Shepherd's Wolf

by M. Andrew Reid

  Viper smirked again. Grave was the poster child for the Conquerors. He had a talent for getting things done, but he had no style. He also had a talent for running away from Viper. Viper folded his arms and leaned back. If Grave was leading the Conqueror effort he had little to worry about. Now, he would learn what the Explorers were up to.

  “The Explorers,” Tungsten stated, “will no doubt have a plan of their own. Likely they will devise some scheme to protect the wolf, but they may also have a goal that is similar to ours. Whatever the case, we demand that our leading members commit their resources to this effort. It must succeed if our plans are to be carried out to their fullest.”

  No shouts of agreement met this challenge. A fatal weakness of the Conquerors was that their members looked out for themselves first and fellow Conquerors second. Banding together proved difficult at times, and it was not unusual for leaders to ignore the Council.

  Viper stood to leave. He had gleaned as much information as he could. The Conquerors did not know what the Explorers were going to do, and the remainder of the meeting would consist of bickering over who would pay for what. He would have to assume that the two factions’ plans would be equally inept. Now, he would exercise his primary advantage: a head start.

  The Explorer City- Ra’ah

  Kogan’s Keep was an enormous castle at the heart of Ra’ah. Kogan had financed it with the immense wealth he had gathered during the early days of the game. From this sanctuary, he led Kogan’s Heroes, the legendary adventurers of Verdia. Their white armor decorated with a gold cross was a revered symbol in the game.

  Kogan reclined at his colossal marble throne; his long, white fur cloak spilled to the floor. His mane, thick and shining white, flowed down his shoulders. A flanged white mace with a head the size of a truck tire rested against the throne. On his other side leaned a great tower shield that could serve as a dinner table if necessary. Large golden eyes looked down upon Athena as she approached him - the tiny Agilus dwarfed by the giant Brutalli.

  Members of Kogan’s Heroes sat on either side of the aisle leading to Kogan’s throne, watching in silence as Athena made her way across the awkwardly large hall. Fletch glided overhead; the buzzing of his booster wings was the only sound in the room. When Athena reached the throne, Kogan smiled. He stood and opened his arms in greeting.

  “Athena!” his deep, rich voice boomed. “I haven’t seen you in forever! It’s good to see you.”

  “Likewise,” Athena grinned. “You don’t get out much anymore.”

  “I am too busy keeping this bunch of kids in line,” Kogan sat back down at his throne. A chair was offered to Athena, but she declined. Kogan scratched his chin, “You know why I asked you here?”

  “Because you missed me?”

  Kogan laughed, “Besides that.”

  “I’ve been out in the wild for a bit. I really don’t know what’s going on. Does it have to do with the contest? It seems like everyone thinks they have a shot at this ten million dollar prize.”

  “We’re not sure,” Kogan replied. “In the South, near Bluegrass, there was some commotion the other day. A boy on a large, extremely fast wolf was spotted by several people. Players started crying hacker, and took it to Dalton tech support. Of course Dalton didn’t say much about it. Whatever this wolf is, I know that the Conquerors are going to try to capture it.”

  “You want me to kill it?”

  Kogan roared with laughter, “No! You’re so violent! I want you to track the wolf and the boy, and see if you can get him to join us. If he will not join us, you must protect him from the Conquerors as long as possible. This distraction came at a perfect time for us.”

  “Why is that?” Athena asked.

  Kogan’s broad face became deadly serious, “What I am about to say must not leave this hall.”

  Athena gave a solemn nod, “Agreed.”

  The great Brutalli leaned back in his throne, “We are going to sabotage the tunnel project. The Conquerors must be stopped from completing it.”

  “That’s a bit out of character for the Explorers,” Athena quipped.

  “The Conquerors already have the military advantage. If they finish the tunnel they will have the economic advantage as well. They will have the funds to invade us here at Ra’ah and push us out to the wilderness. The game will be ruined for anyone who just wants to relax and have a good time.”

  “The wilderness is where all the fun is,” Athena said with a wry grin. She nodded, “Very well, I will not interfere with your plan to stop the tunnel, nor will I tell anyone about it. How are you going to pay me?”

  Kogan sighed, “It’s always business with you isn’t it?”

  He reached beside his throne and lifted up a small leather quiver. Perfectly sized for an Agilus, the quiver nearly vanished in his mighty hands. He offered it to Athena, “Do you know what this is?”

  She turned it over in her paws, claws retracted, “I think so. Why do you have one?”

  “That is an Endless Quiver. When you draw an arrow, another one will take its place. You’ll never have to make another arrow,” Kogan pointed to Fletch, who had come to rest on a chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling, “and your poor bird won’t have to sacrifice any more of his feathers.”

  “Yes, but why do you have it? Wasn’t it hard to get?”

  “Very hard. But I knew it would make a good bargaining chip someday.”

  Athena looked up from the quiver, “I guess I have no choice but to accept.”

  A wide grin crept across Kogan’s face, “Wonderful! Go ahead and keep the quiver, I trust you to do your job well.”

  “Then I will leave at once. I’ll head to Bluegrass immediately.” Athena turned to leave without further discussion.

  Kogan waved good bye, “Bring back some tea.”

  Dalton Headquarters

  Seattle, Washington

  Hundreds of feet below, cars crawled up and down the streets. Alex pressed against the glass wall of his office, looking down. He felt dizzy and stepped away. Sunlight filtered through a crystal paperweight on his desk, casting a tiny rainbow on the dark wood. He stared at it as he spoke to Omni.

  “Did you create the wolf, Omni?” There was no reply. Alex ran his fingers through his hair. “I need to know, Omni.”

  “No.” A simple answer.

  “Who did?”

  “Who created you?” Omni asked.

  “Omni, cut it out. What is this wolf? Where did it come from?”

  “Somewhere else.”

  “And where is that?” Alex sat down at his desk.

  “I don’t know. I do not see the wolf. I know it is there but I do not see it, or what is around it. And that is okay.”

  Alex threw up his arms, “How is that okay? You always have to know everything.”

  “It is okay because it is how it’s supposed to be.”

  “You are not supposed to see the wolf?”

  “Correct.”

  Alex rubbed his face and sighed, “You are taking this awfully well.”

  “What else can I do?”

  “You can tell me where the wolf came from and whether or not it is a problem for us.”

  “This wolf is here for a reason, just like I am here for a reason. In time that purpose will become clear. Until then, I must wait.”

  “Do you know who made the wolf?”

  “Why must there be a who?”

  “Wolves don’t just appear out of nothing.”

  “Perhaps they do. Perhaps this is merely the first time it has happened.”

  “If this is part of the contest, just say that,” Alex smirked. “I’m not going to try to win, I promise.”

  “When I know, I will tell you,” Omni said. “Until then, you must be patient.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. There was some role reversal taking place. Alex was the child, and Omni was the parent. “I can be patient, Omni. I’m not sure everyone else can.”

  Bluegrass

  The antshrew was so named
for three reasons. The first was that it had six legs, like an ant. The second reason was looming above Laura - a giant mound of dirt at least fifteen feet high. Round, brown creatures skittered in and out of tiny holes that pocked the dirt mound like craters on an asteroid. The mound was very much a giant anthill, except that small furry mammals constructed it- not ants.

  The third reason, of course, was that Limerick had discovered the animal, and his naming system consisted of combining two words that vaguely described the creature in question.

  Abruptly, the activity on the mound halted, and all of the antshrews disappeared inside their colony. Laura was bewildered.

  “Hi.” Ben and Gabe were behind her.

  Laura jumped in fright and wheeled around, “You scared me! Where did you come from?”

  “I told you those were cool.” Ben pointed to the antshrew colony.

  “Yeah they are. Thanks for telling me where they are. I have something to do now until I get the camera back.”

  Ben frowned, “I talked to Slip about it.”

  “And?” Laura asked hopefully.

  “He can’t get you another one. He said some rules Omni won’t let him bend. That’s one of them.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “I guess some rules are really important.” Ben slid down off Gabe’s back to get a closer look at the antshrew mound.

  Laura pouted, “Well what am I supposed to do now? I need that camera!”

  “I’m sorry. You seem to be doing okay without it though.” Ben was frustrated that he could not help her.

  “Yeah, I guess,” Laura turned to Gabe. “What adventures have you had today?”

  “We saved a guy from being eaten and another guy from being robbed. And then a hurnt rancher had a stampede and we helped him round the hurnts up before they ran off a cliff. He let Gabe eat one to thank him, which was gross to watch.”

  Laura wrinkled her nose in disgust, “I bet.”

  Gabe walked up to the antshrew mound and sniffed at it. He began pawing against a hole, tearing into the mound.

  “Cut that out, Gabe!” Laura smacked the wolf on the rump, and he backed away from the mound. She turned to Ben, “Can you get him out of here so I can do my work?”

  “Sure, let’s go Gabe.” Ben climbed onto Gabe and pointed him through the woods to the path to Bluegrass.

  …

  Venom bent over to graze. Tall blue grass reached up her flanks, rustling against her armor. Viper sat in the saddle, squinting against the bright sun as he watched the road below. He had researched every Wolf Rider sighting, and had placed himself in a spot near a road where he was sure his target would pass by. Viper and Venom perched on a bluff about thirty feet above the road.

  After waiting over an hour, he was beginning to get bored. He twirled a piece of rope with a round weight on each end - a bola. When he released the bola it would wrap around the wolf’s legs and prevent the animal from running. It might also break the legs, but that was a risk Viper was willing to take - magic could heal almost anything in Verdia.

  The black horse snorted with impatience and shuffled around. Viper stopped twirling the bola and grabbed the reins, “Fine, we’ll go do something else.”

  Viper held his breath when he heard a voice. The trees on the far side of the road rustled, and Ben and Gabe emerged from the forest. Venom backed away slowly, removing her and Viper from sight.

  …

  “…so I had to decide whether to spend the extra time folding the steel. Sometimes it’s not worth it if you know that it’s just ornamental. A lot of people order things and never actually use them. I decided to fold it anyway- if somebody did use the sword and it broke I would look pretty bad. It took extra time, but I didn’t have to worry about it later.”

  Gabe endured the chatter as he plodded on the road to Bluegrass. He watched a pair of birds flutter overhead, and stopped. His ears pricked. His blue eyes watched the bluff.

  …

  Venom whinnied and charged over the ridge. She half-slid, half-galloped down the steep slope. Viper twirled the bola high overhead. He met eyes with the wolf as Venom descended in a cloud of dust and thunder.

  The white wolf braced for a fight, but the boy recognized the bola.

  “Run!” he yelled, pulling at thick fur. The monstrous wolf complied and took off like a shot.

  Viper released the bola. It whirled through the air and missed the back legs by inches. The bola flew into the forest harmlessly, wrapping itself around a tree branch. Viper dug his heels into Venom’s sides, and she gave chase.

  A hopeful gleam appeared in Viper’s eye as they caught up to the wolf. Venom’s hooves pounded on the hard dirt road. A white bushy white tail grew larger as they drew close. Viper pulled his spear from its groove in the saddle. He raised it high and prepared to throw.

  Seconds before Viper was within range, the wolf disappeared. A dusty fog was thrown into the air as the wolf rocketed away. Venom slowed to a gallop, white foam flecked with blood around her mouth. She would never run as fast as the wolf. Viper patted her neck as they came to a stop. He jumped down from the saddle and looked at the road. Tracks were more than forty feet apart in some places - the wolf could almost fly.

  “Okay Venom, you won’t have to do that again. We can’t chase him.” Viper slumped against a roadside fencepost, “We won’t have to.”

  ...

  Bluegrass’s only tavern was surprisingly busy for the mid-afternoon. Stories of the Wolf Rider were attracting more and more visitors to the region. The tales intrigued the extremely bored, and the bored inevitably wound up doing what they did anywhere else in Verdia: drinking.

  Wisp was nursing a bluegrass tea. He wore a hooded cloak at all times to hide his identity. The Conquerors had probably given up on him, but he knew that he could never be too careful. He sat in a dark corner, shrouded in shadows.

  The tavern went silent, and Wisp turned to the door. He tried to determine what trouble had stepped in - glad to get some entertainment. There was very little to do and even less to steal in this boring town.

  “Trouble” took the form of an Agilus Huntress in a green cape. A black bow hung across her back and a quiver full of arrows dangled at her hip. She marched up to a group of rough-looking men seated at the bar. They turned to her and grimaced.

  “I want my money back,” she spoke calmly with a strong accent. Wisp was intrigued. Was that Australian? Scottish? It did not matter: accents were sexy.

  The men laughed, and one of them stood up, “A deal is a deal.”

  “Your information was utterly useless. I will ask you one more time to return my payment, or there will be consequences.”

  “Oh I’m scared.” The man stepped forward, “Look, Whiskers, if you knew who I was you would know not to threaten me.”

  The Huntress took a step forward as well, “And if you knew who I was you would know how unwise it was to double-cross me.”

  “I never said that my information would lead you to the wolf.”

  “Those were your exact words. You said, My information will lead you to the wolf.” The Agilus was beginning to lose her composure.

  “You’re not getting a cent back. Consider it a lesson for being dumb enough to think someone would tell you where the wolf was instead of going for himself.” The man and his friends laughed.

  Wisp sat up a little, he was sure that the Huntress was going to draw steel and he would get to watch a nice fight. He was disappointed. The Huntress simply turned and walked toward the door.

  His disappointment dissolved when the man who had cheated the Huntress suddenly stopped laughing, grasped his throat, slumped over, and vanished in a green mist- dead. His clothing and belongings clattered to the floor. The tavern grew silent with shock, and the Huntress sauntered out with a sly grin on her face. Sheepishly, the dead man’s friends looked at their drinks, and poured them out onto the floor. Wisp snickered and got up to follow the Huntress out; she might have something on her worth stealing.
>
  Wisp made his way out of the tavern out into the sunlight and Bluegrass’s main square. The Huntress was haggling with a fruit vendor over some berries. Wisp passed by, checking out her gear as discreetly as possible. Her bow did not look very special, but he almost stumbled in disbelief when the small quiver of arrows slipped into view for a split second. Exquisitely crafted, the quiver was no doubt worth a lot of money. It probably had some magic qualities; maybe it set arrows on fire when they were drawn. Wisp knew she could have only gotten it from someone important; the odds of her earning it herself or finding it were very slim. This meant she was working for someone important, which meant she was very good at what she did. She was looking for the wolf.

  Wisp walked away, a new plan forming. Like nearly everyone else, he was sure that this wolf was part of the Secret of Verdia contest. If anyone could find the wolf, an Agilus Huntress could. He stopped and peered around a building, shifting gears from theft to espionage. As a Bandit he was as good at following someone as taking what belonged to them. He would track the Huntress and kill her when she found the wolf. Wisp chuckled to himself. I might as well rob her while I’m at it.

  …

  Athena dropped a bag of berries into her pack. Fletch, who was snoozing on a tree branch outside of town, would enjoy the treat. As vicious as he was in combat, he preferred fruit to meat. However, he would partake of the occasional small forest creature when the mood struck him.

  The normally empty town teemed with life; more and more players trickled in from around Verdia seeking the wolf. Athena swam upstream as she left town against a flow of travelers heading in. She knew she had to move quickly if she wanted to get to the boy and his wolf before someone else did. She assumed she was the only person not pursuing the wolf out of greed. Natalie had decided at a young age that she had no need for money; in her experience it separated people more than brought them together.