It was early morning; Alexander sat alone in his house, staring at the burned-out wood in the fire pit. He had just finished eating when the memories from his encounter sprang up in his mind again. It had been thirteen days since the meeting, but the memories were still fresh in his mind. She came so close to killing him. It shouldn't have been possible; he was so much stronger and faster, but somehow she almost killed him. He might not have had the strength and speed, but her skills were extraordinary.
It was not only her talents that brought her close to killing Alexander. Her physical abilities had surprised him. She was faster and stronger than Alexander had even suspected a human could become.
He wondered how she had become so talented. Seeing as she was about the same age as him, he had assumed she wouldn't be so skilled. Her abilities seemed to be on an equal level, if not surpassing, that of a seasoned veteran. She would have empaled him with her first strike if he had not been much faster. When he subdued her, he had struggled to maintain a firm grip.
He wondered how a human could become so strong, but his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door.
"Alex, I have urgent news," Dara's voice came from behind the door.
Alexander walked to the door to invite him in, "that makes two of us," he said, opening the door.
Dara hurried in and paced between the two chairs surrounding the fire pit. Alexander had never seen him so worried.
"It seems you have more urgent news than I, so what happened?"
"It didn't work," Dara said, continuing to pace.
"What do you mean?" Alexander asked, confused by the short answer.
"The plan, it didn't work!"
It took a moment to process. They had both thought it was a foolproof plan. But it seemed they had not thought of all the possible outcomes.
"How? It should have worked. What went wrong?" Alexander asked, becoming frantic.
"I don't know. I never thought it could fail so miserably. How could this have happened? We were so thorough," He asked more to himself.
"What are you talking about, Dara?"
"The people were out for blood—the blood of a Huntsman. But they were looking for a man, and the king gave them exactly what they were looking for," Dara said, defeated.
"A man? Why were they looking for a man?" Alexander asked curiously.
"I don't know, Alex. I made sure to mention it was a woman when I told people. I can't think of what possibly went wrong," Dara said, running his hands through his hair. "Even if they changed the story little by little after every retelling, it shouldn't have changed the fact that it is a woman. That detail is too crucial."
Alexander sank into his chair, hopeless and defeated.
"What do we do now?" He asked Dara.
"We still need to notify the Beast King of what happened. We may still be able to turn this around."
"I doubt we'll be able to turn anything around, and I have a feeling if we tell the Beast King about this, he will most likely have her killed."
"We might not have any other choice. But we will need to cross that bridge when we get there because, if I am not mistaken, we have to meet with the Beast King tonight."
"You're right; that is today. If we leave now, we'll reach the meeting point with time to spare," Alexander said with a chuckle, "We'll be early for once."
Dara nodded and watched as Alexander stretched out for a moment. There was nothing they needed, so they wasted no time and left.
Alexander was glad Dara was with him; otherwise, he would have gotten lost. Unlike him, Dara had an excellent memory and could easily recognize a path after traveling it once.
When they arrived at the meeting point, Alexander noticed the many werewolf scents in the air. It seemed they were not as early as he had hoped. As soon as Alexander and Dara stepped foot into the clearing, they saw the Beast King entering the opposite side. This time he was alone, not followed by Jaslyn.
His fur was striped with a red substance too bright to be blood. The markings were all over his body, from the tip of his snout to the back of his heel. After looking around, Alexander noticed all the wolves had similar markings in different colors.
They reached the center stones at the same time. Unlike before, there was no moment of silence; the Beast King spoke right away.
"I must apologize in advance. It had slipped my mind that the festival would fall on the same week as our meeting. But it cannot be helped."
Before Alexander could speak, Dara took out his notebook and asked questions.
"Festival? Would you mind explaining what the festival is for?"
"Dara, that's not why we are here; you can ask later," Alexander said, rubbing his temples.
The Beast King emitted a strange growling sound, closely resembling a chuckle.
"Do not threaten; we have plenty of time, seeing as you have gotten here earlier than expected."
He gave something of a smile and started to explain. "The festival is known as Seven Days of the Wolf. It is a festival that celebrates the union of the three original wolf tribes. It is why we have the three stones; Each representing a clan, carried here by the clan chiefs. Each stone is engraved with the clan chief's seal. We celebrate for seven days to remind us how long it took to come together."
"Who's idea was it to unite the clans, and why was there a need for unity? Was there some sorts of disputes, or some kind of danger maybe?" Dara prodded.
Alexander had been wondering the same thing. But he was more curious as to why the Beast King was willing to speak. Usually, the Beast King wouldn't even accept a human in his company. Now he was happily answering a human's questions. He wanted to ask him why his mood was considerably different, but he was too busy answering Dara.
"The previous Beast King brought us together," he started.
"Wait, the previous Beast King? Has that title been around longer than the pack?" Dara questioned.
"That's very perceptive of you. The title of Beast King has been around for centuries, back to the first werewolf to come to Boddica. As to why they were united," he paused for a moment, "There was a threat, one which could not be ignored. The Huntsmen."
Both Alexander and Dara were surprised. To their knowledge and the knowledge of everyone in Urbemontis, Huntsmen have never been stationed in the northern mountains. This surprising reveal brought some questions to the surface.
"How could some Huntsmen cause all the wolves to unite? And is this Huntsman not the first?"
"Yes, this Huntsman is the first to be stationed in the city, but not the first to visit the northern mountains. It was many years ago, before my time. Unlike most instances, there weren't just two. According to the elders, there were hundreds. To this day, no one knows why they came or why they left. We like to think that it was because of the union of the wolf clans, but I have a feeling some other power was at play."
Alexander felt his face turning pale. Hundreds? That was such an irrationally large number, especially for the Huntsmen. He wondered what could have possibly warranted so many Huntsmen to be sent. Could he be the one who brought them here? He shook his head, not wanting to think of him.
"As much as I would enjoy continuing our history lesson, we are here for a reason," Alexander said, drawing the conversation back to the present.
"Ah, yes," the Beast King said, smiling once again, "What have you to report?"
Alexander looked at Dara without a word. He had no doubt the news would spoil the Beast King's mood, and it might even cause him to act irrationally. But there was no choice; they had to tell him. He was their only ally, and they knew they needed his help.
"I'm afraid the news isn't good," Dara said with a disappointed look.
"I see. Tell me what happened," the Beast king said, his expression turning serious.
"We did manage to provoke the people and even got them to start a riot. They were out for the blood of a Huntsman. That much went perfect, but what came after is where things started to fall apart," Dara paused for a moment, "The king handed them a man, but not the Huntsman. After burning him at the stake, the people were satisfied and continued as if nothing happened."
"Hmm, I should have known he would get involved. Do you know anything about Huntsman's whereabouts?"
"No," Dara answered immediately, "after the public burning of the decoy, she went into hiding."
There was a short pause for a moment. The Beast King looked at Dara for a moment and then at Alexander. He stayed quiet, seemingly thinking to himself.
"You said 'she.' I was unaware the Huntsman was a woman. That is rather unusual; Huntsmen have never before recruited women. Why did you choose to withhold this information from me?"
He seemed surprisingly calm. Alexander had expected that he would be upset that they kept the information.
"We didn't tell you? I guess it slipped my mind. I didn't think it would be such an important detail." Dara answered.
"You lie. Everyone knows Huntsmen aren't women. You should have told me. But yet again, it is unlikely that it would have made a difference. But I must ask; did you mention that the Huntsman was a woman when you were spreading rumors?"
"Yes, I made sure to emphasize it," Dara started, "I don't understand how the people could have changed the information so much."
The Beast King smiled, "It is to be expected. People gradually change small details as they spread stories. However, I believe the king himself had a hand in this case. Even though small details gradually change when spread from person to person, major details such as this one would not change so drastically."
Alexander looked at Dara, "that must be why our plan failed; we neglected to anticipate the king's intervention."
There was another moment of pause before the Beast King spoke.
"I assume you have seen this Huntsman girl?"
"We ran into her in a tavern. If it had been anywhere else, she would have caught me off guard and quite possibly killed me. But Dara got a much better look than me." Alexander answered.
"Hmm. Can you describe her to me?" The Beast King asked Dara.
"She seems like an average girl. She has long black hair, blue eyes and is a little shorter than me. Her skin is lighter than the women of Urbemontis; my guess is she grew up in Kiro or Sorgem. I believe she is nineteen or maybe twenty." Before Dara could explain any further, the Beast King interrupted him.
"So young? Are you certain?"
"Yes, she can't be any older than twenty, I am certain. Does that worry you?"
"Worry me? No, it is simply surprising. It might prove to be a problem in the future if it becomes a common practice. When trained from a young age, anyone can become very dangerous."
Alexander acknowledged it inwardly. His encounter with her was a testament to that. He had not thought about it when he first saw her, but he knew she was too skilled to be just another Huntsman. But he had a feeling that there was more to her than just that.
The Beast King looked at Alexander. "Did you see her at all?"
"I saw her, but only for a moment when she left the tavern. Other than that, I did not have a chance to see her up close."
"Why do you choose to lie to me, hybrid? A woman, matching the description your friend gave, was seen leaving your home. She was unharmed, and you are still alive. So, give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand," the Beast King voice was stoic and calm.
"I was unaware that you have your people watching me."
"That is unimportant. Now, explain yourself!"
"If you are thinking that we are collaborating, you're wrong. After our last meeting, Dara and I went to my home. He took off before I could invite him in, but it seems it was a good thing. She had been waiting for me in my own house," Alexander explained, keeping his eye on the Beast King.
"Before you ask, she did try to kill me. She was far more talented than I would have expected. My guess is she has been training for a long time before becoming a Huntsman. But luckily, I was much faster. I managed to disarm and subdue her."
"Why did she leave unharmed? Why didn't you kill her? A Huntsman doesn't just give up. There is something you are not telling me," The Beast King questioned.
"Why would I want to kill her? We all know what the consequence of that would be. She is not like other Huntsmen, so I managed to convince her to leave."
"It seems you are speaking the truth, but I can tell you are keeping something from me; however, I will not force you to share everything."
"What will we do now?" Dara asked, changing the subject.
"It will be much more difficult now with the king getting involved. However, I believe it will be equally difficult for the Huntsmen to make their next move. With the people firmly against them, they will have to start from scratch, and it will take much longer to gain the people's trust. So we are not hard-pressed to come up with another plan," the Beast King explained.
"What do you mean?" Dara questioned.
"You two may retire to your homes while I will return to the ceremony. I will arrange for some of my pack members to roam an area near your home," the Beast King said, looking at Alexander. "If either of you come up with a new plan, you can speak to them, and they will contact me. If the elders or myself come up with something, then I will reach out to you."
"I think Dara and I will go to Urbemontis for a while. We may be able to come up with something if we have a better idea of the situation."
"Do as you will, hybrid. It is, as I said before, we are not hard-pressed for time."
A moment of silence passed; the Beast King was waiting to see if there was anything else to be said, but the way he looked at Alexander said otherwise. He was giving him a chance to tell the whole story of what happened with the Huntsman. But after a minute of silence, the Beast King concluded the meeting.
He turned to walk away, "farewell, hybrid."
"My name is Alexander," he said without thinking.
The Beast King stopped for a moment and turned his head just enough for Alexander to see his eye.
"Farewell, Alexander."
How he said it surprised Alexander. He had expected to hear anger in his voice, but there was something else—a combination of surprise and reverence. He was curious about what could have caused the Beast King to take such a tone with someone who disrespected him, but he did not waste time dwelling on the thought.
Alexander and Dara waited until the Beast King disappeared behind the trees before they decided to leave.
On their way back to Alexander's home, they discussed the trip to Urbemontis and what they would do there. Initially, Alexander had no intention of going to Urbemontis; it was a last-minute decision. He wanted to speak to the Huntsman again; he wanted to know what she had to say about all that had happened. There was no guarantee that they would find her, let alone get to talk to her.
After spending the remainder of the night at his house, Alexander and Dara set out to Urbemontis.
**********************************************************************
Alexander and Dara arrived in the city right as the sun set. Immediately upon entering the city, Alexander noticed how quiet it was. It was not unusual for the city to be calm at night; however, some people would still walk the streets or come out to see the night lights. But the city seemed barren, and if it were not for the guards patrolling, it would have seemed completely abandoned.
They made their way to the Full Moon Tavern. Alexander had hoped to get some more information about the Huntsman girl and why the city was so quiet.
They reached the tavern just as the night lights started to dance in the sky. The tavern did not seem to be affected by the quiet city and seemed to be busy as always. The laughter and drunken singing could be heard clearly far outside the door.
Upon entering the tavern, they were greeted by a bald red-bearded dwarf.
"Ah, my two favorite customers!" he exclaimed. "How can I help you two today?"
"Something strong," Alexander replied
"Same for me," Dara said as they both sat down at the bar.
"Any of your usual transactions?"
"What is causing unease in the city?" Alexander asked.
"I am sure the two are aware of the Huntsman that was caught a few days ago. It seems he attracted more than just the attention of some werewolves," He leaned in "rumor has it that he caught the attention of Kritanta,"
"Kritanta?" Dara asked
"The two of you are probably too young to remember," he started. "Kritanta came to Urbemontis a little over twenty years ago, but it wasn't until eighteen years ago that he started causing trouble. At first, no one even realized such a dangerous criminal was in the city, not until strange men began asking about him. Back then, I had just started working in this tavern, and I was new to Urbemontis. Still, I knew trouble when I saw it, and Kritanta was more trouble than this city could handle. How the king managed to run him out of town is beyond me."
"Does anyone know where he is now?" Alexander asked, staring into his cup.
"I doubt it; the last time he was here, they never even got a good look at his face. He was like a ghost. The only way anyone even knew that he existed was because of the strange men who were asking about him," The bartender explained as he handed them their drinks.
Alexander reached into the pouch on his side and took six copper coins for the drinks, two silver coins for the information, and put it on the bar. After the bartender scooped up the coins and gave them a broad smile, they stood up and made their way to an open table. Alexander sat, facing the door, and was nervously tapping his cup.
"What's wrong, Alex," Dara asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't try to avoid answering. I noticed how you grew quiet when he said that name, and now you look like someone who's seen a ghost. What is it?"
"Kritanta isn't his full name," Alexander sighed. "It is a title given to the strongest and most dangerous warriors and passed down to their children. Not just anyone has that name; it is earned in battle."
"Do you know who it is?" Dara asked quietly.
"I believe so, yes. But I don't know him as the people do. He was not a criminal or monster; those are the labels given to him by the king, or at least, so I am told."
"How do you know so much about a person no one has ever even seen?"
"I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you," Alexander breathed. "My full name is Alexander Kritanta."
There was a moment of silence between them. Dara sat in disbelief, unable to form words. Alexander waited for him to process the sudden, surprising information.
"So you're related to him," Dara finally managed to whisper.
"Yes, he is my father."
"Do you know anything else about him? Why he might be here or where he might be?" Dara asked, not giving much time for further explanation.
"Besides everything I just told you, I don't know much else. I know he is my father, my namesake, and that my mother spoke highly of him."
"Wait," Dara started, with a serious expression, "if he is your namesake, then isn't it possible that...."
Alexander cut him off with a rais of his hand. His attention was drawn to the door. When the door slowly creaked open, he saw a cloaked figure and immediately knew who it was. It's her. He could feel his heart start to race. He kept a close eye on her as she scanned the room. When their eyes met, he began to relax. He could tell from the look in her eyes; she was not there to harm him. Her eyes were not those of a predator but rather a lost sheep.
She walked over to the table where they were sitting and sat next to Alexander. Her head hung low, causing the hood of her cloak to hide her face.
When Alexander looked up at Dara, he saw his worried expression. He raised a hand to calm Dara and mouthed the words, 'it's okay.' They were both unsure whether they should speak, so they said nothing. It became a waiting game. After several minutes the girl's soft voice broke the silence.
"All this time, I have been hunting supernaturals because they are monsters and inherently evil," she said, slowly removing her hood. "When werewolves surrounded the city, not a single person was harmed. But to preserve his reputation, the king allowed for an innocent man to die. An innocent man was burned at the stake, so I may live."
Alexander could hear the sadness and guilt in her voice. He knew exactly how she felt because he felt the same. No one would have been harmed if it were not for his plan.
"Believe it or not, but I share in your guilt. If it weren't for my plan, the wolves would not have gotten involved, and the innocent would not have been lost," Alexander said before drinking the last bit of ale in his cup.
She chuckled softly and gave a hint of a smile, "I had a feeling you were involved with the sudden increase of sightings."
Before Alexander could say anything else, Dara spoke.
"I have a feeling you didn't just come here to tell us that."
"You are right. I came here to warn you," she said, looking at Alexander. "After I gave your description to the king, he ordered that all his soldiers be on the lookout and capture you if they see you."
"I am assuming you have no intention of detaining me?"
"Even if I tried, I couldn't; you have already proven that much."
"If a Huntsman can't capture me, what hope do some guards have?" Alexander said coldly, staring into his empty cup.
"None if it were only one or two. But even you can't escape an entire battalion, especially now that they have all been equipped with silver weapons."
"Silver or no, it doesn't matter. I am much more than meets the eye; however, I am still thankful for the warning. I never thought a huntsman would ever think to talk to me, let alone warn me of a threat," Alexander smiled.
"I have done what I came here to do, so I will leave. If you need to speak with me, you know where to find me. And you do not have to worry about me anymore. I will no longer blindly hunt the supernatural; if I am given a reason to hunt, then I will," The girl said as she stood up from the table.
"Until we meet again, Huntsman," Alexander said as she walked to the door.
She paused for a moment and looked over her shoulder, "my name is Neith."
After she spoke, she looked ahead of her but did not move. She did not share her name, just for Alexander to know. He knew what she wanted.
"I guess you want me to tell you my name, although I am pretty sure you already know my name, but I will humor you. My name is Alexander."
After hearing his name, Neith walked out the door. Alexander had no doubt she already knew his name. She used it as a test to see if he trusted her.
"I guess we will have to tell the Beast King of what has happened," Dara suggested.
"There's no rush," Alexander laughed, "When I go back tomorrow, I will go tell him myself."
Alexander looked at Dara with a big smile on his face. It was all finally over. He no longer had to worry about the Huntsmen coming after him. He could finally go back to his way of life. Dara went up for another round to celebrate, and they both spent the rest of the night celebrating.