Shards of Felwyn

Reunion

When Cosmo came to, his ship and his village were gone. His head was pounding, and every inch of his body was scraped and sore. Freezing water chilled his body and soft silt clung to his body and clothes. Daring to open his eyes, Cosmo forced his body up and out of the shallow shoreline.

To his left was a scrap of the brig that he assumed had carried him to shore. He stood on the shallow shore of a wintry taiga forest in the dead of night. A small flurry flittered in the air, chilling Cosmo's entire body. For a moment, he wondered if pushing onwards was even worth it. His home was destroyed, his friends who he considered family had been killed, and his village was gone.

Maybe Langston survived. I should check the shoreline. Cosmo began walking forward, closer to the treeline. He had injured his leg in the crash, which he drug behind him as he walked along the forest. Through the trees, he glimpsed a flickering light in the distance and, in his delirious state, began to walk towards it.

After ten minutes of walking, Cosmo could no longer feel his feet. His boots had been soaked along with his socks, and his legs would be the next thing to lose feeling. His hands were faintly blue on the fingertips and covered in frost. Cosmo no longer remembered why he was walking towards the light in the forest but continued nonetheless.

He was drawn from this daze by a low growling noise that echoed through the shadows of the taiga. Cautiously, Cosmo looked at his surroundings. He had walked far enough into the forest that he was now completely encircled by tall trees with no shoreline in sight. The only thing he saw in the shadows through the flurry was the bright light he had been wandering to since he had crashed ashore. Increasing his pace as much as he could manage, Cosmo continued pressing onward towards the light in the forest.

However, to Cosmo's dismay, the growling noise persisted. This time it was a low rumble, just barely audible over the whistling of the ice-cold wind in his ears. Just seconds later, he heard the deep growling once again. To be sure that it was truly just his imagination, Cosmo stopped and took in his surroundings again. Unfortunately, he now saw the source of the noise that had been bothering him. To his right, positioned just out of his field of view, was a large shadow, standing more than seven feet tall. It slowly marched into view, emitting another terrifying low growl.

Standing before Cosmo was the largest wolf he could have ever imagined. On all fours, it stood taller than him, with razor-sharp talons and teeth. Its fur shined brilliantly in the moonlight, each hair glistening like iron. Adorning its forehead was a small patch of golden fur in the shape of a star. The wolf panted frosty mist and stared directly at Cosmo. He looked hungry. Reeling back, the hulking canine let out a horrifying roar, causing Cosmo's heart to thump in his chest. Reaching into his pocket, he clutched the crystal, his last hope.

The wolf pounced on Cosmo and he tried his best to roll out of the way, stumbling over himself in the thin layer of snow that covered the ground. He fell on his face, covering his clothes and skin in mud. Cosmo looked up and, seeing that the wolf was about to pounce again, rolled to the right, gripped the crystal, and held it out in front of him.

Dualta! The same voice from the forest on Coeden rang out amongst the trees. The crystal in Cosmo's hand shined bright purple and tendrils of purple light appeared around him, absorbing into his arm. The energy traveled up his forearm, coalescing in the crystal. A translucent gauntlet formed around Cosmo's hand, which generated two bright red bolts of lightning that struck the massive wolf in the chest.

Wounded by the blast, the wolf backed off for a moment in order to regain its strength. Cosmo, fueled by adrenaline and confidence, held out his arm and memorized the word that the voice had told him.

"Dualta!" He cried, defiantly. This time, the tendrils of energy came directly from his body, sapping his energy. Nevertheless, the gauntlet once again fired off bright red bolts of lightning, striking the wolf while it was down. With a final cry, it slumped over and hit the ground, sending out a plume of snow around it. Even though Cosmo felt prideful for the wolf's defeat, the last spell he had cast had sapped the only energy he had in his body. Still gazing out into the light in the distance, Cosmo collapsed to the ground, surrounded by the cold snow that had collected on the ground. Just before he closed his eyes, Cosmo saw silhouettes gathering in the distance, blocking out the light he had so faithfully followed.