PROLOGUEWHEN GARRICK MET ONYX

  Garrick Landow tapped his right pointer finger on his bow, in anticipation of the game that would soon appear.

  Although a mercenary now, the middle-aged human had been taught by his uncle Levain to track and hunt, but by his elven friend Delevan to use the arrow and bow.

  Garrick looked to the grass in front of him and to the slightly broken tree limbs farther on, to see that whatever animal he had come upon was hiding, or at least resting, in a small ditch that had two trees covering the top.

  Whether it was by natural forces, or the doings of a drunken troll, Garrick couldn't know and frankly, he didn't care. The mercenary couldn’t care less if the inhabitant in its den was as big as a mountain giant or as small as a wild rabbit, because his supply of dried beef was waning.

  Walking forward in his deerskin boots, Garrick brushed his shoulder-length, dark brown hair to the side and wiped his tan cheeks of sweat.

  He had hunted game, all game to be found in the nd of Danaria, since a “young pup," as his uncle would say, but something seemed off. To reassure himself, he patted the short sword at his side and then checked the surroundings one st time to get the y of the nd. If this deer or rge rabbit scampered, he would need to know what could obstruct his line of fire.

  Suddenly he heard a thump. As he looked up to the fallen trees, he knelt down and grabbed an arrow from his quiver. He had five, and with that amount he could drop whatever was ahead of him. Even so, he sighed and put the arrow back into the quiver. What y ahead of him wasn't game. Well, that wasn't all true. There was a rabbit, but its lifeless body was held cradled in the mouth of a rge bck wolf.

  Garrick was running out of food, but he wasn't so desperate as to kill a wolf. The predator had every right to the other animals of the forest as he did, but even more so, the animal seemed majestic, special. It took him by surprise.

  Rising slowly, Garrick got to his feet and moved two steps forward to get a better look at the beast.

  However, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Now the wolf was sniffing the air, and with just two sniffs, turned his head and looked right at him. Dropping the rabbit, the wolf growled menacingly at Garrick. Sharp fangs bared, the hair on his back raised, he now took a few steps towards the hunter.

  In an instant Garrick had an arrow nocked and pointed squarely at the bck beauty. The wolf may look terrifying now, but the feeling of majesty was still about him.

  The wind swayed the leaves as the trees stood firm. As if from some wizard’s spell, the wolf moved faster than any he had ever seen. Its majesty didn't matter anymore; the animal's beauty had fled his mind, because Garrick knew it was him or the wolf. Then with a smooth motion, the archer loosed his arrow.

  With a thud, the silver tip struck the wolf and struck true. The wolf jerked back and yelped as it fell. Garrick nocked another arrow as he watched his adversary stagger to his feet and take a step forward, growling and gnashing his teeth. However, within a few seconds the bck wolf's hackles fell and it slumped to the ground again, unmoving.

  Garrick shouldered his bow and stepped forward with his short sword firmly in his hand, ready for the killing stroke, if needed. There was no malice here. Not in his actions or thoughts. It was either him or the wolf and the forest never chooses sides.

  Looking down at his kill, he noticed that the wolf was still alive. What he had thought was a “he” from farther away was actually a “she,” and her eyes were looking at him. Those eyes spoke to him. Not with words, but with feeling and understanding. It was then he knew. She was a mystic wolf.

  Garrick patted her head, and as she closed her eyes for the st time, she gave one st howl. A howl that Garrick would never forget.

  Taking the arrow from the beast's heart was one of the more sobering events in his life. He could tell that she was still young. Not a pup by any means, but she hadn't been mature for very long.

  Then a thought hit him, almost as if it had been sent by a spirit, be it that of Elion, the god of all creation, or perhaps even the spirit of the wolf, who's life he'd just taken. Garrick then crept to the den.

  He looked down at the dead rabbit at the opening of the dwelling. Then he heard something. It was a soft cry. Over and over it came.

  Stepping into the den he looked down and saw what was truly poetry to his soul. The cries continued as a wolf pup eyed him. Then after the cries stopped, it howled as only small wolf pups do. It was precious, but fierce.

  Picking up the bck mystic wolf pup, Garrick saw that he had been right this time. He was indeed a “he,” and as blood trickled down the human's finger, the pup showed his strength and that he already had sharp teeth.

  Upon exiting the den, Garrick looked up to the sky and closed his eyes. He had robbed the mother wolf of raising her pup, but he would step up now.

  Grabbing the rabbit from the leaf strewn floor, he cleaned and cooked it. As the pup ate its fill, Garrick pced his mother inside the den and covered the opening. It was to be her resting pce now, forever, and her son would be Garrick's until he pced him in the ground as well.

  However, that would not be for a long time, he thought as he sat down, because the pup he would name Onyx crept over to him, and lovingly nestled into his p.