The aim was to pick a path and then write about what happens next. While this story is mine, the character 'Anita the Pack Rat' belongs to them as does the whole idea for this contest. You can read the first part of the story here as well as my chosen path (Path G) if you wish to read those first, though it isn't needed. (That's all the crediting done I believe)
For simplicity's sake I've broken the story into three parts, and so you aren't over loaded with text at once, have placed them in spoilers for you to read one at a time.
Feel free to point out any spelling/grammatical/punctuation errors I may have missed. I tried to catch them all but I am only human and they do slip by at times. I don't bite, so don't be scared about leaving a comment behind, I love comments. I just want to know what people think.
Also, this is the first time I've ever written anything MS based.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
~
Part 1
Spoiler
“Did you just say Enox?” asked Kora nervously, unsure if she’d heard the woman correctly. The young magi shivered at the thought of one of the large, black, horse-like creatures. They were a rare sight in the Keep, hard for any normal magi to train, and the last one she’d seen had scared the life out of her.
She twisted her fingers together nervously, chewing on her bottom lip as she stood there. Had her hair been long enough, she’d have been chewing on that too.
“Yes, young Moros will be your guide,” said the old woman again. “Let me bring him out.” The woman disappeared for a few minutes into her cave. When she returned she was leading a black, horse sized creature. A pair of black and violet feathered wings were folded against it horse-like body. Narrow spines ran down its back and along its serpentine tail, which was tipped with an arrow point. Instead of hooves, its front legs were clawed like an eagle or dragons and it bore a pair of horns on its equine head. It had no mane, that was replaced with its spines, spines that, much to her surprise, weren’t as stiff as they looked, able to raise and lower depending on its mood. At the moment it was calm, the spines laying against its neck in a relaxed manner.
Kora gulped and trembled at the sight of the creature, she had always been afraid of these things and almost never went near them, and now it was standing only a few feet away from her. It snorted and pawed the ground as it stood there, the movement startling the magi and causing her to jump in fear.
“Oh, don’t be frightened of him dearie. He’s harmless so long as you aren’t going to hurt him.” The Enox turned his head to look at her, studying her with his violet eyes. “Go on, touch him, he doesn’t bite.”
A tense silence filled the air as the Enox and magi started at each other; the magi terrified at the thought of touching it and the Enox curious about her, having never met her before. The few people that she’d seen that owned and tamed these creatures were the dark magi, untrustworthy, shady characters with equally dark and dangerous creatures. Thoughts raced through her head; was this woman one of them? If she wasn’t, why did she have an Enox, and a Noctis at that? She didn’t look like one, but then again, dark magi could be anyone.
“You can’t just stand there all day. Take him and get going before it’s to late.”
“You haven’t even told me what it is you want me to find for you.” She said, looking back at Anita and Moros as they were shoved from the cave.
The woman smiled, almost mischievously “Oh. I suppose I should tell you that shouldn’t I?” she mused. “Ah well. I’ve heard rumours of a pack of white Direwolves in the woods. And I’ve always wondered what makes their coats so white. There’s a stone in the woods that, from what I gather, turns them white and I would love to have part of it. A stone of the moon some call it. Now, be off with you!”
She twisted her fingers together nervously, chewing on her bottom lip as she stood there. Had her hair been long enough, she’d have been chewing on that too.
“Yes, young Moros will be your guide,” said the old woman again. “Let me bring him out.” The woman disappeared for a few minutes into her cave. When she returned she was leading a black, horse sized creature. A pair of black and violet feathered wings were folded against it horse-like body. Narrow spines ran down its back and along its serpentine tail, which was tipped with an arrow point. Instead of hooves, its front legs were clawed like an eagle or dragons and it bore a pair of horns on its equine head. It had no mane, that was replaced with its spines, spines that, much to her surprise, weren’t as stiff as they looked, able to raise and lower depending on its mood. At the moment it was calm, the spines laying against its neck in a relaxed manner.
Kora gulped and trembled at the sight of the creature, she had always been afraid of these things and almost never went near them, and now it was standing only a few feet away from her. It snorted and pawed the ground as it stood there, the movement startling the magi and causing her to jump in fear.
“Oh, don’t be frightened of him dearie. He’s harmless so long as you aren’t going to hurt him.” The Enox turned his head to look at her, studying her with his violet eyes. “Go on, touch him, he doesn’t bite.”
A tense silence filled the air as the Enox and magi started at each other; the magi terrified at the thought of touching it and the Enox curious about her, having never met her before. The few people that she’d seen that owned and tamed these creatures were the dark magi, untrustworthy, shady characters with equally dark and dangerous creatures. Thoughts raced through her head; was this woman one of them? If she wasn’t, why did she have an Enox, and a Noctis at that? She didn’t look like one, but then again, dark magi could be anyone.
“You can’t just stand there all day. Take him and get going before it’s to late.”
“You haven’t even told me what it is you want me to find for you.” She said, looking back at Anita and Moros as they were shoved from the cave.
The woman smiled, almost mischievously “Oh. I suppose I should tell you that shouldn’t I?” she mused. “Ah well. I’ve heard rumours of a pack of white Direwolves in the woods. And I’ve always wondered what makes their coats so white. There’s a stone in the woods that, from what I gather, turns them white and I would love to have part of it. A stone of the moon some call it. Now, be off with you!”
Spoiler
The female magi braced herself against the wind as another gust buffeted her. To get up to Silva Forest they had to skirt along the edge of the desert, in a small area between the desert and the mountains. The desert was expansive and hot, far to treacherous for them to travel through, but the mountains were snowy and cold, just as treacherous and on the opposite end of the scale. The passageway between the two was buffeted by cold air being blown down from the mountain and sandstorms coming in from the desert.
She held her cloak tighter around herself and wished she’d packed warmer clothes. It was quite a trek from the Keep to the caves, so she’d had time to go back after her visit with Anita, and now was regretting even going there in the first place.
The wind whipped around her, grabbing at strands of coppery red hair and twisting it into knots. Her green eyes watered, stung by the wind and sand that was being blown into them.
The Enox walking beside her kept his head down, bracing itself against the wind. He didn’t appear to like this any more than she did. His feet sunk into the shifting sand and grit mixture, something that caused him to stumble often. His hooves slipped on the rocks and his clawed feet couldn’t grip the sand.
Kora bit her lip as she looked at it; she was still scared of it, but watching it stumble around in the sand, she felt sorry for it and wished she could help it in some way. As she was thinking she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and stumbled when the ground took a steep turn down like a hill. She found herself face first in the sand, sand that was now getting into her hiking boots, pants and every seam of her clothes.
She spat out a mouthful of sand as she pulled herself to her knees, brushing the sand from her clothes.
Moros regarded her silently for a few second before doing something she did not expect. He knelt down beside her, wings folded neatly to its sides. It looked at her, before snorting and making a swift movement with its head, as if gesturing for her to get on.
She blinked in surprise, she hadn’t even touched the creature since it had been sent with her, let alone tried to ride it. As she looked it over, she noticed something she hadn’t before; the slender spines that ran down the back of its neck stopped at its withers, leaving its back bare till the spines started up again at the base of the tail. She mentally hit herself for not having noticed this earlier, as she’d thought the spines ran the length of its back. Of course they couldn’t, if they did how did magi ride them like in all the stories?
“Do you, want me to ride?” she asked, hands on her knees as she looked at it. It snorted and turned its head to look ahead once again.
Kora gulped nervously, she was torn, part of her wanted to ride it and get off her feet, but part of her was still scared. She’d always heard tales of these beasts, terrifying tales that made them out to be wild monsters only tamed by dark magi, stories that had given her nightmares as a child. Tentatively she reached her hand out and swallowed her fear, this creature had shown her no ill will or ill intention, it was nothing like the stories she’d heard. The next thing she knew her hand touched soft, almost velvety fur. She could feel the warmth of its body under her hand, the movement as it breathed. Her hand rested gently on its neck and the Enox barely moved, waiting for her to move.
Slowly, the magi pulled herself to her feet, brushing sand off her knees. She looked back at the Enox; the thought of riding it still unnerved her. She took a deep breath and plucked up her courage; she placed one hand on its shoulders and one on its back before hauling herself onto its back, seating herself just ahead of its wings. It readjusted its wings once she was settled and began walking. His gait was smooth, almost rhythmic as he began to pick up speed, moving from a slow walk into a gentle trot, then a smoother gate, something like a canter. Instinctively, she held onto its neck tightly, cheek pressed against the side of its neck so the spines didn’t skewer her.
Wind and sand whipped past her face as the Enox ran over the sand, no longer stumbling as he had been before. She clenched her eyes shut and lowered her head, tears burning her eyes from the sand that irritated it.
…
How long Moros ran for she wasn’t sure, but lived up to its reputation of having amazing stamina and endurance, barely out of breath when it came to a stop and never faltering while it ran. As he slowed to a stop Kora raised her head, using one hand to wipe sand and tears out of her eyes.
The sand had given way to short, yellow grasses and a harder ground and small shrubs. As they travelled farther towards the forest and out of the desert the grasses got greener, the trees and shrubs larger and the sand less and less. The hot muggy air of the desert became the cool crisp air of the forest.
Even at a walking pace she was amazed at how fast the Enox could move, especially now that it was on far more solid ground. It held its head up high as it walked, smelling the air.
Kora straightened up, getting a better look around at where they were.
“It’s so, cool here!” She remarked out loud, hands resting on the sides of its neck. It was cool, much cooler than the desert had been and much more comfortable feeling. The Enox stopped and looked towards the forest before glancing slightly back at her. “Yeah, we gotta go in there,” she said nervously. While the Enox was one fear she was able to overcome, entering Silva forest was not. Unlike the Enox where most of what she’s heard were stories of how fearsome they were, what she’d heard about Silva were first hand accounts of the dangers that lurked in it; wild untamed creatures, dark magi and other unknown terrors.
Carefully, she slid off its back, nearly falling over in the process. That last time she’d ridden anything was Minicorn rides when she had been a child, and then someone had been holding onto the minicorn and leading it around while another person held onto her so she didn’t fall off and had helped her on and off. This time she was on a much larger animal and was alone. Once her feet were safely on solid ground again she let out a sigh she’d been holding back and rubbed her legs, they were sore from having ridden on the Enox without stretching first.
She rested one hand against its neck as she looked around, shivering as she looked towards the forest. “Well, in we go I suppose.”
…
Kora kept close to Moros as they walked through the shadows of Silva forest. They had not yet seen anything, but occasionally she’d see flickers of movement in the bushes or the darkness of the woods. The Enox seemed unphased by the woods or the tiny, almost unseen movements.
The trees of the forest were thick, nearly blocking out the sun, which was sinking below the horizon as they walked. Once darkness fell the woods be blacker than the Enox’s coat and Kora would be unable to see where they were going.
The bushes rustled, the sounds causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up in fear. A twig snapped and she spun around, heart racing in her chest. The Noctis seemed to sense her fear and stopped walking, violet eyes scanning the area slowly. He snorted softly, his warm breath fogging in the cooling air.
The bush rustled again as something moved around through it. A large, brown face looked out at them, a Direwolf. It wasn’t full grown, but it wasn’t a pup either, it was, somewhere in between, likely only a year old. Kora took a step back, if one was near that meant the rest of its pack, including adults, wouldn’t be far off. The Enox snorted defensively and scraped its claws along the ground threateningly. The young wolf whimpered and took a few steps back, tail between its legs. The Enox was many times its size and looked far more threatening in the darkness.
A low growl rumbled from the bushes and a larger Direwolf stepped out and wove around the younger one. The hair on its hackles was raised up in a rigid, defensive posture, its lips curled back to reveal sharp fangs.
Moros lowered his head and snorted, spines erect on his back, a dangerous sign to be sure. He took a step forward, tail lashing about behind him. The Direwolf’s ears drooped and it sunk down, laying its head on its paws, whimpering as it shook. Kora looked at the Enox in shock, the horse creature simply staring down the Direwolf as if it were nothing. A cold, almost icy energy seemed to surround it, making it seem more imposing and threatening to the Direwolf. Eventually, the terrified Direwolf slunk off, keeping the smaller one near to its side. Once they were gone the Enox relaxed, spines laying back to its neck and tail slowing down. He raised his head and looked over at her as if to make sure she was ok.
“Let’s just get moving,” she said. “The sooner we can get out of here the better.”
Moros seemed to snort in agreement as they began walking again.
She held her cloak tighter around herself and wished she’d packed warmer clothes. It was quite a trek from the Keep to the caves, so she’d had time to go back after her visit with Anita, and now was regretting even going there in the first place.
The wind whipped around her, grabbing at strands of coppery red hair and twisting it into knots. Her green eyes watered, stung by the wind and sand that was being blown into them.
The Enox walking beside her kept his head down, bracing itself against the wind. He didn’t appear to like this any more than she did. His feet sunk into the shifting sand and grit mixture, something that caused him to stumble often. His hooves slipped on the rocks and his clawed feet couldn’t grip the sand.
Kora bit her lip as she looked at it; she was still scared of it, but watching it stumble around in the sand, she felt sorry for it and wished she could help it in some way. As she was thinking she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and stumbled when the ground took a steep turn down like a hill. She found herself face first in the sand, sand that was now getting into her hiking boots, pants and every seam of her clothes.
She spat out a mouthful of sand as she pulled herself to her knees, brushing the sand from her clothes.
Moros regarded her silently for a few second before doing something she did not expect. He knelt down beside her, wings folded neatly to its sides. It looked at her, before snorting and making a swift movement with its head, as if gesturing for her to get on.
She blinked in surprise, she hadn’t even touched the creature since it had been sent with her, let alone tried to ride it. As she looked it over, she noticed something she hadn’t before; the slender spines that ran down the back of its neck stopped at its withers, leaving its back bare till the spines started up again at the base of the tail. She mentally hit herself for not having noticed this earlier, as she’d thought the spines ran the length of its back. Of course they couldn’t, if they did how did magi ride them like in all the stories?
“Do you, want me to ride?” she asked, hands on her knees as she looked at it. It snorted and turned its head to look ahead once again.
Kora gulped nervously, she was torn, part of her wanted to ride it and get off her feet, but part of her was still scared. She’d always heard tales of these beasts, terrifying tales that made them out to be wild monsters only tamed by dark magi, stories that had given her nightmares as a child. Tentatively she reached her hand out and swallowed her fear, this creature had shown her no ill will or ill intention, it was nothing like the stories she’d heard. The next thing she knew her hand touched soft, almost velvety fur. She could feel the warmth of its body under her hand, the movement as it breathed. Her hand rested gently on its neck and the Enox barely moved, waiting for her to move.
Slowly, the magi pulled herself to her feet, brushing sand off her knees. She looked back at the Enox; the thought of riding it still unnerved her. She took a deep breath and plucked up her courage; she placed one hand on its shoulders and one on its back before hauling herself onto its back, seating herself just ahead of its wings. It readjusted its wings once she was settled and began walking. His gait was smooth, almost rhythmic as he began to pick up speed, moving from a slow walk into a gentle trot, then a smoother gate, something like a canter. Instinctively, she held onto its neck tightly, cheek pressed against the side of its neck so the spines didn’t skewer her.
Wind and sand whipped past her face as the Enox ran over the sand, no longer stumbling as he had been before. She clenched her eyes shut and lowered her head, tears burning her eyes from the sand that irritated it.
…
How long Moros ran for she wasn’t sure, but lived up to its reputation of having amazing stamina and endurance, barely out of breath when it came to a stop and never faltering while it ran. As he slowed to a stop Kora raised her head, using one hand to wipe sand and tears out of her eyes.
The sand had given way to short, yellow grasses and a harder ground and small shrubs. As they travelled farther towards the forest and out of the desert the grasses got greener, the trees and shrubs larger and the sand less and less. The hot muggy air of the desert became the cool crisp air of the forest.
Even at a walking pace she was amazed at how fast the Enox could move, especially now that it was on far more solid ground. It held its head up high as it walked, smelling the air.
Kora straightened up, getting a better look around at where they were.
“It’s so, cool here!” She remarked out loud, hands resting on the sides of its neck. It was cool, much cooler than the desert had been and much more comfortable feeling. The Enox stopped and looked towards the forest before glancing slightly back at her. “Yeah, we gotta go in there,” she said nervously. While the Enox was one fear she was able to overcome, entering Silva forest was not. Unlike the Enox where most of what she’s heard were stories of how fearsome they were, what she’d heard about Silva were first hand accounts of the dangers that lurked in it; wild untamed creatures, dark magi and other unknown terrors.
Carefully, she slid off its back, nearly falling over in the process. That last time she’d ridden anything was Minicorn rides when she had been a child, and then someone had been holding onto the minicorn and leading it around while another person held onto her so she didn’t fall off and had helped her on and off. This time she was on a much larger animal and was alone. Once her feet were safely on solid ground again she let out a sigh she’d been holding back and rubbed her legs, they were sore from having ridden on the Enox without stretching first.
She rested one hand against its neck as she looked around, shivering as she looked towards the forest. “Well, in we go I suppose.”
…
Kora kept close to Moros as they walked through the shadows of Silva forest. They had not yet seen anything, but occasionally she’d see flickers of movement in the bushes or the darkness of the woods. The Enox seemed unphased by the woods or the tiny, almost unseen movements.
The trees of the forest were thick, nearly blocking out the sun, which was sinking below the horizon as they walked. Once darkness fell the woods be blacker than the Enox’s coat and Kora would be unable to see where they were going.
The bushes rustled, the sounds causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up in fear. A twig snapped and she spun around, heart racing in her chest. The Noctis seemed to sense her fear and stopped walking, violet eyes scanning the area slowly. He snorted softly, his warm breath fogging in the cooling air.
The bush rustled again as something moved around through it. A large, brown face looked out at them, a Direwolf. It wasn’t full grown, but it wasn’t a pup either, it was, somewhere in between, likely only a year old. Kora took a step back, if one was near that meant the rest of its pack, including adults, wouldn’t be far off. The Enox snorted defensively and scraped its claws along the ground threateningly. The young wolf whimpered and took a few steps back, tail between its legs. The Enox was many times its size and looked far more threatening in the darkness.
A low growl rumbled from the bushes and a larger Direwolf stepped out and wove around the younger one. The hair on its hackles was raised up in a rigid, defensive posture, its lips curled back to reveal sharp fangs.
Moros lowered his head and snorted, spines erect on his back, a dangerous sign to be sure. He took a step forward, tail lashing about behind him. The Direwolf’s ears drooped and it sunk down, laying its head on its paws, whimpering as it shook. Kora looked at the Enox in shock, the horse creature simply staring down the Direwolf as if it were nothing. A cold, almost icy energy seemed to surround it, making it seem more imposing and threatening to the Direwolf. Eventually, the terrified Direwolf slunk off, keeping the smaller one near to its side. Once they were gone the Enox relaxed, spines laying back to its neck and tail slowing down. He raised his head and looked over at her as if to make sure she was ok.
“Let’s just get moving,” she said. “The sooner we can get out of here the better.”
Moros seemed to snort in agreement as they began walking again.
Spoiler
As they walked they plunged deeper and deeper into the woods, the amount of light becoming less the deeper in they went. Kora kept one hand on the Noctis’ neck, her vision failing her in the darkness. She could make out blurry shapes and figures in the darkness, but nothing clear enough to know where she was going. Moros however seemed to have an easier time, his eyes flashing in the darkness when a tiny amount of light caught them. When the light caught them they looked, for a second, less violet and redder, sending a chill down the magi’s spine.
They stumbled through the dense, dark woods, unable to even tell if the sun still hung in the sky. As it had been on the descent when they’d entered the woods, Kora’s best guess was that the sun was no longer in the sky now, or at least it was almost gone.
Taking hold of one of Moros spines she pulled the Enox to a stop. She needed to sit and, her legs aching from all the walking and stumbling over thing everything she couldn’t see. Carefully, she sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree. Moros followed suit, lying in the grass next to her, wings folded to his back.
Her eyes drooped closed and before she realized what had happened she’d drifted off to sleep in the darkness, the Enox remaining awake to keep her safe.
When she finally opened her eyes it took her a few seconds to realize they were in fact, open. She knew the woods were dark, but to be this dark it had to still be nighttime. As she went to sit up, having slumped over in her sleep, she felt something brush against her skin. At first she thought it was an animal, till she remembered the Noctis at her side and realized it was his wing that had brushed her, having been stretched out over her.
“Come on, we have to keep moving,” she said as she stood up. “I really shouldn’t have fallen asleep." There was a soft rustling as Moros stood up and bumped her gently so she was aware of where he was. She patted his nose, “I know you’re there,” she said, moving her hands till they reached his shoulders.
Carefully, she followed him as he began to walk through the dark woods once again.
They stumbled and wandered blindly through the woods, seemingly going in circles and getting nowhere but even more lost. Occasionally they would reach an area where the trees were a bit thinner and a few moonbeams filtered through the trees, but it only provided so much light, and it couldn’t be caught and carried with them, much to Kora’s dismay.
She was about ready to give up when she miss-stepped. She’d wandered a few paces ahead of the Enox, her eyes having slowly adjusted to the lack of light. This adjustment allowed her to see a little clearer, not much, but she could make out more shapes and forms.
What she didn’t see however was the small cliff and sheer drop till she stepped right off of it. A long scream escaped her mouth as she fell about 6 feet down before she hit the ground, painfully. She gasped in pain; she’d landed on her legs before rolling across the hard ground. As she pulled herself up with her arms she yelped and doubled over. Her legs and sides now ached in pain, and every move sent searing pain through her.
A noise caught her attention and she lifted her head up and found herself face to face with a large white wolf. It was snarling and didn’t look happy about her being there. There was a thud as Moros suddenly landed beside her and a sharp screeching sound as he struck out at the Direwolf with his claws. Something wet splashed against her skin and the Direwolf squealed as it jumped back. Blood spattered its snow-white coat where the Noctis’ claws had struck it, scratching its nose and shoulder.
It took a few steps back from Moros as he moved to protect a wounded Kora, teeth bared and making the most frightening sound she’d ever heard. It sounded like a hollow, screeching sound, and one that sent chills down her spine even though it wasn’t intended for her.
As she sat up she clutched her leg in pain. As she touched it she felt something warm under her fingers. Raising her hand she squinted in the darkness as she tried to look at it, something sticky and warm coating it. She felt her stomach knot sickeningly it was blood.
Something warm and velvety butted her face and it took her a second to realize that it was just Moros. She held onto him, wrapping her arms around his head as she trembled fearfully. Her leg was bleeding badly, probably broken judging by the fact that she couldn’t move it; her side was throbbing from where she’d landed after rolling across the ground. Tears stung her eyes as she began to cry, clinging to the young Noctis tightly. If she couldn’t walk, she was never going to be able to get out of the woods, and she didn’t want to be trapped here.
Moros sat down beside her and nuzzled her, letting her hold onto him. He bumped her with his head, causing her to let go. He folded his wings up snugly and made a movement with his head, flicking it back towards his back.
She looked at his back before dragging herself over, using her arms to pull herself onto his back. She winced and yelped in pain when her ribs pressed against his back. She clenched her teeth and fought back the urge to cry out as she crawled onto its back. She swiveled around and lay lengthwise along his back, head on his back and arms around his neck. Her chest heaved and tears of pain stung her eyes. Once she was safely on his back, Moros stood up and began trotting across the ground, heading in the same direction the wounded Direwolf had.
“Wait, why are we going this way?” she asked, but as expected, received no answer. Her head spun, blood dripped down her leg from the wound, splashing onto the ground as the Noctis ran.
His feet thudded over the ground as he ran, following the Direwolf, which looked to be a white blur up ahead. The Direwolf ducked under some bushes, vanishing from view. Moros skidded to a stop as he reached the same bushes before deciding to just run through them. The branches and leaves snapped and broke as he pushed through.
Kora raised her head; something seemed, different now and she couldn’t place her finger on it. Then it hit her there was light here! She couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but there was definitely a light. She looked around the new area, there were still plenty of trees, but there seemed to be an abundance of stone as well. She could hear the clacking of the Enox’s hooves and claws across it till the creature came to a stop.
She could make out the shapes of several Direwolves in the shadows, watching them carefully. They didn’t move or growl, but their eyes reflected in the soft light, tiny orbs amid the darkness. The injured Direwolf limped across the ground towards what seemed to be a small cave, and apparently the source of the light. Kora nudged Moros and the Enox trotted forward, she had to see what was going on.
The inside of the cave was lined with shimmering pale blue-white stones, some were embedded in the walls of the cave, and others lay on the ground. The Direwolf lay down in the soft light of the stones and then something very strange happened. The wounds that Moros had inflicted upon it began to heal, closing up and vanishing as if they weren’t even there. Now fully healed, it rose to its feet and padded out, carefully watching the Enox and the young magi.
Kora couldn’t believe what she’d just seen; the wolf had been completely healed! She rubbed her head; everything was spinning again, her blood-loss increasing with each passing second. Her grip on his back loosened and she barely noticed she was falling as she slid off his back to the ground. She felt something move her over the ground, and a gentle warmth as her eyes fell closed, darkness closing in around her.
…
Her head throbbed in pain and her whole body ached. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her head swirling in a heavy fog.
“Ah, good see you’ve rejoined us,” said a familiar voice. “Had me worried for a bit.”
Kora blinked, trying to clear her head, “What happened, where am I?”
“Take it easy, you’ve been through a lot.” The voice belonged to Anita, the crazy old woman who’d lent her the Enox to go on a quest.
“How did I get back here?” she asked. The last thing she remembered was being in the depth of Silva forest and a glowing cave.
“Moros brought you back. I thought you were dead at first.” She said, “Wouldn’t that have been trouble?”
“Where is he, is he alright?” she asked, sitting up quickly, suddenly concerned for the creature.
“Oh he’s fine, a little winded form the long run, but he’s fine.” She patted the young magi’s head; “I’m surprised when you left you were terrified of him.”
“I guess, I realized he’s not that bad,” she said. She’d grown attached to the young Noctis, even if their travel had been brief. Then another realization hit her, “I didn’t complete it, I never grabbed the stone. I saw them, I think, but never grabbed them.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” said Anita with a wry grin. She held up a small, glowing crystal in one hand. “I found this in your bag, you must have grabbed it before you passed out.”
“What is it?” asked Kora.
“A Moonstone. They collect light from the moon, and it becomes a powerful healing magic. That’s why you’re still alive, however I would suggest you try not to exert yourself till you’re fully recovered. You lost a lot of blood.” She tucked the stone away and left the room, leaving Kora to lie back against the rather flat pillow.
She looked at the ceiling, she hadn’t just found the Moonstone, she’d found something within herself. She’d overcome her fear of the Enox in order to reach her goal, the thought of being around the Noctis no longer scared her, she’d conquered her fear. With a sigh she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, but not before she heard the gentle tapping of hooves and claws across the cave floor.
~FIN~
They stumbled through the dense, dark woods, unable to even tell if the sun still hung in the sky. As it had been on the descent when they’d entered the woods, Kora’s best guess was that the sun was no longer in the sky now, or at least it was almost gone.
Taking hold of one of Moros spines she pulled the Enox to a stop. She needed to sit and, her legs aching from all the walking and stumbling over thing everything she couldn’t see. Carefully, she sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree. Moros followed suit, lying in the grass next to her, wings folded to his back.
Her eyes drooped closed and before she realized what had happened she’d drifted off to sleep in the darkness, the Enox remaining awake to keep her safe.
When she finally opened her eyes it took her a few seconds to realize they were in fact, open. She knew the woods were dark, but to be this dark it had to still be nighttime. As she went to sit up, having slumped over in her sleep, she felt something brush against her skin. At first she thought it was an animal, till she remembered the Noctis at her side and realized it was his wing that had brushed her, having been stretched out over her.
“Come on, we have to keep moving,” she said as she stood up. “I really shouldn’t have fallen asleep." There was a soft rustling as Moros stood up and bumped her gently so she was aware of where he was. She patted his nose, “I know you’re there,” she said, moving her hands till they reached his shoulders.
Carefully, she followed him as he began to walk through the dark woods once again.
They stumbled and wandered blindly through the woods, seemingly going in circles and getting nowhere but even more lost. Occasionally they would reach an area where the trees were a bit thinner and a few moonbeams filtered through the trees, but it only provided so much light, and it couldn’t be caught and carried with them, much to Kora’s dismay.
She was about ready to give up when she miss-stepped. She’d wandered a few paces ahead of the Enox, her eyes having slowly adjusted to the lack of light. This adjustment allowed her to see a little clearer, not much, but she could make out more shapes and forms.
What she didn’t see however was the small cliff and sheer drop till she stepped right off of it. A long scream escaped her mouth as she fell about 6 feet down before she hit the ground, painfully. She gasped in pain; she’d landed on her legs before rolling across the hard ground. As she pulled herself up with her arms she yelped and doubled over. Her legs and sides now ached in pain, and every move sent searing pain through her.
A noise caught her attention and she lifted her head up and found herself face to face with a large white wolf. It was snarling and didn’t look happy about her being there. There was a thud as Moros suddenly landed beside her and a sharp screeching sound as he struck out at the Direwolf with his claws. Something wet splashed against her skin and the Direwolf squealed as it jumped back. Blood spattered its snow-white coat where the Noctis’ claws had struck it, scratching its nose and shoulder.
It took a few steps back from Moros as he moved to protect a wounded Kora, teeth bared and making the most frightening sound she’d ever heard. It sounded like a hollow, screeching sound, and one that sent chills down her spine even though it wasn’t intended for her.
As she sat up she clutched her leg in pain. As she touched it she felt something warm under her fingers. Raising her hand she squinted in the darkness as she tried to look at it, something sticky and warm coating it. She felt her stomach knot sickeningly it was blood.
Something warm and velvety butted her face and it took her a second to realize that it was just Moros. She held onto him, wrapping her arms around his head as she trembled fearfully. Her leg was bleeding badly, probably broken judging by the fact that she couldn’t move it; her side was throbbing from where she’d landed after rolling across the ground. Tears stung her eyes as she began to cry, clinging to the young Noctis tightly. If she couldn’t walk, she was never going to be able to get out of the woods, and she didn’t want to be trapped here.
Moros sat down beside her and nuzzled her, letting her hold onto him. He bumped her with his head, causing her to let go. He folded his wings up snugly and made a movement with his head, flicking it back towards his back.
She looked at his back before dragging herself over, using her arms to pull herself onto his back. She winced and yelped in pain when her ribs pressed against his back. She clenched her teeth and fought back the urge to cry out as she crawled onto its back. She swiveled around and lay lengthwise along his back, head on his back and arms around his neck. Her chest heaved and tears of pain stung her eyes. Once she was safely on his back, Moros stood up and began trotting across the ground, heading in the same direction the wounded Direwolf had.
“Wait, why are we going this way?” she asked, but as expected, received no answer. Her head spun, blood dripped down her leg from the wound, splashing onto the ground as the Noctis ran.
His feet thudded over the ground as he ran, following the Direwolf, which looked to be a white blur up ahead. The Direwolf ducked under some bushes, vanishing from view. Moros skidded to a stop as he reached the same bushes before deciding to just run through them. The branches and leaves snapped and broke as he pushed through.
Kora raised her head; something seemed, different now and she couldn’t place her finger on it. Then it hit her there was light here! She couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but there was definitely a light. She looked around the new area, there were still plenty of trees, but there seemed to be an abundance of stone as well. She could hear the clacking of the Enox’s hooves and claws across it till the creature came to a stop.
She could make out the shapes of several Direwolves in the shadows, watching them carefully. They didn’t move or growl, but their eyes reflected in the soft light, tiny orbs amid the darkness. The injured Direwolf limped across the ground towards what seemed to be a small cave, and apparently the source of the light. Kora nudged Moros and the Enox trotted forward, she had to see what was going on.
The inside of the cave was lined with shimmering pale blue-white stones, some were embedded in the walls of the cave, and others lay on the ground. The Direwolf lay down in the soft light of the stones and then something very strange happened. The wounds that Moros had inflicted upon it began to heal, closing up and vanishing as if they weren’t even there. Now fully healed, it rose to its feet and padded out, carefully watching the Enox and the young magi.
Kora couldn’t believe what she’d just seen; the wolf had been completely healed! She rubbed her head; everything was spinning again, her blood-loss increasing with each passing second. Her grip on his back loosened and she barely noticed she was falling as she slid off his back to the ground. She felt something move her over the ground, and a gentle warmth as her eyes fell closed, darkness closing in around her.
…
Her head throbbed in pain and her whole body ached. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her head swirling in a heavy fog.
“Ah, good see you’ve rejoined us,” said a familiar voice. “Had me worried for a bit.”
Kora blinked, trying to clear her head, “What happened, where am I?”
“Take it easy, you’ve been through a lot.” The voice belonged to Anita, the crazy old woman who’d lent her the Enox to go on a quest.
“How did I get back here?” she asked. The last thing she remembered was being in the depth of Silva forest and a glowing cave.
“Moros brought you back. I thought you were dead at first.” She said, “Wouldn’t that have been trouble?”
“Where is he, is he alright?” she asked, sitting up quickly, suddenly concerned for the creature.
“Oh he’s fine, a little winded form the long run, but he’s fine.” She patted the young magi’s head; “I’m surprised when you left you were terrified of him.”
“I guess, I realized he’s not that bad,” she said. She’d grown attached to the young Noctis, even if their travel had been brief. Then another realization hit her, “I didn’t complete it, I never grabbed the stone. I saw them, I think, but never grabbed them.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” said Anita with a wry grin. She held up a small, glowing crystal in one hand. “I found this in your bag, you must have grabbed it before you passed out.”
“What is it?” asked Kora.
“A Moonstone. They collect light from the moon, and it becomes a powerful healing magic. That’s why you’re still alive, however I would suggest you try not to exert yourself till you’re fully recovered. You lost a lot of blood.” She tucked the stone away and left the room, leaving Kora to lie back against the rather flat pillow.
She looked at the ceiling, she hadn’t just found the Moonstone, she’d found something within herself. She’d overcome her fear of the Enox in order to reach her goal, the thought of being around the Noctis no longer scared her, she’d conquered her fear. With a sigh she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, but not before she heard the gentle tapping of hooves and claws across the cave floor.
~FIN~
Beetle by Cassowary