Chapter 2:

An Adventurer’s Beginning

A Hero of Many Forms


The second where under the canopy of trees I feel better. More at home. I let my fingers brush the trunks as we pass. There’s moss covered rocks, and twisting trucks. My sharp pointed ears catch the sound of a creek, and other things. The trees whispering chatter. Where the creek flows into a riverbed, where the sun shines brightest, and the best soil to grown in. Two trees gossip about a new neighbor, a dandelion weed, that’s sprouted next to them. 

“If we both drain the soil of nutrients-“ 

“This invader won’t live long.” The other agrees. Even the most beautiful nature can be violent as a stare up at the towering trees, as they plot murder. I run to catch up jumping from on point to another, right over where I know muddy earth lay. Kore is sipping of her boots. Lumine whistles. 

“Wish I had an elves grace.” I do a little bow for the human. Kore herself is half human, and half Genesi. Though she looks human I can sense a dormant fire burning within her. It’s what drew me to her in the first place. That and her no nonsense demeanor that reminded me a bit of my mother. She also rarely visibly reacted to anything. Much like a soldier herself. I suppose in some ways she fought battles of her own. 

“Let’s go.” I let Kore lead as I inquire about the monster where looking for. There has been little description, but the trees do try to help. 

“It’s a big, white, scaled predator.” I say. “They eat a lot of sheep.” I say. They also attacked a a shepherd boy. It was to dark for his human eyes to get a good look at it. It roared. Not a grow or a screech. A roar. A manticore, maybe. My mother used to read me fairytales about them and some real life stories of her fighting monsters. Both the monster and people variety. Albeit probably as sugarcoated as she could make the stories. Protecting me from the reality of her world was perhaps the only thing that could counteract her blunt. All be it’s only a little. 

“A big predator?” A tree questions to the tree next to it. 

“A monster?” 

“An animal?” One speaks up. 

“There has been no strange magic here girl.” While at least I know no one‘s been stupid enough to summon something into the woods not that I expected any of the locals to do something that’s stupid. They know better. Across the town is the forest that is the bridge between here and the Fae Realm. Locals don’t tend to go into the woods at all if they can help it. I can even see where a magic plant has spread here. The soft orange glow of a Sun Lantern. I hear a flutter over head. I smile. Merlin. My mother had traveled with him once, and now her travels with me. He flutters from branch to branch over my head as we walk. Lumine eyes him wearily. In our first battle together, he saw him transform into a wolf. When I dodged his questions about him, he seemed even more suspicious. I couldn’t blame him really, but it still put me on edge, the way he looked at him. We soon came to walk along side the creek. 

“Lizard-“ 

“Claws-“


“Sharp teeth-“ The trees speak over each other here, trying to get my attention. 

“-Den-“ I catch the important bits. 

“The trees say there’s a den nearby.” I say feeling very in my element. Lumine shoots me a skeptical look back. He’s seen goblins, and giant frogs, but me having powerful magic skills is just too much for him. Am I too young looking?  To un-intimidating? I’ll have to ask my mom when I head home. I close my eyes, letting the trees whispers guide me along. 

“-sunning rocks by the river-“ I stop, and open my eyes. 

“Its den is just there. It will most likely return here.” I point to the rocks. Kore seemed to just be wandering about, and Lumine almost trips. I use a root to catch him. 

“Thanks kid.” He smiles. I nod. Merlin as a Merlin circles the rock. I feel the moss, and grass whisper. I lean down to see a foot print on the riverbank. It it large. The animal seems a little bigger than sheep. It is lizard like. With sharp talon like claws. Four toes. It’s its back foot, but it probably has for legs with the way the weight distributed. 

“It’s large-“ 

“Way to state the obvious.” 

“But not bigger than a lion. Four legged, but it can probably balance on two.” 

“How do you know that?” Kore asks. 

“My mother taught me hunting and tracking.” I rack my brain for the images of the magical creature footprints from the many books my mom owns on hunting, tracking, and wilderness survival. Merlin lets out a cry above. I raise my dagger. Then from the branches drops down a small, white dragon. He roars in my direction. 

“Oh.” It’s perhaps one of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen. “You’re so beautiful.”  I speak calmly to it. White dragons are supposed to be fairly intelligent. So I’ve read. It cocks its head to one side, the motion reminding me of Merlin. It’s then I realize that it’s not just small, but a baby dragon, with a broken wing. “Oh you poor baby. What are you doing all alone?” I quickly realize it must be too young to understand the common tongue. I can speak the language of any animal I come across, even the plants. I’ve always been able to do it. “Can you understand me now?” I ask. I see its eyes light up with recognition. It’s tail wags. 

“Friend? Fae friend?” So it can tell I’m part Fae. 

“Yes I-“ I switch to common as I see Kore pull out her weapon. A spiked ball on a chain. 

“What are you doing?” I say loud enough in common that the baby turn to see what’s angered me, and leaps back up into the trees  hissing. Lumine curses. 

“Do you know how much people will pay for dragon scales? Will spilt it three ways if you distracted again.” Lumine says gripping his spear. 

“It’s a baby. With mind to match. Equivalent to that of a small child or toddler, it will grow into an adult sentient, aware, and alive.” I stress the last word. 

“It attacked a shepherd boy, your village will be happy to be rid of it. Will be heroes.” Kore says. I boil with anger. 

“I don’t live in the village. I told you I live outside of it. And didn’t you see it can be reasoned with. It’s young and scared, and no different from that boy. You won’t hurt it.” Kore is already studying the trees. I turn to Lumine. 

“Then stay out of our way.” He says. 

“I won’t let you.” At the harshness of my voice Kore looks back at me. Her expression unbreakable. I wonder what she sees when she looks at my face. She doesn’t give me long to ponder with the reflexes of a soldier. The ball on chain shoots straight for me. I don’t bother to dodge us a branch reaches out to grab it just before he can touch me. I flinch, stepping back. Roots grow underneath my feet as the trees try to keep my footing level. An understanding coming over me. I need to protect this creature. I raise water from the river with my mind, and with a wave of my hand the water turns into an icicle, barely missing Kore. Lumine who happened focused on the branches looks at me with pure shock. He backs away, but takes a randomly at the branches anyway. Not yet persuaded to stop his hunt for gold. I hear a fearful roar from the trees. Then a yowl. As a leopard leaps from the trees onto Lumine. Merlin to my aid as always. I hear screaming. Then something hits me in the the shoulder. I fall back onto the bank. Kore looks at me with a look I recognize. The same look I’ve seen on my mothers face. The look of someone who’s resolved themselves to kill. Then all I can hear is rushing water.

Carra Wolf
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