Return to Lynwood, Chapter 10

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7
Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10

The trip to the old keep would take two and a half days from here, but they would be far from boring ones, Isengrim thought as they began their march through the forest. The Haunted Woods was full of wild beauty, and the company couldn’t be beat. The only things dampening his mood were the curse, Connor’s struggles, and the nagging fear that someone or something might have found the staff by now. After all, it had been nearly fifteen years since that keep was destroyed—more than enough time for looters to comb through the ruins.

But he tried not to let that get him down. After all, the air was cool and clean, the trees were aflame in autumn colours, and he and his party chatted and sang as they went. Lexora was quite good company, and the secondhand shopkeeper had a great deal of secondhand stories from her father about his globetrotting business exploits.

Isengrim was fascinated with everything Mr. Fitchet had seen and done in places like Shenkuu and Krawk Island. Someday he would have to figure out a way to travel over Neopia more widely without causing too much trouble. The fact that he still had business ties to quite a few individuals on the wrong side of the law had made his dealings with other kingdoms complicated, and lately the fact had begun to set less and less well with him. He thought that when he returned home, he should devote some time to trying to figure out a solution.

 

They traveled south all day, and the forest grew deeper and older as they went. At nightfall, they found a clearing in which to camp, and Isengrim, Terra, Pharazon, and Lexora set to building a fire.

“If Celice was here,” Pharazon said as he fetched a flint and tinder, “she’d have a flame going with a snap of her fingers. I wish I’d thought to just pick up one of those cheap wands from that magic shop in Neovia—even I could at least conjure some sparks with something like that.”

“I’m sorry,” Terra said as she helped Lexora arrange firewood into an optimal arrangement for burning. “Didn’t you say those wands made you feel super uncomfortable, though? Like your magic got all itchy?”

Pharazon groaned, his shoulders slumping. “Yeah. They didn’t feel right in my paws at all. At any rate, those cheaply made wands aren’t much more than toys used by untrained kids who want to feel cool. For someone who studies magic seriously, being seen with one of those would be… totally embarrassing.”

“What about a more expensive tool?” asked a member of Isengrim’s pack as she cleared a space for herself to sleep near the fire. “I’ve seen plenty of fancy bespoke staves and talismans in Brightvale’s shops.”

“I tried all of those, too,” Pharazon said. “Even the ones that cost millions of Neopoints. Terra said she’d spare no expense for something that resonated with me. But… none of them did. They all felt like they were meant for someone else.”

“Blimey,” said one of the other Werelupes. “I didn’t realise magic was so fussy.” He picked up a sword belonging to one of his packmates and brandished it. “It ain’t like that with weapons. Once you learn how to wield something, you can make good use of just about any weapon of that type. I can’t imagine holding a sword that felt wrong in my paws.”

“It’s supposed to work the same for mages,” Pharazon said. “And usually it does. But Celice says my magic is some of the most weirdly particular she’s ever seen.” He sighed. “I just don’t understand why something that’s supposed to be as simple as finding an implement that fits me has to be so complicated.”

“I guess it would be too easy otherwise,” Terra said. “I know. It’s frustrating when something you want so badly is almost within your grasp, and then the situation takes an unexpected turn. You’ve just got to show how much you’re really willing to fight for it.”

Isengrim looked up from breaking branches into manageable pieces. “Is there anything I can do to help, Pharazon? Perhaps after all of this, I can reach out to my contacts and see if any of them know much about where to find such things.”

“I… might have to try that,” Pharazon said. “Although I’m not sure how good I’d feel about using a magic tool I got from, say, Malkus Vile’s crime network.”

“For good reason,” Isengrim said, staring into the dark distance of the Woods. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, because he also found himself uncomfortable with the idea.

“Well,” Suhel said, “I’m going to lead the others off on a hunt. I don’t want to use up all our stores, especially since we’re going to Lynwood now, too. Time to replenish.”

Lexora looked up from her work with an expression of distaste. “Oh my, do you really hunt? That’s quite beastly.”

Suhel paused for a moment, probably to allow the irony of that statement to soak in, seeing as Werelupes were rather beastly to begin with, but she offered no witty remark back. Instead, she looked somewhat hurt and said, “We don’t hunt for sport, Lexora. We’re not like those arrogant buffoons back home who treat nature like a plaything, and live for new trophies to hang in the parlor and brag about.” Her fur bristled as she spoke, but she took a deep breath and it smoothed again. “We take hunting seriously, as a matter of obtaining food and provisions. And we always try to use as much of it as we can.”

“Oh—I’m sorry,” Lexora said. “I didn’t mean to offend you. That was insensitive of me to jump to conclusions like that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Isengrim said. “It’s an easy conclusion to make when we are covered in bones and teeth.” He paused and smiled a bit. “Although we still brag from time to time.” The Werelupe held up the necklace that adorned his chest, with one large fang in the centre flanked by several slightly smaller teeth. “There are a few trophies on here from when Terra and I felled a Monocerous.”

Lexora’s eyes widened. “You don’t say!”

“Don’t give me so much credit,” Terra said, backing up so Pharazon could light the fire. “I barely did anything. You went warrior-mode and I mostly just got the wind knocked out of me.”

Isengrim gave her shoulders a squeeze. “You are too modest! Do not forget who wounded its leg and kept it from trampling me! And,” he added in a softer tone, “who convinced me to fight it in the first place. It is you who should be credited with saving that village, Terra.”

Terra thought for a moment, then patted his paw. “I think we both deserve credit,” she said. “Neither of us could have done it alone, but working together, we can achieve great things.”

“I think so, too,” Isengrim said.

“It sounds like there’s quite an adventure to be told there,” Lexora said.

“Aye, and perhaps we can talk about it after dinner,” Suhel said. “For now, we’d best be off or else there won’t be any dinner.” She coughed a bit. “Ah—Lexora, could you put some tea on while we’re out?”

“Of course,” Lexora said. “Am I to assume there’s a teakettle in one of the saddlebags?”

“That would be correct,” Pharazon said. “The one on the left. I think. Things get shuffled around a lot.”

No one needed to tell Connor to stay put—the boy had parked himself in front of the fire, watching Pharazon get a flame going and staring at it as if in a trance. Isengrim wished the pup would open up and get his feelings out, but that was something that could not be forced.

By the time the fire was going at full bore and the tea had been steeped, Suhel and the other Werelupes had returned with their catch. While they prepared it, Isengrim kept his family company, as Terra was squeamish about such things and Pharazon didn’t like watching either. As much as he enjoyed helping his pack, Isengrim had to admit that his wound at least let him sit back and enjoy his family a little more than usual. Lexora, on the other hand, was fascinated by everything the Werelupes were doing, and ended up assisting them with dinner.

“Typical for a carnivore,” Pharazon scoffed as he leaned against Gwyneth’s ribs.

Terra looked up from her sketchbook, where she was showing Isengrim some of her latest doodles and concepts for her Neopian Times writing. “Aren’t Draiks carnivorous, too?” she asked.

“Oh, I guess we are,” Pharazon said. “That might explain the whole breathing fire thing—I don’t suppose that’s particularly handy for gathering fruit.” He puffed his cheeks and blew hard—instead of flame, swirls of sparkly aqua magic plumed from his mouth. “Maybe being faerie takes all the bite out of me.”

Isengrim chuckled. “Could be.” He thought Pharazon was not really the type to be aggressive in the first place, though.

Over dinner, at Lexora’s request, Isengrim regaled them with the story of how he and Terra had saved one of his vassal villages from a Monocerous. That particular event was important to him, not just because of the incredible battle that he and his owner had emerged victorious from, but because it had been the start of a better attitude toward the non-Werelupe communities he governed.

Before, his peasants had lived in fear of the ravening monsters who demanded tribute from them—now, the Werelupes actively worked to protect the villagers and provide them aid in difficult growing seasons. Although their lands had technically belonged to Brightvale, by the time Isengrim and King Hagan sat down to talk about it, Isengrim’s vassals felt more like citizens of the Werelupe Woods, so Hagan ceded the entire territory to Isengrim. Which was just as well, the Werelupe King thought, as Brightvale was not doing anything at all with the distant wilderness region. All of these might have been Isengrim’s decisions to make, but he had to credit his owner with inspiring him to seek a better path.

When he finished up that story, as a bonus, Isengrim told the tale of how he earned the largest fang on his necklace—a Monoceraptor tooth. This was one of the oldest stories in his repertoire, but it was well worth retelling, because it was the story of how he formed his pack. Before this, all Werelupes had been solitary creatures, fighting with one another for food and territory whenever they met, but during one of these chance meetings, a Monoceraptor attack forced a change in priorities.

Isengrim was the one to realise that they had to work together to survive, and he rallied the other Werelupes that night to fight under his leadership. When the Monocerous was felled, Isengrim extended to his new allies an offer to form a pack, and they accepted. That was the beginning of Isengrim’s crusade to join together the Werelupes of the Haunted Woods to be more than they could be alone—and to be the family they all needed so desperately.

As he spoke of it, the king’s eyes met Suhel’s, and she smiled. She was one of the Werelupes who fought alongside him that night, and her prowess in battle was still unsurpassed by no other pack member except himself. Just as importantly, she was a loyal, hard-working friend who cared deeply about her place in the well-oiled machine that was their pack.

It was odd for Isengrim to think that there was ever a time she had not been a Werelupe—that apparently, long ago, she had been a little girl at a secondary school with Lexora. She had never spoken of her past to him. He guessed she did not really want to remember it, so he never bothered her about it. But now it seemed it had come back to her whether she liked it or not.

Lexora was positively enthralled by the Werelupes’ tales of daring battle, which made Isengrim’s heart swell with pride—but that pride was dampened a bit by Connor’s unresponsiveness. The pup had sat watching the fire the whole time, barely eating, seeming to completely ignore the stories, the chatter, and the singing. When everyone finally began to quiet down and curl up on their cloaks and bedrolls – or just the bare ground, for most of the Werelupes – Connor trudged to the blanket Lexora had kindly brought for him and tucked his tail between his legs, burying his snout in his arm. His ears stayed low and he shut his eyes tightly, like all of this was just a bad dream.

“Give him time,” Terra said, crouching by Isengrim as Suhel checked his wound. “He’s been through a lot these past two days, and he’s just a kid, he doesn’t have his brain chemistry quite sorted out yet. It could take him a while to process everything.”

“This is my fault,” Suhel muttered as she applied more salve to Isengrim’s leg. “I shouldn’t have been so harsh with him last night. I scared him.”

Isengrim shook his head. “You were acting to defend everyone in that house, Suhel. If you hadn’t stopped him, he would have put us all in danger. And you were trying your best to talk to him, I heard you downstairs.”

“Children are tricky things if you’re not used to them,” Terra said. “They definitely operate differently than adults, and I think that’s why a lot of adults lose patience with them so easily. But your heart was in the right place, so don’t worry about it. It just takes practice.”

Suhel grimaced as she re-wrapped the wound. “He just really knows how to push a Neopet’s buttons,” she whispered, flicking a glance over to Connor to make sure he was asleep. “And the worst part is, I don’t think he quite understands he’s doing it.  But when he insulted you, milord—I’m sorry, I just couldn’t bear it.”

Isengrim took her paw in his. “Your loyalty is admirable, Suhel. I am sorry he offended you. But you apologised, so there is nothing more for you to do but forgive yourself and move on. It is not your fault if he continues to be difficult.”

His second-in-command gave his paw a squeeze. “Thank you, milord. I promise, I’ll be more patient with him from now on.”

“You have always done your best,” Isengrim said with a smile. “Do not let it trouble you anymore. Go get some rest. We’ll have that curse off of you soon.”

At the mention of the curse, a jolt of fear passed through Suhel’s green eyes, and she smiled nervously. “Thanks—I hope so—“ She began to cough and moved away, covering her arm so she wasn’t coughing into his face. “Good night, milord,” she managed to get out as she went to her spot on the ground. Isengrim watched her until her coughing subsided, and only then would he let himself sleep.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7
Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10