White Stag

Chapter 11~The Fight

The village is crowded. I stick like glue to Axel's arm, unsure of where to go and not wanting to get separated from him. Axel pulls up his hood as well. Is he well known too?

I study the village as we walk through it. Children are playing around the large fountain in the middle of the square. A bakery is handing out fresh bread for free to a homeless man. In the distance, a mother is comforting a crying child.

I lean into Axel. "Seems like a pretty normal vill-" Right as I'm about to finish the sentence, shouting starts from the outside of the square.

"Open the gates!" someone shouts in a voice laced with panic.

My eyes dart around the square. "This place has gates?"

Axel looks back at me. "Yes. There are walls around the perimeter. It provides protection from the woods... but not from the sky." Axel looks upwards.

Axel and I follow a group of people to the front gate. The gate is made from a shiny steel and towering high above all our heads. There are guards standing on top of the wall on either side of it.

Shouting erupts ahead of us. I shove my way through the crowd, mumbling apologies every so often. It turns out, the people shouting are three men and a wolf. The wolf is large and has a silver coat.

"How could you leave Ryan out there! He's a kid, Mac! A kid!" a male shouts. His flaming red hair makes him look even angrier than he seems.

Mac, a smaller male with yellow teeth, retorts, "A stupid one, at that. He slowed us down on the hunt! He should have been left behind."

They stare each other down. The red head snarls. His grey eyes turn a shade darker. He lunges towards Mac with his hands outstretched, ready to kill.

I try to step in but Axel yanks me back. "What are you doing?" he whispers angrily.

"Making a difference," I reply, yanking my hand out of his.

Quickly, I sprint over to the group of four. "Stop! Please. I can help."

The red head, holding Mac by the throat, glares down at me. "And what are you going to do?" he rumbles.

I sigh. I have to go with my instincts. I slowly pull off my hood making the crowd gasp. The man's eyes look like they are about to pop out of his head. He drops Mac to the ground on the ground in an instant.

"The White Stag Queen? But how is this possible? You've been gone for over..." his voice cuts off. Tears fill his eyes and he sniffles. He squats down and drops his head into his hands.

I stoop to get on the same eye level as him. "What's your name?" I gently ask him.

The large man sighs. "My name is Duncan." He runs his hand through his hair. "My Queen, please help me. My son... my only son, Ryan, was injured during a hunt and is outside the gates."

Duncan grabs my hand with his and ducks his head down. "Please. He's the only thing that I have left. My wife... she died protecting him. "

Duncan raises his head. I smile kindly at him. "Lead my friend and I back to where you last saw him. We will help you find him."

Duncan's eyes light up. He stands with joy and my hand still in his. "The White Stag Queen is back and she is going to bring my son back!" he shouts to the crowd. They cheer loudly and many of them look at me with admiration.

I put my hand on Duncan's arm. "Please, call me Arabella."

Duncan shakes his head. "But you are my queen."

"I haven't earned that title yet," I say, squinting back up at him.

"Alright. Only for now." Duncan laughs cheerily.

-

I lead Duncan through the crowd to Axel, who is standing in the shadows. Duncan holds out a piece of Ryan's clothing.

I peer at Axel. "Will you help us?"

Axel glares at me. I'm taken aback. What was that for? Despite his attitude, he nods. "I will go out and retrieve Ryan. You stay here with Duncan." He starts to walk away.

"No. I am coming with you. Ryan is injured. He needs me to heal him," I explain.

Axel's fists tighten. "If you come, you would have to ride one of us to the site." He looks away. "So, take Duncan." He tries to conceal the hurt in his voice, but he's terrible at it.

He's jealous! I can't stop the smile that spreads on my face. I place the palm of my hand on Axel's cheek and turn his face. I gaze into his mossy eyes. "There is only you."

-

Axel, Duncan, and I meet at the gates. "So, let's go over this one last time. You were near the abandoned villages, hunting for deer when Ryan got separated, correct?"

"Aye. It was Ryan's first hunt. He didn't know what he was doing and hadn't had much training. I thought it would be good father and son bonding," Duncan explains. "Since she died, it's been hard to bond with him."

Axel nods. "We are going to shift and follow his trail. It should be pretty easy to follow since it was his first time tracking."

Duncan glances worriedly at me. "How will she follow?"

I chuckle. "Don't worry. I will ride Axel into battle."

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Duncan nods. "Aye. Seems like a good idea."

I laugh. "Alright, you two need to shift so we can find Ryan sooner, rather than later."

I turn around and cover my ears so I don't have to hear the sounds of their bones cracking.

A few moments later, teeth pull on my cloak. I spin around and see a giant, silver wolf and a slightly smaller, red wolf standing a couple feet apart.

Axel looks at me and twitches his ear before licking my face with his long tongue. I giggle loudly. "Bend down so I can get on your back." He lets out a rumble before crouching low on the ground.

I pick up my cloak and grab onto his soft fur. Swinging my leg over, I position myself in the middle of Axel's back. Axel stands and pads slowly to the gate.

A group of people are gathering at the gate. They look at my antlers in awe. A few of them wave. Not knowing what to do, I dip my head in recognition.

"Open the gates!" I yell up to the guards. They give me a swift bow and open them.

Hold on for a little longer, Ryan.