Soon after, every sat down for a rest from the high climb. Vaeludar was the only one standing up.
At the mountain’s summit, Vaeludar could get a small glimpse of the lake far away, surrounded by green, lush swamps and marshes. As far as Vaeludar could see, they still had about a hundred or so miles of mountains to go.
Worewolf joined Vaeludar’s view of the long walk ahead.
“Thinking of traveling that way?” asked the wolf leader.
“Yes,” answered Vaeludar.
“Well, we’re not going that way,” said Worewolf.
“What!?”
“Everybody travels that way instead of going the other way around. Everybody goes that way because they think it is the safest way. Cyclopes roam those mountain areas. There is another way around.”
“Where would that be?” asked Marina.
“The Siren doesn’t seem to trust us at all,” stated Worewolf.
“She is the last Siren, the last of her kind. Many wolves tamed by any hunters would use the wildest wolves to hunt down any Siren they deem a monster and… tear them apart, limp-from-limp. Since her kin was mostly demolished by wild wolves used by hired merchants, she hates wolves more than she hates men.”
“I see,” said Worewolf. “But we wolves cannot be used or tame by men. We are already tame by a person of legend: a White Knight.”
“What!?” they all shouted.
“Yes, we are pets to a White Knight, or at least I am. We were to be placed in these mountains, to guide people towards their destinations, to have them trust us.”
“Wolves? White Knight? Trust? I see a connection here: the White Knight of Trust,” exclaimed Vaeludar.
“Yes, Vaeludar, the White Knight of Trust was my master,” said Worewolf. “In history, there have been four White Knights every time an evil rises after another: the White Knights of Trust, Charity, Loyalty, and Strength. For each generation, a new White Knight was chosen to take the place of the old one. This had been a cycle for many millennia.”
“Where is the White Knight of Trust now?” asked Flavius.
“His spirit roams these mountainsides,” answered Worewolf.
“But how… which…?”
“The spirit of the very first White Knight of Trust was my master; his successors are thriving in the next world, among the stars. It has been my duty to get people to trust us to lead them out of the mountain borders.”
“Hold on a sec,” interrupted Vaeludar. “How did you know my name?”
“I know many different things you can never imaging, and I am not an ordinary wolf roaming in the wild,” answered Worewolf.
“Now, I am starting to get suspicious about this place,” groaned Galvin.
“Just lead us out of here,” said Vaeludar.
“Very well then, if you people, hybrid, and Siren are ready, we will be leaving right now.”
After five minutes, everyone was strapped and ready to go and ready to leave the mountains. They strapped their bags and weapons tight. Marina’s bow and quiver were attached to her back. Flavius had the bags of wood and food attached to his back. The others made sure the bags they were carrying were very tight.
Worewolf howled in the distance horizon. Then they were off.
The group traveled for the rest of the day. The pathway they traveled on was the mountaintops, which was save although they did come across some lose boulders. They walked in single file to stay on the mountain paths. Worewolf took the lead while the others followed him from behind. Vaeludar was behind the wolf leader as Flavius was behind him. Marina was behind Flavius and behind her was Galvin. Wonomi was behind Galvin, and Monico was in the very back of the traveling companions, but the wolves were walking behind Monico. Flarefur took to the skies.
For restless hours, the companions followed Worewolf. The wolf led them across the paths atop the mountains before walking on the sides of the mountains again. This time there were paths that were built as trading routs through the mountains.
The deeper they walked on the paths the sooner they saw smaller mountains and green trees in the northwest. These mountains were pillars of granite rocks formed over another rock. They went around for almost fifty miles long and wide.
“What kinds of mountains are those?” asked Vaeludar
“Those are called Chiricahua Mountains,” answered Worewolf, clearing rocks out of the way. “That is where you would have gone if you guys took the river through the fog. You wouldn’t be able to see where you’re going through those piled-rock mountains.”
“It is interesting how they are formed,” said Flavius, awed by the shapes the Chiricahua Mountains.
After looking at the granite, pillared-rocky mountains, they continued on.
When the day grew darker and colder, they were at the near the bases of the mountain borders. They rustled down.
Vaeludar looked on top of a hill they were on; there was another river just directly below them that led towards the north. In the north the river flows through, flatlands and marshes in the surrounding landscape. Lush green marshes and swamps were filled with ponds of swanky waters and the scent of molting grass and moldy leaves. The sun’s setting light dulled the landscape with the color of light brown.
Vaeludar could smell the swamps’ scent from where he was standing. He saw it would be a half-day’s travel if they go by the river.
“Go to that river,” said Worewolf, pointing his nose downwards. “There is a boat that will take you directly towards the lake. But before you cross the lake, you must pass through the swamps and marshes. It is a dangerous path to take but the quickest to go.”
The wolf and his pack gathered up small crowd.
“I thank you for trusting me,” said Worewolf, in a human voice.
“I knew it,” said Marina, drawing an arrow prepared to shoot the
