Diaries of Origins

Chapter 11

Apologies about the short chapter and the long break, we've both been busy

Allumos's pov

Before I knew it, I was standing, staring at the boy. I'd heard so many warning tales of the danger of the wolves, their beastly instincts, the curse their blood carried.

"W-"

The lord of the town, Lord Vendi, stood up, and grabbed my shoulder, and pushed me back down into my seat.

"Calm down Lord Allumos. We are Allies with the nearby wolf tribe. And Foxy is harmless." He explained briefly, sitting back down.

"Yeah! I'm actually a werewolf too!" Roxy said suddenly. "I'm just not in control enough to find my balanced form like Foxy." She added, looking down sadly. Chica stood up, and ran over to Roxy to hug her.

"You'll get there! Foxy's 4 months older than you, so you'll get yours really soon!"

Foxy chuckled nervously.

"Oh uh., well. It's not really how it works?" He started, rubbing his hair nervously. "It's not about age... it's more.. about control, you know? And.... well, I'm sure you'll manage to find your balanced form soon enough!" The young wolf said.

I gave a small, somewhat nervous, smile. It wasn't that I didn't trust the family or the two wolf children, I just wasn't sure if the allyship would extend to me.

Ashira did warn me of this place, so I figured it would be best for me to watch my step. These people seemed friendly, so far, but it was better to be on the safer side..

Speaking of.

The werewolf, Foxy, finally noticed me. He leaned over to Steve, trying to be sneaky, probably to not interrupt Vendi and Helios's conversation.

"Oh! Uh. Who's that?" He whispered loudly to Steve. I chuckled.

"He's the lord of a town called Dragon's den. Dad found him in the woods." Steve whispered back.

Foxy blinked, before his ears perked up. And he sat back up straight, and looked right at me. I raised an eyebrow.

"E-excuse me sir! In your travels, have you met a merchant with reddish orange hair and face tattoos?" He asked a bit loudly, making the other two adults pause their conversation. I blinked, and frowned

That.. sounds like Ashara.

"I.. believe so.. why?" I asked, trying to not go into detail. Foxy flushed

"Ah..it's.. it's because my father recently ran into a merchant fitting that description and uh.. it was a full moon. He remembers that he attacked the merchant when he was under the influence of instincts... and he's been worried that well..." Foxy swallowed, and looked down. "Father's been worried he's been turned into a werewolf, or will turn into a werewolf..." he explained

I froze, and thought back to Ashara. Did I ever see him with a bite scar..

"Well. How long does it take for a werewolf bite to.. transform the victim?" I asked, tensing.

Foxy shrugged

"There's no telling really. In some cases, they don't. It can take years for the uh..." he coughed, seemingly struggling with the phrasing. "The wolf's saliva to fully take effect, or, it could only take a few days. But! You.. Do you know the merchant?" He asked.

I slowly nodded.

"I think so.. he's a friend of mine." I admitted. Foxy's ears lowered.

"W-well! If he does end up turning into a werewolf! P-please.. contact my tribe, so we can help him!" He said. I blinked, and smiled a bit. "We are accessible by messenger birds! Just located in the middle of these woods, more or less."

"Well. Very well then. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Foxy." I said. He nodded firmly.

"It's my duty as part of my pack to take responsibility for any injuries.. or worse.. we may have caused." He said.

I smiled gently at him. If Ashara was bitten, that would explain his distrust of the werewolf tribe here. It is also something I should keep in mind about our new merchant, and I made a mental note to discuss it with him once I got back to my village.

"Thank you incredibly for your hospitality Helios, but I really must be heading out now. It was a pleasure to meet you and your family." I said, bowing my head slightly to the inventor. The children protested slightly, but their father shut them up with a stern look.

"It was nothing, I'm just happy I could help. Do you need anything before you go? Food, a map?" Helios asked, tilting his head slightly. In truth, I was hungry and a map would be helpful, but he had already done a lot for me.

"Food and a map would be nice, but I don't want to cause you any more trouble!" I explained, moving my hands slightly in front of me, but Helios simply waved me off as he went to go get the items. He came back not long after with a bag filled with some fruit, bread, and nuts, while he had a small map in his other hand.

"Really, it's no bother. I don't travel a lot so I don't have much use for my extra maps, and because of the kids I always end up getting much more food than I need and I'd rather it not go bad." Helios explained. I took the items from him gratefully, thanking him once again.

Vendi pointed out the next closest town and explained to me the best route to get there as he led me through his own village, some of the residents greeting and waving at the two of us as we walked.

"Once you're on this path, the rest of the way should be marked by some signs. I believe from then on it's pretty straight forward. This map is a bit outdated, so I would recommend getting a new one or asking for directions once you arrive there." The other lord told me. I nodded along to what he said, making sure to memorize the route he pointed out to me so I didn't get lost again.

"Thank you for helping me, Vendi. Oh, and I wish you luck in courting Helios!" I told him as I started to leave. I could hear sputtered protests and it was clear that he was flustered. I laughed quietly as I left, giving one last wave behind me, making sure to follow the map's path closely towards the next town.