Sunshine

The Fae Wolves of The Great Ashe Forest

Eris studied the girl sitting across from him. What she said did not make sense. If the girl had all this power she would have been born with it. He had never heard of anyone Fae possessing more than one elemental power. His breath caught as he remembered what it had felt like to be frozen. One moment he was in control of his own body, and then he just wasn’t. Like a force had sucked all the movement from the valley, the water had been the only thing unaffected by the iron will holding everything immobile. The panic Eris had felt at the lack of control was a feeling he never wanted to remember.

He did not let his fear show. She was a slip of a thing. Thin, with lean muscles, her hair wild around her like a veil of flames cloaking her to the waist. Her face even had a wildness to it, with her moss green eyes, pert nose, and full pink lips that would lure any man to his grave. Her oval face directed to him as if she waited for him to speak. Eris let the silence speak for itself. He did not know what to say.

Her emotional outburst had been unexpected, and he had felt the truth in her vulnerability. So, he sat, albeit warily. She was a deadly force of nature wrapped up in a beautiful form. If what she said was true, she had no idea what kind of power she wielded so recklessly. The lost look in her eyes moved something in his chest and he felt like a fool as he decided to trust the innocence she did not try to hide. He tried to sort through the mess of thoughts that clamored through his brain. In all the studying that had been forced upon him in his twenty years, he had only ever heard of one creature being able to control the minds of others. But the dragons were all gone. He swallowed his doubts and decided an interrogation was in order.

“Well, maybe you should clean this up” He finally growled. Eris did not tell her that his body was already almost completely healed thanks to his power. He watched her move about the small room, collecting a sickly yellow paste that smelled like pine sap and some clothes that she laid out on the table. Then four more steps to pick up the bucket and scoop water into it from a barrel near the back door. The dens he was used to were much larger, dug into the ground throughout the forest floor two days North of here, in the heart of the mountains. The trees of his valley were so ancient and large that six warriors could barely wrap their arms around them. The close confines of the cabin walls pressed in on him and he had to take slow breaths to calm himself.

Watching the girl closely, not daring to take his eyes from her he thought of the day’s events. The feline was a stranger. He knew other Fae had made their homes in these mountains after the dragons left. They had once lived in relative harmony with them in their communities, but the humans were fearful and angry of the magic they could not wield themselves, and fights had broken out amongst friends and enemies alike. Rather than destroy their weaker counterparts, the Fae just left them to fend for themselves; making their homes in the uninhabitable Bloodstone Mountains. The terrain was rough and the weather conditions too harsh for humans to endure. But the Fae wolves and lions had thrived, building large cities both in the mountains and on the other side where the weaker fae made their homes. He doubted the humans even knew of the world on the other side of the mountains.

This girl, she was not human, but she was not like any Fae he had ever encountered or heard of either. He cleared his throat, the silence beginning to weigh on him. He took a sip of the water she had placed on the table. His voice still sounded rough after days of disuse in his wolf’s form.

“My wounds will be healed by the time you find the courage to do the deed.” He said. She stopped from her task of wringing out the cloth over the bucket and glared at him.

“ I um.. have never tended to another’s wounds before.” She brought the bucket to set beside him on the table. Dipping the small cloth in the cold water, he heard her intake of breath as she surveyed the damage the feline had inflicted. The deep puncture wounds on his shoulder where its claws had sliced through layers of skin and muscle had already mostly closed, the blood had begun to crust and scab. The teeth marks on the back of his neck were still oozing blood, the skin was torn and shredded and so took longer to heal there.

Eris felt her hands tremble as she wiped the dried blood away and examined the wound’s quick healing process. Her touch was gentle and firm as if this was not the first such wound she had attended despite what she had said. He watched her hands, steadier now as they pulled the stopper out of the glass jar filled with a fragrant salve. The suction sound is made when she dipped her finger inside filled the quiet of the room. The salve was warm and just as sticky as it sounded; clinging to his neck. He shuddered at the feeling of her soft hands fluttering over his skin.

“Who are you?” He rasped, needing to focus on something besides the feel of her hands on him.

“Lianna Bloodstone. Daughter of the healer, Serena Landell. “ Her voice was small and light, like the water trickling down the mountain, the pitch low and soothing. There was no shame in her tone as she admitted to being baseborn. Her last name was Bloodstone, because she had no father, and so was named after the land in which she was born. Her lack of shame must mean that she truly was isolated here and had not been subjected to the harsh criticisms that most people born outside of wedlock were prone to.

“You are alone here?” Her eyes shot to his, wary and untrusting as if she just realized she was alone in this small space with him. Her hands continued their work though without pause, slowly pressing the cloth against his neck wounds that had already sealed themselves, washing away the dry blood.

“It seems to me that your wounds are healing fine on their own.” Was her answer, the fear creeping through in an undertone that surprised him. She really had no idea… about her magic, her heritage.

“Sit.” He ground out, wondering how much he should tell her. “Our people will not harm you if you do not harm us. We left the human world because of the violence and cruelty they inflicted on each other and the magical creatures they did not understand.” Lianna nodded as if she knew that much.

“ My mother told me that the King had even gone so far as to forbid the use of magic and that laws are still enforced throughout the kingdom. Has it been two hundred years?” Her voice was barely a whisper as if the King himself could hear her words. What would the people of the village do to her if they found out?

“Yes. So, we left. The mountains are our home now. And the lands beyond, all the way to the ocean. If your mother is a healer why are you here alone?” He dared ask.

“I do not know. Maybe because she knew I was different. Maybe she was afraid for me or of me. She prepared me for this world as best she could and left when I was nine. I have not seen or heard from her since” The tremor in her voice made him want to reach out to her in comfort but the wild aura around her kept his hands on the table.

“I do not understand how all this time.. this monster has been sleeping inside me and I had no idea. She had no idea.” He wondered if she told the truth. Her power was strong, he could feel its vibrations purring against his own. Her fire, slithering against his ice as if trying to gauge his strength.

“Did she?” His voice sounded rough and suspicious even to his own ears.

“She had to have known. Who is your father?” he demanded, then felt guilty as the girl’s eyes flashed in surprise and fear.

“ I do not know. She would not give me his name. Only that they had celebrated Beltane together just once all those years ago. He disappeared soon after, I was not enough to persuade him to stay with her. Likely more of a reason for him to leave us. The only thing she told me was that he was a mercenary working for the king’s army.” She turned away from him, her shoulders sagging under the weight of the world.

“How old are you?” Eris wanted to know. She could not be any older than he was. The girl was looking out the window now and he wondered what she was thinking. She did not seem to be the type that would lie and manipulate. Everything he had seen so far made him believe that she truly was what she claimed and had no idea of how her power had rippled through the mountains like a homing beacon for any and all manner of creatures to come investigate. Her face turned back to his and her bright green eyes were nearly mesmerizing. He had never seen such a shade before, like moss that grew along the rocky riverbank, her pupils were outlined in golden flames that radiated into her bright green irises.

“Nineteen.” Her answer rolled over him and for a moment he had to remember what he had asked her. She took a deep breath and he couldn’t stop staring at her, she was truly the most beautiful female he had ever seen in all his twenty years. Lianna stood abruptly, startling him out of the near trance she had cast on him.

“Are you hungry?” She asked. His stomach gave a loud rumble, right on cue before he could even respond. He grinned at her raised eyebrows and a slow cautious smile spread across her face before she turned away from him to gather the things she would need to prepare them a meal.

The sky had darkened considerably during their conversation. The rain had begun falling across the valley, silent and heavy. Eris watched her grab the pot near the hearth and fill it with water. She chopped the remainder of what looked like a rabbit into the water along with herbs and wild garlic. She did not use a cloth to protect her hands from the heat he noted. Turning to the eastern wall she reached for a sack hanging low near the counter, pulling a long loaf of bread from within. She cut it into quarters and brought him a piece, placing it on the table in front of him, before she sat back down in the opposite chair.

He picked it up and sniffed it, the smell rich and… metallic. He crinkled his nose in distaste and threw it back down on the table. With a snarl, he scooted back from the table. His eyes found hers filled with shock. Whatever she had expected it was not this reaction. No trace of guilt to find in her eyes, she even lifted her chin and took a bite, chewing slowly as if trying to determine what would warrant his reaction.

“You would poison me?” He demanded angrily. Her beauty and feigned innocence had all been an act then. He was a fool to have trusted her.

“I did not poison it.” She argued hotly. “The bread comes from the village down the mountain. The baker makes it, not I.”

“ Then she has poisoned it! No wonder you had no idea of the fire within you if you have been eating that bread your whole life. It is made with a powdered iron. Poison for Fae.” He watched Lianna choke on the dry bread and spit it back out. The gold in her eyes sparking, nearly overpowering the green at the stunning betrayal he had revealed. He felt her power shudder through the room, and he had the good sense to back away a step.

“Your mother must have known. Known and tried to hide the results of her union with a Fae warrior. She must have understood what it would mean for her life and yours if her secret was discovered.” He knew his voice had turned hard and unforgiving. This girl with her untrained abilities was a danger to herself and everyone around her. A power like hers had no business on this side of the Bloodstone Mountains especially if his suspicions about her proved true. She would be hunted down and slaughtered for the fear she would invoke in their selfish human minds. That’s why her mother had hidden her here in this valley so far from the human King’s eyes.

He felt the panic rise in her from across the room, her power throbbing with each breath she took. He tried to soften his features. Who knew what she was truly capable of? If her power decided to lash out to protect her she would not know how to keep it from harming him or herself. The look of stunned disbelief in her eyes made him pity her ignorance. She had likely been betrayed and poisoned by her mother and the baker she got the bread from obviously had to know something about her.

“I am sorry” he managed. Lianna’s eyes never left his face as she digested the information he had given her. And he knew she was just now realizing the truth of his words.

“What do I do?” She asked helplessly. He wondered how she could sound so with all that terrible power prowling beneath her skin. “Can you smell the poison in anything else..?” She whispered, nervous eyes darting around the room. He got up and walked to the counter, his nostrils flaring as the scent of the flour and ash mixture struck his nose.

“Yes.” He growled, following the smell of a large sack leaning against the leg under the table. He picked the offensive thing up and proceeded to toss it out of the door. The sack came open and the poisonous powder mixed with the rain and dissolved into a sickly puddle some yards away. Satisfied that it was no longer a threat, he turned back to her and shut the door. Leaning his back against the wooden surface, he winced at the slight discomfort leftover from his wounds. The feline had been powerful indeed to strike such blows that took so long to heal.

“I will take you to my father. You are dangerous to yourself and others. You need training and guidance.” He stated, watching for her reaction. Her eyes fell to the floor, masking the emotions that danced across her face. “I believe you.” Eris relented. Her eyes snapped back to his at his rough confession; relief shining there uninhibited.

“There are fire tribes on the other side of the mountain. Maybe your father can be found amongst them.” He lied. That was as good an excuse as any to get her to come with them. He could not just leave her here to be hunted as she surely would be if anyone else found her and realized what lay hidden under her golden skin. He still was not certain he was correct in his assumption. But if he was, she would need all the help he could give her once the world became aware of her existence.

“This illness that has swept the continent is not only affecting humans. It is a wasting disease that has affected fae and beasts alike. The best healers have been working tirelessly to find a cure. Our hunting party set out this way three days ago to find food that has not been inflicted with this disease.” Eris explained to her.

“Yesterday, we were headed back home when a flare of power washed over us. Since it was coming from this direction, and unlike any we had ever encountered before, I became curious and followed the trail to find you here.” He raised his eyebrows at her, knowing she would not understand. Her lost expression said as much, so he took a deep breath and began to explain further.

“When you use your powers, your aura fans out in waves that cannot be seen, only felt. No other fae lives on this side of the mountains. So, it must have been you. Not too many fae can claim that kind of strength in their power. Yours is .. undeniably vast for it to have reached us so far away.”

She looked about ready to vomit as he finished. A sizzling hiss from the hearth caught her attention and she went to lift the boiling pot from the flames and place it on the table. He straightened up and grabbed the bowls he noticed on the counter. He moved to the seat and pushed the bowls to her and the pot, offering her some semblance of a truce. Eris almost groaned as the fragrant steam reached his nostrils. His mouth watered in response. A small twitch at the corner of her mouth was the only indication she noticed.

They ate in silence, and he watched as she rose with the empty bowls and dropped them into the bucket of water, rinsing and wiping them clean before setting them aside once again. She seemed to be in some trance-like state as she undoubtedly contemplated all he had revealed to her. Eris found he liked watching her move. She had an innocent grace about her as she tidied up the small space. The storm raged outside, lightning and thunder rumbled through the valley, sending vibrations through the earth as if the mountains themselves trembled in its wrath. A howl pierced through the cacophony, close enough for him to hear the strain of worry in its tone. She whirled around to face him in surprise, and he caught the hint of fear that had her eyes glowing again.

“It’s okay.” He reassured her in a soft tone as thunder boomed overhead nearly drowning out his words. “I will be back in a moment. Stay here.” He did not wait to see if she listened before he turned and headed towards the door.