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Stone and Wolf

Lyke spurred Crag up the steep rocky slope with his bare claws. The muscular Sabre Toothed Tiger hastened to obey. The wolf mounted on the cat had fur of an off white. The leather straps that held his straight sword, two javelins, and hunting knife served as his only clothing. One of his paws where warped around the collar of Crag to brace himself as his body bounced up and down in the rhythmic motions of the cats' bounding gait. His other paw kept the violin strapped to Crags' side from bouncing about too much. As the great cat leapt up to the last rock, Lyke could finally see over this ridge in the mountain. A wide valley spread out bellow. The faces of the neighboring mountains where covered in fir trees. A single pass provided easy entry and exit to the valley in the opposite mountain. The village of Racalli was nestled by the side of a river that flowed out of this mountain and through the pass. Smoke from their fires rose into the air from the little houses bellow. Crag gave a satisfied growl. Lyke petted the side of his face.

"We made it, Crag. Good job. Let's get down there. We can rest and get something to eat. Sound good?" Crag nodded and stated down the other side toward Racalli.

The large paws of the Sabre Toothed Tiger pounded on the forest floor. Now in the flats of the valley, the pair rushed through the trees at full gallop. Crag loved to sprint the last leg of the journey. Lyke hung on tight to the collar and violin strap, his straight sword flicking up and down. As the trees flew past, Lyke spotted a shape coming toward them.

"Slow down, Crag. Let's see who this is." Crag slowed and the figure came into view. It was a grey wolf on a chestnut horse. He carried a bow over his shoulder. Lyke called out to him. "Ho there! Might you be a scout for the village of Racalli?" The horseman pulled in close and retrieved his bow from his back.

"Indeed. What business do you have in this land, Warrior?" Lyke held up his paw.

"I prefer the title of, Wanderer, or Beast Slayer, if it suits you." The wolfs' eyes flashed and he put away his bow.

"A Beast Slayer you say?" Lyke nodded.

"That I am." The wolf turned his horse back towards the village.

"Follow me then. We have work for you in these parts. The elders are sure to make it worth your time." With that he spurred his horse. Lyke dug his foot-claws into Crag and they set off after the horseman. It wasn't too long before the trees cleared and they approached the borders of the village. The horseman Lyke was following blew a horn. Its call rolled over the rooftops and over the valley to hit the mountainside. The echo came back twice. Several other warriors from the village emerged to see what the matter was. The horseman raised a fist.

"This wolf says he's a Beast Slayer!" He pulled up to the small group and dismounted. "I shall escort him to the Elders at once." Another warrior gave an order for two others to accompany him. Lyke slowed Crag to a walk and slid of his back. Once off, he took his violin and strung it around his back to rest next to his javelins.

"This way Slayer" said a big brown wolf guardsman in leather armor. Lyke cast a look back at Crag.

"Tend to my cat will you? They'll be hell to pay if he's harmed. And I won't have to be the one to make it happen." Crag bared his gigantic fangs at the nearest guard.

"Call him off first" said the guard, his voice cracking in fear. Lyke stooped and called out.

"Crag! Play nice." The cats eyes softened and his lips fell back over his teeth. The guard took his collar and led him and the chestnut horse away.

"Slayer? If you please..." Lyke turned back to the three guardsmen and followed them through the village. Several other wolves came out of their stone and wood houses to see who the newcomer was. Soon they came upon a larger hut which was undoubtedly the elders' home. They stopped before the door. The big brown one spoke. "You will keep your weapons sheathed and paws off their handles at all times. Speak with courtesy and do not leave the visitors rug unless specifically directed. Understood?" Lyke had had his paw on the handle of his straight sword at his left side. After receiving the briefing, he took it off and wrung his paws together.

"I'll certainly try. I'm used to keeping my weapons handy." The guard scowled at him.

"I'm sure." He turned to the door and opened it. The interior was dimly lit by a fire in the center. There where three elders sitting on cushions around it. Six other guards stood near the door. They were dressed in leather and carried war spears. A red and brown rug rested in the entry way and ran up almost to the fire. The elders turned their muzzles to the door as the four of them entered. The tree guards bowed.

"Sorry for the intrusion elders. You must have heard the scouts' horn." The scout stepped forward.

"Yes. I found this wolf riding a Sabre Tooth toward the village. He tells me he is a Beast Slayer. What would you have us do?" The elders looked at one another, and then one raised its tired gaze to Lyke.

"Speak for yourself, warrior. Do you seek work here in Racalli? If so, we have a particular request to make of you. If that is not your intention, you must explain yourself now, for no one comes through this valley without purpose." As the elder spoke, the feathers tied into his fur shook with the bobbing of his old head. His ears where pierced with long, dangling earrings that giggled with every breath. Lyke stepped forward and almost put his paw on his sword out of habit, but instead forced them to hang idly at his sides.

"You are indeed wise. My business here has little to do with my profession, however, I would not mind taking on a job if it meant gaining your trust. My original goal was to find a traveler who may have passed this way less than a week ago. Do any of you know of such a traveler?" Again the elders met each other eyes before the one in the front answered for them.

"You are good to be honest about your intentions. A traveler did pass through here four days past: a female with a coat much the same as yours. She rode a black horse and carried a bow and two daggers. She told us she had not much time to stay, as she was seeking the source of rumors of magic she had heard in the southlands where she came from. We told her it was a sin to seek such powers, but she carried on regardless of our warnings. We have not heard from her since." Lyke listened to the old man with rapt attention. Once he finished talking, he quickly inquired:

"Where did she go? Did she leave by the northern pass?" The elder nodded slowly.

"She did, but tell me warrior, what is this woman to you?" Lyke knew there was no point in hiding it.

"That woman is my mate. I too told her it was dangerous to seek the ancient powers. She left under cover of darkness from our village in the southlands. I followed her immediately after I found out, but she is more adept of a woodsman than I. She led me off her trail and it's taken me longer than I had anticipated to discover it again." The elder again nodded knowingly his feathers spilling into his face.

"What is your name? I tire of calling you warrior, and if I must beseech you to abandon your current quest of love to help a poor village away from your homeland, I must do so by your name." Lyke was shocked by his articulation and his honesty. He had wanted to leave soon after resting here and trading for a bite to eat. Now, he felt obligated to at least listen to the old mans' tale, just to see how long out of his way this task would take him.

"My name is Lyke... Your words have moved me, I must admit. If it is in my power and won't take too long to complete, I'll do some work on behalf of your village." The old man looked relieved.

"Then judge this tale of woe, Lyke of the Southlands, and see if you deem it worthy of your time." This man had a way of making you do what he wanted. It comes with age, Lyke supposed. "The Wargs of the northern mountain have always been fearful of our strong hunters and warriors. Our village prides itself in that. Recently, they have become much bolder, even launching an organized assault of our livestock. I have never seen such a thing in all my years." Lyke interrupted.

"With all respect, you seem to have enough capable souls around here to deal with a few feral beasts. I was expecting something... bigger." The guards next to him gave him dirty looks and the elder raised an eyebrow.

"You are unimpressed, Lyke? You have slain your share of Wargs then? Wait and listen, and you will see my concern." Lyke was immediately sorry he had interrupted. The old man knew of what he spoke. "A particular Warg has taken over all the packs in the region. He is larger than the others and wears stone armor the likes of which we have never seen. He also has an amulet inscribed with ancient runes." Lyke was truly interested now. Perhaps this was some of that magic his mate had spoken of.

"Runes you say? You have piqued my interest, elder. If you would direct me to where this Warg leader might reside, I would take much pleasure in killing him." Lykes' paw drifted to the hilt of his sword and took hold of it, out of habit. A guard behind him took his arm and twisted it around his back.

"Ow!"

"How dare you disrespect the elders like this! Touching a weapon in a sacred place of trust. What have you to say for yourself!?" The elder shouted over the struggle.

"Unhand him!" They did so and Lyke brushed off the fur on his shoulder. "He does not know our customs. A little disrespect can only be expected of a foreigner. He has agreed to help us. If he makes good on that promise, we have no reason to doubt his character." Lyke bowed deeply to the elder.

"Thank you for your wisdom. I assure you the beast will die by my hand. Just tell me what you know about my quarry, and I will start after a brief rest, for I have been traveling for many days... Any other help you could offer would be appreciated." The elder raised one paw and pointed to the big brown guard that had twisted Lykes' arm.

"You. See to it that he gets water and a place to rest. Once he has completed his task, he will receive the highest honors we can offer. Be sure the village knows this, all of you." They all bowed. "Tell him all you know of the Wargs' behaviors. That is all." He waved them away.

"Yes, honorable elder." They replied in unison. Lyke bowed as he exited the hut. Once back outside, he noticed it was getting dark. The moon was almost full. Lykes' eye was drawn to it peaking over the mountain from whence he came. He wondered if the wolves here celebrated the full moon like the wolves of the Southlands.

"Hey, Lyke." The big brown wolf said to him, taking him by the shoulder. He turned to him. "I'll show you to a room. You can sleep in the long house tonight." Lyke shook his head.

"I'll sleep where ever you've taken my Cat. But even so, I'm afraid I won't be sleeping much tonight. The hunt will start before high-moon." The wolf was stunned.

"When you said rest... I naturally assumed..."

"I'll take that water I was promised. After a briefing on my quarry, and a short respite, I will strike out into the mountains." After a brief hesitation, the guardsman nodded curtly.

"Very well. I'll fetch your water and meet you at the stable. You'll find your Cat there, near where you entered the village. Would you like someone to guide you there?" Lyke started off toward the stable.

"No. I know where it is." His paw shifted to the hilt of his sword. "All I need is a glance. I look forward to learning the topography here." This left the guard in a stunned silence as he watched the wanderer go. Lykes' tail swished happily with each stride. I've just killed two birds with one arrow. I'm back on Ilishias' trail, and I'll find out what sort of ancient sorcery we're dealing with. He heaved a satisfied sigh as he entered the stable, taking a torch from the outside wall. They had put Crag in a stall away from the horses. Lyke found him with little effort and opened the stall door. He put the torch in a sconce outside the stall then entered it, closing the door behind him. "How are you doing, Crag." The Sabre Tooth growled softly with the pleasure of seeing him and extended his head to be petted. "Sorry, but we're going on the hunt tonight. It should be fun, so no laziness just yet, alright?" Crag was not pleased, but knew what had to be done, had to be done. He was a hard worker when it came down to it. Lyke sat against Crags' warm flank. "The guard will be in soon to brief us. Listen close." Crag nodded. Lyke put his paws behind his head and leaned back. I'm coming Ilisha. You can't run forever. You've probably found whatever it is you're looking for... I just hope it won't be the death of you...