Chapter 1-1
1555 Words
CHAPTER ONE
Nothing stirred in the maze of snow-covered trees.
Within the confines of the woods, only the snow was daring enough to move. It floated down from the heavens, white specks swinging to and fro in the chilling breeze, adding to the white blanket over the ground. Undisturbed, the vast pillow looked plump to the woodland creatures that wandered between the trees.
From a hole excavated into a trunk, edging out from its shelter, came a creature. It was tiny, with one curious eye scanning the surroundings and a small nose sniffing the air. A hazelnut-coloured coat covered its body, small white stars beginning to nestle in its fur, and shielded it from nature’s cold breath.
It stepped out. Sniffing the air again and blinking away the snow from its single eye, it cast its gaze up to the canopies. The branches above strained with the weight of the snow, every so often letting out an annoyed creak, but they held firm. The creature glanced left, then right, and then stepped out into the open. Wading through the white carpet, the creature kept its eye forward, hoping to burrow another home into a tree farther along its journey.
It stopped.
It heard a noise. A rapid padding through the snow, something propelling itself at great speed, but it couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. Frantically looking around, it sought the source of the noise but failed to see it.
The sound grew louder.
It turned to retreat to its home, trudging through the snow at a brisk pace. With every step the noise grew closer, increasing in volume.
“Hyah!”
From the array of foliage to the left leapt a streak of white, blending in with the surroundings and making it difficult to discern its shape. With a high-pitched squeal, the creature dived inside the safety of its home and cowered in the corner, watching the beast shoot past the entrance and kick the snow up into the air.
Sprinting through the dense forest was an ictharr. The four-legged beast pounded across the ground, propelling itself forward with every push. Its purple eyes focused ahead on its path. A shaggy fur coat covered its body, fur sprouting up in places while forming streaks in others. A leather saddle hugged its midsection.
On that saddle sat Corsair Sedrid.
The wolf leant forwards, his paws clutching the reins as he directed the ictharr through the trees. His front fur was white, claiming the area around his green eyes and the sides of his snout, while the rest was black. A dark, hooded cloak billowed behind him, blown back by the wind, and exposed the thick winter clothes beneath.
“Hyah!”
He snapped at the reins and directed the steed to the right, steering it past a tree. The ictharr zoomed across the snow, air blowing in and out through the black leathery nose at the end of its snout, weaving through the obstacles of the forest.
“Left!”
Corsair pulled the reins left. The ictharr planted its paws in the snow and turned, skidding, before propelling itself in that direction. It followed the rider’s instructions to the letter, following every touch of the reins and verbal command.
“You can go faster, come on!”
The ictharr offered a protesting growl between breaths but didn’t defy its master. Agility prevailing, they evaded tree trunks and rocks, disrupting the even surface of the snow and causing it to explode into the air. They left in their wake a trail of large pawprints and uneven mounds.
“Left!”
Yanking the reins to the left, Corsair guided the beast through the forest. Woodland animals peeked from their homes as the rider and his steed shot past. The wolf spotted a formidable bulge in the carpet of snow, shaped like a long tube running from left to right. It lay metres ahead, tall enough to trip up the accelerating ictharr.
“Leap!”
His steed complied with his command. It leapt up into the air and soared over the fallen log. They continued on their course unhindered, Corsair glancing back at the obstacle.
“You’re doing good, keep it up!”
The ictharr managed a grunt of approval, its pink tongue hanging out from the side of its mouth, eyes focused on the path ahead. Corsair looked up to see a lone branch hanging out from the side of a tree, positioned to strike him in the stomach and knock him from his saddle. Knowing that the branch was too low to duck beneath, he drew his longsword from its sheath on his belt and swung.
The blade tore through the branch with ease, causing it to fly off with an audible snap. He threw his free arm up in front of his face to protect himself from any debris but none of the splinters struck him. Lowering his arm, he saw his companion looking back to ensure he was okay.
“I’m fine, keep your eyes forward.”
Both ictharr and lupine looked ahead and saw the treeline stop. The woodland failed to continue, the ground disappearing, and both pairs of eyes grew wider.
“Stop!”
Corsair yanked on the reins and the ictharr pushed its paws out, yowling in panic. They skidded towards the edge, the wolf pulling back on the reins hard as the brink rushed towards them.
To his relief, his companion’s paws stopped just short.
The ictharr, its eyes wide, scrambled back with such frantic haste that it pushed back on to its hind legs and flopped over on to its side. Corsair hit the ground with a grunt and fell from the saddle, rolling away from his steed. He came to a stop and remained still, sprawled out on his back with green eyes looking up to the grey sky.
They both lay there for a moment.
Blinking the snow away from his eyes, Corsair pushed himself up and grimaced. His clothes clung to him in a wet embrace.
“Great. Soaked.”
He felt something push against him and he turned. His ictharr was nuzzling him, his warm breath against his face, and Corsair smiled. He placed a paw on the side of his companion’s head and stroked him.
“I’m fine, Quickpaw, I’m fine.”
As if suddenly possessed, Quickpaw drew his head back from him and shook his coat. Corsair shrank away as the snow was flicked across him, raising an arm to shield his face. When Quickpaw had finished, Corsair lowered his arm and looked down at himself. His clothes were clinging damply to his legs and torso. He looked over his shoulder to see the fur on his tail ruffled and knotted. He sighed.
“Thanks, Quickpaw.”
Quickpaw sat and let his tongue hang from his mouth, resting between the numerous fangs inside. Corsair looked back into the treeline, spotting the trail they had left during their run, and nodded in approval.
“You ran pretty fast today, Quickpaw. Good run. I pushed you hard.”
Quickpaw yapped.
“But… next time? Eyes forward.”
Corsair approached the edge and peered over the side. A slope stretched out from the top of the hill. It was hardly the sheer or deadly drop it appeared to be when one approached it.
Still wouldn’t be fun to fall down.
He looked up.
Hundreds of metres beyond the base of the hill, reinforced by three fortified stone walls, was a city. Houses and cottages lined the snowy pathways winding through it, the tiny dots of inhabitants moving back and forth between the buildings. He could see the marketplace in the centre, hundreds of wolves hurrying from stall to stall. The Lupine Halls of Justice were visible to the north, lonely except for the soldiers around it and the jail opposite. The Clan Iggregom Vaults stood to the west, its doors open as groups of people walked in and out to manage their savings. The woods returned at the base of the hill and bled into the south of the city, the only side without a wall. Other than the south’s thick foliage, there was nothing but snow beyond the walls.
As always, Grand Wolf Plains was bustling with life.
“There it is,” Corsair said as Quickpaw arrived by his side. “There’s home.”
Quickpaw growled in response.
“Can you see our house from up here?”
He watched his steed jerk his head in the direction of his home. There, to the east, he could see the distant shape of the Sedrid house.
“I bet you’re looking forward to seeing Mum, huh?”
At the mention of his mother, Quickpaw pawed at the ground in excitement.
“Maybe we’ll have some leftovers tonight, huh?”
He sat and yapped, looking at him with excited eyes.
“Well… if Peter ends up cooking…”
Both snarled in disgust, shaking their heads. He could almost taste the stale food.
“Well, either way, let’s hope we have something nice tonight.”
Quickpaw nodded in agreement, looking down towards the city. Corsair did the same, eyes focused on his house – and that’s where he saw them.
Two figures stood behind the building, one mounted on an ictharr while the other stood to the side. A third figure lingered metres away, watching everything unfold, and Corsair squinted at them. Quickpaw watched his master, registering the frown.
“What are they doing?”
Then he remembered the conversation he had with Peter as he left that morning.
You’re up early today, Sir.
Taking Quickpaw out for a ride.
Right. Remember, Sir, training is going to start in an hour.
I’ll be back, don’t worry. Just say that I’m out riding.
I’ll do so.
Corsair gasped.
Training.
“Training!”
He was late.
Again.
Quickpaw sensed urgency in his master’s voice and stood. Corsair turned and rushed towards his steed, pulling himself up on to the beast and snapping the reins.
“Hyah!”
Grunting, Quickpaw turned and rushed away.
- Writer
