6 The Wolf

A small shriek rang through the forest of the mountains base. Causing a stir in the darkness, two pale blue eyes emerged from the shadows. Staring intensely at the direction of the sound.

.

.

.

A small carriage rattled through the bumpy mountain road. The horses struggled to pull the carriage up the steep path, a carriage driver watched intensely at the darkness. He was a short round man, with Dwarf blood in his veins which allowed him to see incredibly well in the darkness. He was payed top dollar to drive people in the dead of night and not ask any questions. So when he was told to meet a man on a nearly abounded road in the forest he obliged. He didn't say anything about the fox in the cage and honestly could care less. He didn't have a wife or family anymore. His only motivation for these driving jobs was his gambling addiction. So he always told himself once he struck it rich he would stop whatever shady business he was supporting. But for now he just focused on driving and ignored the occasional shrieks coming from the carriage.

Inside the Sullen had one had on the cage holding it in place and the other on the foxes tail. He has pulled it through the bars and was playing with it in his own sadistic way.

He was mad at the fox him front of him because he knew how beautiful she was as a human. However, he knew there was no way he could afford something like her so instead he decided to have some fun in another way.

Holding the base of the tail near the cage he then took his other hand in a quick strong motion causing a small snap in the tail. The fox let out another painful shriek and he let go it.

The tail was now at a weird angle and the curled her body around it protectively. Being a shapeshifter she had an usually strong ability to heal. Yet, healing was not an easy process at a rapid rate. She could feel the bones rearrange themselves inside her tail and her pulling it back to its original state. This was the probably the twentieth time he broke her tail and watched it heal back, only to break it again. The first few times she didn't make a sound but the more he broke it the more her mental endurance withered marking it harder to stay quiet.

"What a fun way to make time fly!" He said to her, he figured he could do this all day if he wanted and the keeper would never know.

"Maybe I should try another way to hurt you? What about your little paws?" His face looked absolutely terrifying from the cage Sionna cowered in. The only light in the carriage was from the gem on the top of the wizards staff that was propped up in the corner. Causing deep and dark shadows over his dark eyes.

He reached into the cage again trying to grab a paw while the fox was unable to bite him and had no where to run. When the carriage came to a halt.

They could both here a dull thud, in Sullen's mind the driver must have stepped down from the carriage to inspect something in the road.

Sionna on the other hand had much better hearing and could tell that an entire body had landed on the ground with much force. She could even hear the man trying to gasp for his breath as the strong odor of blood filled her nose. She also smelt something new, something she had never smelt before.

"I will be back for you little fox," he said smiling at her. Now irritated he stepped out of the carriage and was about to yell at the driver when he instead saw the drivers body lying on the ground with his throat ripped out.

In instinctively he reached his right hand into the carriage for his staff when a the shadow itself moved and pair of giant jaws emerged. Clamping down so hard on Sullen's hand and worst it broke his bones and cut off his pinky. With his arm still in the beasts mouth the animal tossed him into a tree away from the carriage.

The small fox in the cage watched the two figures disappear out of view and she prayed this man wolf was her savior.

Outside of the carriage Sullen watched a large black wolf with glowing blue walked a few paces towards him blood dripping from his mouth. His heart beat rapidly out of his chest fearing for his life when the beast stopped. Then began to change, the animals bones twisted snapped and grew and it stood up on his back legs. The monster was quickly replaced by a tall dark figure. The man the wolf turned into was extremely tall, to the point that one might trying he hand elf or giants blood. Even in the almost total darkness the definition in naked body could be seen. He was ripped with defined muscles and Sullen felt jealous at the size of what hung between his legs. Following Sullen's eyesight the man realized he was naked, so he turned towards the drivers corpus. He swiftly pulled the pants off the dead body and put them on. Leaving the corpus in his underwear, he looked down satisfied at the pants that were much too short for him. Luckily the driver was very fat so the pants fit his waist, but barely went past his knees. The man now turned, straightened up and started walking towards the man again. His blue eyes glowing with a terrifying delight.

Sullen suddenly was made away again of his current predicament.

"Please stop!" He shrieked like a little girl who had seen a spider. As the figure steadily walked towards him.

"I have a marked shifter!" He said to the man pulling down his sleeve to expose blue markings on his wrist. At this the man finally stopped, 'obviously the man is a shifter himself maybe if he agreed to free her he could walk away with his life?' Sullen schemed to himself.

"She's not tainted yet... and, and... she's a beautiful fox who could sell for hundreds of gold coins, but, but, but... I can give you control over her?" Sullen stuttered our hoping this was his ticket to getting out of this situation alive.

The man narrowed his eyes staring at Sullen in a way that made his bones cold.

"I would undo the marking curse, but I don'tttt know how..." he said honestly, the keeper only taught him the curse and debriefed him on how to transfer it.

"Fine, then transfer it to," said the tall man after a short pause.

"On condition, you agree to spare my life."

"I agree to not raise a finger against you or hurt you or your life, in exchange for control over the fox shifter." He said walking quickly towards he bent down to Sullen. Even on his knees his sheer size chilled Sullen to the bones. His massive hand took a hold of Sullen's left hand not bothering to help him up.

"Under the condition that you do not harm me, do not hurt me, and spare my life. I will give you control over the shifter fox." Sullen then chanted an incantation from his memory, and the blue markings traveled up through Sullen's hand to the large right hand of the man kneeling next to him. They came to a rest on his wrist and they glowed a soft blue in the darkness.