Animal Instincts
Disclaimer: I make no claim of anything that is under copyright.
Chapter 1: She who runs with the wolves
I looked up towards the mountains, awaiting the rest of the pack to return from hunting. The sun shined through the trees, allowing me to bask in the warm light. The slight chill in the breeze signified the end of the hot season while the leaves begin to lose color and drop to the ground. I hated being left behind to care for the pups back at the den, while everyone else was off running through the woods chasing our meal. What I wouldn't give to be out there, running freely through the forest with only one thought on my mind: dinner.
The Alpha of our pack would tell me time and time again, "You are needed for much more important tasks and I will not take the chance of you dying on the hunt or getting lost in the vast wilderness. Staying here and guarding the future of the pack is an important role that I entrust to you." I snorted loudly to myself and ran my fingers through my hair while impatiently tapping my foot against the dirt in an effort to keep myself occupied. The pups ran all over the clearing near the den, play fighting amongst each other to train for when they get bigger to be able to take down large game. They would occasionally try to involve me in their little games by running around and in between my feet and nipping at my ankles. I would usually give in and find myself chasing them or allowing them to chase me around the clearing. He was right to keep me behind though; I can't keep up with the pack because I am two-legged, I don't have any natural defense like fur, teeth and claws in case I run into trouble and if I do get lost, I would be frozen to death by morning. One thing I never plan on doing is going against the Alpha's orders, for he is the reason that I still live.
I was found by the pack when I was but a pup, crying in the arms of my dead two-legged mother. The only memory I have of my true family. I left her and everything I knew and went with the wolves. With the Alpha's blessing, I was welcomed into the pack and I began to create a new life for myself. Many seasons later, I became a worthy member of my pack whether it was caring for the young or binding wounds with bits of abandoned cloth and vines. I have fought bears and other enemies of the survival of the pack in an effort to prove myself of being worthy to belong.
Voices I did not recognize brought me out of my day dream as I hurriedly shooed the pups into the den, despite their urge to find out what the noise was and went over to investigate the problem myself. In the valley, I spotted a group of two-legs ambling through the brush, swinging giant shiny sticks that tore the forest vines to shreds and making a suitable path for them. There were four in total, all covered in a shiny, silver, substance that gleamed in the sunlight. I watched intently, the light would reflect off of their shiny coverings, forcing me to squint, as one with short black hair stopped in the middle of the clearing and drop his pack to the ground. The others followed and they began setting up a pit for fire and odd white structures that they disappeared in and out of. I leaned harder on the branch of the tree I was hiding behind to catch what the black haired man was saying.
"Just because we are making camp does not mean you should let your guard down. These woods will have no problem engulfing us all in one swoop so we must all stay alert." he said with an air of authority. The wind picked up, sending their scents through the trees. I know the smell of two-legs quite well, but this group has an odd scent about them. Something powerful or something dangerous. I leaned in closer as the wind was making it hard to hear the two-legs. I heard a loud crack and the next thing I knew, I was falling down into the valley landing on my hindquarters in the center of their camp. One of the two-legs already was on top of me with one of those shiny sticks against my throat.
"Identify yourself, and be quick or I run you through!" he shouted striking me across my face with an open hand. Letting out an indignant huff, I heaved my elbows into his face and threw him off of me. I stood up and attempted to run, only to be forced to my knees while one of the two-legs grabbed me by my long, ratty brown hair and forced my head to the two-leg that was talking earlier.
"Ser what should we do with her? She could be working for Orlais!" the black haired one gave the men stern looks before speaking.
"It does not matter who she is or who she may or may not be working for, but under my watch, you will release her and treat her like the proper lady that she deserves to be treated," he said as they slowly released me, "I apologize for their rudeness my lady, I'm afraid this forest has my men jumping at shadows. My name is Duncan and I am leader of the Grey Wardens of Fereldin, and you are?" I stood up and looked over my surroundings, judging to see if there was an escape route. If I can run fast enough and if they are slow enough, I might have a chance. Now that I was closer, I stared at Duncan and said nothing. He was old, judging by the lines that marked his face, he was really old. The shiny material they all wore was solid in the sun, and looked pretty heavy. I relaxed, knowing that escape was possible.
"I am Amal of the pack that runs through the forests. You are not…welcomed here." I replied slowly. I somewhat understand the language of the two-legged from my encounters with the nearby village at the edge of the forest, but it is sometimes hard to come up with a reply with my limited vocabulary; "This is not territory for the…likes of you two-legs. Turn back the way you…came" he arched an eyebrow at her comment.
"I see. So how does an intelligent, young girl like you end up with a pack of wolves?"
"I was found by the wolves crying against my dead…mother in the middle of the woods and they…took me in." a soft howl reached my ears as I closed my eyes and bathed in the sound. The calls of the pack were soothing, and always guiding me back home.
"I take it that you must be heading back to your home then, hmm?" Duncan said crossing his arms over his chest. He wore a quizzical look upon his face, like he was trying to solve a difficult problem in his head. I gave him a curt nod and sprinted off into the forest. I ran as fast as I could, not wanting the two-legs to change their mind and end up catching me again.
Once I believed that I was far enough away I glanced back toward the valley to see if the two-legs were going to try and track me back to the den. When fear stopped eating at my nerves, I raced back to the den to find the pack gathered around a large elk each taking bites and chunks from the corpse and enjoying the savory meat. My eyes scanned the mass of fur and teeth to spot the Alpha, who lay against the mouth of the den with a swollen belly and a content look. I walked over to him and crouched on the balls of my feet beside him as he lazily cracked open one of his bright yellow eyes.
"My pup, where did you run off to? We returned from the hunt with the pups in the back of the den in a scared pile and you were no where to be seen nor smelled." I bowed my head in defeat. I was hoping to get back to the den before they got back, I also wasn't hoping to meet with the two-legs either.
"I apologize, my Alpha. I heard a disturbance near the den so I hid the pups and checked out the noise."
"And what did you find?"
"Two-legs, my Alpha, a small group of them in the valley. They kind of found out that I was spying on them…well, when I fell into the valley and alerted them of my presence." the Alpha lifted his large aging head and met my gaze.
"Well, I am grateful that they allowed you to return in one piece, but you know very well the dangers of the two-legs." I nodded and looked toward the pack still feasting on the elk.
"I'm not planning on putting the pack in danger, my Alpha. I will fight anyone who threatens our way whether they be two-legged or six!" the Alpha let out a low growl in amusement.
Later that night, loud crashes awoke the pack with a start. Being the closest to the mouth of the cave, I stuck my head out of the cover of our den and peered around for a source of the sounds. Not as soon as I stuck my head out that a large object landed right in front of me. The object was similar to the two-leg's shiny sticks, but much broader at one end, to the point that I was able to see my face in the reflection of the material. I looked up the shaft of the shiny, broad object to see a two-leg. It wasn't any two-leg I have ever encountered. First of all the smell was haunting, like carrion that's been left out in the sun to rot and fester. For some reason, the smell was a little familiar. With a loud howl I called to my brothers and sisters deep within the den to come to battle. Wolves from all around jumped at the creature snapping their jaws as the creature swung his large shiny tool. The tool made contact with one of the wolves and the wolf was thrown to the ground, limp as the dead.
More creatures came pouring into the clearing and soon we were outnumbered. Everything was a blur or fangs and glints of silver from the tools in the moonlight. I grabbed the downed creature's heavy tool from its body and swung with all my might into the next two-legged creature I saw. I felt my shoulder muscles scream in protest as it was cleaved in two as both sections of its body dropped to the ground. With my adrenaline pumping, I picked up the tool again and swung it over my head and into another one of the creature's heads. It was so heavy, my arms burned with pain, but I began to drag it along the ground toward another when I was thrown to the ground with one of the creatures on top of me. I tried to keep its razor sharp teeth away, but I felt my strength being eaten away. Its breath came out in pants as I use my hands to keep its mouth from my flesh.
I looked over to see how the rest of the pack was fairing and cried out. Wolves were everywhere, peppering the ground with their prone bodies. A single tear escaped as I closed my eyes and let everything go and good visions swirled in my head. If the pack was going to die here, I might as well do the same to stay with them. Right before the creature was going to go for the final kill; it slowed and I saw a lump form on its forehead which then busted and from its skull came a sharp silver point. The point retracted and I shoved the creature off, wiped my face in my bear skin coverings and opened my eyes to stare at the two-leg that I met earlier, Duncan, with his shiny stick covered in the creature's blood. The two-legs jumped into the fray and took care of the remanding creatures that now littered the floor.
Without a second thought, I crawled over to each fallen wolf, my body was so stiff and sore it was too painful to get up, and I checked for survivors I crawled inside the den and found the Alpha curled up in front of the nursery. Beside him lay one of the creatures, its eyes drained of life. I crawled over to him and saw the large wound on his side. He opened his bright yellow eyes and looked up at me with a whimper.
"My Alpha, there are no survivors out here. Did they get into the nursery?" I asked. I knew the cold answer when he closed his eyes and let out a soft whine.
"No, everyone is gone, except for you, Amal." he grimly told her. Tears sprang up in her eyes. "Do not cry over us, for we will be with you on the next step in your journey. The two-leg that jumped into our battle will be your new Alpha, for he risked his life for the pack, and you will follow him." I sobbed even harder.
"No, I need you, I need the pack! I don't know what to do with these two-legs! What am I suppose to do?" I screamed into his fur, not caring that I was covering myself in the Alpha's blood.
"You must. That evil that we just encountered is not the last you will see. You will avenge your pack and destroy them all. The pack will be with you in spirit whenever you need their help; they will come rushing from the Beyond for you. You will know what to do," with that the Alpha placed his head on the ground for the last time as I felt the life drain from his body. I sat there for a minute, my face still in the Alpha's fur, in the pack's blood, remembering the scent and feel of the pack. I will keep the spirit of the pack alive with their blood staining my face. I dug myself, the Alpha, and the pups from the den and into the clearing with my brothers and sisters. I saw Duncan gathering the wolves together so that it was like they were still sleeping. The blood across their bodies did not help the illusion. I placed the Alpha and the pups in the center of the pack. The smell of blood and death was prominent in the area, but Duncan's scent was the only thing that I was able to pick out. I realized how that creature's scent was so familiar, because it was similar to his.
In an instant I was on my feet, with a fiery burn of rage in my stomach.
"You smell like them!" I screamed pointing at the figures of the creatures that the pack gave their lives to slay. His gaze met mine then away. I slammed my fists into his shiny coverings tears streaming down my cheeks "You brought those things here! You killed the pack!"
"I may smell similar, but I am not associated with those things. They are called the darkspawn and they are bent on destroying everything and killing everyone in their path. Being a Grey Warden, it is my duty to destroy these creatures and bring peace throughout the land for Grey Wardens are the only people that are able to defeat them. I am sorry that I did not make it sooner, I could've saved your pack." my sobbing eased and I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes. I felt the Alpha's blood sticking to the side of my face, but I did not wipe it off.
"My Alpha instructed me to follow you. He said I was to avenge the pack and if you say that you're the only ones who can beat them, then I shall do whatever is necessary" he gave a nod, "Before we go, is there a way so that my pack can rest peacefully without being devoured by scavengers?" a torch of fire, brought by one of Duncan's men was handed to me and I placed the torch in the center of the pile of my pack. I watched as my family disappeared in the flames, determined to avenge them against every darkspawn creature on this world, even if it kills me. The fire dimmed leaving me, Duncan and his fellow two-legs in the dark, blood-covered clearing where my home once was.
"If you are ready, we should go. There will be more darkspawn here soon and we will not be able to fight them all."
"Where is safe?" I asked.
"Ostagar, it is where the Grey Warden headquarters is currently located. It should take us about three days if we hurry." Duncan replied. He walked over to one of the darkspawn creatures laying face down in the dirt and pulled out one of those shiny sticks and handed it to me. "That ax you had did what was necessary, but you should carry a light sword at the moment to defend yourself until we get to Ostagar, there we can get you a better weapon and some armor." I took the sword and did a couple of test swings before dropping it to the ground and clutching my shoulder in pain. Duncan knelt down and handed me a container that he said contained a potion of herbs that would help ease the pain. I drank the entire contents, in an effort to dull the pain in my body, hoping to dull the pain I still felt in my soul for the pack. My body tingled and I felt a wave of warmth encase me. The pain in my shoulder was numbed and I felt like I could run from one end of the forest to the other with no stopping. I felt the potion beneath my skin, creating a warm feeling from my head to my toes. Without looking back, we walked from the clearing and through the forest, silent as the dead. I didn't want to talk, only to let my emotions bubble around in my head. I kept walking despite the fact that I wanted nothing more than to disappear into the earth and return to the pack.
We walked until the sun was well above our heads. My body was sore from the battle and from the constant walking soon after the potion wore off; my stomach growled remembering that I haven't eaten since the night before, nor had a decent night of sleep. My legs and feet cried for rest, the muscles were strained from the continuous use. I stayed at Duncan's side and dared not complain about wanting to stop. I didn't trust him, but I had no choice but to, I have never ventured outside of the forest except to go to the two-leg village and steal food for the pack during the cold season; and since he was my new Alpha, I followed him. My hand touched the blood stain of my old Alpha on the side of my face. The blood was completely dried and felt like a large scab that went from my hairline on my forehead to my ear. The touch was comforting, I felt like I was back in the den, surrounded by my furry brothers and sisters. Their scent was all that filled my nose, their fur, soft to the touch. Duncan ripped me out of my fantasy with a light hand on my shoulder.
"We are stopping for a while to rest. You look like you're going to fall face first to the ground." he said gesturing me to sit with the rest of his men in a small circle. One of them pulled out multiple packages of what smelled like meat and passed them to everyone. I looked at the package that was handed to me and tilted my head.
"What is this white stuff covering the meat?" I said, peeling the white material off of the piece of meat slowly.
"It covers the meat so that dirt or other things don't get trapped in the meat, making it uneatable." I made an 'o' with my mouth and carefully bit into the meat; it was salty, like how the villagers prepared their meat. My stomach greedily devoured the entire package of the salty meat as the feeling of hunger was being swept away. Once we all finished eating, they all took turns taking off their shiny coverings and investigating any wounds that they have encountered. The coverings clanged on the ground which caused me to jump at the noise. I picked up the covering and looked it over, listening to the material clang as I knock on it with my knuckles. The material was strong and did not dent, no matter how hard I tried. I heard a chuckle as I lifted a rock to slam against the material.
"That armor is made of the best metal you can find, the only thing you're going to succeed in doing is breaking your wrist." I put the rock down and continued examining the metal piece. Despite all my attempts to dent the material, it was still completely smooth underneath my fingers.
"Metal?" the word rolled off my tongue. I have seen countless two-legs with this kind of covering in the village, but I never figured out what it was called.
"Metal is formed from components in the earth. We have developed a way to harness those components and use them to make a variety of things. We can make armor, weapons and other things." Duncan came and sat next to me as I placed the metal armor back into the pile. "Not let me take a look at your injuries." he said softly. My right shoulder was still sore from swinging the heavy ax around and numerous scratches, bruises and bumps decorated the rest of my body. He pulled out a jar of what looked like fat from an elk and handed it to me.
"This is a salve, Amal, we use it to help wounds heal, and it also eases pain and soreness. Swinging that ax strained your muscles so make sure you get everywhere that hurts." he said while instructing me to go into one of their white structures to put it on. "That's a tent Amal, it won't eat you. You have to undress and put the salve on in there. There's also a spare change of clothing that you can wear, outside of the forest, you would look like a crazed person in a bear skin tunic like that." he said pointing at my coverings. I took the salve and turned on my heel toward the tent. I stopped in front of it and glanced around. How was I supposed to even get inside? I turned back to Duncan and tilted my head.
"How do you get inside?" he let out a sigh and strolled over to open a side flap. I nodded and ducked into the tent as he dropped the cloth back in place and I was surrounded by the white cloth. I looked to find some cloth on a long wide board that was soft and flexible. I picked up the cloth on the board and unfolded them before stripping myself of my bear skin. I took my time applying the salve, wanting the mixture to work effectively. Once I was satisfied I picked up the clothes again and sneered. Two-legs had such thick coverings. After a solid amount of time of finding out how I was going to put on these things, I struggled, kicking my legs into the wide holes of one green article and used the strings to tie it around my waist. I pulled the other tan article over my head into the center hole and my arms through the two side holes. There was a set of armor that gleamed in the corner and I looked at a girl with waist length, tangled brown hair and bright blue eyes and a dark red stain across the side of her face gazing back. It's been a long time since I saw myself, usually it was in the ever changing face of the river, but this time I was able to see every detail of my face. I tied my hair back with a bit of cloth and gathered my things before heading back out of the tent. The clothing that Duncan gave me made my back itch but it was the warmest I've ever been. Duncan came and took my bear skin from my arms and replaced it with a container he said was filled with water.
"You can wash the blood from your face." he said. I touched the dried stain and shook my head.
"This is the blood of the pack, and I will not wash it away."
"If you don't wash it off soon, the stain will never come out of your skin no matter how hard you try to wash it." Duncan warned. I shook my head again.
"That is what I want. It will serve as a reminder of who I am and what I must do to avenge the pack. It's the only thing I have to remember them by," with a nod, he dropped the subject. We sat there for what seemed like forever before Duncan rose to his feet and put his hand in front of me as I still sat on the ground. I stared at his hand before looking up at him.
"I'm offering to help you up, Amal." I grabbed his hand, noting the amount of scars that criss-crossed across. Duncan may be old, but he looked to be a mighty warrior. With a gentile pull, he brought me to my feet and turned toward his fellow two-legs. "Hope everyone got a good rest because it's time to move on." I heard the others groan and complain that the dirt looked so inviting.
"There is a village at the edge of the forest just up ahead," I stated.
"Then we shall rest for the night there, so until then-" with that Duncan proceeded through the brush with the rest of us scurrying behind to catch up. After a while of silent traveling, I looked over to Duncan.
"So just how many two-legs are there outside of the forest?" I asked. The village that we were heading to swarmed with their brood. Other than the villagers and the random travelers that would go through the forest, I did not see many two-legs. Duncan closed his eyes and smirked.
"There are many of us, more than you will ever see in your life. Some big like the Quinari or small like the Dwarves and there are also the Elves. Our particular clan is called humans. Since you don't have the physical characteristics of the Quinari or Dwarf, nor do you possess the pointy ears that Elves have, you are most likely a human as well." I let the thought dance in my head.
"Just how long have you been living with the wolves?" one of Duncan's men asked.
"I've been with the pack since I was a pup, so I've been in the forest for about 20 hot seasons and cold seasons." he cringed slightly.
"That's a long time to be away from any civilization."
"I would occasionally sneak into the village and steal food for my pack when the weather was bad or when food was scarce. Sometimes I would go there and simply just watch the two-I mean humans go about their activities. I picked up the language during my many visits, though I am not very good at it." I stammered. Duncan clasped a hand on my shoulder.
"For someone who has been raised by wolves, you are very good at speaking. It does not matter how fast or slow one talks, as long as the point gets across." the trees were beginning to thin and we were able to see smoke rise above the tree tops. We got to the edge of the forest and up the hill to the human village.
So that's chapter 1. A little lengthy, but necessary. Chapter 2 may take some time.