Prijour, 87th Day of Bruma, it was a cold winter that day, the five of us were traversing the harsh and rocky mountain pass of Zaharroi, after meeting the wise and gentle Dragon that the mountain was named after, we were shown a slightly treacherous yet a much more faster route, the wise Dragon said that it was a goat’s path where if we were to run out of food we could hunt two or three of the goats but… if we took to many, well… let’s just say that he won’t be a gentle dragon for too long.

It took us about half a month to get to the Zaharroi pass and because of that we planned to rest for about half a month in the village of Teorann which was located near the pass. Árón, our clever brave elf, was the one in the lead because not only he is an elf he too was a master tracker which wasn’t really surprising, imagine spending your entire life in the forest and being a hunter too as well. Well after dodging some large furry mountain cats and hunting one of the goats filling our five bellies, we went back on track crossing and enduring the arduous climbs and hikes where… we finally got out of the pass and… were kind of lost.

Because it took us half a day just to cross the Zaharroi pass the sun had already gone down and the mist followed suit, we looked back at the map trying to find where the village could be located the map said that we should be near the village itself but then, “The map’s right” Henry our Leader said as he pointed out at the village where it was previously covered by the mist which conveniently dispersed itself.

We continued our journey walking and sliding down the stony hills where we finally could feel soft dirt in our feet again. As we walk along the road that was leading to the village’s center where from left to right the road was squished by two large fields, the left field were filled with rows and rows of golden bright wheat and the right field were filled with varying number of crops like tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, and melons too.

It was fairly quiet when we arrived at the village center well… except for the village tavern, so… we went there, resting our heavy legs, eating and drinking along with the people around, though they were slightly suspicious towards us because after all, we came to their village at the dead of night.

Luther, our strong paladin, tasked himself to find the village chief while we four waddled around with the bread and ale that had been set in our desk. “Someone is coming…” Árón said as his ear twitched and turned his head sharply towards the direction of the sound he heard.

“Who’s coming? Ohh…. yeah I can see it now…” in a realizing tone, Henry tensed up his muscles with his right hand ready at his sword’s pommel.

So… who was this mysterious person that got the attention of our elf and leader? Well, it is none other than the Lady of this fief, Lady Aurora de Hermontaña. She rode through the night with her small retinue where… After she got down off her horse, her appearance was lightened up by one of the torch poles near the tavern’s wooden gate.

White as the snow, her long beautiful hair was where it was complemented with a fair white skin, a thin elegant lip, a small soft nose, and a green jewel small eye. But it wasn’t only that she too wore a dress befitting of her title, a beautiful elegant rose velvet dress it was.

“Lady Aurora…” the village chief came out from the tavern with Luther where he then bowed towards his Lady.

“Sir Juan… I again would thank you for informing me of the Heroes Party arrival here!” She nodded towards the chief with full of gratitude that came out of her mouth. “As the Lady of this region I welcome you five to our humble place, please come with me to my castle where there is a feast made for your arrival!” As she then turned her head towards us and she invited us to her own house.

“Well… the Lady invited us guys, it would be rude to leave her hanging!” Henry said.

After that brief introduction we parted from the village and was on the road again going to Castle Hermontaña alongside Lady Aurora’s small retinue. When we arrived at Castle Hermontaña we were greeted with an opened gate where inside the courtyard was filled with guards standing still, holding a waving banner of House de Hermontaña, the sigil was a drawing of a mountain where the top was covered with snow.

As we entered the Castle we then again were greeted but this it was a rowdy warm welcome rather than the stoic and cold welcome from the courtyard, there were three bards cheerfully playing their instruments and maids stationed near the Lady Aurora’s chair waiting for orders to be given out by herself.

We then sat down at the chair that was prepared for the five of us, it was more comfortable than the tavern bench one thing for sure. After that the maids went out of the room where less than a minute, they came back again with plates full of delicious food, The smell was very enticing and it locked Anne’s eyes towards the most appealing one, a Roasted Ham gagged with an apple… or maybe it was a pear… I forgot but whatever it was the ham was delicious when we got to dig in.

Filled with delicious food in our bellies and a good Vin Côte wine to compliment it, we were very grateful to our host.

“Wow, this is one of the greatest foods I've ever had… thank you Lady Aurora!” A filled up Árón moved his already tired mouth from eating.

“Hehe…. It is the least I could do to welcome a very important guest!” She replied gleefully.

BANG….

A man covered in sweat, breathing rapidly where it impedes what he was about to say. “Haa….. Ha… Lady… Au… Rora…. The… Village… THE VILLAGE!” He got his breath back and cried in anguish, Lady Aurora then rushed to the man holding his hand with a fully concerned face. “It’s... It’s the Lobos!”

She then recoiled and was smacked with a horrifying realization.

“My lady? What’s wrong?” one of the outside guards rushed towards them.

“Sent… sent the men, SENT THE MEN QUICKLY TOO TEORANN!!” as she stutters for a bit, she regains her voice and cried.

“All of them my lady!?” the guard hesitantly asked.

“YES, ALL OF THEM QUICKLY!!!” she lashed out at him.

The five of us sat awkwardly, didn’t know what to do and just let the situation plays itself out until.

“Heroes! Please help me, Teorann is under attack!” she calls out for the five of us in desperation.

“Under attack?! By whom?” I concernedly asked her.

“The Lobos!” She answered.

“The familiar wolves? Why would they attack?!” Anne said in disbelief.

“I do not know… but… please help my people!” she said in desperation.

“Aye… let’s get going guys!” Henry with resolve, answers the call.

“”YES SIR!”” all of us in unison agree.

We quickly went to the courtyard with swords, bows, and arrows already prepared. We then join Lady Aurora’s full retinue and saddled up to the horses that were vacant and galloped quickly in the dead of night with only the moon’s light as our torch.

“AGHHH….” we heard a screaming man near in front of us, Árón then rushed towards the man where he jumped to the air like a gazelle and loose his arrow from the bow, the arrow head pierced the lobo’s neck and killing him right there in then.

“You guys go on ahead, I’ll be here helping this guy and keep an eye out if there are other lobos!” we heard as it became quieter the further away we were from Árón.

We finally got our sights on the village and we rushed in to rescue the village folk as much as we could, Henry and Luther rushed to the village center where a lot of the lobos were rounding up the people, while me and Anne killed the stray lobos that were terrorizing the other frightened villagers where We took them one by one with all of our arrows landing the mark to their furry thick body.

Luther and Henry charged straight through the lobos in the village center hacking, slicing, and stabbing the lobos to bits where blood splatter all around, showering them in hot wolf’s blood. As the fight continued the lobos started to flee, we didn’t want to fall to any of their trap so… we let them flee and awaited their counterattack but… it didn’t came, their howls were no more and what was left were mangled bloody human and lobo bodies alike.

It was a massacre more than ten people died, fathers, mothers, friends, lovers, children, all of them were massacred. The village chief and some of the well body men bravely stood their ground defending in the village center where if Luther and Henry came a little bit late, they would probably be joining the other fallen villagers.

“How many survived?” Henry’s lips tensed up preparing himself to the gut-wrenching truth.

“Half…” The village chief said in a saddened tone.

“Half…. god fuckin damn it, if only we were faster!!” Stricken in guilt Henry lashes out to himself.

The three of us can only stand quietly in contemplation with our own guilt.

“Sir Juan…” Lady Aurora and Árón finally arrived at the village on horseback. “Tell me… how many?”

“Only half survived…. My lady….” The village Chief relayed the grievous news to Lady Aurora.

Lady Aurora's face crashed into despair after hearing that, she froze and can speak only horrified face was left in her face.

“Lady Aurora… you should go back to the castle and you two should go too, the three of us will help the guards gathering the bodies and tend to wounded folks!” Henry assuringly said that to us.

Me, Anne, and Lady Aurora went back to the castle with only despair left in our minds, crying children, screaming men in pain, were the things that we heard before leaving this massacre.

As the moon falls and the sun rises the five of us tasked ourselves to solve this mystery on why did the Lobos attack the village, revenge was on the plate but the hunters have never encounter the lobos in the woods and the lobos themselves are known to avoid humans, they like to keep things to themselves. The second one on the plate was that they were hungry, it was winter after all but shouldn’t the forest be filled with preys they could devour? Well because of that me and Árón tasked ourselves to investigate the forest in the middle of the day where wildlife activity should be up and if we are lucky, finding the lobos’ cave.

The others like Luther helped the village by helping the soldiers burying their dead friends, families, and lovers in each individual graves, Anne was tending the wounded with the local parish priest, and meanwhile Henry with Lady Aurora were making a letter to her Father, the real lord of this fiefdom Baron Sancho de Hermontaña, requesting food, medicine, and military aid.

While tracking through the forest both of us couldn’t help and feel that something weird has happened to this forest, it’s as if the forest were empty of life, no deers eating the grass, no birds singing in their nest, nothing but silence. We kept investigating trying to find where the animals were from inch to inch in this forest but… none of them were found.

“Árón isn’t it kinda weird how… there are no wildlife here?!” Being weirded out of this situation I asked Árón.

“Yeah...” As Árón’s mouth turned sour, he replied with suspicious tone.

“MOMMY!!” not far from us we suddenly heard a crying girl.

We rushed towards the location of the sound dodging rocks and snapping branches and plants alike on the ground, as we were near Árón’s ear then twitched knowing that danger was near that girl. We then hid behind a large tree where both of us prepared our bow and nocked our arrows, expecting for a foe getting near the girl or an ambush set up by them.

“Mommy…” the girl cried her heart out as she struggled to get a reply from her mother.

We both at that point hadn't seen what the girl and the mother looked like and so… with caution, we peeked slowly at them.

“A Lobo!?” I shockingly murmured.

Yes, that crying little girl and her dead mother were lobos, we hid ourselves again after knowing that and expected an ambush from the other Lobos, we were stunned back then, are the Lobos tricking us? But that blood coming from the girl’s mother seems too real?! My mind was lost in thoughts but Árón… the stoic hunter he is kept calm with a clear mind where he prepared for the worse.

“Well… well, well looky here she died of blood loss! What a weakling!!” a Lobo from out of nowhere appeared in front of the griefing Lobo girl.

““Haha…”” two other Lobos came out of nowhere too and laughed while walking menacingly to the Lobo girl.

“Why did you guys’ attack mommy!?” ridden in grief she took up courage to ask her parent’s murderer.

“Your mother was a traitor girl! Just like her other friends!!” The killer said. “And because you’re a traitor’s daughter, we’re gonna end your life right here and now!!!”

The Lobo leaped towards the girl opening his jaws for a quick clean chop towards her head where at that point I was left with a split second decision, and I took the hard way.

With the already nocked arrow in my bow I pulled the tight string as far as I could where then I let it loose, the arrow, gliding through the air reached its destination towards the Lobo’s left eye where it then, not only pierced his eyes, it went through to the skull killed him instantly. “Cover me” I yelled to Árón where he happily obliged while I ran towards the little Lobo girl carrying her and retreating back to the tall tree, Árón meanwhile let loose two arrows to the other Lobos like the master archer he is, both of them too then joined their killer friend after taking an arrow to the heart.

“Human?!” she then leaped off my hands and took a defensive stance against us.

“It’s okay… we’re here to help!” I reassured her as she then looked back at the surroundings and realized, that her mother was avenged by us.

She then relaxed a bit and went back to her mother grieving, a poor child she was… no youngins like her should have ever lost or even witnessed their parent’s last minutes.

We then buried her mother in front of the large tree and brought the girl under our wing for protection, as we were walking our way back to Castle Hermontaña we suddenly heard rustling leaves and cracking branches around us, I tensed up and prepared my bow and arrow against the retaliatory Lobos but Árón was being weird, his ears did twitched knowing that someone is nearby but he didn’t readied himself and even said “lower your weapon Elizabeth!” with a relaxed tone. I took the arrow away from the string but still kept it near for a sudden combat.

They then showed themselves and a big Lobo leaped in front of us blocking our path. “NANA!” the girl enthusiastically yelled and rushed to the big Lobo.

“Nana?” I murmured confusingly.

“Little one… w-where is your mother?” The Big Lobo with ease in her voice then tensed up again when she asked of the lobo girl’s mother.

“She’s… gone…” the girl sorrowfully said.

“Ohh… then who are these two?” While she grieved in realization, she did came back to reality to ask who we were.

“They’re the one who avenge mommy and they rescued me too from mommy’s killer!” With courage and gratitude she answered.

“Then… I thank you for saving my last blood!” She bowed her head in gratitude. “My name is Gris, one of the four elders of this pack!”

“Nice to meet you, Elder Gris… if my message was received yesterday then we could help you in this sticky situation!” Caught off guard, me and the elder Gris were stunned from Árón’s remark

“Vien!” Elder Gris called. “So, this is the Árón you spoke of?” She asked with a slight grin in her wolf’s mouth.

“Yes Elder Gris!” he assuringly answered.

The Elder then explained the situation that has befallen to the four pack, about two or four decades ago the four pack migrated to Teorann forest where wildlife was bountiful, kids and adult alike didn’t suffered starvation again and they finally could live in peace, but… the villagers came to the forest not to hunt them or kick them out of the forest, but to take the lobo’s food. Deers, rabbits, boars, birds, every form of life from every variation were being hunted down and because the Lobos always steer away from human activity, they were then left with leftovers over leftovers until the wildlife either migrated elsewhere or died off, leaving the four pack with nothing to sustain them.

“So why didn’t you guys migrate south or west or anywhere at all?” I asked.

“Vengeance girl, a lot of our kin died because of hunger and slaughtering the village wasn’t only their objective.” Gris then took a deep breath. “It was to eat all of them!”

With winter arriving at the Lobos’ front door the four packs argued with each other, Gris and her pack did argued that they should just migrate west and settle a new place but the other pack elder argued the opposite. “Took what was taken by those greedy bastards” one of three said and the rest of the pack agreed in unison, Gris knew what that meant and she with her pack turned their back against the other three elder, “TRAITORS!” is what she and her pack last heard from them.

“But in truth it wasn’t because of our sympathy towards the villagers I and my pack turned the cloak” She added. “It was my fear of her reaction.” She sighs gloomily.

“Her?” Árón’s ear twitched slightly in curiosity.

Gris realized what she had said and gritted her teeth in panic, we looked at her with a demanding face where she realized that there is no way to end this incident while keeping secrets. “Aurora…”

While Árón’s and my jaws were dropped, a cry was shouted from Aurora “NO, I AM NOT TELLING YOU WHERE TO SLAUGHTER THEM!!” she realized what she had said and walked quickly avoiding the maids and guards but was out paced by Henry, he then dragged her by the arms to a secluded room.

“Okay… is there something I should know before finding their place?” Henry calmly asked.

“I-I can’t… if they knew, they would massacre them!” She throws another excuse at Henry

“What you’re about to say will not leave this room, I swear that to you as the ‘hero’” Henry reassuringly said.

“I-I was raised by them…”

***

‘Fifty bags of gold tomorrow!’ was what left in her crib that day, Aurora was still a month year’s old that day and her father is still stricken by grief after his wife died at childbirth but with this… only worsen his mind and heart, when the day came where he gathered the money for the ransom of his daughter he didn’t see her in sight, the kidnapper bluffed his way saying that the girl is kept in a nice hidden place. But when her father gave that gold and when he found out they had lost her he went berserk, full of fiery rage some said a smoke came out of his nose but one thing for sure he managed to pursue his daughter’s supposed kidnapers.

“WHERE IS SHE!!” With a face that no man should see in a father’s face he admitted that they lost her in the woods, he then left the kidnappers fate on his men and rushed with his companion searching in the woods through high and low but to no avail, he could only weep and blame himself after that day.

But as we know Lady Aurora is alive and kicking in this story, so… what happened to her? After being ambushed by Gris’ Pack for trespassing her territory, she took on the young infant as her cub where she taught her the ways of the Lobos making her one her own where until her seventh name day. Baron Sancho was out in the woods with some of his companions, competing with each other for the title of who is the best hunter and on that fateful day Gris was doing her daily patrol, usually alone but this time with Aurora because she begged her day and night to join her. When Gris looked at Sancho, she couldn’t believe the strikingly resemblances between him and Aurora especially the green jewel eyes which was the dead giveaway, Gris knew right there and then that she is the missing child she heard about seven years ago so… she lured Sancho to the woods where there in a windy bright part of the forest she introduced her to his lost daughter.

But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows after that day, her father may have been happier and but the fact that she was raised as a Lobo is reminder that her nature was not fully human. So… years and years of what could be said ‘humanification’ did succeed on her, but it resulted in a friction between them where the daughter was forced to bottle up her true self while the father only grew more and more disdain towards that supposed ‘beast’ inside her.

“I know that they raised you for seven years, but they slaughtered half of the village!” Henry told the bitter reality to her face.

“I KNOW!” she yelled back. “And I am as much as confused on why they did it, I’ve helped them in many ways like bringing them food and such for their survival but… I see that wasn’t enough” She wallowed in guilt.

“So tell me where are th-“

BRACK…

Henry suddenly was interrupted as the door beside them crashed open and revealed a guard in distress.

“My Lady Sir Árón and Lady Elizabeth have come back, with… guests….” The guard’s breath shortened and didn’t have the courage to say who it was.

Aurora knew right there and then that it was them, her real family. As she rushed through the castle court followed by a confused Henry she then arrived in the castle courtyard where she saw her family, her pack.

“Hello young Lady Aurora, it is nice to meet you!” Gris said in pure humbleness keeping a nice image of a leader to another, Aurora knew that Gris is still keeping her secret where she then continued with “It is nice to meet you too… Elder Gris…” though she was a little bit hesitant to call her mother by her name.

But before they had the chance to reunite, a flock of people ran in fear towards the castle all of us were surprised and headed to the battlements to see what was going on, it was them, the other three elders with their pack. “They followed us, damn…” Gris blamed herself.

“Come out Gris! We either settle this like Lobos, or… like Teorann!” one of the elders yelled with unsettling threats. Because we didn't have a choice me, Henry, Árón, Lady Aurora, Gris and her pack went outside of the castle and prepared for the worst.

“Duel to the death right here and now!” with no breaks the elder Lobo demanded.

“If I win?” Gris asked.

“I’ll let you and your pack leave unharmed, unscathed!” he promised. “But if you lose, they either join my pack or be put to my own jaws!” he said

“No!” Henry yelled at both of them while walking to the middle of them “There will not be a fight to death here” He continued. “I don’t know which one of you started the attack on Teorann, but all of you need to face justice or be put to the blade” He then pulls his sword and prepares himself for an attack.

Árón as well prepared his bow and arrow and leaped towards the middle, me on the meanwhile took Lady Aurora aside and protected her if a fight was about to break loose.

“Who are you boi!? Get out of the way or face my jaws!” The elder Lobo threatens Henry.

“Come at me then!” Henry stare sharply at the elder Lobo.

Before the fight was about to start Árón's ears twitched where he heard hooves being pounded to the ground, it was Aurora’s father leading his cavalry charging indiscriminately through the Lobos whether it was the three elder’s pack or Gris’ pack. It was utter chaos in that field, horseman being pulled of their saddle and mauled to death by a Lobo and Lobos being pierced by in their body, Henry and Árón were confused and only could attack those who attack them first whether it was a Lobo or man. Then he appeared from the fray, Sancho de Hermontaña, he dismounted himself from his horse and walked towards Gris and the other three Elder, knowing that their kin were ambushed because of this man’s order the four of them instinctively rushed towards Sancho where with ease, Sancho slew the three elder who jumped at them and kicked Gris to the ground.

Aurora seeing her mother got kicked to the ground saw that her own father was about to end the first person she cared for in the world, she rushed towards her dodging and avoiding the horsemen and Lobos in the battlefield where midway she yelled “NOO!!!” with her father swinging his sword with no remorse at Gris. Gris on the other hand accepted her fate and closed her eyes but then…

Crash….

Sancho dropped to the ground, tackled by a Lobo but it wasn’t any ordinary lobo it was her own daughter.

“I WILL NOT LET YOU KILL HER!!” She yelled at her father with the fiery rage he once had seven years ago.

Seeing her own daughter in Lobo form only increased his resolve to end Gris but… when he looked at her eyes, the green jewel eyes that she inherited from him, he knew he can’t take the person his daughter loved the most because deep down he doesn’t want his daughter to feel what he felt seven years ago.

“HALT!” he let out a loud order to his men where they then stopped fighting as well as the remaining Lobos after Gris barked loudly.

After the battle we negotiated on that field where there was only one demand that would bring justice to the people of Teorann and doesn’t hurt Lady Aurora’s feeling, by leaving Sancho’s domain and never set foot again in his land Aurora was reluctant but knew this was the only way, Gris accepted the offer with ease because she already planned to migrate west but with three conditions she added.

Sancho then got cold feet before even hearing the conditions because he was scared that they would take Aurora with them but… he’s concerns were false, the first condition was that he would supply them with a month supply of meat which he surprisingly accepted, the second was to control his hunters. Sancho was surprised when he knew the reason of the other pack’s attack and what has befallen to his domain’s forest, he assured her the past won’t repeat itself by punishing future hunters who got greedy in their game, and the last one was to let Aurora be true to herself. “She is both Lobo and Human Sancho!” Gris reminded him, he was reluctant, but he knew deep inside that his daughter is and will always be unique.

Four days later…

Their supplies have been set and their migration is about to start, Aurora hugged her mother and niece tightly. “Can’t I come with you?” Aurora with teary eyes said.

“No… you belong here child” Gris said in a sad tone “but… if you’re ever lonely, listen to our howls in the night once in a while and don’t forget to howl too!”

“Hehe… the maids will go mental when they hear a wolf in a castle!” she managed to crack a laugh even though her eyes were still full of tears.

“Well… you are a Lobo! Hehehe…” Gris joined her laugh too.

While they continued their heartfelt goodbye, the young Lobo, Aurora’s niece came to me. “I want to thank you again for saving me and my pack…” she shyly said.

“Ohh, your welcome… by the way I haven’t got your name you know!” I playfully asked.

“Ohh yeah… it’s Nieve and don’t forget it Lady Elizabeth!” She happily gave it to me.

“Hehehe… you too!” I gleefully replied.

After that, they leave and migrate to the west, searching for a new place to settle they can call home.

The five of us continued resting and helping the locals with their problems, well… until we got our strength back to continue our journey.

For Sancho and Aurora, well… they have a lot of learning and accepting to do but… all in all I would say they lived happily ever after.