jmilana's entry

[jmilana]

Deep within the Silva Forest, underneath the thick canopy of leaves, William, the alpha of the brown Lycanthrope pack, had a problem. He paced back and forth in his cavernous home, then paused and scratched his furry chin. “What to do?” Several moons ago, an infamous magi who called himself Alethin had begun selling wares that were both rare and, sometimes, questionably legal. In the month the magi called January, on the sacred night of the Wolf Moon, Alethin, his black Raza Cobra, Adela, and his cart of goods had appeared, this time offering valuable hybrid creatures that had been taken from the wild. The significance of this was that wild-caught creatures added to the small gene pool of creatures bred by magi, helping to avoid inbreeding within certain species. The problem? Many of William’s pack suspected that, with the popularity of the new hybrid bloodlines, Alethin would be in the market for more wild-caught hybrids. The Silva Forest was home to such hybrids in the form of Albino Direwolves. These wolves were extremely rare in the wild and were treasured by their packs, packs that were closely tied to the Lycanthropes. Lycanthropes were depended on to protect the Direwolves, as they were to protect all of the creatures of Silva Forest, from shady characters like Alethin. As the alpha, the problem fell into William’s hands…well, paws.

As a whole, Direwolves trusted only one magi: the merchant named Remy. Only he was given their eggs to sell to only the most trustworthy magi. And, William had heard from the man himself that Remy distrusted Alethin and warned other magi to take their patronage elsewhere. “I wish he wouldn’t come to the inn. I don’t know much about him. I haven’t been affiliated with him since my time in the merchant’s guild. We went… very different ways, after training at the Keep.” So, in order to prevent the inevitable theft of Albino Direwolf eggs, William had donned his cloak to hide his beastly form, entered Synara City (the city closest to the Keep), and dropped an anonymous tip alerting the authorities to Alethin’s presence on the sacred night of the Snow Moon. Fortunately for him, the authorities were able to capture Alethin and prevent the sale of any other stolen wares. Unfortunately for him, they failed to capture Adela, and, due to her (and perhaps some loyal followers), Alethin had been able to escape.

"What to do?"

*The highlighted text was written by the MS staff, not by me.

[jmilana]

More news of Alethin's escape came to William from a little birdy, his White Tundra Tylluan friend, Athena. A wild bird, she, like others of her kind, liked to spend the night roosting on top of the Keep's library, listening to students' research and gossip. At the break of dawn, she had returned to the Silva Forest to tell William that she had overheard Talyn, a former student at the Keep, talking. "Why was there a cobra slithering through my room? I had nothin' to do with anything Alethin did! Or didn't do! We haven't even talked since that time in Alveus!" When questioned by other students, Talyn reportedly replied, "Alethin led me into Alveus and got me thrown in jail for bein' a magi! I wouldn't've even noticed the snake since I'm usually out traveling, but I had just come back through Synara and heard about the weirdness. It's not really a nice homecoming to come back to a snake in your room!"

This was not good news. Alethin had apparently already placed blame for his capture on someone– someone who was innocent, although foolish. “Alethin must think Talyn is responsible for his arrest, when in reality, I am responsible. What to do?”

Later that afternoon, William put on his hooded cloak once more and headed to the Keep. He had to investigate further. How had Alethin even managed to escape? First, he stopped by the Trading Post to speak with Klara. "Oh, don't mind those two cranky hooded figures in the corner. They keep babbling about a jet black snake slithering towards the Keep's gardens, but everybody knows black snakes only live in the South and never wander elsewhere." Well, that explains how Adela got into Talyn's room, William thought to himself.

Then he stopped in the Artificer Shop. Although he had no human currency, he pretended to search the shelves for something to buy, just to be polite. Suddenly, he noticed an empty slot in the shelves. Only a single black scale lay on the floor in front of it. William asked the shopkeeper what was in the slot, and they told him it was just some old prototype, a small snake-like automaton that could, under certain conditions, turn into several keys. And that explained how Alethin had escaped his cell. Adela had stolen the keys!

"Now what do I do? I can't let Alethin continue to take this out on Talyn, that's for sure." -To Be Continued

*The highlighted text was written by the MS staff, not by me.

[jmilana]

William made up his mind to talk to Talyn. It was only fair to warn him of the threat Alethin might pose to him. Of course, he couldn't reveal the entire truth, or else Alethin might begin to target the Lycanthropes instead. William would not allow his pack to be in danger, not even to protect an innocent magi. William approached Talyn, who was sitting with a group of his friends in the Atrium. They were discussing the use of Glacial Kois, but the alpha had no time for such musings. "Hello, Talyn."

"Um, hello. Do I know you?"

"No. Not yet anyway. I've been hearing some rumors about your relationship with Alethin. Do you have time to speak with me?"

"Not really. I gotta go dump some more weird potions Kaiden Featherstone gave me. Some sort of breeding potion that didn't work the way it should have. He's always making weird stuff. But it seems the big cobra was in there too, and Kaiden almost never leaves his lab, so he begged me to dump it...somewhere. Hopefully the big cobra doesn't get it. The last thing Alethin needs is more weird potions, right?"

"Kaiden Featherstone, huh?" Perhaps Alethin hadn't yet pinpointed who, exactly, had set him up. This was good news for Talyn and bad news for William - not to mention Kaiden Featherstone. "Anything else?"

Talyn hesitated. "I guess I do have something I can share with you." Talyn reached into his pocket and produced a note, which he handed to William. "See ya, dude." With that, Talyn left the Atrium, and his group scattered. William quickly read the note.

"If you are a worthwhile customer my previous messages should have reached you, and you already know what is going on, but in case this is not so, let me bring you up to date. Someone, somewhere, found out my route and set me up. I have reached out to my friends and enemies looking for information on who it might have been and how they managed to do this. As I have previously provided you with wares you would not have been able to acquire otherwise, I'm now calling in that favour and require you to assist me in figuring things out. I will reward generously anyone who has any leads on the matter. -A"

So, it was true: Alethin had already escaped and was actively pursuing his jailer. And not only was Adela aiding him but his customers were too. What had Alethin been planning to sell during the Snow Moon? Perhaps this "Kaiden Featherstone" knew. William recalled hearing his name before, but from where? He decided to ask his long-time friend, Master Belmos. He quickly traveled to Belmos' classroom, which of course was outdoors. After all, Belmos often used his creatures' abilities to assist him in teaching. However, when William approached the' classroom, he ran into Ridan instead, an assistant to Master Belmos. Ridan, along with many of the professors that taught at the Keep, knew of William's true nature, and thus William was safe to lose the hood he'd been wearing. "Hello, Ridan! Is Master Belmos around? I have troubling news to discuss with him."

"I'm afraid not, alpha. Perhaps I can help?"

"That depends. Have you heard the name 'Kaiden Featherstone?' Do you have any idea of what potions he's been brewing lately?"

"It seems I can help you. I've been hearing these strange rumors lately. From what I have gathered, there have been sightings of a green colored ammit wondering around. Some even said to have seen mist hovering around it, almost like a mist stalker. Given the nature of ammits and mist stalkers, any hybrid produced by them would be considered extremely dangerous. Please note though, that any breeding of them was banned long ago. It was said to be to dangerous to produce such a hybrid. Some people though, may feel as though they can handle such a creature, but when they realize they can't, they turn it loose."

"How does Featherstone factor into this?"

"Well, he's known around the Keep for making experimental - and sometimes dangerous - spells and potions. Perhaps it's Featherstone's most recent potion, a so-called 'love potion,' that's encouraged the breeding of these hazardous creatures."

"And magi who, under normal circumstances, couldn't breed these hybrids could now breed them, if only they had access to this love potion?"

"Presumably, yes."

"Thank you, my friend. You've given me a lot to think about. Stay safe." William shook hands with Ridan and left the Keep, heading back to the Silva Forest. So, Alethin had been selling Kaiden Featherstone's love potions when he had been caught. Instead of Talyn, it seemed that he was now placing blame on Featherstone. What was William's next step? Perhaps he ought to visit the potion maker and warn him. -To Be Continued

*The highlighted text was written by the MS staff, not by me.

[jmilana]

It was late, and on any other night, it would have been dark, pitch black. Tonight, though, despite the time, the sky shone with a bright light. It was the sacred night of the full Worm Moon. It had been a month since Alethin had been locked up, a month since he'd escaped prison, and a month since William had begun his investigation. And tonight Alethin's Black Market was scheduled to make a return. What wares would be available tonight? What stolen creatures and illegal potions and spells would otherwise innocent magi be tempted to buy? William intended to find out.

Several days ago, William had dropped by Kaiden Featherstone's dorm room. He had warned the magi in training to be careful, as Alethin was free and looking for revenge. Featherstone had been nervous, but he assured the Lycanthrope alpha that he would be careful. To be honest, though, William figured that Alethin had already realized that Featherstone was not responsible for tipping off the authorities. The question was, did he finally know who did it?

Presently, William returned to the spot where he had last seen Alethin's cart, and, lo and behold, there was the cart, guarded by Adela. She was patiently awaiting her master. She noticed William but didn't seem to recognize him, and she subsequently ignored him. William removed his cloak and hid it in the bushes. Then he shifted his form. Instead of a beast-man hybrid, he now resembled a large Direwolf. He lay down and laid his head on his paws, looking as inconspicuous as could be. There was nothing odd about a magical creature waiting outside the Keep for their magi, after all. Now all he had to do was wait.

The hours passed, and William grew bored. He never left his post, though. Magi drifted by in small groups, inspected Alethin's cart, and even fed morsels of meat to Adela. Were they trying to get on Alethin's good side by pampering his pet? Some even tried to pet William, but his growls warned them away. The alpha of the brown Lycanthrope pack did not accept head pats. Finally, at 1:42 am precisely, a man in a dark cloak appeared.

It was Alethin. So far, there were no customers. No witnesses, either. It was time to put an end to this. William leapt over the cart and tackled Alethin to the ground. He slammed his massive paws into the man's chest and snarled. Alethin laughed weakly. "So it was you."

William didn't need to be in hybrid form to speak. His mouth shape, teeth, and tongue couldn't produce human words, but luckily his voice came from his innate magic, not his mouth. "Yes, thief, it was me. You should have stayed in prison. You would've lived longer." William noticed movement in the corner of his eye and leapt out of the way just as Adela struck. She was venomous, he knew, and one bite would end his life, painfully. He turned and growled at her. He meant the snake no harm, but he would kill her too, if need be. Alethin picked himself up off the ground and quickly muttered a spell. A flash of blinding light shone out, blinding William. "Fool," William spat. He didn't need his sight to kill. He could still hear and smell Alethin and Adela. He dodged as Adela struck again. She was so close to him that she brushed by his whiskers, letting him know exactly where she was. He whirled and grabbed her head from behind, crushing it in his fangs. One sickening crunch, and the cobra was dead.

"Adela!" Alethin cried. There was deep pain in his voice. The two had obviously had a close bond.

"She would still be alive if not for you." William charged at Alethin and sank his fangs into his leg. Alethin screamed. William quickly did the same to the other leg. This time, Alethin wouldn't escape. Alethin produced a small knife from his cloak and buried it in William's throat. It hurt, but it was far from fatal. William's fur was much too thick for such a weapon to penetrate. As William brought his fangs ever closer to Alethin's throat, Alethin surprised him.

"Wait! I-I don't want to die. Why did you report me to the authorities? What do you want from me?"

"You steal eggs from wild parents and sell them into servitude to anyone with enough gold. You are a thief, running a slave market. I will not allow you to loot the Silva Forest."

"Then I won't! I will never take eggs from the Silva Forest again! Please, just let me live!" William thought it over. He didn't enjoy killing magi. He tried to find other solutions whenever possible.

"Swear it. Create a magical contract with me, and I will allow you to live."Alethin and William wove magic in a way that bound them together in a contract. William would instantly know if Alethin ever violated terms. He shifted back into his "human" form and backed away, giving Alethin some space. Alethin stood up and closed his cart for the night. He took Adela's broken body in his arms. Tears streamed down his face as he nodded to William, then left to bury his companion. William watched him go, then headed for home in the Silva Forest. He had a sneaking suspicion that this was not over. Alethin would be back.

The End