69

Preparation

The Snow Elf King sits down, tired and drained he pours a drink. The day had been one of many surprises. First the boy swatting the griffins like they were flies. Of course in the end he nearly died, anyone would fall to that many of them. He takes a deep whiff of the alcoholic beverage, a spicy smell enters his nostrils and he visibly relaxes. They had counted the bodies of the fallen griffins… Well those who were intact enough to count anyway and his heart froze when he heard how many. From what they could make out thirty four griffins were smashed by his hammer! Although they will never know exactly how many he killed this number is already surprising enough.

What came afterwards was even crazier. Dragons! Legends, thought to be long dead. The King still can’t decide if he should be happy about this, or very afraid. His people never answered their call for help. They were still angry and bitter about the land that was simply taken from them. Land they fought hard to get and then there was the curse….

His own daughter now a captive, something which he could hardly believe, if she wanted to she could simply take off the veil and the male elves would walk her to the door, unless it led to other things… Taring his mind away from such unpleasant thoughts he turns to his desk. A lot of things need to be prepared before they go to see the dragons. His mind keeps going over what the dragon said after he asked where he could find them.

Apart from that the capitol has been in chaos. As soon as the Orcs heard of the dragons’ arrival they ripped their current chief apart. The lizard folk wanted to pull out of the council, their leader was shaking worse than a leaf in a gale when he said as much. The fear these creatures have is well founded, but what would leaving the council help? They would simply be easier to kill.

The rabbits were past themselves in excitement. They wanted to leave immediately to go see the large creatures. He swears. He nearly had to lock the gates in order to keep them in the city! He always knew they are crazy, but he had no idea they are stupid as well.

The council also had to arronge guards to and confine the human citizens to thir homes. There is no telling who else was part of what was going on, not that he really knows what was actually happening under his nose the whole time. So many things hidden, so many things unexplained. -How could we have been so blind? The humans are integrated into basically every part of the government, hell their army was mainly in control of the city's defences!- He quickly jots down another note that he will need to give attention to. He will have the dwarves go over every inch of the city in order to check everything for hidden traps or entrances.

He sighs the guards around the humans are for their protection as much as their confinement. Mass hysteria is easy to spark and it may not be long before some race or another start balming them for every random thing that has ever gone wrong in their lives. A riot in the city is the last thing they need.

All of that was to be expected, but the thing that bothered him the most is the attitude of a certain race. The race that seemed the most bothered by it…. The Dryad, they did not show fear, but rather hate towards the dragons. Even now he can’t make heads or tails of it. They are a recluse and close knit party in the council. To be frank they are too few to have an army, but their skills at tracking and the bow is legendary. The other thing he can’t put together is how they multiply. The whole race is female. A strange and mysterious race to say the least and their leader’s daughter is the strangest of them all.

The Dryads have green skin of varying shades and from their temples grow very thin vines with different colored flowers growing on them. They usually use these vines and braid them with their hair, which only serves to enhance the natural beauty the entire race has. They are taller than most humanoids, the shorter ones mostly reaching two meters in height. The largest one the Snow Elf king has seen, must have been close to four meters!

He has no idea why they joined the council meeting this time, since they always elect to stay out of nearly every meeting and choose only to live in the small forest near the center of the capitol, basically ignoring everything else. They had also refused to take up arms against the group at the tower. He had tried many times to send a spy into the forest, mostly out of curiosity of course; each one was never seen again….

What sets the Dryad leader’s daughter apart is the fact that she has a fox tail. Vines the Snow Elf King can understand, but what he does not is a fox tail. What makes it stranger is the fact that she wears a veil like the snow elf woman and the King is told that her name means “cursed.” What does a fox tail have to do with plants? He sighs and sits back. –Why would they oppose going to meet the dragons so much? What kind of history do they have? No matter the council voted and we will set out first thing in the morning. -I can’t wait to see my son again… I hope my daughter has not been used perhaps I can influence the strange demon boy with her?-

Venon feels a cold shudder run through her. She swallows and raises her hand to knock for what feels like the hundredth time… then she lowers it again. Inside she can hear Slyfer swearing at Aldowin, something about lying to him and a strong hand?

The door suddenly swings open and standing in front of her is the strange girl. Luna only stares at Venon. Vanya released from the strange stair already looks a lot better. Slyfer’s voice flows out from the inside. “Luna who is it?”

Luna turns to him and her face quickly blooms into a smile. “It is a snow lady, Luna thinks she wants to bewitch Alpha again.”

Venon can’t help but blurt out. “No, that’s not true I only came to find out if Lord Slyfer is recovering.”

Luna raises her eyebrow. “Luna thinks you are lying. Why are you turning so blue?”

Aldowin appears much to Venon’s relief. “Luna do not be so mean, she is an ally… for now. He smiles, but the warning in his voice was clear as day. –It’s not like I can blame them for suspecting me.-

She steps in walking past the others. –Slyfer looks sickly, his cheeks are sunken. His skin that was bronze and sun kissed is now white as snow.-

Slyfer shrugs, “don’t look so worried, my body is taking a lot from me in order to regrow this.” Saying the last part he lifts up his arm.

She nearly loses composure at seeing the strange baby hand. He flexes it a few times and for some reason it makes her feel weird. Aldowin interjects with a serious tone. “Yes he needs all the strength he can get to regrow his “strong hand”.

Slyfer gives his master a death stare and says, “Master, if you say that again I am going to use this “strong hand” and shove it up your-” Venon can’t help but start to laugh. The others join in…. all except Vanya who is once again being stared at by Luna.

As if on que Slyfer’s stomach lets out a loud groan. He suddenly looks like he is about to pass out and gets out a word. “Hungry!”

Aldowin calls for serfs and arranges food to be brought up to them. He had told Slyfer about the dragons’ actions. His face had gone from excitement to worry in a matter of seconds. Despite how he is acting now Aldowin knows his student is worried and disappointed in himself. In the end he failed his task and the dragons had to reveal themselves. Aldowin can’t help but share Slyfer’s worries. Alric may just blame him. In the last few months Aldowin feels like he has not given enough guidance to his student. He can’t help but feel that he should have thought of a better way to communicate with Atlantia. He had grown complacent, Slyfer’s power making him too confident in the boy. Making him forget Slyfer is still in dire need of guidance. The biggest mistake was trusting Trisha’s mother. Thinking back over everything, he feels ashamed.

In the field the meeting is clearly over and Serena turns to walk away and find a nice place to laze away. Behind her the High and Dark Elves are scurrying to send messengers everywhere. –It has finally sunk in for these fools.-

She does not have to walk far before she finds a nice and suitable place, however, in her mind a bug is trying to sneak up on her. She lets out a low growl in warning and the bug stops. Instead of leaving though it just stays where it is. –Ugh I am too laz- relaxed to deal with this.-

It starts to creep closer again. Her one eye opens and she looks at the Dark Elf. He has a bright smile on his face with stars in his eyes. The clothes he has on is rough and his build is rather robust, but still filling out. However what sticks out the most is his tail. “What do you want two-leg?”

Pathfinder jumps at hearing her voice. –So beautiful!- He drools for a while before finally replying in a weird crazed manor. “I just want to look at you.”

Serena raises her head and regards the elf. “Why?”

Pathfinder takes another step forward. “I have never seen something as beautiful as you.”

She snorts and looks away, but the pride in her heart can’t help but feel a twinge of happiness. “You are crazy.” No one knows how much time she spends on grooming herself! Nearly three hours a day is spent on this arduous task; that is basically most of the time she spends awake… on most days anyway. It’s not easy keeping such a large body clean. She doubts Alric ever bathes, except maybe in blood.

“Yes I am crazy, crazy and disappointed that in my short life I am only now able to see such an amazing thing.”

Serena stays silent feigning indifference because of her pride as a dragon, but also hoping he will continue because of the same pride. The last time she had been complimented, was when Slyfer had just awoken into what he is now. The rest of the time was spent either sleeping or swearing at the brute as they made their way here.

Pathfinder can’t explain the feelings inside him. It’s a mixture of awe and reverence. To him Serena looks like a precious jewel; each scale even now glistening in the setting sun. –I want to count all of them, maybe even name each one! Let’s see the small little one there, right under-

“Who are you?” her voice interrupts his naming.

“Forgive my rudeness Jewel of the Sky! My name is Pathfinder.” He falls quiet as he continues to think of a name for the scale under the small one he has already named. He realizes she is still looking at him so he continues. “I am a Prince of the Dark Elves and twin brother to Princess Fira.”

Serena smells the air verifying what he said with his scent. The similarity is feint but still there hidden under the smell of iron and coal. “You are a blacksmith?”

Pathfinder nods enthusiastically. “Yes I found my calling after Slyfer defeated me.”

He watches as Serena frowns at the words. –Can dragons even frown, no she must not frown what if a scale gets moved out of place!-

He raises his hands in defense. “We had a fight but he defeated me. It all started like this…”

-Gah, a Dwarf is not meant to ride on some creature!- The Dwarf King can hardly feel his posterior anymore, but he continues on driving the mount forward for all it is worth. Now and then his beard whips up covering his view, luckily it’s a straight path so while he struggles to get it out of his eyes the chances of running into something is very small.

The creature underneath him is giving its all, but without knowing the creature he can’t be sure how long it will last under the pace. He pulls back on the reigns a bit, but the stubborn bastard only speeds up! –How does this thing work!- his mind can’t focus and soon returns to what Alric had showed them. What the humans were doing is simply monstrous. He can’t help respect their ingenuity for some of the things they built. But from what he could understand. The power source for these things came from thousands of slaves. The dwarves had once researched into the area of magic crystals, but they soon hit a dead end and by dead it meant they could not continue without sacrificing some of his people.

Their research led him to believe that one could extract magic from a living being; only the being would die or simply turn into a husk of what it once was. They stopped as soon as they reached that point so they never discovered how, but the possibility was there. Obviously the humans had discovered the same thing. Only they did not have the same misgivings. –The crusade…. Rounding up and outlawing mages. Was it all a ruse just to get fuel for their crystals?-

With these dark thoughts the Dwarf pulls harder on the reigns, hoping it will cause his mount to go even faster!

Creshald looks at her mother with concern. The Dryad leader had been pacing up and down ever since the meeting. Her mother suddenly stops. “We have to leave the council. It is the only way. I will not be associated with those beasts!”

Creshald steps forward placing her hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Why be so upset? Yes they share equal blame for destroying our home during the war, but they did not choose to be attacked?”

Her mother snaps her head around and is about to scream at her daughter, but then stops and sighs. Walking over to her daughter she clicks her tongue and places her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. The girl is young and does not understand what they lost, how many of them died in the dragons’ infernal war. Looking into her daughter’s eyes she feels a sense of pride. Now nearly three meters tall after her short sixteen years of life, her daughter is talented and strong beyond her years. Her only issue is the long foxtail sticking out behind her and of course the voices the girl always cried about at a young age.

The tribe named her Creshald, meaning cursed because of it. Well that and the fact that her purple eyes can charm almost any living creature they look upon, a trait she shares with the race of great beasts her tail resembles. Demon foxes they call them. She can sometimes control the power, but she is still far from mastering it, hence the need for the veil. Her mother strokes over her head of bob, pink hair that has been cut in step.1* Her bangs were left to grow and has never really been cut since she was small. The reason behind it is simple. The long bangs are entwined with thin dark purple vines. Sprouting from these vines are little magenta colored flowers that have purple centers fading to a lighter shade near the tips of flower petals.

Lowering her head she places her forehead against her daughter’s. “I know you have heard the reports of the other two girls that have tails.” Creshald looks away, trying to hide her guilt for easdropping. “I do not blame you for being curious but we must be careful. The dragons never cared for our race. All we wanted was peace and we never joined either side because of this until our home was destroyed forcing us to this place.”

Creshald pulls back and looks at her mother. “Perhaps it is because of this that we have suffered. Mother, please can’t we just go and hear them out?”

Feeling annoyed her mother steps back. “No, we cannot the tribe has decided, we will leave as soon as we can.”

Creshald’s face contorts in desperation. The voices in her head urge her on to convince her mother. “Leave and go where? Our home is here now and there is nowhere else to go. You heard what the Snow Elf King said! The human’s betrayed us, lied and nearly caused the death of the dragons’ champion. Mother the voices are telling me that we must go.”

Her mother’s head snaps up. “The voices?”

Creshald nods.

Her mother’s face tries but fails to hide her anger and worry. “I thought you said the voices stopped?”

Creshald looks down at her hands which are fiddling with the tip of her tail and lightly shakes her head. “There is more.”

Her mother turns around holding her forehead. A habit Creshald has seen far too many times. The Dryad leader does it whenever she is upset and worried. “What else is there Creshald, why were you hiding things from me? I have always looked after you… Why?”

Creshald steps forward hugging her mother from behind. “Please don’t blame yourself. I was just afraid of what you would think of me. I have seen how the others look at me. Their eyes are filled with fear. If they were to know what I can do now…”

Her mother slips out of Creshald’s embrace and turns around. Her eyes questioning. “What, Creshald what can you do?”

For a moment Creshald says nothing and only backs off. “Mother please don’t hate me!”

Before her mother can utter anything, her daughter starts to change. Her body shrinks to the size of an average sized dog. Dark purple fur the same as her tail starts to spread all over and furry ears grow out of her head. Her arms and legs change in strange ways, causing her mother to grimace since in her mind it must cause pain. A pink light flashes and before her is a tiny fox. She would not believe it was her daughter if it was not for the vines still sticking out from her temples with the familiar flowers covering them. She also has thicker vines covered in thorns sprouting from just above her tail. The vines quickly and neatly wrap around it. The most mesmerizing thing is the beautiful jewel set in the fox’s forehead, glowing with a feint light. She looks at it for a moment, but quickly turns her gaze away as the jewel seems to start tugging at her very soul.

Creshald’s mother looks at the change in disbelief. “How… how could this happen!”

The fox pads over and whines. A familiar presence reaches for the Dryad leader’s mind and a voice filled with distress talks to her. “Mother, please don’t hate me. It is still me. The voices say I am not cursed. They say I am one of a few like me that were chosen and sent here. The others with tails may know why we were sent and that is why I wish to go.”

Her mother bends down easily picking up the distressed fox. She had heard tails of the demon fox, seen pictures in old books. Her daughter looks exactly like one. The jewel set in her forehead being the biggest giveaway. The fox’s fur is incredibly soft and lustrous. The fur ranges from dark purple to a soft pink on her belly. “Creshald I would never hate you for this, although I am a bit disappointed that you hid it from me.” Seeing the look in the fox’s eyes the Dryad leader sighs. “I will override the tribe’s decision and we will go to the meeting. I just hope half the tribe does not abandon us because of it.”

To her mother’s utter surprise. Creshalds’s tail starts to wag. Frowning her mother asks. “Why are you so small?” In the books the foxes are large creatures much like the wolves and tigers they have heard reports about.

Creshald’s tail stops wagging and her little nose lifts into the air as she replies haughtily. “The voices said I have to eat meat in order to grow, however, I refuse to do it!”

Her mother smiles nearly abandoning her dignity to start cooing at her adorable fox daughter. For a moment she nearly starts scratching under her chin. Feeling the urge grow she puts her daughter down and looks away while clearing her throat. “Quickly change back, we must prepare for the meeting as soon as possible.”

The Dwarf King swears at the beast he is now pulling behind him and rubs his head. The beast had taken a bite of it for what must be the hundredth time! The thing had thrown him off. He had tried to get back on but the damned creature kept moving when he tried. When he finally did get it to stand still he quickly realized something…. He is too short to jump up! When he had first climbed on it was with the help of High Elves.

Tired, dusty and hurting he swears again at the beast and looks at the tuft of hair in its mouth. The thing seems to have a smug look on its face, but for all he knows it could be his imagination. For a moment he contemplates if he should smash it to pieces with his hammer, but the thought quickly leaves him. The head snaps down and he dodges. “Damn you beast! Try that one more time and I will skin you alive.”The dwarf King decides to try and climb up once more, but suddenly stops when he hears the clop of hooves on the paved road. Raising to his full height of a bit more than one point two meters he quickly tries to regain his air of superiority. The rider, riding like a bat out of hell soon appears. He grumbles in displeasure when he sees it is a Snow Elf. For a moment he thinks about hiding but quickly disregards the idea.

He moves to the center of the road and waits for the rider to get closer. The rider soon spots him as well and when he gets closer brings his mount to a halt. Realizing who it is, he quickly climbs down and bends low. “Master Dwarf, we heard you were captured by the red dragon how is it that you are here?”

The Dwarf is caught off guard for a moment, but soon recovers and ignoring the question he steps forward but the mount behind him takes another snap of his hair. The Snow Elf knowing what is good for him pretends he did not see anything but the Dwarf King could not help but notice the near smile on his face!

Scowling evilly the Dwarf starts talking, even as he hears the chopping of the damned thing behind him, eating his hair. He can only hope he does not have a bald spot now. “They did not capture me, however we do not have time to dally here. I must quickly return and report what I have seen!”

The rider gestures for him to calm down. “be at ease I am a messenger sent to inform our “friends” that the whole council will be coming tomorrow.” The Snow Elf sees the Dwarf freeze and the bit of skin sticking out between his beard and now unkempt hair makes him go pale.

In the dwarves mind he is pounding the Snow Elf to bits. He is not physically doing it since the predicament he is in, is his own fault. He should have known this would happen. All he needed was to just to wait one day! One day and he would not have been burdened by this creature behind him, but his panic at what he had seen drove all the good sense form his head.

The Dwarf King sighs and his shoulders slump in defeat. He grumbles something that the Snow Elf can’t hear. “Master Dwarf I apologize but I did not hear you clearly.”

The dwarf looks up, his eyes shooting daggers at the Elf before he screams. “I said help me mount the damned beast! I will go to the tower with you.”

Chomping sounds can be heard on a certain level of the tower. These sounds had been going on for most of the day. The person causing the sounds looks at his small baby hand that is already a bit bigger. He grunts and takes another bite. The people around him can only look on in amazement as Slyfer finishes another plate of food. Since the first food arrived he had not stopped eating at all! The poor cooks have been going at it for most of the day, but there seems to be no end to his appetite.

Slyfer looks at Luna who is staring at him since Vanya has already left. She suddenly sits further back creating some distance between them. He frowns not understanding her actions. Luna taking it the wrong way stutters. “Alpha, Luna is not fat. Luna’s meat will not be juicy and delicious at all…. Please don’t eat Luna!”

Slyfer stops stuffing his face as it changes to one of confusion. The hunger gnawing at his insides soon forces him to start eating again. Trisha who can no longer look at him eating stands up. “I will go check on the blood pack. The unrest since Ban’s death has still not settled completely.”

The half gnawed bone in Slyfer’s hand drops and he looks at Trisha in disbelief. “Ban is… Ban is dead?”

Realizing what she had done Trisha covers her mouth with her hand a pained expression taking over her features. “I am so sorry Slyfer, I forgot we have not told you yet. We wanted you to get better first.”

Her voice falls on deaf ears. “Ban is dead?”

Slyfer’s eyes snap to Fira who had caught his attention due to her nodding. Slyfer’s face turns into a scowl. Luna backs off and completely climbs off of the bed. Slyfer’s voice is filled with a deathly chill when he asks, “How?”

Trisha takes a deep breath, hating herself for the blunder. She can see the pain in Slyfer’s eyes, but it is quickly being replaced by anger. She swallows and replies. “He died fighting my moth- the shaman who betrayed you. A mage was preparing to attack Grey King and he jumped in the way saving Grey king’s and possibly our lives as well.”

“Your mother….” Slyfer’s voice is stuck in his throat. If he were to utter something now it would come out as a roar.

He closes his eyes and takes a few shallow and then deep breaths. When he opens them again they are the familiar red. “Where is she?”