Shepherd's Wolf

by M. Andrew Reid

  “Would you like another?” a man sat down beside her.

  “No thanks,” she smiled sweetly. “I’ve had enough.”

  Undeterred, the man smiled back. He was handsome, with dark brown eyes, “Are you a student?”

  She nodded, “Eternally, I think.”

  He laughed, “I know that feeling. What are you in for?”

  “Biodiversity.”

  “Wow. Give me a second to think of something that sounds more impressive than that.”

  This time, she laughed, “It’s not that impressive.”

  “Well what exactly do you do?”

  “Right now I do research.”

  “What sort?” He asked.

  “I am examining the plants and animals in the Verdia...”

  “Verdia?” The man smiled, “A game?”

  “At first it might sound silly, but Verdia has many ecosystems and its life developed through a greatly accelerated evolutionary process.”

  At this point most guys yawned, but this one seemed intrigued. He leaned forward, “So have you found anything interesting?”

  “There are some interesting creatures. I would like to examine the dragon more closely. It appears that Omni found a way for them to work without breaking any rules of physics.”

  “The dragon?” He asked.

  “Yeah there’s a dragon...” Laura cut herself off.

  “So, are you going to write a book about the animals in Verdia?” he asked.

  “Something like that.”

  “That’s pretty interesting. I wish I had something equally interesting to say about what I do.” He grinned. He had nice teeth.

  “Try me.” Laura smiled.

  “Well, I work for...”

  Laura’s phone beeped - her alarm. It was time to check on Gabe and Ben.

  She frowned, “I’m sorry. I have to go. I have a thing.”

  “Can I have your number?” He held out his phone.

  She pressed the screen on her phone and swiped toward his phone. There was a faint beep.

  He looked down at the display on his phone, “Thanks, Laura. I’ll call you.”

  She was already at the door, running for the bus.

  The Alexa

  Laura opened her eyes; she could see little in the dark berth. As her senses sharpened, she realized there was a great commotion above her. Shouts, thumps, and the clang of steel-on-steel could be heard through the wooden planks. She fumbled about for a lantern, and followed its dim light up to the hatch.

  She opened the hatch to the main deck slowly and peeked out. Sunlight poured through the crack. A full-fledged battle raged on the decks of the ship. Determined crewmen were fighting with a colorfully-dressed band of pirates who laughed maniacally as they swung their axes and cutlasses.

  Crewmen were scattered on the deck in pools of blood. She peered to the right to see that another ship was alongside the Alexa. Ropes held the two ships together.

  Gale was fighting at the bow with Barnacle and Gabe. She had a curved cutlass in one hand and a smoking musket in the other. As pirates charged, she would slash at them with her sword or clobber them with the musket. There was no time in the midst of battle to reload the gun.

  Barnacle wielded a ship’s hook like a pike, spearing any foe within range. If he snagged a pirate, the victim was flicked overboard. The burly Agilus was strong for his stature. He snarled fiercely, and his eye glowed with the sick elation of battle.

  Gabe snarled and bit at the attackers. Laura could see that Ben cowered beneath him - curled up like a cub. One pirate was separated from his legs as Gabe’s jaws encircled his midsection and closed down hard with a sloppy crunch.

  Gale noticed the open hatch. She yelled across the ship, “Pirates, Laura! Get below! Where the bloody hell is Viper?”

  Laura ran to Viper’s small cabin and opened the door. She found him sleeping in his cot in full armor. The feathers on his helm and arm guards were fluttering gently in the draft created by the open door. She shook him violently, “Wake up! Wake up!”

  She stopped shaking him and shook her head at how foolish she was. He could not hear her, and no amount of shaking would wake him up. He was probably eating dinner or watching TV or out on a date. A date? Ha!

  Much to her surprise, Viper’s eyes slowly opened. He sat up and groggily shook his head. He swung his legs around and looked up.

  “What are you doing in here? This is kind of creepy.” He scowled at her.

  “Pirates!” Laura shouted and pointed skyward.

  Viper rolled his eyes and left the cabin. Laura followed close behind him. He bounded up the stairs leading above deck and kicked the hatch open.

  Gale saw him burst out of the hold, “Thank God, Viper! Give us a hand here.”

  Viper looked about, saw the pirate ship lashed alongside theirs, and promptly went back below.

  Gale gasped, “You coward! Get back up here and fight!”

  Laura stood with eyes wide as Viper disappeared back into his cabin. She scolded him, “If you don’t help they are going to kill you too! This is a boat! You can’t run away. I thought you were supposed to be this big, bad...”

  Viper reappeared with Focus in hand. The large spear barely fit in the cramped quarters. He stormed back across the length of the ship and ascended the stairs without saying a word to Laura. She followed. Once again, Viper burst onto the deck.

  Gale laughed this time, “Say hello to the devil, pirate dogs! She pointed with her sword to Viper as he stood alone on the deck.

  Now, the pirates took note of him, several rushed across the ropes from their ship- swords in their teeth. A few others turned from the fight at the bow and advanced on Viper. They snarled and jeered at him. Viper took careful aim with his spear. He let it fly, and it cleanly missed every pirate. The spear sailed over the pirate ship’s deck and buried itself into the mainmast.

  The pirates were delighted. They whooped and laughed. Gale was crestfallen; this was not the Viper she had heard about. She turned to look behind her, feeling sorry for Ben, who - whimpering on the deck - was about to lose his best friend to this insanity.

  Viper glared at Laura, “Get below and lock the hatch.”

  He thrust an arm into the air. His hand pulsed with light: Long-short-long. On the pirate ship, the blade of Focus, half buried in the mast, pulsed with light: Short-long-short. In another pulse, Viper vanished from the Alexa and appeared on the pirate ship next to the spear. He pulled the spear from the mast and stuck it into the deck next to him.

  Viper spread his arms to the sky as lightning crackled and barked. Forking white bolts struck the masts and set the sails aflame. A pirate leapt forward, swinging a flaming cutlass, but Viper flung him into the sea with a shockwave from outstretched palms. Viper drew his hands back and gathered a sizzling purple mass of destruction. He launched it directly into the ship’s aft castle like a violet meteor, shattering the stern, the helm, and the captain’s quarters.

  The pirates had stopped laughing, and rushed back to save their vessel. They abandoned the fight on the Alexa and scrambled across the lines holding the ships together. Viper met them as they arrived, Flame and Frost out and ready. The axes traced red and blue swirls through the air as he carved into the pirates.

  Every pirate was a player, and they erupted into green fog as their characters died. Some pirates were not killed outright, and they watched from their backs as fellow shipmates were hacked down and the deck was stained red with blood.

  One pirate swung a rusty blade at Viper’s head. He knocked it aside with Flame and swung Frost into the man’s rib cage. Before he had pulled the axe free, he whirled and split another man’s head in two with a blow from Flame. A savage kick shattered a pirate’s kneecap with a wet snap, and he ripped Frost clear of the other’s ribs.

  Witnessing the pirates swarm around Viper and fall one by one was like watching a macabre dance. It was as if Viper had rehearsed the entire fight - not a single motion was wasted.

 
Occasionally, a pirate blade would make contact with Viper’s armor. The dragonbone would ring softly, but not a scratch or dent marked its surface. Viper used each hit to his advantage, as if he had allowed the blow to strike.

  Once every pirate had left the Alexa, Viper plucked his spear from the deck and threw it back across to the other ship where it pinned itself to the railing. Gale had figured things out at this point, and ordered her remaining crew to cut any lines holding the two ships together.

  Again Viper raised his hand. Long-short-long. The spear replied: Short-long-short. Viper vanished and reappeared next to Focus. He walked back across the deck, toward the burning pirate ship.

  Viper held his hands in front of him, as if he was cradling a basketball. A swirl of purple flame and lightning gathered between his palms. The wooden deck rumbled, and static filled the air. Viper lifted an inch off the wood planks, hovering slowly up and down. His eyes became black, his breath an oily purple vapor. Dark veins crept across his face. He looked at the pirate ship and grinned.

  “Enough!” Gale yelled. “There is an NPC crew on board who do not need to die!”

  “Who cares?” Viper’s voice was dark and distorted. He raised the orb of energy above his head.

  “I care. And I am the Captain!” Gale stepped in front of Viper and held her sword to his chest. “Over half of my crew was killed protecting your party. I can take willing NPCs from the ship to work the sails and rigging. Without them we will have to run at half cloth and it will slow us down. You are jeopardizing your own mission!”

  On the drifting pirate boat, the remaining crew members looked on in horror as Viper continued to gather energy. He ignored Gale - any break in concentration would cancel the spell, and he was not concerned with the sword pressed against his breastplate. He took a deep breath as the power filled him.

  “Why are you so angry?”

  This voice was quiet - Ben’s voice.

  Viper’s eyes returned to green, he dropped to the deck. The sphere of energy dissolved into the salty air. “What?”

  Ben had his arms around Gabe’s neck, “You’re always mad. I’ve never seen you happy about anything. Why are you so angry?”

  Viper’s face became a cold mask. He crossed the ship, retrieved his spear, and disappeared back below decks.

  Gale sheathed her sword. She clapped Barnacle on the back, “I’ll say one thing. He knows how to deal with pirates!”

  “Aye!” Barnacle snarled, “That he does, Cap’n. Alas, he’s not one fer takin’ orders.”

  “That’s why you’ll always have a home on the Alexa. I trust you with everything, Barnacle.”

  Barnacle gave a gracious bow, “Bound by honor, Cap’n.”

  Gale ordered her crew into longboats. They crossed the growing gap between the two ships and offered freedom to the NPC pirate crew. Most of them had been pressed into service by the pirates and were eager to join a friendlier crew. Others were fiercely loyal to their masters, and remained on the shattered ship. Their chances were not good.

  When the new crew was aboard, Gale put on full sails and headed further out to sea. Before long, news that the Wolf was on a ship headed north would be commonplace. Anyone who could make a raft out of twigs would soon be combing the ocean looking for her ship.

  Laura emerged from the sleeping berths. She was shaking her head, “What did you guys do to him?”

  Gale laughed, “Our friend the Wolf Rider put him in his place.”

  Laura grinned at Ben, who shrugged and walked over the open deck amidships.

  Ben struggled to open the main cargo hatch, and a crewman ran over to help him. When the doors swung open, a purring groan erupted from below decks. The new crew members were terrified.

  Christine pulled herself shakily out of the hold. She stretched her wings and yawned - she had slept through the entire fight. The dragon did nothing but sleep and eat; a fire-breathing housecat with scales and wings.

  She was enormous now; the ship would become much too small if her growth kept up. Fortunately, they had only a week to go, and the dragon did not mind curling up in the hold for the time being.

  Christine preened her shimmering scales. The sunlight played on them like fire. Her graceful neck curled back as she nibbled at the base of her wings, and licked at her large clawed feet. From time to time one her booster wings would flutter, the flapping sound not unlike a sail billowing in a strong wind.

  Ben tossed Christine a fish. The dragon snapped it up. He held out another and swung it playfully. Christine followed the fish intently. A quick toss sent the fish spinning through the air; the dragon gobbled it up and looked back to Ben for more. When he indicated that he was out, she assumed a placating posture; the spines on her head folded down and her feathers became smooth and nonthreatening.

  Ben laughed, “I’m out. Sorry. We’ll catch more later.”

  Christine held this pose for a while longer before giving up. She tread about in a circle for a while, picking up her feet and setting them down again. Abruptly, she plopped to the deck with such force that the ship shuddered. She basked in the sun for the remainder of the day; crewmen warily tip-toed around her whenever they needed to cross the decks - their faces tight with fear and wonder.

  …

  The next few days were uneventful. Laura would sign on from time to time to check on Ben and Gabe. Viper had no more interest in teaching her how to use her abilities. He had stopped talking to anyone, and spent most of his time at the prow, staring out to sea.

  Ben and Gabe kept a distance from their brooding defender. Gabe bared his teeth whenever Viper got close; Ben would look away nervously if Viper glanced in his direction. This all suited Viper. His only interactions with anybody were occasional gruff conversations with Barnacle about sailing a ship or navigating at sea.

  Christine ate all of the food they brought for her, and she began fishing for herself. She still would not or could not fly. However, once she had flopped over the rail into the warm sea, she could glide through the water as if she was born to it. Her tiny booster wings worked almost as well in the water as they would in the sky. Once she had taken her fill of fish, she would claw her way back onto the deck with her long forearms and stretch out on the warm planks in a shining pile of scales and steam.

  Laura would briefly talk to Gale. The Captain was purposeful and earnest, but had little time for idle conversation. Gale would smile and nod, but never really listened. She had her carpenter and her crew working around the clock; the ship was being refitted.

  Rigging was changed; sails were moved from one mast to another. Portholes were cut where before there were none. The bowsprit, once a plain straight lance of hard oak, was now a hastily carved eagle with spread wings. Changes happened so fast that Laura assumed there was some magic at play.

  Before long, the Alexa was no more, and the Harpy was born. She was newer and cleaner than the Alexa. Fresh paint gleamed in the sun; the trim had been changed to a gaudy gold. She was not as fast as Alexa, having measurably less sail available to her. Observers would see her as a bit wider and higher in the water, due to some clever woodwork.

  At night, the sea would glow with green and red light. Strange squid-like creatures performed their mating rituals below the surface. Glowing blue jellyfish would rise from the water, buoyed by bladders full of incandescent gases. They whirled in the breeze, trailing lacy curtains of eggs to mingle in the warm winds. Many of the jellyfish drifted into the rigging and had to be carefully removed with poles lest they sting crewmembers.

  The water was so clear that Laura could see coral reefs below. Sometimes, the ship would shudder as a peaceful leviathan - an aquatic dragon the size of a whale - would brush against the hull in curiosity. One of them became confused and attempted to make friends with the ship before being driven off by pikes.

  Laura sketched and took notes on everything she saw, trying to get as much information as she could about the aquatic life.

  Her subjects were not always sci
entific in nature. She sketched Ben and Gabe playing fetch on the deck. She drew Christine curled up in her favorite spot, marked by claw marks and a bit of blackened decking. She sketched the colorful seabirds that surrounded the ship as they got closer to land.

  Laura also sketched Viper. He moved little, staring out over the waves. Whenever he signed on he would walk to the bow and sit with an arm hanging over the rail.

  One evening, he turned to look at her. She startled, her pencil making a dark streak across the page. He said nothing, but simply walked over and took the sketch pad. He flipped through the yellowed sheets, studying each sketch. He came across the sketch of himself and looked away, ripping the page out of the notebook. He crumpled it, threw it overboard, and disappeared below decks. He stayed below after that.

  …

  A few days later, Laura signed on to find the air charged with excitement. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she climbed on deck. The crew was racing about. Gabe was being lowered by a harness into a cargo hold. Ben smiled at him and spoke encouraging words; the wolf was not happy dangling in the air.

  Laura noticed Viper leaned against the railing. He was looking at the shoreline, which spread off to either side as far as she could see. The shore was green and inviting, with green mountains in the distance. Laura stepped up beside him and sat on a cask that was lashed to the rail.

  Directly in front of them, a wide notch was cut from the land. It extended to the left and right like a gaping mouth. The waterway was nearly a mile wide, with watch towers looming on either side. She was called the Inner Waterway by the unimaginative and the Sweet Lady by everyone else.

  The enormous river did look peaceful. Smooth as glass, the Sweet Lady made the calm seas appear treacherous in comparison. The Sweet Lady carried water from a large inner sea set in the heart of Verdia. Nearly every snowflake or drop of rain that fell on Verdia would eventually make its way here.

  “Are we sailing up the river?” Laura asked. “Won’t that be slow?”

  Viper shook his head, “We’ll have the sails out if the wind is right, but they won’t do much of the work.”