“Don’t understand why he sent both of us. I’m more than capable of handling any problem myself.”
The annoyed voice of Abel’s current superior was heard behind him as he sat on a boulder. The Ex-Thief guild’s leader was right. Abel’s skills were not needed for what they were doing. Sneaking around the perimeter, scouting for anything unordinary and waiting were more of his current partner’s attributes than his.
For whatever reason it may have been, the man did not seem to like Abel.
Abel was fairly new and somehow he had impressed and earned the respect of their leader. For someone like this Ex-thief, who was the leader’s reliable number two in many ways, he found it infuriating. Especially with Abel being so young and reckless.
Abel didn’t respond, preoccupied by the faint sound of rustling leaves.
“Abel, someone’s coming. Down. Now.”
Quickly Abel dropped off the rock and crouched behind a tree, peering off to see a young woman in damaged clothes, running for what seemed to be her life.
“Don’t.” The ex-thief said, almost reading Abel’s mind. “She’s got someone close running for her.”
Abel kept still and watched for several minutes, the sound of horses gradually increasing to whisk by in her direction.
“They’re from the capital.” Abel finally spoke. His grey eyes watched the horses and wolves disappear.
“All good. Let’s head on back.”
“Why would they chase someone so far out?” He questioned.
“Who cares. Let’s head on back, warn the camp.” The grizzled man repeated with a nonchalant tone.
“You can head back. I’m going to see what’s going on.”
Before the man could even shut down Abel’s ridiculous idea, Abel was already running off after them.
“H-Hey! You are under me! Get back here! That’s an order! ABEL!”
…
The girl had been on the run for a long while. She'd gotten good at it. Hiding. Sneaking. Sensing when it was time to abandon her current hiding place and depart for a better one. She'd started getting a better sense of people as well. Who might be willing to look the other way, who was out for all they could steal, who might be willing to show a little extra charity for someone in need. Who could be successfully begged, or threatened. It helped.
But it wasn't enough.
It had really only been a matter of time.
She ran like a wild thing through the forest. Nothing but shadows and moonlight guiding the way. She'd abandoned anything like an actual path days ago, but it hadn't slowed their pursuit. The sounds of hoofbeats and animalistic growls would haunt her forever.
She'd tried moving through mud patches and along rivers in the hope they might lose their trail.
It had left her wet, cold, and had hardly slowed them down an hour.
And then it all came to an end.
The girl slammed her hands against the side of the cliff that prevented her from running any more, as though doing so might have opened up some sort of secret passage. Wide eyes scanned frantically, trying to find another means of escape. Her hair was a tangled mess, a blonde so light that it was nearly white. Her clothes were a pile of rags--there may have been a color once upon a time, but time and grime had faded them to blacks and browns.
Then there was the sound of animals overcoming the overpass, and the hoofbeats of horses not far behind them. She whirled around just in time to see a trio of wolves surrounding her--teeth bared. And then a pair of riders on horses comes in from behind them.
"Cricket Thistlebee!" One of the riders announced--his accent was formal, clearly coming from the capital. "You are accused of abandoning your legal requirement to report to your regional queen for inspection and duty!" He was probably the one controlling the wolves. Not the best power granted by a queen's bond, but he had clearly found a good use for it.
Abel had sprinted through the forest, an alternate path from the main trail. He already knew that there was a cliff that they were bound to run into. It was a solid shortcut, arriving along the tree line right when he saw the girl almost collapse at the edge of the cliff. Wasting no time, he ran up onto the rocky surface, catching the guard’s reasons from chasing as he drew near.
At this point, their attention was drawn to him, one of the four men hopping off their horse to confront him.
“State your business!” The sound of steel being drawn was meant to intimidate him. But it was clear by Abel’s own expression that the young man was not backing down.
“The Band of the Wolf sends their condolences,” Abel uttered, drawing out a two-handed sword and putting up his guard. A five-foot, ordinary but large blade.
“Band of— You..!” The capital guard pointed with conviction. ”You’ve got some nerve coming in alone without your friends.” The guard sneered.
Abel stepped closer, his sword being lifted in preparation to guard the armored man who blocked his way. Ignoring any further words, Abel swung his sword horizontally in such a brutish manner that it seemed the sword could have cleaved through anything. It powerfully cut through the man’s armor and stopped halfway into the torso. Abel seemed to handle the weapon without much effort despite his average size. He pushed the blade further and it continued in its horizontal arc, only stopping when the sword passed Abel’s own hip. The guard was almost cut completely in half with Abel quickly bringing the blade back in front.
An incredibly quick but brutal scene that left the two riders paralyzed.
Abel’s black hair was somehow both wild and tame. Large, curly arcs that scattered throughout and brushed his eyes. He was young, 23, and donned a mix of protective brown leather and lightweight metal armor with a slightly tattered dark blue cloak.
“Let her go.” He asked simply, a single step alarming the three wolves to draw closer to their master. Abel’s grey eyes flicked cautiously to each Wolf, not favoring his current predicament. He wasn’t used to fighting animals. “Call them off, let her go.” He repeated, sliding his leather boots carefully across the rocky terrain.
The two capital soldiers responded to this demand about as well as one would have expected. While it was hard to determine just which of the two soldiers was controlling the wolves, whoever it was seemed less interested in submitting to the solo warrior who stood before them, and far more interested in demonstrating why interrupting Capital business was such a bad idea.
All three of the wolves directed their attention on Abel at once-snarling and snapping at the warrior. This proved two important things: That the knight who was controlling the wolves didn't have the power to control each of them individually--it would be group behavior, or nothing at all. And it proved that the soldier in question was able to be rather easily distracted by the bold words of a random threat.
Cricket, for her part, took the opportunity to hide behind an oversized rock along the cliffside. Not completely trusting in the abilities of her would-be rescuer, but plenty grateful at the idea of resting for a moment or two. If he saved her, splendid. If he failed? At least she'd have a minute or two to rest and get a head start on her escape while the wolves tore him to bits.
Speaking of:
The wolves all lunged at the apprentice mercenary in a single swoop, their movements and snapping of their jaws occurring in unison.
“…Tch!” Seeing that the knight did nothing to stop the wolves’ assault Abel steeled himself for inevitable injury. It didn’t take a genius to know that wolves were intelligent creatures. A group attack was exactly what he was concerned about.
Still, his sword went up again while his gauntlet shot up to catch a heavy bite on one of the wolves. It easily dug into the metal along his wrist and forearm, the fangs undoubtedly reaching into his flesh.
Abel’s greatsword at the same time, hammered right into the second wolf and instantly left it as a bloody, split carcass. Using such a large sword with one hand that had such brutal power in its strike did not seem to be possible.
And yet Abel managed to perform the feat without much strain at all.
The third wolf caught Abel’s leather shoulder guard at the same time as the kill, the injuries through his gauntlet and his shoulder forcing him to let out a painful shout. His large sword was lightly tossed up, flipped, and caught in reverse grip before plunging the steel through the back of the wolf’s neck. The fangs on his gauntlet released, freeing his hand to grab a small knife at his hip.
Ripping it out, three precise stabs into the final wolf released its strong jaws and let it heavily drop to meet with its small dead pack.
There was blood seeping through the destroyed metal and leather, cold steel gaze watching the knights with anger, impatience, and irritation.
“I suggest you go find someone else to inspect, unless you really believe it’s worth your life.” His sword was brought up, slightly out of breath. He was wincing from the pain but his guard was steady, waiting for the knight’s decision to fight him or flee.
A single soldier is able to take down a trio of wolves. It wasn't the sort of thing anyone saw that often. And it clearly caused a bit of distress in the faces of the two guards still on horseback.
Their movements were hesitant, and a glance between the two of them offered some sort of silent communication between the pair. One of the two looked back to Abel, his sneer severe, even as his horse stepped back a pace or two. "You will regret interfering with the Queen's business, knave!" He declared, his nose high in the air.
All this was bluster, however--as while the one guard was trying to subject Abel to judgment and scrutiny, the other had already turned his horse around and fled. Whatever innate abilities either had--clearly with the wolves dead, the majority of their fighting ability had died with them.
Abel managed to crack a smug grin at this, the sight of one of the knights taking off with their horse was both humorous and relieving. Abel waited patiently, the remaining guard finally losing his resolve to pursue Cricket and him any further. But of course, the man threatened him before galloping away.
The remaining guard turned tail quickly enough. "We will be back!" Was his last announcement before he rode his horse round, and back through the woods, leaving the bleeding Abel and the still hiding Cricket, all that remained in the gully around the cliff's edge.
“We’ll be waiting.” He silently snickered, eyes going down to view the damage. The injuries were not something he could shrug off. Even though his gear took the brunt of the attacks, he was left needing medical attention. Had he not been prepared, large chunks of flesh would have certainly been bitten clean off him.
"...." Cricket peered at the man from around the rocks she was hiding behind, watching him bleed, trying to decide if this was a brand new threat, or a sign of someone actually meaning well.
"Is...are you going to be ok?" She called out, not yet feeling safe enough to come out from behind the rocks.
The female voice that spoke to him caught his attention, though a brow raised when he couldn’t see her. Cricket’s question actually caused him to smile slightly, surprised that she showed any form of concern.
“No,” Abel answered truthfully. “Not until I head back.”
He stood there, sheathing his weapon on his back. Cautiously he stepped around the large rock enough to just barely see her. Seeing her destroyed clothing, he frowned, loosening his cloak to offer it to her.
Cricket looked in apprehension as Abel offered her his cloak. She snatched it quickly, as though he would change his mind. Her own clothes covered her well enough--but they were ragged and thin, and not built to face up against the elements. She wrapped it around her shoulders, and the extra layer gave her an extra sense of security. Though that was false, and she was smart enough to recognize it. Just because this strange man had stopped her would-be abductors, didn't mean that she wasn't going to be prepared for him to change his mind.
“My name is Abel. An offensive frontline for The Band of The Wolves.” His smile was warm, extending the cloak further so that she could wear it and cover herself. It was clear to him that Cricket had been on the run for quite a long time. “You must have been out here a few months….but running for much longer than that. You should have known a kingdom at war would have been prone to more security.”
The Kingdom of Morya and the Kingdom of Nadia had been at war for a devastating two decades however. If she came here to hide, she must have truly been desperate.
The twenty-year war which seemed to have no end in sight had finally begun tipping in favor ever since Morya had hired The Band of Wolves. In six months, the mercenary band had accomplished more than Morya ever could throughout the entirety of the war.
“I have to say, I’m impressed you are alive.” Initially, he only planned to save her and return…but… something was screaming at him to take her with him. Maybe it was pity.
Either way, he stepped back and gave another look.
“We have food and clothes we could give you. I know you are hungry.”
Her cautiousness was considered when he offered her to come, a wince coming across his face when he moved his bitten shoulder. “I’m not going to force you…But I need to get this taken care of.”
He turned his back to her, sighing at the long walk to camp. After a few seconds of silence, he began his trek back. His injuries did not stop his normal walking pace.
It was hunger that had her stomach growling when he mentioned food, and had her trailing after him as he led the way. It had been three days since she'd last had anything to eat. And longer than that since she'd had what anyone would call a decent meal.
"...I've heard of the Band of Wolves." She said, brow furrowed. "You lot joined up with Morya. I've heard they pay you a fortune for every victory you pull off." She glanced at him. He certainly didn't look like he'd just come into an obscene amount of wealth.
Abel knew she would have heard of the group, though he wasn’t exactly full of pride being a member. The only reason he had mentioned it to her and her pursuers was that it was an intimidation tactic. For six months, the band was hell on earth for the Kingdom of Nadia. They were infamous in this region, five major battles, all victories. And now the stage was slowly being set for a decisive battle.
"Are there a lot of you out here?" Her voice was low and curved---from the Capital, sure enough--but not exactly from the areas where things like 'prestige' or 'class' were common, or 'regular meals' for that matter. Her form said as much--narrow and lean due more to malnourishment than natural inclination or fitness.
Abel took a glance at her, hesitant to answer. He could hear Velstadt now, cursing at him for even entertaining the young woman. He could feel the blade at his neck for even thinking about giving up such information. But there were too many reasons in Abel’s eyes to see that she meant no harm to him or the band.
“Yes.” He answered. “Morya’s troops are currently with us.”
It vaguely meant that something big was going to happen. Though Cricket meant no harm, it didn’t mean she couldn’t be interrogated.
"Why'd you help me?" She asked after a few minutes of silence--she was still walking behind him, still nervous and easily disturbed. "I don't know if you can tell, but I won't be able to afford Band of Wolf rates."
Cricket questioning the reason for him helping her was met with a pause. Abel even stopped walking for a brief moment. Looking over to her, it was clear that he was thinking of his words carefully.
Then he started to walk again, answering her when he felt comfortable with his answer.
“Well for one, enemies of Morya are also enemies of The Wolves. I just happened to be around to see them chasing you.”
There was another moment of silence after that, a grim pause.
“Second, I was alone too. Like you. I know what it’s like to desperately need help and no one comes. I wouldn’t have been able to put it behind me. I don’t like to think of what would have happened had I ignored the situation.”
She listened to his explanation and registered it as reasonable. Maybe because it was easier to believe a man when he was bleeding from a wound drawn on your behalf. But there was something about Abel that had Cricket wanting to believe him.
"You don't sound like much of a mercenary. Not being able to stomach helping those in need." She spoke dryly, but she said it with a smirk. Clearly, it was a good thing that he didn't seem very mercenary in his attitudes or conduct. If he were, she'd be in a rather rough position.
He shrugged his good shoulder with a smile, making it to the tree line that brought them back into the forest.
“And don’t worry about payment. It’s on me, really.” Abel waved off her words with a hand, looking at her once again. “Just worry about getting some strength back. Not many who could even walk in your state.”
It was a long walk back, even through his shortcut. They eventually passed the boulder he sat on when he first saw her running, backtracking for forty minutes until he brought some attention in front of Cricket with a point.
Cricket didn't complain throughout the journey to wherever he led her--but she didn't offer up much in the way of conversation either. She was caught off guard when they finally arrived at the camp; it was so well hidden she was practically inside of it before she'd realized they'd arrived. Impressive, considering the space and number of tents involved.
The sight of large black tents in the dense trees was difficult to see in the distance, hidden carefully within the dense trees. If Cricket had watched carefully, she could have spotted the hidden scouts that allowed them to even get so far into the camp's perimeter. The entirety of the camp was a little over an acre, with many tents of different sizes scattered non-symmetrically throughout the short grass and dry dirt.
“Our camp. We’ve been operating here a lot longer than we should have but it’s been working out.” He continued, the Morya troops and band of mercenaries working in unison with several different tasks as they walked through.
Soon enough they arrived at one of the larger tents at the heart of the camp, entering to see a few key members of the band.
“Well, look who decided to show up.” A large, curved knife was ripped out from the table as he was walking towards them, eventually pointing at him and Cricket at a distance. Velstadt’s eyes locked onto Abel, clearly angry at disobeying his direct orders. “I told you not to run off, did I not? Not only did you warn Nadia of our presence but you brought someone back to our hidden camp?”
Cricket stiffened and hunched down when Abel was greeted with the knife and threat. She didn't know what she'd expected, entering a military camp--but it hadn't been THAT.
Abel scowled, not showing fear at the sight of the sharp weapon. “We were to look out for anything odd. Was this not out of the ordinary?”
“Listen up, the next time you go against my orders, you’ll be buried alive with your tongue cut out.”
“That’s enough from both of you.”
The voice that rang out came from a man in his forties, a full dark-bearded man whose straight black hair had been portioned into a top knot. He was upset with Abel. The woman could have easily been a spy or a pawn for some scheme. But there was one more person in the tent. Someone far larger and very clearly not human, shrouded in darkness with glowing hazel irises that examined Cricket thoroughly.
“Before you both get to accusing our guest of anything, look at the poor girl. She’s barely capable of walking another mile. She’s malnourished.” The voice was deep with bass, a massive claw being placed onto the nearby table as he leaned forward into the lantern's light. “And young Abel is injured. Get someone, Velstadt. He’s still bleeding.”
Velstadt looked behind him after glaring at his superiors. He started to believe that there would be no consequences to Abel’s actions. He stormed out, pushing through both Cricket and Abel and angrily exploding out of the entrance of the tent.
“Don’t mind him, young lady. Velstadt’s a bit strict when he’s in charge.” The creature before them was eight feet tall, the body of a physically peaked Orc yet the head and fur of a grey wolf. One would believe he was the leader of the band, given their moniker.
“I am Gael. It’s a long story, really.” He politely introduced himself, his large form being brushed off before anything was asked of him. As rude as it would have been. He was much too polite for his fierce appearance and occupation.
“And this is my great friend Thorne.” He pointed a claw at the bearded man, who was already uninterested. Thorne’s back was to them, marking a few points of interest on the map he had of the surrounding area.
With large eyes and an untrusting grimace, Cricket looked up at the creature who offered her as much sympathy as Abel had, sparing a glance at the other man who was introduced before focusing back on Gael.
"I'm Cricket." She offered up, looking at Abel for a moment, a knee-jerk desire for assurance, even if it came from a stranger. "Your man saved me from Nadia's officers."
“Saved you? Did he now?” Gael’s deep sneer had told Abel something between the two of them, Abel nearly sucking his teeth when he realized what the man wolf was getting at. Gael’s blue eyes went to Cricket, leaning back a little to see that she wasn’t injured like her savior.
“Well, at least he did a good job.”
Velstadt did as he was instructed and found a medic for Gael. Arava had been the mercenary group's unofficial healer since near its origins, and the older woman entered the tent with her usual amount of exasperated amusement. "Get over here, child." She instructed Abel, the crow's feet on the sides of her eyes crinkling as she examined his injury. "We'll need this cleaned so you don't kill yourself from infection." She chided, as though he'd done it to himself on purpose.
The sight of Arava nearly made Abel groan. It wasn’t the first time she had to fix him up due to his own reckless actions. In fact, the first time he was with the band was when he was injured. Reluctantly he went over, carefully removing his gauntlet and placing it on the table. The leather shoulder guard was let loose and dropped at his feet, revealing to Arava and Cricket his mauled hand, forearms, and shoulder.
“No fussing or crying this time,” Arava warned.
“I didn’t—“ Abel slammed his good hand on the table and grasped the edge with gritting teeth when a rag of some solution was pressed onto his forearm without warning.
“I’m not even going to ask what nonsense caught you but don’t let it happen again.”
Abel rolled his eyes but was quick to scream with his mouth shut at a second press. Between cleaning the wounds, rubbing some plant-based ointment, and bandaging them. It was incredible work.
"So what exactly brings you out to our lovely homestead?" Gael asked, his sneer showcasing those fangs that had intimidated many.
"I was running away." Cricket offered up, keeping the cloak wrapped tight around herself.
Gael's eyes narrowed. "And just what were you running away from?"
"Wolves."
A few snickers, from the popcorn gallery at that.
Cricket immediately caught Arava’s attention when she was done, a simple beckoning finger being gestured. “Come, come, no lady should dare be around anyone like this. Let’s get you fixed up. It’s almost meal time and I refuse to let you go looking like that.”
Abel looked over to Cricket and gave an assuring smile, letting her know that it was safe to go along with her.
Arava then proceeded to take her hand and guide her through the camp. Making a few stops along the way, she picked up several items, examining Cricket several times in the process. Then in a secluded large tent, she removed the cloak and ripped off her rags and clothes.
“Careful dear, it’s cold.”
A bucket was lifted and the cold water crashed down onto the dirt and grime on her skin. With a soapy rag and a few dumps of water, the water eventually started to run clear at their feet. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. A brush was picked up and struggled to run through Cricket’s hair, the blonde’s build-up of knots painfully being untangled. It took longer to get Cricket clean than to do patchwork on Abel. Forty minutes total.
She was probably cleaner than she'd been in the entirety of her life. Her skin was pink and raw and throbbing, hair shining even as her scalp ached from the severity of Avara's hair treatment. She wore clothes that didn't have patches or stains, and that were thick enough to protect her from the elements. Avara had dubbed her, 'surprisingly pretty!'
There was an assortment of clothing and light gear on the nearby bench inside the tent, and Arava left the tent so that she could pick out and dress herself. Afterwards, she led Cricket to a large assortment of tables where Morya’s army and the band ate. Grabbing a bowl, she handed it to Cricket and joined her in line. A large cauldron of meat and vegetables was poured into everyone’s bowls, a hearty beef stew. Cricket was then guided back to Abel, who was already eating at nearly a full table.
She sat opposite Abel and didn't actually talk for some minutes. Too busy eating as quickly as she possibly could. She ate so fast she couldn't even taste the beef, and it wasn't until the bowl was empty that she managed to actually offer up conversation.
And what were the words she had to offer her mighty savior?
"Are seconds allowed?"