Erivale: The Lost Princess

Chapter 2: Part 2

It was a frigid, foggy dawn that I awoke to. A layer of frost coated the wolves' fur and the cloak that protected me. The exposed skin of my nose and cheeks were bright red and burning from the frigidity, but it was beautifully peaceful. The morning sun opened its arms to rest upon tops of the trees, making the ice crystals sparkle like daytime stars. For a moment, I didn't care that I was seemingly trapped in Erivale this time around.

That is until Ulric spoke: "Ah, you're up. Let's get moving. There is much to do." The two wolves in front of me moved, and I was immediately colder. Fenrir sat up as well but didn't leave my side, and I found myself leaning into his furry flank as I wrapped the cloak around my chilled frame.

Ulric was already up unwrapping small parcels of food from a leather satchel. The other wolves were roaming around or still sleeping. I noticed one munching on a squirrel that made me queasy. Standing to his full height and moving to tower over me, Ulric handed me a small dense cake wrapped in a type of wax paper sealed with tape. "Eat up. It will take two days at the least to get to Ithica."

I was still groggy from sleep and soundlessly took the food from his large hands before unwrapping it and giving it a sniff. It smelled reasonable enough. With a small bite, I was able to tell that it was a dense bread with a thick grain but sweet like maybe it had been mixed with berries. I had consumed about half of it before Fenrir stuck his nose close to the bread and looked at me with large doe eyes before pulling back.

"You must be hungry, big guy." I held out my small hand with the rest of the cake in front of the giant wolf, who lapped it up with one massive bite. While he chewed, I ran a hand down his fur a few times, melting the rest of the frost. "Thank you for keeping me warm."

"Fenrir is no pet," Ulric's voice said coolly.

"Well, maybe he likes to be fed and cared for once in a while," I snapped back and glared at him. He was standing with his arms crossed, and the satchel was strapped across his chest. He was clearly ready to go.

"He has killed many men much larger than yourself. He is no pet," Ulric repeated.

My eyes went wide as I snatched my hand back, and the wolf got up and trotted towards Ulric without a care in the world. I was immediately torn about the giant wolf and his true nature just as I was with this entire world. This place had felt so familiar to me when I was back in the mortal world as Ulric called it, but I realized just how foreign it is to me. There is a history and a culture here that I don't know.

"It is time to go. We walk until we are off the summit of the mountain." Ulric directed me towards the dense forest, and I stood up. The wolves moved in to flank me once again, reminding me that while Ulric may be feeding me and keeping me warm with his wolves, I was also his prisoner. The reigns of the horse were in his hand, and off we went.

I decided to stay quiet for the first leg of our journey. We passed through the forest and uneven terrain as we made it down the mountainside both in solitude and deep thought. It was still beautiful but treacherous as the rough rocks were slick with frost and ice from the night and early morning, leading me to fall many times. My denim overalls were torn over the knees, and I was bleeding in a few places. The wolves and Ulric slipped like shadows between the trees and over the rocks. Eventually, the ground began to significantly even out, and there was a broad dirt road ahead of us. I was thankful to finally walk on level terrain, but we never did. Ulric liked to stay in the tree line just off to the side of the road where any passersby wouldn't be able to see us. The trees were still too dense to be able to ride the horse as well, so we continued on foot.

I tripped for the hundredth time and couldn't quite catch myself with my hands before I got a face full of dirt. There was a stinging on my forehead, and I reached up to check it as I tried to spit dirt from my mouth. My fingers came back bright red, and I immediately felt tears come to my eyes. It was all just too much, and the cut on my forehead was the last thing I wanted right now.