Princeps

The wolf was still standing vigil when Atef opened his eyes. Its head twisted to the side inspecting him, looking for the same unmistakable sign of Atef’s aura that it spotted last night in his eyes and felt in his scent.

- Why ya still ‘ere?!

A brief growl from the depth of its chest sounded like a “sorry” for last night. Those green eyes encircled with red observed him almost sympathetically, as if the wolf understood the predicament humans would be in when sleeping in the woods. Something was spiking Atef’s lower back but he only noticed it now, wide awake and numb. His legs felt dead from the damp and the cold and his head pounded as a revenge for all the fear it processed last night. The wolf yawned and licked its snout, then stretched signaling to Atef that it would be best for him to do the same.

Slowly, Atef got up feeling briefly weak in his knees. He observed his surroundings. He couldn’t spot Baor through the canopy to know how late or early it is. After that initial reflex that surprised him given that he hasn’t spent much time above ground, he let himself get overwhelmed by the forest itself. It was divine, forcing out a wide smile from the little pit rat. A dense work of art, chiseled over untold ages, mesmerized with the multitude of different species of trees, shrubs and flowers. The cool forest air was pinching his nose, the sight of the ubiquitous green moss eased the throbbing in his head while the vines which sapped strength from trees invited to be grabbed and used as a ladder to the sky. White and red and purple flowers competed with their multicolor counterparts who will attract the most sought-after pollinators. The ground amazed him teeming with life which bustled forward in its daily race. Suddenly, Atef felt that a small, ripped away part of his childhood was back. He hurried to acquaint himself with all that he missed. He stuck his fingers in holes, smelled flowers and plucked herbs, tasting their various, usually bitter, juices. He climbed a tree, killed an ant, chased off a bird, heard a woodpecker. He laid down in grass feeling its itchy kiss on his cheeks and back. He freaked out when he saw a tick on his arm and tore it off squashing it in the process. He got stung by a bee, drank dew from the silverleaf, tasted a sour berry and decided it might be bad for him.

In all this time the wolf observed him, disinterested like a she wolf would be for a less apt of its pups. If it was a human, the wolf would curse the fool’s errand it was stuck with. A loud yelp was a resounding signal for Atef to come to his senses. The boy turned around and saw the wolf yawning and grinning its teeth.

- ‘Tis time to move, huh? And who you to make me?

The wolf jumped forth and with that one leap it was in attack range, snarling.

- Down, down ya fanged beast! I go, I go!

First major decision he had to make was what to eat. His stomach was aching demanding thy will be done. Atef strolled back, much to wolf’s annoyance, to where their peculiar friendship started last night and found out that the woodland creatures took care of whatever was left. He let out an annoyed glare at the animal at which it covered its snout with a paw and let out a short sound that he characterized as a mixture of a squeal and a growl.

- Look wha’ya done! No food for me now! Wha’ will I eat?

The wolf stared at him, not moved, positively indifferent.

- So you reckon!? Tha’ all you’ve for me! Well then!

Atef started observing the surrounding, trying to identify how a forest would feed someone like him. Foodwise, it felt barren, although his nose was rising to the challenge, becoming highly sensitive, a tool in this quest. The bush with spindly red fruit through which the wolf ambushed him last night offered very little in terms of nutrition. The taste of it was awful, evidently still not ripe. His head was still iffy and now his mouth was appalled. Aimless, he picked a direction and started looking around, browsing the contents of forest’s vast inventory. Although it was all still amazing for someone like Atef, nothing seemed edible. Until he spotted it. Fat, gooey and wriggling. Elongated, its body was mostly brown with pinkish hues finding their way through what looked like an exoskeleton. Off-putting as it was, Atef still felt his innards hurting and twirling in want of anything that would satiate it. And that made this particular worm look extra succulent. He started gazing around, trying to spot anything else even remotely more appealing. His darting gaze exuded hesitance, revulsion, even fear of culpable contempt from a would be observer. But the stomach demanded, forced, imperially impelled. Half of it was already in his mouth and the other in death throes in his right hand. It was bad, very bad, but it had a sinewy quality to it. And then he heard a crunch. His ears sharpened and eyes tried to work out from where it came. A patch of fur, more than two hundred paces away found something. He got up with iron determination, chucked the remainder of the worm in his mouth and ran towards the wolf.

- What you found?

The animal was too busy engorging itself to pay any attention to the boy. It found eggs. Plenty of them, in a nest that looked like it was shared by a small flock of birds. In a fit of momentary madness, Atef pushed the wolf and drop to his knees cornering off the eggs. He began hurriedly breaking the small spotty shells and pouring the liquid gold contents into his mouth. Only after eating about a dozen of them and reaching for the last two, he turned and saw the wolf looking at him with disdain which was, unexpectedly, easily recognizable across its snout. Cold grip of remorse pierced through Atef. He averted his eyes and looked back at the remaining eggs.

- Here, you have ‘em – he said as kindly and apologetically as he could.

The wolf bared his teeth until he stepped aside and then devoured them in two crunch-filled bites. It followed up with licking and eating the remaining shells. With no tinge of forgiveness in his eyes the wolf finished and looked up at Atef inquisitively, waiting for his heavenly blue eyes to give an idea of what next.

- Why you look me for? I have bonehead idea where to go!

The ensuing Atef’s vapid stare brought the wolf to the conclusion that it should become the leader. And just like that, the wolf approached Atef, grabbed his left hand with its jaws and pulled him towards the direction they came from. He had no time to react and the best he could do is cry out thinking that the wolf has once again switched over to killer mode. The moment the wolf gave him purpose and direction it let go his hand and Atef could swear he saw a mocking grin.

The unlikely friends were making good progress stopping only at a small stream where Atef got a chance to experience for the first time fresh, running water in which he even spotted the smallest of fish and the “mysterious” tadpoles. He tried to grab one but the buggers were either too quick or too slimy. The wolf used the chance to drink up and, with a serious stare, it suggested Atef do the same. The boy had a tempered throat and a bloodstream of a fire lizard so he could go on for days with almost no water. However, he still obeyed at his companion’s behest. Along the way, a few lonely glades gave Atef the chance to observe how the day was waning as they made progress. Baor was slowly sinking in the distance while Lita hurried to Sur’s embrace. It was prudent to pick up the pace. Besides, nothing interesting dared stand in the way of a fearsome duo, although Atef wished that a numerous goatlike creature, apt at climbing trees, waited just long enough so that the wolf could grab one for their next meal. However, the darn things were just too cautious and nimble. Atef found it interesting that the remote parts of the woods stretched over a lightly hilly terrain so the many animal tracks around them were akin to highways that he saw sprawling from the pit onwards. The similarity was uncannily ridiculous to Atef, as if animals wanted to be humans by sticking to rules he had to endure in the pit. That totally made no sense.

The sound met them at the top of an unusually tall hill compared to the surroundings. It sounded metal, clunky and man-made. It also steadily grew, though slowly. Through the rich greenery and tall trunks Atef couldn’t observe anything.

- What you reckon that’s?

From the wolf’s short howl he could only infer “Ch…”

Pretty sure his gut feeling was not mistaken, he rushed downhill. The wolf puffed and started reluctantly following, at distance. Atef’s frantic pace almost had him fall and break a leg but the wet soil never gave in too much to cause an accident. Besides, he knew the first rule of descent: “Do it with your heels”! Through the treetops he could glance a road, and then another. It was serpentine stretching straight in front of him and then taking a down left turn to continue its next coil. At its edge, Atef had a second’s fart to decide whether he will lay low or jump out and say hi. He opted for the former.

In his direction, a tall compact chariot was headed, a kind of that would topple easily if it wasn’t run by an expert coachman. Three horses were pulling it, a forerunner and his followers, beautiful brown beasts with elegant gait. The chariot was followed by another, a cart heaved forward by oxen, lazy and trudging only at the pace of the whip. Atef could infer that the plain, yet for his eyes still lavish, front vehicle was transporting people, at most two, while the other had all, or at least most, of their possessions. Chests, barrels and boxes didn’t look safe at the descent, their rope straps looking more like a gimmick than a proper safety harness. They were nearly at his hiding point when the wolf caught up with him. And then he saw something special, visible only when the cargo cart was almost past him.

She was tied to the back of the cart, her hands and wrists purple. Her feet were full of cuts and she limped dragging her left leg, barely matching the tempo of the lazy oxen. She had dark brown hair, like Atef, and eyes like coals that threatened to spill over her milky face turning her into a banshee. About Atef’s age, she looked fit though exhausted and pushed to her limit. The final detail, the most important one, foreign and intimidating were her ears. Elongated and tapered at the top, they were a dead giveaway of some strange peculiarity of this girl, or maybe a blessing.

The cart was already past them. Atef and the wolf exchanged glances and he could almost read on the animal’s face that it is not getting involved in this.

- Scared of the big slendery ‘uns or the thick ‘uns? Come mutt, we have to help!

There was something noble about Atef that he is yet to discover through introspection. He first needs to discover introspection though. He didn’t know what that strong urge was, but his mind was addled with that long-eared girl. He wanted to talk to her and his fear seemed to have failed to turn on. He was aware that his wish most likely involved something that whoever is in the chariot won’t like. At least that’s what his experience told him.

He rushed across the road, plummeting into the bushes and trees that were separating the two coils. The chariot and the cart were at the bend when he stepped out to stop them.

- Why did we stop?! – was the first shout he heard from the chariot when the small caravan came to a halt.

- Get of the road boy! – said the coachman irked by the stop, by the boy, by the hot weather, by this day.

- I wouldda but I wanna talk with the girl you ‘ave tied behind.

- Say that again?

- I say, I wouldda but I wanna talk with the girl you ‘ave tied behind!

- Lohit, what kind of dumbass is shouting there?!

- Some dumb kid sir. He wants to talk to the girl.

Two tall lordly dressed men, similarly as master Togrin and tutor Everard were, stepped outside of the chariot to investigate.

- Scram brat! Otherwise your ass will meet my foot and Kairan here will knock out a few teeth for his personal collection – cried out the evident leader, Fedem.

Atef suddenly felt the inkling of the same monstrous fear that ruled his life in the pit. He wavered, almost thinking of turning to run, but then a quick glance to the side reminded him he had a fierce ally in the bushes. The wolf was looking at the people and then at him with a kind of expression saying that they will get pulverized pretty soon if he, the fool doesn’t step aside.

- You’re a bit farthy to do that! Canna you reach?!

- You insolent little shit. Kairan come. Let’s have some fun. Whole day in that crammed box, the fresh air and activity will do us good!

The two men stepped forward almost leaping with eagerness to teach Atef a lesson. The boldness evaporated from the boy; fear swelled into a ball that stuck in his throat making it hard to breathe. His knees buckled, eyes turned into terror-laden discs and his heart pounds were saying, ”run”. Something coalesced within him though. Awakening anew as if it made a solemn promise it would always be there in time of need.

- Wolf, wolfy, mutt, help! Help!

Mark of the beast roll: 18 out of 30 [5d6s] ; the wolf joins in the fight

Magic roll: 53 out of 100 [5d20s] ; +1 to speaking with animals ; current level 3/50

Magic roll: 42 out of 100 [5d20s] ; +1 to fire magic {learned spark} / ; current level 1/50

Madness roll: 60 out of 100 [5d20s] ; +1 to madness ; current level 2/100

Secret roll: 39 out of 100 [5d20s] ; +0 to a mystery ; current level 0/100

Kairan’s cry reached Atef as Fedem’s fist landed square on his face breaking his nose. The wolf was biting through Kairan’s leg receiving massive fist blows to the head and back in return. Before he could know it, mid-flight to the ground, Atef’s fingers emitted a swarm of sparks that showered Fedem. A multitude of small fires started all over his clothes, face, hair, looking like a devastation after a meteor shower. He reached for his face in anguish, then hair as miniscule fires slowly merged on his clothes and sought his flesh below. Kairan fell to the ground and the wolf bit him between his legs causing a monumental cry which made every single bird in the area reach for the skies in fear. Fedem was already down, rolling around and trying to get out of his smoking and burning clothes.

Atef flew exactly four steps from that hit and fell hard on his head. He reached for the back of it and felt blood. The wolf was by his side, barking that he should get up and run. The two coachmen were in the back, not understanding what just happened. Atef slowly got up, took a quick glance at the two squealing assailants and then ran towards the chariot and the coachmen, slowing down only to spit on the brutes. The coachmen cowered away in fear and stepped out of their way. As soon as Atef was past them, they ran to aid their masters.

As he reached around the edge of the cart, the girl was crouching, trying to get under the cart to hide. Atef quickly inspected the rope and realized he had no way of letting her loose. He turned around and ran back along the chariot trying to find a knife. Wolf was right along him. At the front of the chariot, he noticed a glimmer on the belt of one of the servants. He ran towards them lifting his hand just as he was about to reach them. The two bent down, looking at the ground in fear.

- Knife, now!

- Here, here take it! Just please don’t hurt me!

Grabbing it, he ran back to the girl. Now she was sitting under the cart with her arms stretched outwards, unable to hide them because of the bounds. He quickly cut the ties, and received a stupefied gaze in response.

- No time, come with meself and mutt!

The girl hesitated, trying to go further under the cart now that she was free.

- Come with meself! I came to free you numbnut! – he exclaimed as he pulled her leg.

She tried kicking him but he didn’t relent. The wolf jumped under and bared its teeth at her. The two sets of sharp canine teeth doused in saliva mixed with blood presented a clear sign not to resist, so she gave in. A moment later they disappeared into the woods turning sideways from the meandering road.

- Like for like, pit and out of pit! Men’re the same.

It was a sublime minute conclusion that bolted through Atef’s mind, not staying long enough to become knowledge.