Chapter 8

I turn my head towards Ray for instruction since I cannot speak, "Lou and I will fight them, you stay here, if you go out there and fight you could lose control. For no reason do you come out not even if they are going to kill us, you are not trained."

Not trained, please I am about as trained as it gets, I have been a fighter all my life. Still I listen and stay hidden as they creep out, preparing to attack, the first two men are silently taken out but the third manages a small cry for help. Back to back they fight but they could not have possibly taken them all on, I count six mages with familiars who easily overcome the two at the expense of a small burn and a slashed leg.

In the end everyone excluding Samantha is not captured and surely going to die, unless I do something about it. Damn people why can't they just not be nice. I'm busy deciding what to do when a man in expensive black robes puts his big combat boot on Rays upper chest while resting the tip of his sword on her neck.

His voice is deep and he clearly has disgust for Ray, "Raven how long has it been, two years, you are doing well I see."

"What do you want Argas? And it's been three years but by your looks I'd assume a whole decade." He does not take her insult well and as retaliation slides his boot up to her neck pushing hard enough to stop her from breathing.

After she flails for a moment he moves his foot back, "we have come for our dragon and because you caused so much trouble we will be taking this village over too, don't worry though you will be alive to see as we pillage rape and murder everyone here." He raises his sword high above his head ready to make the final blow, I have to strike now.

Walking slowly out onto the field I make as much noise as possible digging my claws into a cobble pillar, ready to pounce I dig my claws in and growl. It seems to be enough to get their attention as everyone looks at me with fear, even Lou and Ray who start shouting to each other that I've lost control. Truth be told I can feel the bloodlust growing inside my mind, the man no longer distracted on them shouts to his men, "take him down, I want him alive but just barely."

They come in groups of four but don't even give me a scratch, their swords and spears break against my steel fur. I cut them down severing limbs and ripping them in to pieces with my teeth, with the soldiers dead or dying the familiars and their masters are sent in. Their swords have been enchanted and cut through my fur when they land a shot while fireballs beat against my sides doing some serious damage. Even still I shred through them leaving bodies in their place, for the commander I jump on him with a single paw, I can feel his ribs crack and my claws cut through skin like it's paper.

I can hear Rays shouts to leave him alive, her and Lou are free, they work to free the others. I can't stop though I don't want to, I want to kill. Before I can bite his head from his shoulders a large creature comes from the trees and barrels into my scorched side sending us into a roll. Grappling with the creature I manage to toss it off me, getting to my feet I see it's a dragon, not the one we saved a much bigger red one the baby blue one we saved comes from behind be sending a shower of metal fur needles and blood to the dirt as it's claws rip through my side.

The two dragons stand between me and the others, evil man included, the small one comes first but is much to slow to avoid my claws. I cut four large groves into its right side then bite down on its thick tail and throwing it through a small tool shed, it does not get up and instead lays in the rubble bleeding freely. The red one is much stronger and faster but other than the flames it blasts at me once and I claw catching my right leg it does nothing and gets cut into as I grab it's neck and kick my front paws. When it stops fighting I drop it to the ground and head for the people, before I can get to them though a large wall made of a crystal or glass enters my path, not only has it stopped me it has surrounded me too.

From behind me a group of sixty or so knights and a squad of about ten witches and warlocks have arrived, with all magic spent on containing me. Walking around the enclosure I test the walls, they are solid but my claws shouldn't have any difficulty.

I assault the wall with all I have with each hit making new cracks in the glass, when it has becomes frail enough I crash through landing twenty feet from the soldiers. Preparing to cut them to bits I take one step before I'm interrupted by Ray and Lou, Ray gets surprisingly close and shouts, "Jack, stop! You can control yourself, fight it!". Opening my mouth to bite her head off a thought comes into my mind, these are my friends the ones I was fighting to protect, why am I trying to kill them. I fight against the voice in my head telling me to kill them, to others it looks like I have a serious headache I flail about for some time before I have completely destroyed the voice. It was the wolves soul trapped inside my head, like the metal it wanted to take control but the wolf had been dormant while I was human, also like the metal I squish it out of existence from inside my head.

Reverting back to a human my injuries hit me, and I collapse into Lou's arms who then lies me down. He drops the cloak from earlier on me while Ray grabs her wand, the moment I am human again the knights advance creating a circle with a walkway, me in the center. Not a single sword is in its sheath, the commander walks up to me sword drawn, when he is close enough he puts the tip to my throat. Ray does not like it that much and pushes it away, "get that thing away from his neck. He won't hurt you he is fine now."

Before the commander dude speaks I interrupt, "let him he has a duty to keep people safe, to him I'm a threat, if it makes him feel safe let him."

Now I expected to get a confused look from her but not from him, "why would you allow me to hold you at swordpoint?"

I don't mean to sound irritated but this guy is slow, "if you had intended on killing me I would have been going cold by now, if at any point you became an enemy of mine I could escape and kill you. Get it now?"

He gets angry by my statement and returns his sword to my throat, "oh yeah and how exactly could you do that?"

Fed up and mostly healed I give him what he wants, "fine you want to know how, number one, your shoes are untied." While he looks down at his steel armoured boots I swing my leg around clipping his right shoulder, as he falls I push off with my hands landing on his back with his dagger against the base of his skull. I had only seen it done on tv before but it worked so I'm just a wee bit cocky about it, leaning close to his ear I whisper really loudly so everyone can hear, "you don't have shoelaces on armoured boots."

Getting to my feet I hold my hand down to him to help him up, I'm not surprised when he does not take it. When he is on his feet again I hand him the dagger hilt first, he takes it from me and motions to his men to lower their weapons, without another word he walks away barking orders making the knights disperse.

I am mostly better except for bruises and some burns which Ray heals as we walk, we head to a spot on the bloodstained front lawn where the staff and the mages stand around the two injured dragons. By the time I see them they are mostly healed, both are conscious, and when they see me I get a reaction mostly expected. The red one leaps on top of me teeth barred and fire in the back of its throat, the blue one is next to it ready to hit me with some blue stuff in the back of its throat. I could change and shred through them again but I was in the wrong so instead I lie back and wait for them to pass judgement.

The part that I don't expect is the red one speaks to me, "what is your name demon?"

Out of respect and sheer awesomeness I reply, "I am Jack Wolf, how can you speak English?"

"I cannot speak English as we do not have vocal cords like you, you can speak animal, a language we use to communicate with other conscious animals. I am Remi a fire dragon that is Grace a water dragon, what are you?"

Thinking about my wolf form I go with, "I am a steel wolf, I can use that form and human form, I am sorry I hurt you I had a wolf soul stuck inside of me that was controlling me, I fought and killed it though."

The dragon stays silent for a moment before getting off of me and closing its mouth, the little one also closes its mouth.

This time Grace speaks, "your scent is familiar where have we met?"

I assume she does not remember the trip or being healed, "it was Lou, Ray and I who healed and brought you to the outskirts of the town, when we saw this place under attack we left you to help."

She looks at each of us, the others are clueless as to what we are even saying, "it was you three who saved me. If you don't mind me asking, how did you do it?"

I tell her of how we were ambushed in the barn in detail then how we found her and our issues with the cart and how I was the only one able to move it, she hears of everything down to the number of men that were there. When I'm done she turns toward Remi, "he has saved me."

Remi responds agitated, "he also tried to kill you, and me for that matter."

"But he did save me, it was us who attacked him first in that situation anyway."

Now with humans when they are upset they are like fist fight, and I can handle a fist fight, with dragons it's different it's like a silent staring contest and boy is it intense. Grace wins apparently and says, "if you ever need me Lupus Ferro, just call for me." With that Remi and Grace take to the sky, leaving nothing but footprints and blood.

When I turn to face the others I see a bunch of shocked faces, with the addition of an old man. So to break the silence I gesture to the old man, "who dis'?"

Ignoring the fact that I was not all that respectful the man introduces himself, "I am the elder of this platoon, Robert, and you are Jack Wolf right."

I nod but stay quiet, might as well let him do the talking.

"I have seen many things in my life but never have I seen a man who can speak dragon as well as you, nor have I seen a man who could transform into a wolf let alone a steel one. I have to go speak with the elders council and I hope to meet you again Lupus Ferro."

He turns around to leave but I must know one thing before he goes, "what does Lupus Ferro mean?"

He stops but does not turn around, "Lupus Ferro means Steel Wolf, the dragons refereed to you as what you are."

Without another word he and his platoon march back the way they came. The fire was put out by the mages but it will need to be rebuilt, this place is a mess, and the night gone. I climb the house to the second floor balcony where I sit and watch the beginning of a sunrise, Lou climbs up to my left while Ray floats up using magic to my right.

Ray is first to speak, "by the time the sun is fully up it will be Samantha and your turn to fight Armin if no one shows up you will have forfeit. Only one problem, that would dishonour her family."

Now for me, "so what, who cares what others think?"

She smiles, "that's a good saying to live by but here's the thing, Samantha does. A person's social standing is everything here, it determines your pay, your work, even where you can live. For example if someone in my village was called a thief I would have no choice but to kick them out of it, by force if necessary. If someone was dishonourable they would not even be allowed to enter my village, I would likely kill them if they tried, even Samantha and you. For the sake of my village I cannot have criminals or crooks, meaning either way you need to be gone by the time the sun is completely up. She knows this, and so she will fight but she will lose if you do not aid her, I cannot guarantee your victory if you do go but it is an even match I am sure. If you decide your life is over that's cool but know it will be over for both of you."

As if knowing my decision Lou points to a stump and says, "on that stump is a bag of clothes that will come back to you when you change, there is also a book of bonding rituals. Do what you think is right, we look forward to seeing you again." The head into the house to search for salvageables leaving me to think.

I jump from the railing and get changed as quick as possible with that out of the way I change into my wolf form, taking one last look at the staff I'm off. Off to kick some Bloodcrest ass.