “Things of utmost importance. I will tell you the truth; I am not willing to tell you all I know right at this moment. But I’ll let you know enough, I’ll let you have a decision. Please,” he adds at the end, a note of desperation in his tone at my frown. I wonder who this man is, thinking he held certain knowledge of importance over my head. And most of all, things I would want to know. Still... it piques my interest slightly.                       

     “Alright,” I say slowly, still dubious at to what he wants. “If you try to pull something quick on me, you’ll have a dagger to the heart before you can move a step,” I warn, lowering my arms but still holding onto my only protection against this stranger. He nods, accepting the threat.                                                 

   “I will not. I assure you Miss, if anything I want you alive and well,” he responds, holding up his hands as if to show he wasn’t armed. I don’t doubt that he isn’t weaponless, but at least he’s trying to show peace.            

      “Okay,” I say, stepping toward him and closing the distance slightly. I stop a little ways from him. “Tell me,” I demand.                               

     “My name is Ivaylo,” he begins, “I’ll start here. There is a land unknown to your people, a place that is hidden, some might say lost. Have you ever heard rumors of the mythical animals, a race of magic?” He questions.                       

   “Yes,” I say, curious. “But those are just stories, old tales to entertain kids,” I say.                          

     “Of course,” he says, confusing me even more. “But in reality, they are encouraged because we cut ourselves off from you. It is a long and complicated story, so I shall not venture there. Maybe one day, if we have time, I or another can tell you. All you need to know, Miss, is that the mythical creatures are real. They live today, and they live tomorrow. We are doing quite well, separated from your kind. Long ago, centuries and centuries past, there was a large dispute between the people of the land. During some wars and arguments, the ones who opposed the others split. They left, and with them took all magic and other powers and gifts, leaving the people baron. Normal humans who can’t defend themselves, only with pieces of metal to do so. Are you following?” He checks in to make sure I understand. Of course I do, and so far all it sounds like is another story. Was this Ivaylo person creeping me out at night just to tell me a tale?                         

  “Of course. I understand clearly, though you’ll have to show me proof of this magic if you want me to believe you. That is, if you’re one of these... people you are talking about,” I tell him. The man sighs, looking up at the sky with a ghost of a smile on his face. 

      “Let me finish please, Miss,” he starts, but I cut him off.       

         “Just call me Lotus,” I say, wondering if it was smart giving him my name. But it’s starting to irritate me being called ‘miss’.                             

    “Alright. I am finished with the back story, so let me continue with the present. Currently, there are rebels who have regretted the decision to cut off from the rest of our people so long ago. They have been causing trouble lately, and have been growing more and more powerful every day. They want to reunite the two halves again, although it is near impossible. They have taken over our whole kingdom, throwing the king off the throne and casting everyone in despair and fear. I know, I have for a while, that they are hording some evil power that can very well wipe everyone out, killing men, women, and children.                                      

   “And now, they are ready to unleash it. But yet, as I gain more knowledge of this evil magical power, I realize that they do not understand its strength. They don’t know that it will quickly get out of hand, and thus destroy us all. It’ll be a death wish to unleash this power, but they are greedy. And now I fear that I even am too late, I should’ve come earlier. I didn’t know back then that this power those usurpers had could kill us all. And I was warned,” his voice trails away into a whisper, and the man looks truly anguished. I frown, wondering if I should believe this huge story or not.                                                        

  “And why are you here?” I notice that unconsciously my voice has softened, as if my mind has made up that it wants to help Ivaylo. He looks up, blue eyes piercing as ever.                      

    “There was a prophecy. It states that the only hope we have is to find the ‘one who knows nothing, not even of self’. Obviously this person couldn’t be part of the kingdom that split off, it had to be one of your kind. A plain human, who doesn’t even remember the powers that can be housed in them,” he pauses now, staring at me intensely as I realize what he’s hinting at. It is clear as day, after all.      

    “How?” Is all I ask. How indeed, can I be this one to somehow stop the usurpers that clearly have way more power than I can ever have? All thoughts of a magical proof flies from my head at this new twist.                                      

    “It is possible for you to regain your powers, they are merely sleeping inside of you. I’m sorry, Lotus, but you really don’t have a choice. It’s a life or death predicament. Either you willingly agree to come and help me defeat this power, or you choose death. Ignoring this is your sentence, along with every other living soul in the whole realm.” The words cause a shiver to dance down my spine, and I feel weak in the legs. I basically hold the power over everyone who lives in these lands; I can kill them or save them. Or at least die trying to save them.      

  “I don’t really have a choice, do I? Why would I ever say no to this?” A weak, scared laugh erupts out of me. “I can’t willingly kill everyone I love and even everyone I don’t know by ignoring you, Ivaylo. I’m not some selfish monster to do such a thing,” I say. He gives me a sad smile.                                                      

  “I’m glad you aren’t. It would be a shame, considering you’re the one to save us. We all have potential in our lives to do something great, and I think with the right guidance you’ll be fine.” he tells me, closing the distance between us with a few steady steps. “Are you ready to receive your powers now?” He asks suddenly.                                       

    “I... I guess,” I mutter, staring up at him and realizing how tall he is. Probably at least six foot. I’m not quite five five. “What are you going to do?” I ask.                       

        “Nothing painful, or at least I don’t think.” So reassuring. “If you can put those daggers away and stand still, I can begin,” he instructs me. I nod and stuff my daggers into their sheaths, then drop my hands back to my sides. So much for not trusting him. Guess this is the real test: can he give me magical powers or is this a load of lies? Maybe he’ll even kill me... Scowling, he lifts his hands and places them on my shoulders. I can’t help but flinch at his touch, and try to keep staring at his concentrating face instead of his finger-less gloved hands. He then bows his head, murmuring under his breath. I can catch a few words here and there, but then he’s talking too fast to even understand. His grip tightens until it almost hurts, and I realize a breeze has picked up. A nervous whinny from my horse comes somewhere from the right. A sudden strange tingling sensation dances on my shoulders, slowly seeping down into my arms and body, as well as traveling up to my head. It almost feels like ants crawling through my veins, and the thought makes me shudder despite my attempts at keeping still.              

 Wind is whipping around us, blowing about the man’s cloak and my loose brown hair. A chill settles into the air, and a small little sphere of light flickers into existence in front of my chest. I stare down at it in wonder, abandoning my look at Ivaylo’s dark, messy hair.                                 

    “Touch it,” he suddenly says, breaking the windy silence. I numbly nod as I reach out a hand to cup around the little ball of pure white light. It flares up like a flame lighting a candle wick, nearly licking my face. Yet I don’t pull away, because it is a comfortable warmth that is starting to seep through me, replacing the tingles. Then with a pop it passes through my hand and into my chest, and we are suddenly thrown back into darkness. Ivaylo is gasping for breath now, but the wind dies down and his hands slowly slide from my shoulders. I look up at his sweaty face, blinking to tune my vision again to the dark.                                          

   “It’s done,” he whispers, wiping at his forehead. “You now have your magical abilities back.”                                                         “What do I do to activate them?” I ask, placing my hand on my chest where the sphere of light has passed in.                     

     “Do this,” he murmurs, taking the hand on my chest and balling it into a fist. His gloves feel like soft worn leather, his fingers tough as well. “Tap it to your chest and then say ‘wolverine’,” he mimics the move, lightly rapping my knuckles a little under my collar bone before pulling his hands away.                                                                                    

  “Alright,” I whisper, and do as he asks. As my fingers bounce against my chest, I say, “wolverine,” and then everything goes wild. The world blurs out of focus, spinning around dizzily like I imagine a drunk might feel. I drop to my hands and knees, gasping as a painless shudder shakes my whole body. The world blacks out for a few seconds and then I’m blinking, gasping at what has happened.

            I have turned into a wolf.

Author's Note

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