A/N: I actually had half of this on my google drive and the other half stashed away somewhere on my Mac... and I couldn't find the Mac half, so I had to try and recreate it as best as I could! Please read & review!
Chapter Ten: Peculiar Wolves
Hawke throttled down the tower and rushed passed a very confused and concerned Solas. The Champion could give two moth-eaten scarfs if she appeared crazy, she just needed to be some place quiet and away from the questioning rogue. She knew the Inquisitor's spymaster was excellent at her job, but now Hawke experienced first hand just how good she was at reaching sensitive information. Was it obvious that the witch meant more to Hawke than she let on? Hawke shook her head and found herself bumping into yet another body.
"Maker, I'm sorry!" Hawke apologized and quickly helped her victim off the floor; today her luck was definitely nestled in the furthest trenches of the Deep Roads.
The woman she had helped up was slightly taller than her, which was surprising as Hawke was usually the tallest woman in her group of comrades, and her hair was shorter on the account that Hawke had been letting hers grow out a bit. She blushed as the women's eyes rested on her and greeted her with a smile.
"Hawke, I presume, you were just the person I was looking for."
"I was?" Hawke hadn't been at Skyhold long, and the only person she had been by to say hi to was Varric.
She had yet to meet the Inquisitor and she had somehow evaded the Ambassador who had tried to set up a grand entrance for the well renowned Champion of Kirkwall. Spectacles and pomp weren't really her thing, and slipping in with some help from her magic hadn't been too hard of a task even with the heightened security around the hold.
"I'm Inquisitor Trevelyan; I wanted to call a meeting with you and one of my other advisors. She isn't in the gardens where she usually spends her time, so I thought I might ask Leliana if she knew of her whereabouts."
"The gardens…" Hawke's thoughts immediately flashed to Morrigan. "You mean you were looking for Morrigan?"
The inquisitor raised her eyebrow, "you are already acquainted with the empress' liaison?"
Hawke felt hot and laughed nervously as she formulated an answer. "Kind of, from my way back when… she's missing?"
"It would seem…" the Inquisitor sighed and then cupped her chin, "would you mind keeping an eye out for her; she knew of the meeting, but I guess she wandered off whilst I was searching for you."
"Sorry about that, I was actually just with Leliana."
"Did I hear my name?" Leliana smirked as Hawke whipped her head in her direction.
"Indeed you did, have you seen Morrigan around?" The Inquisitor remained oblivious to the mischief the rogue was up to.
Leliana had a twinkle in her eye as Hawke reacted to the witch's name.
"My scouts report that she was seen heading out towards the woods nearby. Hawke why don't you go and fetch her; you wouldn't mind would you?"
"Nonsense," the Inquisitor began. "I can-"
"I'll go," Hawke interrupted the Inquisitor. "I needed some fresh air anyways." Hawke said in a rush as she tore herself away from the group and ran out the front doors.
"She's a bit strange isn't she," the Inquisitor smirked as she raised a brow; she had heard much about the Champion of Kirkwall, and even though she had only recently become an apostate, she had admired Hawke's endeavors since the beginning.
"Don't let Josie catch you staring off like that." Leliana teased as the mage nodded, blushed then took her leave.
Meanwhile Hawke had made it outside of the hold and began to scan the area for tracks. The snow was thick on the ground, but Hawke eventually found what she was looking for. She grinned as she realized the tracks weren't those of human feet but of a wolf's paw. She started off at a run and then threw her arms forward. Any normal human would have just face planted themselves in the snow, but Hawke was a mage, and her magic had her bounding on all fours. For a wolf she was quite large, her fur was white and her eyes remained the same piercing blue. She relished the velocity at which she could move at, and weaved through the forest trees.
Soon enough she caught a scent and followed it. As she drew nearer, she realized that Morrigan's scent was followed by another, and moved more with more stealth. Her ears perked up as voices could be heard from somewhere nearby.
"Look at that one, we could sell the pelt for a good sum."
"Yeah but we aren't supposed to be hunting here; them Inquisition soldiers nearly chopped me hand off the last time!" A whiny voice interjected.
"Stop your nonsense, they won't be scouting these woods. Now shut up before you scare it off."
Hawke positioned herself in a nearby bush and looked ahead to where the hunters were looking. Her eyes dilated as she caught sight of another wolf, a third her size and looking into a pool of water. The scene was idyllic, or it would have been if the threat of the hunter wasn't looming in the air. Hawke quickly charged forward as the hunter raised his rifle to shoot. She clenched her jaw on the rifle and shredded through the metal as she poised herself for retaliation. The hunter who had been whining earlier, yelped and fell back, but the one that had meant to kill the small wolf, snarled and reached for a small sword on his belt. Hawke jumped back and resumed her human form. She accumulated energy in her hand and held the man's befuddled gaze.
"Leave." The command was simple, and her stance left no room for interrogation.
The hunter bit his lip, and held his knife steady, but he knew that this fight had already been determined. A wolf he could have killed, but a mage was way beyond his scope. He spat, sheathed his small blade and turned to leave. Hawke smirked, and in her opinion they were moving a little too slow, so she sent a small flame aimed for each of their breaches. They howled and ran at a speed that Hawke was satisfied with.
She turned to face the little white wolf that had been in danger earlier, and was surprised to see him right at her heels. She knelt down and rubbed his ear with a smile.
"You're too friendly for your own good; you need to be wary out here in the forest." Hawke gave the pup a slight scolding, but couldn't help but find the small wolf irresistibly cute.
His eyes sparkled blue as hers did, and Hawke wondered if this pup was actually a mage. Usually she could tell by any mana emissions, but none came from the wolf. She sighed and looked ahead to the small pond that the wolf had been looking into earlier. The mage drew closer to the pond and sat by a large couldn't blame the small wolf for being enchanted by the scenery, it was absolutely breathtaking to behold. The wolf pup followed her and climbed on her lap.
"What a peculiar wolf you are… I once had a friend like you, you know?" She stroked his fur and smiled fondly as she recalled her time spent with her wolf.
The little wolf continued to nestle into Hawke's hand, and before Hawke knew it, he was sound asleep on her lap. She sat with her back against a large oak tree and thanked the Maker it wasn't completely wet on the floor. Out here it was so tranquil and the woes and worries of Thedas weren't as apparent as they were at Skyhold. She stroked the pup once more and recalled how soft Morrigan's black fur had been. When the mage had recovered her memories, she had shared them with Isabela somewhat involuntarily. Either out of drunken stupor or the effects of the tome, she had seen her wolf running from her during Varric's last Lowtown festival. The rogue was intrigued by her recovery of memories, but the mage could tell it was a bit unsettling for the pirate, so she rarely brought it up.
In the midst of rustling leaves and a gentle breeze, the mage fell asleep with the little white wolf nestled on her lap. The air was comfortably warm and it had been some time since the Champion had been allowed to peacefully rest her eyes. Nearby a pair of keen yellow eyes watched the scene vigilantly. The black wolf had been there since the hunters' appearance, but its curiosity kept it at bay. What was this human doing with her little wolf, and why had she acted in the manner she did? The black wolf would have saved her little wolf if the mage had not intervened, but she could not say that she would have been as merciful.
She treaded the ground lightly as she approached the slumbering duo, and felt her heart beat quicken. Hawke felt a presence nearby and slowly came to. As her lids lifted, she saw a rather large black wolf before her, staring at her with yellow eyes, but when she blinked there was no longer a wolf standing before her but a woman.
"He seems quite smitten with you." Morrigan smiled as she knelt down to pet the little white wolf.
Hawke was almost at a loss of words due to Morrigan's proximity, but her heart bade her to say something.
"He's the second most affectionate wolf I've ever met." Hawke flashed one of her boyish smiles and Morrigan felt a familiar warmth rise to her cheeks.
This woman reminded her of her Warden in more ways than one. The same magic that flowed through her love also flowed through her, but it was her boyish smile that prompted the comparison.
"The second?" Morrigan was sure that normal wolves would never snuggle up to a human. "Either you were raised by wolves or a liar altogether," she replied in jest.
"Or maybe I just have a knack for running into very peculiar wolves."
"I can't imagine there are many wolves such as he." Morrigan ceased her petting of the wolf and sat by the Champion. "I let him out of my sight for a second, and his curiosity got the better of him."
"As it does with most of us." Hawke rubbed the wolf's ear and he emitted a yawn.
"It seems unfortunate that I should have to wake him from such a restful slumber, but we must be getting back to Skyhold. I was supposed to have a meeting with the Inquisitor today, but this one kept me away."
Hawke knew this was her chance, "You're Morrigan then, I'm Hawke. I was also supposed to be part of that meeting."
"Hawke… that's quite the Fereldan name." Morrigan felt her heart beat quicken once more.
"I grew up near Ostagar." Hawke wasn't sure if she was being too direct, but half of her didn't care. "My father was a free mage, so we lived closer to the Wilds than most just to avoid detection."
"By the Wilds you say…" Morrigan knew there was more to this girl than she was letting on. "I also grew up by the Wilds; I suppose the world is a rather small place. Twas that the place you happened upon a wolf such as he?"
Hawke looked down fondly at the wolf in her lap and recalled all the wonderful memories she had shared with Morrigan. It was sad knowing that Morrigan could not retrieve any such memories, but it was sadder being the only one who remembered. Perhaps Flemeth had done them a kindness when she had taken their memories, but Hawke wouldn't be whole without them.
"I loved the Wilds, though my father hated that I played there frequently, it was like a second home to me." Hawke readied herself to reveal the truth when a nearby whine beckoned Hawke's attention immediately.
Morrigan took the small wolf pup in her arms and allowed Hawke to inspect the crying. Hawke walked deeper into the woods with Morrigan behind her, and felt her heart break at the scene. A small mabari pup was whimpering as it nudged the muzzle of its fallen parent. Hawke scanned the area quickly, the elder Mabari's wounds looked recent. It didn't take long for the predator to show itself, nor did it take long for him to strike again. Hawke could care less if she would be injured in the process but she lunged for the small pup who was in immediate danger. The predator was a wolf, but it's massive size and strange glowing eyes suggested it had been exposed to some kind of taint… most likely from the torn veils.
"Hawke!" Morrigan cast a barrier over the party as the wolf lunged at the mage once more. The barrier helped a good deal, but the wolf had still managed to clamp on Hawke's armored arm.
The Champion used all her might to release her arm, and was finally able to do so once she set the creature's face on fire. The wolf snarled in retreat and bared his fangs fresh with the blood of Hawke. The mabari pup trembled in the Champion's arms, and Hawke knew she was going to need both arms for this battle.
"Hold him too!" Hawke backed up and gave Morrigan the pup. If they weren't in such a stressful situation, Hawke would have laughed at the semi-disgusted face that her witch friend gave her-she never did warm up to her mabari. "Alright, let's end this nonsense, shall we?"
Hawke focused her mana and pulled a rather foreboding sword off her back. Strange, thought Morrigan, that blade hadn't been there before, and it was too huge to have not been noticed. The blade was only metal for a moment before it reverted to a transparent, spirit form. Morrigan's eyes widened as she realized that Hawke had also become transparent- her Warden was also capable of this. As an arcane warrior, the mage existed half in their world and half in the Fade; it was an ancient elven art. Hawke let the wolf charge her and raised her blade. It had taken her years to wield the massive blade she had received from Arya's mother, but it had been well worth it. With one clean thrust, Hawke pierced into the wolf's chest and pushed it back as it rampaged. It continued trying to push past the blade and towards its prey. Hawke twisted the blade and ended the creature's rage; the battle was over.
Morrigan watched carefully as Hawke placed the blade on her back, and marveled as it assumed an invisible form. The mage reverted from her spirit form and approached the woman with the wolf and mabari pup in her arms.
"Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen!" Hawke exclaimed as she picked the mabari from Morrigan's arms and laughed as it began to lick at her face.
Morrigan was slightly taken aback by the warrior's sudden change in demeanor. She had just looked like a seasoned warrior, and now here she was giggling like a young maiden frolicking in the flowers over a mabari pup. It reminded her once more of the man who had managed to capture her heart. He was just as light hearted, yet he shouldered the entire burden and weight of the Blight with the utmost seriousness.
"Your arm is bleeding quite heavily." Morrigan pointed at the bloody mess that was Hawke.
Hawke wasn't sure how the battle could result in such blood spatter, but it never ceased to happen. Usually Feros would help with the mess, but Feros had remained with Isabela much to the pirate's dismay. However, Morrigan was right to point out the blood loss in Hawke's arm, the mage knew she would collapse soon.
"You should head back to Skyhold." Hawke pointed towards the castle. "I want to do what I can to honor the mother's remains."
"Would a wild beast know anything about an honorable disposal?" Morrigan raised her brow.
"Sometimes I think it's the wild beasts that know more of such things than humans."
Hawke turned back to face the dead Mabari mother, and upheaved a great amount of dirt with her magic. She placed the pup on the floor and bade it to keep still. The pup cried but heeded Hawke's voice. She gently levitated the fallen Mabari and laid it to rest in her carefully made grave. Once covered, Hawke patted the ground and whispered something Morrigan could not hear. She picked up the pup and smiled back at Morrigan who had waited.
"Then again aren't we all beasts of some sort."
Morrigan nodded and was dismayed that she could not do more for the mage. She had cast a sleeping spell on her wolf; it was difficult keeping any spell on the soul of an old god. Her son was occupied within Skyhold and he never complained about much, but she would catch him staring at the forest. She knew he yearned to run free through the trees as the white wolf that he could shapeshift into easily. Foolishly she had taken him from the safety of the hold and let him explore. It wasn't his immediate safety that troubled her, but the idea that Flemeth would detect his presence that caused her to cast the spell.
As the duo walked up to Skyhold's entrance, Hawke felt her arm go numb and chuckled at her predicament. There was no avoiding the fainting; she was unable to close a wound that deep with her magic. Morrigan heard the thump before she saw Hawke's body laying on the ground with the mabari pup whining at her side at it's fallen partner.
"The fool…" Morrigan signaled for the healer who thankfully was located near the camp entrance. Magic could only do so much to heal a wound, thus Morrigan was thankful that the Inquisitor had other means of healing within the castle.
Inside the castle the sleeping spell she had placed over Keiran was unnecessary, and she was able to relax her mana. Keiran awoke and found himself in his mother's arms. He nuzzled into her neck, but at the sight of Hawke the wolf let out a howl.
"Hush now, she'll be fine." Morrigan rubbed his ear to calm him down. The little wolf wasted no time in jumping from his mother's arms and running towards an obscure corner. When he returned he walked on two legs and looked like any other normal boy would.
"What happened to her?" His eyes were full of worry.
The Witch of the Wilds smiled down gently on her son; his capacity for compassion was endearing, and she knew it was a trait that had been taught to him by her dear Warden, and by traveling the world with her son.
"There was a tainted wolf in the forest, and she wanted to protect that groveling thing on the floor." Morrigan pointed to the crying pup on the floor.
Kieran hurried to the small creature and picked it up. It's eyes were glistening with tears and it appeared to have snot all over its face. The boy wiped off as much as he could with his sleeve and held the pup in his arms.
"Don't cry, mother said she'll be fine." He spoke gently and the pup settled. "Good girl."
"You cannot keep such a wretched animal." Morrigan had never found mabaris appealing even though her love could not be separated from his. He was a smelly sack of muscle that would occasionally bring her small dead animals; she would never forgive him for going through her unmentionable.
"I won't, but I think I'll take care of him until she gets better."
Morrigan sighed. "Fine, but you will be responsible for any mess it makes, and it shall make a mess."