A Tale That Never Was [Book 1 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 3: King Midas

Riding atop the huge wolf through the valley was surprisingly relaxing and uneventful. Selvina had expected screams of terror and farmers and travellers running for their lives but instead they offered curt nods and a few waves. The horses of those riding on the road were skittish and frightful but Red would guide Bigbad off to the side so the riders didn't get thrown off by their terrified mounts. The oxen pulling carts didn't seem to care.

"Why is no one afraid of Bigbad?" Selvina asked. "Have you been here before?"

"I sometimes head into Lydian for supply runs," Red replied. "Bigbad follows me up to the wall and then he'll head back into the forest to go hunt. The people on the countryside know about him and don't care too much because he's been trained not to eat their livestock but the people in the city would panic too much. Most of the folk from the city don't like me much anyway."

Selvina watched as a child sitting in front of a straw-roofed house eyed Bigbad with wide eyes full of wonder. "Why don't people like you?"

Red shrugged. "Life wasn't easy for me after my parents and grandmother passed away. I stayed in Lydian for a while, stealing to stay alive, and I made a few enemies. I was chased out of the city and I fled to the forest. That's when I encountered Grandmother and her stupid sons. I would steal from them instead and somehow it felt right so I kept doing it. When they brought Bigbad to the house one day I stole him too. He took a liking to me right away and when he got old enough I was able to fend for myself and I didn't need to steal as much."

Selvina looked down as Red scratched behind one of Bigbad's pointed ears. If Red's story was true she had been through far more than anything Selvina had experienced. She doubted she could ever survive on the street, let alone live in a forest. She lived in a modest house in the suburbs of a large city, much larger than Lydian. Life to her was easy and after knowing what Red had lived through she had a newfound respect for the freckled redhead. She smiled and sat a little easier. She felt safe in Red's presence.

They rode for what felt like a few hours with no issues. The sun was high in the sky when they finally reached the high walls of Lydian. Guards walked along the battlements and looked down on the travellers and merchants walking in and out of the massive city gates. Off to the side of the road and behind a stone windmill turning slowly in the wind, Red and Selvina climbed down from Bigbad's back. Red held the large wolf's head in her hands and rubbed her cheek against his muzzle. He nuzzled into her like a huge puppy and licked her face. Red pulled away and looked into the big blue eyes of her greatest friend.

"I'll call for you when we're done here," Red said to Bigbad. "Go ahead and go catch yourself a nice juicy deer." She raised her finger in warning and furrowed her brow. "No cows, goats, horses or sheep, remember?"

Bigbad cocked his head to the side, his long tongue hanging out of his mouth in a most comical fashion.

"Bigbad, you heard me, didn't you?"

The wolf groaned and licked Red one more time, leaving behind a bubbly trail of saliva all over her face, before tearing away from the two women and charging off toward the trees. He leapt over vineyards, plowed through fields, and hurried across the open plain faster than any of the horses grazing or working around him. Within minutes he had slipped into the dark embrace of the green forest and was gone from sight.

"Does he understand you?" Selvina asked as she stared at the forest, hoping to catch one more glimpse of the black canine.

Red smiled and nodded, wiping the last of the wolf's drool from her face. "Of course he does. He's quite intelligent." She grabbed Selvina's dress and gave it a tug. "Hurry up if you want to see King Midas on time."