[Mkguild] "Following" (2/2)

[Kendo Virmir]

"Following"
by Virmir

Part 2


"Just look at him..."

"Who?"

"The fox-midget!  He's just standing there, brooding..."

"Maybe he's just deciding what we need to do next," Kayser said as he
sat down on the log opposite Vincent, bunching four legs under his
abdomen.  The trees protected the two scouts from most of the snow,
but a fine powder began to build on their clothing regardless. "Want
one?"

They hyena growled and snatched the offered jerky from the four-foot
tall insect's hand without taking his gaze off Virmir.  The silver
furred fox stood alone at the edge of a ravine, occasionally shaking
off snow that had begun to cover him.  "Nah... he's probably casting
some psycho-spell.  Talking to his deadra friends from the netherworld
or something..."

Kayser shrugged and wrapped his mandibles around his share of the
dried meat.  "So... have you talked to anyone yet?"

Vincent's gaze snapped to the yellow and black insect and he growled,
smacking his tail against the log he was sitting on.  He deflated
after a moment and his ears fell.  "No... not ready yet..."

"Uh huh..."  It was more of a clicking sound from the hornet.

"Don't give me that, bug!"  Vincent folded his arms, white powder
falling from his cloak.  "He's in cahoots with something nasty.  I
know that.  Him and them higher-ups.  I'm sure of it, but I don't know
who... or what," he said, his voice hushing to a whisper as he leaned
closer to the giant hornet. "Just be careful what you say..."

"Sure."

Vincent drew back, his ears folding as he growled.  "Pelrik believes me."

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't..."

"Do you?"

"Well... I... uh..."

Vincent's ears perked, angling to his right.  He nearly leapt off his
seat and clamped Kayser's mandibles shut.  "Shhhh!!  She'll hear
you... she's got ears like me."

"I wasn't even the one--"

Vincent tensed, squeezing Kayser's armor-like shoulders, his eyes and
ears darting around.  Then he pushed away from his friend, smoothing
out his headfur and picking up his discarded jerky to hastily assume
as unsuspicious a sitting position as possible.  Kayser reeled, nearly
falling off the log before repositioning four legs underneath him.

Vale appeared from between the dead trees, warily running a claw over
her right ear.  "I'm back."  She plopped down next to the insect and
began rummaging through the small pack she was carrying.

"Hello La-- ... Vale."  Kayser bowed slightly, holding his rations
with his top set of hands, and extending one of the middles in a
flourish.  Vincent merely grunted.

----

The longer the day drove on, the more I seethed.  Bandits we were
after.  Simple thieves.  How far could they possibly have gone in the
blasted snow!?  All we had was a mere scent rag and the knowledge that
a merchant's cart had gone missing in Euper.

Snow meant they couldn't get anywhere fast.  But it also covered their
tracks and dulled their scent trail, blast it.   Ugh.  I considered
just turning around.  I was going to get paid either way.  It wasn't
like I actually cared about Metamor's image.

"Nothing, sir!"  Kayser announced from the top of the highest pine
tree.  "Not a wagon in sight."  I wondered just how well he could see
with those freaky eyes of his.  He spread his translucent wings and
fluttered down.  He couldn't quite fly with them, but they sufficed
for a gentle landing.

I suppose I could have scaled the tree easily enough to take a look
myself.  But blast if I was going to get my paws dirty...

He kicked up a cyclone of white powder as he landed next to me. "Uh,
sir... I think I'm gonna need..."

I pinched the bridge of my muzzle and clenched my teeth.  Before he
could finish, I yanked the pendant from his neck and recharged it.

"Thanks, sir!"  He saluted, jamming the end of his spear into the
ground with one of his middle hands.

I grumbled and waved him away, taking to brushing the blasted snow
from my cloak.  It was getting deep, blast it.  I'd have trouble
walking in an hour at this rate.  Ugh.  I could just imagine having to
be carried by the hyena through snow drifts...

"Virmir!  I think I found it!"

My ears tugged upward at Vale's voice.  Flanked by the hornet and the
uncharacteristically quiet hyena, I trotted down the hill to the
white-covered road Vale kneeled beside.  She was speckled in mud and
snow, her nose inches above the ground.  Honestly, I didn't understand
why she put so much effort into this...  "May I see the rag?"  She
asked at my approach.

I unfastened the pack with the scent cloth found with the dead
merchant.  The victim of these ruffians...  Vale kneeled and stuck her
nose in and shut her eyes, taking a moment to breath in the odors.
She then removed her snout and took to sniffing the snow again.  Ugh.
So degrading... I had to look away.

"Yes... it's them."  She sat up on her haunches, brushing the snow
from her knees.  "The scent is very faint, but it's them..."

"Finally..."  Vincent said from behind, his arms folded and eyes
rolling no doubt.

I pursed my lips and walked to the middle of the road, stumbling over
a hidden rock on the way, blast it.  Nothing.  No wagon ruts, no
footprints...  I crouched, lifting my tail high to keep it and my
cloak from touching the ground, and looked down the path both ways.

"Blast it!"  I swore, standing and kicking at the snow.

"What... is it?"  Vale asked, her ears folded.

"They are covering their blasted tracks with a spell."  I pinched the
bridge of my muzzle again, fighting back an impending headache.  I
didn't feel like explaining it to a bunch of non-magical morons.

"Can't cha see through it?"  Vincent asked, unbelief dripping in his
voice.  I snapped my head in his direction and gave him The Glare.
The far larger hyena shrunk back like a stupid sword-wielder should.
Ugh.  Every blasted moron expects all wizards to know everything.
I've never made any claims to specialize in anything but burning
things, anyway.

They all stood there watching me as I paced back and forth in the
middle of the road.  Sure we could follow one direction, but with all
the paths and forks... ugh...  And if they had any sense at all,
they'd leave the path and take advantage of the flatter terrain
further south....

"I might..." Vale spoke up and all attention directed towards her.
Her tail crept closer between her legs and she touched the tips of her
claws together upon noticing this.  "I might be able to track them
better... if I shifted."

I stopped my pacing, lifting a claw to my chin. I had never seen Vale
shift before, though I knew all animal-cursed keepers had the ability.
 She smiled slightly, but I could smell her nervousness.  "Really..."

She nodded.

"Then do it."

----

Vale couldn't believe she said that...  She shut her eyes, remembering
how horrible it was the first time.  When all of her men died, and she
lost her mind...

But no.  That was instinct.  Panic made her shift. This time, she was
in control.

She shook her head, opening her eyes to look around.  Virmir had just
finished yelling at Vincent, who tried to stay behind, to allow her
some privacy, and she found herself alone.  Wintry trees surrounded
her, and powdered snow fell in cumulative wisps.  Her heart pounded in
her chest.  She really was going to do it.  She really was going to
turn into an animal.  Out here in the wild...

She took a deep breath and looked at her padded hands.  The past few
weeks she had begun experimenting in the safety of her bedroom at
night.  The shifting was just the same, she told herself.  But this
time she would be exposed.  This time it was for real.

But she had to do this.  There was no other way they could find these
men...  She unlatched her leather armor.  As each piece fell into the
snow, the panic in her stomach intensified.  Halfway disrobed she
crouched and hugged her knees, wrapping her bushy tail around her
ankles.  She sat there shaking.  She couldn't do it.  She just
couldn't...

She sat there in the cold for a long moment, contemplating what she
would say.  She could imagine the look of disapproval in Virmir's
eyes.  Vincent's mocking sneer...

No.  She was better than that.  Besides, Virmir would be right there
with her.  Confidence welled in her chest as she imagined the gray fox
behind her.  She would lead the way.  They would find the bandits and
return to the keep, a successful mission under their belt.  She smiled
slightly. Virmir would praise her.

She leaned forward and pressed her hands into the snow, allowing the
change to overtake her.  Her thumbs melted away as her body shrunk.
When it was over, she stepped out of her remaining clothing a wild dog
once more.

It was cold.  But also exhilarating.  Her fur fluffed in the wind, and
she felt an excitement tingle throughout her bones.  This is where she
was meant to be, out here in the wild.  She could do this.

She wagged her tail and looked over at her armor and sword that were
now impossible to use.  She needn't worry about them.  Virmir would
likely make Vincent pick them up.

She trotted after the rest of the squad, finding her sense of smell
was indeed much improved as a full animal.  She folded her ears,
feeling heat rise to them as the squad came into view between the
trees.  Vincent was a giant.  Even the age regressed Virmir and insect
Kayser seemed larger than her now.  It was silly for her to be
embarrassed about not wearing clothing in front of them like this, but
deep down she was still human after all.

She sat on her haunches, curling her tail around her forepaws.  She
stared Virmir in the eye, waiting for some sign of approval-- a smile,
a wag of the tail-- anything.  He nodded once.  That was all she
needed.  Excitement building in her heart, she stuck her muzzle into
the snow and began sniffing.

Everything was there.  It was like a mental picture, her nose a new
set of eyes.  She followed the trail slowly at first, her four paws
crunching the fluff as she padded on.  She looked back every few
moments, and found everyone following her each time.  Her confidence
strengthened with each passing moment, and she began moving faster and
faster.

She followed the scent through a few forks in the road. Twisting this
way and that.  The rest of the group fell farther and farther behind,
but she knew she could not wait. She had to hurry.

Then she heard it.  The neighing of a horse.  The creaking of a cart.
The smell was so strong... She took off and ran.  But where?  The road
was clear up ahead.  How much farther could they be?  Her tongue
lolled from her mouth in the excitement of the chase.  The road veered
to the left far in the distance.  But surely the sounds did not come
from that far...  Before the turnoff, to the right the thick
snow-covered forest lay.  To the left was a steep drop off.  Where
were they?

Virmir called after her.  Did he want her to stop?  But they were
right here!  She had to find them!  Suddenly a shadow appeared in the
middle of the road.  She squinted, slowing her pace.  Like a
translucent reflection in a pool, the boxy rear of a carriage
materialized not 100 feet from the tip of her muzzle.  But how... what
sort of magic was this?!

She had no time to contemplate the sudden appearance or the dark
figure perched at the wagon's top.  The arrow shaft whizzed through
the air, striking her with a flash of red.

It hurt.  Oh gods, it hurt...  Her left foreleg burned like fire!
Panic enveloped her.  Every fiber of her being screamed for her to
flee.  She stumbled in the snowy mess, tripping on three legs as she
dove for the underbrush.  She had to get away!

Something grabbed her.  She snapped and snarled, lashing out wildly in
desperation.  Then Virmir's scent slammed her in the nose and she
blinked, longing filling her. She tore away from whoever caught her
and slammed into Virmir, knocking him over.  He swore as she buried
her muzzle in his arms, shuddering in terror.  After a moment he
tenderly stroked her head and soothingly scratched behind her ears.
Her fear melted away and rational thought returned to her.

Virmir stood and calmly walked away, his fists clenched and hackles
raised.  "Tend to Vale," he said, his voice a growl.

"But sir--" Kayser started after.

"Do it."  It was a bone chilling command.  She flinched along with the
insect and hyena.  She watched him trot across the road just as the
carriage made the bend further down the line.  He glanced at it before
turning towards the steep drop-off towards the roadside.  Without
hesitation he ran down the decline, obviously intending to cut the
wagon off at the bottom...

She shut her eyes, fear returning to her heart.  Now she was worried.

----

Fiona scampered back over the wagon's roof and dropped down in the
driver's seat, plopping her bow next to her and taking up the reigns.
The human woman clenched her teeth as she corrected the horse's path,
then snapped the reigns to make the animal hurry up.  The wagon began
careening down the hillside at breakneck speeds.  "Calven," she yelled
to the curtain behind, "we're gonna need the cloak back up!"

"Ten minutes!"  a childish voice called from inside the wagon.  "How
many were there?"

"At least three left.  I took one out."

Swears emitted form the wagon's interior. Fiona turned her attention
back to the road.  Snow flew everywhere and the wagon skid around, the
bumps nearly dislodging her from her seat.  It didn't matter, they had
to get away!  Curse that dog!  And curse this snow!  Everything was
going to plan until this!

She squinted as she stared at the whiteout ahead.  The road was barely
visible.  At this rate they'd have to ditch the carriage altogether.
But it had to last long enough to get away...  They could worry about
how many suns they could stuff in their pockets after they lost those
infernal scouts... what a waste. She doubted the two of them could
carry a fifth of it.

She blinked and wiped the snow from her eyes.  A tiny dark shape stood
in the path ahead.  What was that... a scout?  What was that red light
in his hand... a lantern?  She laughed.  Must have run down the hill
to cut them off.  Did the little guy honestly think he could stop a
horse-drawn carriage by himself? "Ya! Ya!" She snapped at the reigns,
yelling at the horse, "Run him over!  Run him over!"

A moment before the horse's hooves trampled the little gray-furred
creature, her eyes widened in terror.  That burning light in his
outstretched hand was no lantern...

The horse screamed as the world exploded in crimson heat.  Fiona
spiraled backwards, only to slam into to the wooden beams of the
wagon, a sickening crack felt across her back.  Wooden shards sliced
her flesh.  She rolled and rolled, and then darkness took her.

----

Ooops.

Poor horse.  Oh, well...

I stepped around the charred lump of a creature towards the mangled,
still burning wreck of a carriage.  Gold coins littered the crash
site, glittering amongst the frozen ground.  They barely caught my
gaze.  The only color I saw was red.  I extended my right hand to the
side, another orb of flame flickering to life at my clawtips.  Whoever
shot Vale was going to pay.

The wreckage stirred and I heard a whimper. Ears perked, I moved in to
investigate with my fireball at the ready.  Then the crying began.
What in blazes...?  I dispersed the spell and frantically moved a few
wooden panels away.  There lying in the snow was a human infant,
wrapped in clothes too large for his body.  An infant!  I nearly
killed a kid!

Moaning came from the snow to the right.  I left the child (who
obviously must have been all right if he could cry, blast it) and
stepped towards the figure sprawled out.  I grabbed her by the collar
and pulled her to her knees with my left hand.  "You're the one," I
growled, extending the claws on my right hand before her face.

"Eli... no!" she whimpered as the flames danced to life upon my fingertips.

"Your gods cannot save you."  I shook her once.  Her teary eyes
pleaded for mercy, but I only saw Vale bleeding in the snow.  How dare
she...

Before I could melt her face I slammed into the snow, tackled from the
left by something much larger than me.  How...!?  The kid!

He pinned me down, having grown to an age older than I was capable of.
 A blasted age regressed Keeper!  He snarled, despite being human, and
drew my very own sword from its scabbard.  I tried to roll, but his
strength far over powered my own.  With a quick jerk, I managed to
escape a stab at my heart, suffering a slice across my left forearm it
its place.

The tackle had dislodged my foot coverings.  Bunching my legs under
him, I slashed his belly with a furious kick of my toeclaws.  He
teetered and I seized the moment to roll on top of him and elicit a
much more bestial growl than he.  His recovery was quick, however, and
he tossed me off like a rag doll, slamming me into the frozen ground
once more.

But this time I had his hand.

I clutched the wrist with which he wielded my sword.  He shrieked in
pain as it blackened to a stump, my weapon harmlessly falling to the
ground.  I poured my rage into the spell, the heat melting away the
flesh until nothing but charred ash remained.

His foot slammed into my stomach as he squealed, and I flew backwards
into the carriage wreck, broken planks of wood breaking my fall.  He
went for my neck with his remaining hand.  Gasping, I shoved my claw
into his chest, sending forth a bright red plume of flame.  It was
over in an instant.  A quick pillar of fire blasted through his flesh.
 His eyes fell to the gaping hole in his abdomen, daylight streaming
through the bloodless wound cauterized by the heat, before crumpling
backwards like a felled tree.

I sat up on my haunches and pulled my cloak tightly around my body,
shuddering.  Tears streamed down my eyes and I realized for the first
time since childhood (my true childhood) I was crying.  Perhaps it was
the near death experience, or the throbbing pain in my arm.  Or some
combination.  Curse this blasted form...  Curse this forced
childhood...

Vale appeared first, running ahead of the others.  She had managed to
re-don her clothing, though she left her armor behind.  Her arm was
bound in a white cloth.  I hid my face in my cloak and wiped away the
tears.  It took a good moment to regain my composure-- my true self,
before showing my face to her, despite her demanding screams as she
approached.  Once my proper hardened exterior had been rebuilt, I
stood and assessed the situation, my right hand clutching the bleeding
slash-wound in my left upper arm.

"Holy crap, Virmir!"  Vincent was next, his eyes going wide at the
overturned carriage.  Then he looked to the piles of coins scattered
everywhere, slowly disappearing under the snow.  He jumped back when
he saw the kid with the hole in him, tail between his legs.

I sighed as a drop of blood escaped from between my fingers and fell
to the snow.  "We've stopped our bandits.  Let's go home."

----

Thanks for reading!

-- 
- Kendo Virmir
http://virmir.com -- Some of my stories!
http://metamorkeep.com -- Metamor Keep Archives