Chapter 7:Surprise around every corner
Theran Razorblade
The moment the snowball hit the back of the Wolven’s helmet and it turned to go after Haze, Theran came to his senses. He shook his head and got to his hooves, dropping his sword then throwing himself on the beast’s back. The Wolven let out a grunt as Theran’s heavy body slammed into its back with a metal “Dong” and they both fell into the snow. Theran heard Haze scream but he didn’t have time to look when the Wolven rolled while he was still on top. Its massive weight pushed the wind out of Theran’s lungs as he was pressed into the ground. The Wolven was on top of him now, sword raised high in the air. As it came down Theran crossed his front hooves together and extended his hoof blades, stopping the Wolven’s sword mere inches from his helmet. Their blades were locked for a brief moment till Theran let out an angry roar and pushed the blade away by uncrossing his. He then delivered a hard kick with both back legs to the Wolven’s unprotected stomach and it let a guttural cough. As the Wolven staggered from the blow, Theran got back up on all fours and thought of his next move quickly. He couldn’t use any high level spells because in the moments it takes to cast them Theran would be open to a counter attack by the Wolven. He had to use something small, something fast and something strong. Theran lifted one hoof and his horn begun to glow bright blue.
Quickly he gathered frozen water from the surrounding air and compressed it into a pointy shard of ice. The shard was as big as his hoof and when it was rock hard he stood on his back legs and threw it like a spear at the Wolven. The Wolven recovered enough in time to block the deadly shard but it was so sharp it imbedded itself in the top part of its shield. But the shard wasn’t meant to kill. It was meant to distract. Theran rushed forward on all fours then when he was within rang he stood up, spun right and kicked the shield away. The Wolven still had a hold on its shield but the kick had sent its arm up and leaving it vendible to attack. Theran lashed out at the Wolven’s stomach with his hoof blade, cutting a deep gash into its flesh. The Wolven screamed in pain and swung its sword at him. Theran ducked and the blade whooshed over his head. He countered with a quick stab in the beast’s sword arm and again it howled in pain, dropping the sword. Theran went in for another stab but this time the Wolven not only blocked the blow with its shield but also smashed it into him. Theran fell over dazed and the Wolven was on him in seconds. It stood over him, glaring at him with its blood red eyes. With its paw it yanked the ice shard out of its shield and with a brutal thrust it stabbed the shard into Theran’s unarmoured side. Theran cried out in agony and on reflex he spat a lightning bolt out of his horn and it hit the Wolven’s face. The Wolven yelped and reared back, clutching its smoking helmet with its paw. With a new opening Theran kicked the Wolven hard in the shins with a loud “Crack”. The Wolven went down with another howl of anguish and Theran sat up with the shard still in his side. He retracted his hoof blades, put his front hooves around the shard, sucked in a breath, gritted his teeth and pulled it out. Theran groaned through his clenched teeth as the shard painfully came out and a lot of blood came with it. He fell onto his back again and clutched the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
Theran’s strange immortal gift or curse as he called it, allowed him to heal quicker than normal ponies but not fast enough, for the Wolven had already recovered and was on top of him once more. Before he could even move the Wolven slammed its shield down hard, stunning him. The Wolven then raised its foot and brought it down hard on Theran’s chest plate. All the air was blown out of his lungs and he felt a rib crack under the weight of the Wolven’s foot. Pain filled his mind and body, numbly aware as the Wolven picked him up by the throat and held him in the air. Theran feebly hit the Wolven’s arm as it pressed its thumb into his whim pip and slowly cocked him. Theran did manage to extend one hoof blade and cut the Wolven’s chin but that just made it angrier. The Wolven roared in his face and throw him four meters away to crash into the cliff face near the cave. The impact rattled every bone in his body, sending waves of pain to every nerve and cell of his being. Theran slid off the rock wall and fell onto his stomach. His impact to the ground also knocked his helmet off and it bounced away from him. Theran couldn’t hear anything except a loud ringing sound in his ears. He tried to stand but his legs weren’t doing as they were told. He tried to see but his vision was blurry and all he could make out was the foggy movement of the Wolven going back and picking up its sword again.
“This is it” Theran thought as he struggled to move, “He’s going to kill me.” Theran tried to stand again and was barely getting to his knees. As the Wolven slowly approached with a slight limp, he thought about Haze and Violet. What will he find when he awakes again? Would he find their mangled half eaten bodies left to rot in a cave? Would he see Haze’s dead face frozen in terror as she was eaten alive? Would Violet’s insides and body parts be thrown about the cave to stick to every wall? Or will he find them completely gone, eaten down to the bone with nothing left but a skeleton? The very thoughts sparked enough rage for Theran to push himself on his knees and look at the Wolven calmly walking toward him. Theran held his wound and closed his eyes as more images flashed in his mind of all the other times he had failed to save somepony. Their faces forever burned in his mind but their names long forgotten in time. He even saw his wife, looking at him with that carefree expression of hers. He hatted it, all of it. The memories of all his failures, friends and loved ones filled him with an uncontrollable rage. With his eyes still closed he took the end of his bloody hoof and started to draw a symbol on his upper left foreleg. As he drew, more images of his past tormented his mind. Images of the times he couldn’t help ponies in need or times he did nothing to stop something raked at his mind like thousands of red hot needles stabbing his brain. The image of a filly he watched die completed the rage. He finished the symbol and Theran’s horn begun to glow. “No more.” Theran growled and the spell was complete when the symbol glowed purple. “Not today.”
When Theran opened his eyes they had turned blood red and burned with ghostly wisps of powerful dark magic. He glared at the Wolven and it stopped. It was three meters from him and stared at him in shocked confusion. Theran got to his hooves, his pain completely swallowed by his rage. The Wolven let out a battle cry and charged forward. The Wolven moved with blinding speed but to Theran it was moving in slow motion. The Wolven swung to the right horizontally and Theran only had to tilt his head sideways for the blade to pass harmlessly over his ear. The Wolven tried to bash him with its shield but Theran responded by spinning and kicking out with both back legs, connecting with the shield so hard it dented the metal. The blow also sent the Wolven flying off its feet and tumbling head over tail. It stopped at four meters on its belly and looked up at Theran completely dumbstruck. Theran spun back around and stood on his hind legs again and slowly walked toward the Wolven, hate burning in his eyes. The enraged beast got back to its feet and fist pumped the air with its sword, roaring at the top of its lungs. It charged again, pulling back its sword for a deadly thrust. But to Theran the Wolven was still moving too slow and when it stabbed out, Theran simply stepped to the side. As the Wolven past him he rose up both his front hooves and brought them down hard on the Wolven’s armoured back. It let out a pained grunt and fell onto its stomach. In three moves Theran kicked the sword out of the Wolven’s grasp, came down hard with a single left hoofed punch to its face and then kicked it with full force under its chin. The mighty beast again rolled head over tail from the force of the blow and came to a stop a meter away. Theran watched as the Wolven struggled to get up. It was on its knees and was panting heavily as blood drooled out its mouth. For the first time in this fight, Theran saw real fear in the Wolven’s red eyes as he slowly walked toward it. The Wolven only managed to get to one knee and raise its shield as Theran lunged forward and rained punch after punch, leaving a new dent with every hit.
The Wolven didn’t even try to fight back anymore as it disparately held its shield up and protect itself from Theran’s enraged wave of blows. The shield was now a misshapen heap of metal when Theran delivered one last punch and this one sent the Wolven up right. The Wolven staggered back and Theran decided to finish it. He extended his right hoof and his sword came flying into his grasp. Theran’s horn glowed bright red and his sword begun to spark and glow red hot. With his blade super heated he moved forward, spun and cut horizontally across the middle of the Wolven’s shield. The shield fell apart into two halves and the Wolven screamed in agony as a single orange red line was burned across its lower left arm. It fell to one knee and gripped it horribly burned arm and looked at Theran in sheer terror. Theran pointed his blade at the Wolven and his horn glowed once more. The very tip of his sword begun to spark and glow as lightning gathered for his final attack. The Wolven covered its face with its arm as Theran let the powerful bolt loose and it struck the Wolven right in the middle of its chest plate, melting the metal on impact. The sheer force of the bolt sent the Wolven onto its back and it slid all the way to the very edge of the cliff and stopped with its head hanging over the side. Theran lowered his blade and sat down, letting his sword fall in the snow. He breathed heavily as fatigue and pain came flooding back to him. That could have gone much worse if he hadn’t control his first spell. It was a reckless spell, one he hadn’t used in years. His eyes slowly turned back to their normal colour and his wounds begun to heal. He heard the sounds of coughing and he looked up and saw the Wolven was still moving. “Why don’t you just fucking die already?” Theran growled through clenched teeth.
He grabbed his sword again and got back to his hooves. He hobbled over to the Wolven as it managed to drag itself away from the edge and lay on its stomach. When Theran stood beside the Wolven he put his left foreleg under its right arm and roll it onto its back. To his surprise the Wolven’s wounds weren’t fatly. The chest plate that had covered the Wolven’s chest had in fact saved its life though not for very long. The Wolven weakly tried to move its arms as Theran stood on his hind legs and flipped his sword around so it was pointing downward. He raised his blade for the killing blow and was even more surprised when the Wolven weakly said in a feminine voice. “I…yield.”
Theran lowered his weapon and stared down at the Wolven. He bent over and yanked the Wolven’s helmet off and sure enough the Wolven’s face had the sharp short snout features of a female. Male Wolven had bigger snouts and were more buff, she didn’t have these features. “You’re a female?” Theran said surprised. In truth he was more surprised she yielded. Wolven were not known for giving up, especially in a one on one fight. Ok he had to admit Haze sort of helped but… “Haze!” In all the fighting and his surprise of the Wolven in fact being a chick, he had completely forgotten about Haze and Violet. He looked over his shoulder to the cave entrance and saw the glow of the fire within. He called out to Haze. “Haze!? Its alright you can come out now!” There was no reply. Theran wondered why Haze wasn’t showing herself. He looked back to the Wolven and found she was out cold. Theran knew he wasn’t going to leave her here where she could reawaken and slink off in the night so he had to deal with her first. He extended his left hoof and with his magic his sheath came flying into his grasp and in a fluid motion he sheathed his sword. He clipped it to his belt and went back on all fours, wondering what he was going to do with the Wolven. He Breathed in and tested his ribs. “Nothing broken.” Theran thought, so he bent down and took hold of her fluffy tail with his mouth and started to drag her over to the cave. When he got to the cave entrance he spat her tail out and made a few more spitting sounds as he spat the loose hairs out of his mouth. He then spun her around with his magic and propped her up so she was leaning on the rock wall. Then he then grabbed her paws and pressed them to the wall and encased them in rock hard ice. “That should hold you for a while you over sized fluff ball.” Theran mused to himself and entered the cave. What he found shocked him.
Haze was on her side unconscious and Violet had a black patch on her chest. Theran rushed over and worriedly checked both of them. Haze’s horn had been badly burned and Violet’s chest was the same. “What in the name of the three gods happened in here?” Theran swore to himself as he scooped up Haze and held her in his forelegs.
She groaned and she lazily opened her eyelids, her eyes still rolled in the back of her eye socket not focusing on anything. “Violet…” Haze said in a groaned whisper, “Is…is she ok?”
Theran carried Haze as he went over to Violet. Theran looked closely and he saw the faint wisps of breath came out of her mouth, telling him Violet was still alive. He looked at Haze again and her eyes were still lolling around. “What happened here pip?” Theran asked quietly.
Haze mumbled her words as she spoke. “Vi’s… heart stopped…I had to…restart it…with a…shock…spell.” Haze’s eyes finally found Theran’s and she asked. “Did it work?”
Theran nodded with a relived smile and said reassuringly. “Yes it did pip, she’s alright. You just rest now, I’ll take it from here ok.”
Haze’s eyes drifted off again and she weakly said as she passed out. “Oh…that’s go…” Her head went limp and she was out cold.
Violet
Violet was in a strange place. All around her she could hear ponies crying and harsh serpent like hisses. She was in a cage with a young red manned yellow earth pony mare named Leasa. She was much younger than Vi, no older than fourteen. She had been born a slave, Vi had been caring for her ever since her mother was sold years ago and now she and Violet were going to a place to possible be sold themselves. She looked terrified and so did Violet as they were towed through rocky roads and narrow canyons. The Ophlidites were taking them somewhere and Leasa wasn’t taking it well. “I don’t wanna be sold!” She said in terror, her eyes darting around and her hooves pressed to her head. “Please don’t let um Vi ama begging you!”
One of the Ophlidites near their cage slammed his snake like tail on the cage and hissed at them. “Quieten in down hoofling or you’ll be fed to the Eemas!” Eemas were the things towing them through the roads. They are large four legged reptilian beasts with long snouts, long legs, barrel like necks and short tails. They also ate meat.
Violet just stayed submissive till the lizard looked away and she shuffled over to Leasa and put her hooves on the younger mare’s shoulders. “You’re not going to get sold I won’t let them.” She hugged the teenager tightly and she hugged her back. Violet could feel her trembling. This was her first time being taken to a somewhere to be sold and she wasn’t taking the idea well.
“But what if they do?” Leasa cried, her fear starting to boil over.
“You won’t.” Violet whispered.
“But how do you know tha?” Leasa asked through her sobs.
Violet stroked the teen’s back to try and calm her down. “I’ve been on these countless times and I’m still here. So if I could last this long, so can you.”
“Please keep me safe Vi, don’t let um take me.” Leasa was overwhelmed with emotion and Violet did her best to calm her.
Vi’s next words were calm and soothing. “Shh It’s ok, I said before I’d protect you and I’m gunna do just that.”
They stayed silent as they travailed to only the gods knew where. Violet looked out the cage bars as she held Leasa. Vi could see the other cages and their prisoners. All of them scared out of their minds, some of them were even trying to slide through the bars only to be whipped by their handlers. She didn’t blame them. They finally came to a stop in some sort of open area. The low sun set cast gloomy shadows all around and it some how made the feeling of dread worse. They all stayed in their cages till a large group of ponies showed up and that’s when things got really bad. “All right you pathetic lot of Eema slava, get out of ya cages!”
All at once the cages opened and ponies ether walked out on their own will or were roughly dragged out by their handlers. “Vi I I I…”
“Come on get a move on horse meat!” Their Ophlidite handler roared.
“Come on Leasa…lets go and get this over with.” Violet and Leasa walked out of their cage and the moment their hooves touched the ground the handlers clamped collars on their necks. Violet knew they would do this but Leasa didn’t and she started to scream and cry.
“Violet help me!” Leasa screamed but Violet couldn’t do anything.
“Don’t struggle sweetie just…” The Ophlidite holding her chain yanked at it, cutting off Violet’s reassuring words.
“VIOLET!” Leasa screamed louder.
Violet pulled on the chain and the Ophlidite stumbled over and face planted the ground. Vi took hold of Leasa and held her tight. The Ophlidite behind Vi got back up with a roar and was about to pull her away when the other Ophlidite holding Leasa’s chain raised his scaly hand to stop him, giving Violet a chance to calm Leasa down. “Listen they won’t let us do this for long so just hear me.” Leasa’s bright blue eyes stared into Violet’s, tears running down her cheeks. “Fall into line and do what they say. Try and make yourself look uninteresting and they will ignore you.” Time was up and the handlers pulled them apart. Leasa looked longingly at Violet as they were lined up and made to stand. Violet did what she did every time she came here. She kept her eyes to the ground and showed no emotion but she couldn’t help this time to glance to the side and look over at Leasa. She wasn’t doing the same as Violet as her knees visibly shook. Her eyes were shut tight, tears streaming down her cheeks. That’s when she saw the other ponies and at first glance she could tell they were bandits. It really didn’t surprise her that bandits were in the slave business, in fact they had slave of their own and Violet guessed this was a trade. One slave for another, it made her sick.
The leader of the group had a huge hammer and steel barding. He approached the Ophlidite slave trader and Violet had to strain her ears just to hear them. “Ah Hammer Head, its so good you could come.” The slave trader stretched her neck to full height and over looked Hammer Head’s findings. Behind Hammer Head were more bandits. One of them had a longbow, light brown coat and green mane, a mare with a grey coat and blue mane was standing right next to Hammer Head and she looked nasty with her big battle axe. The salve trader spoke again with a hint of approval. “You’ve done well Hammer Head, we are must pleased with your work.”
Hammer Head chuckled with an evil smile and spoke in a deep highlander accent. “Ha ha that’s a first.”
The slave trader extended her hand to the line of slaves Violet and Leasa were in. The slave trader’s forked tong flicked in and out of her mouth with excited vigour. “Pick which ever you like.”
Hammer Head and his gang moved closer to the group of slaves and Violet felt her heart start to race as Hammer Head looked up and down every salve with a blank expression. Every slave shivered under his gaze and when he got to Leasa he looked her up and down then suddenly smiled. He put a hoof on her back and she flinched at his touch. He ran his hoof down her back, across her flank and finally brushed her tail. She kept her eyes shut the hole time, her face grimiest in sheer terror as he pocked one of her back legs and she made a squeaking sound through her nose. He played with her tail for a bit, bouncing it up and down in his hoof now and then peeking under her tail. Then he came back to the front of her and put his hoof on her chest, ran it up her neck and under her chin. “Open your eyes lass or I’ll open thum for you.” Leasa opened her eyes slowly and stared at his cruel red ones. He smelled her mane and smiled again. “This one.”
Leasa screamed as two of the bandits grabbed her and pulled her away. “NO!” Violet screamed and she yanked on her chains. The Ophlidite handler whipped her and Violet spun around, clamped her jaws on the chain and with all her strength pulled. The handler went flying off his feet and right into Violet’s out stretched back hooves. Now free she then ran at the bandits and collided right into one of them. Every one gasped as Violet wrapped the chain around the next bandit’s neck and held him in front of her with Leasa at her flank. The bandit gasped for air as Violet held the chains with her hooves and glared at Hammer Head. “You are not going to take her.” Violet growled at Hammer Head and Hammer Head just smiled.
“Well well what do we have here, a hero pony?” His smile widened “So tell me…hero…what are you planning to do next?” The Ophlidites moved in but Hammer Head stopped them. “No no, let her make her move I’m interested in seeing what happens next.”
Violet kept glaring at him. “Take me instead.”
“Wat!?” Leasa spat in disbelief. “But you can’t just…”
Violet cut her off with a sharp tone. “Shut it Leasa!” Leasa fell silent and Violet went back to glaring at Hammer Head. “I’m older, stronger and more able. Take me and leave her alone.”
Hammer Head tilted his head as he kept smiling. “But I like um young.”
Violet’s eyes widened in shock as she saw the intent in his red eyes and she looked over her shoulder and saw her back was facing the road the bandits came down. She looked at Leasa and told her. “Get moving Leas we’re getting out of here.” They slowly started to back up and the rest of the bandits and slavers stood and watched. “Just keep going Leas stay behind me.” Leasa looked so scared and in truth so was Violet. She had no idea how they were going to get out of this but it did not matter. Violet heard a smacking sound like rope on wood and when she turned her head an arrow whooshed out of nowhere and struck the bandit she was holding in the chest. The bandit died instantly and his dead weight dragged her down to the ground. “Run!” Violet screamed and Leasa ran as fast as she could. Violet looked back at the bandits and slavers but they were still not moving. Movement caught her eye and she saw the green manned earth pony standing on top of a high rock and was loading a bow. Violet’s eyes widened in horror as he pulled back the arrow and aimed not at Vi but at Leasa. Violet spun her head around and screamed. “RUN LEASA RUUUUUUNN!!!” Vi watched as Leasa ran as fast as she could possibly go but when the sound of the arrow came, time seemed to slow down. The arrow flew past her peripheral vision and for a split second time just stopped, the arrow and its mark getting ever closer. Violet’s only thought was. “What have I done.” The second past and the arrow flew past and imbedded itself in Leasa’s skull. “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Violet’s eye shot open and she was in a cave. She thrashed about screaming and felt something touch her. She fought the hold but slowed down when she heard a voice. “Violet take it easy, you’re ok its just me!” Violet stopped and looked to her side and saw Theran. She stared at him for a long time, transfixed by his wolf like features. “Its me, Theran.” Violet suddenly felt so exhausted and fell back in her bad roll. She wanted to cry but she was so tired and her shoulder hurt like no tomorrow but she didn’t care. “How do you feel Violet?” Theran asked her soothingly.
“Feel like I’m dead.” Was her reply.
Theran came around in front of her view and lay down. He put a hoof on her head and after a few seconds he did his half smile. “Congrats Violet you are free of the drug.”
Violet had forgotten about the drug, in fact she didn’t remember half the night but the feeling of joy fill her empty heart. She put her good hoof on Theran’s cheek and he sorta blushed. “I don’t…I don’t know what to say…I…” Her eye shifted to Haze who was sitting next to the fire with a new bandage wrapped around her horn. “What the hell happened to her!?” Violet raised her voice slightly as she sat up and stared at Haze. She was looking at Vi, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish grin.
“Um…right that…well how do I put this in simple words?” Violet looked at him in confusion.
“Theran what happened?” Violet felt more awake now and also felt a little pain on her chest. She looked down and saw she had bandages on her chest and around the edges her fur was turned black.
“You died.”
Violet looked at Theran in shocked confusion. “I What!?”
Haze decided to speak when she said or mumbled. “Your heart stopped and I had to shock your chest to restart it.” She was fiddling with her hooves and looking at the ground.
Violet was speechless for a moment till she found her voice again and looked at Theran. “She had t…why did she… but you…” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her next words were more coherent. “Why did Haze have to do something like that, where were you?”
Theran rubbed the back of his neck now and she saw he had new bigger dents in his armour and he had several bloody holes in his under layer clothing. “Well I was …out side battling a…Wolven.
“You fought what!?” Violet couldn’t believe her ears as she stared at him, mouth a gaped.
Theran gave her a awkward smile and shifted his eyes from side to side. He giggled nervously as he spoke. “Oh ha and that reminds me…I have a Wolven to talk to.”
Violet’s confusion meter was at max when she yelled. “Its still alive! What possessed to let it live?”
Theran was not joking anymore from his plain expression. “I have my reasons.” He looked at Haze and she looked at him. “Look after Violet while I talk to our new friend outside.” With out another word Theran left the cave and went outside.
Violet suddenly felt tired again and lowered her head as a headache came on. She may have live through the withdrawal but she was far from well. Violet felt a hoof on her shoulder and she lifted her head to look at Haze. Her joyful green eyes so full of life Violet couldn’t help but smile. “You should lay back down Violet, you’re not well yet.”
Violet’s lazy eyed expression stayed as she lay her head down on her pillow and tapped the ground to invite Haze to lay next to her. Haze smiled and lay next to Violet. Vi put her good foreleg over Haze’s back and started to stroke her fuzzy dark blue and turquois mane. Haze kept on smiling as she snuggled up to Violet’s chest. Violet had to admit Haze was too cute for her own good. She loved it when she smiled and Vi could see her cute little fangs showing under her lip and the way Haze just made her happy. “You are a little wonder Summer Haze.” Violet ruffled her mane and Haze giggled.
“Violet?” Haze asked.
“Yes sweetie?” Violet asked.
“Who’s…Leasa?”
Violet was shocked and she frowned with her head still on the pillow. “How do you know that name?”
“You called me it before your heart stopped. Who is she?”
Whatever little joy Violet had gained, was now gone at very mention of that name. Violet looked away from Haze and stared off into space. Her words came out slow and painful. “Some…pony I once…cared about.”
Haze looked worried and tried to get her to talk. “Do you want to…talk about it?”
The image of an arrow in Leasa’s head made Violet shudder and the very image made Vi feel more tired. “No Haze I don’t. All I want is to sleep now.”
“Well I’m here and Theran is just outside if you need us.”
Violet smiled and slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.
Theran Razorblade
When Theran left the cave he was met with a beautiful sun rise that bathed the white snow in a orange hoe. When he looked around the corner he found the Wolven struggling to break out of her bounds. “You know that willny work.” The moment Theran’s words left his mouth the Wolven’s head twitched in his direction and glared at him with her angry red eyes. “That ice is magically reinforced, its as strong as rock I stuck you to so you’re not gunna break it.” The Wolven snarled at him, bearing her sharp teeth and Theran showed no reaction. Now that the sun was raising Theran got a better look at what the Wolven looked like. She had the facial features of a young adult with a few claw marks on her left eye and even though she was strong enough to rip a tree out of the ground, her body was still under developed. He also got a better look at her clothing. The only armour that was left on her was on her arms and legs with a bit of modest cloth covering her hips. Her chest plate was completely destroyed and all she had left was a bunch of leather straps wrapped around her flat chest. Theran stood in front of her and looked her in the eye. She made a low growl as he leaned in and spoke to her in an even tone. “Why don’t we start from the beginning where you tell me your name and why you’re up here all the way in the barrier lands?” The Wolven just huffed and looked away. Theran straightened up and just shrugged. “Fine have it your way but I’ll let you know the moment the sun is highest in the sky we are leaving and you’re going to be stuck here and probably die a slow painful death. Oh well.” Theran was about to walk back in the cave when the Wolven decided to speak.
“Teven.” She said in her deep feminine voice.
Theran turned back and looked at her with a cocky smile. “Sorry I didny hear that.” He said sarcastically, putting his left hoof to his left ear.
The Wolven growled but repeated. “My name is Teven.”
“Teven ay, and what’s your clan name?” Theran asked.
Teven kept her eyes away from Theran’s gaze as she spoke. “I don’t have one.”
“Oh is that so and why are you up here?”
Teven got angrier but still didn’t look at him. “Why don’t you tell me thunder foot?”
Suddenly a low grumble came from Teven’s stomach and Theran’s smile widened. “I think your belly just told me everything.” Theran looked in the cave and his horn glowed. He floated a loaf of bread out and hovered it near Teven. She looked taken aback and frowned at him.
“What are you doing?” Teven asked in confusion, not sure how to react to this strangeness.
Theran half smiled as he waved the loaf of bread with his magic. “I have a few questions left, answer them all and you get to eat. Sound fair to you?”
Teven finally glared at him and growl but the sound of her stomach grumbling again made her stop. “What is it you would like to know?”
“Where is you clan?” Was Theran’s first question.
Teven gave Theran an angry look and her tone changed. “By the wrath of Fenrier’s claws I already told you I don’t…”
Theran stood on his back legs and pulled out his sword with his right hoof and pointed it under Teven’s chin. She closed her jaws and her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Theran. She didn’t show it but Theran could smell her nervousness through her body’s sweat glands. He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at her. “Also diny lie to me. Now where are they?”
Teven’s eyes shifted from Theran’s eyes to his blade and she gulped. “I’m not lying to you I have no clan.”
Theran pressed the blade harder to her throat and she tilted her head back to avoid its sharp tip. “Convince me.” Theran growled.
Teven looked worried and she looked at her right shoulder guard. “Cut off my shoulder guard and you’ll get your answer, go on.”
Theran took the tip of his sword and slowly put it under the strap that held her right shoulder plate on. He cut the strap and it fell off and what was hidden underneath was a symbol burned into her fur. A simple “X” with a small “O” in the middle. Theran know this symbol. “You’re an exile?”
Teven looked at the ground the shame showing on her face. Her tone had now taken on a more depressed note. “Have no clan name because it was stripped from me long ago.” Theran felt a little bad so he put his sword away and sat down on the snowy ground. He floated the bread over to Teven and she looked up in puzzlement. “I thought you had more questions?”
Theran just chuckled with a half smile. “Not much point asking them now.” Teven still looked confused but she opened her and was about to take a bite when he pull it back and added. “Oh wait there is one last question. What would you have done to my group if you did kill me?”
Teven looked away at first then looked back at Theran. “I don’t know, I guess I’ll never find out now.”
Theran was satisfied with that answer and he let her finally take a bite of the bread. She chowed the bread and pulled funny faces as she swallowed it. She shuddered as it went down. “Not bad huh?” Theran asked.
Teven coughed and smacked her lips a bit. “Not too bad.” She crocked, “But some chicken would be nice.”
Theran just laughed. “Ha yeah chicken is always nice.”
Teven raised an eyebrow at that. “You eat meat? But you’re a thunder foot.”
Theran laughed again and showed his teeth. “Have you not noticed the similarity yet?” He also flapped his pointy ears.
Teven’s face light up with realisation, as she looked Theran up and down. “You’re part Wolven!?”
Theran nodded. “Yep. My father was a Wolven and my mother was a Unicorn.”
Teven looked shocked as her mouth hung open. When she found her voice again she asked. “I’ve heard of Wolven thunder foots but I never believed it was true. No wonder you fought so well considering you’re a thunder foot.”
Theran shrugged. “You can blame my mother for that, she always told me the best way to fight Wolven is to fight like one.”
Teven looked as if she was pondering something and when she finally spoke she asked. “What kind of magic did you use to make your eyes turn red?”
Theran got up and turned to the cave entrance. Before he went in he answered. “It’s complicated to explain.” With out another word he walked back in the cave, leaving Teven to ponder for hours till he finally came back out with a cart and had Haze and Violet who had all her clothes back was right behind him. He placed the cart on the road and check Violet who had her head hung low and Haze under her chest to keep her from falling over. He sat in front of them and with his left hoof he lifted her head up and brush her mane out of her eyes with his right. She smiled at him with her eyelids all sleepy. “You can sleep on the cart till we get to where we need to go.”
Violet words were all mumbled in her sleepy state. “But who’s going to read the map?”
Theran smiled and said. “I’ll ask for directions when I need to.” He looked down at Haze who was looking at Teven. “Hay pip what ya thinking?”
Haze looked up at Theran with a concerned look on her face. “What are you going to do with it?”
Theran looked back over at Teven who was looking at them all with a plain expression. “I’m going to do this.” He stood up and walked over to Teven who’s eyes widened when Theran stood on his back legs, pulled out his sword and raised it above his head. Teven snapped her eyes shut and turned her head away as Theran’s blade came down and struck her icy bounds. The ice cracked and fell apart and Teven’s paws were free. Teven opened her eyes in disbelief as she flexed her claws and looked in confusion. Theran pointed with his sword down the road and said. “Follow the road down and you reach what remains of a bandit camp. Take whatever is left then the next road past that and you’ll find the bodies of several dead bandits. Then you can eat to your heart’s content.”
Teven stood up on two legs and completely towered over Theran. She had to look down now as Theran was only at chest height when he stood on his hind legs. “I know no words in your language to say how surprised and grateful I am.”
Theran kept his tone low and his face plain. “Don’t thank me, just go.” Teven didn’t say another word but she did put her closed paw on her chest and nodded once at him. Then she started walking away, scooping up her sword and slipped it through the straps she still had on her back. Theran watched her till she disappeared around the corner and then he looked at Haze and Violet.
Violet looked a little shocked. “You sure that was wise, just to letting that thing go?” She asked.
Theran looked at the sky and pondered. After a moment he said. “Only time will tell if I made the right decision but until that time comes, lets just get out of here.”
Theran walked to the front of the cart and hooked himself up to it. He then used his magic to lift Violet up and onto the cart. Haze used her winds to get on and helped Violet get her covers on as she lay down for more rest. Theran was about to start walking when he remembered something. He looked around the snow till he saw what he was looking for. He used his magic and his helmet came flying over to him. He shook it to get the snow out of it and then placed it on his head.
“Alright,” Theran thought, “Lets get off this bloody cliff.”