Star Wolf: A Space Opera Fantasy (Songs of Star & Winter Book 1)

by L. A. Frederick

  ‘I am the Wolf. Let them try,’ responded Ash, no hint of fear betrayed his confidence and Star couldn’t help but take pride and strength from the veteran warrior’s courage.

  AS WELCOME AS THE PERMANENT escort of Sky, River, Ash and Bloodhound was Star Wolf couldn’t help but crave a little privacy, especially for the next part. An audience with his father, after another week of not speaking, was not something he wanted his growing fellowship to witness.

  ‘Hello,’ he thought about not using the word, ‘Father,’ but decided against the slight. ‘How are you keeping?’

  The hollow question was greeted with a grunt from the window chair his father occupied. Winter storms were howling outside the castle. Even Star Wolf had sought the sanctuary of warmth in recent weeks as the snow piled up outside.

  ‘You haven’t asked me about Elm or Stone,’ continued Star, wondering if his father even noticed two of his most formidable guard members were gone.

  ‘What is there to ask? That you allowed a great fighter and a promising guard both to die on your watch, such a waste of talent, and what are we left with, exile and shame.’

  ‘I don’t care what the Council thinks, where is the shame in pursuing the truth?’ demanded Star Wolf, his father’s obtrusiveness was maddening. How could someone so single-minded care so much about what the masses thought? The Wolf doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of the sheep. A mantra his father had instilled in him from a young age. Star knew many species had the same saying, though he wondered if because the sheep were mindless animals he’d in fact missed the point of the message.

  ‘Anyone touched by the Universal Beacon is worthy of our thoughts and respect,’ said Sun Wolf, turning a pair of disapproving eyes on his son, ‘you don’t listen very well, do you? If only I had sired more sons, perhaps we wouldn’t be in this mess.’

  Star Wolf growled, dropping to all fours, padding toward his father as primal instincts took over.

  Sun Wolf laughed a brittle and rasping laugh. ‘That’s it use your claws. They are the only part of your body that seems to work! Perhaps you’d be better suited as a mindless Wolf on all four paws, rather than one with a brain walking tall.’ The insult halted Star in his tracks, as was the norm, his father’s words cut to the core of him. Barb after barb stacked up one after the other, all designed to humble, humiliate and belittle Star. Enough is enough.

  ‘Very well father,’ said Star, standing back up on two feet and turning for the door. His nose twitched at the abundance of roses strewn around the vast chamber, the floral fragrance couldn’t mask the stench of rot. ‘I’ll leave Lupus in the morning; you’ll never need to see or hear from me again.’

  His father at least had the good grace to appear surprised, or at least feign a visage of shock, as he shuffled in his seat to regard Star Wolf.

  ‘At least this way the Wolf name under your command can die with you, it’s perfect protector and leader.’

  Now shock did cover his father’s muzzle.

  ‘I suppose when you’re gone they’ll elect a new ruler from the house. I wish you well father.’ said Star Wolf, slamming the iron-studded oak-door shut.

  From within a piercing howl emanated.

  The most satisfying cry of anguish Star Wolf ever heard.

  SITTING BESIDE THE roaring fire in his personal chambers provided an ounce of comfort Star Wolf hadn’t experienced in a long time. The hearth’s intricate frame had been carved into the stonewall generations before, a ballet of Wolves at war. Star studied the elaborate carvings, as he had done a thousand times before, pretending he was one of the heroic fighters they depicted. Now he wasn’t so sure he’d ever achieve such lofty fame as to warrant recording in stone or song.

  Eyes shut he focused his other senses, as his primal ancestors would’ve done, on everything around him. His fur tingled against the heat, ears pricked at the fierce wind and hammering snow outside. He rolled his tongue, fresh with blood from his last kill, a small Chicken from the coop in the courtyard. Not a hunt but a quick necessity given his imminent exit. Finally he ran his claws over the long wooden bench, at the end of his enormous bed, and the thick fur pelts strewn over the polish wood. He savoured every sense and memory from this room, it would be his last night in it, he wouldn’t return.

  ‘Goodbye,’ he uttered, deciding it better to leave in the dead of night, alone. I’ve done enough damage to those who follow me.

  After ten minutes of slow walking, on hind legs, Star Wolf questioned the wisdom of his decision to sneak past the sentry towers. He took small pride in being able to evade at least fifty Wolves to exit the House of Wolves without detection, hiding and running it seemed were his only real talents, and killing mindless creatures.

  ‘The Wolf doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of the sheep,’ he muttered the pointless lesson his father dished out. Most species wouldn’t have noticed it, especially in the thick of night with extreme winds and heavy snowfall assaulting a creature’s hearing but the Wolf could hear better than most, and Star Wolf heard a distinctive snigger in the forest.

  Someone was following him.

  Not one but two animals.

  Tigers.

  Revenge had come for Star Wolf, even though the Tiger had won on their own planet. It seemed their retribution would be swift and without mercy. Star Wolf was on all fours and running, cursing the weight of his thick woollen overcoat and the fact he wore no armour, away from the castle. The Tigers were in that direction, the only route was deeper into the forest, which went on for thousands of miles, wilderness awaited. No Wolves lived out this way, but Star Wolf’s private ship was hidden another five miles ahead.

  The race for survival was on.

  Every time Star dared a glance back he caught the scent of two Tigers, they were flanking him and gaining fast. The fact they were gaining stung his pride, on his planet no one was faster than he. Time to show them how the Wolf ran. They may have a powerful sprint, but could they run for hours on end through treacherous, ice-cold conditions.

  The Tigers weren’t famed for their prowess in cold conditions; apart from the Winter Tiger, or so the legend went. Neither of the Tigers hunting were the Tiger’s leader. Star Wolf had committed the oddly pleasant floral fragrance of the Winter Tiger to memory. No these were most likely from his death squad, but to so boldly enter the Wolves territory was madness. The irony of the thought soon caught up with Star Wolf, after his own venture to Tigris, but the Tigers didn’t.

  He was beginning to stretch the gap.

  Frustrated curses from left and right highlighted his success further right up until he nearly ran straight into a creature leaping from the treeline. A stocky bulk vaulted past Star, skimming past his left shoulder, to land via a forward roll to cover Star’s back. The confusion stopped Star in his tracks, and he turned to witness the diminutive figure, which never glanced back to Star, square off against two Tigers.

  A Badger no less.

  Steelclaw and Oakenclaw snarled at the animal before them as they swished their dangerous heads side to side, their long braids whipping behind them.

  The Badger removed two axes from sheaths on its back. Their emerald edges glimmered in the faint moonlight entering from the natural canopy. Steel and oak grated against thick redwoods. The Tigers taunted their prey in the swirling snow as they circled. The three of them danced a silent ballet of death, gracefully shifting in unison, no one wanting to strike.

  Star couldn’t move his fur shivered as yet another situation overwhelmed him. Both Badger and Tiger had been the Wolves enemy in the past, which side to pick. The Badger was obviously focused on the Tigers, but had it taken a swipe at Star Wolf and missed? He hadn’t detected the Badger once, his ego said it was on account of being pursued but in reality a superior hunter simply outmanoeuvred him.

  Oakenclaw was the first to grow tired of the flirting and pounced forward, an obvious move, too slow. The Badger ducked, slicing one of his axes across Oakenclaw’s shin. Shards of golden
metal fell to the ground, exposing black and orange fur beneath but no wound.

  ‘Oh brother, a little more finesse please,’ said Steelclaw, with his sultry tone. This one enjoyed the theatre of battle. Something the Badger didn’t seem keen on, as he remained utterly quiet. Star Wolf shuffled around to get a better view. ‘Uh uh, you stay their Wolf. I’ve not even started with you,’ continued Steelclaw as he launched a steel blade, only a few inches long, that would’ve pinned Star Wolf between the eyes had he not leapt into the snow.

  ‘Away with you Wolf,’ said, what Star Wolf realised was, the Night Badger.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ asked Star Wolf but the Night Badger wasn’t listening as he dodged multiple wild slashes from Oakenclaw, all the while Steelclaw shuffled to prevent the Night Badger from fully evading them.

  ‘Screw this!’

  Star Wolf pulled his laser gun and fired at Steelclaw, the ping of laser against metal vaulted Steelclaw back a few feet, his metal breastplate hissed with steam. He ducked the next shot, rolling backward in an elegant arc to land behind a fallen redwood branch.

  ‘You little—’ cursed Steelclaw. ‘Don’t you have any etiquette? Do you see any other creature drawing guns? This is a fight of skill, in an unbiased and fair battleground. What is wrong with you?’

  The accusation stung Star Wolf worse than any laser blast. His pang of embarrassment heightened when he caught a disapproving glance from the Night Badger, who darted left drawing a wild slash from Oakenclaw, which in turn cause his wooden claw tips to snag in a tree. He roared in displeasure as the Night Badger doubled back to clatter him with one of his emerald axes, they were beautiful to behold in the dim light. Flashes of green, moving with deadly force and precision, Oakenclaw slumped to his knees, blood pouring form an open gash on his shoulder and another on his left temple.

  On his knees he was the same height as the Night Badger, who prepared for the final blow, hauling his axes back and cursing as he swung them back down.

  ‘Drop!’ roared Steelclaw.

  His brother obeyed the command and blades flew, too many for Star to count, many crashing into their target. Oakenclaw scrambled away to the cover of darkness, Steelclaw joining him to drag his brother to his feet, the Tiger duo fleeing the battle.

  The Night Badger crumpled to the ground, blades protruding from both his left and right forearms. A third blade was lodged in his cheek and a fourth in his shoulder.

  ‘What the hell are you doing hell?’ asked Star Wolf, scrambling to kneel beside the fallen Badger.

  ‘Saving you of course, how else are we going to rid the galaxy of these treacherous Tigers,’ said the Night Badger, through gritted teeth, as he pulled the knife from his cheek to Star Wolf’s immense horror. ‘Don’t panic,’ continued the Night Badger, lifting his bloodied lip to reveal half of his teeth, the side the blade hit, were metal, ‘had these a while now. Better than the real thing, and damn useful when some filthy Tiger chucks a dagger in your face, wouldn’t you agree.’ His gravelly voice panted through the words, he seemed to be trying his best to mask any pain. He did a good job. The Night Badger proceeded to remove the remaining three blades and bandaged the wounds in a matter of minutes. All while Star Wolf gawped in silence.

  ‘There, sorted, flesh wounds,’ he almost sounded cheery, ‘don’t look so glum Star Wolf, I’ve had worse and they’ll be worse to come where we’re headed.’

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING, having skulked back into the castle, Star Wolf took the Night Badger before his father. This time Sky, River, Ash and Bloodhound could not be kept outside.

  ‘I’m not surprised assassins were sent after you, after what you did on Tigris. You broke countless laws and vows, it’s a wonder the Council didn’t banish you to E—’ his father stopped short of finishing the word.

  ‘Earth,’ completed Ash, ‘one of your finest decisions to date.’ The veteran’s dissent to Sun knew no bounds, and yet Sun offered no rebuke, and nor did he demand Ash taken to a cell for the ruined uniform he sported. There was more to that story than Star had time to discover.

  ‘Quite,’ said Sun Wolf. ‘And you’ve involved a Badger I see. Why is a Badger here?’ the scorn and bark in his words left Star grinding his teeth.

  ‘I’m here to join the Wolves.’ The Night Badger scratched his chin. ‘No that’s not right. I’ve come to join your son, he’s right about the Tigers.

  ‘But you vouched for them?’ asked Sky, she shuffled closer to Star Wolf, turning to him for answers. He had none.

  ‘Oh, aye, I saw the Space Kraken, but it had been dead for months, perhaps a year.’

  ‘Why didn’t you speak up at the Council?’ demanded River, the trio of young Wolves barred teeth and growled. Ash and Sun Wolf and Bloodhound, however, gave knowing looks to the Night Badger.

  ‘Because I value my life, learn to pick your moments. Plus, the Winter Tiger has

  spies everywhere, and I happened to be stood on a podium next to some of the greatest fighters in the galaxy...’ the Night Badger paused, walking along the line of young Wolves, ‘convenient no? Any of you fancy calling out the Winter Tiger stood next to the March Hare?’

  No one answered.

  ‘No, perhaps the Scarlett Fox?’

  Again silence. Ash shook his head.

  ‘No. How about Kodiak? He’d be a nice easy battle for someone like you,’ he said stood in front of River, prodding River in the chest, ‘you young Wolves need to smarten up and quick. You’ve blown your chance and now the galaxy is on its knees. Quite frankly I nearly didn’t come to rescue you.’

  ‘And why did you?’ asked Sky. Star Wolf had no words. He was soaking in the words and accepting them as truths, another creature aware of is naivety.

  ‘Honour.’

  Everyone turned to Bloodhound who provided the answer.

  ‘Aye,’ agreed the Night Badger, ‘it’s all us old fighters have left. Good to see you Sea Mutt.’

  The Dog and Badger nodded, a mutual respect, and amidst the House of Wolves no less. For a leader who preached equality and cross-species harmony, Sun Wolf appeared disgusted by the whole meeting. Seeing his father so at odds with his teachings gave Star his voice once more, his father was proving to be a terrible warning rather than a good example.

  ‘I wouldn’t say we’ve blown our chance,’ said Star Wolf.

  All eyes darted to him, curiosity and hope etched on their faces, Ash smiled and nodded.

  ‘Oh, aye, why’s that Star?’ asked the Night Badger.

  ‘Because I put a tracker on Darkchurch when we were on Tigris, who wants to hunt some Tigers with me?’

  ‘Not just a pretty muzzle, are you?’ said the Night Badger.

  Smiles ran through the group.

  The biggest reserved for Sun Wolf, who grabbed Star with real enthusiasm. ‘That’s my boy.’

  ‘So I’m your son again?’ snapped Star Wolf.

  His father lowered his head to whisper in Star’s ear. ‘You’re always my son, no matter what you do.’ They were the ramblings of a deluded old Wolf.

  12. The Hunt On Ranae

  Aboard Lupenroad the band of Star Wolf’s followers was beginning to diversify. For his entire life he’d lived, trained and hunted with Wolves, and yet here he was sat on the flight deck between a Dog and Badger. Both species had had scuffles with the Wolf since the Universal Beacon, but the main uniting factor for all three creatures was a greater foe. The Badgers knew better than most the wrath of the Tigers, whose cull many generations back nearly wiped Badgers from existence. The Badger also hated the Dogs, another who’d attempted to eradicate the Badgers, hence why Star Wolf sat between his new recruits.

  The Badgers’ free will and fornication across the galaxy had proved their downfall. They weren’t content with their planet and spread at alarming rate across the galaxy. They had no plans for conquering and this proved to be another reason for their demise. Luckily for their species many generations housed hardened, fearless warriors like the Night Badger.
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  ‘Why are you here?’ asked Star Wolf, standing to stare out into the infinite black of space. They had a long way to go, if the tracking signal proved to be reliable. If it proved unreliable they had even longer before they returned to Lupus.

  ‘To kill some scum.’ The Night Badger moved to the window beside the one Star gazed out of.

  ‘From what species?’ said Bloodhound. He remained seated in the centre of the flight deck. He sat opposite River and Sky. Around them several Wolves busied themselves crewing the ship. It seemed tracking and navigating weren’t as easy in the abyss of space as in the deep forests of Lupus. Star’s chief navigator Thorn claimed the signal was erratic. Meaning a constant need to adjust course, which was proving more and more difficult as they entered a large group of meteors.

  Thorn assured they were safe. If the crew remained diligent, the meteors were reasonably still. After that Star had been satisfied and left Thorn to follow the signal. Ash was busy ensuring the three hundred Wolves they had abroad were prepared for the potential of three hundred armed Tigers.

  Star turned his attentions to unearthing the Night Badger’s true motives.

  ‘Tigers of course,’ said the Night Badger turning to regard Bloodhound, before turning back to Star Wolf, ‘and anyone else who might owe the Badger a death.’

  ‘So you may kill me?’ asked Star Wolf.

  ‘Oh, aye.’ The Night Badger walked to stand before Star and look up with that hardened black and white face. ‘But you’re way down the list. So don’t fret, I’ll have to kill thousands before I get to you. The Dog for one.’

  ‘Ha!’ Bloodhound laughed, long and loud, a carefree sound of a creature used to freedom and exploration. ‘He’s been saying that for years. Ignore the grumpy old Badger and point him in the direction of Tigers. That pride of his is still smarting from being a coward in front of The Council of Worlds!’