“Uhm…” Alex droned dumbly, “Should we be doing this here? Is it safe to stay, I mean?”
The beast tilted his head, again making him look like a house pet. A very large, very deadly, house pet. “No, I suppose this isn’t the best place. It seems my brain is still a bit slow. I believe I know of a location if you are willing to follow.”
Alex hesitated for a moment before agreeing, but not without throwing a glance back toward the lifeless wolf. He’d really wanted to take the body with him, maybe try to figure out a way to separate the beast from its fur. The plan had been to go shopping before his expedition, it was why he’d absconded with the money in the first place. He would have had armor, weapons, and anything else he needed. Instead, he was stuck with filth sodded rags, dulling weapons, and shoes that were set to fall off at any moment. Alex didn’t know how most would feel about his burgeoning habit of corpse carrying, but he was even more unsure how the wolf would react to him wanting to skin one of his own for clothing. Running out of time, as the beast again stood, he decided on an air of nonchalance.
“Should we just leave them there?”
For his part, the wolf physically turned to give the body a glance, though it was obvious what Alex had been referencing. A beat of silence passed before the beast growled out a sound that might have passed for a chuckle. “If you are asking for permission, you need not, there is no love lost between me and that cub, nor any from his pack. Do what you will.”
Alex wasn’t certain whether the beast was being entirely genuine with how perpetually flat his tone was, but he moved anyway, if only to break the creature’s predatory gaze. When he turned his back and no attack came, Alex limped his way over to the body and stored the remains of the large beast in his inventory.
“I’m following your lead,” Alex said as he rejoined the old wolf, and with no further discussion, they were off.
“So…” Alex began awkwardly, the sound coming out before his brain had settled on a question. “Well since we're moving anyway, I wanted to start with the favor. Do you know the location of any, uhh, camping grounds?” he asked, recalling the term Theodora had used.
The beast let the question hang for a moment, and Alex didn’t interrupt the silence. “No, I don’t believe so, maybe I know of them, but not by that name. What is their purpose?”
Alex explained the spaces as he understood them, and the beast responded once he was finished, another of those growl like chuckle’s leaking out.
“Yes, I know of what you speak, though there are few true safe spaces this deep into the forest. I do not believe I can recall the location of any specific ones, as they fail to impede my travels any, but if it is lodgings you seek, I may be able to supply a place.” It is something of a personal hideout, but I would be open to letting you stay there, as I will not need it in the near future.”
“And it’s safe?” Alex questioned. “No offense, but I did just meet you in the middle of a life or death battle. I might have helped, but I don’t want to get caught up in another mortal coil because I stayed at your place.”
“It was only an offer in response to your request. I am not demanding you stay so no need to be so obtuse. I will say however, none of those who hunt me know of this location, nor will I even be there presuming you had no plans to move your primary residency.”
Seeing he’d clearly touched a nerve with his comments, Alex ducked his head in acquiescence. “Sorry, my travels seem to have dulled my social skills, I would at least like to take a look at the place.” The pair switched direction slightly without another word, the scene of the never ending forest uninterrupted, and Alex had to reengage the conversation as to not let the air grow unfriendly. “So how’d all this happen anyway? Why were the two of you fighting?”
The beast glanced over to make it obvious he knew Alex’s objective, and that he was being gracious by going along with the diversion, though his next response showed he wasn’t going to make it easy. “I shall answer, but do not think I forgot your sudden appearance. I would ask why you were up in that tree to begin with.”
Alex shrugged, wincing as the motion sent a ghost pain down his arm and into non-existent fingers. The reality of his right hand wasn’t something his mind had completely accepted yet, and he hoped he would never need to. Shifting focus back to the conversation, he nodded. Their deal wasn’t meant to be some fair trade of information, but Alex could accept this much. If the beast continued to push after he gave his answer though, then he might have an issue.
“I was just passing through, saw some interesting tracks and followed them to an interesting event.”
“So you decided to watch from the trees?”
“I did.” Not wanting to be that guy, he elaborated. “Look, I’ll be honest, I still don’t know you from the dead guy. Why would I just waltz into a fight of two more powerful entities for no reason? You saw me, offered something, and after I deemed it a worthy trade, picked a side. Now are you going to quit focusing on hypothetical situations and get to your end of the deal, or did you plan to spring an old switcheroo on me?”
“I planned no such switcheroo, if by that you mean betrayal.” the wolf protested, his tone filled with obvious indignation. “I am a one who keeps their word; it is just imperative I understand who I’d given that word to. It is as you said such an inquiry is reasonable in these circumstances.”
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“And,” Alex prodded, feeling he was coming to understand the beast’s personality.
“Somewhat callous, but understandable. Then to answer your question, I suppose who I am is the best place to start. My name is Grahamhold.”
It was only then, at the opening words to the man’s statement, that Alex realized his mistake, he’d just opened the floodgates. The elder wolf spoke as they walked, both of their limps lessening as they trekked through the canopied forest. Alex made a point to both keep Sixth Sense as an extended range and a detailed mental map of their path. It might not be perfect, but he’d made a point to mark down multiple specific landmarks, which should be enough to escape from any trap.
After talking to Graham for the last twenty minutes, Alex had grown more certain that his understanding of the wolf’s personality was apt. He was a real stalwart of honor, but held no sympathies for those he’d felt betrayed him. Still, Alex figured he was better off safe than sorry.
The wolf’s tale was atypical but somewhat cliché. He was some retired general equivalent who didn’t agree with the changing times and was vocal about it. Due to the mutual distaste between him and the new leadership, he spent most of his time away from their seat of power, wherever in the forest that was. After being invited back under the guise of diplomatic relations, he’d been poisoned, but managed to escape. At least until he’d been tracked down by one of the scouts whilst suffering from the toxin’s effects.
“I got lucky, though I suppose it only goes to prove my point. The warrior,” he continued, his tone making a mockery of the word, “lacked discipline, only cared about prestige without considering what it took to gain that recognition. He thought he could take me in this weakened state, and likely would have if not for your intervention. Now he shall rot, and the pack is none the wiser of my movements.”
Though the fact should have been seen as a positive, all Alex could hear in the wind that reached his ears was tiredness.
“You don’t think he called for help first? Or that others might be close enough to pick up the trail.” Alex hadn’t seen anything skulking about, but he couldn’t claim to be an expert.
“No, I would have heard any vocal call he made, and if he’d reported manually, a whole group would have arrived with him. As for picking up the trail, who knows, I have done my part to obfuscate our presence as we moved, but they have clearly been bypassed before. I can’t claim with certainty that they will not find us, but I am doing my best.”
That was all he could ask for he supposed, especially after the wolf had explained he’d used much of his remaining mana to stop the scout from spearing Alex to death whilst he’d been on the opponent’s back. He hadn’t even known something like a counter spell was possible, but it still seemed like an incredibly useful trick, even if it only worked in one domain as he expected.
“So what’s your plan after this? You can’t just roam the forest hoping you don’t get ambushed.”
“No, I suppose I can’t,” the beast said with another of its throaty chuckles. “The substance is not a standard one, but I was able to realize the danger before ingesting too much. The plan, as you put it, is to make my way to Endor, I’m reasonably certain an alchemist there will be able to supply me an antidote if I’ve managed to fend it off for this long.
“And they’ll just let you in?” Alex inquired with some doubt. He hadn’t remembered seeing a single beast, and though his time had been short, he assumed even a single lumbering creature would have been easy to spot.
“I had my suspicions, but you’re really not from around here. Must be a rather isolated village for you to have never met an intelligent beast.” He expected him to push the claim, but instead only continued on to answer the question. “Some of us are born with the ability, and others may gain it over time, but many species of beasts can transform into a humanoid form. Even then we are not openly welcome, but our occasional presence is something of an open secret. As long as we don’t cause any trouble, or run into the wrong group, there won't be any issues. We have arrived, let me first make sure the space remained unmolested in my absence, then we can continue this within.”
Alex didn’t sense anything and was going to object if the wolf tried to go off on his own, but he only closed his eyes and stood there. Trying to get a better sense of what the beast was doing, he focused on Sixth Sense. The assassin could barely feel what he thought was the man’s ability, but the concept was so foreign Alex couldn’t comprehend anything beyond that.
Opening his eyes a minute later, the beast looked down at Alex and spoke. “It seems to be in the same state I left it. I understand you remain tense due to our unfamiliarity, but I ask you to decide whether you will trust me now rather than continue this mild animosity. Alex, if you would rather we stay out here and chat, that is fine, though I feel compelled to add that you’ll be able to bathe if you do enter.”
Alex was pretty sure it was meant to be a joke based on the tone, his inflections so constant even a slight variation was easy to differentiate, but if it was an honest offer, it was definitely working. With the way abilities worked, he couldn’t be sure, but Alex thought he understood enough about the old canine by this point. Motioning his hand out palm up as if to say lead the way, his temporary companion did just that, the pair entering what Alex would have generously described as an oasis, at least in comparison to his other lodgings.
“Happy with your choice?” Graham asked, a bit of mirth present at Alex’s open mouth expression.
He most definitely was. The hideout itself wasn’t necessarily large, only spanning a tree enclosed clearing about a hundred feet at its most distant points. A stream passed through the space, though a large pond sat in the middle which, based on the size, Alex guessed was man-made. It could easily fit at least two of the massive wolf, and wasn’t the only thing equip to handle an inhibitor much larger than him. Off to the side of the stream was a cave and, though Alex couldn’t see much of the inside from his vantage, it looked to be barren but very spacious.
For the most part, the clearing was covered in a bed of well-manicured green grass, cut so that it felt good on his nearly bare feet. It wrapped up and around the bit of cave that protruded out the cliff wall above, only interrupted by a sizable section of sandy dirt left intentionally barren. There were a few trees with what Alex guessed was fruit hanging off their branches, though none he recognized from earth. The fall atmosphere of the forest suggested they should be ripe for picking, so he’d mention it to Graham when he got the chance. All that was to say, the space seemed great, especially with his privacy assured.
“And you don’t mind if I crash here for the next few weeks?”