"The great sylph walked around the entire city, inspecting the wall. The top structure loomed several feet above his head and consisted of smooth black obsiterite stones, polished it seemed for it shone in the moonlight. No holes, chips, or cracks riddled the glossy surface, not even close to the dirt. Wolf crept closer to inspect this point and dug down a little ways. The structure continued on well below the earth's surface, discouraging any thoughts of tunneling below.
"Wolf stood up and leaped into the air, his strong gray and white wings swiftly lifting him well above the walled-in city. Instantly a thousand guns pointed at his chest—the city guards were standing expectantly in the central watch tower, waiting for the sylph to attempt to dive down into the city.
"'Flying over won't work,' Wolf mused grimly to himself. He was faster than any mere human-gun's bullet, but it would be incredibly difficult to dodge thousands of them and free the slaves and get all the Elder out safely as well. There had to be another way.
"Wolf returned to where he had pitched camp for the night in the woods near to Badar. The sylph ate then stared up at the star-sprinkled sky, pondering whether or not he should attempt to break into fortified city. There were other towns nearby, all of which probably less-guarded than this one. However, something tugged at the great sylph's heart. The slaves here needed a savior. They needed him.
"Decision made, the sylph cocked back his head, cupped his hands around his mouth, sucked in a deep breath, then let loose a powerful, lilting howl. Inside Badar, the slaves all cheered as they heard the iconic sound; Wolf had resolved to free them.
"The following morning, Wolf paced around the entirety of the wall, inspecting every possible inch of it. He roamed around and around and around, hoping to find at least one fault in the structure. As he had noted the day before, flying wasn't a wise option. Climbing then? The walls were much too slick and polished for that. Digging underground might be an option, but Wolf wasn't sure exactly how deep he would have to dig. It would certainly take several days and by then the city guards may catch on to what he was doing. Hoping the entrance may have a weakness, Wolf returned to the main road that led into Badar. Here the gate was just as thick and impenetrable as the walls it was locked into. The doors were as smooth as the walls and bore only a sliver of a crack down the center to mark where the doors would swing inward.
"'Someone will have to come out eventually,' Wolf thought to himself. 'Then I can sneak in and find a clue as to the weakness of these walls.'
"The sylph sat in the shade of a sycamore tree and waited, but no one came in or out. Eventually, just as the sun was beginning to set and the sky set afire with hues of orange and pink, a lone traveler came riding into view on a tired, old horse. Wolf slipped behind a thick oak tree closer to the gates and tensed to dash forward as soon as the doors were opened.
"'Hello!' the traveler called out, pulling on the reins to draw his horse to a stop just outside the gates. The gray-bearded man glanced around uncertainly. 'Is anyone there? I need a place to stay for the night.'
"There was a pause of silence and then a gruff voice on the other side of the doors replied, 'Move on, traveler. Our governor has ordered that no one is allowed to come in or out of Badar.'
"'The traveler frowned. 'How come?'
"'We've been marked by that dratted runaway slave people have been calling Wolf. His howl marked our city last night.'
"'Won't you run out of food and water after a while? I heard that rogue slave never gives up once he's chosen a target.'
"'Nope. We've stockpiled enough food to last us for 30 years, give or take. As for water, a river flows naturally into the city, so that will never be an issue.'
"Wolf frowned as he heard this information.
"The traveler's horse snorted impatiently and then pawed the ground with its fore hoof. The bearded man patted the creature's neck. 'Well, I gotta find somewhere to settle down for the night. Been traveling up to Silverbourne to visit some folks. Know of any place nearby?'
"'If you head directly north of here, you'll run into a small village called Kush. Try there,' the guard inside the city instructed.
"'Thanks.'
"Wolf moved away as the traveler turned his horse to the north. A river. The guard had mentioned a river...
"Sure enough, near the southern part of the wall Wolf found what he was looking for. A decently-sized river about the width of his wingspan flowed out of the Green Forest toward the black wall where it disappeared under. The sylph had passed by this river multiple times while inspecting the wall but hadn't given the flowing water a second though until now. Perhaps the wall wasn't nearly as flawless as he had originally thought.
"A plan beginning to form, the great sylph roamed through the nearest recesses of the forest. Soon he came upon another stream at the base of a slope, this one wider and deeper than the one by the wall. Working under the light of the moon (for it had become night now), Wolf began digging into the sandy shore of the forest river. Using just his bare hands and amazing strength, Wolf sculpted a deep channel into the ground from the wide river, up the slope, through the trees, and all the way to the river by the wall of Badar. With one final, powerful scoop, Wolf broke the mound of earth that stood between the river and channel, causing its waters to change course and flow through the trees and down the slope to join its kin in the forest river.
"Shaking the dirt from his hands, Wolf stepped into the recently deserted channel and walked through the newly-revealed hole in the wall. The sylph stuck to the shadows, stealthily moving from one alley to another. In this manner the great sylph wove his way from slave house to slave house, breaking the locks and freeing the grateful Elder.
"At dawn the guards of Badar discovered the hole in the wall where the river used to be. Frantically they raced around the city, looking for Wolf and the slaves. However, they were too late--all the slaves had safely made it to the other side. Wolf had won again."
***
Hey guys! I hope you like the little story. It was kind of fun to write Wolf into a tall-tale type story. As always, feel free to comment your thoughts and keep writing!
(Next chapter will be posted next Wednesday)
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The Land of Green and Gold Part II: Silence
Fantasy*On hiatus until the rewrite for book 1 "Flight" is finished. Also note that chapters 1-19 are being rewritten and will actually form the final part of book 1* Long ago there were humans and a magical people called Elder. The humans despised the El...
