Silver One

Mangalay! His name was Mangalay. Which means? Was he bound to her? He gave her his name and accepted her as worthy of it?

Aru, couldn't let her believe this instantly. She tilted her head and dared to ask,

"So, y-you have chosen me? Did you bound with me?"

-You heard my name, didn't you?-

Aru wanted to cry, or laugh or both. But she couldn't do anything. She just stared at him and froze. She had a soul guide now. A dragon! Mangalay...

Aru wanted to touch the Dragon, feel its presence and believe it was not a dream. She extended her hand to his nose, as if weighing her boundaries. But, Mangalay didn't object. So she came closer and closer, until her palm found the rough scales under it. Aru was touching him. His scales were warm against the cold palm of her. Its surface was smooth and unbelievably nice to touch. She blinked with the joy she felt as touching him. Mangalay closed his eyes briefly as if he was also enjoying this touch. Then he huffed again, his hot breath clouded in cold weather and showered Aru.

Aru understood that it was the end of the touch. She lifted her hand.

Then looked into his melon sized hazel pupils. There were green spots in it here and there as if a brush splattered olive green paint on it. And a fire, that she couldn't tell how she felt, but certainly there. It was totally pleasant to look at.

Aru stopped examining him. She stepped back to see his full face and talked again.

"So, what now?"

- You can ask me questions now, and I can give you answers. The answers no one walking on the earth has. And no one will ever have. I can teach you the rules of three realms, under-world, ground-world and upper-world. I can give you the secrets of breech tree. I can tell you the stories of ancient tribes. But, do not forget to ask -wisely.-

Aru stopped and stood in front of this big power. She just gaped this endless ocean of wisdom. She could do everything, learn everything. She could explore all other worlds, help people. Gain wisdom and power. Her soul could be evolved, her abilities would extend beyond measure just with the help of Mangalay. She could ask everything. Learn everything. She would do it. She would be the biggest shaman of all time. But first, she had to ask one selfish question that she wondered for years. Just this time, for herself, she wanted to ask this question and never to use this power for her own gain again. But, she had to do it for once...

"Is my family safe and sound and my sister has recovered?"

-They are... and she has.-

Aru felt a huge relief, as if she dropped a giant boulder from her shoulders that she was carrying for years. She sighed and waited to hear more. But Dragon did not talk anymore.

"And?" she asked. "Would you give me more specifics? Where are they? What are they doing and are they missing me?

- Three more questions. I don't answer more than one.-

"But, but you cheated. You just gave me an answer that was barely a sentence."

- Ask wisely next time.-

Aru felt a rising heat, but she forced herself to calm down. At the first meeting with her guide, she wasn't so willing to piss him off.

"Has anyone told you that your rules are rubbish?"

-Another question-

"Fine..." she barked. She folded her arms on her chest and looked away.

- Your turn - he said.

"I am thinking you are annoying."

- Is that all?-

"One thought for one information you said. You didn't say it has to be a qualified one."

Dragon huffed again, Aru thought it was kind of a giggle he was using.

- You are a sharp one Aru, I liked you. So, I will give you this one, on me. -

"Which is?"

- You need to open your eyes now, your friends in danger. Be quick, be vary. Count on the silver one. Run from the rest.-

"What? "

-Open your eyes- he ordered.

"But, what danger... why?"

-Open your eyes!- he shouted. The vibration of his sound in Aru's mind reached her veins. She felt the swaying, then Mangalay's shout mixed with something and changed into a cry. It was not Mangalay's shout anymore, girls' voices were shrieking with fear. Aru opened her eyes and her breath caught in her chest before the scene she saw.

The girls were now circled with wolves. Five wolves circling them and snarling at them. Some of the girls were crying, some of them were only looking at the wolves with shock. All of them pale as yellow tulips.

Aru was partially safe on the tree. The wolves didn't spot her. She had two options now. She could have stayed here, and watched girls die, or she could fight with them and die with them. As every sensible person would choose, she has chosen the latter.. She climbed down from the tree as quietly as she could. Now circling wolves getting closer to the girls. Their yellow teeth were drooling with the idea of flesh and bones shivering in front of them. She knew she needed a distraction. If she could draw the attention of the wolves to her, and manage to run out of the forest until finding the soldiers, then they would have killed the wolves. Easy! She felt the twisting sensation in her stomach with fear and nausea, but she had no choice.

She went a little bit farther from the wolves, wanting to gain an advance before starting to run. She picked some big stones from the ground, as big as her fists. Then took a deep breath and yelled;

"Hey! You little dogs, come here!" She tossed one of the stones. It hit one of the wolves. The wolf gave a snorting sound with the hit but didn't break eye contact with his prey.

"Hey!" She shouted again. "Come here you bastards!" She tossed another one, and another. She hit three of them in a row. Now, one of them looked back and noticed Aru. It barked with fury. Aru didn't start to run, if one of them tracks her, the rest four still can harm the girls very badly. She threw another stone to the other wolf. Now she has caught attention of that one too. Another, stone, and another. Now four pairs of sharp eyes were looking at her. One of those was still looking at the other girls, and the other two were about to turn to the other girls too. She remembered the first rule of handling a savage animal, that her father taught her. If you think you cannot escape, don't move and let it make the first move. She knew she probably wouldn't escape. But, she could keep the attention this way. She broke into a run instantly. As she assumed, the motion caught the attention of the wolves and they started to track her. She ran. As fast as she could. In the pitch black darkness of the woods, branches were slamming her face, the roots were tripping her feet. She kept going. She heard the snarls of wolves getting closer. She was not sure if she could draw all of them but she could hear more than one coming after her. She hoped the other girls were safe. She jumped through a root that she saw at the last moment. She was trying to keep her arms up to keep off slamming branches from her face.

They were getting nearer, the gap getting smaller between them. She was nearly sensing their smelling breathes chasing after her. And then suddenly, one of them jumped on her. She felt a sheer force on her blade bones, a pressing force of two claws. She fell face forward but she managed to return in time to keep her head snatched by the big bite of the wolf. She sprang on her feet and pulled the knife that she hid to her belt at the feast. Aru and the wolf were circling each other. The other three were only watching and snarling at her as if waiting their turn. There were four of them. One must have stayed behind for other girls but Aru couldn't worry for them now.

The knife was looking pathetic on her hand against these monstrous beasts. But, she would try. Strike for the most vital parts, she reminded herself. When the wolf jumped on her again, she didn't hesitate. She knew she shouldn't. Wolf jumped, opening its mouth as big as it could to bite off a bigger piece. She plunged in the knife inside its open mouth through its brain. A sharp howl had been heard. And wolf fell on her, motionless. The weight of the wolf was crushing. Her hand was still clasping the hilt of the knife. One of sharp teeth has cut her forearm. Aru felt the blinding pain but finally she let the knife go. But she couldn't lay there to wait the others to come. She tried to push off the wolf but damn beast didn't move a bit.

She heard other wolves. Barks and snarls, growling and motion. She couldn't yank off the wolf, but there was something happening there. Maybe they were getting closer? She finally managed to push the wolf aside a little, and caught a glimpse of what was happening. The wolves were fighting with each other now. But why? For her maybe? To decide who will eat her. But no, three of them were attacking each other. The darkness wasn't helping to identify what was happening exactly but, when tumbling wolves landed on a patch of moonlight, Aru realized the three of them were not attacking each other but to a fourth one, a silver furred wolf. "Count on the silver one. Run from the rest." Mangalay said. So, this is the silver one then. It was giving a good fight with the other three, actually it was too good. Other three wolves were diving to bite, dashing and striking. But the silver wolf was parrying them elegantly. It was just ducking and turning, it was nearly playing with those. It whirled around effortlessly and dodged another attack and, for a heart beat, it looked to Aru.

Aru understood the mission. The silver wolf was stalling the others to give some time to Aru. She gave all her might and managed to yank off one of her legs. Then she trusted the foot of -now free- leg to the side of the heavy body of the wolf and pushed it while sliding her other leg out. Finally, slowly, her leg slid off under the corpse of the wolf and she stood on her legs again. She looked to the silver wolf for one last time, hesitating. She looked at the invisible knife now submerged into the brains of the wolf. If she had her knife maybe she could help the silver one. The silver wolf looked at her back again. Directly looked into her eyes as if saying one thing. Run!

Aru looked again at the wolf, it was pretty confident and was easily dealing with the other wolves. She knew she needed to go and call for help now, and she was sure the silver one could take care of itself now but she couldn't leave without a good bye. She didn't know why she was doing it, she knew that the wolves did not understand the greetings and goodbyes however she couldn't help, she sought its gaze to catch it again and as soon as their eyes met, she nodded. And the wolf winked at her back. No, not wink, wolves do not wink, maybe blinked. But Aru had no time to investigate animal nature, she had to run now. She burst into a run, and didn't stop until reaching the edge of the forest.

***

When she found the soldiers out of the forest edge, she told them everything with one breath and soldiers hurried into the woods again. They left Aru at the outside edge of the forest. Lieutenant Balbay ripped a piece of fabric from his tunic and bandaged the cut in her forearm tightly to stop bleeding before he left.

She laid down on the damp grasses with dew. This was a bald area between the river and the forest. There wasn't any tree shadowing the area beyond the night. And after that pitch black forest, moonlight making her feel like a big torch enlightened the area. She was exhausted and couldn't feel like she could lift a finger. She nestled her head on her steady arm and started waiting for others to come. She looked at the forest laying beside her. The tree shadows mixed with the darkness of night, was nearly concealing any detail inside. Only the shape of the trees at the edge of the forest could be made out. She watched the forest, and shadows. And somehow she was pretty sure, the shadows were watching her back.