Eruyt

Fran awoke on the platform that held the secret road to Eruyt. She felt a wave of nausea as she sat up and her head swam. She jumped as she heard a deep voice from beyond her sight.

"Take it easy for a while. The Wyrm's poison was already in the air when you reached the beast, you inhaled a heavy dose before I got you out of there," it said.

She turned to see the same man from before crouched a few feet away, his red eyes studying her closely. His gaze evoked confusing emotions within her, making her feel butterflies in her stomach while simultaneously filling her with fear. Her eyes were drawn to the sides of his head as his canine ears twitched at some distant sound.

"Are you the one that was once known as the White Wolf of the Wood?" She asked, suddenly overcome with the need to fill the silence between them.

"I do not know what name your people called me in ages past. In any case, my name is Fenris," he said, extending his arm in greeting.

"I am Fran," she said, taking his offered hand.

"You are a skilled warrior, Lady Fran. I must admit that I had been watching your battle from afar until the Ceorl moved in. I can sense your connection to the Mist of the Wood. Why did you not use it against the Wyrm?"

"It is a dangerous power that I refuse to use unless I must. I did not expect the beast to be so powerful. I used my magick recklessly and was left without any mana by the time I realized that only a Mist-enhanced attack could hurt it," she answered, averting her gaze as she remembered the sisters she had lost.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. None could have expected the Wyrm to have been so filled with the power of the Feywood's Mist. Do not blame yourself for the warriors that were lost, Lady Fran," he said in a reassuring voice.

"Why do you call me 'Lady'?" She asked him, her curiosity brimming after his second intonation of the title.

He fidgeted before mumbling something that escaped even her hearing. She fixed him with a stern gaze when he did not repeat himself. She could have sworn she noticed a faint blush to his cheeks as he once more mumbled whatever words he had said.

"Do speak up," she said, losing patience.

"I said that it is because you are the fairest Viera I have ever had the pleasure of seeing in all my long years living within the Wood," he said with irritation, finally looking her in the eye and speaking up.

Fran felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Never had she been told such a thing. Her Partner had, of course, commented on her beauty on many occasions, but never had she been called the fairest of her race. Viera were always beautiful, but Fran had never felt that her own beauty was above any of her sisters'. She decided to ask him another question, if for no other reason than to enjoy his company a while longer.

"Why have you brought me here?" She asked.

"I have always known the location of Eruyt, but the wards upon the path prevent me from crossing the threshold. I had hoped that perhaps one of your sisters would at least come out to tend to you," he said, his eyes darting to the hidden path as he spoke.

"Why would the path be warded against you? All of the legends that speak of you say that you are a protector of the Wood," she said, confused.

"It is because rabbits get nervous when a wolf walks in their midst. The Viera who built Eruyt did not believe me when I swore to do no harm to them, though it is a vow I have kept ever since," he said somberly as his eyes seemed to fix on something far, far away.

Fran could not help but feel saddened by the information. This "man" had saved not only her, but the Wood itself. She felt that such deeds were deserving of some rule-breaking. Her mind made up, she stood and began working the magicks her people used to reveal the hidden path.

"Come, I believe you have more than earned the right to enter our village. But you must promise me that you will continue to stay true to your vow of doing my people no harm," she said, not unkindly.

"You have my word, Lady Fran. I, Fenris, shall do no harm to the Viera people," he said with absolute conviction.

She offered him her hand as he approached her, giving him a warm smile as he took her hand in his. She led him into the village, becoming quite agitated when Mjrn and a dozen armor-clad warriors greeted them at the gate with bows and swords drawn.

"Why have you brought this beast into our village, sister?" Mjrn asked her, her tone making it clear that Fran needed to choose her next words with care.

"He saved me, Mjrn. We found a Wyrm by the border to the Feywood; it had been eating the Malboro and growing stronger between its diet and the Mist it was surrounded by. Two of our sisters fell to the Wyrm, the other to a pack of Ceorl as we retreated. Had it not been for Fenris' intervention, I would not be here to tell you that the beast now lays dead," Fran explained.

"None of my attacks or spells did anything to it, but Fenris destroyed it in the span of a heartbeat," she added.

Mjrn eyed Fenris with a scrutinizing gaze before replying.

"You have my thanks for saving our sister, but I cannot allow you to linger here; my people would be greatly affected by your presence. Begone from our village, and do not return," Mjrn said.

Fran opened her mouth to stand up for him, but was cut off by the warriors leveling their weapons at them. It was clear to her that Mjrn would not accept any more discussion. Just as her ears picked up the sound of a bowstring being drawn tighter, Fenris let loose a growl that made Mjrn and her warriors go pale in the face. He turned to her then, a quiet sadness in his eyes.

"Open the path for me to return to the Wood. I will not see you harmed for my sake," he said, his eyes pleading with her to understand.

She let out a sigh and wove the magicks to allow him to cross the hidden path back to Golmore. His shoulders sagged as he returned to Golmore Jungle, a howl sounding in the distance as he vanished from sight.