The Dreadful Druid King

Part 1

Kalar was soaring through the skies of the blue lands under the light of the half-moon.

It was a peaceful night. In his giant eagle form, he could fly for many leagues without breaking a sweat.

The skies were clear, the breeze was gentle, and Kalar could feel the earth humming lazily from below, seemingly oblivious to the vast shadow he imposed upon it.

He was headed for the top of his favorite mountain, the first mountain north of the river. It was a familiar route, and he took it absentmindedly, enjoying his solitude.

Not a single house resident in these northern parts, and hardly anything else was around. And although these were still the blue land, Kalar rarely regarded them as part of his kingdom.

The Feral Claw Bears' domain was the only village remotely close, And even that was considerably far to the southwest.

And so, to his great delight, he did not expect to be bothered by anyone this far into the wilderness.

Or so he thought.

He was gravely surprised to suddenly sense the presence of a Warrior Hero and two smaller Feral Bears.

Encountering the bears, although bothersome, could be expected, but the presence of a Warrior was incredibly odd. And what would an Orc have to do with Feral Bears...

The unlikely group was heading north, nearing the forest's edges.

He changed his course west.

Soon enough, a peculiar sight appeared before his sharp eagle eyes. Despite expecting to see an orc, the Warrior was a human.

She traveled with two captive Feral Fang bears, each bound with heavy chains wrapped around his torso.

They were lingering near a cluster of herbal shrubs. The woman was on one knee, seemingly occupied with her loot.

The bears were three feet north of her, watching Kalar with wary eyes.

The woman rose to her feet as Kalar landed, turning back to his elvish form.

As he approached her, Kalar noticed that her exterior seemed somewhat rough.

Unlike most Hero Warriors, who adorned themselves with flashy and colorful metals, every piece of clothing she wore was either black or near enough.

Her attire was constructed from woolen garments, a black leather vest, and worn-out leather gauntlets.

Plated armor, she wore none. A simple black-colored neck guard made of chain mail seemed to be her only protective gear.

A bounty hunter.

This was even more plausible since the Ferals turned out to be of the Fang clans. They had no business being in the blue lands.

Clearly, his officers at the border were doing a well enough job maintaining order.

"Greetings, Druid, what a lovely night for stretching your wings," she said with a tinge of envy.

"Greetings, Warrior. You look like you have wandered far away from your home."

"Not if you do not have a home," she shrugged, "and gold would take humans anywhere."

"How true." Kalar agreed bluntly, examining her captives.

They were young. One was barely more than a child. The second one was larger but still in his adolescence.

"What are they doing this far north? They are not part of the Claw Clan." Kalar required.

"Oh, you can tell which clan they are? All bears look the same to me. I would never even realize that they were Feral if it weren't for their Strength. There's a bounty on their heads, and I tracked them sneaking around in this era."