Wolves Bane

Summoning the Voice of Animals

 I bid farewell to my dearest Soarin. She smiled at me and I made my way carefully down the mountain. I'm glad she agreed to being part of this council. It would've been much harder without her say in the matter of creatures and mortals getting harmed in the process. I finally made it at the bottom of the mountain and walked through the forest to a clearing and saw Fáelán helping a nest of rabbits find a new home. I cleared my throat, grabbing his attention. He stood to his feet before excusing himself from the nest.

"Hello Ulf, here to help out?"

"No, I come bearing a message."

"Oh?"

I motioned to walk further away from the rabbits so we can speak in a more private sense. Fáelán followed close behind me and sat underneath an oak tree with me.

"We are to hold a council. As the voice of animals, you are required to come."

"Who are we holding this council for?"

"Hayden has a proposal to end the creature in the ground."

"I see. The creatures have spoken of this creature, but is Soarin aware of this?"

"She was the first to know."

"I see, well... I will be there. I must speak on behalf of these creatures. They are all defenseless against this thing...whatever it is."

I turned my gaze upon the rabbits. They all seemed scared and on edge. Fáelán followed my gaze and sighed.

"That creature destroyed their home in a previous village. I've been taking them to many different places but they are afraid their home will be destroyed again."

"May I be of assistance? The ground bends to my will. Perhaps I can help make their home."

Fáelán's eyes sparkled with hope and happiness. We both got up and wandered towards the rabbits. He lowered his head and clicked his teeth together almost like he was communicating with them. He then looked at me and smirked. The rabbits then looked up at me and I tried to make my hardened exterior look more soft and friendly. I relaxed my shoulders, unclenched my jaw and gave them a smile. I wasn't very good with animals but I did try my best for Fáelán. The rabbits then started communicating to Fáelán and he chuckled.

"Come, they agree with me and would greatly appreciate your help with their home. But please, make it look natural."

I chuckled and followed close behind. Fáelán showed them a few locations but settled on the fourth. It was under an oak tree with a calm river flowing not too far away. I approached the tree and placed my paw on the ground. Closing my eyes, I started reshaping the ground, making an entrance hard for predators to find but easy for the rabbits to run into, a spacious room. Once I finished I pulled my paw away and backed up. Fáelán then lowered his head and, by my guess, told them to explore their new home. The rabbits slowly approached and entered the burrow. Fáelán smiled at me and I gave a weak smile back. That's when a tannish brown rabbit came out. And almost like a whisper, spoke to Fáelán.

"He says he loves it, that it's the perfect space for his family and thanks you for your help."

I smiled and nodded my head. Fáelán and I walked away from the nest and wandered for a while, when he decided to break the silence.

"How is Hayden? He wasn't there when we held council over you."

"He's..heavily scarred from what I did to him. Greta and Oliver must've come to his aid after I left for Fáel."

I shuddered, remembering the heavily scarred tissue that was once fur. Fáelán nodded, taking note that I wasn't proud of my actions. We then made it to a lake and I dipped my paws in it. Fáelán watched as I started to lay down, submerging my front legs and some of my chest. Fáelán joined me at the water's edge and laid down to my right.

"Do you know where the others are? Just to make my journey easier."

Fáel is in his cabin but Véttr and Dýr.. I haven't received word from them. But I'm sure Dýr is next to that large skeleton and Véttr is probably on the highest peak shaping the stars for the night."

I chuckled. Véttr was always focused on the sky. Making sure it was beautiful and perfect for mortals to gaze upon.

"Thank you, Fáelán. You just made my job easier."

"No problem brother. But do be gentle with Dýr, I fear he is plotting something with that boneyard."

I nodded and stood to my feet. The water dripped off my body and ran down my legs as I used a soft breeze to blow off the water. Fáelán chuckled as I made the wind dance around him. He may be eight hundred years old but he was still very much a puppy. But he understood when to be mature when the time is needed.