After hours of being in the dark, rotten sack, Orion was glad to be finally let out, even if it meant torture. He blinked as the world came into focus. He was in a dry, dead part of the forest, near Black Mountains. Two men stood in armour in front of him. One of them had slung the sack over his shoulder. Of course, Orion thought, How dumb I've been. Aldero won’t go and collect wolves himself; He sits back, relaxed, while his minions do the work.
“Ah, this one is awake,” one of them said, and kicked Orion’s flank. Orion growled in return. “Can’t understand why the great master would even want wolves.” the man said the word as if it was poison. “Who cares?” replied the other “Just follow his orders. Remember he’s the big boss and we’ll reap benefits off him and-”
Orion heard a spray of wet blood issuing from the man’s chest. Then a rough voice said, “Betrayal!” and as the man collapsed, dead, another man stepped into view. He was taller, sturdier, and certainly commanded more power than the other men. Orion assumed he was a general. “You.” the general said, snapping his fingers in the direction of a man “Take the newest wolf inside to meet his master.”
Aldero?! No, I do NOT want to see him! If he kills me- Orion didn't even wait to finish that thought. He sprang to his feet and tried to bound away, away from this cruel place, away from Aldero. But his paws were clamped and tied, his maw was muzzled and he was already being dragged along. Before he knew it, he was in the throne room of Aldero.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The two men bowed as Orion looked around. The ceiling was black, and lined with gold. The room was dimly lit by candles, and he was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by flickering flames. Behind a curtain of black beads, Aldero smiled.
After a long and fearful silence, one of the men piped up “Your greatness, what would you do with this..horrendous beast?”
“Do what I’ve always done to the others, of course” Aldero replied smoothly “Imprison him for a month without food, make him go into the forest and hunt. Then see if he can talk or he can't talk like every other wolf. And.. some special errands, maybe.”
Orion shuddered when he heard that. He knew the next phase of his life was going to be more than painful…exacuriating. So miserable that even the wolves outside were howling..wait. Howling? What did this mean? Orion checked back to when Gleindein was yammering. Wolves only howled as one when a new wolf controller was born, or when the wolf controller came of age. But Aldero had already reached of age. Who else was a wolf controller?
Aldero was frowning and angry. He had someone that could threaten his reign. In his forest. Roaring with outrage, he slipped a sapphire pendant that controlled wolves, fused with his own power, onto Orion’s neck, untied him and yelled at Orion to harm any family in the forest that seemed to have a wolf controller. The sapphire glowed, and Orion had no choice but to run into the forest. For some reason he didn’t know why, he kept running and running, towards the north. At dawn, he reached a cosy wooden cottage. He realized what he was going to do, and stopped. He tried not to, he fought himself internally. When he got overpowered by the sapphire, he yowled in regret, and charged towards the house.
