Word count: 1,614 // +16 points
It had been far too long since he stepped into Anathema lands. It was his home and he knew he was always welcome; but restlessness had driven him from the comfort of his den and into the arms of the wild. His time away had been interesting, if nothing else, and brought upon him feelings that he would have rather not felt. Rage consumed him, and his normally peaceful demeanor was shaken to its very core. He felt it in everything he did: from the way he walked, to the way he had to force a smile to stay clinging to his lips. Nothing felt right for the wolf, and he dared not face the pack as he was.
So he found himself on the outskirts of his world, pacing about the outcropping of Dawn’s Breath. His eyes swept over the borders, checking his back every few seconds. His recent encounter with an old enemy spurred in him a sense of paranoia—a disgusting trait that he had never experienced before. It consumed Alduin and everything in him that was good. Now, more than ever, he felt he needed to protect the pack. Having made such a powerful enemy put his whole family in danger, and the guilt he felt from it weighed heavy on his heart.
A frown graced his lips as he trudged through the terrain. Though alert, the Alaskan beast appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. His movements were sluggish, and the way his body slumped forward ever so slightly would make one think he had been toying with the idea of throwing himself off a mountainside. For a moment, the thought was rather appealing; but he brought himself back to his senses, deciding that he could do no one any good if he were dead. Looking to the sky, he wondered how long it would be before he could rest peacefully at night.
Shaking the thought from his head, the creature pushed onward and eventually found his way to the trees that bordered his home. They were magnificent things: blossoming giants that welcomed passers-by to the cool shade beneath their sturdy branches. The sight was unfamiliar to Alduin, for the trees he’d grown accustomed to were evergreen; they never shed their leaves or seemed to be large enough to hold him—only the burden of a bit of snow. So like a curious pup, he approached the leafy behemoth and took hold of the thickest branch he could find. He hung from it for a moment, testing its strength. Satisfied with its ability, he grinned and swung his massive body up and onto the branch.
His seat was surprisingly comfortable, and as he settled himself on the branch, his back pressed against the tree’s trunk, he sighed. The silence was reminiscent of happier times; and though the thought brought back memories he would have tried to lock away, he found comfort in them and was quite content with reliving those days—if only for a little while. His stomach was quick to remind him that he hadn’t eaten in the past day and a half, though, interrupting the moment of peace he’d found. Almost reluctantly, Alduin reached into the small satchel he brought with him and took from it a single strip of seasoned dried meat.
Hael cried out, her wings beating the air around her as her feet locked her to the highest branch of the tree. The sight of the intruder sent her into a frenzy and she would ensure the wolf knew he was out of line. She screeched her threats loudly, shouting strings of insults in low speech and demanding that the stranger leave. Yes, she was nervous about her patrol—it was only her third one out—but the brute below didn’t have to know that. Wild as she was, Hael wanted perfection in her newly acquired duties. She did them on her own terms, of course, but she wanted perfection nonetheless. So when she dove down at the beast and tried to beat him away with a flurry of angry wings, she felt nothing short of embarrassed when her calculations had placed her much further down in the tree than she expected—namely, the ground.
Alduin had shielded his face from the attack, but his concern for himself soon shifted to the crow that had fallen beak first from her perch. He’d seen a few of the creatures around the caverns, but typically left them alone for fear of disturbing them. It seemed that, for whatever reason, the crow held a somewhat sacred position in the pack. Killing such a highly respected animal was certainly not on the wolf’s to-do list. So when he watched her crash-land, he immediately jumped from the branch and rushed to her side.
Hael would have none of it, though. Her pride was crushed, yes, but she wasn’t physically hurt very much. The crow scrambled to collect herself and was soon screeching at the intruder to leave, hopping toward him with wings widespread. As he backed away, hands held up as if to surrender, she felt her chest swell and her ego repair itself. Certainly the darker wolf that had captured her would be glad to know she had defended his pack’s land without needing to involve him or the white-furred female! But then he did something that threw her for a loop.
Alduin had backed himself into the tree’s trunk, his hands held up by his shoulders to show he’d meant no harm to the startled crow. Remembering the piece of meat in his mouth, he was quick to rip off a clean bit and crouch down to offer the morsel to her. For a moment, the bird eyed him cautiously and remained where she was. Her wings came to rest against her body again as she took a few quick steps back.
“Come now,” he coaxed gently, “I insist.” Whether or not the creature understood him was unknown to Alduin, so he did his best to exaggerate his hand movements and smiles. He couldn’t have been happier when the crow began to hobble toward him. Her wings fluttered slightly as she neared, but otherwise she seemed interested in his offering.
Something told Hael that trusting the wolf wasn’t the wisest of things, but she couldn’t pass up the chance to scarf down a piece of the pack’s delectable wares. She only had the opportunity once in a blue moon when the dark wolf took the time to teach her her duties; but here this man was, offering the meat to her even when she had failed. As the crow came nearer to the stranger, she decided that tasty food overrode the threat of death.
Alduin grinned brightly when the crow quickly snatched the meat from his hand and flew up into the tree again (though she stayed at the lowest branch). He gave a nod to the bird as he dumped the remaining strips onto the ground before standing up again. Satisfied with the results of his little adventure, he decided to leave the bird so that she might eat in peace. Fascinated as he was with her, the wolf thought it better to end their encounter on a good note.
“Goodbye, little one,” he said as he waved a hand at her. “Hopefully our paths with cross again one day.”
With that, the wolf turned and walked away from Hael, leaving her to her own devices and the pile of elk strips. Without a second thought, the crow dropped from her perch and choked down the meat as if it were her last meal. She watched her intruder move on with a wary eye. He didn’t seem so bad, now that she thought of it, and she wondered if he would ever be back. The thought was discarded quickly, however, and she returned to tearing away at her prize.
As luck would have it, though, her meal was cut short. Out of the corner of her eye Hael caught sight of what direction the wolf was headed. Panicked, she took flight and bolted toward him. A warning cry sounded from her beak as she caught up, and her claws ripped at his neck. Surprised, the wolf tried to bat the crow away, but to no avail. The more she beat at him with her wings, the more steps he took in the opposite direction of the caverns he had been headed to. When she was satisfied with the distance he’d covered, Hael abruptly ended her assault and made her way back to her meat-treasure.
Alduin was left dumbfounded. Had he not just given the crow a peace offering? Why, then, would she attack him so viciously? He looked back toward the bird and tilted his head curiously. When she gave him no answer to her crimes, he shook his head and pressed on along the borders, taking care not to travel in his previous direction.
Hael watched him leave as she finished the last of her meal. Such a reckless beast he was. She cawed disapprovingly, ruffling her feathers as she settled down on the ground. Foolish as he was, she didn’t want him dead. After all, he couldn’t bring her food if he was dead. Had she the ability to frown, she would have; instead, she clicked her beak and took to the skies again. For now, she would follow the wolf until she knew he’d found a safe spot to stop at.
As Hael abandoned her post, her eyes glanced back at the cave from which she drove Alduin away and screeched a warning to the waking bear inside.
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