Howling Roar: Fated Love Ch. 02

For a while now I have been thinking about how to do chapter 4 and nothing has come to me. So after sitting down and rereading my first 3 chapters over and over, I felt many changes were needed to bring chapter 4 to life. One of the major changes was that I gave Sapphira more role within the story as I felt it was a little too focused on Lucian which left it unbalanced in my view. Another was I wanted more dialogue not only between Sapphira and Lucian but to have them interact with the other characters too, along with changing some of the scenes some and adding more to them to spice it up so I hope you enjoy the reborn Howling Roar.

Chapter 2: Discord of the Past

The darkly garbed figures ran at incredible speed, but both Lucian and Sapphira were ready with their keen eyes following the attackers perfectly as they approached. Lucian noticed at the last moment just feet from him the change in stride and the slight shift in the way his eye's looked that the assailant was no longer targeting him. Sapphira behind Lucian saw the same thing in her own opponent as well, footsteps changing direction slightly and shifting his weapons aim just a little differently shifting away from Sapphira. In those few seconds when they both realized the other was now the target of the enemies they faced, something mysterious between Sapphira and Lucian linked them and they moved almost as if one being.

"You will not harm her!" Lucian's body twirled around to the left and his massive great sword swung across the open side of the shrouded figure coming from the way Sapphira was facing. The great sword arched through the air quickly with so much power it cut the fiend clean in half with ease sending each part flying in a different direction. Something was strange about it though, the scent and sight of blood was nonexistent even though Lucian had seen his attack hit home on his opponent.

"You will not bring harm to him!" At the same time Sapphira twirled her body smoothly to the right her sword slashing diagonally through the assailant coming from Lucian's direction. The stroke was brilliant as it was deadly, not only deflecting the blade in the figure's hand but also ripping through his chest for a killing blow. The dust on the ground actually danced around the pair as they finished their movements standing where the other had been moments before, swords still held tight and slight grins on their faces.

"So... Who is next...?" Lucian looked up from where his foe had fallen but when he sought the next one there were none to be found anymore just the bodies of the slain. Sapphira looked around in slight surprise as well, seeing that all the other figures had departed in the moment that they had been busy fighting the attackers. A few moments passed before the pair slowly turned to one another, swords still drawn yet the tension from before drifting away on the wind.

"It is strange... we fought in a way only those who have been together for sometime could ever have..." Sapphira's voice was soft with interest as she looked up again into those smoldering golden Wolf kin eyes while sheathing her sword slowly. His long grey furred lowered slowly, smoothing out as his body calmed down from the battle and Sapphira admired his rugged handsome wolf like features.

"Yes, but stranger still is the bodies of our attackers..." Even as he spoke the words, Sapphira looked to where Lucian's gaze rested amazed to see only grey ash remained of the cut down adversaries. Leaning down she gently touched it with her hands, but she could only sense a small portion of the lingering magic which had given them form. Even as she examined them, Lucian found himself drawn into examining Sapphira's elegant form as he was even more interested in her after seeing how fast she reacted to keep him safe. Her fur color was so much more creamy and smooth than most any other Kin he had seen and his longing to touch it, stroke his hand through it was growing stronger.

"If you are done staring... It seems they were definitely made with magic, but I have no idea by whom." Lucian looked away slightly embarrassed that he had been so into looking over Sapphira he failed to notice her turn to look back at him. She sighed then stood up her hands upon her hips, tail swaying slowly behind her but a much more mischievous look upon her face. "It seems the battle is over today... the bandit forces are retreating and I doubt someone as skilled as you would be part of such a group. Now tell me Sir Wolf Kin, why would a warrior like you be on a battlefield in Leopard Kin territory?"

"To be honest I was just passing through... the name is Lucian milady, I am a wandering mercenary for hire. I only entered the battle because some of the retreating bandits ran across me and well I figured I could make some good money off their gear. Now if you don't mind, I would like to know of your name milady and why someone who obviously comes from royalty would be in the midst of such a battle?" There was no surprise in Sapphira's eyes when Lucian guessed at her royal lineage; instead she smiled more at him finding his attention to detail even in the middle of battle very interesting. Her leopard like ears fluttered some in response as Lucian kneeled down before her as it was protocol when dealing with royalty and she felt a blush running through her face, fur rippling slightly on her back. His name echoed over and over in her head as if she had heard it once before, but even as it bothered her she could not place exactly where she had heard it, only that it had been long ago.

"I am Sapphira Alusia, princess royal of the kingdom of Alusia and 2nd in line to the throne and it is a pleasure to have met such a skilled fighter as you Sir Lucian." Her voice was even softer than before and Sapphira smiled slightly to herself seeing Lucian's ears quiver slightly in a way that told her the tone of her voice was pleasant to him. Just looking at him made Sapphira feel strange, as if there was suddenly a small fire blooming within her chest growing warming with every moment she laid eyes upon him. Her name resounded in his mind, something familiar about it and something even more so about the family crest upon the shoulder of her armor.

"They have met once again.... This is not good at all. Already it is calling to them, drawing them closer... This must not be!"

"We cannot change what happened this day, but it is as you say that we cannot allow this to flourish any further."

"Our men cannot stand up to them when they are together like this... we must do something to separate them to weaken the bond. Once that is done we shall eliminate the wolf and once he is gone the princess will be fair game allowing our plan to move forward..."

"There attraction grows stronger by the moment... fortunately the wolf's own past shall prove to be the perfect wedge to drive between them..."

"Princess Sapphira! Thank the goddess you are all right!" The pair looked up to the large group of armored knights on horseback approached them and as they drew closer Lucian could see the royal emblem on their shields was the same as the one Sapphira had on her armor. Something flashed into Lucian's memories the moment he saw them, making his smile disappear from his muzzle and it was replaced with a darker look. "She is from the Alusian Kingdom... It seems my past has caught up to me finally after all this time. I guess it was only a matter of time, but it is a shame... she will never look upon me with that pleasant smile again..."

"Of course I am all right, no thanks to you! I was forced to waste my skill dispatching many foes while you sat back gathering enough troops you felt safe enough to follow me!" Sapphira grinned confidently, her hands on her hips proudly posing strongly as her personal royal guard approached. The disgusted tone of anger in her voice made the knights before her unsteady and when Sapphira trained her angry gaze upon them many them then looked down unable to meet her eyes. She groaned in announce at them then turned to Lucian her pleasant smile returning as he looked back up at her an amused grin on his face. "You see what I have to deal with all the time Lucian?"

"Wait... did you say Lucian!?" An older looking leopard Kin knight leaped down gracefully from his horse, he was easily as tall as Lucian but a lot more slender as the rest of his race. As soon as his feet touched the ground his hand was tight on his sword, his leopard ears were pressed back in a threatening posture as he eyed Lucian. Six other knights also dismounted, all of them taking up positions to the left and right of the older knight, hands already on their weapons and shields held at the defensive the looks in their faces deadly. "Princess, please back away from him slowly..."

Sapphira looked surprised; her ears upright and agitated as was her mood while she glanced back at Lucian who now stood up slowly a look of remorse etched on his face. "What is going on here Leonidas!? You dare give me a command without even explaining why!?"

"Because he is Lucian Greyfold, the coward from the battle of the Alusian Plains! It was his fault so many of our Kin were slaughtered during that battle including..." The grave depth in Leonidas's voice faltered for a moment as his gaze fell over Sapphira who stared back at him in disbelief and the fur on her tail fluffed out in agitation. Feelings welled up inside of Sapphira's heart, a battle of emotions taking place within her, conflicting with one another throwing her mind in confusion. Her head was held low and her hands balled up into fists clutched to her chest as if she were suddenly struck with a great pain in her heart. The next moment she whipped around to face Lucian, gone was that sweet gentle look from before, instead it had been replaced with one of deep sorrow and confusion. She found it almost impossible to believe that such a skilled wolf, one who had declined to abandon her, dared to risk his life on her own skills could be the same one from two years ago. Suddenly that warm feeling which had been flooding her heart moments before was slowly starting to crumble, giving way to a darker memory which was slowly surfacing bursting up with pain and hatred.

"My sister Lumia... My sister died there because of you!!!!? Is this true, are you that Lucian, that detestable coward who left her be murdered along with so many others!!!?" The accusation flew like an arrow violently through the air and plunged itself into Lucian who almost rocked on his feet with the impact it had on him. The eyes of everyone surrounding him seemed to bore into his very fur, scalding him as he could feel the heat of the hatred in all except those of Sapphira. He looked into those emerald pools and realized that deep inside there she was wishing for him not to be the same Lucian, wanting him to be someone else. As much as he wanted to lie to bring back that warmer feeling in her eyes he knew he could not escape his own past, or the tragedy he had been involved with. 'I was a fool for remaining here for so long and even more so for letting my own feelings get the better of me.'

"I am Lucian Greyfold, and whatever you believe about me, I am not a coward nor am I a traitor..." His eyes glowed with a fury and anger that made the knights along with Leonidas start drawing their swords, but when his gaze feel upon Sapphira he growled lowly. Her eyes were still in disbelief and even more so he swore there was a heart broken sadness within them, but above all that was a growing fire of anger. Unable to bear the look in those beautiful eyes anymore, Lucian turned away sheathing his huge sword and walking slowly away. "I am leaving now... If you try to stop me I won't be responsible for what happens."

"Coward..." Her voice was barely over a whisper, but Sapphira knew that Lucian had heard it by the way his pacing slowly, ears moving in reaction to the words spoken. His wolf like head turned slightly and she caught the glimmer of deep anger reflecting in those golden eyes, his voice came out feral and almost wild like a beast had been released. "What did you say to me woman....?"

"I am not just some woman, I am Princess Sapphira Alusia and in case you did not hear me clearly enough I called you a coward! You ran away two years ago in the face of the enemy and now you run away again in the face of your accusers instead of facing the judgment you deserve!" He whirled around as the last few words left Sapphira's lips and there was a sudden gust that erupted as if responding to the look of seething anger Lucian displayed. But Sapphira did not back down, instead she held her gaze level with his own, the power radiating between them made the atmosphere thick with tension.

"Your eyes... they have the same determination as your sisters, I remember it so well even after these two long years." The moment he spoke those words, something in Sapphira roared from the depths of her soul, a spout of anger that had been buried for so long. In the next instant she crossed the distance between them as swift as lightning and struck Lucian even swifter leaving him dazed. The pain from his right cheek was intense, even more so was the shock of the slap and how it echoed so loudly across the empty rocky plains.

"A coward like you does not even deserve the right to think of my sister! Her death is upon your hands as is the blood of many others of my Kin and here you are wandering around as if you did nothing wrong! Do you know what kind of pain I have gone through because of what you did!?" Lucian's face was a mixture of shock and anger as he stood there, but all of that was nothing to what he felt when he looked again into Sapphira's eyes. Tears gently streaming down along her cheeks softly and Lucian could see the pain eating away at her through those deeply emerald green eyes, making his own seem so petty in comparison.

Her heart was a grieving hurricane of mixed emotions, part of her still longed for the closeness she had shared with Lucian, yet a whole flood of anger and sorrow crashed over it pushing her away from him. She felt the darkness of the anger within her growing and consuming her warmer nature as it had almost two years ago, such a cold feeling getting larger in her chest. Wounds upon her heart which had slowly been healing were now opened again, the pain laid bare upon her soul and so much anger about burst from her. Just when she thought she was going to collapse into that darkness she felt something brush up against her face and it made her gasp a little in surprise. Lucian's fingers gently stroked down along her cheeks, wiping away the streaks of tears there with his powerful clawed hands.

"You are a brave one, Princess, I will give you that. You were right though... as much as I hate to admit it, this one time I did act like a coward..." Lucian growled out the last few words, the bitterness of his admission making it hard, but his gaze still lost none of its intensity. Slowly Lucian reached back, unsnapping the sheath for his enchanted sword and then holding it up for Sapphira to take from him. There was as much surprise on her face as there was on the knights behind her, and she slowly reached out taking the heavy sword, marveling at how he managed to use such a weapon easily. "If you wish to judge me in your courts I will yield, after all I have entered your territory without permission and spilled blood here. I may have been exiled from my clan and my title to their honor severed, but I will not add to my legacy of dishonor this day."

"I accept and you can trust that I will keep your weapon along with your armor safe for you." Sapphira nodded her head to him and turned to Leonidas, the fire in her heart suddenly rekindled and easily driving back the shadows of cold within her for the moment. "Listen all of you! He is our prisoner now, he surrendered willingly without resistance so no matter what you may feel about him he will not be mistreated! We shall return to the castle where he will be placed within the dungeon to await judgment, until then no harm is to come to him. If anything should happen to him before he is judged, you will find yourselves in the dungeon quicker than you can blink!"

"Don't think you have gotten off easy Lucian..." Sapphira turned seeing that Lucian had stripped out of his armor only dressed in his under tunic, colored in black tight fitting to his large frame. If anything he was almost as imposing outside of his armor as he was in it and Sapphira admired it only momentarily before she walked up to him. "I still hold you responsible for my sister's death and I will never forget nor will I forgive you for it, but it is my duty as princess to bring you to justice. No matter what my feelings maybe I will see you punished for your crimes. This I promise you..."

This I promise you... my heart will always be yours!

The phrase echoed through Lucian's mind and right through to his very soul, something lost in time from his past, slowly surfacing, and such a familiar voice. Without warning he grabbed Sapphira startling her with his sudden movement, his grip tight on her arms as he looked deeply into her eyes with a wild desperate look in his own. "Say that again! Say it again now plea--!"

The next instant Lucian felt a shield smash into the side of his head with such force it threw him to the ground and blurred his vision. Leonidas stood over him grinning as he held his shield brushing it off as if it were dirty, but then Sapphira slugged him in the face shouting something at him Lucian could not hear from the ringing in his ears. The world started growing hazy and as his mind slipped from consciousness Sapphira leaned over him but her face was shadowed by another female feline. As he recognized who it was, a tear made its way from the corner of his eye.... I am so sorry... Will I ever atone for my sins upon you?

"Leonidas you have over stepped your bounds! He is my prisoner and no one else shall touch him or they will face my wrath!" Sapphira almost couldn't believe her tone as much as those around her, it almost sounded as if she were defending someone she cared about. Yet as much turmoil as there was in her heart over Lucian, she was already turning to kneel down next to his large lupine body checking the spot on his wolf like head where the fur was turning blood red. Spreading the bloody fur she inspected the wound and chuckled slightly at the bloody cut from the strike, seeing the flesh already healing itself as the legends about wolves said about their healing abilities. "It seems he is one very thick headed wolf..."

Sapphira strokes her hand through his thick dark gray fur, her emerald eyes lingering upon his handsome features, yet it twisted her heart with guilt for feeling attracted to the man who had left her sister to die on the battlefield. Such a strong and obliviously fearless wolf... how could he have been the one that had committed a cowardly crime, but there was no mistaking the name. Her hand continued stroking its way through his thick yet silky soft fur, and she had to practically tear herself away from his side as she felt the eyes of those around her watching her. "Bring forward the transports and call up the healers so we can treat the wounded! The battle is over for now, the bandits will not dare to make another raid upon on borders for some time, so get to your posts and help collect the injured or dead."

Her voice snapping like a whip in the air, Sapphira watched as her men instantly stood at attention then dashed off shouting commands to those under them. Leonidas strode up to Sapphira but before he could say anything she turned on him, her eye's burning with serious fire he had seen many times before and instantly he kneeled before her. "Before you say anything Leonidas we shall discuss this matter of your brash reaction with Lucian. You know as well as any other here I am fully well capable of defending myself and your reaction was far out of line for an unarmed prisoner. Explain yourself and make it good..."