Chapter I – The Last Dark Night

Behold the word, Alexander, because savagery was not created by those it refers to, for it is a behavior that only a human could discern from the beasts. How inappropriate.

- From the letter at the seventh of Dark

7th of Dark, 5th cycle – Night

The smell of human blood should not have been appealing, yet his salivating mouth insisted on betraying his thoughts. The red fluid trickled from the disfigured face and shredded abdomen, forming a dark puddle on the ground and emanating a metallic scent alluring to his hunger. Cairo took a step back from the body, gazing at every side in search of some predator that could jump from the shadows. Even his wolf heritage wasn't enough to calm his fear.

Grabbing his sword's handle, the wolf prepared a defensive maneuver while distracting himself from the overpowering scent of fresh blood. The predator was sure to be around, hiding his presence and scent, sneaking around the grass and dirt path behind the foliage. His fur bristled as the grasp on the handle tightened. Another whiff awakened his tension and hunger. Four days until his Call and his body already confirmed his fears.

He shook his head to turn away the predatory thoughts. Their pressure was sure to increase in the next days, but he couldn't just give in. Growling in preparation, he heard muffled steps behind the trees. Winds didn't help as they directed his own scent towards whatever lurked around, and he wouldn't be able to face a feral heir by himself, armed only with his sword.

Brandishing the steel blade up, he sliced the air and assumed a defensive posture.

“I don't want to hurt you!" Cairo said, “Show yourself and claim your game!"

He took a few steps back the path he came. The word 'game' resonated through his mind, the first time he equated a human to a wild animal, flinching at the perspective.

Two red eyes glowed and traced sinuous tracks amidst the foliage, their gaze intent on his position. A single glance back at the body proved to be an error as a dark form jumped from its hiding towards him, sinking sharp and long fangs into his right arm and planting heavy claws on his chest, preparing to drag them through his flesh and claim a piece of meat. He tumbled back from the creature's weight.

Adrenaline rushed along with the rising pain, granting him the strength and reflex to swing his sword at the beast, feeling the resistance of muscle giving up to the steel as the weapon sliced through its front legs and belly, drawing enough blood to make the creature jump back and run into hiding once again, leaving the wolf's shaking body to bleed into the grass.

Cairo pressed the wound on his arm. Trouble would definitely follow from his blood's scent in this place. He shook his sword with the leftover strength from the fight, cleaning most of the blood from it before sheathing the blade again and running back through the dirt path under the dark night. He could barely make the way out on the hurried pace and nervous glances to his sides, being certain that no other beast would follow him towards the city.

Reaching the first glade he knew marked the way, Cairo sat down under a huge oak tree to gather his breath and examine the wounds. Claw marks ran along his chest, the stinging feeling a reminder of the pain to come, but the frequent visits to the training grounds gave him the nerve to shrug off those slashes. Blood still leaked from the torn flesh and fur on his arm, mating it with a dark red and glistening coat under the moon's weak light. He couldn't help but see some kind of beauty on the dark moon's reflection, however the pain and rapid shaking were reason enough for him to stand up and cease his brief and unsafe rest. Before he could lift his body completely though, Cairo heard the sound of leaves rustling in the distance, on the way back to the city. Curse his luck, he wouldn't be able to fight yet another beast like that one, although acting like a coward also wouldn't help.

“Who is there?" he called in a low voice, knowing that any heir on this dark day would be able to hear it from that distance. The sounds didn't stop but moved away from his direction. It was not an heir.

“Who is there!?" Cairo screamed, the unwanted attention from other heirs would prove to be a necessary tradeoff for some much-needed help.

Once the echoes settled, he saw a flickering light growing stronger as it approached. A torch in Fillar's forest could only mean that a human chose to venture inside it, and he sighed in relief as the feral heirs were known to not harm a human unprovoked.

“They also wouldn't harm another heir..." Cairo thought, lifting his body completely and wincing from the pain that came with it, only to see what came through the bushes in such a hurried pace with firm steps through the grass.

One of the guards from Solholm emerged from the bushes, and, as relieved as he felt of receiving help, he now knew that his intrusion didn't go unnoticed.

---

They finally called back the guard that insisted in asking the same questions while only increasing his tone. Amateurs. Obtaining information wouldn't work if your threats were that ignorant. Leaning on the uncomfortable wooden chair, Max glanced around the cramped warehouse the guards used to interrogate him, spotting only sealed wooden boxes and discarded rusty weapons. They didn't even bother to block his magic; hoping for such amount of intelligence from the guards was, definitely, too much.

Creaking sounds alerted him to assume the respectable position from before as a shadow loomed over the entrance. They've sent someone bigger this time, as the form had trouble leaning down to enter the warehouse, and… Something was wrong with this guard's body. Only after the mysterious figure meandered to his front and sat beside the candlelight Max could identify how serious the situation became.

“An heir now!?" Max said, gazing at the huge creature in front of him. An heir of the fox, eyes gleaming red through the light. His muzzle scrunched as he had trouble using huge paws to hold and read a piece of scroll.

“Yes, how did you find out? Was it the whiskers?" the fox said as he was finally able to place the paper by the light, “Maximillian Cole," the fox read from the scroll and fixed his eyes on the human, “nice to meet you. I would offer a paw but my claws are known to hurt delicate mage hands."

Max's first time seeing an heir of the fox under the Dark moon felt more familiar, and less scary, than what he'd predicted. From what he'd read, this figure that smirked through the light was not its true form, only what he could control without letting his spirit out.

“I'm not a mage, Mister Fox."

“Of course you aren't. That was just a minor insult, to see your reaction," he paused, eyes glazing through the scroll before he folded it again and placed on the wooden table, “Bah, something not even serious, of course. Might as well have some fun with it."

Max frowned as the fox lost its attention to the many corners of the room. Only now he was able to smell the animalistic scent that came with him, which would put him on edge if he wasn't set on winning this game.

“Some fun?" Max said.

The fox stared at him, muzzle once again opening in another smirk.

“Oh yes, the last Dark night should always be fun, don't you th-" he paused, attempting a fake realization, “Of course not. You're a human after all," he placed a paw on his forehead, “Let's do this properly then. You can call me Telsin, as I am sure it will help with our little game."

Max raised an eyebrow. This one didn't sound like a normal guard, maybe those previous amateurs snatched someone higher ranked from the street. A challenge that was enough to make him chuckle, and a victory he could already imagine in his own book. “Outwitted a fox" sounded perfect.

“Well, good night then Mister Telsin."

“Equally, Mister Cole. So, who did you help?"

“I don't have to tell you."

“Indeed you don't. It was the lone gray wolf from Remdrall's academy. What was his name… Sair… Motto...", the fox said, muzzle still opened in a grin that twisted with every invented word he could come up with.

This fox knew more about what happened, and playing around with information could become dangerous.

“His name is Cairo," Max threw it out, “What are you hiding, Mister Telsin?"

The fox's smirk widened as he searched through a pocket in his waist, placing a golden crest in front of them, its surface glowing under candle light. It held a familiar symbol, different kinds of horns, claws and wings carved over and around a shield. He'd already lost the game.

“A Temple officer!" Max stood up, stepping back, “Sir, I'm sorry, I've-"

“Sit down Maximillian, you've done nothing wrong… At least not willingly," Telsin paused, waiting for the human to calm down in his chair, “Also, you don't have to call me sir, I like how everyone calls me mister in this city. It's refreshing."

Max stared at the fox, a game he lost due to his position. Still, sounds of muffled steps and muttering of guards outside brought him back to the situation. He might have lost to this fox, but the game was still on for those guards.

“If I didn't do anything wrong, can't you just dismiss me?"

“Yes, but that wouldn't be fun as well. I need to know more. For example, why did you risk helping your wolf friend?"

“He'd ask-"

“No!" Telsin interrupted his speech with a lifted claw, “Don't give up so fast, let me get my fun first."

Telsin got up and paced around the room. Max could only admire how much the fox tried to piece those simple things together with that amount of effort.

“An heir of the wolf, near his Call would like to see what is to come, certainly. But… On the last night? What is so special about it? Maybe you were only available on this day. Is that correct?"

“No comment," Max smirked.

“Fine," he resumed his walk, “They used a simple invisibility trick, but only one went inside, the other probably would stand guard. In any case, none of them knew about the danger..."

“We're not dumb, you know. We know what happens on that forest."

“Is that so?" Telsin glared at him, his breath washing over his face, “We have a misunderstanding then. You've, just now, insulted all the heirs inside that forest by claiming they are the danger I referred to," he shook his head, “And I was there about an hour ago, you've almost insulted me as well."

“We all know how heirs can get dangerous in those nights," Max said, trying to gaze away from those red eyes.

“Yes, they can get dangerous, but they are not inherently dangerous, Mister Cole," he tapped the crest on the table with a sharp claw, “And that was the misunderstanding. I'm talking about something inherently dangerous."

“Like what?"

“No comment."

They both smiled and nodded. A tie would be okay too, but only against a fox that happened to also be a Temple officer.

“He is just a lazy wolf. He waited until the very end to ask me."

Telsin laughed, deep growling sounds escaping his muzzle. “Fair, I didn't account for simple laziness. You cubs can sure turn anything serious into a joke."

“Me? A cub?"

“A human cub anyway. Now, for the danger I was talking about..."

The creaking door sound echoed once again through the room as one of the guards directed a serious voice.

“Sir, we found him."

---

Two guards dragged the shaking body of an heir of the wolf with enough force to make sure they would reach the warehouse before the wolf would try to escape. One of them even managed to unsheathe just an inch of his sword to make his point, however Cairo only glanced at it before returning to the distraction of his shaking right arm.

Once they arrived, Cairo sighed in relief after seeing Max safe, albeit with a curious gaze towards his wounds. For his surprise though, a large heir of the fox also exited the building and strolled tiredly in his direction. The situation got more serious than he expected.

“Fine, we have what we need. I can take care of the rest," the fox said.

“Sir," one of the guards responded, “he disobeyed a civilian restriction knowingly. The punishment for that-"

“Depends on the restriction and is subject to change upon justification, yes, I know. I will make sure these kids are instructed accordingly. Now, you two" the fox motioned for them to follow, walking closer to provide the wolf some support.

“Sir," another guard called, “The heir might be the Temple's responsibility, but this one," he pointed towards Max, “will have to come with us."

Cairo's tail stood up and he looked at his friend. Max could get into some real trouble now because of him, and, for once, he wouldn't be able to take the punishment in his place.

“Perfectly understandable, however," the fox gave a step forward, nearing the guard and looking down to the human's face, “I can confirm that you asked for my assistance in order to get this human to talk," he pointed a clawed finger towards Max, “Am I wrong?"

“No, sir."

“And, if I remember correctly, you handed him to me to do as I pleased in order to carry out the necessary punishment afterward, correct?"

“Yes, sir."

“Then, shouldn't I carry out your orders as you asked? Or should we clarify this situation with the captain?"

“I don't think it is appropriate-"

“Take those kids, Tel," a loud and annoyed voice went past them, coming from an old armored man that approached the group. Cairo recognized Harword, the captain of the guard on the west district of Solholm, after how many troubles he'd managed to avoid, if only slightly. “And you lot, get back to work. We had a breach today, I'll not have another one!"

The guards ended their stand with curious glances before going back to their posts, leaving the three of them to face the tired captain as he approached Cairo and stared at his crimson tinted arm.

“What did you see, wolf?" the captain asked.

“I..." Cairo stuttered. Talking to a captain of the guard, someone who surpassed even his teachers, and maybe even future Masters, made his tail and ears stand in apprehension, clouding the memories from the event.

“It was the beast, captain." Telsin said, frowning, “I am sure of it."

“Heh, no reward for this one then. Better luck next time," the captain said.

“We should be going now, captain. I promise these two won't be a problem in the future."

“I hope so. Teach them how to not get caught," captain Harword gave an intimidating smile and turned away, leather boots crushing the sidewalk's stone under heavy steps.

Only after the captain returned to his post the fox broke the silence.

“Let me see your arm," he held a paw to Cairo, the wolf hesitated.

“He is a Temple officer, Cairo. Do what he says," Max said, with enough seriousness to make the warning clear.

“It's not that bad," Cairo said, extending his shaking arm to have the fox inspect the slashed flesh, eliciting a few winces from the wolf.

The wound still leaked dark red droplets to the ground. Telsin extended his right paw over it, and placed his left on the wolf's scratched chest, closing his eyes. Blinding light erupted from each paw, engulfing the wounds. Once Cairo could look at it again, the bleeding had completely stopped and the pain lessened.

“Don't force the muscle under it and you should recover in a couple of days," Telsin turned around to get a look at both of them, “Now, lets take a walk, shall we?"

---

Dark nights in Solholm lifted the adventurous spirit of the young wolf, in a place where he was able to see much farther than the other citizens and the streets would be empty enough to allow for all kinds of secret gatherings. They walked through the western district, where each building tried to compete for how small and boring they could look. Yet staring at those dull residences felt better than the occasional, guilty glances at Telsin's or Max's faces.

“You got lucky, wolf," Telsin started, “things could have gone much worse."

“My arm is still trembling…" Cairo said, holding his right paw, “Is this normal? After your light I thought it would be fully healed."

“The wound was deep, I couldn't heal it completely," the officer said, “Your body should take care of the rest. Now," he stretched his arms and let out a happy growling sound, “I am about to tell a secret to you cubs about what happened in this forest."

“A secret?" Cairo said with a frown, his tail moving in expectancy.

“Can you please not call me a cub, sir?" Max said.

“You should be more lenient, Maximillian. Look at your friend here," he placed a paw on Cairo's shoulder, receiving a blush in response.

“He is a wolf, you know? I can call him cub all the time."

“No, you can't!" Cairo retorted as they both smiled.

Cairo could see his house emerging two quarters in front, which made him prod for a quicker conversation.

“Sir," Cairo said, “does it have something to do with that beast?"

“Eager aren't you?" Telsin said, holding his chin on a paw, “They call it a werewolf. A rumor that was just confirmed before Dark, which gave yet another thing for us to worry about."

Cairo listened with more eagerness. He'd never heard of such a creature; Max would usually have some answers towards these strange things. Yet the human's expression didn't express understanding, but curiosity.

“What's a werewolf?" Max asked.

“Please don't ask me for details, as I'm not a curious cub with that much time in his paws," he grinned to the smaller human, “however I can say that a werewolf is a cursed human that shapeshifts into a huge wolf under the moons."

“A… human?" Cairo muttered, his nose catching the scent that leaked from the scabbard attached to his waist. It brought the image and expectancy of dinner, but his mind would betray his reaction with the image of the shredded human back in the forest. He shuddered.

“Yes, from what I heard it had already killed someone back in Light. The Temple was forced to send officers as a manner of protect-"

“Why didn't we know about this?" Max interrupted, getting the other two to stare at him before the glances slid to the officer.

“Well… A savage animal attacking some traveler is common, but more than that would cause a commotion. Especially if they start spreading rumors about crazed heirs at the forest," the fox smiled once again, “Can you see why this can become a problem for the Temple, Mister Maximillian?"

“You said it was a human, no one would blame the Temple for that."

“A human that turns into a large wolf, yes, they would. The human is not the dangerous part, you see, the feral animal he turns into is the problem."

“So the Temple is covering everything up in order to not look bad," Max said, “even if it isn't their issue."

“Yes. It is important to avoid misunderstandings like this in a city such as Solholm. Can I count on you to keep this secret?"

They looked at each other, trading shrugs and nods in order to avoid any unwanted consequences. Cairo could just turn away as they neared his house. Having his sword-arm rendered almost useless and with his Call coming in the next days, he didn't need any more problems to deal with. Still, he had to at least tell the officer something important that happened, as the fox seemed trustworthy enough.

“I found a dead human before I was attacked."

“Oh," Telsin leaned forward, “Do you know who it was?"

“No, there was…" Cairo shuddered once again, intrusive thoughts reaching his mind, “a lot of blood. I can't give you a good description."

“Shame," Telsin said, “Problems… More problems. We should keep going to the Academy."

“I… this is my house," Cairo pointed to the small stone building beside them, “Can you please dismiss me, sir?"

“You don't live in the Academy? How curious..." he shrugged, “You're dismissed then. Prepare yourself for your Call next Wind, an officer should arrive by tomorrow."

Cairo froze. He had to expect it from a Temple officer; his Call was near and they wouldn't just leave him alone as one of the few young heirs in the city. Still, having an officer in his house instead of his friends to guide him through it wasn't exactly what he planned.

“Yes, sir," he said without looking to the officer, “Max… Sorry about the trouble."

“The trouble isn't even here yet, Cairo, you'll be sorry in the future!" the human smiled to the wolf's nervous expression, “You owe me at least a lunch on the Silver Stag!"

---

Cold stale air and darkness awaited inside the stone house. Cairo didn't care much for the lights; his eyes never failed him before, but he knew that the cold would only get worse on the next days, so getting the fireplace prepared seemed like a good idea. Bringing the box with those little fire stones they got cycles before, most already spent on Max's tricks, Cairo noticed how his arm still shook from small sparks of pain every time he relied on it. He felt glad to have an excuse to skip some days at the academy, instead of being forced to train with his left arm.

Warmth spread from the burning logs along the stone walls, removing the nervous chill that accompanied him home. Cairo appreciated the scent that came with it, not the noxious ash that would surely be directed upward, but the concealed smell from hardened sap, still locked inside the wood. The sweet sensation could bring him calm even in the most stressful of days. Like today.

From his waist, the steel sword still reeked of human blood. His mouth watered slightly, reminding him of the cuts of beef he'd stored just for the day after his Call. He hurried to clean the blade and scabbard using wet old rags, and also try to remove most of his own blood from his fur, knowing that the smell wouldn't be completely off his paws before he could take a proper bath.

Sighing, Cairo sauntered to his bed and waited for the heat to relax him just enough so the thought of harming a human being would leave his mind.

It didn't. The first human he harmed outside training grounds, and with a real weapon. Despite him appearing as nothing of the like, the scent wouldn't let him forget its true nature.

The first time he could smell human blood on his paws. The last Dark night he would look at them in the same way.

Because all that would change in four days.

---

“I know the way to the Academy, you don't need to follow me, Mister Fox," Max said, looking up to the officer's face, muzzle supported by a paw, lost in thought as he walked, “Mister Fox?"

“Huh?" he paused, “Yes, I know but…" he shook his head, “There's something I want to ask you."

“Well, it can't be an order anyway, I can't promise to help you."

“Clever, Mister Human," the fox looked upwards as he joked, “I was wondering about something from before," Telsin cleared his throat, “I was ready to go back to my room at the Keeps' Counter, but two guards were eager to ask me for something almost impossible.

“They were sure you had been involved in some kind of breach from Fillar's grounds, but at no point they were able to prove, nor get a truthful story from you," he tilted his head, “So you were capable of hiding your guilt and confront or confound the guards with such mastery that they had to rely on a Temple officer."

“Pretty much, I'm indeed that good."

“If the matter wasn't about an heir, they would surely call the captain. Would you feel capable of confronting him?"

“I would try," Max said, “I confronted you anyway."

“And the truth would remain hidden then. Nothing happened because you know enough about the strict rules they need to follow."

“Yes."

Telsin stopped his stroll, receiving a confused look from the young man.

“As far as what will be registered, Mr. Cole, your name won't even be important to the case, only Cairo's, as I was the responsible for solving this incident. You know that?"

“Yes, my record will be kept intact."

“Well, his record won't be," the fox let out a low growl, “and the curious thing is that you feel entitled to a reward from him."

“I..." Max stuttered, “It can't be anything serious, right? Besides, I was only joking. The cheapest meal on the Silver Stag would cost more-"

“I have a simple riddle for you, Mister Cole. After my question of course, which you may regard as a request."

“Y-yes… Will it get Cairo out of trouble?"

“It might. Besides," Telsin kneeled down, his smiling muzzle now inches away from Max's face, “he is not really in trouble, for now. I want you to help him."

“Help?" Max said, distancing a step from the fox's breath, “What kind of help?"

“You seem like a smart one, capable of twisting rules enough to get an advantage. Cairo's Call will happen soon, do you know what that means?"

“I know a little bit. It's when heirs get their spirits, right?"

“It's much more than that. He will need help, but the Temple won't usually allow humans to help in a Call, and they will send another officer to assure it all goes well. You might be able to help with that."

“Me? How?"

“You said previously how the wolf was a procrastinator, and how he waited for the very last Dark day to ask for your help," he paused, “By my own experience, wolves are not procrastinators. They wake up and are set on a goal, which they may use all their energy on. He might as well had prepared that plan before the first of Dark."

“So… Why didn't he ask me before?"

“Fear comes to mind," Telsin sighed, “lots of heirs get really happy and eager towards their Call, but some of them don't really look forward to what's to come."

Max frowned for he didn't know how he would feel if such a great change were to happen in his life, other than a possible graduation from the academy. It was barely enough to sympathize with the feeling.

“And what is he fearing, exactly?"

“It's kinda like a riddle, or a proverb that wolves like to tell their cubs," Telsin stood up and resumed his stroll, preparing his speech with an extended breath,

“What follows you without being seen?

Something you cannot track, but with you it has ever been.

Humans always see it, their courage doesn't lie.

But where their hearts die, it looms with growl and grin."

Max could only stop and gaze downwards after hearing it. He knew about the warnings, the stories from the past, telling unfortunate incidents that began with kindness and ended with blood. The origins of the Temple, the nature of the heirs. He could only mutter the answer to the fox by his side.

“A beast."