Vaeludar kept his sword pointed at the four oncoming wolves. The others stayed on the higher cliffs. He was ready to strike down the four wolves if they weren’t going to back away from them. He needed to protect his companions from the wolves.
Just inches away from the sword, the alfa wolf had its nose right at the pointed end.
“I’m not going to stick my nose in that thing if you want me to,” said the wolf
They all blinked in great shock and confusion. They just heard a hungry carnivore talk to them. Then in the confusion, the wolves went from snarling fiercely to sitting like proper pet dogs.
“Err, sorry?” said Vaeludar, confused.
“What do think we are, boy? Carnivores?” asked the wolf.
“Um, yes,” answered Vaeludar, lowering the sword.
“Well, we don’t eat humans. Otherwise, we would be considered wild wolves of these wild mountains.”
“You won’t eat us?” asked Vaeludar.
“No,” answered the wolf.
“But one of my companions—”
“Almost killed me, yes,” the wolf barked. “I know that! You think I don’t? I have eyes. I can see plain and clear like night and day, sonny. On this matter, you are traveling towards the river, are you not? Come with us. We know the way around these mountains.”
“Why should we trust you?” asked Marina, aiming an arrow at the talking wolf.
“Know your place, Siren,” warned the wolf. “I am Worewolf, king of the Mountain Wolves. Yes, I have eyes that show me the true nature of any animal, creature, or animal. There are many things I know about that even you two legged creatures don’t know about.”
“What choice do we have then?” asked Vaeludar. “Lower you weapons. As of now, these Mountain Wolves are, um, temporary allies?”
Everyone carrying a weapon reluctantly put their weapons away. They didn’t want to trust a wolf that could talk. They knew it was an animal and not a creature; animal and creature had different meanings in their dictionary. Animal represented living animals such as lions, tigers, and turtles and any animal considered to be a real-life animal. Creature represented a living being of mythology.
“I can tell you’re the leader,” said Worewolf.
“I am a hybrid,” replied Vaeludar. “If your eyes don’t deceive you, I am half human and half dragon.”
“I can see that. Didn’t I just say I have eyes, boy? I can see. I can see! I! CAN! SEE! So, what are trying to do anyway? Trying to find your way in the fog? Come with us and we’ll show you a faster way towards the lake.”
“Are you sure you can do that?” asked Vaeludar.
“What kind questions are you asking?” asked Worewolf. “That would be like asking if a chicken is ready to lay its eggs. I can travel through any fog and travel in any weather condition in these mountains. And you sound like you don’t trust us wolves.”
“We don’t trust when we meet any creature or human at first sight,” stated Vaeludar, sheathing his sword. “It takes a leap of faith first. We start to trust later if they remain true to their word. We can never be too lazy to take one’s word.”
“Wise one for someone at your age.”
“I was raised by the best,” said Vaeludar.
“Can we stop with this little pep talk and start moving?” grunted Galvin, shaking his legs. “I get tired when I stand in one place far too long.”
“Interrupting at the wrong time, Galvin,” said Vaeludar. “Ok, we’ll trust only to get us out of these mountains.”
“Very well, follow us,” said Worewolf.
Worewolf and the three other Mountain Wolves went up the way they came. They led the way for the humans, the Siren, and the Griffin. Vaeludar slowly came to trust these wolves, even though they just met as he did with the people: Galvin, Wonomi, and Monico.
“This way, up this mountain to the top. There is a clear pathway to walk on. It has been abandoned for a long time.”
Reluctantly, Vaeludar ordered Flavius, Wonomi, Monico, Galvin, and Marina to climb the mountainside. Then he ordered the Griffin to fly ahead. They followed his orders but remained cautious about the Mountain Wolves.
The climb was easy yet treacherous; some sites that looked like a stuck-in rocks were actually loose rocks. Galvin, Wonomi, and Flavius nearly lost their footing. The wolves would quickly grab anyone that would have fallen to their deaths. Then they warned the humans what to grab and not to grab as they descended further.
Marina was climbing swiftly yet raveling with wolves had angered her. She was easily bothered by these wolves, and she would never trust them, even if they were showing them a faster way.
Vaeludar was climbing with ease. Unlike the rest, he wasn’t using his human arms; he was using his wings to do the climbing. His eyes switched from human to dragon. His dragon vision showed him patterns of lose rocks and stuck-in rocks. Every time he would pass one, he would give it a small burnt look to the rock so it would be hot that one would be able to touch it.
It was about two hours when the climbing humans stopped at the top of the mountain. Flavius and Marina brushed any small particles off their bare, bruised hands. Flarefur was waiting for them at the mountain’s summit. Vaeludar shook the claws of his wings after climbing really high.
Vaeludar found a small pool of water. He walked towards and dumped his hands the pool although his hands weren’t numbed but his wings were. The water glowed blue; it swirled up his arms and to his wings. His wings were shaking if they were out of his control. The claws of his wings rattled when they were being healed.
Vaeludar withdrew his hands from the small pool. His wing-claws were healed
