Welcome Back Everyone!
For those of you who are new, this story will be taking place during the events of 'Stars Fall' so reading that would help. I plan to cover every one of Fenris' major visits to the Retreat. Hawke will be joining in the story later on so that's when it will take on the full M rating.
I'll try and keep this as entertaining as possible, I'll admit this story is a stumper... Oh and also this one will be mostly fan based, so whatever you all want to happen (For the most part) WILL HAPPEN!
I own none of this but the Retreat and Shadow, everything else belongs to Bioware...damn it all!
Tales from the Retreat
Chapter 1 Discovery
Fenris raced through the trees, Shadow bounding at his side. Behind them both he heard the shouts of victory from the hunters. They knew they had him.
He knew he had been careless. He had stayed in one place, in the open, nonetheless, for far too long.
The steadily rising sun had robbed him of his ghosting abilities. Fenris knew the hunters would eventually catch up with them both.
The hunters had managed to ambush him and Shadow shortly before dawn. Until then he and Shadow had been lingering around the outskirts of Ostwick. They had been there for nearly three weeks, waiting to find a ship that would take them to Rivain. Not surprising to Fenris, none of the ship captains were willing to allow a growing wolf cub on board their ship.
Shadow growled loudly, bringing Fenris' attention back to his current predicament. The hunters were closing in, and Fenris felt himself slowing, his energy all but drained. The amaranthine arrow that had lodged in his back wasn't helping things either.
Of course the hunters had no way of knowing that they had substantially weakened him with that one shot alone. Most arrowheads these days were made from the metal.
Shadow and Fenris ran out into an open meadow, leading the hunters into the open as well.
Finally when he reached the center of the meadow, Fenris turned to face his pursuers. He eyed them with hatred, a paltry dozen this time. The only advantage they had over him was his weakened state.
The leader smiled wickedly at him "Give up slave! There is nowhere to run! We have you surrounded! But if you come quietly, we will go easy on you."
Fenris glared at him "Consider yourselves lucky, not many can surprise me. But rest assured, after I kill all of you I will not be making that mistake again."
The hunter laughed "I like your confidence slave. No wonder your master wants you back. And I am more than happy to reunite you with him."
Fenris snarled "I am not a slave! And you have no idea what you're dealing with!"
The man laughed once more and signaled his men forward. Shadow snarled quietly beside him as the hunters approached.
Fenris drew his greatsword from his back and held it at the ready. But before the men could reach him, Shadow darted in front of him and threw his head back.
Fenris slammed his hands over his ears as Shadow released a powerful howl, knocking the men back.
As soon as the sound stopped Fenris sprang into action. He grabbed onto the man closest to him and didn't hesitate for a moment. He quickly snapped the man's neck and moved on to the next hunter. All of them were still stunned from Shadow's howl.
Shadow himself started advancing on a hunter and leapt at him. His growing body still strong enough to knock the man to the ground before he ripped out his throat.
Fenris spared a quick second of pride for Shadow as he impaled another hunter with his massive sword.
Shadow had been at his side for almost a year and a half now. He had quickly grown from the tiny, defenseless cub into a fierce wolf. And it was clear to Fenris that the cub had more growing to do still. His legs still seemed too long for his body, as did his paws. Within the past month, Shadow started displaying strange abilities that made Fenris question if there wasn't something more to the wolf. He had always seemed stronger, faster, and smarter than your average animal but his new habit of howling to stun enemies left Fenris confused, though he wasn't about to question it.
Along with the howling, Shadow had quickly discovered the quickest way to kill his enemies. Instead of going for their arms or legs, Shadow always used his weight to knock them over, bringing them to the ground so he could deliver a quick, killing blow to the neck.
Shadow seemed more than happy to fight at Fenris' side in battle. Together they were tearing through their enemies. Their paces matched well, if only because of Fenris' weakened state.
Before long all the hunters but one had been dispatched. Fenris saw Shadow approach the last hunter, his hackles raised and teeth bared. Fenris smirked a bit, the sight of Shadow wasn't truly intimidating as the pup still hadn't fully grown into his body. His raised hackles made him look almost like an overstuffed pillow.
Fenris spoke softly to Shadow "Wait a moment Shadow."
The wolf cub instantly stopped his advance and looked at Fenris who walked over to where Shadow and the remaining hunter stood.
Fenris eyed the man sharply before looking at Shadow "Would it offend you terribly if I took this one?"
Shadow barked softly and shook his head. Fenris faced the man once more "Good."
Fenris quickly extended his fangs, grabbed the hunter, and plunged his fangs into the man's neck.
Shadow sat by silently as Fenris drained the hunter, it took only moments. Once he was done, Fenris tossed the body aside and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. He reached behind him, took hold of the shaft of the arrow that was still in his back, inhaled sharply, and pulled.
The metal felt as though it were scalding his flesh as he pulled it out. As soon as it was out of his back he threw the offending arrow on the ground and sat, allowing his body to heal for a few moments.
He felt the flesh of his back sealing over the wound the arrow had made and silently thanked Arkus once more.
It had been a little over two years since Arkus had died and Fenris still thought about him frequently. And thanked him frequently as well. Truly had he still been a mortal, most of the injuries he had sustained during these past few years would have been deeply incapacitating if not fatal. And yet thanks to Arkus, Fenris still walked this earth.
Shadow huffed softly beside him and Fenris stood, scowling at the ground "I believe those hunters were a subtle sign that it is time for us to move on."
Shadow nodded his head and rose to his feet, stretching as he rose. Fenris looked around the meadow, trying to figure out their next destination.
They had run deep into the forest, trying to lose the hunters. The meadow in which they stood was surrounded by mountains.
Fenris sighed and started walking in the direction of one of the mountains that looked more isolated.
They walked quietly for hours, the forest growing increasingly dense. Fenris was entertaining the idea of setting up a small camp somewhere nearby. He knew that the hunters they had dealt with earlier were not all there were this time; they never sent such a small number after him.
Fenris noticed that the wildlife he and Shadow passed by regarded them both very warily. He couldn't blame them, not even the brown bear that he spied at one point, though it was more than three hundred feet away, it had chosen to back away from the strange newcomers even still.
They pushed deeper into the forest. Fenris was pleasantly surprised that he smelled no mortals anywhere nearby, this place smelled only of the creatures that inhabited it and the forest itself. Upon further thinking Fenris realized that this must be part of the Planascene forest, a massive expanse of wilderness near the port city of Kirkwall.
He found himself liking this place more and more, this would be an excellent place to set up a few ambushes of his own. He knew for a fact that the Imperial Highway ran right on the other side of the far mountains, and that same road was almost certainly what the waves of hunters were traveling on.
Fenris stopped for a moment and looked down at Shadow "What would you say to staying in this place for a while?"
Shadow barked softly causing Fenris to smirk, sometimes Shadow truly impressed him with his intelligence. Fenris allowed his eyes to scan the scenery around him, occasionally glancing up through the trees to look at the mountains above him.
In the sunlight he was able to spot a small trickle of water flowing off the side of the nearby mountain, straight off a sheer drop. He noticed that the water flowed in the middle of an open space between two very steep inclines. Shadow barked excitedly having followed his line of vision.
Fenris shot Shadow a quick look "Well my friend, shall we see what's up there? If nothing else the vantage point from up there will be worth the trip up. Who knows, maybe we will be able to see some kind of abandoned lodge or something from up there. Humans had to have some kind of settlement or something in this forest at some point."
Shadow barked excitedly once more and started towards the mountain, Fenris following closely behind him.
In no time at all they managed to arrive at the base of the mountain, Shadow whined softly when they both looked at the sheer cliff face before them. Fenris chuckled softly and approached the cliff.
He studied the cliff for a moment and looked back at Shadow. The wolf seemed visibly depressed. Fenris shook his head "I suppose we should find another way around then? Perhaps one that doesn't require hands?"
Shadow growled softly at him and backed away from the cliff before turning away completely.
Fenris rolled his eyes and walked along the cliff face trying to find a more gentle slope. As he searched he could feel the afternoon sun on his back, the blood from his arrow wound earlier had already dried and now the sun's heat was causing his tunic to stick uncomfortably to his back.
Finally after an hour of searching, Shadow howled softly in the distance, drawing Fenris' attention.
He found the wolf a short distance away, standing at the base of a slope that was much gentler. Fenris gave Shadow a half smirk "Well done my friend, shall we?"
The wolf nodded his head toward the incline and started walking up, Fenris following closely behind. The incline wasn't all that steep but the loose dirt and rocks made it tricky for both of them. Several times Fenris heard Shadow's claws scrapping the earth to try to find some better purchase. At one point the wolf let out a quiet whine and Fenris jerked his head up to see Shadow slipping slowly in front of him.
Fenris shook his head and reached behind him for his sword. He leveled the blade with Shadow's feet allowing the wolf to step on the tip to steady himself. As soon as Shadow's back paw made contact with the blade, Fenris saw the young wolf tense up, followed by him leaping into the air, using all his still growing strength to close the remaining distance between himself and the top of the incline.
Fenris smirked to himself and sheathed his sword before he too made his way to the top.
When he got to the top he saw thick trees as far as the eye could see, Shadow trotted ahead of him towards the trees.
They pushed deeper into the forest, the trees grower thicker still as they made their way towards the direction that Fenris had seen the two sharp inclines from the base of the mountain. Fenris stopped short when rock wall materialized in front of them, hidden from view before by the thick trees. He looked down at Shadow beside him and then turned, following the wall to find a way around. At the end of the rock wall was another one, running perpendicular to the previous one and just as high. And quick walk around that wall proved to that walls were connected and blocking off the other side effectively.
However, Fenris noticed a truly massive tree, with branches hovering just over the top of the third wall. He gave Shadow a half smirk "Well, it would seem today is not your day Shadow."
Shadow followed Fenris' eyes and huffed. Fenris quickly scooped up the pup in one arm and started to climb the wall with the other. There were enough rocky outcroppings that he managed to easily hang on. Shadow never struggled in Fenris' arms, though they both knew that Shadow did not like to be held or carried, the pup seemed to understand Fenris only picked him up when there was no other option.
Fenris reached the top of the wall in a matter of minutes and immediately looked down the other side. The wall was surprisingly thin, maybe a foot at most in some places. Though what surprised Fenris the most was what was at the bottom of the massive tree. He raised his arm holding Shadow up and gently lowered the wolf to the other side. When Fenris knew that Shadow had seen the truly enormous boulder at the base of the tree, and had anticipated his moves, Fenris released the pup.
Shadow landed on the top of the boulder with ease and instantly started to take in his surroundings as Fenris pulled himself to the other side of the wall and lowered himself down as well.
Once on top of the boulder, Fenris too scanned his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the tree seemed even more massive than it had been before, it was at least three times the size of the ones that he had seen in the Alienages he had briefly, and unhappily toured. The boulder on which he stood was the size of a house.
Fenris and Shadow hopped off the boulder to scan their surroundings better, unhindered by the long, and thick vines the massive tree called leaves. He instantly noticed that some of the roots from the tree were growing into the boulder, though one of the largest ones appeared to be dead. Fenris next turned his head to look around the area.
The area between the three rock walls and the sheer drop off the mountain was completely devoid of the trees that had taken over just on the other side of the walls. It was covered edge to edge in a blanket of soft grass. In the center of the clearing ran a tiny stream that was no more than two feet wide and only inches deep. The stream flowed from the top of one of the rock walls and fell flushed down it, Fenris assumed there must have been a spring or something that fed the tiny stream from within the wall. It ran straight down the clearing only to fall over the sheer drop off the mountain to his left.
Fenris could scarcely believe his eyes, this place seemed so peaceful and secluded. Completely blocked off from the outside world and yet from the sheer drop, it provided an excellent view of the forest and its expanse. He moved to the drop off as Shadow sated his thirst at the stream. From the edge, Fenris could see for miles. All he could see was forest, no open spaces or smoke that might have suggested human habitation.
He wasn't unhappy with this finding though, this place could easily provide any shelter he and Shadow might need. It seemed almost made for him and his wolf companion. Fenris turned to look at Shadow, who lifted his head to look right back at him.
Fenris gave the wolf a full smirk, a rare thing for him "I believe we have just inadvertently discovered our base while we work on ambushing the hunters in this area."
Fenris could have sworn he saw the wolf pup smile right before he let out a undeniably happy howl.
Hope you all enjoyed! I'm currently working on the sequel to 'Stars Fall' so sad to say I probably will not be doing updates on this as frequently as I would like, but I will keep working on them both. Next chapter...we find out if Fenris is a handy man...or not.
Any ideas for what we want to see happen? Remember this is for all of you...PM with story suggestions, plus I could always use help on the sequel!