Chapter 450: Chapter 447: Blueberry

Chapter 447: Blueberry

 

  8 years ago…

 

  In the tall ashen trees of Vulture Woods walked a small, almost unseen figure.

  “And then Mother Aurelia said I had to wash the hunter’s clothes for the whole week!” Stryg groaned and kicked the grass. “I mean, yeah, okay, I did in fact set his cabin on fire, but it was an accident! A total accident! P-Plus, no one saw me do it. She has no proof!”

  Stryg sighed and hung his head. “Who am I kidding? She can always tell when I’m lying. But she didn’t have to spank me so many times. Yeah, I know she’s the First Mother and she’s gotta set an example and all, but sometimes I feel like she’s harder on me than everyone else, ya know?”

  The doe looked at him for a moment then kept going on its way through the trees. Stryg hurried to catch up.

  “She never hits the other kids as much as me. Okay, yeah, I know I’m the only one who sneaks out all the time, but what else am I supposed to do? Play with the other kids? They always just bully me.” 

  The deer blinked.

  Stryg shook his head, “Yeah, I already asked Lunae for help and she offered to eat them, but if she does that Mother Aurelia will be sad.”

  The doe bucked a high-pitched noise.

  “Why do I care what she thinks? Sure, Mother Aurelia can be mean sometimes, but she can be nice too.” Stryg rubbed his foot in the dirt abashedly, “...I love her, I don’t want to make her sad.”

  He suddenly frowned and puffed his cheeks, “I don’t want her to hit me either… Ugh, why is it all so hard!”

  Stryg glanced at the deer. “Aaaand you have no idea what I’m saying, do you?” he asked flatly.

  The doe glanced at him with a blank stare then trotted off into the woods.

  Stryg sighed and slumped his shoulders. “Bye, I guess.”

  He turned around and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he focused his senses on the forest around him. Vulture Woods was a dangerous place, full of beasts and monsters that wanted to eat him. At least, that’s what the Sylvan Mothers always said. Save for the time he had met a dragon, he had never come across a dangerous beast like the stories the hunters always talked about. 

  To him Vulture Woods wasn’t a place full of dangers, it was a place full of vibrant life. The forest was alive and it sounded almost as if it had a voice and song of its own. He couldn’t quite tell what the notes were but he knew the melody was there.

  The trick was to find out where the song wasn’t; a hollow spot in the river of notes. It wasn’t so much that he could sense the emptiness, but he could feel where the melody was missing, as if a note was refusing to play along with the rest of the tune.

  Stryg couldn’t remember when he had first noticed the dissonance, it seemed as natural to him as the rest of the forest. Whenever he closed his eyes and focused he could feel it, the dissonant emptiness. Just like now.

  He opened his eyes with a big grin, “I found you! Wait for me, Lunae!”

  He ran straight through the trees, without a doubt to his step. Ashen trunks and undergrowth passed by him in a blur. The wind tickled his face and threw his hair back. He laughed in excitement and hurried his pace, as quick as his tiny legs could.

  “...Grrr—Ruff!”

  The sudden noise caught Stryg by surprise. He stumbled to a halt and looked to his left. Underneath a small bush, hiding between the branches were a pair of icy blue eyes staring out at him.

  “Hello?” Stryg said cautiously and walked over.

  “Ruff!” the small voice squeaked.

  Stryg crouched and stuck out his hand. “Hi…?”

  A small black nuzzle poked out and snapped at his clawed fingers. Stryg yanked his hand back in surprise.

  “Hey!” Stryg frowned. “What was that for!?”

  A black pup lurched out of the bush and growled weakly.

  “You wanna fight, w-well bring it! …E-eh?” Stryg furrowed his brow.

  The pup’s tiny body was trembling and a yellow trickle was pouring out between his legs.

  “You’re scared…?”

  Stryg reached out slowly. The wolf yelped, stumbled backwards, and fell on his own puddle of urine. Stryg picked him up, much to the pup’s dismay. The baby wolf screamed and flailed about.

  “Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you,” he admonished.

  The pup slowed its exasperated movements and came to a halt, his tiny ribs breathing in and out in quick breaths. He watched the goblin child with wide eyes as Stryg uncorked his waterskin and poured some water over his wet black fur.

  “Why are you so cold? It’s summer.” Stryg pulled out a grey cloth from his pocket and dried him off after thoroughly washing the urine. “There,” he smiled. “All clean.”

  “W-woof…” The pup squeaked cautiously.

  “I’m Stryg, what’s your name?”

  “Woof.”

  “Yeah, I thought so,” he giggled.

  The pup wiggled out of his arms and buried its head into his satchel.

  “H-Hey, what are you doing?”

  After a few moments, Stryg heard the distinct sound of munching. With horrid realization, he yanked the pup out from the satchel. The cub’s face was dyed blue.

  “I knew it! You were eating my blueberries!” Stryg checked his satchel in a hurry and gasped in dismay, “You ate half of them! That was my lunch!”

  The pup barked in pride and snatched the satchel from his hands.

  “Hey! Mother Aurelia made me that satchel, give it back!”

  The wolf barked and shook his head.

  “Wait… can you understand me?” he asked, astonished.

  The pup stared at him, the light of intelligence deep in his pale blue eyes. “...Woof.” He turned around and dashed off into the bushes.

  Stryg watched him go, dumbfounded for a moment, before realizing that the pup had stolen his satchel. “H-Hey, come back here!”

  Stryg chased after him, but he was no match for the tiny wolf. Soon, the pup had disappeared altogether, leaving behind a small trail of blue stains on the grass and dirt.

  “Dammit,” Stryg huffed tiredly. It was one thing that he couldn’t outrace any of the other kids, but to lose to a baby animal was just plain embarrassing.

  After a few minutes he came to the end of the trail. The satchel was on the floor, its contents spilled about on the ground. And next to it was the preparator, his small belly bloated from all the berries he had eaten.

  Stryg balled his tiny fists and stomped over the pup. The wolf looked up and tried to run but his belly was too stuffed, he could only watch helplessly as Stryg picked him up and opened his blue lips wide, tiny fangs glinting in the sunlight.

  The wolf squeaked in terror.

  Stryg hesitated and sighed. “Fine… I won’t eat you. But since you already ate my food, wanna be friends instead?” he asked hopefully.

  The pup shook his head in denial.

  Stryg frowned. “I’ll just eat you then.”

  “Woof!” the pup squeaked.

  “That’s better,” Stryg smiled and cradled him in his arms. “Now all we need to do is find more food.”

 

~~~

 

  The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky. The open grove was full with the scent of flowers and the giant flat boulder Lunae had found was just the right size to lie down on. She stretched her limbs and yawned pleasantly. 

  Today was shaping up to be a wonderfully peaceful morning.

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  “~Lunaaeee!~”

  And just like that, her peaceful morning was shattered.

  Ah, what the hell, her lips curled in a small smile. She’d have her days no other way.

  “~Lunaaeee!~ Guess what I found!”

  “What did you find, little one?” The moon goddess cracked an eye open and glanced down at Stryg at the edge of the grove.

  He held up the pup proudly, “A new friend! His name’s Blueberry!”

  “That’s… a friend?” she asked.

  The pup stared up at the giant white wolf in sheer terror. He opened his mouth but only a shrill choked squeak came out.

  “Yeah, he’s a wolf! Pretty cool, right!” Stryg grinned.

  “Sweetheart, that isn’t a wolf, that is a frost wolf. He seems to be about a week old. He should be with his mother. Where did you find him?”

  “In a bush. He ate my blueberries. I almost ate him. Now we’re friends.”

  “...Uh-huh. Little one, I imagine Blueberry got separated from his pack and is eager to return home. You can’t keep him as a pet.”

  “He isn’t a pet! He’s my friend! Right, Blueberry?”

  The pup looked up at him and licked his cheek.

  Stryg giggled. “See! We’re friends!”

  “He seems to hold some level of affection for you, yes, but that doesn’t mean you can keep him away from his mother.”

  “But… I don’t have any other friends,” Stryg mumbled.

  “Aren’t I your friend?” Lunae raised her eyebrow.

  “You don’t count, mom.”

  “I’ll have you know that in the last two thousand years there have been countless individuals who would have done quite literally anything to have been counted among my favored. One might even say I am the greatest friend you could—”

  “Yeah, whatever,” he waved her away dismissively.

  Lunae blinked. “...Well, that’s disrespectful.”

  “Come on, Blueberry. Let’s go find something tasty to eat.”

  “Stryg,” Lunae called out. “You may play with him today, but come nightfall you will return Blueberry to his pack, do you understand?”

  “...Yeah, I understand,” he mumbled downheartedly.

  “You wouldn’t want to be separated from your pack either, would you, little one?”

  Stryg glanced at the scar on his palm, the reminder of his Sigte bond. “No,” he admitted softly. 

  Lunae wrapped her tail around Stryg and pulled him near. She snuggled him next to her beating heart and closed her silver eyes.

  “...I’m hungry.”

  Lunae sighed and opened her eyes. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

 

~~~

 

  Present day…

 

  The black frost wolf abruptly stopped its rampage of destruction and turned to Stryg. He glanced around and realized he was the only goblin who hadn’t run away from the pens.

  The frost wolf growled a deep rumble and stalked towards him.

  Stryg frowned and cocked his head to the side, “...Blueberry?”

  The wolf stopped, mimicked his posture, and cocked his head to the side. He whined in a surprised high pitch.

  Stryg laughed brightly, rushed over, and hugged him tight. The frost wolf glanced around, uncertain of what to do, then slowly wrapped his giant paw over the goblin’s back.

  “I never thought I’d see you again, what are you doing here?” Stryg asked happily.

  Blueberry growled at Stryg’s overfamiliar tone, but his tail didn’t stop wagging.

  As Stryg chatted with Blueberry the goblin riders and their wolves cautiously returned to the pens. They kept a wide berth from the frost wolf, but their eyes never left the astonishing sight.

  “He calmed the frost wolf down in seconds…!” a rider said in awe.

  “Of course, he did! That’s the Moon’s Chosen!” another rider said as if it was obvious.

  Stryg was blissfully unaware of their chattering, his focus entirely on his old friend.

  “That one has been causing a ruckus in the wolf pens for months, I’m surprised you’ve managed to tame him,” a deep voice said from behind.

  Stryg turned around and was surprised to see the Warrior Elect standing in front of him. His usual armor was nowhere to be seen. Lykos instead wore a simple red tunic and black trousers. His arms were covered in scars from previous battles, each an indirect symbol of his past victories.

  Stryg inclined his head in acknowledgment, “Warrior Elect. You requested to see me.”

  Lykos nodded and walked around Blueberry, admiring the frost wolf’s immense size. “Yes, I apologize for cutting into your time. I am aware you are a busy man, War Master.”

  “Is he the reason why you asked me here?” Stryg glanced at the giant wolf.

  “Hm? Oh, no. Though, I admit I am grateful for your intervention. Frost wolves occasionally visit the wolf pens, but as I said, this one has been causing problems for the riders the last few months. I suspect he does not like to see his smaller cousins in cages, even if they are free to go whenever they like.”

  Stryg shook his head, “Nah, Blueberry is just an asshole.”

  The frost wolf frowned.

  “Blueberry?” Lykos asked.

  “It’s the name I gave him a long time ago. Master Sigte wasn’t very fond of it, but I think Blueberry likes it.”

  “Ah… I see. I didn’t realize you and the frost wolf knew each other.”

  “We’re old friends, isn’t that right?” Stryg smiled.

  Blueberry scoffed and walked away.

  Stryg shrugged, “Meh, he’ll come around.”

 

 

 

 

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