Chapter 6: Silver Stars
She watched the wolves around her. The air's stench was filled with the pungent scent of body odor, contrasting with the pine smoke. She concentrated on one of her wraiths, seeing the hunched figure on the bank of the pond silently weeping. She left its icy mind from the pain of guilt in her heart. One way or another she would ensure her safety.
The moment she had the thought the door opened. The candles flicked as her eyes landed on the figure coming inside. As one of the men yelled for the Wolvarian to close the door he looked up shrugging the hood of his cowl off. What she saw brought a smile to her face. He was young'un of roughly eighteen or nineteen years, but she sensed it.
'He's the one.' She said in her mind. 'How can you be sure?' he asked his love, hearing through the link a slight giggle then her bemused voice, 'If only you could read his thoughts my brightest. Trust me, he is the one.' To which he retreated grudgingly. He had to trust her judgment; he just didn't want her hurt either.
But she was not paying attention to him; she heard the young blood begin to play on his Clawona which was a stringed instrument made specifically to be played with one's claws, it helped to create eerie melodies while usually in accompaniment of another instrument, alone mostly for love ballads. He began to string the instrument causing a stir of excitement in the room, no Wolvarian or human who lived within the territory of the War-eye clan could say they didn't love music. He began the opening of a song causing her to nod in approval at the song choice; it was an ancient Wolvarian love song, popular by today's standards. She couldn't help but remember when her mate had played that song to her. He also played it beautifully, it not more so that what the young minstrel was playing. That helped her make her decision; even if it meant giving that which she held dearest.
She jerked slightly at the feeling of a tear falling from her eyes which she quickly wiped away. Taking a shaky breath she watched him, he was on his next song already while the waitress made her rounds. When she got to her table the waitress frowned down at her opening to speak to the disheveled woman when she suddenly looked up into the waitress's eyes. Then abruptly the waitress turned and left the poor woman alone. She smiled at the retreating waitress as her eyes went back to their dark brown. When she issued scent commands her true form showed and the black fur she had shifted to silver, with the eyes turning silver as well. She leaned back into the shadows waiting for him to approach her, for she felt his eyes land upon her. She could smell his blood from where she sat. However he was not her prey.
Once the final notes sounded she saw him rise as those who'd listened put coin after coin into his case. Most of it being copper or silver but she saw the golden howlers here or there. Then she saw one of the servers bring food over to a table as he sat to eat. As he ate she saw from under the edge of his cowl that would look over at her from time to time only to look away if she looked his way. After some time he did get up and come to her table dropping the sack of coins he had onto the table saying,
"You need that money more than me." And started back to his seat when the old she wolf spoke, "To the north you will find one who requires your love more than me."
Warthorn turned around quickly confused but is all he saw was nothing. He blinked and breathed deeply but couldn't find any kind of a scent of the woman that'd been sitting not even a second ago. He looked down at the table, the coin purse was gone. He started backing away till he reached his table, grabbed his case, paid for his food then left.
That was when the blizzard hit driving him northwest into the trees. When he got into the meager shelter they provided it was easier to see but he still kept going north. He had no true idea how he knew he was heading north. He'd been heading around the countryside, exploring towns and villages; he came to that tavern to escape the cold of night and rain for a while. He'd not expected that old poor woman to actually speak to him, let alone tell him there was someone he was to see in the north.
He grunted as some snow fell from the branch of a tree to hit him on the head. He shook off the excess snow continuing on north ward. He at least didn't have to worry about a Clawona weighing him down at least he thought ruefully; he'd slipped and it ended up falling into a small river that he was traveling nearby on. At that very moment was when he came into a clearing and in that clearing three things happened to him. First as he stepped into the clearing he stepped on a twig causing a loud snap, second the blizzard suddenly stopped and third a Wolvarian female that'd been leaning over on the pond in the clearing jumped up throwing a knife at him which the hilt struck him right in between the eyes causing him to see silver stars that were as bright as the silver fur of the she wolf who threw it. He barely stayed conscious when he heard paw steps quickly running toward him as he struggled to get up when he felt a strong clawed hand grab him by the throat and slammed him into a tree.
His eyes finally focused as he opened then to see the maddened eyes of brown chocolate that stared angrily at him, and then a voice that stunned him shouted at him "Why have you been following me and who sent you!? Speak!" it was then he realized, she was holding the knife to his throat, and he mentally groaned. He was captured.
