Chapter 17
• Seth •
It was dark, and they'd been walking for dozens of minutes. It wasn't a hardship, but Gwyl felt uncomfortable walking with so much magic pulsating around him. It had gotten better than it had been a few minutes before – but it was still there, pulsing like a heartbeat. Raising her head, Silver sniffed the air and Gwyl sniffed as well, realizing what she was smelling.
Air, the stiff air that had filled the cave was no longer stagnant, it was flowing around them. New smells started to enter Gwyl's nose, things he'd never smelled before. There were also strange noises and warmth against the skin. As he heard a hissing voice from beyond the cave he started to walk in that direction. Everyone else followed his lead.
"It isss my kill, my right to feassst upon it firssst," the voice said and Gwyl stepped forward, growling for the others to stay where they were.
Another voice hissed a response and Gwyl's eyes narrowed. Whatever they were speaking sounded familiar, and he understood it, but somehow he knew it wasn't normal words. Something tugged inside Gwyl and without thinking he marched forward into the light of day.
"Stop," he commanded; then he to stopped as he saw what he faced. They were two of the largest, and meanest looking snakes he'd ever seen. Most of the snakes he'd run across were tiny and simply went on their way, but these snakes could gobble him up whole. His right hand slipped to the handle of his knife before he thought anymore about it. Then he waited for what would come next; possibly battle for his life.
Both of the snakes seemed startled at his appearance and even more stunned that he'd spoken to them. One of them coiled its 30 meter body, shrinking to become a large pile. Its head started bowed to Gwyl, but the second snake hissed as he did. "He isss an intruder, do not bow to him – kill him."
The snake that had spoken started to move forward before it stopped suddenly. Gwyl didn't move, but he felt the necklace he still wore from his escape flare up with some sort of magic – a white hot heat that startled him. The first snake remained still, waiting for something while the second one hissed and slithered a few feet backwards.
"It isss jussst a child," he said and then moved back and forth, as if trying to decide whether or not to attack.
Gwyl waited for a minute, but when the snake did nothing more than hesitate he spoke again. "We come to live here. Shepaud say centaurs waiting for us."
The second snake stopped moving, then, glancing to his companion asked. "Ssshall we get the herd?" the bowing snake finally moved, nodding just slightly. The second snake disappeared into the brush, moving faster than Gwyl could follow with his eyes.
"We are sssorry for the trouble." The first snake hissed apologetically. "We were not informed of visstorssss."
Behind him, Gwyl could hear the others rustling impatiently, he knew Silver would want to come to his aid and even a direct command might not keep her there if she thought trouble might be coming. "Wait here," Gwyl hissed and then returned to the cave, disappearing into the darkness. When he exited the cave again, Silver and Dog where both at his side while Lancelot, Galahad and Guinevere flanked Stray.
The snake seemed disturbed, but waited until the group had fully come into the clearing in front of the cave. "Thisss isss a ssstrange crowd," he hissed to Gwyl. No one caught sight of the tiny spider that scuttled out of the darkness and into the trees beyond.
Not sure how to respond to the snake, Gwyl stayed quiet until the snake spoke again. "What isss your name?" He asked Gwyl directly, not addressing any of the others in the pack.
"Gwyl, the Wolf-Demon," Gwyl responded immediately. "This is my pack."
"Demon?" The snake hissed. "I do not underssstand."
"Wizards call me Demon," Gwyl replied. "It is because I kill them when they come into the forest."
"What is your name?" Gwyl hissed back, trying to be polite, he'd learned it from Firenze and had always tried to use everything he could remember."
"My... name," the snake hissed, almost as if it wasn't sure how to answer. "We have no names, we simply are."
"May I call you by a name?" Gwyl asked back, it was easier for him to talk in this language. Whatever it was, it just came naturally to him.
The snake paused, looking over Gwyl again with a somewhat intrigued gaze. "You would call me by the name of my choosssing?
Gwyl simply nodded, but the snake bowed. "We have been told ssstories of those who can ssspeak the language but I never imagined one to be ssso kind."
Kind? Gwyl shuddered. If simply asking one's name was kindness he wondered what their lives were like.
"What isss a name you might call me?" the snake asked.
Shrugging Gwyl thought for a minute. "Whatever you'd like. There are many names I could call you. My pack each has different names, Stray is my mate," he said, pointing her out. "And the wolves are Silver and Dog." He continued pointing out the two before moving on to the leopards. "And there is Guinevere, Lancelot and Galahad. Each has different names, so that I can identify them."
The snake looked between the group and then back to Gwyl. "How were they named?"
"Dog was named Dog because he is a dog, but I can not name you Snake because there are many of you and it would not be different. I named Silver because her color is silver."
"Name me becaussse of my color then."
"You're the same color, are you not?"
"How where the others named?"
"Stray named the leopards and Stray was already named when we she came with me." Gwyl explained.
The snake turned to Stray, eyeing her. Stray of course ignored it as much as possible, but the huge eyes where hard not to look at, even if she tried. "Would ssshe name me?" the snake inquired with a sudden hiss.
Stray shivered, and Gwyl suddenly noticed that she could not understand what they were saying. He realized that this disturbed her. She hadn't said anything about it yet, but it was because Gwyl was speaking it as well – or at least that was the best he could think of. Dog and Silver seemed to be able to restrain themselves as well. However, none of the leopards were able to be calm about it; they were pacing back and forth, snarling quietly when the snake looked towards them. Gwyl decided they must be familiar with snakes and didn't like them.
"Snake want you to name him," Gwyl told Stray, who was quickly loosing the dominant streak that had filled her. She was definitely scared of the snake, at least a little.
"Name him?" she asked, relaxing slightly. "It looked like he was deciding which of us to eat."
Gwyl snickered. "Is good snake, other snake mean."
"Yes, well I had noticed that too, where did he go anyway?"
"Get centaurs, they not say we come." The snake hissed and Gwyl sighed. "Give snake name?" he asked.
Rubbing her hands together as if warming them, Stray smiled. Gwyl smiled too because Stray was getting used to the snake and he really didn't want to make it go away. It seemed quite friendly and though he didn't take to most animals quickly, he was in a new place where he was the stranger – it would be good to make a friend.
"Well, he's a snake obviously, and he's green with large black spots... but that's not exactly uncommon I think. The other one looked almost exactly the same, could have been twins. Still, he's quite sensible if he wants a name. Why doesn't he have one anyway? I don't want to name him without knowing him, I mean, that's not exactly the best way to figure out a name."
"Not care for name before, all snakes just are, no need for name. Now we need to name because he is going to be friend. Need name to call."
"Yes, yes," Stray said as she thought of names. It was obvious what she was doing, she seemed to act more like a human when faced with a problem. Gwyl didn't say anything because he didn't want to anger her, but it was something he wanted to be done with before the other snake returned – he had a feeling that they're would be an objection. The snakes were so different that he'd rather have them separated.
"What about Seth?" she asked finally. "Seth the Snake would sound good."
"Seth," Gwyl repeated in his head.
When he tried to say the name in the snake language he had a hard time pronouncing it correctly, and it came out half English. "Would you like to be named Seth?" Gwyl asked.
The snake thought about it for a moment, closing its eyes and trying to repeat aloud. Finally it opened its eyes again and nodded. "Ssseth will do," he hissed, making the name sound even more foreign than the original. "It isss a good name."
The snake, Seth, slipped out of its coil and made a wide loop around the pack, causing the leopards to crouch and snarl. Gwyl quieted them as best he could, but their fear was too great and it only partially worked.
"Ssseth," Seth repeated once again as he returned to his spot. "I am named Ssseth."
Proud that they'd made a new friend – even if the leopards did not like him – Gwyl smiled, sitting on his haunches to wait.
A few minutes later something slipped through the trees on the left and Gwyl shifted positions slightly, ready to face whatever was coming. A large snake appeared, likely the same one that had left a few minutes before, but Gwyl could not tell. Both snakes in front of him looked identical and he wasn't sure if snakes looked different at all.
"They come," the snake whispered and then waited in silence, again acting much different the Seth.
No one spoke, but there was no silence, the forest was alive with sounds that Gwyl could not identify. It wasn't just animals that made sounds – it was everything. The place was different. Here, the forest sung a soft whispering on the breeze that was heard even without trying to listen. To Gwyl it was calming and a little disturbing. He'd never known of trees that spoke without his touch. Shepaud had warned that this forest was different than the forest Gwyl had lived in, and it was suddenly becoming apparent how different.
Closing his eyes Gwyl tried to focus, and he could see that the magic was different too; it was more like a burning feeling instead of the warmth from the old forest.
"They speak," he heard Stray whisper, "the trees, they're louder than I've ever heard."
"Yesss," Gwyl hissed, loosing himself in it as the song seemed to overwhelm him.
Silver nudged him several minutes later and Gwyl focused, hearing the approaching hoof beats. The first centaur through the brush was one Gwyl recognized. Gwyl opened his mouth only to have it silenced by a quick movement of the centaur's head – for some reason he didn't want Gwyl to speak.
"They fear you," Seth offered when more of them appeared, all armed and looking a bit wary. "They wreak of anger, be careful of them."
The other snake snapped his head in Seth's direction, his eyes glittering menacingly. Gwyl knew exactly what he'd call the other snake if it asked for a name. He even decided to refer to it as Glint unless he was told otherwise, that way he could keep the snakes separated in his mind.
"Why have you come here?" A young, brash looking centaur asked. His coat was brown and white, and his skin, a chocolate brown. But his eyes were dark, almost black, and he looked angry. "Your kind is not welcome to use our caves as you choose."
"I am Gwyl, the Wolf-Demon," Gwyl said, not forgetting to make introductions even though the centaur was angering him. It helped to know that they were afraid of him. "The elder Chefmith has given us permission to use cave." Gwyl tried to find the words, but instead looked to Stray who knew what he wanted.
"We have been given permission by the Elders of the Trani Herd, Chefmith himself took responsibility of us. We only seek refuge from the Humans who seek us. When they have quit hunting us we will return," Stray said, stepping forward and taking her place next to Gwyl.
"Do not fool yourself human, we can plainly see you are human as well," the centaur snapped.
Gwyl bristled, but tried to stay calm. He rose from his hunched position to face the centaur. Even if he was only half the centaur's size, he was quite obviously formidable. "I not Human," he said, trying to keep from snarling. "Centaurs give Gwyl name."
"We have been given titles as beasts of the forest. Both of us despise humans and what they stand for."
"Be careful," Seth hissed again, and Gwyl's eyes traveled along the pack to find one of the centaurs had loaded his crossbow.
Glancing around at the dozen centaurs that had come, Gwyl wondered what was going on. "Seth," he hissed, "Why do they fear me so?"
The centaurs gasped and stepped back, all of them, they didn't seem to like the snake-tongue that Gwyl was speaking.
"There has been a great conflict recccently," Seth hissed back, ignoring the centaurs. Glint however didn't seem to like Seth speaking and he moved forward, snapping at Seth. Seth returned the favor and for a moment they were at odds, their giant heads weaving back and forth, causing Gwyl to get irritated.
"How could you let one sssuch as him forccce a name upon you!" Glint said and Gwyl growled. He'd done nothing of the sort.
The centaurs took another step back. Gwyl could see them do it from the corner of his eye. More of them loaded their crossbows, but most were quiet, too scared to do anything.
"He forccced nothing," Seth hissed once Glint had backed down, obviously not able to win the fight. Gwyl had noticed that Seth was slightly larger, and could move much quicker. "I asssked for a name and wasss given one. My name isss a matter between Gwyl and I."
"He will not be forgiving," Glint hissed, then angrily turned and slipped into the forest even quicker than he had before. Gwyl was amazed at how quick and silent they were, he was going to have to get used to them before he could feel safe. Seth coiled again and then bowed.
"He holds one of the great snakes at his will," Dia's father said. "I told you he would not be someone you could simply rid yourself of. He is not human; he is a beast and holds great power. Do not make him an enemy."
One of the centaurs lashed out with his hooves, Gwyl noticed it coming, but Dia's father didn't. He was driven to the ground before he could move. "Do not attempt to make threats on this herd," the centaur said as Dia's father struggled to stand again. He'd only been hit once, but it was a vicious strike and without any warning – Gwyl thought it was too much, but didn't say anything for the moment.
The centaur looked to Gwyl once more with a scornful look, daring him to say something.
"Seth," Gwyl hissed. It was enough to make the centaur step back and raise his crossbow angrily.
"You will speak to me!" the centaur demanded. The other centaurs spoke to each other in the background, but in a different language – one Gwyl did not understand.
Seth moved closer to Gwyl, as if taking his side, his large head dropped down next to Gwyl. The Leopards moved away, hissing angrily. Stray snapped at them and they quieted much more than they had done when Gwyl ordered it.
"The herd has been at war," Seth hissed quietly. "The eldersss have been replacced and the old waysss changed. The conflict ended yesssterday."
It didn't take Gwyl long to figure out what had happened. The new leaders, whoever they were, didn't like the prospect of Gwyl being invited over – or perhaps it was because the old elders had been the ones to allow it. They were changing things, and anything of the old way was not their way. He wondered briefly why Dia's father was still there, why he hadn't gone home?
Bowing, Gwyl looked to the centaur whom, he supposed, was one of the elders – one of the new leaders. Then he turned to Stray, speaking quietly. "Big fight. New leaders, they not like us. Need to become friends still, so we go back home."
Nodding, Stray looked to the centaur and bowed again. Gwyl could see her mind processing the information. Eventually the concept of what was happening dawned on her and she looked up from the bow. "We are aware that there has been a change in the leadership of the herd and would like to ask the permission of the new elders to enter the territory. We do not wish to fight, nor do we wish to return to be captured by the humans. We only seek peaceful relations." Gwyl nodded, happy that she'd been able to say everything he wanted to. Dia and Shepaud had really helped her learn some new ways of speaking; he was a little envious of the ability.
"We may have once been human, but we have given up that title, it is better to be a beast than a human." Stray continued.
Her comment surprised Gwyl, something must have changed in the time that he'd been imprisoned, something that made Stray realize she wasn't just pack – that she had once been human. It made Gwyl shiver; he didn't like the thought of her knowing. Even though she despised the humans, he didn't want her remembering her life before, not now and maybe not ever. The thought that she might leave was frightening to him. He was content now; except for the humans chasing him, life was perfect.
"You will always be human," the elder said spitefully. "No matter how much you try to change, you will forever be a human in body and spirit, we will not allow you passage to our lands, nor will we allow you to enter the caves again."
All of the centaurs except Dia's father raised a crossbow – Dia's father was unarmed, and he seemed there against his will. He bowed his head as if to say he was sorry. Gwyl hissed and instantly the snake shot forward, snapping at two of the nearest centaurs. The leopards shot forward too, forgetting the qualms they had with the snake. The pack came first for them. When they saw the weapons and realized the pack was in danger, snake or no snake they would fight. Gwyl pounced onto the nearest centaur using his knife to wound the bucking man-horse.
"You must leave," Dia's father said as Gwyl leapt from the centaur he'd put down. "The herd here is quite large, you will stand no chance if you kill off their leaders, they will seek revenge and follow you to the ends of the jungle. Leave now! I'll try to calm them as best as possible."
Knowing what he was up against in angering the centaurs of this place, Gwyl slowed and nodded. A hiss pulled the snake back and another bark brought the rest of the pack – even the leopards understood the retreat order. Gwyl headed towards the cave but Stray shook her head.
"They'll not work until we understand them," she said. "We must learn about them so we can go home."
Gwyl nodded regretfully and they veered to the side of the caves, moving into the forest. "Where we go?" Gwyl hissed to Seth, hoping he might know a place where they would be safe from the centaurs. Seth took a moment to respond and then turned again, taking a different route. "We will go to the wolf village," he said. "They will listen."
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