The wind howled a mournful song outside, but within the cave, it was a world of muted echoes and earthy scents. Kael was asleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. His grey lined muzzle ejecting a slight mist in the air with each breath. The winter air swirled at the mouth of the cave, bringing in the occasional snow flurry that rest atop the sleeping wolf. One breeze brushed a little to hard against the mouth of the cave causing a slight howl that reverberated against the cold damp walls. Inside, the sleeping Kael opened his bleary eyes for the first time in months. Blinking slowly, Kael stretched his front paws out and slowly drug them back towards him kicking up some of the snow that was nestled into his fur form outside. Stretching his hind legs as he slowly stood to full height. Most wolves on this side of the grand river tended to be taller in height and larger in body than that of smaller brothers and sisters that lived on the far side of the river. This is due to how the humans have moved into the neighboring lands creating massive amounts of noise and air pollution, causing most of the forest spirits to retreat further into the heart of the forest. With out a strong spiritual presence, the once mighty wolf slowly lost its size and strength. This however, is not the case with Kael. He was a massive wolf standing at full height brought him nearly to the top of the cave. His head lowered so he doesn't scrape his ears as he walks out of the cave and into the sun light.

  He moves down the outside of the even more massive mountain his cave burrowed into. After a few minutes of a slow trot, he finds his old watering hole. The watering hole was a small pond that had a small water fall cascading down the mountain feeding the pond. He freshens up at water fall before he ducks himself into the water for a few moments to rinse off any of the left on muck and frozen mud he had accumulated these past few months while he was sleeping. Emerging from under the water to look around at the forested mountainside. He notices some movement in the brush along the edge of the wood line leading back into the woods of the lost. From under a small bush, a tiny pup limps out startling Kael. He leaps out of the pond causing a massive amounts of the water to be pushed onto the outer shores. Kael lands creating a cloud of snow to plume into the air around him, he lowers his head sniffing toward the pup. A low growl emanates from his throat warning the pup not to step to close. The pup on the other hand has no qualms about getting close the massive wolf and lays down in the pool of blood that has slowly started to leak out of his wounded leg.

  Slowly, ever so slowly does Kael move towards the pup. Kael is an old wolf, strong in spirit and life force. He notices the moment the pup steps out into the clearing that he was dying. He could smell the blood from a mile away, which surprised Kael because he did not smell it until after he saw the pup. The thought of that puzzled him. His hackles started to rise as he got closer to the strange puppy. Why could he not smell this pup until just then, what had hurt him. Was it the two legs across the river? Kael did not know, so he moved closer. The pup did not move a muscle, it new fear and it knew power and it felt it from the much bigger wolf in waves that almost made him whine. Almost.

  Kael finally crossed the last few yards in one massive step. Kneeling down to the tiny thing it sniffed again at the wound in its leg and growled at the scent. The growl was so strong that snow was falling off the trees around them from the bass of it. Faelan the pup, did whimper at the sudden earth trembling rumble he felt from inside the giants chest. Whimpering but not moving, Faelan began to feel sleepy and cold. The thought of closing his eyes grew to strong and he put his head on his paws and tried to sleep. The instant Faelan closed them the giant growled the words "Open them". Faelan's eyes snapped open as the giant loomed over him staring at the horn that protruded from his leg front leg.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "What manner of creature did this to you cub" Faelan heard the giant ask him in his minds eye. The sudden realization that a voice was in his head and was talking to him startled Faelan awake completely. Ignoring the pain he atempeted to rise but only succeeding in raising his head a foot off the ground. Faelan, failing to get up to run, resigned himself to his fate. Faelan did not know how to speak in his minds eyes so he just looked at the older wolf with pain, confusion and resignation in eyes.

  "if you do not know of the ways to speak as wolves do then ill do it for you" Kael grumbled in Faelan's head. Kael entered Faelan's mind as the two stared at each other in the snow. Kael saw as the pup did, fire everywhere, the smell of burning carcasses littered the air along with thick smoke and the screams of two-legs. Metal and metal could be heard from where the pup hid under a carriage that was knocked over in the fight. Kael could see two legs running around, swords in hand as they cut each other down. screams once more filled the air as the roof of a building nearby collapsed in a puff of heat and smoke. Kael saw the little pup run in time with explosion, trying cover its escae in the chaos. As the pup, Faelan, ran from the fighting into an alley along the adjoining buildings, He was suddenly knocked over and sent flying down the alley way, crashing into a wall along the alley. Kael saw what had done it and as much he recognized the smell, he was still surprised when he saw a horned daemon walking down the alley swinging a recently broken pick axe around as he walked to the pup. Anger rose in Kael at the site of the monstrosity walking on legs. It had horns like a goat with the face of one as well. it stood on two spindly goat like legs complete with hooves. However the rest of the body was human, constructed poorly with misshapen arms that didn't match. He knew of demons long long before humans were born on this world. Kael hated them with more passion than the hell that spawned them. How Faelan had escaped was as interesting as the demon was rage inducing. The little pup was not frightened in the least, staring down a demon like he was a full grown wolf and him his equal. The demon bleated and cocked his head sideways smiling with a malicious grin. The demon never saw the roof of the building as it crushed him from above as smoke and fire billowed into the alley covering Faelan's retreat as he darted pass the rubble on three legs into the streets of the town and bolted for the gates. Kael saw the moment he left the town behind and felt the relief flood the pup as he limped to the bridge that covered the width of the grand river and limped across it, ignoring the sound of dying two legs all around him. Kael saw it all and felt it as if he was the one who lived it. Kael ended the connection just as abruptly as he started it. Normally a wolf would never do what he had done to Faelan, but there was no choice and he had to know the truth even if his nose had told him already.

  Demons walk arcadia once again, and Kael finds a strange pup that survived his first encounter with a demon. Not many full grown wolves could say the same. Kael was still staring down at the pup but moved down towards the shaft of the pick that was rammed through the pups leg and bit down on it. In one quick motion the pick was ripped out and spit out 20 feet away as blood spurted in to the air. Faelan yelped as the large piece of black twisted metal was yanked from his leg, more blood pooled on the ground as he felt himself get colder and start to fall asleep. Kael licked his wounded leg and as the pup passed out form blood loss the wound was already knitting itself back together.

  Kael looked down at the pup, who was unconscious but improving every second. "For the Gods of the Lost once gave me a gift, so I will bestow it upon this one as well. Rest well Faelan of the Lost."