Between Loyalty and Love

K

Kynna

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"I need you to go on this quest for me, Kegan," the king stood and began pacing. "The oracle says there is trouble afoot. I won't have it. You are my most trusted warrior," he told the red-gold anthropomorphic wolf.

"I am honored that you bestow such an important task to me, My Lord," Kegan said. The wolf's voice was deep, as to be expected from someone of his stature. He had broad shoulders and thick muscles, though his tail was cut short. A small sacrifice to keep it out of the way so he could perform his tasks for the king. His fur was well-kept and his mane, beginning on the top of his head like so many humans, was spiked at the tip of his forehead, gradually lengthening into a low ponytail at the back of his neck, the tips of his mane ending between his shoulder blades.

"Travel to the kingdom to the West. That is where the oracle says the plans are hatching," the king continued and sat back down in his throne. "I trust you will make it back safely."

"Of course, your Majesty," Kegan confirmed. "I will be back within a fortnight. They will not catch me. After all, who could catch a flame," he looked up at his liege with a determined glint in his deep red eyes.

The king laughed. "Very well, then. Take what you will need. We will wait for your return," he said in dismissal.

The wolf stood and bowed deeply to his king, his tail still staying low, as wolf tradition was strong in his blood. He would not raise it in front of his Alpha, so-to-speak. "I thank you again, my king. May our beloved kingdom remain safe in my absence," he said and turned, walking out of the throne room and to his house. He gathered two canteens, his sword and bow, as well as the quiver of arrows. He put his armor on, made of black, fire-dragon skin. He had a small sack in which a change of clothes was held in, and slung it over his shoulder. Now ready, he exited his home and took one last glance at his beautiful kingdom before he made for the gate to the capital. He bade his farewells to the guards and broke into a run, traveling straight East, as his king had told him to do. He sincerely hoped that the kingdom would not go under attack while he was gone, as they were nearly hopeless without the Fire Spirit Wolf.
 
Amaiah Bowed low to his master, ears flat against his fur as his imposing and powerful leader and owner stood over him.

"Amaiah, You will go and destroy the Fire Spirit and that damned King of the West. I do not care who dies, but I will not have you coming back to me without their heads. Do you understand?" He barked, fangs bared in a snarl of annoyance.

"Yes." Amaiah murmured softly and stood slowly, carefully as his slave chains rattled softly. A snap of his owners fingers and the chains melted onto the floor. "I will not fail you my lord." He murmured and bowed deeply, curling, wild red hair falling about his face before he stood and left the room.

He raced into the night, only allowed to have another bundle of clothes and a small pouch of money. He whooped as he felt a bit more free and smiled as he left his city's boundaries. He might only be free to slaughter and hurt, but he was free for a little while. It was worth it. It was worth even having to trek into the chilled desert night with only his thin and short shirt and shorts covering his body, though his feline genes kept him warm. Though the cold made him sleepy after awhile, he trekked onwards to do his duty and perhaps earn more freedoms.
 
Kegan ran for two hours before he slowed and eventually stopped for a short break. He drank the water from one of his canteens and refilled it in the nearby creak. His ears swiveled at every noise, the Fire Spirit always alert. Once he was rested enough, he began his run, and frowned as he smelled the scent of blood lingering in the air. He stopped and listened, sensing someone nearby. He drew his sword silently, waiting as patiently as a candle flame.
 
Mairah hunched over, panting heavily as his striped tail drooped, blood dripping from his mouth, only some of it his. He scowled down at the raider before him, more irritated now since the coyote had scared off the thin rabbit he'd been tracking. He'd wished he would've stolen something before he left, or asked his master for a meal, but of course he didn't and now he was paying for it harshly.

He spat out the mouthful of blood, disgusted and flopped back, wiping at his face which was now sore and swollen from getting punched and kicked so many times, lapping at the painful bite on his arm. His stomach clenched painfully and he grimaced, slumping to the side, whimpering softly, his large ears pressing back against his bloodied head. Maybe if he rested awhile...
 
Kegan heard the footsteps before he heard the battle cry as he was surrounded by raiders. The wolf growled as he went on the attack. The swords were useless against the dragon hide he used for his armor, though the constant hit on the thin hide would leave a few bruises. The Fire Spirit beat the four raiders fairly easily, as they were much smaller than the warrior. Sniffing the air, he kept his sword drawn and silently followed the scent. He caught sight of another raider, this one already fallen, before he saw a striped tail not far from it, and whimpers. He took another step forward to see the feline more clearly. "Are you hurt," he asked the striped cat, circling to the side he was facing. The sword was still in his hand, but it was not aimed at the whimpering cat.
 
Mairah jerked up at the sound of another male, backing away and hissing as he caught the scent of canine. "Stay away from me!" He spat, hackles up and crouching defensively even as his eyes wavered, blood dribbling down from the cut on his head. "I'll kill you if you take another step!" He hissed, blinking his violet eyes in hopes of clearing his sight a little. He couldn't show weakness to this much larger predator in front of him, he had a mission to do for his master and the iron and biting collar around his neck was the reason he had to please his master, else wise he'd end up strangled slowly or swiftly, however his master saw fit. He wished he didn't have this damned slave collar, wobbling slightly then snarling at the wolf in front of him, seeming feral and angry.
 
Kegan's ears lowered slightly in response. "Whoa, friend, whoa," he said soothingly, putting his sword back in its sheath on his hip. "I offer you my help." He did want to help the giant cat, the poor thing looked almost delirious. "You have my word: I mean you no harm." The Fire Spirit's red eyes studied the feline, noticing his collar. It looked to be of the Eastern Kingdom's design. "Allow me to help you, friend. My name is Kegan," he introduced himself. He took one of his two canteens from his neck and took a drink from it, swallowing before offering the rest of the water to the cat. "Quench your thirst," he said gently. "You are safe, it is water."
 
Miarah tensed slightly, eyeing the other with distrust, but he did easily drink from it...

He carefully reached out and grabbed the canteen, snatching it towards himself and drinking quickly, trembling at the wonderful relief it brought to his aching stomach, even if it would only last a moment. He relaxed slightly, glancing up at Kegan warily. "What do you want?" He asked lowly, voice still rough. He wobbled again, the world around him beginning to go grey.
 
"You looked as though you need help. If you would like me to leave you to die, friend, I'm afraid I cannot do that," he knelt down. "You are weak," he noted quietly. "Your master," he nodded to the collar, "has not taken adequate care of you." He meant no disrespect, he was simply stating an observation. He pulled a few scraps of venison out of his small bag and offered them to the tiger. "Eat," he ordered gently. The fire wolf's ears swiveled and his gaze turned upward as he heard the crows begin to circle. They had smelled death and were coming to feast upon the flesh of the bandits.
 
Mairah snatched the scraps, wolfing them down desperately, shaking with relief and moaning at the wonderful taste. He'd not had such a treat since the day his master had gotten him while he was still a cub. He flinched at the sounds of crows and hissed, ear flattening against his head worriedly.
 
"They've not come for you, friend," the Fire Spirit assured him. "They hunger for the dead bandits." He stood, still looking up at the crows. "We will leave you go your meal, my friends," he told them and turned his gaze back to the giant cat. He offered his pawed hand to help him up. "You won't want to see this. Trust me." He wouldn't insult the crows, but the way they pecked and plucked at the dead bodies still gave the Fire Spirit the heebie jeebies.
 
Mairah turned his head and pushed himself up, rejecting the wolfs paw up. "I-I know." He spat, tail curling to wrap around his legs in the only show of his fear of crows. They always brought back memories of his home and made him tremble.
 
Kegan's ears twitched in minor concern, but he didn't voice it. Taking back his hand, he walked away from the crows who were descending on their meal.

The Fire Spirit sniffed. "The deer have fled," he murmured. "But there are still rabbits around. You should eat to get your strength back." He looked to the feline. "If you come to any towns along your trek, say you have run into me. Mention my name and they will give you food and shelter for the night without charge." He smiled a little. "Keep the canteen as proof that you have seen me. There is a creak not far from here. Good luck on your travels, my friend," he nodded his head in a shallow bow and began his journey east, where slave cat had come from.
 
He huffed and slowly trekked off, finding the creek Kegan had mentioned and peeled off his clothes then relaxed and groaned in pleasure as he slid into the shallow water, laying back in it and smiling faintly, a rumbling startling up in his chest from the pleasure he felt of the stickiness and blood washing away, twisting and pulling the water around his body to sooth his pains.
 
The Fire Spirit came upon the Kingdom of the East at last. He stood at the edge of the forest that overlooked the town, idly glancing up at the crows who circled it. The capital smelled of death and ruin. He stood downwind, studying and observing the happenings going on below. A crow landed beside him. The Spirit of Death, himself. "Fire Spirit. You grace us with your presence," the crow bowed to him.

The wolf bowed to him as well, a mutual respect for the other's role in the circle of life and balance of nature. "My friend. It has been far too long. I have come from order of my king. His oracle has seen dangerous plans afoot."

"And that has lead you here," the Death Spirit thought a moment. "Yes. The King of the East has gone power-mad. He recently sent out one of his slaves, though he takes such poor care of them, I wouldn't be surprised if the feline wasn't dead by now from abandon."

"A feline, you say," the wolf said. His thoughts immediately went to the one he'd run into on his way here.
 
Mairah crawled out of the water, shaking himself dry and sighing, happy to be clean and cooled off. In his home, he wasn't allowed near water. To have water to play in was to be happy, and his Master was no one to allow others to be happier then he was. He cleaned his rags and then laid them out to dry, sitting back into the water again, unable to resist the cool liquid. He wondered if perhaps there were larger bodies of water he could play in in the western kingdom. He wanted to play...

His tail flicked and for once in his life he relaxed and played, using his weak abilities to flick water about playfully and enjoy himself for a little, although he was soon exhausted and his stomach was empty again.
 
"Yes," the Death Spirit answered, his black eyes looking up at the Fire Spirit. "The Water Spirit has been missing for some time. We know he was born to a feline body-"

"And the Water Spirit will always have violet eyes," the wolf finished. "Damnit." The ends of his fur appeared to turn to flames as his temper flared. The earth beneath his paws certainly charred.

"Kegan," the Spirits rarely used their personal names. "I will go see him."

"No. But gather the other birds. Keep an eye on him. We will free him from this," the Fire Spirit vowed, his teeth bared as he looked to the capital. "Thank you, friend," the wolf nodded once and made his decent into the city. He would speak to the King of the East personally.
 
The king of the east was a powerful man, he was also a cruel man with an ego the size of the planet he believed he owned. He killed anyone and everyone without remorse when he was the least bit upset. At the moment he was in his throne room, relaxing while he had a pair of twin peacock children massage his large feet, sometimes kicking them in the head and knocking them back with a cruel chuckle. He loved when his slaves cried, their tears always pleasing him. His favorite being the young tiger who he'd taken from his village several miles away from his castle and destroyed the village when they tried to take the small child back. The child was a tearful wreck, easily brought down when his owner would grind him into the floor then spit out how his village had been burned to the ground. He would pull the tiny child and beat him, starve him, torture him just for the fun. He wanted the child to be miserable, and even now, as a near adult, he was still tortured and starved, and also his masters Assassin. His enforcer. It made him long for his tiger and he lashed out angrily, kicking the little girls directly in the face, his slitted eyes narrowed in anger. He stood, scaled tail thrashing in annoyance. "Bring me the peasants." He snarled, wanting to punish some more of his kingdom.
 
The Fire Spirit entered, walking towards the King of the East. He bowed, as he was still a king. "Your Majesty, I am the Fire Spirit of the West. The Death Spirit tells me you have been terribly cruel to you subjects. I am afraid I cannot let this go on. I must ask you to stop. Playing with the Balance is a dangerous thing, especially when you keep the Water Spirit captive," he dared to bark, his fangs showing. "The creek outside your capital should be a flowing river, able to keep fire at bay. But I'm afraid your capital has reached a drought. Fire will engulf your kingdom soon," he warned him. "You must let Water flow free."
 
He sneered down at the spirit arrogantly. "You hold no power here spirit. Leave." He demanded, hissing angrily and stepped back towards hi throne. "I have no spirit of water here. Leave my kingdom and never return. You are no longer welcome here." He hissed, venom dripping from his lips. "Or you can die."
 
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