Zalia left the building, leaving behind the General and slowly walking through the camp. She felt a little better now that she had put the responsibility of all the information and decision making her team had onto the General. She probably should have talked to them first about bringing Faian into the fold but didn't feel too bad, considering the situation. She knew that Zen for one would be happy to be rid of the great weight they had been carrying. Indis would probably be quite upset that she hadn’t been included in the conversation but Zalia didn't care about that considering what the woman had been hiding from them. All they had to do now was their part in Endelbyrn and one way or another, it would be over.
Zalia thought about what she would do after it was finally over. She didn't really feel like staying with the Morning’s Shade at that moment, her only reason to stay being her team but it didn't seem like they would be staying there themselves. Indis would probably leave once her goal had been achieved, looking for more efficient ways to bring her house back to power and Zen would go back to his farm and family. She didn't know what Ember would do but Zalia realised she wouldn't mind bringing the woman along in her exploration of the lands outside of Endaria. Not only did Ember have quite a suite of healing and survival abilities but she was also somewhat introverted like Zalia was. Zalia also knew her to be a good person that she could rely on, though she had thought of Indis that way up until recently as well.
Indis was something that was weighing heavily on Zalia’s mind. She didn't know how to feel about recent developments. On one hand, Zalia could see why Indis didn't explain the whole situation to them. Initially, she most likely didn't trust them enough to share it and it seemed like by the time she was ready to share, they were on the path towards opposing the king anyways. After that, well, there were many excuses that could be made.
The other side of her confusion was how betrayed she felt. While she knew people were complex and hard to understand, often very much so for her, any reason Indis gave for not revealing what she knew couldn't excuse that she had withheld important information from them. Not only did they waste time confirming things she already knew to be true but she had also semi-lied about her past. If she was willing to lie so easily and withhold information she knew them to need, was she really a friend? Zalia wasn't sure. She didn't know how far Indis would be willing to go to achieve her own goals, what she might sacrifice. When it came to trusting a friend and ally, someone willing to sacrifice anything to achieve their goals was not a prime choice.
She sighed, coming to a stop as she leaned against the stone wall of a building, hands on knees.
“Soon Boreal, soon we can leave this all behind,” Zalia whispered.
Boreal looked up with wide eyes, understanding Zalia through her abilities and their bond.
“Mreow?” Boreal asked.
“Yes, we can go back north if you want,” Zalia replied.
It seemed Boreal was missing the icy lands of her origin.
“Let's go tell them the news shall we” Zalia said, pushing off the wall.
She made her towards the tent that held her friends before hesitating.
“You know what, we can tell them later. Let’s go into the woods,” Zalia said to Boreal, changing her mind.
She left the camp, making her way towards the beautiful pond for the third time in recent days. This time she didn't run through the woods, watching her surroundings and using the time to mull over the thoughts in her head. She had almost reached the pond when a glimmer in the corner of her sight caught her eye. She turned and found one of the ethereal, starry wolves watching her from the woods. She froze, unsure if the creature was hostile or not but upon seeing her, it slowly walked forwards. Boreal walked up beside Zalia, sitting down and meowing at the wolf. The wolf also stopped and sat.
“Um, hello?” Zalia said, a little worried.
She had really thought that the wolves had accepted her idea and left the camp in peace.
The wolf stood and a concept flooded her mind. Images of paths and trails winding through the woods, thoughts of being one amongst many in a pack, all the information forming together to create a single concept within her mind. Follow.
The wolf turned and loped back into the woods, moving quite quickly through the undergrowth. Zalia looked at Boreal.
“Should we follow?” she asked.
Boreal responded by purring then running off after the wolf. Zalia hesitated for only a moment before smiling, letting her thoughts drift away and running after the two.
She sprinted through the forest, letting her muscle memory take over as the trees flashed past. They burst out of the woods into a small plains between two sections of forest, the three of them jumping past or over what looked like an ironfur rabbit before entering the treeline once more. They dashed through the forest once more, moving ever further from camp.
Zalia let the motion and journey take her mind, her only thought on the next jump, the next sideways adjustment. It felt like only ten minutes had passed before they arrived at a ridge she remembered only too well. Running up and stopping at the top, she recognised the clearing as the sky above went dark by whatever magic rested in this place. A dark pool with a glimmering light in its depths sat in the centre, surrounded by a clearing upon which many more of the ethereal wolves rested. She paused, hesitant, as the wolf moved down into the clearing.
“Last chance to turn back from whatever this is,” Zalia said, looking at Boreal.
Boreal however, didn't seem hesitant whatsoever. She moved down the ridge after the wolf, almost bouncing along.
“Well, she seems convinced,” Zalia thought.
Maybe Boreal felt the same way that Zalia initially had about the creatures. They were on the side of nature much as both Boreal and Zalia were. She walked down the ridge after Boreal, following into the clearing as a great number of sets of starlit pinprick eyes turned to observe her. Many of the wolves stayed where they were, sat upon rocky outcroppings with ears pricked in her direction. Others still stood up, slowly padding towards where Zalia and Boreal now walked, making their way towards the pool. They reached the pool and began walking around it, still following the wolf that had led them here. As they moved around the pool, Zalia began to see a large cave mouth cut into the side of one of the stone outcroppings. The wolves were large, standing at around Zalia’s shoulder height but what she saw within the cave made her stop dead in her tracks. Making its way out of the cave mouth was a wolf twice the size of any of the other wolves. It had an ethereal body much like the others but varied in the thick mane it grew. It also had a crown of stars, the one at the very front larger and shaped like a half moon.
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Zalia stared in awe as the creature approached her and wondered if she should bow to it. The wolf held itself with such nobility as it moved smoothly and silently towards her. As it eventually neared her the wolf bowed to her, much to her surprise.
“Greetings, Druid, and welcome to our enclave,” a deep and resonant voice sounded in her mind.
Zalia stayed silent for a moment, trying to decide how to address the wolf.
? - ? rank.
That gave her chills, her ability couldn't even decipher what rank the creature was. Many could hide their ranks from her but never had she seen a question mark rank. She decided to be real polite.
“Greetings, Starlit Majesty, thank you for the invitation,” Zalia replied, gesturing to the wolf that had led them there.
The wolf seemed amused at the title she had given it.
“Tell me Druid, how did you come to know of us,” the wolf asked, voice resounding once more in her mind.
“I tracked one of your kind here and discovered your enclave. I decided to leave you in peace yet we needed you to cease stealing from our camp. I hope I have not offended you by my actions,” Zalia said, really hoping she hadn’t made a huge mistake.
“Offended? No, of course not. It had been a very long time indeed since any have given tribute to us willingly. Not since the Bathar roamed these lands,” the wolf assured.
“The Bathar?” Zalia asked.
“They look much like you, only taller and grow their own fur,” the wolf explained.
“That must be the race Ember and Indis were talking about,” Zalia realised.
“I hope my tribute was of worth to you,” Zalia said.
“Of course. You must be a Hunter as well as a Druid to track and hunt so well,” the wolf said.
“I am, I must say I am significantly better at being a Hunter than a Druid however,” Zalia admitted.
“It matters not, you are still young. You will find your way in time. Come, I would give you my blessing, Zalia of the Druids,” the wolf told her, walking over to the pool.
“In what way have I earned your blessing?” Zalia asked.
“My power has waned much since the days past, not many still revere the old gods. Those of us who remain wish to see nature preserved and you have shown yourself to be someone who would do such. Do I see wrongly, Zalia?” the wolf asked.
“I would do what I can within the limits of my power,” Zalia said, a storm of different thoughts and emotions rushing through her head.
“And so you shall,” the wolf said.
Zalia walked over to the pool next to the great wolf. God? She did not know.
“Dip your bow into the pool and receive my blessing young one,” the wolf explained.
Zalia summoned her bow, hesitant.
“Do not be afraid. If I wished you harm the bow would not save you,” the wolf said.
Zalia considered the words and realised it was probably true. She knelt down and carefully dipped the bow into the water, holding it there. The glimmer of starlight that she could see deep within the pool slowly grew brighter and brighter. Before long a beam of light shone from the pool into the sky above, lighting it up from its darkened state. One by one the wolves around the clearing started howling to the sky, the larger wolf next to her joining in last, its howl deeper than the rest.
Congratulations! Your bonded weapon ‘Hunter’s Bow’ has been blessed by a god.
Congratulations! Your bonded weapon ‘Druidic Bow, Blessed by Starlight’ has become deeply bonded.
‘Hunter’s Bow(Heirloom) - Bonded Tin rank’ has become ‘Druidic Bow, Blessed by Starlight (Blessed Heirloom) - Deeply bonded Iron rank’.
Druidic bow, Blessed by Starlight (Blessed Heirloom) - Deeply bonded Iron rank
Tin - Arrows fired from this bow gain a powerful seeking effect.
Iron - When this bow is drawn without an arrow nocked, a Starlight arrow with the ‘Starlit’ effect will be summoned in its place.
Starlit - affected weapon passes through non-magical armour and applies Light from Within.
Light from Within - affected target takes a small amount of damage over time as starlight glows from within
By becoming deeply bonded, Druidic Bow, Blessed by Starlight is now able to transform into ‘Druidic Blade, Blessed by Starlight’.
Druidic Blade, Blessed by Starlight (Blessed Heirloom) - Deeply bonded Iron rank
Tin - Druidic Blade, Blessed by Starlight is magically sharp and remains so permanently.
Iron - When wielded by you, Druidic Blade, Blessed by Starlight gains the ‘Starlit’ effect.
Zalia pulled the bow from the pool as the howling stopped, silence blanketing the clearing. She looked down at the transformed weapon in wonder. It looked to be made of a dark wood that had a soft glow emanating from lightly inscribed flowing lines. The bowstring was ethereal much like the wolves, glowing as well. Inscribed amongst the flowing lines was a small feline animal with a frosty paw print trail. She mentally commanded the weapon to transform into its sword shape and found it to be made of a similar material. It had the same flowing lines that were lit from within but it was shaped differently to her old sword. This one was single edged and slightly shorter, the end tapering to a point on the bladed side. The blunt side didn't taper, simply holding a straight backed form. The depiction of the feline appeared here too, this time on the blade closer to the hilt. She knew instinctively what it was a depiction of, of course. She knelt down, showing the weapon to Boreal. It seemed the weapon had formed a deep enough magical bond with her to recognise the similar bond she had with Boreal and shape itself to show that.
“Look, it's you,” Zalia whispered, admiring the weapon.
She turned to the wolf, still kneeling.
“Thank you for what you have done for me. I don't know how to repay you for this,” Zalia said.
“No thanks is needed. Go now, protect nature wherever it is found, young druid. May your path be guided by the starlight,” the wolf said, turning and moving back to its cave.
Zalia stood, looking around the clearing. All around, the wolves were slowly fading into the nearby forest and rocks, disappearing from sight. The sky above slowly brightened once more and she was left standing in a seemingly normal clearing.