•|•|•
"The Land Beyond the sea is the land of men. Men have trained dogs to obey their will, and one day, they will want wolves."
•|•|•
[Kayos]
I had no reason to be as angry as I was at this moment. Perhaps anger was not what it was, if it were I would have taken the sun out of the sky, released my wolf into the wild forest to hunt, or sent a shadow to harvest a soul.
Frustration?
No. That was not this feeling. Could it? That I had hoped, for one thing, to open her up so I could see the secrets Selene had hidden within her. To control her fear.
I had even become a friend... a foreign word to me. A want I had let go of wishing for YEARS ago, now just offered to me so casually.
Instead of clearing that fear, I chose to speak the truth without any true obligation. Just because I did not wish to lie, I told her the truth about the dark nature within me.
Why was I picking what to give? What obligation did I have to tell the truth? A friend, she called me. I had already broken the rules. I was deceiving her, but somehow, I could not bring myself to tell a single lie.
I was darkness itself, lying is my invention.
I rolled my eyes, pausing my pacing for a moment. I must not get carried away. Selene knows of my every weakness. My lack of patience.
Breathing out slowly, I closed and then opened my eyes again.
Despite everything, I had learned something new about the Keffer. She did remember my visit. Even if disguised as a recurrent dream, it was clear Selene had made her not forget that day. She remembered my wolf, she remembered its eyes, the field of night and Day.
My wolf brought darkness with it wherever it went. Covered the sky in darkness, whilst her side remained in light. Had I approached her, she would have been covered in darkness.
My thoughts slipped to the image of her skin, my mouth dry and somehow thirsty, she was already wearing darkness on her like a fine robe.
A scratch-like sound caught my attention and I watched as a shadow detached itself from the wall, crawling quietly on all eight showy legs across the room, pausing in front of me.
"Proceed."
It moved toward me on command, its shadowy finger absorbing within me, sharing its news with me. I could see all it had seen, and hear all that was meant to be heard, my eyes glowing a low amber before it detached, slipping back into the shadows.
I grunted at this, a fire brewing within me, the shadows all ran from the walls converging in the middle of the floor, emerging like a dark cloud.
My eyes flashed amber, gritting my jaw as I walked in, coming out into a bright tent-like room, the sounds of giggles reaching my ears first, followed by two familiar scents.
An open bed came to view and the two naked wolves in it, giggling and, kissing between themselves to my absolute compulsion.
"Is there a reason you seek war Vaeln?"
The two wolves in bed sat up, quite surprised, Vaeln immediately covering his half-naked mate behind him protectively, growling lowly when he spotted me.
"Kayos."
"You dare come across my borders without call and break the treaty? Is this an act of war? Your camp is not many, neither is it guarded."
He growled, his arm still hiding his mate. "For Selene's sake, give us a bit of privacy, how dare you shadow into my private chambers! Keep your eyes off my mate."
"How dare you step onto my territory. Bringing your mate here is your folly. For her Sake, I hope your Arc Wolf is better than the last time we fought."
He growled again lowly, a hideous look in his eyes, turning slightly and whispering lowly to his mate. She nodded as he kissed her forehead, and she moved with a wrapped sheet around her, out of the tent.
Vaeln stared back at me, sighing, before shaking his head. He stood up in all his little glory, grabbing a robe.
"I am not here to declare war Kayos. Kayos, Chaos... perfectly named," he mumbled.
Darkness suddenly engulfed the tent so it was pitch black, my amber eyes the only thing gleaming in the tent as my wolf echoed through.
"Words are minor Vaeln. You are 3 weeks too early for the Council, and you camp by borders in secret. Your actions are very... warlike."
Lightning zapped in the darkness, his arms glowing in light, bolts of light hanging in every corner to light the pitch darkness, his eyes glowing, before growling it all away, turning back to pour himself some wine.
"I was going to send word, I did not want Dane, or Selene forbids, Firdon to hear of it. You might be a pompous asshole, the reincarnation of darkness itself, but I know you are too powerful to want my land."
I watched as he handed me a glass of wine. "Drink, cousin."
When I didn't respond, he scoffed, setting the wine on the table, "there is a war coming, I feel it in my bones. Some rogue packs off my farthest borders to the west bodies were found a couple of weeks ago," he explained, "I would not care if rogues kill themselves, but I have reason to believe this is far deeper."
"Firdon."
He glanced at me, chuckling.
"My thoughts at first, if there was an asshole between the four of us, foolish enough to start a war it would be the Fire Wolf," he mocked, "But they were no markings that fire could leave behind or packs beneath him," he paused.
"These markings were not even Valcanian. They were strange, different. When my scouts reported this, days later, the bodies of the slaughtered rogues could not be found and the forest land was... dying. As I speak, some trees have become wasted bark in a matter of days. This has happened to 3 rogue packs in 5 months,"
I watched as he moved, studying his movements. I had no reason to trust Vaeln. My cousins were as selfish as I was, they cared for no one but themselves. However, if there was an Arc Alpha closest to Selene's light and the first to receive a mate for her favor it was Vaeln, the Light Wolf.
If this was true, then asking for my help could only mean the threat seemed serious.
"Not Valcanian." I repeated, "You believe the threat is from the land of men."
He sunk into a seat. "What do we know of men? Except for the wolf stories our fathers spoke to us. Men are not supposed to have magic, it wastes in their hands and dies. Perhaps these men have conquered our borders and their scents have killed the ancient forests. The scents that linger in the dead forests are foul, unlike any I have ever smelled. Not even the scents of your demon shadows," he spat. "They have tamed wild dogs, perhaps they want wolves too."
"Men are weak and foolish, but they are not stupid," I grunted. "They cannot attack Valcane whilst all four Arc Alphas are in their prime unless all they desire is the end of their existence. I know of the lands of men; they trade at our borders. We have treaties with them, and they do not wander away from the ports."
I downed my wine, placing it on the table.
"This is my first and only warning. Leave my land and return only for the tribunal Council of Courts on my mating, per custom," I turned around, the darkness leaving and forming a dark cloud behind me.
My eyes gleamed amber, "And we are far from wild dogs Vaeln, They can only bite. We wolves destroy and devour."
With that, I stepped through the shadow.
————
"How is the trade at the border?"
"Steady your majesty," Kirion replied, with a short bow. He moved closer to the desk, placing the reports.
My gaze traveled through them, whilst I could feel the middle-aged man, hold his breath as he did every time he brought reports to his king.
Then after, he would look at Master Gregory for his approval.
It was simply because he failed to look at my face directly, and somehow only Master Gregory had correctly mastered my expressions, whether I was angry or I was in approval.
Sometimes he got it wrong though, luckily for Kirion, this was not one of the times.
I could feel him let out a sigh of relief whilst I finished going through the reports.
It was quite annoying at times, that I knew of every fear lingering in the eyes of someone just by looking at them. I paused at a particular report, not because there was something particularly interesting but simply because my mind was far gone.
My little keffer friend was not like that. With her... Shade. I froze as her name repeated in my head. I did not care so much for the feeling that crossed my body. She looked at me like I was human and though she feared things, she was able to treat me like a friend.
I was a friend.
"Y-your majesty? Is anything wrong with the reports?"
My eyes flashed to Gregory, only now hearing the fast heartbeat and the wincing of the wolf of Kirion. I did not look at him, it would only worsen his situation.
Instead, I closed the book, "Everything is all right."
Gregory nodded, his eyes trailing to Kirion,
"Thank you for the reports."
Kirion nodded, bowing lowly before scampering out.
I only looked up when the door closed, gaze lingering on it for a second. "Do you think men would start a war with Valcane?"
"I think men are selfish creatures, but they are not stupid. They are getting all they need from Valcane because of our trade. Your father brokered a deal with the Men Kings in his time and it has served us well. I do not think they would start a war."
I nodded, "My thoughts repeated, but we cannot be too sure. Selfishness sometimes gets in the way of common sense," I turned to Gregory.
"Send word to Vaeln. Tell him I will look at his problem after my investigations."
"As you command, your majesty." He stood up, walking toward the door when he suddenly paused, turning.
My eyebrows arched at his awkward movement, raising an eyebrow.
"Speak."
"If I may your majesty. Any information from the keffer?"
I paused at this, actually surprised he had asked. Gregory was the type to advise and command when asked, nothing more.
Yet somehow, my abomination of my mate had piqued his interest.
"She remembers the day I first saw her. She remembers my wolf. It is a concurrent dream in her mind."
He paused. "Selene bids her to remember. It must be for a reason."
I nodded. "I am sure, but it will take a while if I am to find out what that reason is."
Gregory bowed lowly. "All in due time your majesty."
With that, he took his leave.
•|•|•
Please drop a comment if you're enjoying the story and vote! I'll appreciate it!
•|•|•