Brotherhood

Chapter 26

Nothing terrified Amy more than failing. With Favian doing all he could to enrage the other wolves against the humans, there was no telling what would happen. It would take a miracle to make this work. But if it didn't, their kingdom didn't stand a chance.

"Geric," Amy whispered fearfully, touching his arm gently to get his attention as the early morning brewed the first sight of the wolves. She had to peer hard to see through the dense fog, but there was no mistaking Favian's giant mass of black fur against his bright, amber eyes. One by one, the wolves lined up beside him, their stances aggressive, prepared for the fight that they had been waiting for for years.

"I can smell your fear," Geric said quietly, almost as if trying to lighten the situation, but it didn't help. Not at all.

Amy stared out over the field of gathering wolves and shuddered. This could be the end of her people. This could be the end of it all. Unless she did something. Unless she...

"Geric," Amy gasped as she grabbed his hand. "Come with me. But not as a human. Come with me as a wolf."

He shook his head. "You can't go out there. You'll get killed."

"And if I don't, everyone else will be killed. I have to stop this. I need to put an end to it."

After a few moments of hesitation, Geric inclined his head in submission. "As you wish, my princess." His body shuddered, and suddenly a big, hairy mass ripped out from his body, shredding his clothes and replacing him with a wolf three times her size. He crouched down on all fours, allowing her to climb up on his back, and then they were off at breakneck speed, the wind whipping wildly through her hair and disheveling it from her neat and pristine bun.

The trepidation inside of her grew and grew as they got closer and closer to the werewolves. She felt afraid. She felt deathly afraid. But she also felt three parts brave and one part stupid. Either this would be the stupidest thing she had ever done, or best thing if everything turned out right.

Geric slowed down to a cautious saunter, and by this point, all eyes were on them. All hundred eyes were on them.

Even though she felt small and insignificant in this throng of fur, she knew that her voice would carry enough for the wolves' good ears to pick up. But she might only have seconds before they attacked. She had to do it now.

"Hear me!" Amy shouted, looking each werewolf in their amber colored eyes. "I do not want us to fight anymore. I want peace. I was acceptance." She paused for a moment, ignoring several growls she received. "In my reign, I want peace between humans and werewolves. In my reign, there will be no more living in fear. Werewolves will be accepted among the humans, accepted as our own. There have been too many deaths, too much heartache and it needs to stop. In my reign, Colmar will be a safe haven for werewolves."

She hopped down off of Geric, and she didn't miss his protective stance as she started walking forward but stopped just a few feet in front of him. "I want things to go back the way they were over a hundred years ago. And I know that many of you remember those times, some of you may not. But what a beautiful thing we could be a part of! I know it won't be easy to get there. I know it will take time. But if you believe in what I envision for our future, then fight for me! If you believe we can move past our differences toward a brighter future, then fight for me against the threat of Minnings! I would be honored to fight alongside you."

Geric began growling menacingly as a red and black wolf started to approach slowly, its amber gaze staring straight into her soul. Amy only saw him in wolf form once, but she immediately recognized it as Tonraq. Geric took one step forward, but Amy held up a hand for him to halt, her heart beating erratically in her throat at Tonraq stopped right in front of her and blew a hot, sticky breath right in her face. But still, Amy held her breath, not daring to move a muscle.

After what felt like an eternity, the most unexpected thing happened. Tonraq dipped his head to her in a low bow before moving to stand beside Geric. After that, one by one the wolves approached her, nudging her palm with their noses before standing beside her. And then there were ten of them left, including Favian, who stubbornly refused to move. After a moment, only one of them approached, a light grey wolf with its ears laid back against its head and its tail between its legs. Submission.

Amy's breath hitched in her throat. "You're the wolf who attacked me in the woods. You killed my favorite horse."

The wolf whined, averting its gaze as it looked to the ground. It was clear that this was its way of saying sorry.

Very slowly, Amy reached out her hand and placed it on top of the wolf's head. "If you fight for me, all is forgiven." Raising her voice to the others, she shouted out, "To all who fight for me, you are granted amnesty. All of your past misdeeds will be forgotten and you will be praised as heroes. I am honored to fight alongside you."

Favian growled loudly as two more wolves broke away from his pack, leaving him with only six followers. They must have realized that they were no longer strong in numbers so they turned and fled back into the forest. Amy had a feeling that she'd see them again and not on the best terms, but she had an army of wolves at her disposal. Now they could go up against Minnings and have a fair fight.

Amy hopped onto Geric's back once again and within seconds, they were off. She and Geric took the lead with eighty-two werewolves running fast, keeping pace just behind them. Everything about this felt so empowering. It felt so thrilling. And it felt even more so as her soldiers and her people watched them fly by. She doubted that anyone had seen that many werewolves all at the same time in their whole lives and she was proud to be able to run alongside them. She was proud to call them her subjects.

As the minutes stretched on, Amy felt completely amazed at how much power and endurance each of the werewolves had, never once slowing down to catch their breath. Her grin widened even further as Tonraq pulled up to the front to run alongside them. If they all got out of this alive and she married Geric, one of the first items on her list would be to give Tonraq and honorary title. He deserved it.

Soon enough, they all slowed to a walk as the camp appeared within view and soldiers sprung into action when they saw the wolves approaching. Shouts rang around the camp and hundreds of weapons were unsheathed, arrows were cocked, and even Amy could sense the petrifying fear the soldiers had at seeing all eighty-three werewolves at once.

"Stop!" the king commanded his soldiers. "My daughter is within firing range, I order you to put down your weapons!" The soldiers hesitantly did as they were told and the king approached slowly, cautiously, eyeing each werewolf with wide eyes.

Amy hopped down onto her feet, standing protectively in front of Geric in case some numskull let an arrow fly. "Father, I have eighty-three brave wolves willing to fight for our cause. I think they deserve a few words of thanks."

She could tell that he was overcome by emotion because he didn't say anything at first. He ran a hand over his stubbled jaw before bowing his head graciously, something that Amy never thought she'd see her father do.

"Thank you," the king finally said. "We could use every able-bodied man that we have available." One of the wolves growled, her long white fur billowing against the breeze. "And women," he added which seemed to appease the wolf. "You are welcome in my camp and I thank you for your bravery."

When the king turned back around and the soldiers got back to what they had been doing before, even though they cast fearful and perhaps even suspicious glances their way, Amy allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief before turning to Geric and tangling her fingers in his fur.

Amy kissed Geric's furry cheek and whispered, "Thank you. This means more to me than you could possibly imagine."

Geric rubbed his face against hers before following her further into the camp. Hopefully someone had a hundred spare sets of clothes, otherwise this camp was just about to get a little more crowded.