Vermillion & Silver

Chapter Twenty-One || Tales

The morning was overcast and silent. The large courtyard at the front of the castle was covered in a thin layer of fresh snow that glimmered lightly when a few stray sun-rays fell upon it. He stood right in the center of it, completely naked and with his wet hair cascading down his back. His heavy breathing echoed in the silence of the early morning, his chest moved up and down rapidly as his exhale fogged the air around him. Selene wanted to take her eyes off him, but she couldn't, she was completely transfixed.

He growled and dropped to the ground. The snapping of bones interrupted the calm that surrounded them, filling the air with a loud cracking sound that was almost painful to hear. The smell of blood and sweat filled Selene's nose as the skin and muscles of his back torn open to make way for the blond fur that emerged. It was the fastest shift she'd ever witnessed.

The beast looked towards her. She stepped back but soon realized there was no ill intent in his gaze. He padded towards her. His heavy paws made no sound as he moved with the stealth of an experienced predator. She shuddered but remained frozen in place, a part of her wanted to see him up-close, to look into the eyes of the beast.

He stopped a few steps away from her, lifted his muzzle and sniffed the air around them. Selene wanted to reach out to touch him but before she could he moved, turning his back on her and padding back towards the middle of the courtyard. She almost shouted "Come back!", but she knew he couldn't hear her in his wolfskin.

He growled and exposed his teeth, but his head was down. He then began scratching the floor with his right paw. It was a strange sight as if he was fighting against an invisible enemy. The struggle lasted only a couple of minutes, he began shifting again, shedding the coat of the beast as the bones snapped back into place.

Once the transformation was completed he remained kneeling on the floor and panting heavily.

"What are you doing here, your highness?" He asked, his shortness of breath evident in his voice.

Selene hadn't expected him to address her. "You are very good at that," she said, still impressed by what she'd witnessed.

He laughed as he got back on his feet. "Training will start soon, is there something you wanted?"

"I was looking for Kaspian," she answered. She'd gotten distracted and was finally noticing that the Alpha was nowhere in sight.

"They left before dawn," Erik said.

"Oh." That was a shame, she'd been hoping to speak to him before he went to Ulverg. She hadn't had the chance to ask for supplies for her lessons or to give him some of her gold. "When will they be back?"

"I don't know. They won't be gone more than a week," he said.

She nodded. "Thank you, Erik."

Selene headed back inside the castle. The hallways were silent but the early morning murmurs began after a few minutes. The wolves were early risers.

She roamed the corridors for a little while. Even though her room was warm and comfortable she was tired of spending so much time inside the same four walls. Her walk took her back to the training yard about an hour after she'd left Erik.

More than twenty wolves were fighting against each other. They were shirtless and sweaty, shouting profanities and growling as they sparred. What caught her attention was how young they were, some of them looked newly shifted and the oldest couldn't be more than eighteen.

Erik stood to the side, supervising them with a critical eye. He yelled instructions and occasionally separated the wolves when the confrontation got too heated. It was strange seeing him like that. He looked almost like Kaspian, serious and stoic. It was completely different from the Erik she'd grown accustomed to.