In the morning I tucked several pairs of breeches, tunics, and belts into a traveling bag, which a guard would carry for me on horseback, as I planned to take my wolf form to travel to Wyvern's Nest. As a wolf, I was far stronger, faster, and more alert than any human or horse, and thus I would be safer. Because my fur was as black as the night, streaked with gold, I would blend in perfectly.
I considered my fate. Would I return safely? I was my mother's only heir. My brother was only thirteen, and while he was courageous and had the physical characteristics of a human's angel, with the blond hair to prove it, he was flighty and young. I had not taken an alpha for my husband, nor had I taken a lover. The kisses of men did not interest me, as I had other things on my mind, and other things that concerned me more. Moreover, I was much too busy to spend time with any men in a situation other than for matters of state and in friendship.
For many years, there were people who had expected nothing less than for me to take Mendres as my Alpha when I rose to the throne. What only a handful of people understood was that Mendres was like a brother to me. Neither he nor I had any interest past that of familial with each other. He, in fact, was already secretly betrothed, and looking for a way to tell both his and her parents, because she was of a highborn family.
With those thoughts still swirling in my mind like a thundercloud, I strapped my weapons belt to my waist and stepped down the hall of the Den to meet up with my guard, comprised of eight young people, four men, and four women, as well as the guard who would ride the tall chestnut horse to bring my things. I bowed to my mother, whose eyes were almost inscrutably misty with sadness, and I turned to my guard. "Shall we go?" I asked quietly. My mother hurried forward and pressed something into my hand. It was a necklace carved of emerald in the form of the crescent moon, the symbol of the loup people. My people.
"This is yours from when you were small." She said quietly, her voice rather choked. "I thought you deserved to have it now." I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a reassuring smile. I turned to my guards, who had all shifted into their second forms, as I did then, my weapons belt remaining tightly cinched to the bone and sinew that was my middle. We sprang forward, into the forest, as fleet as birds and faster than any horse or deer.
There is something magical about running as a wolf. You never tire, even after miles of steady galloping. In your nostrils, you are given the scent of the wild, the tress and grass about you, the other animals, the skies, the perfumes of flowers. It is as close to flying as any wolf will ever get, and it is ever so much better than one would imagine. But it was all too soon that we reached the hill above Wyvern's Nest. I shape-changed back into my human form, now clad in a tight fitting tunic, and clinging breeches, as tight and smooth clothing is all we can bring with us under our wolf bodies. I adjusted the dagger, sword, and knife at my belt, and with a nod at my guards, strode down the hill.
I was greeted by a guard of the Nest's own. A viper led them, his eyes pale green, and his hair so fair as to be almost white. "What business have you here?" he demanded of us, his eyes cold and calculating. "I am Sivvet Ebonara," I replied with a bow, "Princess of the loup people. I have come to speak to the Diente and Tuuli Thea." I could see the eyes of both him and the guards scan me. While it was not totally unheard of for a female to go about clothed in some sort of loose trousers, in both avian and serpiente societies, to see one dressed with absolutely no regard for femininity had to have been a bit of a surprise. I knew bits and snatches of the culture at Wyvern's Nest, courtesy of our spies, versed enough in magic to conceal themselves.
The viper bowed, although it was short and controlled. "Aye, Highness. I am Ailbhe, Captain of the Guard," he answered with dignity, "But I will have to escort you to Diente Zane and Tuuli Thea Danica." I shrugged my shoulders lightly. "Whatever you must do to, ah, make yourselves feel safe." I said airily, knowing that I would hit a nerve with my hint that the soldiers were afraid.
I and my guardsmen were flanked by the serpiente soldiers, and marched down the hill to the great hall that I assumed to be where the Diente and Tuuli Thea lived, as well as heir to the throne, Oliza Shardae Cobriana, and her cousin and the heir should anything happen to Oliza, Salem Cobriana, the Diente's nephew. We stepped into the hall, and for a brief moment, I was in awe of the difference between it and the den. There are many, many differences between the loup and serpiente cultures, but it is true that they share the same sleeping habits, where so many people sleep together in a large nest, as often as possible, all intertwined.