Hello again readers!
I know my last chapter was really short but I'm making up for it by putting this one up only a day later! Hope you like it! Oh and I don't own Narnia or any Narnian characters! Just my Ocs and this plot.

Thank you!

Maugrim's Rancor: Chapter 5
Hidden Identities

Two Hours Prior in Cair Paravel
The Throne Room...

"So let me get this strait..." Peter said, rubbing his forehead in uncertainty. Arla stood before him, her tail wagging back and forth patiently.

"Your idea is that you and I go under cover into the city to discover my attacker and to spy on him?"
"Precisely my lord," Arla nodded.
"I don't like it," Orius huffed, folding his arms, "It leaves you too exposed my king," he stated in concern.

"I am perfectly capable of protecting his royal highness should whatever circumstances occur," Arla responded assuredly, if not a bit defensively. There was still some doubt in Arla's mind of the average Narnian's respect towards wolves. It was most likely that many still felt uneasy about her kind and almost nobody even was aware that it was her pack keeping their boarders safe.

"I have no doubt of that Arla," Peter intervened with the lift of his hand, "but what I want to know is how exactly you plan on finding him? I mean, he could be anywhere," he said.
"My nose, my king, is what has made me the pack leader that I am. I can smell any wolf out of a crowd," she promised with a humble bow of her head.

"Then why is it necessary for the king to come along?" Orius questioned.
"It's not necessary, I simply thought that our king would rather see his opponent himself then to miss out and have only more passed on words to satisfy his fears," Arla responded. Peter was going to protest that he was not afraid but with one look from Edmund he thought twice about it.

"I will go with you," Peter said decidedly, "It will do me good to get out of this palace and see my city from a normal citizen's point of view anyway,"
Orius visibly slumped, clearly not happy with the whole idea. The centaur was known to be probably the most protective of the palace friends King Peter had, aside from Aslan himself who was far away, gone who knew where at the moment.

"It's alright Orius, I will be home by tonight. If you don't see or hear from me by midnight, send out a search party," Peter instructed, standing. Edmund watched his brother carefully.
"I think I should go with you too," he suggested.

"No Ed, this is something I need to do. Besides, we'll be more conspicuous together. Someone is bound to recognize one of us," Peter reasoned. After a moment Edmund nodded.
"I'll wait up for you," the younger brother promised. Peter smiled and walked out of the throne room to go get into costume.

...

Now...

It was astoundingly clear to King Peter that even when disguised as a orphan peasant, he was still in great danger around this black wolf. Everything about the canine was huge.

His body was well conditioned and his claws were long and sharp, not to mention his startlingly yellow eyes that, once locked on to his visage, made Peter's heart pump faster.

However, despite how uncomfortable he was made in this wolf's presence, he couldn't let this potential villain get out of his sight, and luckily, the guards had showed up right on time in the middle of their usual alley patrol. This provided Peter and Arla with the perfect opportunity to lure Maugrim's revenge bent offspring further into their control.

As far as Peter was concerned, as soon as this black wolf admitted that he planned on committing murder, he could be properly arrested and put behind bars.

"Quick!" Arla encouraged the black wolf after her as she began running away. Peter was already far up ahead, and he knew where he was going too. He and Arla had worked the whole thing out. Well, almost the whole thing. He at least knew the majority of the plan anyhow.

They would head towards a quiet park within the city where they wouldn't be bothered so they could continue to question the wolf and get the full truth.

The way to the park did not take them long, but Peter found himself surprisingly out of breath. It kind of put his impressive status of being a 16 year old who'd fought in a war and been crowned king to shame. He bent over on his elbows, breathing hard to catch his breath while the disguised Arla trotted up along side him, followed lastly by the ellusive black wolf.

"Those guards patroll every alley every hour. They don't like any one to linger, nor do they appreciate their streets being cluttered by the poor," Peter explained, sitting down in the cool grass to rest. The black wolf sat down, keeping himself a good few yards away from himself and Arla. He was acting cautious still, which admittedly put Peter a bit more at ease.

"So what is your name?" Arla asked to the black wolf, shaking off and lying her belly down in the grass.
"Rancor," the black wolf answered. Peter thought the name would definitely fit any son bent on revenge.

"And yours?" Rancor asked in turn, staring carefully at Arla. Peter and she had already worked out cover names, just in case they should be asked.
"Rawla," Arla answered, "And this is my charge, William," she introduced, nodding towards Peter. Rancor nodded.

"Well, I appreciate your advice concerning the guards but I think it is best I go on alone. I need to be somewhere and I'm late as it is," the black wolf stated. Peter felt worried for a second. They were loosing him! The black wolf was on his feet and ready to turn away as it was! But there was nothing he could say or offer to make Rancor stay without acting strangely suspicious.

So he simply said,
"Good luck, I hope you gain true honor," he said, truthfully. And true honor, Peter knew, wasn't earned by taking a life for a life. It was giving mercy and understanding to those who didn't deserve it (or even did in his particular case). Rancor nodded and turned to lope off. Arla glanced to Peter.

"You should follow him... I'll return to the palace," Peter ordered once Rancor was far enough off.
"Right away sir but I think you should know, I don't think this wolf is as big of a threat as you feared. I shall go and investigate further and hopefully, my speculations will be true," she answered and then darted off herself.

...

Rancor was happy to be rid of the orphan and his street dog. They had both caused him to feel incredibly insecure and uncomfortable, even if he was very grateful at the food he'd been given.

Giving of food meant a lot between wolves, as it was regular that most pack members would keep kills to themselves selfishly and all others had to fight for it or fend for themselves. Shaking his head, he continued through the streets, skirting possible trouble and moving back into the safety of the forest. His sisters would be FURIOUS.

He was a whole hour late and no doubt they'd chew him out for not having kept his word of being there when he'd said so... When he came upon his siblings, Burbite was pacing back and forth with this angry scowl on her face while Ripclaw lay in the shade sighing in complete boredom. After both turned to see it was their brother who was stepping through the trees, the yelling started.

"Oh look Ripclaw! He's finally here! Where have you been? Last I checked when you pick a time to meet, you show up the time you say! You had us waiting here for a whole hour!" Burbite barked, hackles rising as Rancor approached.

"I know and I apologize, I fell into a circumstance I could not very easily escape," Rancor explained calmly.
"It's always excuses with you," Ripclaw snorted.

That comment stung and Rancor showed his appreciation with an ugly display of white teeth and a threatening snarl. Apparently his brief reminder of who was in charge was enough to put the respect back into both his sisters' attitudes. Their ears and tails lowered slightly in submission. Once satisfied Rancor proceeded.

"Did either of you manage to hear any word on the Kings or Queens?" he questioned in his gravely tone.
"I heard word regarding the Queens. They are both supposed to return to Cair Paravel in three days," responded Burbite, with considerably less sharpness.
"I heard word that Edmund was to be leaving for the anual meeting of the city regents in a week," responded Ripclaw.

"Nothing about King Peter?" Rancor asked, slightly angered at the lack of information found out.
"Nothing," the sisters answered.

It was then that Rancor remembered the white wolf. He'd forgotten all about keeping tabs on her! She could have left the palace by now and he'd have lost his chance to confront her! Quickly, Rancor explained what he had seen of the female white wolf and how she had entered the palace gates. He then told them he thought it would be wisest to stay in the woods closer to the palace gates and watch for an opportunity to infiltrate the castle ground without being seen.

They all agreed and prepared to move out when suddenly Rancor caught scent of a familliar female street dog.
"What's that?" questioned the sisters.

"Someone followed me from town, quickly go and keep to your posts at the gate while I'm gone! I'll take care of it," Rancor commanded.

Burbite and Ripclaw nodded and took off through the trees. Once knowing they were gone, Rancor swung around and charged into the bushes where the smell wafted from, a growl rising in his throat. He leapt into the air looking to pounce on top of the pesky street dog and show her who was not to be trifled with. But she dodged him.

Landing instead into dirt, Rancor could not spin around fast enough to see that the brown female was about to nip his rear end. When he felt the teeth, though they didn't clamp hard enough to draw blood, he yelped and growled all the louder, turning to face his opponent. But she stood their perfectly calm, a dignified look on her face.

"Relax it's just me," she reminded gently.
"I know it's just you! What are you doing here!?" Rancor barked. Rawla, as she was called, laughed lightly and paced towards him in perfect gracefulness.

"I followed you silly," she giggled, "The thing is, I rather like you. A while ago when you had the butcher's meat, you put it back down when you could have just as easily attacked me and gotten away. Made me start thinking, and truth be told, I see there is more potential to you," she admitted, pacing up before him and then around him, as she'd done the first time she'd analyzed him.

"Just because I chose then not to gut you, doesn't mean I'm not perfectly willing now," Rancor warned, growling lowly. He was trying to keep his threatening, unamused face on, but her words had startled him. She liked him? That was an odd thing. He'd never had a female ever like him before.

"I don't think you'd do that," Rawla answered, in a matter-of-fact kind of tone, "You have too much goodness in you. It's plain to see. You want to make the right choices," she continued silkily.

"Enough! This is foolishness. Go back where you came from and leave me alone," Rancor barked angrily. Her words were cutting to his very core, exposing the longing deep within his heart that he was afraid for anyone else to see. And now that someone had, he felt vulnerable and weak. Rawla's smile left her face and she stood looking rather sad at his side.

"If that is what you want..." she conceded finally, turning somberly away and towards the woods. Rancor stood silently, his mind swirling back and forth in contemplation. He was letting the only female who ever claimed to like him and who understood who he truly was get away!

So what if she was a street dog who got on his nerves and made him uncomfortable? His mother always made him uncomfortable. It was something he could suffer with.
"Rawla wait," he said through gritted teeth, slightly scared he was going to say what he was.

"I... I am how you say I am. I do want to do what is right and I want justice to be done," he explained, "You see through to me correctly, and because of that... I don't want you to go," he finished, head hanging. Rawla had stopped walking away and faced him once more.

"There are so few who have ever understood me, even among my own family," he admitted. The smile on Rawla's face was coming back and she trotted over.
"You seem very troubled," she responded, "I wonder if you will tell me how you have become who you are?" she asked gently, lying down on her belly from the ground to look up at him innocently.

Rancor sat down, feeling exposed but knowing there was no point in hiding anything from her now.

"I was raised without a father and with a mother that was completely bent on raising me to take his place and to avenge him. I spent all my pup days in hard training all the way up till now. She's put so much into me, she's certain I will accomplish my task, but ever since this whole thing started, I've lacked the vigor and the passion that she has tried to bestil in me. I don't feel bitterness towards my father's killer, mostly because I never was close to or even knew my father," Rancor explained defeatedly. "I want so badly to make my mother proud and fullfill the destiny she has laid out for me, but I fear I lack the conviction to go through with it," he looked down at Rawla carefully.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"Of course I do. Sounds to me like you are a bit mixed up. Other people, even if they are your parent, aren't the ones to make your destiny. You do," Rawla said gently. Rancor thought about this for a moment.
"I suppose you are right.." he conceded.

"Whatever problems you are facing, you have to deal with them how you deem right. I can offer you no consolation there, but I know that since your heart is good, you are capable of making good decisions," Rawla encouraged. Rancor almost smiled. Her words were very encouraging.

"Thank you..." he said, finding confidence stir within himself once again.

Okay folks! There you are! As usual, next chapter will be up in a few days, hope you enjoyed it! Post a comment and let me know what you thought!

-Stokin D Embers