Sora and I walked out of the blacksmith's store with my new sword, now attached to my belt on my left side. I also carried a bag full of oils, some rags and other items to clean my new sword. We walked down the road, and she glanced over to me. “Shall we find an open space for you to practice with your new sword, Joey?” Sora’s voice trailed off as she turned her head to the side.

“I do need to figure out how it feels to use.” I murmured as I rested a hand on the hilt. I looked over to her to see that she had stopped walking, staring off into the distance. Her lips had curved downwards into a scowl, eyes flitting back and forth as if searching for something. “What is it?”

“There’s…something nearby.” Her scowl deepened. “Penny had made sure that there would be no monsters on our route if only to keep too many knights from being near us.”

“What does that mean for us if what you’re thinking is true?”

Sora sneered in the direction of the forest as she turned to face it fully. “We’ll have to resolve this ourselves before others bring unneeded attention to it.”

“Let me drop off my new things first, just in case it breaks out into a fight.” Sora turned a hard stare in my direction, her lips curling in frustration. She locked eyes with me, but I met her gaze without hesitation. We stayed like this for a few seconds, before she huffed and looked away. “I’m willing to help, considering you’re doing this for me, but I’m not going to complicate it.”

Sora didn’t reply, turning an empty gaze towards me, her expression no more evident than a mannequin’s. Amber eyes glowed faintly. After a few seconds of silence, she closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose, before exhaling audibly. “I apologize,” Sora said. “Disloyalty is…anathema to me.” She turned and bared her teeth in a facsimile of a smile at me. “Hope I do not meet Knight Wirth before you, my King, else you may lose the chance to get answers.”

A complicated feeling surged through me. How would I react when I saw Luke? Uncontrollable fury? Inconsolable sadness? Listless ambivalence? I don’t know. I suppose that this is one of those things where you won’t know until the moment in question arrives.

“Do what you feel you feel you must. I’m going to drop these off and come back to join you when you go into the forest.” She nodded to me and turned her attention to the woods across from us, eyes wide and hungry as I walked away.

It didn’t take me long to go back and forth from the inn and return to Sora, to which she led the trek into the forest. We broke through the tree line and stepped into the forestry with a purpose. The woods weren’t as thick Nyrill, but the density of the trees was just a bit beyond my shoulder-width. Sora walked with a purpose, her expression severe as she led us down a path that only she could understand.

As we walked through the all-encompassing nature, though, a strange smell tickled my nose. I came to a stop as I tried to parse through the various scents that proceeded to assault my senses. I grimaced as I couldn’t place any of them with my new knowledge. Sora was getting ahead of me, so I quickly picked up the pace to catch up to her. As I did, though, I couldn’t help but take note of the faintly metallic and sweet scent that flitted through the air.

Sora suddenly stopped, her frown deepening. “I smell blood.” She stated, her tone lacking emotion.

I furrowed my brow as I inhaled through my nose, grimacing at the faint sweet scent. “I think I do too.” I murmured just loud enough for her to hear.

Sora flickered a gaze over to me, eyes widening with surprise before she focused forward. “We’ll talk about that later. Let’s move forward.” She opened her hand, and purple-yellow energy began to coalesce in her palm. “Be ready with your sword.” We reached what looked like a natural opening in the ground, an underground cave entrance that went into the darkness.

Drawing my new sword, I held it with the blade pointing downwards and followed after Sora while peering into the darkness. As we stepped down the natural incline, I couldn’t help but see a faint light in the distance. The flickering flame reminded me of a torch. I could see in the dark and had an enhanced sense of smell. Soralynn and I need to talk about my new capabilities and soon. I’d prefer not to get surprised in the future.

The crunch of the compact earth under our feet was the sound we gave off as we ventured further into the cave, the smell of blood becoming more pronounced. Craggy, cramped walls encompassed us, forcing me to bend forward to keep my head from scraping the uneven ceiling. It felt like we traversed a half naturally formed as well as an artificial cave. The jagged walls and ceiling jutted out and folded inward, while wooden beams seemed to be erected to give some form of a neat appearance. Broken, decaying humanmade lanterns hung uselessly from the poles, swaying in the stagnant air.

“This is an old mine,” Sora explained, her voice an almost inaudible murmur. “It used to be maintained by a now-defunct mercantile organization, the guild’s predecessor, to mine rare ores from the earth.”

“What happened to it?” My voice came out low enough for me to have a hard time hearing it.

“Typical human greed and hubris.” Scorn and disgust colored her gentle tone, Sora’s expression unchanged from its stone-like mien. “The chief officers of the former guild tried to cheat their sponsors and keep a majority of the profits for themselves. However, the then King of Veritas was a man who valued integrity above all else. Once he learned of the attempted deceit, he had the guild disbanded; then men who perpetrated the deception hung and the wronged party aid in recreating a ‘more respectable guild.’” Sora rolled her eyes, contempt present in her curled lip.

“Is this the only mine?” I asked as we continued down the path.

“There are many other mines scattered among the lands of Veritas, Kohinoor, and Melia. Some have collapsed, while we repurposed others for various uses.” She explained as we slipped under a fallen beam and beneath some fallen rock, where a portion of the cave had collapsed. “My people have managed to hide most of them away by stealing old maps of a landmass so that we could use them ourselves.” Sora paused, then nodded. “Once we reached a more secure location, I’ll show you where they are on a map.”

Before I could reply to her, I knew that we had arrived at our destination, not by sight, but by smell. When Sora and I came to a stop, we stood in an open area, but with a low-hanging ceiling. An ambient, faint brown light illuminated the darkness of the cave, bringing attention to framed, scraggly walls, the rusted cart tracks and the rotting, wooden beams that seemed to creak almost musically in the background. Piles of stone peppered the ground as pronounced cobwebs rested in the corner of the small cavern.

I now knew what I smelled if the sight that greeted me was any indication. Several feet in front of Sora and me laid several broken and bloody bodies of men clad in torn and rent armor or leather and steel. They were dismembered and disemboweled recently if the still pooling blood around them was any indication. Their weapons were sundered and scattered all around them. It was recent, but not too recent considering that they were dead, no longer suffering what fate laid before them.

“There you are.” Sora paid the corpses no mind, walking towards what was on the other side of the sea of bodies. It appeared to be a black clump of fur that gradually expanded and shrunk as if breathing. Blood matted it and poured from it. Broken pieces of swords and daggers stuck out from its sides and back, liquid life dripping freely from every open wound. Arrows peppered its flank, and I turned towards where I assumed the bolts were shot from to see a boulder the size of my torso embedded in the cave wall…through the upper body of a man with a bow resting next to his open hand.

Sora walked around to the side of the clump and looked down, her expression softening. Her lips parted, and eyes widened before she let out a breathy sigh. “So that’s how they pulled you here…” Sora’s voice was gentle, but mourning.

A huff escaped the body in front of her. I furrowed my brow at her. “Sora…”

She turned her head to me, grief in her expression. “Come. I wish to show you something.” She beckoned me over, her hand held up and palm out, fingers curling to call me over. I kept my sword out as I walked over to her, eyes staying on the beast in front of me. My footsteps echoed faintly in the deathly quiet cavern as I made my approach. As I came closer, I could the faint inhale and exhale of the creature in front of me, the labored breathing of someone trying to stay awake. Or alive, if what I’m seeing is evident.

When I came to a stop, I felt a pair of dark yellow eyes stared up at me, defiance and exhaustion greeting me. Cataracts peppered the eyes, leaving the gaze vacant and tired, but no less intense.

“The Amarok is a proud creature.” Sora started as she crouched down, running her head down the wolf’s head. The eyes never left me though, as if testing me, evaluating me. “They are a rare breed of wolf, almost born to thrive in solitude, so much, unlike its unblessed kin. They hunt and track and kill with almost frightening ease. Because of this, they live lives of isolation, keeping away from the populace of all races.” Sora pursed her lips, eyes flickering to the bodies as anger colored her gaze. “However, they are still living beings that wish for companionship, for someone with whom to share the love they hold within themselves.”

The Amarok huffed lethargically at her words, turning her blinded gaze to Sora with an exasperated intelligence.

A smile grew on Sora’s face as she looked at the ailing beast. “Do not deny it.” She teased the Amarok.

The realization filled me. I looked to the living breathing myth in front of me, then to the bodies that littered the earth around her. “A mother…” I murmured under my breath, noticing the Amarok’s ear twitch at my words. “You’re a mother.” My words caused her to turn unseeing eyes back to me. “These men…to even have the chance to harm you, they needed leverage…” Anger flared within, a burning fury that burst to life for a second, before dying down to a faint ember. “Is your pup unharmed?” My voice came out strained, but hopeful.

The Amarok did not answer me, only studying me with unseeing eyes.

“The pup lives, my King,” Sora answered with a soft smile. “Else the cave would’ve collapsed from the grief-stricken rage she’d have experienced.”

A huff escaped the Amarok before she turned her head to face a spot in the cavern further inside. I turned towards that direction and managed to catch sight of something else in the distance. A smaller clump of fur, reminiscent of a young puppy curled into a ball. “Sora, stay with her.”

My guide gave me a confused look. “Joey?” As I began to walk by her, her eyes widened. Before she could say anything, the Amarok in front of her shuddered and growled, as if trying to rise to her feet. “What are you doing?!” The Amarok failed to rise but did manage to slam her paw on the ground in front of me. The cavern shook, causing debris to fall from the low ceiling above us. It peppered my head and shoulders, forcing me to stop as the clawed paw rested on the earth in my path.

I turned my head to face the Amarok, meeting her enraged snarl with an impassive. The earth shook from the force of her rumbling growl, not unlike an in-progress rockslide. The sheer amount of animalistic fury presented to me should’ve shaken me to the core, struck me silent and dumb with fear and desperation to get away as fast as I could.

But I did not feel fear.

I did not feel trepidation.

I did not feel hesitation.

No.

I felt at ease.

This animalistic drive to show dominance, to exert a force of control and prove that I was the one who was in the right. That was what I felt. I met the Amarok’s gaze without hesitation. I locked eyes with a wild animal that size of an SUV and did not buckle beneath the weight of her rage.

Compared to Jeanne, she was no more than a crippled pup with a head bigger than her sense.

“You’re going to die,” I stated. “You’re going to die and leave your child behind.” I held nothing back, watching serenely as the Amarok continued to try and rise, even as Sora watched her with a masked expression. “You have a choice. You can either let Sora and me take your pup so that they have a chance to live, or we can leave and let it fend for itself and die as humans with fear for monsters kill or enslave it.” I spoke bluntly, not caring how callous I sounded.

The Amarok rose shakily to her feet, managing to hold her balance and meet my eyes with a mien of unrestrained fury. She took an uncertain step forward, as if it were the first step in life, faltered as a reluctant whine escaped from her. Displaying bloody fangs, she gave off a rumbly growl that shook the cavern notably.

I did not care, turning to face her, holding my sword to the side fully. “If you’re going to attack, then do it,” I answered her fury with an uncaring tone, feeling my heart beginning to pound and my excitement to rise. The danger, the impending conflict caused the corner of my lips to twitch upwards. “Just know that it won’t end like your earlier slaughter.” I allowed a smile to appear on my face, baring my teeth in an excited grin. “I’m a much bigger danger compared to some meager bandits.” My voice fell into a challenging growl, even as I heard a faint breathy gasp from Sora.

The Amarok continued to growl, stalking forwards with ginger steps that still caused her pain. The ground shook with every step as I waited for her to approach. It didn’t take long until she was snout to nose with me, her teeth bared furiously. We both stayed still, eyes locked as we waited for each other to act first.

Silence dominated the cavern as she stopped growling, but her glare did not abate.

All of a sudden, high pitched growls and barks broke into our stand-off. As one, we looked down to the source. The Amarok pup looked like a mix of Siberian Husky, German Shepherd and some genus of a wolf. It was predominately black with a streak of white that trailed along the length of its tail. Hackles raised, the Amarok pup bared its teeth in an adorable declaration of puppy fury, faded yellow eyes flaring with defiance.

With our mutual stare down interrupted, we looked down at the pup as it demonstrated its aggressively adorable ferocity to me. As we watched the puppy, the elder Amarok collapsed to the ground, a pained expression in her unseeing eyes. The dog jumped at its mother’s actions, before bounding over to her and whining as it licked and prodded her frantically. The mother turned her gaze towards her pup, affection warring with grief.

Out of respect to their interactions, I turned away from them to see that Sora had approached me. She regarded with a perplexed expression. “Why did you try to approach the pup?”

“The mother’s going to die,” I explained under my breath, knowing that Sora could hear me. “Neither of us can heal, so the only thing we can do is ensure that the child can have a future.” Giving her a questioning look, I saw that she shook her head at my initial statement. “If my assumption is right, then there’s one of two things we can do.”

Sora offered me an approximation of a smile and a pout. “Which are?”

“Am I right in assuming that you have agents you can contact?” She nodded to my question. “Then we could have you call one of them to meet us, and we can leave the pup with them and have it sent to Terras. Penemue could look after it or set something up for it.”

My guide hummed, an unsure sound as she waved her hand. “There’d be no issue among my agents, but Penny is phenomenally busy. Set something up? Yes. Penny’s fantastic at bureaucracy. But look after her?” Sora shook her head. “It’d be too time-consuming for your Regent.”

I felt my brows rise. “The pup’s a girl?” She gave me a playful smile and rolled her eyes. I huffed and shook my head. “The second…we look after the pup.” That caused Sora to give me an intense stare as if searching for my intentions. I felt a tingle of frustration at her lack of an answer but pushed it aside. “If the Amarok can do this to a group of full-grown men while protecting her young? Then I wouldn’t want to see one rampaging across Veritas and making things difficult for us. I’d rather have her with us so that we could both protect and care for her.”

“She would bring attention onto us,” Sora explained slowly, eyes narrowing. “People would find a pair of people traveling with a wolf odd, let alone an Amarok.”

“She’s a pup. Small and unassuming.”

“They thrive naturally.” She refused my point. “Amarok have to; out of genetic necessity. She’d be unable to enter towns and villages with us.” Sora shook her head, crossing her arms. “It’ll take a few months for us to reach Terras and that’s not counting the time needed to reach each General.”

I frowned at her, knowing full well that her she was speaking truthfully. “How likely are people to believe we tamed her.”

“It’s unheard of for that to happen.” Sora frowned as well, meeting my gaze. “The average person would recognize something didn’t belong.”

I closed my eyes. Is it worth taking the pup with us? Or rather, can we bring the dog with us? I don’t think the mother would let that happen. Still, could the pup survive on her own so close to a human settlement? I’m not sure. At the same time, why do I want her to come with me so badly? Is it the idea of fighting alongside a mythological creature tickling my nerdy fantasy? Or am I secretly a humanitarian?

Ha! Fat chance of that.

Hm. Still, what shou-

My train of thought was interrupted by a tug at my leg. I opened my eyes and turned my attention downwards to see that the pup had latched onto the leather of my shinguard and pulled. Seeing that I was looking at her, she let go and growled at me before trotting back to her ailing mother. She was staring intently at me, her sightless eyes boring holes through me as she exhaled through her nose. I turned to face her fully and sheathed my sword, approaching the pair of Amarok.

“What do you need?” I asked her as she turned her head to the pup. She grunted as she pushed her head against her child. The wolf whined, leaning against her mother. The mother growled and added more strength to her push, sending the wolf stumbling away. She whimpered again and was about to walk back over to her mother, but the elder Amarok bared her fangs and growled at her. The pup huffed and proceeded to sulk as she walked over to me, turning her dull yellow eyes towards me.

I crouched down and looked to the pup. “I guess you’re coming with us, huh?”

“Joey, we can’t-”

“We’ll deal with whatever comes our way.” I declared to Sora. “We’ve been entrusted with an important task, one that I will follow through with, regardless of any difficulties.” I reached towards the pup, though she began to growl at me, though she did not move. Smirking playfully at her stubborn attitude, I swept her off of her paws and stood with my hands under her two front legs. Arms bent, I hefted her almost weightless fluff and studied her. “We’re going on a dangerous journey. One where even I’m not sure that I’ll survive.” That caused the pup to give me a strangely savvy look, faded yellow glimmering in the faint light of the cavern. “But I’m not planning on giving up. I want to be free, so this is my path. This is what I have to ask of you, little Amarok. Will you follow me, pup?”

Faded yellow locked with my blood red. The pup grumbled as she seemingly took in my words. After a few seconds of nothing, she opened her mouth and yawned as she kicked her feet futilely. I let out a laugh at her reaction. “I’ll take that as a yes. Now, though, you need a name…” I paused as I considered a few ideas. Then I allowed a smile to grow on my face. “Marishka. Suitably feminine, but still a strong name.”

The newly named Marishka blinked and whined as she closed her eyes. She shook and moaned in discomfort for a few seconds before she fell limp in my hands. Her eyes opened as she gave me a tired glare, showing me a pair of eyes that were as red as a pair I’ve seen in the mirror. She let out a groan, shifting around in my hands uncomfortably. A soft chuckle escaped me as I crouched down, letting her gather her feet under her and back on the earth. Marishka huffed at me as she turned and went back to her mother.

The elder Amarok studied her pup, then rubbed her head affectionately against Marishka’s body. She purred softly to her daughter before she pulled her head away. The two of them stared at one another, before she suddenly jutted her chin towards, but kept her empty gaze on her child. Marishka groaned audibly, gave her mother a lick on the side of her face one last time before she turned and walked over to me.

I gazed at the mother one last time, who regarded me slowly. “Rest well. She’ll grow strong. I swear to you.” The mother crooned one more time, before her eyes closed lethargically, never to open again.

Sora and I waited for Marishka to finish expressing her grief, howling into the empty cavern.