Chapter 13

          Omen, Avalsmokes, and Autumn sat in the saddles on their horses, which Fren apparently did a good job at feeding them, but their short fur was dusty and mangled, making the riders reluctant to put on their saddles in the first place. Blackscales was on the black leather saddle on Inferno’s neck, and they were all with Icksazro in the clearing near the town.

            Icksazro walked around the horses, loading their saddlebags with gold, silver, and copper coins. It totaled out to be 16 gold, 75 silver, and 54 copper. Blackscales had always had a problem with keeping track of money, mostly memorizing what something would cost and how much of one coin another equaled so he was talking with the elf about it.

            Icksazro shook his head after another terrible guess before replying, “100 copper equals one silver. 100 silver equals one gold. The average human makes about 16 gold a year, if you don’t include expenses and buying food, shelter, and clothing.”

            “Why are you giving us so much money then?” Autumn asked as she took a gold coin out of one of her saddlebags.

            Icksazro shrugged before replying, “In case you need to buy weapons, armor, more horses, absolutely anything you can come across.”

            Blackscales looked like he was about to same something meaningful and heartfelt, but Icksazro quickly interrupted, “Do not be said about your leaving, since it was your intention long before you even arrived. I do not require long, sad good-byes, since I am sure that we will see each other again soon, simply leave and I will watch you go.”

            Feeling really awkward, Blackscales and his companions left, Inferno walking along at first until they were a bit farther along. It felt weird to the rider as he took one last look back at the elf before he disappeared in the long shadows from the trees in the early morning. Thus, the gang continued on their journey to find the Hidden Mountain pass. Once again, Blackscales found the horse riders talking among themselves, leaving him to talk to Inferno and have just the two of them conversing, but he loved it anyway.

            “I think me and Inferno are going to fly now,” Blackscales said to the other humans suddenly, since he didn’t see the point in staying there with them when he never even spoke to them.

            They all stopped and turned to watch him and the dragon, silent with awe. Inferno unfurled his large, leathery wings and suddenly leapt up into the air. He spiraled and spun, dove and climbed the sky, feeling relieved about finally being the sky, despite the fact that he had only been grounded for a few hours. They quickly lost sight of the others and the small trail that they were following, but the dragon claimed to be able to find the way back when they needed to.

            After he released all of his excitement at flying again, Inferno steadied his flight once more and flew straight forward at what seemed to be a quick speed, but was pretty leisurely to a dragon and his rider. He made a wide turn to go back to the general position of their companions.

            Blackscales kept their mind link silent while he appreciated the view, the feelings of the wind through his short, black hair, and he especially appreciated his position. He knew at that moment that he would never take being a dragon rider for granted; it was the most amazing thing anyone could experience in his opinion. He closed his eyes and spread his arms out wide, trying to feel the true expanse of his power, though he was well-ware that his power was overshadowed by that of the dragon riders of legend. Even if the tales were exaggerated a great deal, though he thought it unlikely, the riders were still far more stunning than he was.

            He opened his eyes again as Inferno turned slightly, and dove sideways towards the earth. The rider pulled himself close to the saddle and leaned to the right with his dragon, making them dive truly together and increase speed. When they were only about 12 yards away from the trees, Inferno spread his wings out again to their full length and lifted them up abruptly.

            As Blackscales discontinued his reveling to see if the dragon wanted to talk, Inferno said, “I’m glad you’re getting more used to this. Have you noticed that your senses aren’t as impaired as you might think when you’re in the air?”

            Blackscales thought for a moment, considering what he had said. Then he inhaled deeply, and surprisingly, he could faintly smell the trees below. He looked down and realized that he could suddenly see very clearly, almost every individual leaf and needle, and he also saw that the leaves were a dark color, preparing for winter.

            “Why are my senses just as good in the air?” Blackscales asked as he also noticed that the rushing wind bothered his sense of touch and hearing little.

            Inferno pulled his rough lips back in a dragon-grin before replying, “I believe it is some sort of sub-conscious magic that I possess, and you also get from our unique bond.”

            Blackscales joined with the joy as he continued thinking for a bit, and then saying, “I wonder if Omen brought the two scales with, the ones that I used to buy the torches? It would be nice to practice magic and I’m certainly not going to break them off your hide on purpose.”

            “There are several things wrong with that,” Inferno said.  “For one; I just remembered something my mother told me; my scales, with their magical abilities, won’t grow back if taken on purpose, but they will grow back otherwise, of course. Two; Omen would have absolutely no reason or personal gain to bring them along and doesn’t appeal to me as the sort of man that would do things if there wasn’t something to be gained. Thirdly; I think it would be unwise to try to use magic without any instruction whatsoever, and who knows who could get hurt or even killed by a novice sorcerer like yourself. At least wait until we’re near someone that could help us control such extraordinary power.”

            Blackscales silently agreed, and they continued flying for a while in serene stillness, without another thought. While they seemed to be in disagreement, the rider was very thankful that the dragon pointed out the danger factor of inexperienced magic use. They began to merge their spirits with the wind once again, feeling happy and content once more.

            Suddenly, an ear-splitting howl erupted from the forest below. Blackscales looked down and saw nothing but an eerie mist swirling around in that part of the woodland specifically. More howls quickly joined the first, several of them right next to where the rider and dragon last saw their companions. Quickly, a dozen more and excruciatingly loud and powerful howls joined in the din.

            “What’s going on!?” Blackscales screamed in their mind link.

            Inferno quickly swooped around and dove towards the ground as fast as he could in the general direction of their possibly endangered friends before replying, “I have no clue, but we have to get back to the others in case they are the target of the wolf attack. Although, I’ve never heard so many or such strong howls.”

            The next howl, which Blackscales recognized as originating from the first wolf, was one of despair and grief, but in a way that made the rider think it had been tricked or deceived in a terrible way. To his horror, another howl, very pleased,' triumphant, and blood-thirsty, sounded straight ahead where Avalsmokes, Autumn, and omen were supposed to be riding. Inferno flew over and they caught a brief glimpse of a rather large, black wolf and a palomino horse that was now without a rider.

            “Inheritance!” Blackscales yowled as the dragon dove into the undergrowth.

            Blackscales quickly undid his leg straps and jumped off of Inferno’s back as soon as they touch the ground. He landed on the trail, sending a thunderous pain through his legs as he suddenly realized that his heroic gesture was pointless; he had no weapon and he was closer to the wolves than the dragon.

            The rider looked at the wolves with sudden fear, as three of them approached him with growls and snarls. Then he looked at the black one, and then he realized it was at least five feet tall on all fours and nine feet long from nose to tail-tip; which was outrageously large for a wolf of any species. It walked up to him confidently and carefully with a disbelieving look on his furry face, and Blackscales saw that it was male.

            “He is the Twilight Rider,” The black wolf said as he turned to his comrades, which were also extremely large.

            Blackscales gaped at him in disbelief before saying, “You can talk!?”

            The wolf grinned similarly to how Inferno did before stretching low to the ground in what appeared to be a bow. He stepped closer to the rider until he was only a few feet away, towering over him.

            The wolf suddenly spoke up and explained, “We are those Icksazro explained to you as ‘comfortable in the darkness and cold’. I specifically, am Midnight Stalker. Our entire species is referred to, in hardly any detail, ‘wolf’. Among us wolves there are three different groups; those who we call the Weaklings, and you would think of them as normal wolves. Then there are the Wargs, which are much stronger and more powerful and we call them the Dawn race and we are the Wargals; many times stronger than both of the others combined and we commonly refer to ourselves as the Elites.”

            Upon seeing the rider’s confusion, Midnight Stalker continued, “I am the alpha of my race, and we are a very close ally to the elves, dragon riders, and the final race of beings which I am sure you do not know of yet.”

            “If you are an ally, what happened to my friends?” Blackscales asked as Inferno walked up behind him and bared his teeth, not even slightly startling the wolf.

            “All in good time, Twilight Rider.”

~

            Blackscales was in Inferno’s saddle again as they were unwillingly led through the forest by Midnight Stalker and the wolves that he had called his ‘warriors’ on several occasions, making the dragon and his rider fearful. They were carefully guarded by dozens of ‘Elites’ and even more joined them each second.

            They were apparently being led to a large network of caves through a smallish mountain not too far away. It was early evening when the wolves led them into a large cave, a bit taller than Inferno and there was plenty of room on either side for dozens of the wolves to walk beside them. The cave got slightly smaller with each step, and the dragon and rider gradually got more irritated with the way they were being treated. They still had absolutely no clue what had happened to Avalsmokes, Autumn, and Omen.

            Finally they came to the end of the original tunnel, and three other, smaller tunnels branched off ahead of them. Midnight Stalker told all but four of the wolves to leave before leading the rider and dragon into the tunnel on the right, which quickly expanded into a large cavern, and basically ended about 20 yards away.

            Blackscales carefully examined the cavern; ten holes were dug into the side all around the cavern, most of them about five feet tall with a circumference of 14 feet. In each of the holes there were bits of fur, feathers, leaves, grass, and cloth, which he assumed that the wolves had gotten from friendly humans. In the main cavern, there was a giant bed of similar materials, positioned next to five other, smaller beds. The alpha wolf gestured towards the beds with a flick of his ears and a twist of his tail, signaling that Blackscales and Inferno should be seated in the large bed, and they obeyed.

            Blackscales settled close to Inferno, by his scaly stomach which was the most comfortable part he could find. The Wargals settled into the nests and arranged them until they were comfortable. Directly beside Midnight stalker, the giant black Wargal, was a dark silver she-wolf, and the other three wolves sat slightly further off. The rider saw that two of them were she-wolves as well, but they were snow-white. The last wolf was a dark brown male with unusually large teeth and claws.

            Midnight Stalker waited for Blackscales to stop observing them with such curiosity before saying, “While we sometimes speak as mysteriously as the elves, we have a different way of presenting information. We, being nearly all of the Wargal alphas and betas throughout Semiones, mostly wish to answer the exact questions asked of us. We do not enjoy simply explaining, since it often leads to many more questions than answers. So, ask of me anything you wish to know.”

            Blackscales thought hard for a long moment, asking for Inferno’s help, before asking his first question, “Who are those wolves next to you?”

            “The wolf closest to me, the silver she-wolf, is my mate, Moonlight Glimmer. The brown wolf is my Beta Male, Bleeding Demon. The larger white she-wolf is my Beta Female, Burnt Frost. Her littermate, the other white she-wolf, is my Omega Female, Storm Frost.”

            Blackscales nodded to them all respectfully before asking, with a bit of a more hostile tone, “What happened to my human friends and the horses they were with?”

            “They are fine; we have them in one of our caverns where they are waiting for your return,” Midnight Stalker told them, noticing his hostility but ignoring it.

            “How are the different types of wolves different besides size?” Blackscales asked, though it was Inferno’s question.

            Midnight stalker quickly replied with pride, “All of our senses are heightened, our fur is much thicker against the cold, wind, rain, and water of other sorts, We are stronger, we are quicker, quieter, smarter, enduring,  and we have an ability to carry at least twice our weight with hardly a sweat at long distances.”

            “Why are you allied to the riders? Wolves have long been feared by my race for their ferocity and ill-will towards basically all two-legged beings, and that fear has only increased over time. Also, when me and Inferno were riding, we heard you pursuing something, what was it?”

            Midnight Stalker looked saddened before saying, “It is a long and interesting story, if you wish to waste your time on such things.”

            “Time is something that I lack, but I think it is best for me to learn these things as quickly as possible. I want to know exactly where you stand, and how well we can trust you to remain our allies,” Blackscales said, surprised by his mature speaking.

            With slight hesitation and an inaudible exchange of words between all five wolves, Midnight Stalker explained, “It started many, many years ago, just after the dragon riders came into existence. We had been warring with the dragons because we greatly disagreed with their pride, but after the riders formed we saw that they were far more humble than any other being with that much power would be.

            “We stopped quarreling, and noticed that the riders and the dragons were extraordinarily powerful, and a stunning force, though they were still only two beings and they were basically one fighter. All solitary fighters have weaknesses, since there is power in numbers. As a result, we whole-heartedly agreed, and were actually the ones who suggested, that the riders should command a battalion of Elite, Dawn, and Weakling wolves.

            “Unfortunately, all of the races; elf, dragon, human, our other allies, and every wolf race, noticed that the armies of wolves weren’t exactly built for battle. Sure wolves are strong and powerful and are skillful hunters and can defend their territory well, but we just weren’t made or even worthy of the dragons and riders. That was when a human realized that the wisest and greatest of the dragons and their riders could sever their mind links at will, or increase their strength to some extent.

            “All of the riders and dragons combined their strength, and managed to create links between wolves and two-legged beings of all kinds. The links were incredibly weak, so the wolf riders could talk to the wolves and dragons telepathically, but the extent of their mind power was weaker, and wasn’t as binding as the dragons and their rider’s bonds. Nevertheless, for every dragon rider, there are dozens, hundreds, thousands, or possibly, though very unlikely, millions of wolves born with a link to humans, elves, and the final race that are our allies.

            “Oddly enough, Weakling wolves can’t have riders, since they are too weak to carry the weight of humanoids for long. Also, Wargs have a weaker mind link with their riders than Wargals, which we also find odd, though not entirely unexpected. Lastly, as I’m sure you’re wondering, Argos and his rider do not have wolf warriors for some odd reason.”

            Even though the Wargals didn’t like to confuse the people they talked to, Blackscales found his head swimming with questions. He was about to ask the number one question that was on his mind, when he suddenly realized that Midnight Stalker didn’t want to answer it.

            He felt he had to know, however, so he slowly asked, “So, what was the thing you were pursuing?”

            Midnight Stalker became distant and mysterious before saying very vaguely, “The closest allies to our greatest enemy. I fear that you are far from ready to learn his name, and in the very least it is not my place to explain such things.”

            “Where are my riders?” Blackscales asked as he imagined controlling huge forces of warriors.

            Midnight Stalker relaxed a bit, but Storm Frost, the Omega Female, quickly laughed and replied for him, “You aren’t ready to harness the power of numerous wolves and their riders. Luckily, when you are ready for them, they will come to you one-by-one when they are also prepared to serve you. The time will come.”

            Midnight Stalker growled loudly at her, making the Omega whimper and turn away in shame, but he quickly explained to Blackscales that she was completely right. The rider suddenly felt very tired and rested more of his weight on Inferno.

            “You are clearly growing weary, Twilight Rider. Storm Frost will lead you to your friends,” Midnight Stalker said as all of the wolves stood.

            The Omega Female bowed to her leader in the strange wolf way, and padded along out of the cavern. Without another word, Blackscales and Inferno raced along after her and were running next to her for what felt like ages. They emerged from the cave, out into the open night air with the moon shining on them from not too far up in the sky. They jumped into another cave about 30 feet to their left.

            The cave stopped again, and branched off into five tunnels; Storm Frost jumped down what seemed to be a random tunnel, but led to a cavern similar to the one that they were just in with the other wolves. Blackscales sighed with relief when he saw Skeletar, Chase, Myrtle, Mindy, Misty, and Inheritance tied up to a log that had been dragged into the cave by the wolves, and Omen, Aval, and Autumn seated around a bright yellowish-gold fire. There were nests on the opposite side of the cavern for them to sleep in.

            “It’s about time you showed up!” Aval said with immense relief as he raced up to Blackscales and gave him a huge hug.

            “Why the hug?” Blackscales asked with confusion as he pried his friend off of him.

            Omen, who had been poking the fire with a stick before, stood up and replied, “The wolves ambushed us in the forest and brought us here. Surprisingly, they told us that we were supposed to stay here until you came back, and they just left us then.”

            “That’s all they told you?” Blackscales asked.

            When they all nodded he said, “They took me and Inferno to another cave to tell us all about them that I wanted to know.”

            He regretted it as soon as he said it, and they were all staring at him with curiosity. Autumn was clearly the most curious of all, with her eyes staring at him and Inferno with her intense eyes. Blackscales bit his lip nervously as he wondered what he would say and began talking to Inferno, extremely aware of the three pairs of eyes that were focused on him.

            “Tell them some things that Midnight Stalker told you, but keep out everything that involves you and me,” Inferno suggested.

            Blackscales agreed and began telling the others, taking extra care to leave some things out. He found it much easier after a while; he lied about how they were allies and just said that the wolves were always close friends to the humans but were too shy to admit it, so the wolves told the humans to spread uncomplimentary rumors about them. Blackscales also told them about the different kinds of wolves, and made up a few minor stories. He figured that Aval, Omen, and Autumn noticed approximately how long he was gone and might have also noticed that the true story he told him was much too short.

            The rider was incredibly relieved when he saw them relax; their curiosities satisfied. Then he looked around the cave to get a good idea of his surroundings before sitting next to Omen by the fire.

            “What happens now?” Autumn asked, suddenly confused.

            A strange, smaller ‘Elite’ walked in, apparently having heard her question and said, “I am Tornado Dust, and I will be taking care of you this evening. Midnight Stalker said that you are to rest here until morning and then some of our warriors will see that you reach the end of our territory safely. He also says that you are welcome to stay longer if it is your wish, but he is quite sure that you wish to be leaving as soon as you can.”

            Blackscales glanced at his friends before deciding that they were aware of Midnight Stalker because they didn’t react with surprise or misunderstanding, and then looked over the light brown male Wargal carefully. Tornado Dust may have been unusually small compared to the other Wargals Blackscales had seen, but was still clearly strong enough to kill each one of the humans individually without much difficulty. He had emerald-green eyes that possessed a strange trait that the rider realized that the other Wargals also had; a strange glow that was likely meant for night vision, despite wolves not being know for such abilities.

            He also noticed that the Wargal seemed to have matted fur and a few scars well hidden by the unusually thick fur of his race. It was easy enough to assume that he was bullied, a fighter, or a very low rank in the pack.

            Noticing Blackscales looking him over, Tornado Dust said, “I am a servant to the Wargals that make their home in this mountain, and servants do most of the menial work, often bullied by some of the more unfriendly members of the pack. Do not worry about me; I accept my fate and actually enjoy my position. Any other job is potentially deadly, and I have a family to take care of.”

            The rider wasn’t prepared for such a detailed answer, let alone the details of his personal life, but he was satisfied knowing that the Wargal was happy enough.

            “Now, is there anything I can do for you before you sleep?” Tornado Dust asked as he bowed.

            Aval yawned before shaking his head, his sleepiness making the other humans yawn. Funnily enough, Inferno also yawned after their chain reaction, releasing a disgusting odor like rotting flesh.  They all covered their noses, and the Wargal servant left as quickly as he could in his attempt to escape the scent.

            “Lesson learned: never smell a dragon’s breath!” Aval joked.

            Blackscales was mostly surprised about how casual it was for them to be near a dragon, even if they were best friends with the person who was its rider. He quickly shook away his thoughts as he stood up and walked over to a little nest near the dragon.

            “It’s about time for some rest, we can get a good, early start on tomorrow’s travels,” he said as he lay down in the bed and leaned against Inferno’s stomach again.

            The others didn’t protest, saying nothing at all actually as they settled into their own beds near Blackscales’s. There were about three feet of solid, stone floor between each bed so they had their own space, but the rider wouldn’t have cared whether he had much space or not; he was just exhausted.

            He quickly drifted off into a half-asleep state with all of his companions, and then it was like a competition to see who would fall asleep first. Inferno was the first to sleep since he had been flying almost the entire time they were travelling that day, though he wasn’t really in the ‘competition’. Next to fall asleep was Aval only moments later, and he made it hard for the others to sleep with his heavy breathing and eventual snoring soon after. After that, Blackscales had no clue who had fallen asleep next, making him think that he had been the next to go.