Title:
Night Wolf
Prelude
Ulva stretched her four limbs out in preparation of landing. Once she hit the ground, she flared her wings and made it so that she didn't move from that spot. Sniffing the air, she determined that she was only a few minutes late and quickly transformed into her human form. In the dragon's place was a girl no more then 16 years of age to a human, but in all reality, she was actually close to her 30th birthday.
She quickly ran down the stairs and down the many halls. She didn't need to pause in her run to her destination; she knew this castle like the back of her hand, as did her cousin, Quynh. They had both been born and raised inside this very castle, so it was only natural that they would know every corner of the castle. Ulva's lip twitched into what would have been a smirk. Added to the fact that she, her cousin, and both her ancestors had all of eternity to explore this castle was also another thing.
Quynh stood by the double doors that lead to the throne room. She looked barely seventeen, which Ulva thought she was, if she remembered when Quynh's birthday was. "Hullo, cousin." Ulva greeted Quynh. Quynh only nodded as they walked into the throne room.
Neither girls stopped walking until they were only a few feet away from their ancestors. Both girls nodded towards both of proud warlords. One of them was the Fallen Dragon Rider, Galbatorix, and the other a powerful evil entity named Sauron.
"Quynh, Ulva. You're both looking wonderfully." Sauron greeted them coyly. Quynh raised her eyebrows at this. "Thank you." She muttered all the same and nudged Ulva until Ulva did the same. Ulva decided that Quynh had been spending far too much time with elves lately. There was no way that Quynh ever thanked her two ancestors. "You called us here, may I ask why?" Ulva gave Quynh a funny look.
"May I?" Ulva mouthed to Quynh, who shrugged. Quynh had definitely been spending too much time with elves, no matter the fact that Quynh was an elf herself. The words coming from Quynh's mouth were not Quynh's. Ulva made a note to spend a few hours dunking Quynh after the meeting.
"Dearest Ulva, surely you have something to say as well other then a greeting?" Galbatorix asked. Ulva shrugged, she wasn't one for talking, nor was she the one for being in her human form for conversations. Quynh narrowed her eyes slightly; it was always Ulva that Galbatorix favored while Sauron favored neither. Both girls' parents had long since been dead; an 'unfortunate accident' was what Galbatorix had said that it was.
"I am not much the talker Rider, you know this as well as I and everyone else in this room." Ulva had been with the dragons more so then humans or anything that came close to a human in resemblance. She was also the one that liked to run around in circles with her words. Quynh rolled her eyes, an action that didn't go unnoticed by either of them. "Is there something that you would like to say Quynh?" Galbatorix asked with a hint of distaste. Ulva tensed slightly and her skin tensed, a sure sign that she was getting read to transform if the need aroused.
"Not at all, my most humble ancestor." Quynh mocked him, taking a bow. The way Quynh painted the words on the chilled air made it so that Galbatorix couldn't find an insult in them. Ulva hid a smile. Sauron spoke finally. "We've called you both because we have a dire need for your help." Sauron replied finally as the tension grew.
Quynh considered it. Something warned her that the statement masked a million unspoken crimes against her nature. Before she could say anything, however, Ulva spoke. "Depending on what you need help with will depend on if you shall receive my help or not. I cannot speak for my dear cousin Quynh here, but depending on your situation and your answer will be the outcome of if I will help you or not." Ulva said as she looked around the room. Her skin was tightening and the outline of scales could be seen on her skin. Quynh resisted the urge to slap Ulva. Knowing their ancestors, what Ulva had done was just about volunteer her services for anything. Both Sauron and Galbatorix now looked at her, gloating over the thoughts she now turned over in her head. "I will neither volunteer nor reject until I have heard what you ask for." Ulva made a slight motion, as if she wanted to smack Quynh for the words Quynh spoke.
Ulva narrowed her eyes. Everyone in the room could see that her fingers and nails were turning into the claws of a dragon and if she were to strike at Quynh, she would be on the floor without a head. "What we ask of the two of will take awhile, so please, take a seat and relax. Ulva, it would ease the tension in this room if you were to stop transforming and to revert to the human form that you are gifted with." Sauron said as Ulva stared at him. "I will do as I please Sauron. You and he only started my lineage and nothing more. Therefore, I do not owe you any loyalty as I would to a stranger on the streets of this...empire." Quynh felt like smacking something. Her 'dearest' cousin had just told off Sauron and had just basically made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him or with Galbatorix. The narrowing of both men's eyes told her that their temper and patience was running out; and fast.
Quynh, however, also had to fight to keep a smile from showing on her face. If she knew Ulva, Ulva wanted to smack her, and she-Quynh-wanted to smack Ulva, but neither one ever actually did slap each other. Finally reigning in her laughter as much as she could, Quynh spoke. "My dearest ancestors, I believe the floor is yours." Galbatorix's fists clenched momentarily, but considering who was speaking, his reaction was not unexpected.
"We have come to an agreement that we need help. After considering many applications we have chosen you two because of your various skills. Ulva, because of your shape shifting ability, and...Quynh...because of your proficiency with weapons..." Sauron's voice trailed off into a long and complex speech that was eventually picked up by Galbatorix. Quynh barely registered even half of it, and considering that she spent an awful lot of time listening to elven speeches, made the speeches very long, very dull, and having one purpose only.
Ulva was tempted to yawn and had to partly transform in order to mask the yawn that she had held back. "Sauron, Galbatorix, you still have not said what it is that you wish of us." Quynh looked at Ulva through the corner of her eyes and snorted lightly. To the dragons-and the elves-Ulva was still a child and thus; didn't understand many word games.
Sauron and Galbatorix exchanged glances as Quynh quietly hid a growing smirk and Ulva tried very hard not to yawn from boredom. "Well, Ulva, we'd like to offer you power." That got both Quynh's and Ulva's attention. "Do what?" They both asked at the same time. Galbatorix shot a nasty look at Quynh before answering Ulva. "Yes, you see, we have immense power, and we'd like to share it with the worthy." Quynh caught the slight pause before the word 'worthy' even before Galbatorix finished speaking. "Excuse me, my ancestor, but when you say worthy, what exactly do you mean?"
"By worthy, we mean someone who can be equal to us." Sauron covered the slip smoothly, hiding the imminent look of fury at Galbatorix's favoritism. Galbatorix made no reaction other than to silently curse his careless tongue. "So..." Ulva considered it. "Basically, you're looking for help to gain more power, right?" The looks of alarm told them the answer. Quynh stood up in disgust. "I trust you'll excuse me, my lords. Unfortunately your offer is not the least bit tempting at this moment, and I doubt that it will be. I am no one's servant." Ulva stood up as well and they both walked for the doors.
"I know your true names! If I speak it you will have to obey me!" Galbatorix said. Both girls stopped and turned toward him. Quynh looked at him. Finally, Ulva called his bluff. "Say them then."
Galbatorix, who was red in the face mind you, spoke in the ancient language and both girls felt slightly compelled to react, but the compelled need wasn't strong enough to make them act upon it. Ulva snorted and narrowed her eyes. "Not good enough." With she quickly transformed and blew black fire at them, and while they had wasted the time casting spells and shields and other things to combat the flames, Ulva knocked a hole in the wall with her tail and ran towards it. Quynh grabbed onto her tail and quickly made her way into the hollow between the neck and shoulders and sat there as they both flew off. "Oi! Why's the dragon got to do all the fighting!" Quynh demanded as she flipped around and drew a long handled dagger. "Can you get up close?" She asked Ulva. How close? Ulva asked. "The closer the better." Quynh replied.
Ulva continued flying, but roared a challenge. A challenge that Shuriken quickly flew faster as a way of saying that he accepted the challenge. Ulva turned around and blew fire at him; the black male rolled lazily to the side and grabbed her with his fore arms. Sinking his claws into her arms, it was clear that he was bigger in size they she was. Quynh took this time to move and slash at a few of the scaled fingers while Ulva tried to bite his throat out.
Galbatorix shouted something in the Ancient language that neither Quynh nor Ulva could hear. Something slammed into Ulva's body, and in the sudden downpour of rain, Quynh slipped on Ulva's wet scales. Ulva roared as Quynh lost her footing and slid down into the trees that welcomed her below. Ulva roared again and dove after her falling cousin. Ulva landed and shifted into her human form. "Quynh!" She screamed. There was no response. Scenting the air, the rain made it impossible to catch Quynh's scent. "Quynh!" Ulva yelled.
"I'm afraid you've already missed her." Ulva turned as something hit her, and she felt her limbs stiffen and turn to stone. As the stone covered her completely, she heard Quynh's voice shouting. "You bastards!" And then she could only hear as she blinked once, and became solid stone. Galbatorix said something and there was a nasty cracking sound. The sound of a knife blade slicing into flesh rang in her ears, and then Galbatorix shouting something she couldn't understand. "Join your cousin in eternal damnation, Quynh." Sauron hissed as something fell heavily next to Ulva.
Quynh was aware of being carried to something that rocked. She couldn't see well over the stone film that covered her eyes, but she knew that she could see more than Ulva, who had blinked at just the wrong moment. There was shouting. She had to be on a ship of some kind. Suddenly the shouting turned to anger and fear as the boat rocked violently as the statuette form she was trapped in fell. Commotion and panic surrounded her and then she felt as if she was settling into some type of gel. She realized only long after Ulva's statue had fallen too, that they had fallen into the ocean.