War

Hey all, thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews. Thx for pointing out some of my mess ups Starmix, I fixed them for you, feel free to let me know if I leave behind anymore =). I love getting constructive reviews as well as the ones that solely feed my ego, thank you so much to all of you who read this religiously.

Here it goes I'M LOOKING FOR A BETA! I've never had one before, I think it'd be nice to have one. If anyone is interested plz let me know. I figured I'd ask my fans before tossing out a wider net. If you're interested email me at young_lil_lover@yahoo.com

These are some pics I found of a dog and a wolf that helps build a better image of Wulf.

This one isn't a wolf at all but matches his current size perfectly.

http://www.windhundwelt.de/images/!!irish-wolfhound-095.jpg

I couldn't have found a better picture if I had taken it myself. This is what he would have looked like walking into camp for the first time, color and markings and everything.

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/0/0c/Wolf_greet.jpg




14

Catherine woke on her own and stretched, not surprised to find Azel already gone. His bedroll was tied and lying beside her. She straightened her hair and got up to find the strangest scene before her. Azel squatted leisurely next to the fire, a pan in his hand as he cooked eggs over the fire. Her wolf sat idly by, gnawing away at what was left of the rabbits from the night before. She decided Azel had given them to him. She walked over to them and sat down, her wolf's shoulder looked much better from the paste Azel had applied to it. It no longer looked hard and dark but pink and clean. She hoped it would help his limp as well. If he was only a puppy still he would grow much larger yet, she didn't think Azel could afford to feed him if he could no longer hunt for himself. Azel handed her a plate with a nicely fried egg on it.

"I thought breakfast sounded good."

She smiled to him and ate hastily, watching her newly acquired pet. She noticed he wasn't really a flat gray; he had a slight amount of black in his fur that was so dark it looked blue, like a raven feather. There was a cloudy gray color to him and a sharp metallic shine. His color was more of a sliver than a gray. He shook his head contently, standing on his long legs and stretching before moving towards her. Azel watched her as he finished and started to pack their things. She put the fire out and washed out the pots they had used. Her wolf followed her to the stream. Prancing around smoothly, never going far but seeming very absorbed by his surroundings. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he panted, a seeming smile to his mouth. When they returned to camp everything was packed and Azel was ready to go. He was already in the saddle, waiting for her to return. She handed him the pots she had washed and they disappeared into one of the saddlebags.
She walked as she had the day before, admiring the scenery. Azel even looked more relaxed, she wondered what had him so nervous the day before. Her wolf ran about the underbrush silently, she was glad to see little stiffness in his gait. She marveled at him, he seemed to turn invisible at times as he shimmered through the forest.

"He needs a name."

She looked to Azel, she never realized until then how regal he looked. He sat beautifully straight in the saddle, the light shone through his gray eyes giving them a bit of warmth. His dark hair falling across his gaze in wisps. She blinked and shook her head; she shouldn't stare at him like that. She thought she saw him smile but when she looked up to check he had already turned around again.

"You know when he gets to be a year old you'll be able to ride him." She stared at him in surprise, she hadn't thought of that.

"You'll have to train him though. Before he gets too much bigger. Or else he'll find he could boss you around." She giggled at this, but Azel shot her a warning look over his shoulder.

"I'm serious, you wouldn’t want him to think you to be the submissive one."

She looked out to find her wolf sniffing at the base of a tree as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. She smiled at his behavior and he looked up at her as if sensing her eyes on him. He trotted up to her, bouncing through the leaves more than what was required and nuzzled her hand at her side. She ran her fingers along his muzzle and up over his head as he closed his eyes and pressed his ears back under her hand. A light growl flowed up his throat but it wasn't an angry sound, more like when a cat purrs. But then his nostrils flared and his ears stood on end and his head turned to take in something in the distance. He sprung away from her and back into the trees after something she couldn’t see or hear.

"I'm not sure what I should call him."

She heard Azel sigh, but it didn't sound frustrated, more like bored. She trotted a little to walk even with Azel so she could look up at him as he thought. He was beautiful in the light, she wanted to reach up and touch him and take in the warmth he seemed to hold beneath the trees but she refrained from doing so.

"Wulfgang." A small smirk pulled at his lips as he felt Catherine's sharp gaze pierce him.

"I am not calling him Wulfgang, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Azel stared off before him as his mind started to wander. She noticed his eyes seeming to glaze over with remembrance.

"Back when I had been much younger and first taken to battle I knew a man named Wulfgang. He liked to drink, he'd sit with me for hours and get drunk while telling me how much of a greenhorn I was." Catherine watched him in awe, he was opening up to her, she wondered what brought on his sudden change.

"He wasn't of this continent, he was from far away, a place I never thought I would ever see. I ended up going there years later. He used to tell me what his name meant with so much pride I thought his chest would burst." He smiled lightly at the thought, but he held a sad touch in his features.

"What did it mean?" He seemed drawn from his thoughts at the sound of her voice, and looked down at her, all the cold walls back up in his gaze. It had been only a temporary slip, she wouldn’t see inside him again like that.

"He told me it meant 'wolf path'. He'd used to say how he had walked it all his life, alone and unafraid and willing to tear out the throats of his enemies. He was something I wanted to be." She cocked her head, a little interested now, and very curious.

"What about now?" He sighed and she knew she had pushed her barrier beyond where he wanted to go.

"I'm something more now, I'm something a wolf like him would cringe at." He kicked his stallion into a gallop to escape her stare; he didn't go far before calling back to her.

"Keep walking straight, I'll scout ahead."

With that he disappeared into the trees. She felt a little tense in the woods by herself, but then again she wasn't really alone was she? Her pet came flying out of the trees, his tail wagging and ears erect as he stared off after Azel. His frosty blue gaze took her in and his head cocked slightly as if to ask 'where's he going?'. She walked to him and sighed, her fingers running along his shoulders as she did so.

"My thoughts exactly, I don't know why he needs to scout. There's nothing out here."

She walked on, her tension going out of her as she listened closely. He wasn't far, she couldn’t see him but if she listened very hard she could still hear the horse trudging through the forest. She stared down at her companion that stayed relatively close to her since she was now alone. She had the feeling he was becoming instinctively protective of her already, that's what she gets for giving him food.

"Wulfgang is the stupidest name, I could never call you that." The only sign that he even heard her voice was his one ear turned slightly in her direction. He seemed preoccupied with Azel riding ahead of them as he trotted along at her side.

"You must have had a hard path wolf, how could you manage to get into so much trouble while still being so young?"

She lightly traced his healing wound with her fingertips. The muscles of his shoulder tensed but he made no other move against her. She sighed and dropped her hand. He looked at her then, his tongue lolling out of his long jaws, it would have been almost cute if it weren't for his inch long fangs.

"Why not something simple, I like Wulf."

His ears perked up at the sound of the word. She wondered how much he could actually understand, he didn't seem to have the basic intelligence of an animal, behind his eyes was the glint of something more. She didn't have time to dwell on it; Azel came riding back to her at a hard gallop. He pulled the reins so hard to stop the stallion reared back. Wulf tensed, his ears folding back but he did nothing more.

"Cat we need to move now." She ran over to him as he pulled her up into the saddle.

"Why what's wrong?" The horse turned back the way they had come, Wulf close at its heels.

"The army is moving, it's readying for an attack, a raid I think. We need to get there quickly." She clutched to the saddle as he kicked the stallion into a dead run. She looked over her shoulder to be sure Wulf was following.

"Don't worry about him Cat, bane wolves are excellent runners, even with wounded shoulders."

They careened through the trees at a break neck speed, fear trickled into her limbs until the forest broke away suddenly and a large flat valley lay before them. Thousands of tents sat around crudely built buildings in the center, men taking mounts and slaves running about wildly marked the armies intent to move. He blew past men and horses and slaves into the center of the dense gathering, nearly killing more than a few as they passed.

"Azel, it's about time! Get in here!"

He pulled his stallion to a sudden halt, his hooves digging deeply into the dirt as she swung easily from the saddle. Cat stared as he followed the yelling man into the building before her. She glanced around, slightly panicked; Wulf was sitting on his haunches panting away, his tongue lolling out of his long jaws. She threw herself from the saddle not so gracefully as Wulf stood to move to her side. A slave had already taken the reins of the stallion as she marched after Azel. She entered the busy building to catch a glimpse of him disappearing up a set of stairs.

"Azel!"

He stopped and gazed at her from over his shoulder. She froze and her chest held still. He didn't want her to follow, his gaze begged her to stay. Wulf whined and slid his head under her hand, urging her to pet him. Her fingers ran absently over his ears and down his neck as sadness filled her. They were briefing him for battle, he was going into battle.

"Get out of here slave, this is a mans place."

She looked calmly over her shoulder at the source of the words, fear didn't creep into her as it normally would, instead she felt a different feeling. It made her feel sick and warm and freezing cold all at the same time. She turned for the door, Wulf following close to her heels. She was surprised he was so calm and easygoing around all the different smells and people. She put that thought away for another time, right now she needed to find a place to sit and wait for Azel to find her again.


It's kinda short I know, expect an update on Monday. I'll be updating my other story Fury Like The Sea, on Tuesdays since it's had a fair turn out. See you all later, Toodles!