Lastland (Stormris) Oneshots

Bane of the Wolf

Iris sung to herself as her head swung left and right, drinking in all the sights the forest had to offer her. It wasn't often she got to leave the village, and the journey was long, so she wanted to make it as enjoyable as she could. The forest was repetitive, nothing but a bunch of greenness and trees, but it kept Iris entertained as she meandered along the winding dirt paths.

Her head jerked over her shoulder as she heard a yelp of pain only several trees away. Adrenaline surged through her, and Iris was quick to draw her sword, pointing in the direction of the sound as she froze, tense, ready for fight or flight... Nothing ever came out of the shadows or the trees, but she kept hearing the pained yelps.

I might be stupid, she thought to herself as she tried to bolster her confidence, still holding her sword out in front of her as she crept through the trees. A wolf had stumbled into a trap. Poor thing...

It was the way of life, the cycle of nature, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt to see... So the young woman sighed and lowered her sword, inching her way over to the wolf. As she expected, it was a nearly hour-long endeavor to get close enough to the wolf to free it, to say nothing of it not attacking her as she struggled to free it. But even though it was a wolf, it seemed to understand that although she had the potential to be a threat, she seemed to want to help. From that moment on, Iris got a new friend.

"Awww, what a cute wolfie!" Thoroughly warmed up to the large "doggo", the little woman scritchied her chin.

"Grrr..." The wolf shot her a death-glare, but Iris was no longer afraid. Of course, no ordinary human would just wander woods like these without a plan. Iris was sent on a mission, a witch with the power to help restore balance to her hometown. Because of that, she was able to be a little bold and risk life and limb to free a wolf, she wasn't as unarmed or incompetent as she looked. Likewise, she was able to sense that this wolf was no ordinary wolf either, rather, she seemed to have human intelligence...

"Do you know the quickest way to the Tree of Life?" That wasn't its actual name, but the tree functioned as a natural generator to the town. The only issue, of late, the power they ordinarily got was... weaker. The tree, a large pine deep within the forest, needed someone to go check on it.

To Iris' surprise, though, the wolf's ears pricked up. It understood her, even if it didn't like her.

ooo

Nope, still don't like her. The wolf thought crossly as she watched Iris meander left and right in front of her, eager to take in every sight the forest had to offer, no matter how repetitive. The wolf huffed in annoyance, but Iris couldn't hear her over her own singing. It's ghastly!

It was far beyond the wolf what Iris was, for she was far from normal—what other human girl so foolishly tried to befriend wild animals? But the moment she mentioned heading to the Tree of Life, her furry ears pricked up. That wasn't a name she'd heard since she had human ears!

That Tree...! Could be the thing that undoes this stupid curse! The wolf had nothing of value to offer, but if this little adventurer, no matter how obnoxious she seemed, thought she had an idea, the wolf was all ears.

"WOAH!" There was a splash, and the wolf didn't have time to jump back before she was doused too. "Ooops!"

Idiot! The wolf seethed, shaking off her fur. Was it too late to go back to her den? Her paw was healed. Did she really need this annoying whelp?

"Hey look, a fish!" Iris' hand shot up from a nearby bush, and the wolf heard splashing water again. In the human's hand was a wriggling fish.

... She is the bane of my existence!