The Voidbreak Crisis: Part 2; The Rise Of Ak-Dovurak.

11. The Red Wolf

"Easy, or your legs will rip right off," Talon said, standing in front of her, on top of the slab that was crushing her legs.
"You bastard!" She choked, still clawing at the chains.
"Seems these chains don't break easy. So I'll make you a deal. You tell me why you're hunting my people, and I'll kill you quickly," Talon said.
"The God-King wants his children back," she choked, glaring angrily at Talon.
"There is no God-King, traitor," Talon said, pulling the chains again as she screamed and choked.
"The Tyrant will not take us while we still draw breath. Now make your peace, traitor," Talon said, wrapping another length of chain around his wrist.
"You cannot stand against the God-King Zavoye-" the guard's last sentence was cut short as Talon gave the chains one violent pull, and she was pulled back into the boulder behind her, the chains wrapped around it crushing it into halves and severing her head. Talon sent a wave through the chains, loosening them from the rubble as he pulled them back to himself with a flip of his wrist. He stepped down off the slab that her legs were still pinned under and walked over to the last few living Honor Guards. They strained violently against their chains, and it took nearly ten wilderfolk to hold one of them.

"I like these chains," Talon said, taking another length of chains off the guard nearest him.
"They're strong. Unbreakable, it seems. Just like the Horde," he said, squatting down in front of the guards.
"One of you will go back to your Tyrant King, and tell him that the Horde no longer follows his dark will. We will forge our own path. The Horde has a new leader now," Talon said, lifting one of their bloodied heads to look into his eyes.
"I am Talon Maximovich, The Red Wolf. Talon, the Broken Fang. And I will lead the Horde from the claws of the Dragon Tyrant," Talon said, gripping the guard's throat in his hands. He looked in his eyes for a reason not to kill him, but he didn't see regret, or fear, or any doubt of their cause. Instead he saw seething hatred, and a fanatical belief in their Tyrant King. And it infuriated him.

Talon closed his hand around the guard's neck as it exploded in a shower of blood, splattering over the guards that were pinned to the ground near him. The Guards roared in fury and hate, lashing out against their chains as sparks of magic flew from the corners of their eyes. Talon picked up the guard's head and held it high. He took a deep breath and nodded to the Horde behind the guards. The Horde released the chains as Talon threw his head back and howled, his voice so powerful it shook the hills and made their ears bleed. The Horde felt a powerful fire fill their chests, and threw their heads back and howled. The guards felt a deep, primal fear fill their souls, as Talon held the severed head of their comrade above them and roared into the sky. Their legs seemed to move of their own accord, and they fled from the village as fast as they could go. All the while the Wail of Ak-Dovurak echoed in their heads.

Zavoyevatel sat up in his throne as he listened, and as the howl pierced the silence around his castle, he felt his blood run cold. He knew only a select few could use that howl, and he wondered how many of them had learned it.

A few hours later, as he was sitting at his table, reading over the reports his scouts had brought him, and eating dinner. He heard a commotion outside of his Cathedral, and rushed out to see his Honor Guard, or what remained of them, stumbling up to his cathedral steps, exhausted, weak, and covered in blood and dust. Their eyes were wide with terror, and their hearts seemed fit to burst. One of them did, and he fell dead in front of the God-King, his face frozen in terror.
"What happened here?" Zavoyevatel demanded, kneeling down and catching them in his massive hands.
"There was a Red Wolf, father! A terrible, horrifying creature!" One of the guards managed to gasp out.
"He killed thirteen of us, and he said he would lead the Horde in your stead!" He added breathlessly, his heartbeat still erratic.
"Tell me of this Red Wolf," Zavoyevatel commanded, gritting his teeth as flames poured out from between them.
"He is a terror, father," another guard sobbed.
"He is called Talon Maximovich, the Broken Fang. Father, he killed them without a contest. What is he?" She pleaded, tears of terror pouring down her face.
"How tall was he?" Zavoyevatel asked. Surely it wasn't possible, but it sounded like the Horde had somehow given birth to an Alpha.
"He was at least seven feet tall, and must have weighed at least four hundred pounds. He had a long mane, father. It reached down past his shoulders, and his fur was blood red," one of the guards said as their breathing began to slow down.
"So it was possible," Zavoyevatel said softly, looking out far into the hills.
"Rest, my children. You have been through much," Zavoyevatel said softly. But one by one, the Honor Guards died in his hands as their hearts gave out from the extreme stress.
"Rest deeply, my beloved ones," Zavoyevatel said, laying them back on the stone streets.