Willow’s Point, Forest of Dain, Kingdom of Dain- Early Autumn 14 years AR

Jon jump as a howl echoed through the village. He immediately recognized it, it was expedition members or allies returning to camp, the jump was because he hadn’t known anyone was gone.

“Who is?” Tira asked cocking her head and angling her ears towards the west. She’d come along quite a bit since leaving the den weeks ago. The most obvious outward change was the fact she was currently wearing clothes. It was only a leather skirt and a breastband but it was an improvement. Her vocabulary was improving quickly and they assumed it was more that she was regaining her previous knowledge as her more rational human mind pushed back the beastmind.

“Honestly? I’m not sure,” Jon walked along the new section of stone wall, mortared with cement. Willow’s Point was being refortified as a more permanent outpost in the Dain. The only of its kind. Jon was outted as the one who procured the process for making cement, his visions were still a secret though. He didn’t complain because it meant not only did he get the credit but the information was considered extremely valuable. Just like with the crossbow, the Elvanni and the Ederathans paid well.

The two walked through the village towards the north gate. The rest of the badgers were either on guard duty or had left, such as the case of Cara, Leofrith, and Jaesmin. The latter hurt but there was little he could do about it. The moment they reunited Tira and Solara nearly went at it. Jaes had to beg the fairy while Jon shielded Tira the best he could and other lycans dragged her back. No one wanted a repeat of the fae attack. The situation was diffused but the fae wouldn’t let Jon anywhere near Jaes after that. He was forced to wave from a distance when she left three weeks ago.

“Oooh, more people!” Tira yelled. Jon stopped rubbing the new tattoo of a stylized wolf head, that was just above his right ear and looked on as a line of soldiers and knights from Dain marched into the gate. With laborers and slaves following behind. In total there were nearly 500 marching in.

“It’s about to get really crowded here,” Jon sighed. Of the original expedition, just under 500 had survived. Of that only 300 stayed in the ruined village while the rest left to call for reinforcements, obtain new supplies, or had simply sustained crippling injuries. This was already the second group of reinforcements, the first was already 300.

“It okay, we share tent if need,” Tira laughed and bumped him with her hip, he bumped her back with a smile.

“If the choice is us sharing a tent or getting lumped into the barracks… we’ll need a bigger bedroll,” the talk about mating had long since passed, even though a few had suggested that he keep his options open. Others told him that Tira was striking in her lycan form and odds were her human form would be just as beautiful. Jon still couldn’t see it though. He was used to the wolven faces but he still couldn’t see them as attractive. He got along with Tira just fine though and would prefer bunking with her over some random Dain soldier. Granted she shared a tent with Willow, so he wasn’t sure where that put her.

“Ah, kid, was bout to send for ya, your equipment’s here,” Finn said as he unloaded one of the pack mules the soldiers had led through the forest. He lifted up a large ax and handed it off to Jon who inspected it. It was a heavy, two-handed bearded ax with a small spike coming from the top and a long, dangerous-looking spike coming from the back. It wasn’t his woodmaul but his father’s ax was lost after the battle.

“Thanks, Finn,” Jon showed his gratitude as Finn patted him on the back. It was part of his payment from the Elvanni, they would outfit him and all his friends with quality gear. It was more expensive than it sounded because Lady Kyanna agreed to sign off on the purchase of enchanted gear for all of them including shapeshifting armor for four of the seven. His new ax only had a basic enchantment that made it more durable. Finn then pulled a pair of one-handed bearded axes to Tira. Both of them watched with amused looks as she inspected every inch of the weapons and slumped her shoulders when she realized she had no way to carry them.

“Thought of that, haha,” Finn pulled out a thick leather belt with leather suspenders, “Figured you wouldn’t want too much, I know you’re not one for covering up.”

Finn helped Tira figure out the belt while Jon pulled out and inspected the rest of his new gear. He tried on his new helmet. It was a steel copy of a lycan knight’s helmet without the brush-like plume. It was nearly a necessity because the helmet would eventually have to be able to change to fit his different shaped skull but also provide an outlet for his ears. Ser Afgheir made the suggestion, better the artisans and enchanters just copy the well-established design than screw it up.

His Cuisse and vambraces were just hardened leather. Steel tassets covered his hips and groin while his new pauldrons were nearly identical to his old ones. That included the gorget, the biggest improvement was in his chainmail. Mainly in the fact, it wasn’t just chainmail. His scale mail armor was a layer of soft, padded cloth under a layer of chainmail, under a layer of hundreds of steel scales. It’d be a pain to clean because it took the place of his chainmail and doublet but it would also be easier to get on and off. Not to mention he wasn’t a fan of the doublet.

He chose the style mainly because it gave the flexibility of chainmail while covering one of its greatest weaknesses, the fact it was literally full of holes. Armies carried specific types of arrowheads and weapons like the falx. The thing was the pointy arrowheads and a curved falx weren’t that different from long fangs and claws. He already had a few rough fixes on his chainmail from monsters breaking the links. The rest was just two enchanted tunics, some enchanted long shorts and underclothes, and a plain pair of leather boots.

“How I look?” Tira asked and presented herself with her arms out and slowly spun. She didn’t look much different than before. All she added was a belt and two dangerous-looking axes. Jon couldn’t help but shoot air out of his nose.

“Great as always Tira,” Finn said while Jon nodded in agreement. The suspenders went up her back with a single thick strap of leather that followed her spine before widening into a triangle below the base of her neck, from there it split. Allowing two slightly thinner straps to run down her front and connect with the gear belt. Even though Jon wasn’t into fur, even he had to admit the way the leather outlined her body only made her figure more apparent. She bared her teeth on one side in a lopsided grin.

“Now you!” she pointed at Jon.

“Yes! Now you! Get your gear together and make sure it fucking fits. We’re leaving for the coast in the morning,” Afgheir barked out as he approached, his eyes lingering on Tira slightly longer than the others, “Willow’s Point is fully manned now. Dain is taking over the perimeter as we speak and is going to be devoting a lot of manpower to construction. His highness has negotiated a decent payout for you, boy. Should be enough coin to get you started up north when this is all over. We meet tonight by the lake before heading out.”

“Yes Ser.”

“Got it.”

“Why you look?”

Afgheir nodded at Jon for his professional response, rolled his eyes at Flinn, and made a point not to look at Tira again. Jon just packed up his new gear and threw it over his shoulder along with another ruck meant for Erin. Tira was kind enough to take Aethred and Andrew’s packs and they headed back to their group of tents. The other four members of his party were already there when they arrived.

“Is that mine?!” Erin asked and reached enthusiastically at her new weapon. She realized how problematic a weapon that was only designed for piercing could be but didn’t want to give up on the spear. Finn, who’d stayed in Baria to get equipment told her he’d find something suitable. What it was was a glaive. It looked like a slightly curved sword that had a threatening hook coming from the inner side of the curve attached to the shaft of a short spear. She could still use it primarily as a piercing weapon but would be able to slash or tear into her opponent as well.

Jon placed the other arms on the ground for the others to claim, he wasn’t sure who had asked for what. Willow claimed a mean-looking spiked mace and a heater shield. Jon couldn’t help but stare at the mace, it looked like a heavy wooden club with slightly fatter half wrapped in steel with a total of 20, two-inch long spikes coming out of it.

Andrew just took a langsaex. He didn’t want a sword but Erin had badgered him into getting something to defend himself at close range. Especially considering the Elvan would be paying for it. He also had armor for the first time. A beige sleeveless gambeson and leather vambraces. He still insisted on wearing the slouch hat though.

Aethred claimed a sabre with a small buckler that could strap to his forearm. He also had a new gambeson and equipment belt to hold his new sword. It was shorter than his old longsword so he could wear it on his hip. His only other piece of gear was something Jon had made in the past weeks, a double crossbow. Like his first one, he’d gone through a few iterations before finally making one that worked. It was obviously heavier than Aethred’s old one but it was surprisingly easy to load and gave him two bolts before reloading to make up for it.

The group attended the meeting, which was similar information to the one they had before entering the Dain in the first place. They were also being joined by a group of huntsmen, Men at Arms, and knights from Dain. The former being the human kingdom's equivalent of Rangers. In total, the new force would number around 400, slightly over if you included the random Dains that were tagging along as adventurers.

The following morning the group got up, packed up their remaining gear, and met up in the fields outside Willow’s Point. Ser Erik got a quick headcount and pointed east. Jon couldn’t help but laugh as one of the nearby men at arms started complaining about the lack of decorum.

“Something fucking funny boy?!” He obviously didn’t like Jon laughing. He wasn’t even laughing at the man, more the deja vu of the situation as there were Stilyran knights that had the same complaint months before when they set out from the crossroads.

“Watch your mouth, Soldier! You’re speaking to a Thane!” Ser Finn lashed out from nearby. The man went slightly pale and mumbled an apology. Jon waved him off. That was what Ser Erik offered in exchange for the process of making cement, clear glass, and distillation. He had given Jon a large tract of land along the northern border of Ederath and a northern title of nobility, the Writ of Nobility confirmed by the crown prince himself. Jon’s undeveloped holdings and new title made him roughly the equivalent of a Baron in Stilyra.

He knew it was probably to ensure Ederath would benefit from any other inventions and he wasn’t sure how he’d handle his lands but he didn’t dare refuse the offer of a future king. Jon just walked on with his greataxe over his shoulder and thought about Erin taking care of the lands as his chamberlain. He let out an amused grunt at the thought of her scheming and smiled when Tira hip bumped him again. A realization hit him and he couldn’t help but wonder, as he bumped Tira back, when did he get so comfortable walking through the Dain?

**********

Jaesmin walked through the market of Everton with Cara. The main group that had left the Dain had taken the western road at the crossroads following Lady Kyanna. Their destination was Duratan, both to bring the wounded Rangers home and to raise a force to find and destroy the werewolves that had been reported to live in the mountains surrounding the Elvanni homeland.

She had just seen off the smaller group that had traveled with them to Everton, that included Leo. They were heading to Novaria to report to the king. It included all the Stilyran knights that had survived the forest and Leofrith, who was included because he was technically a noble at the time that Terra had been attacked. Meaning he was the highest-ranked survivor of the werewolves only foray onto Stilyran soil.

Her group consisted of herself, Cara, Helga, Astrid along with 5 more knights, 3 more squires, and one naked fairy. That last member of their group was the reason for their visit to the market.

“Oooh, how bout this one. It sparkles,” Jaes held up a bright yellow piece of silk to show Solara. They were trying to find light fabric that appealed to the fairy in order to make clothes. The vendor scowled at Jaes for handling the fabric without asking but he didn’t say a word. Word of Everton’s mythical guest had reached the city before Jaes and even left the crossroads. Even as she shopped a team of Elvanni was riding on the road to Saena, warning each town they’d come to of the fairy and encouraged the leaders of each settlement not to impede the group's travel and warn the populace of the danger of angering the fae.

Solara flew down to the fabric and held it in her hand but shook her head. She flew bobbing up and down, looking at the various fabrics, occasionally touching them but nothing seemed to pique her interest.

“Is it too heav-” Cara stopped as Solara turned to stare her down. The fae had accepted Cara’s presence but Cara was still afraid of her. She almost died in the forest fire the fae had started and was only saved by someone the fairy had lumped in with the werewolf that attacked the pixie.

“She’ll find something she likes,” Jaesmin said encouragingly, “Besides, we have time to browse, we won’t be able to leave until the enchanter finishes our equipment.”

“True,” Cara said, watching the fairy inspect some white lace. The frilly fabric would usually be attached to a dress or on the cuff of a man's sleeves but on Solara a small amount of the expensive fabric could be used to create an entire outfit. It just wouldn’t do much for her nudity without something under it, a fact that she seemed to care little about as she lifted the fabric and wrapped it over herself as she inspected the look, after a moment she nodded and pointed at the white lace and a few other colors.

Jaesmin bought each and the group got directions to a seamstress that worked with lace. The woman was surprised by the request but was excited that they’d chosen her to work on the outfits for the fae. She described some ideas while Solara gave her own input via Jaesmin. The fairy would only speak to her and only directly into her ear. Jaes didn’t understand why but had no problem being a part of the discussion. Once the plans were set, which were four open back dresses, one with a layer of silk under for modesty, two short dresses that would leave Solara’s left breast exposed, and a long skirt without a top.

Jaesmin didn’t complain about it, she was just glad that the fairy had stopped climbing up people’s pants to inspect their privates. Solara had actually told Jaes the reason why she wasn’t used to clothing already. The armor on top made it difficult for her to tell if she was looking at a woman or a man with soft features and no facial hair.

“Is it just me or does this feel extremely strange?” Cara asked, looking out the open shutter of the workshop.

“What do you mean?” Jaesmin asked, her hand going for the hilt of her sword at the thought that something felt off.

“We’re in Everton, it’s only been a few months since we were here but…” Cara shrugged.

“Oh, I understand what you mean,” Jaes said after a moment and started laughing, “Last night was amazing! Taking a bath alone in a wooden tub instead of a lake with armed guards keeping watch. Sleeping in a bed!”

“Eating something other than monster meat and wild vegetables!” Cara giggled so hard that she snorted “I nearly cried and thanked the gods when the innkeep served us fresh bread to go with the stew!”

The seamstress looked up from her work and glanced between the two. Jaesmin just smiled at her, “We were a part of the expedition into the Dain. It’s been too long since we had bread.”

“I’d say, I’m not sure if the hardtack counted as bread,” Cara laughed at the thought of the incredibly dry and tough rations that they had at the beginning. It was both a blessing and a curse when they ran out of the barely edible rations, “Not just that though. Barely anyone’s armed, next to no one’s armored, and last night it was hard to sleep. I’ve grown used to sleeping with the noise of others snoring, patrols walking around and people eating or talking at nearly all hours. The silence was even worse.”

“I know,” Jaesmin said looking out the window now too, “It made me paranoid with it being that quiet. It was like being in the village with the basilisks again. Just an eerie stillness, I nearly jumped out of my skin anytime I actually heard a noise.”

“Just don’t be stabbing anyone with that because they spooked you,” Cara chucked and pointed at Jaesmin’s Drakefang dagger.

Jaesmin drew the dagger, which made the seamstress tense. Jaesmin shot her an apologetic look and put it away, “Did you see misses Elaine’s face when I told her what it was made out of. I didn’t dare tell her I was the one that killed the wendigo! She’d probably throttle me or put me over her knee! It was bad enough telling her about Jon killing a drake. I half expected her to pack a bag and head into the forest herself and come back a few weeks later dragging the others behind her by their ears.”

Neither girl had gone into much detail about the battle with Elaine or Diana. They knew one took place but not that Jaesmin had been in the thick of it with the squires or that Cara had been caught in the wildfire. Neither woman even knew that Cara had been bitten yet. Jaesmin wasn’t going to tell them, it was Cara’s business. Without a particularly dangerous situation to spark a flight or fight response on the way back, Cara’s teeth were nearly unchanged. She’d eventually get the telltale sign that she was a lycan eventually but it would be more gradual.

They were however forced to tell the two older women that they’d fought in the battle and had both killed their share of werewolves. It only took Diana noticing that both girls had the right side of their heads shaved for her to discover the wolf head tattoos they each sported. Jaes was the one that decided that it was better to tell the truth. The orphan caretakers recognized it as the same tattoo the knights they were traveling with had. Jaes had told them what it symbolized, that they’d fought and killed werewolves. Luckily neither one had questioned why Cara, a southerner, would suddenly follow a northern tradition.

In the seamstress’ shop, the two continued to joke about their trip into the forest, causing a bit more stress for the seamstress. Who realized that it wasn’t just the fae in her shop that was dangerous. The woman still got the job done with quality work and sent them on their way soon after.

After they left they meandered around the market again and picked out some face paint for Cara. She chose a bright yellow, they both bought a few outfits as well before stopping by the lone enchanting shop in town to pick up their items.

They made their way back to the orphanage and the following day they climbed aboard their old wagon to set out for Saena again. This time they would be going for a far more exciting reason. Prince Erik and Ser Afgheir had both noted Cara’s talent with magic and her contributions to the expedition. As for Jaesmin, the Prince decided to reward her for saving his sister's life from the shadowcat. For those reasons, both girls were slated to enter the Academy under full scholarships from the kingdom of Ederath; with no obligation to serve the legion after. Besides what better place to send a young lycan that shared a bond with a fairy than a magic school.

**********

Two weeks later, Leofrith rose from his knees after King Alfred II left the chamber. He looked over at Ser Edwin and the others. Those that would even look him in the eye returned it with a look of concern or pity. Yet none did anything. The guard behind him took him by the arm and pulled him towards the door while each step the chains around his legs scraped across the stone floor. His arms were likewise shackled in front of him with thick chains that also attached to the collar around his neck.

The king was sympathetic to Leo’s situation and listened intently to the story of how Terra fell. Until an advisor pointed out to his majesty that Leofrith Barling was technically still the Magistrate of Terra until the Count of Everton completed her side of the bargain. This wouldn’t have been an issue except that Leofrith had been acknowledged as a citizen of Ederath by Prince Erik. Leofrith was accused of rebelling against the crown.

The advisor’s logic was that Leofrith’s wolf head tattoo was proof enough that Leo had accepted being a citizen of Ederath, making him a noble that had tried to defect to a different kingdom and made Terra and the land around it technically contested. The king passed his verdict after Leo spent a night in the dungeon. The law dictated that Leofrith be put to death by beheading but the King commuted his sentence to slavery in recognition of his contributions to protect Stilyra’s borders by joining the expedition.

Leofrith didn’t say a single word as he was led out of the ancient palace and to a waiting wagon with a cage on the back, inside was a group of destitute men, chained the same as Leofrith. The wagon bumped down the streets of the capital, leading people to throw rocks and garbage at the condemned criminals. The soldiers marching on either side of the wagon did nothing to stop them and even encouraged them a little.

Leo did his best to ignore the repeated assaults and taunts. He kept his eyes closed and focused on his breathing. He didn’t dare take his lycan form in front of the king, especially after his life was spared but he also didn’t want to live out his life as a slave.

“Are-are we being sent to the legions?” Another prisoner finally spoke up after they’d left the city. Leofrith finally opened his eyes again and sighed when he noticed three different men suddenly shift their gaze from the side of his head.

“Pfft, eventually he might but you lot? No, you lot have very important job to do,” One of the soldiers said, Leo turned and noticed he was also looking at the tattoo on the side of Leofrith’s head, “You lot get to dig our shitters, set up our tents, an' if your lucky you might even get to fight… can earn your freedom that way.”

“Fight?”

“Hadn’t ya heard? Those Ravennan bastards just invaded down south, saying they have the rightful claim to the Salesari pass. Buuuut, you can technically request to serve your sentence with the legion if you wish.”

Leofrith considered the idea but he wasn’t sure yet. He knew for a fact that he could request to join the legion at any time while he was in the bonds of slavery, so long as he was fit to serve. At the same time he knew that in the past, it wasn’t uncommon for a country to capture slaves forced to work or fight for their enemy and offer freedom outright for a year or two of service.

Now that he knew about the war, he understood why the advisor had brought it up, it was the game of politics and he nearly expected to be offered the chance to gain his freedom in exchange for fighting for Stilyra. He may still hold some love for his countryman but King Alfred had just destroyed any love he had for the country itself. To imprison a man for backwards political logic and a false accusation of rebellion! How could he serve a King without honor!

Leofrith unintentionally let out a low growl from deep in his throat as claws started growing from his fingertips. He shook his head and pulled them back in but the other slaves had noticed and were trying to shuffle away from him.

BANG

One of the soldiers slammed his shield into the bars of the cage behind him, “Oi, you got a problem?”

Leofrith turned to look at him, “No, sorry.”

The soldier went wide-eyed and stepped away from the cage. Leofrith ran his tongue across his teeth after realizing what had spooked the guards. He returned to his previous position and closed his eyes to go back to meditating while trying to ignore the shuffling as the others in the cage tried to get as much distance as they could.

He prayed that Jaesmin and his friends were safe and happy, not to any god in particular but his mind drifted northward. He realized it was a folly on his part. Jon was now a noble In the north and would soon have the power to provide for any of their friends if they asked. Knowing Jon he would help any of them if he could. Meanwhile, Jaesmin and Cara were going to the Academy. His little sister was going to live in a big city and study magic with young men and women from across the isles. By now, she would already be there running around the Academy and meeting new people. He could picture her happy and excited. The thought made him smile. Even more sudden movement as he showed his teeth. This time from inside the cage and out.