Thanks to my reviewers for the prologue – this chapter is definitely more substantial than the last!
Chapter One
"Right, stay still and don't make a sound."
Arthur glared at Merlin to emphasise his words, and Merlin glared right back at him. He hadn't made a sound, not one peep since they had started tracking the stag ten minutes ago.
It was times like this that Merlin was really tempted to step on a twig.
Instead he just looked away, back towards the stag that stood about twenty feet away. It was side-on, eating the grass at the foot of a tree. Arthur had a clear shot, but when Merlin looked at him expectantly he saw that the prince was scanning the woods, frowning.
Merlin rolled his eyes. Arthur knew that he hated hunting, and was purposefully dragging out the experience just to annoy him. Sure enough, Arthur gestured for Merlin to follow him and then ran out from the tree they stood behind. Merlin glared after him for a moment and then followed Arthur to behind a large fallen tree. He crouched down next to him and peered at the stag – they were closer now, and still had a clear shot. Merlin decided that if Arthur didn't take the shot he going to steal the crossbow and have a go himself. He'd miss, but whatever.
Luckily for Arthur and Merlin's relationship, the prince was indeed pointing his crossbow at the stag. Merlin turned away, still unwilling to watch the actual moment of the kill, and shut his eyes tight.
That was when he felt it. The kind of tingle at the edge of his senses that he knew was magic. Since his encounter with Nimueh on the Isle of the Blessed, his instincts and magical reactions had been stronger than ever – too strong sometimes. He could sense the slightest bit of magic performed near him – and there was more in Camelot than Uther would be comfortable with – and he could sense magical ability in others. Sometimes in people he had least expected to find it in.
Merlin had learnt to use this 'sixth sense' to differentiate between people and spells, and could almost know who someone was and what they were doing without even looking at them. Which was why what he sensed now was so troubling – he didn't recognise it at all. All he could tell was that it was powerful. Very powerful.
And getting stronger with every moment.
"Get down!" Merlin cried out, turning back to Arthur.
The stag didn't bother to look round at the sound of Merlin's voice – he just took off, leaping over roots and quickly disappearing amongst the trees. Arthur rounded on Merlin, looking murderous.
"MERLIN! You are –"
Merlin didn't give Arthur a chance to finish insulting him; he grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down. Arthur tensed and probably could have stayed still, but he must have sensed Merlin's panic, and allowed himself to be brought into a low crouch behind the tree.
Barely a second later a strong, unnaturally warm wind blew through the trees, whipping leaves and small branches into the air above their heads.
"What the – where did this damn wind come from?!" Arthur exclaimed, having to yell over the noise of the creaking trees.
Merlin just shook his head – he didn't have an answer for Arthur. The wind continued to blow over their heads, and the power Merlin felt continued to grow stronger; whatever it was, it was moving towards them, and must be the cause of the wind.
Even as Merlin thought it, the wind dropped as suddenly as it had started. There were crunching and crashing sounds as branches, leaves and twigs fell to the floor – several of them landing on Merlin and Arthur's heads – but then silence. Arthur tensed, about to stand up, but Merlin shook his head at him, his eyes wide. Whatever the source of that raw magical power was hadn't disappeared with the wind. In fact it had reached the peak of its intensity, and stopped growing. Whatever it was, it was here.
"Merlin, what are –"
"Shush!"
Arthur barely had time to give Merlin an indignant look before the air was filled with a high-pitched, ear-splitting roar.
Arthur's look turned from indignation to fear and shock, and for a moment he and Merlin just looked at each other, frozen still. Then, slowly as possible, they both knelt up to look over the top of the fallen tree. All of Merlin's senses – all six of them – were yelling at him to get the hell out of there, but he knew he had to see what he was dealing with if he was going to protect Arthur and himself.
As soon as he saw it he wished he hadn't looked.
It was a… well, he wasn't sure really. If he'd had to name it, he would have said wolf. But… it was at least five times the size as a wolf. In fact it would have easily snapped a normal wolf in half with one bite of its massive jaws. Its snout was slightly shorter than a conventional wolf, and it had huge front fangs that were at least a foot long and protruded past its lower jaw. Its ears were pointier than a wolf's, and bigger, and its tail was shorter and stockier. Its silver fur was thick and ragged, and as Merlin and Arthur watched it shook itself, the leaves and twigs on its back falling to the ground. It pawed at the forest ground, gouging the hard soil with its massive claws, and sniffed the air.
Merlin felt Arthur reach for his crossbow and reached out to stop him, shaking his head. He was sure the beast hadn't noticed them yet, and he was positive that a crossbow would have little effect on something like that. He would just have to think of something that would.
Before he could, before he could think of anything better than trying to run away, the best turned its head and looked straight at Merlin and Arthur. Merlin gulped – its eyes were a block colour, like a blind man's; they were bright red.
The beast roared again, a sound nothing like what a wolf would make, and jumped round so it was facing the pair behind the tree.
Merlin and Arthur scrambled to their feet and backed away, Arthur firing his crossbow as they did so. The shot was good, and it hit the beast exactly where its heart would be, but it glanced straight off its matted fur without leaving a mark. Arthur swore and tossed his crossbow away, reaching for his sword. Merlin kept backing away, trying desperately to think of some spell, any spell that might be worth trying.
Nothing came to mind before the creature lunged.
Arthur yelled something that Merlin couldn't hear over the beast's roar, but he guessed the meaning when Arthur was suddenly in front of him, his sword held out and ready. Merlin watched in horror as the beast went straight for Arthur. Arthur wasted no time in thrusting his sword straight at the creature's chest, but like the arrow it glanced uselessly off its fur, and the beast responded by swiping at Arthur with its paw. Arthur was thrown into the air and towards a nearby tree.
Merlin acted completely out of instinct. His hand flew out towards Arthur, who froze in the mid-air, before falling slowly and gently to the ground before he could hit the tree. Without even waiting to watch the spell he'd cast he raised his other hand at the beast. Words that he didn't recognise and had no control over exploded from him, and a shaft of golden light shot from his hand and straight at the beast's chest. The beast had turned its attention to Merlin after dealing with Arthur, but it jumped back with a yelp as the light hit it.
Merlin couldn't see that the light had made any kind of physical impression on the beast, but it must have had some effect, because it growled and bared its teeth at Merlin, but didn't make a move to get back to him. Its red eyes seemed to glow for a moment, and then, without any warning, it vanished, leaving a faint red glow like a phantom outline behind it.
Merlin blinked, surprised by its sudden departure, and concentrated on his sixth sense, feeling out the beast's power. He could still feel it, but it was rapidly fading. He shut his eyes and really focused, but he was definitely right – it was gone. In fact, the power of the beast had faded into the background, and Merlin could concentrate on the other – much weaker – power he could sense.
Merlin's eyes flew open. "Arthur!" He called out, running across to the prince.
Arthur was already sitting up, and had a hand on his head. He looked up at Merlin as he ran over, and the look on his face made Merlin stop in his tracks. He didn't look scared, or shocked, or anything like he should feel after being attacked by an unknown magical beast.
He looked suspicious.
Merlin swallowed nervously. Whoops.
Arthur frowned and stood up. "Merlin, what –"
Before Arthur could continue with what Merlin was sure would be a sentence he wouldn't like at all, Merlin another tingle of approaching power and spun round to face the direction it was coming from. Arthur stopped talking and also looked in that direction, because this particular source of power's appearance was accompanied by a loud exclamation.
"OW! You landed on my foot AGAIN!"
Tbc…
