"Now for our royal court. Lady Isla, the protector of our finest in Eloisa." Lord Elys announces, hushing the crowd.
I look to my left, seeing an elegant woman walk up the stage. She wears a long off-white dress embroidered with peach pine trees that flows behind her. Her eyes are a beautiful sea blue and her hair a fitting brown. She is followed by a wolf around 22 years of age who holds her umbrella. He has a black ring around his neck, plain white pants and white flat shoes. Yet, he was rather handsome. His face is radiant with light brown skin that match his green eyes, and his hair is trimmed such that it fit his face. His muscles are not that of a soldier, but show he is healthy and fit.
Lord Elys bows as Lady Isla curtsies like a graceful butterfly. She walks near him and looks over towards us.
"I only require two of your finest. Hopefully we can accomplish that. The other groups are sub-par at best."
Lord Elys dips his arm once more. "I shan't think that to be a problem."
She nods, walking towards the beginning of the line and looking over some wolves. She scoffs most of the time when she looks us over, aggravating me. Apparently our stock wasn't good enough for her. This all felt like a circus.
Lady Isla begins to walk towards me when she lets out a small gasp: looking from me to Caspa. "Why, these are marvelous dogs. Quite handsome from the rest too."
Lady Isla motions for the guards to release our shackles, but surprise overtakes me. Handsome? I've never been called such a word before, besides what my mother had uttered.
I feel the irons fall from my hands and legs as I flex my wrists to relieve the soreness. Caspa walks towards Lady Isla first as she leans towards him, putting her hands under his chin and removing his hair to check his face. The wolf she is with moves from his position in order to better shade her from the sun as she nods.
"Fine, very fine in deed."
She then walks towards me, staring into my eyes as I look deep into hers. She smiles for a bit and rather roughly grabs my chin, lifting my face closer to hers.
"You seem like a trouble maker, I like that spunk about you. Yet, you will learn to mind your tongue in this kingdom, dog."
I want to spit in her face, but I know that I will be killed in an instant for such a gesture. Thus, I do nothing and that only makes her smile more: mainly because she knows I can be tamed.
She removes my sticky hair from my eyes, as I feel her warm hands upon my forehead. "Black hair and blue eyes. This is a first in this kingdom, very interesting in deed."
So that is what I look like? I have never had the chance to see my face. I just knew of my brown skin. We have no mirrors or ponds in the woods and all I would rely upon was my mother's words.
My eyes search Lady Isla as she slides her hand down my face, towards my chest. Her fingers caress my belly, around my abs, which makes me twitch. "Rather muscular too I see."
Her hands fall from me as she walks to my back inspect me more as the wolf with her follows. She gasps at the fresh wounds, staring hard at Lord Elys. I was half hoping she would leave me here to be picked for the fields.
"To mark such beauty…what was his crime?"
Lord Elys turns toward Philis, and then looks back at her. "He was protecting his kind, and lashed for speaking out against Philis' judgement."
How did Lord Elys know such a thing without talking to Philis? Mind reading? I always knew the elves had gifts, but this…this was otherworldly.
Lady Isla becomes silent, turning her back on me and Caspa. "A rather troublesome character he is…well nothing that can't be fixed. I will take them both."
I couldn't believe my ears.
Lord Elys bows. "Yes, yes. Well dogs, why not show the brilliant Lady Isla your forms."
I look straight at Lord Elys, knowing that this was a bad idea. If they saw the mist, I would not make it out of a Illandran cell. Yet, when Caspa nudges me and I meet his reassuring eyes, I know that everything will be ok.
With that, Caspa begins to turn into his true form as I let out a pain stacking howl. My body falls to the ground, muscles popping and stretching as warm fur falls over me. My clothes tear as my teeth snap and enlarge, nails turn into claws, and my eyes glaze into a blood red. A mist slowly begins to snake itself around me. It's light, not at its peak, and thus is easier to control.
The crowd gasps in horror as I reveal myself, walking towards Lord Elys and Lady Isla as Caspa, a graceful white wolf, follows. The Marcuse Dragon screeches at the sight of me. Its wings poised and ready for attack as its snout leans over the castles walls.
"It cannot be!"
"The black wolf! That dog that attacked our empire!"
Lord Elys walks near me, staring into my eyes. "It is you, isn't it. Rather odd you showing up…alive."
I growl at his comment, wanting to rip his throat out. Not that I couldn't have in an instant. In a split second I could have picked the elves that stood as spectators around the stage off...one by one. The challenge would be the dragon. My body begins to shake and the mists wills begin to take over. The longer I am in this form, the faster I loose my will.
Caspa walks into view. He eyes me, allowing my mind to settle. Destroying the elves means destroying my pack. I cannot do that again.
"Rather odd indeed." Lady Isla says, looking at Lord Elys, "I think he would be a good asset for the King."
Lord Elys' eyes widen. "You don't mean…"
"Yes, think of the possibilities. This specimen," she says, touching my fur as I look into her blue eyes, "has great potential for us. I stand my ground when I say I want them both."
Lord Elys can't shake the shock or fear from his eyes. I knew he wanted my head, but he still agrees to what Lady Isla asked. Caspa and I turn back to our human forms as I exhale heavily. I honestly can't believe that I made it back here intact. Brown cloths are thrown in our direction as we cover our bodies. I feel bare and lifeless as the crowd stares upon us, yet I am glad that nothing happened.
As I am escorted off the stage and follow Lady Isla and her wolf down the stairs, my mind only went to one thing: feeling the cold air of the kingdom caress my body.
What potential was she talking about?