Time slipped passed me in what felt like both forever and no time at all. Warmth touched my body waking it from its rest. I opened my eyes as the sun started to rise. Looking over at Bessy I saw her eating the feed we put out for her.

Ahh another that wakes with the sun. I frowned, thinking something was wrong, and looked down at the boy. He looked up at me. He didn't wake up for food... that is not a good sign. I pulled out the thing to feed him and filled it with the last of the milk. He ate hungrily.

I stroked Katja's hair as she slept with her head on my lap. I watched over my pack for another hour before gently waking up Katja. Her blue eyes looked up at me. "Is it time to get up?"

"It is."

She sat up and stretchered. Standing made my muscles ache. I'm getting too old for this shit. "Come on pup. Let's teach you to fight."

She picked up her quarterstaff and stood in front of me. "Are you going to do that with him on you?"

"I will show you how to defend him."

I showed her a few strikes and she mimicked them perfectly. We had a mock fight, it started slow but gained in speed until we were having a proper fight. I marched her blow for blow and held myself back to allow her in my defences. Eventually, I knocked her foot out and grabbed her before she fell. "Well done. Let's eat."

She sat down panting as I pulled food from our packs. "How.. come you're... not out.. of breath?"

I smiled. "I've been fighting a long time pup."

She gulped water and took her food. We ate as she got her breath back. A sound made me stand up grabbing my weapon. Katja was slower to gain her feet looking at me with fear. Soon she heard the sound of horses. The sound of galloping was coming closer. A group of men in armour and with long lances rounded the hill and surrounded us. Their armour shone in the early morning light, and the king's crest adorned their clocks.

Fuck! That is not something I can deal with. I stood straighter and Katja copied me. One man moved his horse closer and levelled his lance to my chest. "Where do you hail from a stranger?"

"The village of Hythe. It was burned to the ground and we fled to a farm, where the owner sheltered us. He was attacked by the same bandits and we fled again with one of his cows to feed my son."

The man's saddle creaked as he looked into the sling on my chest. "You fended off this group of bandits?"

I shook my head. "They split up as we ran one way and the farmer another. I was able to knock some of them out."

The man brought his lance up from my chest and tilted my head back by pressing the tip into my throat. "These two are not worth it, sir. If there are bandits we should look for them."

His lance moved and I let my head drop to meet the eyes of the other man. "I feel I need to talk to these women."

"I feel we have told you all we can sir," Katja said.

I felt slimy when he ran his eyes over me. "Sir I warn you with my name."

The man glowered at me. "You warn me with your name?"

"I'm Duha."

As expected these men knew my name and spread out with all their weapons pointed at me. The man in front of me smiled. "You can't be."

I laughed. "I am. I would kill any that took my name as protection."

"Sir it's not worth it.... please don't do this."

I spared a glance for his second in command coursing him to shrink back. "If you wish to take my skin for your wall then take it... if you can."

Katja stepped back, drawing a few looks, and she fell into the stance I showed her. "If you are Duha, then prove it." The man in front of me said mockingly.

I smiled. "As you wish."

I threw my head back and howled a cry for help I knew would carry. The horses instinctively backed away from me, and when I growled, several of them threw their riders. "I am Duha! The Wolf of the battlefield! Face me and die." I growled.

The man thrust his lance at me, and I knocked it aside, moving towards him. Grabbing his leg I pulled him from his saddle and knocked him across the head in one smooth move.

Next, I grabbed his lance and threw it, making the horse coming for Katja stumble, and she knocked the man out as I had. This girl is a very quick study. I thought, pulling myself into the saddle of the man's horse and using the extra height to ram my stave into the chest of another man, making him fall. The rest of those men seemed to know better than to continue this fight, as they backed their horses away from me. "Give me another horse and I will stop the wolves that will hunt you."

They looked at each other. One more dismounted and offered his horse to us. Katja took it from him and struggled into the saddle. She then unhooked Bessy who was mooing in fear. I howled again making the men move back more.

I looked to the second in command. "Those bandits went north; I think they were taken care of by a group we follow. When your commander wakes up, tell him that following me would be unwise. I will call the wolves down on you! They will not care who you are. I have your scent so go the other way!" I growled at him.

Katja followed me as I moved the horse off. We moved as fast as Bessy could which was not much more than a trot. I kept myself alert for that group of men just in case they grew spines. "That was... have you fort like that often?"

My dark mood was evident in my answer to her. "More than I ever wanted to!" I growled.

I looked down at the boy who was not crying or even looking scared. He lay there looking sleepy. He should be screaming in fear of what just happened... for that matter, he usually gets upset at my grumbling. We need to catch up with the group ahead of us. I looked up at the sky. "We need to get this boy to the waggons as soon as we can. He is not acting right."

Katja nodded looking at Bessy. "We need Bessy so... could you go on ahead and get some help, then come back to us?"

I sniffed the air as we joined the road. The scent of the group we followed floated in the air as the wind blew towards us. "I don't know if leaving you is a good idea at the moment Pup. The group behind us is going to come after us and the group ahead of us is not going to be welcoming."

We rode at that speed for a while until Duha slowed us down. We can't keep going at that pace. We need to at least until we can catch up, but the Bessy can't run long, and the little one needs help. Duha drew rain, and I did a few steps after her so I was level with her. She had her nose in the air and then looked off to a group of trees.

"They camped there last night." She pointed at the trees. "They have wounded, I smell blood. I think we are about three... maybe four hours behind them."

"Can we catch them?" I asked hope rising in my chest.

That hope shattered like glass as she shook her head. "Even in Beast form, I would need to run full pelt for a day to catch them, then I would collapse." Duha looked pale and grabbed her water skin drinking deeply from it.

"Are you ill?" She growled at me softly. "Duha I need to know." She looked at me and then her nose twitched, and her eyes snapped at the sky. I followed her gaze when her jaw dropped. There in the sky was a bird being chased by an object that shimmered red as it flew past the sun. Once it passed, I could see its shape better now. A Dragon! He is real! They looked small like they were flying high. "Do we follow him?" I asked staring up at the red shimmering dragon in the sky.

Duha moved her horse towards where we lost sight of him. I followed. "Duha...we should follow the road as that is where the group will be." She looked over at me and I was struck silent by the look on her face. She looks scared and sick. "Duha! What is wrong?" She looked down at the sling and my chest tightened. "Go Duha! Get him help I will follow the road with Bessy."

"You sure, Pup?" She asked softly.

I've never been so sure of anything in my life. We have to get him help. "GO!" I yelled slowing my horse down for Bessy and returning to the road.

I can do this. I thought watching Duha gallop away from me. In the sky, I could see Dragon spiralling down to the ground now and again; from my new position, he was a small shining dot. I kept going as fast as Bessy could take, slowing a little more when she was struggling.

Soon enough I saw a cloud of dust on the road ahead of me and a small group breaking away from the bigger group of waggons heading for the place the dragon had gone. The rest stayed on the road headed towards me. I took a breath and stopped.

Next, I pulled my pole from the place I had tied it on Bessy. Bessy's rope was tied to my saddle so I checked the knot. Putting the end of the pole on my foot I drew rain and I waited. My heart beat with the pace of the hoofbeats. I wonder if I can howl so Duha can hear me. I guess I have no choice but to try. The waggons stopped a short way from me and I took a calming breath as one man climbed down from the lead cart. Here we go.

I drew rain at a lone cart with a woman on her feet holding the rains of a horse and another woman lying on the ground smelling wounded. They both looked at me as I got close. The woman on her feet glared at me. All I could smell was birds. "I'm Lone Wolf I have a sick child and need help."

The woman's eyes went wide. "Lone Wolf! We have some people coming maybe they will help you. I will not!" The woman holding the horse said spitting at me.

"Then you kill this boy!" I growled at her making the horses shift and whinny.

"You will have to wait." She spat narrowing her eyes at me.

I sighed and climbed down from my horse and tied it to the waggon. I pulled the boy from the sling and sat on the floor with him in my lap. He was limp and unresponsive, but awake. "He is human and you will hurt him!"

The woman glared at me shaking her head. The other woman sat up and groaned. "I will try and fly." She said trying to stand.

"Swallow you can't fly in your state." The other woman said.

Swallow stumbled towards me. "The child is innocent, whatever this Wolf has done he did nothing. Can we start this campaign with a baby's blood on our hands?"

The woman sighed and morphed into a hawk. "I will go. Stay here and make sure she stays clear of the waggon."

She took off and I felt overwhelmed by dizziness. "Take the boy and make sure he gets help." I said pushing the boy into Swollaws arms.

Swallow took him from me as I lay down with my eyes closed. This bloody sickness! When will it go. Swallow put her hand on my shoulder. "We have a good healer... you will see."

"I have seen him, he will know me but not the boy." I opened my eyes to the distant sound of someone trying to imitate my howl. I tried to sit up but Swallow held me down. "My pup... She is in danger I must go!" I struggled out of her grasp and grabbed at my horse making it whiny.

"If you left her on the road..." Swallow started to say.

"I must..." The world went black.

The man who climbed down walked up to me with his hand on the handle of a dagger. "Why are you on the road alone?" He said stopping a few feet from me.

I smiled at him. "I'm travelling with Lone Wolf. She followed Dragon with another member of our party who was ill. She left me to meet with you."

He seemed to straighten at Wolf's name. "Lone Wolf? You expect me to believe you are with her."

"I am... if you know Gorilla then he can..." The man lurched forward cutting me off, I tried to howl like Duha did.

I tilted my head back like she had. The howl I let out was a poor replica of hers but loud enough that she probably heard it. The man stepped back at my howl shocked. Another man hurried over to us and I sighed with relief. "Gorilla! It's good to see you again."

"You too... uhh." He stumbled over what to call me.

"Pup. She calls me Pup."

He nodded. "Where is the boy?"

"He's sick and Wolf ran towards Dragon with him." He looked relieved.

"Do you vouch for this one then?" The large man asked Michi.

He nodded and smiled at Bessy. "I do vouch for her, you brought Bessy with you?"

"The boy needed milk. It wouldn't have kept very well so we had to bring her." I said watching the big man return to his waggon and issue instructions.

He laughed and gestured for me to follow him. "We will catch up with the others shortly."

I moved the horse alongside Michi. "Good because Wolf looked sick."

Michi shook his head sighing. "She still gets that huh... Alright, knowing her she will pass out when she gets there."

He climbed up onto his waggon and we started moving behind the others. "What is wrong with her?" I asked softly.

"She was very badly wounded after a fight. She was laid up for a long time and has had it since then. I told her to see someone but, you know how she is."

I looked down at Bessy and smiled. She is keeping up well. I looked forward as we cought up to the back of the other group. They had stopped and the people were milling about. I got off my horse and tied it to Michi's wagon. "I'll look after them." He assured me.

"Thanks." I shouted as I ran off.

Running around the people and wagons excitedly made me giddy. Then I heard a shout. "No! You can't do that! She needs care." I stopped in my tracks and then hurried to the voice.

As I made my way to the front of the group I saw a man standing and a woman crouched over Duha. The man had the boy in his hands and was the one shouting. "I don't care if she is the Lone Wolf! She needs help and I can't carry her and the boy."

"Listen to yourself, Badger! She kills yaspilrmeth." Someone in the crowd yelled back at him.

I rushed forward and went to my knees in front of Duha. "No! Wake up, Wolf! Wake up!"

Badger turned and frowned at me. "You know her?" I nodded, wiping my face. Do you have a wagon we could take her to?"

I nodded standing and took the boy from him. "I think Gorilla will let her stay with him."

The woman next to us smiled. "That is my wagon and yes she can stay there." The group just stood there as Badger and the woman picked up an unconscious Duha.

We dragged her to the waggon at the back of the group. Gorilla jumped from the wagon, running to help. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the back.