2: Will You Travel With Me?
"He's just… cute."
Siegfried nodded. The tiny dragon was running around the cave, sniffing and licking every item within his reach.
"He or she," the wolf said. "It's too soon to tell."
"But we need to name him anyway!"
Siegfried smiled to himself – just a moment ago Atalanta was terrified about the idea of a dragon hatching in her hideout, and now she clearly intended to adopt the little creature.
If every cat could accept other beings so easily, the war would never break out again, he thought, but at loud said only:
"I was thinking about it and… Please don't laugh, but there's a legend among my people… about the greatest of kings."
"You mean Arthur Pendragon?" The lioness twitched her ears, visibly excited. "The legendary Lion King, who united both our nations under his banner?"
"I was told that King Arthur was a wolf."
"No, he was definitely a lion!" Atalanta pierced Siegfried with a fiery look, ready to defend her point to the last breath.
"Or maybe he was just a shapeshifting dragon?"
They both stared at the little reptile. The hatchling seemed confused about this sudden attention given to him. After a moment of tension, he recognized it as an invitation to play and 'attacked' Atalanta's feet.
"Just like a sweet kitten!" To say that the lioness was delighted, would be an understatement. 'Cat instincts' made her proud of the creature, who tried to hunt so soon after birth. "Wait, maybe he's hungry?"
"Probably?" Siegfried smiled. "Who knows how long he's been waiting to get out of his little prison."
"Right. But what would he like to eat?"
"Everything?" The wolf shrugged. "You won't grow as big as dragons can, if you're a picky eater, I guess."
Atalanta only nodded and reached for her bag. Siegfried tried not to chuckle, watching how the lioness kept showing the baby dragon various types of food.
Little Arthur – both his adoptive parents agreed it was a fitting name for such wonderful creature – indeed devoured every single thing Atalanta had offered. The innocently delighted look on his face slowly turned to a sleepy one. With his belly finally full, the dragon looked around to find a warm place to sleep. Realizing, that Siegfried meets all the requirements, he climbed on the wolf and curled into a ball, covering his nose with the tip of the tail.
"Just like a puppy," Siegfried murmured, scratching the dragon baby near his little horn. Arthur yawned and shamelessly fell asleep on his caretaker's chest.
"Maybe he needs something? A blanket?"
"Relax, let him sleep." The wolf pressed a finger to his lips, showing her to be quiet. "Arthur is a dragon, his tougher than he looks."
Atalanta wanted to protest, but gave up eventually and left the cave, not even bothering to say goodbye.
"Looks like someone is jealous," Siegfried whispered, letting Arthur cling to his warm, big hand, before he, too, fell asleep.
Like any other newborn creature, Arthur was mostly sleeping, usually on Siegfried's belly, due to the wolf's horizontal position during the convalescence (the huntress insisted that it was rather because her guest 'smells like a reptile', after being bathed in Fafnir's blood). When he woke up, it was to eat something and play. His favorite's game was to chase the tip of Atalanta's tail - even if the lioness scolded him sometimes, it was clear that she, too, enjoyed this little hunting contest.
Today, as usual, the three of them were working together around the fire. Atalanta sat on the ground, focused on her task – making new arrows or fixing the old ones is a never-ending job of every bowman. Siegfried insisted on helping her, so the lioness let him sharpen and polish the tips. It was a tiring job that required precision, but the wolf never complained, even when he ended up with wounded fingers, before he had learnt how to do it properly.
"What?" Atalanta suddenly stopped working and stared at Siegfried. "You look like you want to ask me something. Go on."
The wolf hesitated for a moment. Even Arthur gave him a curious look, so Siegfried had no choice but to answer.
"I was thinking… We live in the neighborhood countries, but know almost nothing about each other, only some strange rumors."
"Like what?"
"Well…" The warrior nervously scratched his forehead. "For example… they say that you, the cat people, eat raw mouse meat."
At first Atalanta was struck speechless, then laughed so hard she almost forgot to breathe.
"Well… There is a local dish like that, but it's beef shaped like a mouse, raw with some rare seasoning. It's an exclusive and very expensive treat." She tilted her head, watching Siegfried's reaction. The wolf not only nodded, accepting this simple explanation, but even smiled faintly at his own stupidity. "And I heard that your people howl to the moon."
Now it was his turn to laugh.
"That's... another misunderstanding. It's a traditional way of group singing during important festivals. We sing ballads about our history, not howl them."
"Oh." The lioness smiled; she would never expect that mere canines cared for art and tales. "Sounds interesting. Can you sing one for me?"
The wolf swallowed, strangely pale.
"I'm afraid I'm not as talented as the others."
"Oh, come on! I don't expect a concert, just an example how it sounds. Please, please, please?"
The look she gave him could melt an iceberg, yet Siegfried hesitated for a suspiciously long while, before he cleared his throat and started singing. It was something between melodic recitation and a murmur, a truly unique form of art, so climatic that Atalanta could easily visualize a pack of wolves, sitting around the fire somewhere in a cold, windy tundra.
But the words of the song were… disturbing. The wolf sang about an ancient conflict between two races, about treachery, tragedy and loss.
Broken and bloodied,
We track through the blizzard
To come back together,
The wolves of the North.
And we howl for our fallen.
And we howl for our slain.
To the Lions, we give warning
That we'll howl on their graves.
"I… don't know what to say." Atalanta stared into the flames. "I haven't heard this story before."
"Sorry." Siegfried rubbed his chin, thinking. "It was not the best choice of song, considering the fact that you are a lioness. But I meant no harm, this is the most classic example I could think of."
The huntress shook her head, deep in thought.
"I do not feel offended, just curious. Because the song, like the others, tells nothing of the reason, why all those... bad things... happened."
"True. We do not remember the reason, only the bloodshed. Even our lords probably don't know the details anymore."
"I guess you're right. But they're still acting like the kings of old."
"About that… They say that your king is a greedy tyrant."
"Uh?" Atalanta's ears moved quickly, as if she wasn't sure, if she understood his words. "You mean king Gilgamesh?" Her stunned expression was truly hilarious. "No! He's the most caring person this land has ever known. A little bit haughty, sometimes, but a papa bear to anyone who's loyal to him."
"I see." Siegfried smiled. The lioness reacted like a devoted subject, ready to defend the honor of her lord, so Gilgamesh couldn't be as bad as they used to say on the dog's lands. Probably. "Sounds like you're close to him."
"N-no. Not really." The huntress blushed. "It's rather typical for great leaders, who love their people and are loved in return. But I don't expect you to understand that, for your king is a cruel barbarian."
It was a verbal sneak attack to change the topic or intimidate the adversary – and it worked surprisingly well.
"Wait." The wolf blinked several times. "King Sigurd – a barbarian?" He couldn't stop laughing. "He's the most civilized person that ever lived. I mean it, seriously. He has a strong sense of justice, which some people can misunderstand as cruelty, but calling him a barbarian is a mistake."
"Well, calling king Gilgamesh a 'greedy tyrant' would not end good for you, you know?" The lioness chuckled, then cleared her throat. "How dare you speak to me like that, mongreeeel!" – she said in the king's voice, making them both burst out laughing. Even little Arthur came closer to enjoy the show, with his tail waving rapidly in amusement.
"Understood." – Siegfried joined the fun and replied in the voice of king Sigurd, pretending to adjust his imaginary glasses. His acting was so realistic, Atalanta almost believed that the wolf wore them normally. "I guess it can't be helped. Do as you please, but don't come to me, if something goes wrong."
Another burst of laughter. Arthur, even if he didn't understood what was happening around him, breathed out a cloud of smoke through his nostrils to show that he approved of the new game. His desperate attempts to imitate the behavior of his adoptive parents were hilarious.
"Now you can't deny that you met your king at least once," Atalanta said eventually, hugging the tiny reptile and wiping away the tears from laughter.
"Wolves are tribal." Siegfried shrugged like it was nothing. "And we are rare enough to know each other personally. I suspect it's the same with lions?"
"Yeah," she confirmed with a sigh, and the smile slowly vanished from her face.
"What's wrong?" – Siegfried asked, trying to decipher the meaning of her silence.
"Nothing, just…" Atalanta took a deep breath before continuing. "When we were sitting and laughing like that, just for a moment, I forgot that you're not a cat."
"I see."
There was nothing more to say, really. They both felt the same and tried hard to not ruin this moment with empty words.
Arthur observed them for a while, his gaze wandered between his 'parents', there and back again. This short examination must have ended with a satisfactory conclusion, because the little reptile only yawned shamelessly and decided to take a nap.
Dragon wisdom or not, he just knew everything's going to be alright.
Several days passed slowly like that. Siegfried's wounds healed completely and the cold wind from the mountains was a clear sign of the upcoming winter.
"We must leave this place," Atalanta said all of a sudden. Siegfried looked at her, standing in the entrance. He found the lioness' long hair, dancing in the wind, stunningly beautiful. "Arthur will suffer from the cold."
The wolf chuckled, amused. He was sure that Atalanta would leave him in the cold cavern without hesitation, but Arthur, her beloved adopted 'son' (yes, he heard her saying that, more than once), was a completely different matter. Not that Siegfried did not care about the dragon, he was equally attached and concerned, but he would rather say 'we', or 'you', not only 'Arthur'…
"I suppose I should head back North," he stated eventually. And reluctantly, which he found surprising, even for himself.
"You probably should," the lioness answered blankly, lost in thoughts.
For a long while they could hear only the cold wind, whistling ominously outside. Announcing the inevitable.
"I should start packing then…"
"Uhmmm."
The silence between them became tense and surprisingly uncomfortable. Siegfried needed a moment to – slowly - stand up and – also slowly – collect his belongings.
"Arthur will be sad," Atalanta said eventually, not able to look Siegfried in the eye. She didn't have to. The tone of her voice was enough for the wolf to understand, that not only the dragon will be sad after his departure.
"And it's dangerous to leave him under care of only one person," the swordsman added, worried. "Someone may want to kidnap the little one, or even kill him…"
"It's impossible for one person to guard him all the time," the lioness agreed.
"What's your plan then?" Siegfried raised an eyebrow, more than eager to join forces for the right reason. "I cannot stay here." He needed to make sure that a certain magical sword returns to its rightful owner, but abandoned this topic for now.
"You can. If the king gives you permission."
"He will?" The wolf frowned, not totally surprised, but still hesitant.
The lioness shrugged, but a green sparkle in her eyes told Siegfried that she knew more than she was ready to admit.
"And how do I get safely to the capital?" It wasn't unwise to ask. Sneaking carefully near the border of the cats' lands was one thing, but wandering alone deep into their territory seemed like challenging death itself.
"I will escort you." When he didn't answer, Atalanta sighed heavily. "Come on, you're a big, scary wolf, don't tell me you're afraid. And you're the Dragon Slayer, remember? That will act on your favor, you should be greeted as an honored guest."
"Should?" Siegfried smiled, finding himself surprisingly susceptible to her little provocations. "And if not? Will I end up as your prisoner?"
"You won't." Atalanta seemed sure about it, probably she hid an ace in her sleeve. Or it was just another dirty cat's trick, who knows? "So, will you travel with me?"
She reached out her hand to the wolf, offering an agreement. For a moment, shorter than a heartbeat, Siegfried hesitated. He was at risk in this case, far from home, left at the mercy of the foreign, probably even hostile, king…
Yet, he understood the true, deepest meaning of Atalanta's question. "Will you trust me?"- she asked. "Will you risk everything and, as an emissary of your people, will you try to make peace with your sworn enemy?"
If this stubborn, but good-hearted lioness was Siegfried's partner in crime, he certainly would try. She had proven her good intentions already, when she saved him from certain death near the Fafnir's cave. And, of course, they had Arthur, the white dragon, a promise of peace and prosperity for both races.
Honestly, Siegfried couldn't imagine a better opportunity to achieve the long-awaited peace between the cat and dog people (if such peace was even possible, of course).
"To the end of the world," he answered, accepting her hand and shaking it solemnly.
Not knowing, what exactly had happened, but sure that it was something important, Arthur celebrated their agreement with a loud squeak and a cloud of smoke coming through his nostrils.
The song used in this chapter is "The Wolves of the North" by Karliene. While I'm not actually into "The Game of Thrones", I found this song touching, inspiring and fitting here so much that I just couldn't resist. Please forgive me.
New characters will enter the scene soon: cats, dogs and foxes. On their way to the palace our heroes will meet famous spearmen, eccentric vixens (who are running an inn together) and their even more eccentric cook… And this is only the beginning of their journey.
As always, Your comments are much appreciated.
Thank You for reading and hope to see You soon!