Evalyce: Worldshaper Vol. 2 Lady of Wolves

The Hounds of Heaven

Arkaddia, Evalyce, Year of the Mythril Serpent, 2014 CE

Kalla opened her eyes, inhaling the rich scents of the flourishing plains. The sky was a muted deepening purple, day turning to dusk.

"Not again..." a voice behind her groaned and she turned to find Aleister.

Kalla chuckled, scanning the broad plains for some sign as to why they had been called here. She spotted a speck on the horizon, moving towards them, but before she could give it any more than a cursory glance another voice spun both of them around.

"What the hells. Where are we?" Kasai asked. He and Vander stood behind them now, the hawk looking bewildered and somewhat angry, while the War Mage merely looked curious. Vander's gaze focused on Kalla and he gave her a look tinged with both awe and fear.

"You brought us back, Dashkele ti'amaraaq. You fought for us against Carron himself. For that I am most humbly grateful." The Dashmari's voice was filled with reverence. He started to kneel before her.

"No!" she snapped.

The War Mage froze, ears swiveling in consternation. She reached him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "No, Vander. Never kneel to me. I am Kalla, not Amaraaq and you are a friend, not my subject. I didn't want to lose you. Either of you," the Healer said in a gentler tone of voice. Vander straightened, giving her a shy smile. "Besides, I have you to thank for keeping Aleister alive. We're even.

"That was pretty impressive work, by the way. Hauss would be proud. He'd also call you foolish for overtaxing yourself like that," Kalla said. "I, however, am just going to be thankful that all of you are still alive." She turned her gaze back to the horizon. The specks were closer now, two people and what looked like a pronghorn, all steadily moving towards them.

"Yes. Thank you, Lady Kalla. You had... no reason to fight for me. You could have let Carron take me, especially given my previous animosity... Removed a potential problem before it could become one. I am in your debt," Kasai said, his gruff voice soft.

"Just keep Vander safe and don't hurt Aleister, and we'll call it even. After all, you are the reason Vander lived long enough for me to have a chance to help him. For that I am in your debt, Master Kasai," Kalla replied. The Harrier gave her a rueful grin and a nod.

"I should also tell you.. the cat who caused all of this, the Ghost of the Plains, he was spiked as the wyvern were. How could someone manage to spike a living legend? Crookfang has eluded the greatest hunters from Evalyce, the Ramerides and Inkanata, not to mention the surrounding skycities.

"We've not had any unusual longteeth activity. Indeed, Arkaddia seems to have been spared the random attacks that other areas suffered. In Rang'moori, Kymru and Crannogmarch, the erratic animals were torched after they were killed. No inspection was done, but I suspect these creatures probably had been spiked also," Kasai said.

Kalla frowned. She had no answer for Kasai. Fortunately she was spared from having to puzzle it out by the arrival of Shukke and Koumugi. The traveling specks had been the shaman and their spirit guides, a pronghorn for Shukke and a sabretooth for Koumugi.

"Did you call us here, Master Shukke?" Kalla asked. The elder shaman shook his head.

"No, Lady Kalla. We thought maybe it was you who had called us," he replied. "I am glad to see that all of you appear well. Lord Nobunaga was worried for your health."

"Well now. I wonder who called us then," Vander said.

As if in answer a low rumbling growl filled the air. The tall grass nearby shivered and shook. Something huge uncoiled itself and padded forward to coalesce into Crookfang, albeit a much younger and less grizzled Crookfang. Still more than twice the size of the average longtooth, he now had a lustrous mane of dark fur and pale stripes that were more noticeable. The living Crookfang had borne a mane of silvering grey and the stripes across his body were almost too faint to be seen. His was an unusual pelt to be sure, laced with scars of past fights, all won. The Spirit Crookfang didn't carry quite so many scars, though some stayed.