The rain was relentless at this point. It threatened to soak people to the bone and attempted to sneak inside cloaks. Although people were excited by the Wolf's presence, nobody wanted to stand outside in this weather. Raoul, Alanna, Kel, and Dom eagerly exited the tent, with Dom bringing up the rear. He slung his arm around her shoulders and proclaimed, "Come along my dear Protector! I think this is the Goddesses way of telling us that we have been out in the mud for too long." Dramatically, he used his free arm to flick off some dried mud on his cheek. Laughing, Kel walked faster to get out of the rain. Dom grinned; while Kel was ahead of him now, she didn't object to his arm around her.
Alanna reached the inn first and quickly pushed it open. Sliding the hood away from her face, she saw a young girl eating with two even younger children. The older girl looked to be seventeen but seemed comfortable eating at an inn on her own. At first glance, she looked like an innocent pretty girl. However, the lightened color of her hair and the barely visible imprint of daggers on her person spoke a different story. Raoul came in after her and nearly whistled. The girl before him was certainly a beauty and more than one of his men would be trailing after her. Silently, he chuckled. He could imagine the increase in accidents among his men and planned to milk their distraction for all its worth. Last night, the men decided to relieve their boredom by filling his bedroll with mud. His men now avoided him and warily hesitated in following their orders, expecting some sort of retribution.
Kel stepped into the inn and saw a half drenched girl eating with two children. As first glance, she noticed the girl's lightly tanned skin and full lips as they bit into a slice of bread. Underneath the large shirt were the faint imprints of daggers and lean muscles. The children sat with their backs facing the door, but were too busy gorging themselves on the food to notice the sound of wet boots on the floor. Kel couldn't blame them. Their clothes were clearly too big for them and the arms poking out of the sleeves showed skin stretched too tightly over the bone. Hanging his cloak on a nearby hook, Dom was the last one of their group to enter. The others were observing the Wolf and to be honest, he expected more. The girl was several years younger than Kel and didn't look like a crusader for women and children. However, she did have muscles and looked like she knew how to wield a weapon, so he probably shouldn't voice his thoughts aloud. Kel and Alanna were already excited to meet her and would turn on him the moment he voiced his doubts over the girl's skill. Kel, he might be able to handle, but Neal's stories of his years as her squire frightened him.
As the three knights and sergeant examined Amira, she conducted one of her own. They appeared friendly and based on the chatter from the inn keeper, they helped rebuild part of the town. Each carried a sword under their cloaks and except for the blue eyed man, they were all legends. A few months before she embarked on her year long trip to Carthak, the villages were flooded with stories of the Protector of the Small. Some were simply outrageous and made her seem like a ten foot tall giantess who had a miniature army of beasts by her side. Amira figured out the gist of the story and was nevertheless, impressed. She was reckless, but even she doubted if she would have been able to rescue several hundred refugees from Scanra.
When Mitch finished his stew, Amira saw the boy eying her half-finished bowl of food. Wordlessly, she pushed it towards him and smirked. He was only ten years old but he already had the appetite of a grown man. Mitch quietly thanked her and poured only half of the stew into his bowl, the rest he gave to Sara. The group approached her table and introduced themselves, curiosity brimming in their eyes. Together, they were: Sir Alanna of Olau and Pirate's Swoop, Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, and Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle. Their names were a mouthful and Amira mentally grimaced at the thought of having to say it when she spoke. Standing up, she introduced herself as Amira, the Shang Wolf. Appreciation flickered in their eyes and she gently pulled Sara and Mitch up. Their eyes had widened and to everyone's amusement, neither of them could speak. Chuckling, she introduced them and the only thing the kids could manage were shaky bows.
Alanna kneeled down until she was their level. Tilting their chins up, she said, "We may be nobles but you kits needn't bow to us like we are better than you. Look, we even have the same mud on our faces." Sara looked up and giggled at the sight of the mud streaked on the Lioness' face. The kids were still quiet, but at least they were starting to relax. "So Amira, what are you doing in this town?" Raoul asked. "Actually, I was planning on heading up north and visiting some of the villages there but then I met these kids. I have a friend in Corus who could find them a decent home but then it started raining. We came up here since I only had one cloak and this was the closest shelter." Amira said with a shrug.
"Well we are pretty much done repairing this town, so you can join us on our way back. We were planning on leaving tomorrow, but if this rain keeps up, it will be a few more days." Raoul saw Kel and Alanna's eyes light up at the prospect of having a shang travel with them. Mithros, normal women at court got that spark in their eyes when they found the right dress or accessory. He just had to be friends with the two women in the country who practically danced in anticipation of learning new moves. At least they aren't whacking me with those swords. Kel isn't my squire anymore so I can't make her joust me.
Amira accepted and everyone settled down to have a drink and chat. After spending most of the day on Fiera and then eating a hearty bowl of stew, the kids were starting to tire. Both of them wanted to stay but the drooping eyelids proved that they wouldn't last. Excusing herself, Amira slid an arm under Sara's knees and effortlessly lifted her up. Mitch rubbed his eyes and stood up with them. He yawned and grabbed her hand as they walked up to their room. He opened the door and helped Amira put Sara into bed before joining her. Both kids were asleep by the time Amira closed the door and made her way downstairs.
Once she was settled, Alanna asked the question that had been plaguing their minds from the moment they saw her. "Obviously, you know how Raoul, Kel, and I got our nicknames, but this is the first time I have heard of the Lady Wolf. How did you get the name for someone so young?"
Blushing, she responded. "The name was sort of forced upon me after I finished my shang ordeal three years ago. After I became the Shang Wolf, I began travelling through villages in Tortall, doing odd jobs to make some money. I was eating at some inn and the men were even more drunk than usual. The waitresses wore small outfits so in their drunken stupor, lots of hands were roving around. All of the girls simply laughed and winked at the patrons, but there was one who didn't. A man tried getting her to join his bed and when she refused, he slapped her. Everyone stood around laughing as blood trickled out of the poor girl's mouth. Before I could step in, the lass jumped out, tackled the guy, and knocked him unconscious."
Raoul's eyes danced mischievously as he interrupted to tell everyone about the last time he saw Alanna wrestle. Her opponent was twice her size and George, her husband, loudly placed a bet on her opponent winning. She refused to back down from the challenge almost lost. In a last ditch attempt, she bent low and head butted the guy in the gut.
Flushing red as everyone laughed, Alanna threatened to go outside and beat Raoul into the mud. Smirking, Dom innocently asked, "Will that be with your sword or your head?" Growling, Alanna told the sergeant to watch himself or else he would need Kel to help salve the pain with bruise balm. Kel was in the middle of taking a drink when Alanna said that and she started choking. Raoul patted her on the back and noticed a tinge of red on both Kel and Dom's faces. Making note of it, he gestured for Amira to continue.
"Roaring in laughter, I convinced the girl to leave before everyone came to their senses and tried to get revenge. She certainly had the guts, but if the guy was sober, she wouldn't have been able to manage that, so I offered to teach her some moves. Overnight, she spread word that the Shang Wolf was going to teach her how to fight off drunks so a bunch of other girls showed up the next morning. I had planned on leaving in two days, but the girls begged me to stay the rest of the week. For three days, I showed them how to throw people and where they should hit an unwelcomed guest. When I finally left, I went to another village and word had spread. Girls began coming up to me, wanting to be like the Lioness and Protector, so I taught them. The ones who were too afraid to ask me learned from the ones I taught and they started called me the Lady Wolf because I am always seen with my two wolves."
Whistling, Kel absorbed the tale in astonishment. She could understand girls wanting to be like the Lioness but she didn't know that they idolized her too. Her greatest exploit was defeating Blayce the necromancer, but that act bordered on treason.
"Wait, you travel with wolves?" Dom exclaimed. "Do you have wild magic?"
"Only a little bit. I can talk to dogs and wolves but I can't heal or make them do anything."
"So where are they?"
"Upstairs. They decided to dry out by the fire and prefer to stay out of sight. Most folks aren't exactly welcoming when they see a pair of wolves. People only tolerate them because of my reputation."
"So you have spent the last three years living in villages?" Kel asked.
"Actually, I just returned from a year long trip in Carthak. I like to travel but I always make sure I come back home and see how the villages are faring." The conversation switched to the latest news and eventually their travel plans. A comfortable lull settled around the group and Alanna saw that the rain had ceased. Nudging Raoul, everyone stood up and went back to their tents before the rain decided to continue.
