Tundria's Gauntlet

Chapter 3 - Archie

I awoke with a start, the air in my room was cold and empty. I could see through the window that it was near sunrise, but it still wasn't time for me to get up. I laid back down, hoping to get more sleep only to lay there awake for maybe half an hour. I sighed in defeat and forced myself out of bed, I could feel my fur in it's disheveled state all over my body. I tried to fix it with a few quick shakes as I made my way into the kitchen. I was never one to have breakfast, I found it rather wasteful, so I kept walking to the front door, unlatched it, and went outside. The cool, fall air was crisp this time of day. The orange leaves dancing in the wind all around me as the light from the rising sun made their colors that much more vibrant. I went to my usual spot a few feet away from my front porch and stood perfectly still, training all my senses on the world around me. While in this state I could hear a pin drop from 100 ft away, and yet I heard nothing.

"Good" I whispered to myself in relief.

There was no one around, especially not them. We were safe, at least for now. I put on one of my leather straps and equipped one of my daggers to it. I was only heading into the nearby town, but you never know what you might run into, that's especially true for me. It was a short walk, only a few minutes at most but it still felt like it lasted years. I always get nervous when I head into town, I'm confident in my skills and ability to defend myself, but again anything can happen.

The town seemed to be extra populated today, I wasn't sure why but I also didn't really care. The sooner I get what I came for, the sooner I can go home. I made my way over to the alchemist hut, owned by an old friend of mine. It's the only reason he even serves me. I gave the old wooden counter a few knocks and heard his voice call from within.

"Just a moment, please."

I heard a bit of shuffling around in the back, bottles and parchment being shifted around before a familiar face greeted me at the window. He was a wolf, about as tall as I was, with blue and red fur on his big squishy body.

"Oh! Archie, what are you doing in town today??" He said rather frantically.

"Nice to see you too, Benny. I need Renir's usual brew, we're fresh out and he's not looking too good."

Benny leaned out the window and scanned around.

"What is it? What's going on?" I asked.

He sighed and motioned for me to lean in.

"The king has really tightened his grasp on the land, there's a whole squad on the way to town to keep constant watch on all of us."

"Damn" I whispered through gritted teeth.

Benny quickly got the brew that I needed and handed it to me.

"On the house, give Renir my regards and for god's sake get outta here."

I nodded and quickly made my way towards the woods, trying to be as discreet as possible. Nobody seemed to notice me and I thought I was in the clear until a voice cut through the bustling crowd behind me.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

The smart thing to do would've been to keep running, but I'm not that smart. I stopped and turned around, the squad Benny had spoke of was staring me down. Guess they got here earlier than he thought. The one clearly in charge lifted his paw and uttered a spell. The usual glow of magic was emitted from his body. At first nothing happened, but then a shroud surrounded the market square. The guy spoke up again.

"This the end of the road, criminal. Surrender yourself and lead us to Renir this instant." 

I growled and shouted back.

"Over my dead body!"

In that instant I spun back around, channeling as much power into my paw as I could, and punched the shroud between me and my way home. A small area where I punched shattered like glass and I threw my body through it. Without a second to lose I slung the sack with the brew over my shoulder and booked it through the trees. If I could make it home then I could hide the shack.

"Come on legs, run! I can't let them find him." I said to myself.

After eons of running I finally broke through the brush and stood face to face with my home. I lifted my paw and focused on the shack turning invisible. I felt a tug in my gut and a drain on my energy but I knew it had worked when there was a glowing aura around the building. The spell hides it from anyone whos not me or currently inside of it. I sighed in relief and went inside, quickly making my way to one of the back rooms. I opened the door and went in, it was quiet and musty, but still rather cozy. In the bed laid my oldest friend, Renir. He was sick, a curse that I haven't found the cure to yet. It shuts down his body piece by piece until I give him his brew. It's a special potion that keeps his body running and the curse at bay for awhile. If I miss his dose then the curse will spread to his whole body and kill him. There's no potion for death, so I try not to let that happen.

I approached his bed, his body frail and shaking, covered in black streaks spreading outward from a symbol of a skull imbedded on his right arm. He's not close to dying just yet, but he's getting there. I take the bottle out of the sack and lift his head up a bit, bringing it to his lips and gently pouring it into his mouth. I take extra care to make sure he doesn't choke. With each swallow I can see the streaks retreating back to the skull. Once he's downed the whole brew he looks good as new. Unfortunately he's still bedridden constantly, the curse makes him very ill regardless of how much brew he drinks. I can't remember the last time I saw him up and about, he's been sick for nearly 15 years.

Before I can get caught in a loop of feeling sad I shake my head. I still need to go out and hunt us some food before noon hits. I head back outside and do another scan of my surroundings, nothing again, so I think we're safe for now. I walk around towards the back of the shack towards my usual hunting trail. The best game is always back here for whatever reason. It's a calm walk, no people, no problems, just me and the trees. My tranquility didn't last long though as a whiff of smoke caught my attention, smoke in a forest is never a good sign. I quickly tried to follow and track it to its source, maybe I can help if I get there in time. At some point I tripped over a rock and tumbled through a rather thick bush, I landed on my back with a painful thud and took a moment to let the pain pass before getting up. I felt the area around me as I laid on the ground, the grass crumbles in my paw and the ground feels soft and warm. Something surely was burned here, but the surrounding trees looked relatively fine.

I slowly lifted myself up and gave the area a more thorough look around. My heart nearly stopped as my gaze fell upon a creature laying in the middle of the burned area. It was a human. I cautiously took a step towards it, watching closely for any sudden movements. My eyes fell on the gauntlet on one of his hairless paw things. It was a mage artifact, the color scheme matched that of the royal family's crest. No artifacts outside of the castle are permitted to carry those colors, how did this human get it.

"It's a human, and he's got the gauntlet of a royal. What am I supposed to do?" I whispered to myself.

Just then I saw one his legs twitch a bit, so he's not dead.

"It twitched! Are you okay!" I yelled frantically. My concern now outweighing my caution, curse my fat heart. His head moved a bit, before he opened his eyes and stared up at me. I couldn't contain my excitement.

"You're alive!!"