Their muscles rippled under their skin which was clothed in gray, sleek hair.
Muscles of might and power, muscles of determination and strength. Their joints were strewn together and their bones were like bronze, solid and durable. On their feet, they wore hooves, large hooves that clashed upon the ground like thunder as they ran. Large hooves shook the earth like the second coming of a mighty Being.
Their manes and tails were dark and long, waving in the air as if mimicking the ocean's movements. Splendorous and graceful, lithe and spirituous. Longer hair grew around the ankles of the horses and shrouded their hooves in the tangled, wavy fur like a curtain.
From the nostrils spilled the warmth of their breath. Hefty and loud it sounded with each step they took. The earth groaned beneath its weight, sounding as if it could split in half and swallow the earth's population whole.
Their riders yielded bows, swords, and power. The power of their queen and the power of their wolves beating beneath their skin's surface. Every ounce of who they were thrummed alive within them as they hunted their prey.
As they hunted Kyros.
On a pale horse leading them all was Candie. And it was as if Hades, the god of the dead, followed along behind her, laughing and twirling a large sword in his hand. The word death seemed to be written on her forehead and disgrace was imbedded into her side.
She was given the power to lead the way of destruction.
The ultimate destruction for Kyros.
The queen's soldiers followed her as she raced back to her home in the woods.
The people of the town oozed from their homes and peeked out their windows to watch the charade of soldiers upon horseback riding through their streets of cobblestone. It felt like the ground was shaking and citizens threw themselves out of the way of the horsemen.
Others stood in awe and watched the might displayed by their kingdom. Murmurs of wonder drifted through the air like snowflakes. Snowflakes gently fall from their icy kingdom above and blanket the land in a frozen frost.
Because as the branches of the forest descended over the soldier's heads, so did Kyro's looming secret. The secret of who he was and what he became. His face hadn't been seen since he was just a boy and the kingdom ached and groaned to see the matured face of the murderer.
Candie hoped that Kyros hadn't left the home yet but she was certain he did. She wished she wouldn't have told him to leave so soon, because if she hadn't let her fear control her, Kyros would've been sitting at their house most likely for certain.
But she knew that they would be able to pick up on his scent fairly easily since the place was drenched in it.
The horses barrelled through the branches and weeds, snapping smaller, younger trees in their wake. But as the rocks on the ground increased and the low shrubs and tree branches became denser and seemed to block out intruders, the horses were forced to come to a stop.
They couldn't go any further.
Candie jumped off her horse, her dark cloak fell over her frame and swished against the skin atop her ankles. Her dark hair was windswept and wild and her eyes matched her untamed look.
"It's only a little farther, we're almost there. But the forest only gets thicker and darker from here. I don't believe the horses will be able to make it." She claimed to the soldiers.
"You better not be fooling with us, woman," A scruffy, dark-eyed male spoke from atop his horse, "If this proves to be a waste of time-"
"I can't assure you that Kyros will be there. I can assure you, though, that you will be able to pick up his strong scent and evidence of who he is and of the deeds he's done." Candie said confidently.
And she knew. She knew now that it was only a matter of time before Kyros would be in the Kingdom's clutches.
Perhaps it was not a matter of if, but when. And it had always been that way for Kyros.
"Very well then. Dismount from your horses, men, for soon we will catch the monster! No longer will he be able to hide in the shadows, for the shadows no longer belong to him." The soldier announced to the others who quickly dismounted from their horses and prepared themselves for a possible deadly battle with Kyros.
More than half of the horsemen left their animals with the others and went on alone. Candie was among those on foot and led the men to her home crafted from the very trees which loomed over their heads.
Their branches creaked and swayed slowly, like a predator rocking its tail back and forth in anticipation of the hunt.
The soldiers brought with them heavy silver chains, swords, crossbows, knives, and any other weapon they could use to prepare themselves. They knew Kyros was powerful, too powerful and the threat of death was alive within them.
If Kyros could nearly wipe out an entire pack, then he could do the same to an army of men sent out to arrest and detain him.
But these soldiers carried with them powerful arrows lathered and soaked in a specialized paralyzing poison. It was strong, strong enough to be lethal if administered in a large dose. It took many years to create and perfect, but it was made in preparation for this very reason.
The leaves below their feet crunched loudly as the mass approached the home. Candie was the one to open the front door of the cabin, calling out Kyros' name.
"Kyros," She said, not setting a foot inside, she wanted to lure him out of the home so the soldiers would have a clean shot, "Are you there? Please talk to me, I'm sorry for what I've done and I've changed my mind. I don't want you to leave."
She was fearful. She was fearful because she had hoped Kyros wouldn't have left yet, but he had. The soldiers moved in behind her closely, the designated man held the crossbow in his steady hands.
It shook ever so slightly.
But Kyros did not come out. He was already long gone.
But once his scent was identified by the professional trackers, he wouldn't be gone for long. Because as the soldiers moved in and oozed into the house, they were enveloped by his scent.
As they entered the home, they could see the blood droplets which stained the ground. Dark crusts of scarlet were scattered near the wall by the front door, and Candie froze in her place.
She feigned fear and let her body shake as the pointed to the spot which contained her blood. "This is what he did to me, just two days ago. I was so scared, so, so scared." She whispered, letting her eyes tear up as she emotionally pleaded with the soldiers.
One put his gloved hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "We will find him and then you will be at peace. We all will be at peace."
Candie looked down and nodded her head as her voice broke. "Thank you, thank you."
The soldier could only do the same before calling out to his men to search the house. At once they scattered, their heavy boots stomped up the stairs and thumped around on the floors above.
"Take whatever you like. Whatever you need to track his scent - his clothes, his belongings, his shoes. Whatever you need." Candie told the men around her as they searched the home for any evidence or information about Kyros' deeds.
Meanwhile, she was questioned. She was questioned about Kyro's behavior, his abusive tendencies, and his personality.
And she could only spin lies that were woven together by the darkness of her heart. She claimed he was an obsessive being, a sadistic creature who restricted her from leaving her home. "H-he used to beat me so hard that I would lose consciousness. Everywhere in this house, my blood can be found."
And that was her first mistake.
A mistake that would be easily looked over....at first.
But she kept on talking.
"He would attack me so savagely and provided no attention to my wounds. When I would awake, I would be in the very spot in which he left me - on the cold, hard ground covered in bruises and blood." She spoke, looking down as her lip wobbled, "He would burn me with silver. Too long I screamed then, I screamed until my throat bled raw. My body is ugly and scarred beyond repair."
She sniffled as the soldier looked over her features. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes downcast. She looked to be every bit of the broken wolf she claimed to be and pity swelled within him.
"I'm s-sorry, this is just hard for me to talk about." Her voice cracked and she let her tears run free.
"Shush now, it's okay. Take however long you need." The soldier told her gently. He took his helmet off and swept back his blond hair in angst.
"Thank you." She wiped her face clean of tears and hugged herself in an attempt to make herself look even smaller. "H-he used to....he would...h-he..."
The soldier looked at her sympathetically and had an idea of what she was about to say next. But he stood there awkwardly, not quite sure how to comfort someone.
Sniffling, she continued. "He w-would rape me. He would do so several times a day so brutally and so rough that I would bleed. At first, I thought it was for his o-own pleasure but then I learned it was p-purely for domination r-reasons."
She started crying harder and refused to look up. "I'm just so ashamed." She wailed.
The soldier's face fell completely and he patted her back, gently squeezing in reassurance. "You're so brave. You're so brave that you told me this and you're so brave for coming forwards. The whole kingdom will be proud of you and you will never have anything to fear again, I promise."
Candie could only cover her mouth and nod in understanding at his words. She was almost done being questioned, though, when the leader of the soldiers came from out of the kitchen.
"Did you find anything you could use?" Candie asked him, wiping away the remnants of her emotions.
He looked up, his dark eyes piercing hers. In his hand was a crumpled note with sloppy, messy ink writing written on it.
He smiled confidently. "I think we have an idea of his whereabouts with this note." He said as he read it to himself. It was something the queen would need to see.
They would focus on such things when Kyros was in their clutches. "We will report our findings to the queen immediately. Lokia, bring the clothing forth so that the trackers will have something to go off of." The soldier in charge commanded.
And taking what they needed, they began their trek back through the woods and to the castle, where they would report their findings.
* * *
The queen paced the floors of her throne room. Poised yet sturdy. Nervous yet composed. Calm yet stormy. Stormy on the inside, like she was lost at sea and clutching the debris of the wreckage of her ship, of her life. Heavy the storm raged down upon her like the emotions that took her by the hand and dragged her down. Down into the deep, dark vast world of the untouched ocean depths.
Where it was dark and cold, suffocating and lifeless.
Because she knew.
She knew the moment the guards returned with their findings. A fresh scent they claimed as Kyro's and could track down the man after ten long, hard years for herself and her kingdom.
Justice was coming.
And when she turned around yet again to see her troops presenting before her, she blocked out all thoughts when Bastillion, the leader of his soldiers, knelt before her.
He clutched a note in his shaking fist. "My queen, I have yet one more finding." He told her.
She approached him and reached her hand out to grasp the wrinkled, faded, and messy paper. It was homemade, that's what she could tell and she slowly unwrapped it.
She read Kyro's note with a thudding beat in her heart.
How peculiar. She thought after she read it and couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes from the writing. The scent emanating from the paper alone intrigued the queen.
And her soul sought more.