The Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 1

They rode throughout the morning as the sun rose in the brilliant blue sky, a seriousness hung over their group.

"...And then Merlin and me leapt from the ruined wall, into the hay below, noblely escaping the men chasing us to head to the Perilous Lands and save this one's royal backside." Gwaine smiled broadly and gestured at where Arther sat on his horse infront of him. The king was listening with only half of his ears to the side of the adventure he had not been there for. Mordred, a young steely eyed knight, and the only one of the pack not to have met Merlin was hanging off Gwaine's every word, his eyes wide and glistening, as he regalled him with tales of Merlin and hims heroism.

"Looks like Gwaine's finally found someone to believe his stories" Elyan jokes in an under tone to the king, throeing a look back at the pair before catching Arthur's eye wit his brown one in a smirk they shared. Arthur tried to straighten his mouth but failed.

"At least it's not the one about the barmaid, the wooden spoon and the cockral" Arthur replied. A moment passed before both men snorted into opressed laughter.

"Tell him about the fair maiden Eleanor you valiantly saved....from her fiancé" Elyan called back to Gwaine with a good natured chortled.

Gwaine flustered a little, grin still in place as he steadied his chestnut horse he was astride. Mordred's eyes were like melons, a boyish laugh escaping his young mouth.

"All the legends said she was imprisoned in that tower!" He protested with a squark.

"Or the time you threatened to behead that man at the yule feast!" Leon suggested from the back of the pack. Gwaine groaned.

"What was it you kept calling him?" Elyam asked, face split in a grin.

"Green Giant!" Percival barfled from where he rode next to Leon. The king and the knight burst into peels of laughter, alarming their horses and the young pale skinned knight. Gwaine tried to keep his composure looking straight ahead to try to not catch anyone's eye. A second passed before he broke down and he joined in with the raucous laughter.

"Wait....what's that?" Arthur held up a hand to bring the group to a halt and his dismounted his horse. He draw his sword from its sheat and made his way carefully into the clearing. The body of a beast lay on the ground, with the head of an eagle and the strong furred body of a lion. It had been dead for some time.

"It looks like it's been....mauled. As though it was killed by some other beast" Leon said as he approached behind Arthur, his sword also drawn in auction. Arthur turned his attention to the woods and trees around them but nothing could be seen.

"What could have done this?" Gwaine asked, nudging the animals body with his booted foot.

"Something faster, biggern stronger...something smarter." Percival replied inspecting the deep claw marks in it's hide. Arthur sheathed his sword and turned to his knights. He pulled his face into a mask of resolve, quelching the concerns that flittered through his heart.

"We move out. There's nothing here" he said in a regal tine they all nodded their heads and remounted their horses, riding deeper into the Darkling Woods one more.

As they bassed into the forest the light of the sun seemed to fade, blocked out by the regal crowns of the trees overhead, and the chill of the shadows set in. Their easy chat fell to silence as Arthur inspect the tracks in the muddy under growth of the forest, and the fractured branches and stems of plants showing where a creature or beast had passed. The trail he followed led them deeper and darker into the woods, where the trees had branches like skeletal arms reaching out to clasp at the knights.

Arthur rode throught the woods in the dark, flanked by his knights, walking carefully and warily to not draw attention to themselves in the darkness of the shadows. The trees cast long black shadows in the dim light of the sun that filtered down, and it made their branched stretch out like skeletal claws reaching across the ground. Mordred shivered, a chill running through his spine.

Arthur heard a snap into the in the dim recesses of the wood and he twirled around, hand on his sword in preparation for the foe he may incounter, but the minutes passed, a pause pregnated until the leaves by the foot of his horse rustled and shook. A rabbit pounced from the undergroth, landing before his stead before darting away. Arthur released a shaky laugh and breath.

Out of the darkness before them a cliff loomed, and in it's craggy face, a deep black cave. The knights and Arthur slowed down waiting quietly in the dark as they watched the cave's face. Silently they all dismounted their steads and tied them to trees. With glanes around each other they snuck towards it, light on their feet and silent and churchmice.

Gwaine stood behind Arthur, looking over his shoulder into the murk and the gloom. His lips barely moved as he whispered in the king's ear.

"That's it isn't it?" He asked. Arthur nodded once curtly in response. He held his hand up and gave a silent gesture. The knights spread out, working together like a well oiled machine in response, hands on their sword handles as they went creeping silently and smoothly they slid to the monster's lair.

Arthur held up his hand, pointed to himself, then to the cave. With hesitation the knight all nodded in response. He was going in alone.