Closed Path of the Wolf

[Alex Cromwell]

Season of Fall, Day 82, 512AV

He had heard so much about this place, but only now did he know the true majesty of civilization. Zeltiva, the port city. Alex moved through the crowds, trying to suppress his excitement. It was bigger than anything he had seen in the wilds. However, he needed to regain his focus. He then remembered why he had come here in the first place. An old family friend had told him of a lead here in Zeltiva. He needed to find the man who killed his mother, and nothing was going to stand in his way. His stomach rumbled, he hadn’t eaten a decent meal in days. Sure he had food in his backpack, but he craved meat.

He stopped and smelled the air, trying to pinpoint a location where he could satisfy his cravings. He had to ignore the smells of the city. Blood, sweat, waste and alcohol were all very prominent. But then he smelled what he was looking for. Raw fish. He smiled and followed his nose, gently pushing people out of his way. He arrived moments later at the fish market. He walked up to one of the vendors and gave him a handful of coins. The vendor handed him a decently sized fish, which Alex then devoured right there in the street in a manner of minutes, bones and all. He thanked the vendor, and moved back into the crowd.

Belly full and head clear, he weaved his way through the throngs of people, making his way to The Kelp Bar. His information said that he could find what he was looking for there. As he pushed the door to the bar open, he was hit by the most wonderful of smells. That of alcohol and blood. He smiled and made his way to the bar. He gave the barkeep a few coins, and drained the mug that he was given. He turned in his seat and scanned the patrons. He needed to make sure that the wolf hunters didn't follow him here.

[Alex Cromwell]

Alex finished his second drink, and stood up to leave. Just then, two men, dressed in the black robes of the wolf hunters, pushed open the door to the bar. He stopped in his tracks, and glared at the men. The man on the left was around 5’9, and he had a small build. He would be the easy one. The other man was around 6’3, and had a very large build. He was going to be more difficult. He knew that they were here for him, there was no doubt about it. Alex took off the fur cloak that he was wearing, and draped it over his chair. He then reached to the belt that was around his waist, and tapped his father’s short sword. It was given to him as a gift when he set out on his own. The ruby red hilt was the marking of his family, and the blade was forged from tempered steel and silver.

By this time, the two cloaked hunters had noticed him. The taller man stepped forward and spoke to Alex.

“You Alex Cromwell?” Alex nodded. The man’s voice sounded raspy and distant, like his vocal chords were damaged.

“There’s a bounty on your head. You killed two members of the hunters in cold blood. We are here to avenge them. You can either come quietly, or things can get messy.”

Alex snorted. These two guys were all bark and no bite, so to speak. He gestured to the door, and tapped his sword again.

“You want to fight us?” The smaller man asked, in his annoyingly high-pitched voice.

“We are two veteran members of the wolf hunters. You cant kill us.”

Alex gestured to the door again, tapping his sword.

“Ok, as you wish.”

The patrons roared. They hadn’t seen a good fight in awhile. This was going to be interesting. Alex walked out of the bar onto the street, the two men and the patrons following. The people formed a rather large circle around the men and Alex. He drew his sword as the two men drew the silver daggers of the hunters. Alex let out a howl, raised his sword and charged.

[Tabitha Sweetsong]

Tabby was heading to The Kelp Bar to perform, she hated the place but she still needed money so she went anyway. It was just too noisy and it looked too rundown. It wasn't even a very long walk from her house, even closer than World's End Grotto; but that was a much nicer place. It had nice people and nice food and drink. Heck, The Kelp Bar didn't even have food and the only drink you could get, other than water, tasted horrible. She'd tried Kelp beer once before and never again. Another reason she hated it there was the lighting, she could hardly see a thing. Even in the day time it was bad. She walked onwards looking down at the cobblestone road beneath her. She alomost bumped into someone in front of her and looked up to see a crowd of people outside the bar all shouting and yelling violent remarks. She frowned and wondered what was going on. It looked like a fight. She pushed through until she reached the center of the crowd to see tree men all with drawn swords. Only one of them actually had a sword, the other two had daggers. Tabby's eyes opened in horror as she realized what was happening. One of the men charged and gave a great shout. "Nooo!" Tabby yelled at the top of her lungs, not meaning for it to be out loud.

[Alex Cromwell]

These men were fast, almost impossibly so. Alex had tried every move in his arsenal to take these men out, and nothing was working. However, he could read the men’s movements, thanks to his enhanced wolf sight. The wind whipped around him as he tried another underhand slash at the shorter of the two men. The man parried and grabbed Alex’s arm. Alex twisted his arm at an impossible angle, and broke free of the man’s grip. He rolled away from a slash by the taller hunter, and moved to the edge of the crowd to asses the situation. Both men were skilled with their daggers, and they seemed to know every single move that Alex was going to do with his sword. He then realized how he could beat them. He looked at his sword, and then stuck it in the ground. He raised his fists at the two men. They looked startled. Perfect, thought Alex, I have them right where I want them.

Once again, he charged at the two men. Both men tried a forward thrust towards Alex’s abdomen, but he dodged. He then grabbed the shorter man’s wrist, spun around so that his hips were aligned with the hunters, and then flipped him over his shoulder, knocking the wind out of him. He then turned his attention to the larger hunter. Alex moved closer, dodging stabs and slashes all the while. Alex faked a punch to the hunters face, and instead lashed out with a kick to his kneecap. He heard that satisfying crunch that he was hoping for. The man cried out in pain, and dropped to the dirt. Alex began to kick the man over and over. No way were they going to kill him.

[Valo]

Valo was somewhat a contrast tot he run down nature of the Kelp bar. There was an exotic nature to his person. Perhaps it was the fiery red hair, or the fine clothing he wore, or his perfect posture and the flamboyant manner with which he carried him self. Non the less, he stood out like a sore thumb among the many customers of the bar and perhaps came more often than others did. The nature of an artist, he told him self, was to drown their troubles in alcohol, as art waits for no one.

Fights are common in the kelp bar as poor Zeltivians have a habit of drinking a tad to much. Alcohol appears to make even the mellowest of men turn savage and irritable, when in abundance. However this one was different. The trio was not intoxicated at all and the confrontation had a peculiar structure to it. Instead of throwing punches, the man who had taken off his fur coat simply pointed to the door. "What a well mannered individual." thought Valo to him self before his curiosity got the better of him and he fallowed them outside.

A girl, who much like him, witnessed this ordeal, screamed a laud "No!"

The scene spun into motion as the men fought with such skill. Valo made sure to note in his mind they way they moved, all the angles of their silhouettes and the way in which they handled their weapons. The moment in which Alexe's -for he had overheard his name in the bar- arm bent in an almost impossible angled, had engraved it self in Valo's mind. "this should not be possible." he thought as his knowledge of anatomy attempted to overthrow the images which his eyes were registering.

Suddenly the man abandoned his sword. He would fight his attackers bare fisted and this seemed to give him the advantageous edge. In a flash they were both on the ground and now Alex was the attacker. The seance humanity had suddenly escaped him as he kicked the larger man repeatedly, an animalistic aggression now filling his very person. Or at least that's what it looked like to Valo.

"Stop it, you'll kill him!" he cried, hoping to knock some sense into the man. It would do him no good to have publicly killed someone. Perhaps in East Street people would turn a blind eye to murder, but not in the very belly of Zeltiva. But with all his good intention, Valo was in no way willing to step in and physically prevent the man from making a fatal mistake.

[Alex Cromwell]

Alex heard voices as he continued to kick the men. His animal instincts told him to kill the men. If he did that, they would never bother him again. However, his human side prevailed. If he murdered two men in broad daylight, he would see the end of a rope in a matter of days. He gave the taller man one final kick to the head, knocking him out. He then bent down, and relieved the men of their silver daggers. He then whispered in thier ears.

“You boy’s shouldn’t play with knives.”

He went back into the bar, retrieved his fur coat, paid for his drink and left. As he went back outside, the crowd parted like water for him. He needed to clear his head. He walked the streets, and headed for the bay. The salt water always helped to clear his thoughts.

As he reached the bay, he couldn’t help but feel as if he had been told by someone not to kill the men. It was the strangest thing. He had distinctly heard two voices yell the word “no” as he fought the hunters. He dismissed it as paranoia, and turned back to the bay, reflecting on the fight.

[Tabitha Sweetsong]

Tabby's legs started to feel weak, she fell to her knees and closed her eyes, she wasn't used to this type of violence. She wasn't used to any type of violence. She'd grown up in a loving, peaceful household. Looking up she now saw the man kicking the bigger man, who was now on the ground. The other one wasn't much further away, struggling to breath. Tabby closed her eyes again, covering them with here hands this time. She just sat there for a few more minutes too scared to open her eyes. Before long everything was quite again. She looked up to see that almost everyone was gone, they must've gone back inside. The two men still on the ground, the bigger one was now unconscious though. Tabby got up and looked around while brushing dirt off of her dress. She looked back towards the bay to see the man heading back that way. Despite her common sense Tabby followed the man, all memory of why she was coming to The Kelp Bar gone. While walking she noticed dark clouds on the horizon coming from the see. A storm, and a really angry looking one at that. She didn't mind though, she'd have plenty of time to get home before it sets it. She took her Mandolin and started to play a song, singing quietly; a short lullaby, one of the first songs she learned from her mother. "A tear for you my child, I spill it willingly, As I hold you tight, I love you dearly. I keep you here safely, Close in my arms, Protecting your childly charms. From those who would seek to harm, So please sweet child, please be calm." Finishing the song the stranger ahead stopped, they were at the bay. Why was she even following him. He almost just killed two men. Was it curiosity? She had no idea, but she walked up to him anyway and asked him, "Why did you fight those men?" She herself was surprised by what she had just said. It seemed like a stupid question when she'd said it out loud but it was too late to turn back now.

[Valo]

Turning up at the most coincidental of places was very much in Valo's nature. He wasn't the type of man who looked for trouble, no. But he was very much the type of man who was always found by trouble. He had no intention of fallowing the man named any further after witnessing the fight. His eyes have had enough. So after seeing him wonder back into the bar, Valo swiftly made for the docs. He knew a pleasant little alley which was a short cut there and as clouds rolled into the fragile substance of Zeltivian sky, so had he rolled into the docs. And apart from maybe the odd cat, he was the only one there.

He love this place at this time of day, when a failed morning catch haunted the minds of the sailors who would turn their backs on their little boats. The stench of fish was not so bad now. And perhaps the arrival of rain in the night will wash the day away completely.

Valo sat on a bench; the very same bench on which he had sat so frequently, drawing. But now his sketchbook was not with him and he cursed this greatly. Thoughts rolled over in his mind. He was glad that Alex did not kill the men, otherwise he would be hunted down and hung, no doubt. But why was he fighting those men in the first place? It sure couldn't have been just a petty fight, judging from the skill and the severity of the encounter. They said there as a bounty on his head. Valo wondered how large a bounty. What had this man done that was so terrible?

It wasn't long before the very same man in a fur cloak had entered the docs. Noticing him at once Valo became very still, for he wanted no confrontation with a criminal. But this stillness was to no avail. His bright red hair contrasted too greatly with the grey stone; and his clothing was too fine and too clean for him to look as if he was in his natural habitat. And then there was the matter of Valo's undying curiosity. A part of him wanted answers to all his questions.

The girl from before was also there and Valo watched as the two spoke.

[Alex Cromwell]

Alex heard a voice behind him. He turned, and came face to face with a very pretty human girl. She had asked him about the fight. He snorted and turned back to the bay.

"I am Kelvic, and my form is a wolf. Those two men were from an society known as the Wolf Hunters. They are ruthless, and hunt down wolves and shape shifters for the fun of it. I was attacked in the wilds on my way here by two hunters, and I killed them in self defense. However, the hunters didn't like that, so they sent those two men to finish the job. That is why I was fighting them."

He stopped to take a breath. He had no idea why he just spilled out his life story like that. He pondered his openness for a few seconds. Maybe it was because this girl was very east to talk to. He turned back to face her.

"What's your name? I am Alex, of the Cromwell family."

[William Hague]

William should have been excited. He should have been happy. At long last his voyage across the great waters had ended. His quest for knowledge of the world had reached it's next natural step - the famed scholar haven of Zeltiva. Instead William felt dejected and exhausted. Seasickness was ought to do that to a man. Especially when it was as violent as William's. It had gotten so bad that the sailors aboard the craft had taken to calling him Wretcher, for all the times he had vomited his innards overboard.

Still, the waters had calmed as they had moved into Mathew's Bay and William had recovered some of his former color. In fact as they moved toward the docks he actually had managed to prop himself upright and walked unto the deck in a non-haphazard fashion. The city before him was peaceful to withold and almost beautiful as it was arrayed against the mountain side. But the port became far more traditional as the ship bearing him neared and finally docked - with the only difference being the sheer size of the docking available. William knew little of Zetiva but he guessed the docks were thrice as large as his home city.

As the ramp to the docks was let go, William was roughly pushed aside by a number of sailors as they clambered unto the docks, though a few of them smiled and offered goodbyes as they did so. William had spent most of his journey sick but had always possessed a witty jab for the sailor's sarcastic remarks - and had won of couple of them their grudging friendship as a result.

As William himself disembarked from the ship he spied a well dressed man that was clearly not of the local habitat. Figuring as a fellow foreigner the man might be willing to help him, William made his way toward the man.

"Hello sir," he inquired in a friendly voice, "Might you be able to help me? I am new to these parts."