So this is my first try at writing fanfiction. I'm going to attempt to stick to official lore as much as possible, but there'll be plenty of my own headcanon to fill in the gaps. It probably mostly won't gel with the developers' vision, and for that I apologise to Trent Kusters (undisputed lord and master of the world of Armello) but I'll work with what I've got. But what the hell, that's what fanfic's for.

Hope you enjoy.

A Wolf's Hunt

Moon shine upon you, Thane. The elders grow restless. A dark scent taints the air. We suspect dark forces at work. We suspect the Rot. A Wolf Clan knight awaits you by the gates of Southbank. He has reported evidence of Rat Clan activity. Perhaps they are behind the taint. We have sent a guide to lead you to the settlement. Though a talkative fellow, he's a seasoned explorer, and will serve you well. May your blade strike true.

Snowstrider Greymane, Den Mother

Thane refolded the letter, his eyes once again scanning the seal; dark blue wax, stamped with a wolf standing rampant. The thin carpet of snow crunched softly under his feet as he strode across the courtyard of Stonehold Castle, grey-white walls and spires rising around him as if to pierce the blue and gold skies.

The castle gates were already open and a small mouse was leading a pair of horses out of the stables. He wore simple clothes under a thick blue and red travel cloak. Most remarkable though was how he was able to stand under the weight of his numerous leather bags and pouches, and other gear including digging tools, a spyglass, and a curved shortsword.

The mouse turned to wave to Thane as the young wolf approached. "Hi Thane! Hi!" He called out excitedly, "Did the Den Mother tell you about me? Did she? I know she did! I see her letter."

Thane raised an eyebrow at the lively mouse, "You're my guide?"

"That I am sir!" He snapped off a sharp salute, then extended a hand, "I'm Sil. Sil Treadmore. Expert adventurer, explorer extraordinaire! I've been to just about everywhere, wherever you want to go I can show you the best way to get there."

Thane gingerly shook Sil's hand, "Nice to meet you...I'm headed to Southbank, think you can get me there by tomorrow?"

"Of course sir, let's go. Yay!" With a delighted whoop Sil bounded into the saddle and spurred his horse through the gates at a fast canter.

Thane shook his head and sighed. He unslung his sword belt from his shoulder. Grimfrost, his father's longsword-his sword, Thane reminded himself-felt heavy as he buckled it about his waist; the weight of responsibility a greater burden than mere steel. Satisfied, he mounted his horse and followed Sil out of the gates and away from the castle.

He caught up to Sil in the castle town. Wolves lined the street to either side to see them off, cheering and waving. "Southbank is to the north west." The mouse said as Thane drew up alongside him, "It's a lovely trip! This is gonna be great!"

The pair left Stonehold and rode out into the Fleetfoot Hills. "It's an honour to work with the Winter Wolf." Sil chattered, "I saw you fight in the tournament at Swiftbridge last year. I never would have thought someone as young as you would hold their ground against a Knight of the Rose."

Thane laughed, "Thank you. Though I think Sir Siegmeir is still more than a match for me."

"You're still one of the best swordsmen in the clan."

"I am now." Thane absentmindedly gripped Grimfrost's pommel.

Sil paused for a moment. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened. Your father, your brother...But I'm sure you'll make a fine leader for the Iron Tribe-for the clan. That's why the Den Mother has been giving you jobs like this, to prove yourself."

"I hope you're right."

As the day progressed the rolling hills around the pair rose higher into the foothills of Highvale Peak. "Woah!" Sil exclaimed as he stared up at the rocky incline, "Look at those mountains! I mean I've seen bigger. But wow! They'll take ages to cross!"

"We'll have to lead the horses through." Thane muttered, dismounting from his steed.

"Aw, you want me to walk over that?"

Thane grinned, "Sil Treadmore, explorer extraordinaire is scared of a little hike?"

"I didn't say scared...I've just got little legs."

Night was falling when Thane crested the peak of the mountain. He turned to watch as his straggling companion arrived a few moments later, puffing loudly. "Can we rest?" Sil gasped, "My feet hurt."

"Fine." Thane replied with a chuckle. "We may as well camp here for a few hours. But I still want to reach Southbank by dawn." Looking down into the vale on the far side of the mountain he could already see the distant lights of the settlement starting to flicker to life.

After hobbling and feeding the horses near a small spring Sil helped Thane to set up camp from the abundant supplies he carried with him. Before long they were sat beneath a makeshift shelter, a cookfire pushing back the encroaching twilight.

"So what's waiting for us in Southbank?" Sil asked.

"A knight. One of Greymane's agents. Investigating Rat Clan activity."

Sil scoffed, "The rats are always plotting something. It's probably no cause for concern. If it does come to anything then the King is sure to put a stop to it."

"Probably...But if the elders suspicions are true then we can't afford for it to come to anything."

Sil leaned closer, "What's this really about?"

"The Rot."

The mouse spluttered on a mouthful of stew. "The wha-?! B-b-but I thought the Rot was sealed away years ago!"

"I know. Father used to tell me stories about the last war. All I can say for sure is that I never want to see that for myself." He leaned back with a sigh, "Well, maybe it'll be nothing after all."

"And what if it is?"

Thane gave the explorer a wry smile, "Then you and I are going to save the kingdom."

The pair broke camp after a few hours rest. The descent was easier, down from the mountain and into the Onyx Hollow. They remounted the horses and picked their way between the black trunks of the tightly packed trees, their path lit by a lantern that Sil helpfully produced.

Some time later the lights of Southbank appeared through the trees and before long the trunks and underbrush thinned out, and the settlement's walls rose up out of the darkness.

"Here we are sir." Sil said. "And in good time too."

"Still some time before dawn. This knight of ours should be waiting near the gates." Thane reined in his horse at the stables. Inside the town he could make out a wide dirt road lit by street lamps, a few townsfolk going to and fro between the buildings.

"There's an inn a little way down the road from here." Sil said as he dismounted, "We'll probably find him there."

There was a sudden commotion from the direction Sil had indicated and a grey robed figure burst out from a knot of people, face hidden by a hood, a blood stained knife clutched in one hand and a satchel slung over a shoulder. The figure made a dash for the gates, leaving a shocked crowd in their wake. A moment later a plump hamster wearing a yellow and black doublet and an iron half helm appeared from the doorway of the inn and gave chase.

The hamster spotted Thane and called out, "Thane! Stop him!"

Thane leaped clear of the saddle, landing in a crouch in front of the fleeing figure who tried to dodge past, clumsily swinging his knife at the wolf's ribs. Thane's left hand flicked out, pushing away the assailant's wrist, his right wrapping around the hilt of his sword. He struck out with Grimfrost's pommel as he half drew the sword, and the robed figure doubled up under the blow with a grunt. Thane scrabbled to grasp his opponent, his fingers closing on the strap of the satchel, but before he could land another attack the robed figure twisted away and pulled free, vanishing into the darkness. Thane was left with sword still half drawn; the satchel hanging from his other hand upended itself, spilling a loosely bound sheaf of paper onto the ground.

The hamster skidded to a halt before Thane, panting, "If only you'd got here sooner! That beast attacked while we waited for you. He killed Sir Heimdall!"

"That's our contact Thane!" Sil whispered.

"He's dead?" Thane asked, aghast.

Heimdall's squire wailed dramatically, "Misery! Tragedy! Woe! How can I go on?" She paused briefly, "Oh well. You looking for a squire?"

Thane gaped at her, "That was...sudden?"

Sil nudged him, "She could come in handy, Thane."

Thane shook himself, "Alright, you can come with us. Consider it a service to Sir Heimdall."

The squire perked up immediately, "I have a new master! Pika Potts at your service, sir. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth!" She stretched and yawned expansively, "Right after a nap. I need sleep."

"And my feet still hurt." Sil agreed.

Thane had spent the remainder of the night in the room that Heimdall had hired at the inn. When the sun rose he went to see off the cart that carried the knight's casket, draped in a Wolf Clan banner-black on blue. The cart was headed for the Ash Tribe's castle town at Highwatch.

"Would you care to say a few words, Lord Thane?" The cart's driver, an old dog, asked him.

Thane placed a hand on the casket, "I regret I couldn't have met you. But I know you served the clan with honour, with valor. Pack strong."

"Sir?" Thane turned to see Pika approaching, carrying a large, overstuffed pack. "I gathered up some of my master's supplies. I'm sure they'll be useful."

Thane drew in a deep a breath, glancing at the cart as it pulled away before turning back to the squire. "Thank you, Pika."

"Let's get going. You should look through the journals you recovered."

Thane retrieved the papers that the attacker had dropped during the struggle and scanned through the hastily scribbled notes. Mostly it just seemed like the ravings of a madman; including some particularly vivid imagery about a rising tide of worms and clawing, throttling brambles. He flipped to the last few pages. There was some mention of coming into possession of a poppet, a powerful tool of black magic, and suspicions about Heimdall's arrival in Southbank. Finally he found a passage about a camp set up in a stone circle somewhere to the north of town.

"Hey, Sil." Thane waved the mouse over, "Know where this is?"

Sil cocked his head, "Sounds like The Whisperers. We could get there pretty quickly through the Sunken Wetlands."

"Good. We're going after that killer. If we can get our hands on that poppet it could help with the investigation."

"Alright then, let's go. We're crossing a swamp today. Tough walk. We might pick up a scratch or two."

Thane and his companions left Southbank and rode north to the edge of the swamp. Once there they were once again forced to dismount and travel on foot. Sil traversed the marshland with the ease of someone well suited to such terrain. Thane was much less sure footed, tripping over several roots and gashing his thigh in a thicket of brambles. Meanwhile, Pika made it through with no more than being covered in mud from head to toe after stumbling into a pool of stagnant water, from which the others had to drag her.

Thane was thankful when his feet found solid ground once more. He could see the standing stones of The Whisperers ahead, and already he could feel a tingling sensation in the air. The trace of something old, powerful. He glanced down and saw the cut on his leg close before his very eyes, leaving only a patch of blood stained fur.

They continued moving forward slowly until they reached the edge of the stone circle. Thane raised a hand, signalling for the others to wait. Dropping into a crouch he passed between the stones and entered the circle.

It was quiet. All was still. Thane looked around, sensing something was wrong. The circle was tainted; strange runes and sigils marked some of the stones, some roughly carved, others daubed in blood. Several smaller stones, or ones that had fallen over, had been used as alters to display symbols of dark magic. He saw skulls, horns and cracked bones, mounds of worms, some dried out in the sun others still fresh and wriggling, woven wreaths of bramble, thorns speckled with blood, and eviscerated crows, their entrails glistening wetly against the stone.

Thane's eyes narrowed as he heard a constant, low muttering. He slowly rounded another stone, hand reaching for his sword. The robed figure was there, knelt in the middle of a half dismantled camp, mumbling to himself as he frantically stuffed items into a pack. He stopped suddenly, sniffing at the air, and then as if sensing Thane's presence his head snapped around with a snarl. Thane could see the poppet clutched in one of the figure's hands, an unassuming doll made from twigs and tinder. In a split second the figure had swung the pack onto his back and sprinted for the treeline on the opposite side of the circle.

Thane went down onto all fours, every muscle driving him forward as he gave chase. He rapidly closed the gap, bearing down on his prey. Just as he was about to pounce, the robed figure spun. Thane caught the flash of a blade, and his head whipped sideways, a line of white hot pain burning across his cheek and muzzle. He howled, his body twisting mid-leap, sending him sprawling to the ground. When he raised his head the robed figure was already gone.

"Thane!" Thane turned to see Sil running toward him. "He got away! And he took the poppet with him!"

"I'll be honest." Pika said, leading the horses into the circle, "I'm glad we didn't find it. I don't want anything to do with the Rot." She looked around, "Let's set up camp. We can start trying to track him down tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right." Thane grunted as Sil helped him to his feet.

"Are you alright?" The mouse looked at him worriedly.

Thane pressed a hand to his cheek. The wound stung, and his palm came away slick with blood, but it was only a shallow cut. "I'll live." He grinned, "You still think I'm handsome, right?"

Sil sighed, "Just help me clear this place up will you? This stuff gives me the creeps."

It was dark when Thane was shaken awake, the stars shining down coldly from the clear sky and the embers of their campfire glowing softly. He sat up as Pika's face swam into view. "What is it?"

"I think I saw something, sir. Out there." She pointed out beyond the ring of firelight to the edge of the circle.

Thane rose quietly, retrieving his sword belt from where it lay beside his bedroll. He nudged Sil with his foot, the mouse letting out a little snort before uncurling slowly.

Thane crept to the edge of the circle, one hand on Grimfrost's hilt. As he peered into the darkness a shape appeared and began to take form. A King's Guard emerged from the shadows, armour gleaming in the moonlight, short blue and gold cape billowing behind him. The unnervingly blank hound-face helm, topped with a blue plume, stared eyelessly, directly at Thane. The halberd that he carried on one shoulder swung casually as he planted the haft against the ground.

"Thane of the Wolf Clan!" The voice rang out deep and hollow from the guard's helmet, "Hand over the poppet or be slain by order of the King!"

"This is crazy!" Pika gasped, "We don't even have the poppet!"

The guard remained unmoved, lowering his stance slightly.

"Why are the King's Guard attacking?" Sil asked, "We've done nothing wrong! This is madness."

The guard pounced, the head of his halberd aimed at Thane's neck. Thane stepped forward to meet the attack, deflecting it with Grimfrost as he drew the sword from its sheath. He riposted, bringing his sword down against the guard's pauldron hard enough to leave a dent. The guard pushed the blade away with the haft of his halberd. Thane dodged back away from the hefty oaken shaft as it swung out at him, then sidestepped an overhead strike. He flicked his sword up at the guard's extended arm, his blade finding the gap between pauldron and gauntlet, and biting into the mail there.

The guard grunted and backed away. He still held his weapon ready but the grip had weakened in his right hand, and the point of the halberd dipped and wavered. Thane readied himself to attack again, tightening his grip on hilt and pommel, when his eyes were drawn to a second King's Guard materialising out of the darkness.

The second guard charged at him, halberd lowered. Thane swung his sword low to deflect the attack, then spun on his heel and guarded high to parry the return swing. He slammed the crossguard of his sword against his attacker's helm, ringing it like a bell. He drew his arm back to hack at the guard's gorget, when he felt the haft of the hound's weapon impact against his knee. He staggered, saw the point of the halberd levelled at his chest and thrust his arm out to try and grab at the weapon.

There was a thud and the air was pushed from Thane's lungs in a pained gasp. He looked down to see his hand grasping the halberd just below the axe head. The six inch steel spike that topped the polearm had punched through the side of his brigandine and the mail hauberk beneath, driving itself between his ribs.

He gritted his teeth to keep from screaming, giving ground as the guard put more weight behind the halberd, his grip sliding on the haft as he tried to maintain the distance between himself and the hound.

"Thane!" He heard Pika shriek. The plucky squire ran straight at the guard and kicked him hard in the shin. The guard seemed more annoyed than hurt but the distraction was enough for Thane to pull himself free. His body sagged and was caught by Sil.

"Run!" The mouse cried, supporting the much larger wolf and half dragging him toward the cover of the forest. Pika caught up to them a few moments later. Behind them, one guard supported himself on his halberd, right arm held tight against his chest, the other kicked angrily at the remains of the campfire.

"This isn't good!" Pika murmured as they ran, "We'll have a bounty now! The King's Guard will hunt us down."

"We need to figure out a plan." Sil agreed, "Fast."