Malicade watched his death walk towards him, careful to avoid putting much pressure on its right leg.

9 feet away.

It huffed heavily from exertion.

8 feet away.

Sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight, mouth open and watering.

Yet he made no move to back away.

7 feet.

A shadow blocked out the sun, sending a wave of darkness across Malicade's face.

The earth shook in front of him, something now stood in between him and the bear.

It was massive in stature. At first Malicade mistook it for another bear, it was large enough to be one, but there was something different about it.

"Oh my God." He mumbled, unable to believe his eyes.

It was much more slender than a bear, legs skinny yet muscular. Covered in a heavy grey coat of fur, tail tucked between its legs. Back arched down, ears pressed against its head.

Between him and the bear was a wolf. Not just any wolf however, it was almost the same size as the bear whose path it blocked.

It snarled and barked at the bear, who roared back in return. The wolf took two steps to its right, the bear doing likewise.

"Th-there's no way!" Malicade thought to himself.

Almost as if it read his mind, the wolf looked back at him, it's deep hazel eyes peering into his soul.

Seeing its foe distracted, the bear lunged forward. A powerful overhead swipe from its left paw arcing straight for the wolf's head. The wolf danced backwards, narrowly dodging what could've been a fatal strike.

Wasting no time it jumped forward, snapping its jaws onto the side of the bear's neck. The bear reared back onto its hind legs, letting out an anguished cry. The wolf dropped down onto the ground once more, squatting down and using its powerful legs sending it upward once again. It smashed its head into the center of the bear's chest, knocking it backwards.

Spinning around in the air to not land on its back, the bear collapsed under its own weight because of the dagger still embedded into its front arm.

The wolf growled once more at it, holding its ground between Malicade and the bear.

The bear roared back once more, before running off into the woods in shame, defeated. The shaking of the ground subsiding the farther away it got.

The victor howled up at the sky in triumph.

Malicade sat there breathless at what he just saw. Bears and wolves skirmishing wasn't uncommon, this wasn't his first time witnessing that.

But this was something different entirely. He'd never seen a wolf or bear of these sizes before. Only in legends had he heard of animals that big, it was almost as if the Gods themselves were doing battle.

God's

His eyes turned to saucers when it struck him, jaw almost unhinging it dropped so wide.

"Lycaon." He sputtered out.

Almost as if in recognition of the name, the wolf turned to him. Malicade swiftly swung over onto his knees and bowed deeply, beginning to utter a prayer once more.

His heart felt like it was going to beat through his chest, sweat starting to permeate all across his body. He wasn't afraid, in his culture wolves were worshiped as holy beings, descendants from the one true God Lycaon himself. Malicade had a feeling he had received the best omen of all, for this was no ordinary animal.

"It can't be." He thought to himself.

"Rise my child." A powerful yet welcoming voice said, from both everywhere and nowhere.

Malicade picked his head up, uncertain of what to do next. The wolf had moved closer to him, snout only a couple feet from his face. Its deep hazel eyes peered into him once more, studying him as they did.

"Did you just… talk to me?" Malicade asked.

It blinked long and slowly, eyes never leaving his. The wolf's body seemed to glow faintly lime around its body, just like the bear had glown orange.

"You did well." The voice spoke again.

"Is-is that you speaking?"

The wolf nodded.

Malicade's eyes managed to grow even wider than before, "Th-then that means… no, it can't be. Are you really Lycaon?"

The wolf nodded once more.

"Indeed I am." Lycaon said.

Malicade instantly bowed once more, bending down with such force he almost smashed his head into the ground.

"I've already told you once child, rise. There's no need to bow in my presence."

He lifted his head once more and the two studied each other.

"Thank you for saving my life."

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Lycaon was silent.

A pain filled groan brought Malicade back to reality.

"Reculan!" He shouted, shooting up from his kneeling position and sprinting over to his mentor."

"Are you alright!?" He asked.

Reculan said nothing, his face deathly pale. Malicade quickly examined his wound, which much to his dismay was still steadily oozing blood.

"No! No, no no." He cried out, eyes flooding with tears. "I'm sorry. I left you, I left you to die. It's all my fault!"

He punched the tree, he punched the ground. He cursed himself for failing his friend.

Lycaon made his way over to the tree under which the two men lay.

“Why?" Malicade asked him.

"Why what?" Lycaon responded.

"Why would you save me? I abandoned a member of my family, I left him to die alone. Why show yourself to me?" Malicade was shaking as he spoke, barely able to control his emotions.

"You did nothing wrong my child-" Lycaon began.

"You're wrong!" Malicade shouted, "I abandoned him! I-"

"But you came back!" Lycaon boomed, the earth seeming to shake as he spoke, "You followed his orders, he had every right to give them to you as your elder."

"But I left him to die by doing so!"

"Then why are you here now? If you had truly left him to die then you wouldn't be."

"But…" Malicade began, the defeat showing in his voice.

"But nothing." Lycaon said firmly, "Had it not been for you, your friend would not still be drawing breath right now. He lives because of you."

Malicade bowed his head, "Will you please save him? I'll do anything but please, save his life." He looked up into Lycaon's eyes, tears streaming down his own.

The wolf extended his snout outwards to Reculan, touching Reculan's forehead with his nose, and closed his eyes.

A faint lime green glow silhouetted Reculan until Lycaon removed his snout.

Reculan coughed violently, whole body shaking. The coughing fit subsided, his breathing became less labored and more even. The blood flowing from his wound became little more than a trickle. Malicade quickly applied more ointment and wrapped it tightly in a bandage.

"Thank you." He exclaimed happily.

"I've done all I can, if he lives or dies is up to him now."

His friend now taken care of, Malicade leaned deeply back against the tree. A question weighed heavily on his mind.

"Great Lycaon sir, may I ask a question?"

The wolf shifted his attention from Reculan to Malicade.

"I believe you just did." He responded.

Malicade went quiet, unsure and embarrassed.

"Speak your question." Lycaon finally said.

Malicade swallowed deeply, "Why show yourself now? Why to me? Why just to save me from a bear"

Lycaon thought about what he had just been asked for a moment.

"That was no ordinary bear as I'm sure you could have guessed." He started.

"Y-you don't mean..?"

"Yes, it's as you think. That was indeed the Bear Goddess Artio, just as I am the Wolf God Lycaon."

"But Artio is just a myth! She's not real."

"How can you be so certain child? I stand here, real and in front of you. Why must I be real, and her not."

Malicade went quiet. In truth he didn't know, all his life he'd been taught Lycaon was the one and only true God. Artio the Bear Goddess whom the Bear Tribe worshiped had been deemed a false God, just like Maahes of the Lion Tribe in the Eastern Plains. So why, if the deity he'd worshipped all his life stood in front of him now telling him Artio was real, did he still not believe it?

His thoughts were cut short, interrupted by a blood chilling cry of pain.

A javelin protruded from Lycaon's side, just behind his left leg. Right into his heart.

The massive animal collapsed onto the ground unable to support its own weight, whimpering as he hit the ground.

"Lycaon!" Malicade shouted.

Laughter became audible to Malicade's right, where the javelin had come from.

His heart sank when he saw who was there. Walking confidently into the clearing was a Bear Tribe warrior. Animal fur draped over his bare shoulders and chest, heavy leather pants running down to fur boats. He was massive in stature. Over six feet tall, strong muscular arms that led to a plump hairy torso. His stomach hung out slightly, the muscle underneath not buried too deep by the outer layer fat.

"Well what do we have here?" He said rhetorically through a chuckle. "Artio smiles down upon me today, what great fortune I have."

He gripped a heavy wooden spear, at least as long as he was tall, with a broad double edged iron tip in his right hand. A sling hung off his belt.

"It looks like I've caught a couple of filthy wolves, IN OUR TERRITORY!" He bellowed.

Malicade was overcome with rage. Gripping the hilt of his sword, he charged the bear tribe member. Unlike the spear held by his opponent, Malicade's sword didn't have range. Roughly half the length of the spear with a handle barely long enough for two hands to grip it, a straight bar crossguard connected the handle to the double edged steel blade that made up the majority of the weapon's length.

Both men knew this, but Malicade wasn't in the state of mind to realize it. The member of the Bear Tribe was. He waited until Malicade ran himself into the weapons range and stabbed it straight out at his chest. Malicade barely managed to parry away the razor sharp tip, stumbling slightly as he did, continuing to charge his adversary. Right into the waiting fist of his opponent, which smashed into the center of his face sending him stumbling back.

The man whipped his spear around over top his head, swinging it down in a deadly arc. Malicade rolled right, avoiding the sharp tip yet again.

He scrambled to his feet, stomping his foot down onto the spears shaft with all his might, cracking it slightly. The blow from his opponent's fist brought him back to his senses. Thinking quickly as a cat, Malicade jumped and spun, swinging his blade in an arc back to where his foot had cracked the spear shaft. His blade cut clean through the hard wood.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, he spun back around and in a single overhead slash, cut down his opponent across their torso.

A single cry came out from him as his body fell to the ground lifeless.

There was no time to celebrate. Dropping his sword where he stood, Malicade ran back over to Lycaon.

He slid down onto his knees, resting the massive wolf's head onto his lap.

"Lycaon!" He screamed, "Talk to me, say something please!"

Lycaon lifted his head, appearing to wince as he did, eyes focused on Malicade.

"It's gonna be okay." Malicade said.

"No." Lycaon said. "You know it and so do I."

"No, no no this can't be."

"There's no reason to fight it Malicade, my time in this form has all but expired."

"Don't talk like that!" Malicade screamed, tears streaming down his face.

He clutched onto Lycaon's fur tightly.

“Malicade… there is something I must tell you."

"Yes of course. Anything."

Lycaon took a deep breath.

"I sought you out for a reason, Malicade. I believe you are the key I've been searching for so desperately all these years."

"The key to what?" Malicade said through tears.

"You must figure that out for yourself. Only in time will my words and what I'm entrusting you with make sense."

"E-entrusting me?"

"Yes. It's up to you now. The fate of your tribe, and I fear more, is on your shoulders now."

"What do you mean!?" He shouted.

“I'm afraid my time has run out in this world my child. I'm sorry."

Lycaon's body began glowing silver. Particles shimmering as they floated off his body, which was becoming ever more translucent.

"No! Wait! Don't go! Don't leave me!" Malicade shouted, trying desperately to grab the particles out of the air to no avail.

"Wait." He said to himself, something wasn't right.

His hands were glowing as well, no, his entire body was. A silver outline of light wrapped all around his body.

"What's happening?"

He looked down where Lycaon's body had been resting. It was gone, all that remained was a small sphere of light radiating an intense silver.

His hand was drawn to it. He couldn't explain it, but he needed to touch it. To grasp it. His arm felt like it was moving in slow motion, being weighed down by an invisible force. Yet he continued reaching for it, sticking out a singular finger as he drew near.

When finally his finger touched it, the sphere began glowing more and more intensely. Its brightness shot up, engulfing everything, until all he could see was light.