JOYCE
Two days later, Joyce and Gray walked the trails together. They had done it every day after breakfast, and Joyce hoped it would become a habit. She was learning a lot, and Gray was a fun and intelligent companion. And he spoke to her like she was human, although she supposed that was the wrong term to use here in Anima; he talked to her like she mattered. And not as if she were a child. She had not realised how inadequate she felt around these people until now.
As they followed the twisting path between the trees and she marvelled again at the community living among the branches. They passed a merchant carrying a large basket of obviously handmade bowls and cups, they were beautiful, and Joyce almost stopped the man. But when he reached them on the path, he looked sideways at Gray and stepped out to give them a wide berth as he passed.
Joyce frowned at him, but Gray ignored it.
"Why did he do that?" she asked as they stopped on the path to look back at the man who was hurrying away from them.
Gray tugged at her elbow. "Ignore it, I do," he muttered.
"Ignore what? Why did he act like that? Like you were… sick or something?"
Gray shrugged and squinted at the path ahead, not meeting her eyes. "He is one of the old men. They have different ways of viewing the world. Much more superstitious. Anima, in general, is very wary of anyone different. And I am… different. I even smell wrong. So, they are all careful around me. But the older guys… they think something is wrong with me."
Joyce put a hand on his upper arm. "I am so sorry! I can't believe he acted like that. What do you mean you smell wrong? I do not smell anything on you; some of these people stink, so even I can see them."
They both laughed, but Gray's smile did not reach his eye. "Do not get involved, Joyce. You have got your journey to walk. You would not change the old Anima. But… when you have been accepted, remember those of us in your people who are different."
"What are you talking about? I am different!" she said.
"You are also Sung's mate," he said dryly. Then sniffed. "Or at least, you will be soon. Trust me, that fact alone covers a multitude of sins."
"So what you are saying is, you need to find a good wife, and then they will stop treating you like you have the plague?" she said quietly.
But Gray's face flattened. "I would settle for any wife at all."
"But you are only nineteen!"
"If I was normal, I would have mated last year," he said, his face dark.
"But Sung-"
'Sung is the king; he took the crown right at the age of mating but was so busy that no one thought about it for a while. So, he got away with it. But even he came under pressure. Why do you think we had the right?"
"That is how royals get their mates, isn't it?"
Gray laughed. "Ten generations ago, maybe," he said. "But Sung could have taken a mate any time he pleased. The rite is political. A backup plan for when the royal can't choose or wants to make a political marriage. The people insisted upon it because he was so far past the normal age of mating… I think some of the mothers worried he might never do it alone. It was not like he hurt for female company…" he trailed off as he realised whom he was talking to.
Joyce folded her arms. "It is okay. I know he is… popular."
"But he has never even hinted at choosing a mate before, Joyce. There is something different between you two. I have never seen him attend to a female as he does to you. Mating for the sheer pleasure of it and taking a mate, joining your lives, are two different things in Anima. He has something special for you."
"Oh really?" she asked dryly. "Where was the special attention, Gray? Was that when he left me alone at breakfast or took off in the middle of the night to beat up some lion?"
Gray snorted and flapped a hand at her. "Those are just things kings have to do. You will see that it is his life, not how he thinks and feels personally. He does those things because he knows he has to. And I think he kind of likes being needed. But the way he touches you and keeps you close, the light in his eyes when he looks at you, is new. I have never seen that before."
They walked on, silent in their thoughts, until Joyce turned to him. "You observe a lot about people who do not know you are watching, don't you?"
He shrugged again. "When you are different, you learn to read people well. You have to be; the wrong kind of attention can come anytime."
Joyce sighed. "I don't get it. What is it about you that is so different? You seem perfectly normal to me! The most normal person I have met here!"
Gray groaned. "Says the human, who has never stepped foot in Anima before."
"Fine, so explain it to me. You're good at this; teach me. Tell me what is so different about you so I can learn to judge and be cruel like others, then reject you for my new friends."
He grinned, but his heart was heavy as he spoke. "I am equine," he said, indicating his thick body, slim legs, and arms. "Equine are usually either warriors or merchants. We are strong, good runners, and we read the winds, meaning we can scent subtle changes in people and read individuals and a crowd. We make good advisors and good… well, you would call them salespeople," Joyce thought of Erwin and felt as if she better understood why Sung relied on him so heavily. "We are also beautiful," he said sadly, "in our beast forms. The only Anima who often transform because we enjoy it and it allows us to travel quickly. We also keep our heads better in our beast forms."
Joyce's mouth had dropped open. "B-beast forms?"
"Well, I can't speak for myself, but… it seems like most equine still remember who they are when they shift, which many Anima do not. At least, not in detail."
"Shift into… beast form? You can-"
"No," he said darkly. "That is the problem. I can not transform," he said, tight and hushed. "I am the only equine who can't. I am a freak." Then he turned to look at Joyce, whose face was still wide with shock. He frowned.
"What?"
"You can… transform?"
"No, were you not listening? I can't; I am a freak."
Joyce swallowed and flapped a hand, trying to find words. "But… the others… the other equines?"
Gray frowned hard and tilted his head. "Anima, Joyce. All the Anima have a beast form. Another body that is waiting; you did not know this?"
"No," she said faintly, "I did not."
***
SUNG
He was holding himself together by the tips of his claws. He stood at the path's edge, less than a day's travel from the city, shuddering. His skin quivered, and his beast tore at his insides. But he had to speak to them. He would be unable to keep it together long enough to get to Khloe. He had accepted that now. But that meant he needed a plan.
He called to the pride males again. They were coming on swift feet, but they had kept their distance as instructed, leading him in the right direction but not getting close enough for him to feel threatened. It was risky to bring them in, but he had to do it.
He could not return to Joyce like this, and his beast self was driven by nothing else. He would terrify her; she did not even know he could shift. He needed Khloe and her soothing tincture and Erwin and his steadying presence.
Damn, what was happening to him?
The young ones arrived first, less of a threat. The elders were wise to send them, but they were all nervous, trying to keep themselves proud and strong but looking at each other as much as he.
"You are fine… for now," he panted. "If I tell you to run, you do it."
"Yes, sire," they all replied.
He nodded, focusing on keeping himself as calm as possible. But with the wound on his side, his instincts for protection were kicking in harder and harder. Another shudder ripped through him, and he growled. The young ones tensed. He was not going to make it until the elders were close. But then Haydn crept up from between two trees beside him, and Sung heaved a sigh of relief. The elder was a steady presence but not dominant. A good choice for the first approach. He nodded, and Haydn padded toward him silently, eyes down and shoulders lowered.
"There is not much time," Sung said through his teeth. As he nodded to Sung, the elder motioned for the younger men to get behind him. "I can't control it. I do not know why… Tell Khloe it has been an urge since the ceremony, but… it became a struggle when the mating… was interrupted before we left to get the silent one. I need her to stop the shifts… I can't return to the den, to my mate, until she has – do you understand?" Haydn nodded again, still not meeting Sung's eyes. "You are a good man… get Erwin too. He will help talk me down. Even… even my beast recognises him. He might be needed if something happens…."
"You can trust us, majesty; we would not let anything happen."
"If it comes to it, you sedate me, understand? I will not punish anyone if that is what it takes. Do not let me put any of the people under threat!" Letting himself think about that and feel the tension was a mistake. He shuddered again and groaned, rolling his head on his shoulders to desperately push back the urge to shift. "Do you understand me, Haydn?"
"Yes! Yes, we do, sire. Do not worry. Everything will be fine," but he was already shrinking back into the trees, gesturing for the others to disappear too. He could sense the shift coming, and Sung's scent was wary and prickly.
"Thank you, f-friend," he gasped, holding on with gritted teeth. "I will not forget this."
But the men were gone. He held out as long as he could. His last thought was a prayer for Joyce's safety.
And that she would not abandon him if she learned about his beast.
***
JOYCE
He had been explaining for almost an hour. It wasn't that she had difficulty understanding the concept after everything else she had seen in the past week; it wasn't hard to believe these people could transform. And, as she thought about it, it explained a lot about the metaphors they used and how they referred to themselves.
She had assumed when Sung referred to himself as a cub he had been indulging his animal nature. But, no, she learned he had been a cub and a child.
It was… mind-boggling.
Gray was half-amused and half-hurt, she realised. The fact that he could not do this when everyone else could is a blow to him and made him stand out negatively. Joyce was trying to be sensitive to that while still trying to get her head around the fact that it even happened.
"Are you the only one who can't change in the whole of Anima?" she asked carefully.
Gray shook his head. "No, every tribe has two or three. Except us, I am the only equine."
She put a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry; I mean, I haven't had that exact experience, but I was different back where I came from too. The only one without a family. And… no one understood. It made me feel… wrong. Even though I felt like I was not. Except I knew I was different… it was just a lot."
His eyes came up to meet hers then, with a flash. "Yes," he said quietly. "That is how I feel."
"Do they exclude you? I mean, you were at the stall the day we met. Do they still buy from you?"
"Yes, mostly," he sighed. "The worst time was when I was young. The children can be cruel. Now it is more peaceful, except when I run into the older ones and the fact that none of the females wants me. They are afraid their children will be wrong too."
"You are not wrong; you are just different," she said, rubbing his back.
He shrugged. "In the eyes of others, it amounts to the same thing."
"Well, I can tell you, if you were in the human world, you would be very desirable as a husband," she said, smiling. "You are tall, handsome, kind, funny, and want to marry. That is big where I am from."
"Do the men not wish to have families?" he asked, confused.
"Not at your age, not usually," she said. Then she smiled again. "So, if it ever gets really bad here, see if you can find a way into the human world. You will have a wife in no time," she joked.
Gray laughed too, but his eyes were distant.
***
SUNG
He was naked on a stone floor when he woke from his beast. His side ached terribly, but his body shook when he tried to push himself up, and he almost lost himself to the shift again.
For the first time, fear crept into his heart. What happened? How had he come to this place, and why wasn't it being appeased by his beast form?
He groaned as he rolled towards the light and found himself in a cage inside Khloe's den. She and the other pride leaders turned when he groaned and rushed to the bars.
"Don't open them yet," he croaked, raising one palm towards them. "I am not sure yet. Just… give me a minute."
The young Leonine were pale, watching him from behind their elders. He needed to be stronger. Khloe stood, her jaw tight and fists on her hips. She said something to Haydn, who was next to her, staring at Sung worriedly, but Sung was too busy biting back a wave of the urge to shift, to pay attention. But he knew from her tone and posture that he would pay for this later. Soon he could sit up and scoot himself back to lean against the rock wall, facing the others. Then a door behind them slammed, and Erwin appeared next to Khloe, staring wide-eyed at Sung.
"What is going on?" Erwin demanded.
Sung growled. "The shift, I can't stop it."
"Did you scare off the silent one?"
"He killed it," Haydn said quietly. They were all silent for a moment, ignoring Sung's shame.
He gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes closed to help him focus. "I lost control, Erwin. And it is getting worse. I have barely been able to stay myself for more than a few minutes since I shifted. It is getting harder every time instead of easier, and I am staying for shorter periods. I do not know why, but it-"
"I do!" Khloe snarled. Sung's eyes flew open, and he stared at her in shock, as did the other men.
"What?" Sung asked hoarsely. "What's happening to me?"
She pointed her finger at his chest. "What's happening is that the mating bond was established but has not been allowed to snap into place. I tried to warn you, Sung. This is what comes of taking a human wife; you should have listened to the histories!"
"I do not have time for histories right now. I need to know what to do to stop the shifting!"
"You need to, mate!"
"I was about to," he ground out, glaring at Erwin, who shifted on his feet. "But I got called away," he winced, holding back the shift. "And now… I can't mate her as a lion. She does not have a beast form."
"She would not be the first female to take her husband as a beast; some even enjoy-" Khloe snorted.
"Do not finish that sentence!" Sung snarled, then had to breathe heavily for several seconds to get himself under control.
"Stay calm," Khloe said, the heat out of her voice. "Just relax."
He gave her a look but took a deep breath and spoke quietly. "This is her first time. And our mating bond, I will not… sully it that way."
Khloe nodded, sighing.
"I need that tincture you have, Khloe," he said finally. "The one you gave me when I was an adolescent."
Khloe's lips thinned. "You are so much stronger now, Sung. So much more of yourself. I can't even be sure it would work."
"Well, there is only one way… to find out…" he groaned. "Please, it's getting worse."
Khloe threw up her hands, growling. "We can only try, I suppose," she hurried over to a cupboard near the kitchen and looked through the bottles. "We need to wrap that wound too; otherwise, you are going to get infected, which will not help with the urge to shift."
Sung nodded. "Just give me the medicine first, then wrap it quickly. I am not sure how much longer I have got," he shivered and rested his head against the wall, breathing deeply, fighting to keep himself under control.
Thoughts of Joyce, her face, and her smell helped at first. And he focused on their memories and how he had loved her for so long. But he could feel the desire rising in him the longer he thought of her. And if Khloe was right, that would only create more problems.
"Hurry," he snarled.
"Thick-headed Alpha male bullshit," Khloe growled as she unlocked the cage and hurried in. "Always so sure of yourselves until you fail, then it is hurried, hurry, hurry, woman and fix this for me."
Ignoring the muttering of the female that threatened his temper, Sung tipped his head, and Erwin moved to block the open doorway, keeping the other back.
Khloe knelt before him and poured a dollop of foul-smelling syrup into a spoon, spooning it into Sung's mouth like she did when he was a cub. Then, with a grimace, she poured a second dose and gave him that as well. Sung spluttered, the stuff tasted horrible, but he forced himself to swallow it. While he was still shaking his head and making faces, Khloe moved to the wound on his side, touching and growling when he batted her hand away when she felt the tender spot.
"I will wager that rib is broken and maybe the one above. And you have dirt in the wounds. You need to stop running around playing the hero and rest, Sung."
"I will, soon as I can stop shifting."
"And that is not helping, either."
"I am aware," he ground out as she rubbed salve into the wounds and began wrapping his chest. "Hence my current position on your floor," he was still panting, and if he wasn't dreaming, the urge to shift was already fading. He blinked and looked at her. "I think it is working."
"You are calm. But don't do anything yet, sire," she said sarcastically. "It takes a good hour to work completely, but it might be faster with that dose. But probably more erratic too. So, for the creator's sake, sit here and stay calm."
He nodded and looked at Erwin, who was staring with open worry.
"How is my wife?" he asked quietly.
Erwin blinked, then nodded. "She's fine. She has made a couple of friends, I think. And… she learned a little while you were gone."
"Good, good," Sung winced again as Khloe tugged at the bandages around his chest. "Who is following her right now?"
"She is at the market with Gray. They are going to the reading after the meal. I asked Van to take over when I came to your summons."
"You were watching her?" Sung frowned. "But Van was with you?"
"He was in the square. I sent him back as I passed. She was not alone, Sung. She is fine. It was more important for me to come -"
"What?!" Sung snarled.
Khloe froze, one hand on his shoulder. "Sung, breathe."
"You left her unattended?!"
"For a few moments, Sung, I knew exactly where she was and with whom. It was more important to be here -"
"Nothing is more important than her safety, do you understand? Nothing!"
Khloe had stood and was slowly backing away from him with no fear on her face but the wary crouch of a female with enough experience to know when to step softly. "Sung," she said calmly. "You need to -"
"Stop telling me to be calm when my wife is out there, under wolf eyes, without her GUARD!" his breath came hoarse and rough, his shoulders heaving. For a moment, he struggled against conflicting forces, one that urged him to shift, the other that attempted to block it. He could see the eyes of those watching widen. "Nothing!" he huffed, but instead of a huff, he released an earth-shattering roar when he thought of his wife in the forest, alone.
Why was he in this den? Why did all those eyes stare like cubs?
With a snarl, he shot for the open door. Everybody moved swiftly out of his path as he ran out of the den and into the twilight outside the den; he paused only to scent the wind. His side ached, but he was king. He would heal.
His mate. She was here, somewhere near, and he needed her.
JOYCE
She'd had a lovely dinner with Talia, and Gray had also sat with her for a while. The entire city was planning to attend what they called a reading that night, apparently some kind of show where actors read a story in the amphitheatre. Joyce was eager to see and share the experience; she's yet to see the entertainment in Anima. But staring at Sung's empty chair again for the whole meal had worn her out. The weight of his absence pressed down on her. There was still no news about where he was or why he'd been gone for so long. And the worry burrowed under her skin. She had barely slept the night before, thinking of all things that could have gone wrong and stroking the furs where he last lay. She had even given in and curled up on his sleeping platform to be close to his smell.
The irony was when she knew that the entire cave smelled like her to him. But if she buried her face in his furs, she could smell that pine and rain mixed with that uniquely male tang that was only him.
A wave of tiredness hit her as she stood from the table, and she made excuses to her two friends. "I am sorry, but I am just wiped out. Next time?"
Gray shrugged and waved as he walked out. Talia paused, though.
"Are you okay?"
Joyce shrugged. "I just… I hate not knowing what's going on."
Talia looked sympathetic. "I know we would have had news if there was something serious. It could be simply that the animal tried to get around him and kept coming. He would not leave until he was sure the city was safe. Try not to worry."
Joyce nodded and forced a smile. "Thank you, I will try. I think I just need to sleep tonight."
"Yes, you must be well rested for when he comes back. Assuming his balls have not dropped off from lack of use," she said with a grin.
Joyce blushed but forced herself to laugh. "I will make sure to check when he gets home."
Talia gave her an approving nod. "We will make an Anima out of you yet, Joyce. Sleep well."
"Thank you, I will."
As she left the market, she walked against the flow as everyone else moved toward the centre of the tree city. The readings were popular; even the stall holders were packing up early. For a moment, she stopped. Should she go, too? But no, her limbs felt heavy, and her eyes grainy. She needed sleep. There would be another reading, and maybe she and Sung could enjoy it together. With a heavy sigh, she descended the path out of the city and towards the cave.
Not until she had walked for a few minutes did she realise no other sounds around her. No other people, no footsteps, no voices calling, not even the sounds of birds or the scrabble of wildlife. She stopped for a moment and looked around. It was not until then that she realised the forest had a rhythm. A constant hum of activity from the city's citizens or the natural world. She wanted to stand there and enjoy the silence and solitude for a moment, but something itched between her shoulder blades. Why were the creatures silent?
She looked around, peering between the trees, but could not see or hear a thing. Not even a breath of wind in the leaves. She was about to start walking again when she heard the faint snap of a twig off to her left. Joyce gasped and looked into the growing darkness. She was alone. Utterly alone.
And that is when she realised that it had never happened before. Every time she left the city before, the guards had appeared at least twice to follow her on the path or through the trees, and she had never been alone until now.
Where were they? The hairs on the back of her neck stood in fear as Joyce whipped around to see a shadow move behind a tree.
"Whose there?" she called out, trying to strengthen her voice. But there was no answer.
There was a quiet thud on the edge of the clearing behind her, and she whipped around again. At first, she thought there was no one there, then suddenly, her eyes glowed in the darkness the same way she had seen Sung's eyes glow in the black cave at night.
"Who are you?" she demanded, crouching down to pick up a stone from the side of the path. "What do you want?"
Like a disapproving snort, a tiny huff of air sounded off to her right, and she turned again, lifting the rock. But there was nothing.
"Joyce…" a voice whispered behind her, and she whirled around, throwing the rock, but it snapped a twig and bounced harmlessly off the tree trunk.
She could have sworn she heard a snigger of laughter but could not see or hear anything else. She ran down the path towards the cave, pushing herself, sprinting, forcing her legs to keep going even when they began to burn, and her throat ached with the heaving of her breath. She knew she was out of shape and an embarrassment in the world of Anima and cursed herself for it. Behind her, far in the distance, she heard a crowd roar that sounded as if hundreds of people had raised their voices all at once. The stories must be exciting.
Was she going to die out here, in the dark, by herself, while everyone else celebrated? Not if she had any choice in the matter.
But she could not deny that no matter how much she pushed herself to run faster, she could not shake the feeling of someone watching her.
***
SUNG
Her scent was everywhere, but it did not take long for him to find the most recent trail and the predatory scents mixed with it. Sung followed the wolves as they tracked Joyce. They were weaving in and out of the tree, crossing paths and taunting her so they could appear and disappear on opposite sides as she made her way down the trail to the cave.
His mate was being hunted, and his heart raced. With a swallowed snarl, he leapt between the trees, darting through them to reach the clearing before the cave ahead of him. He located a spot where she had stopped and smelt the spike of fear.
***
JOYCE
Joyce had almost reached the clearing with breath tearing in her throat, pulse pounding in her ears, and her feet slapping the dirt trail. She prayed that the guards were there, waiting, that all of this was some kind of mistake. She could see the light of the lanterns beginning to peek between the trees as the path widened when a shadow appeared on the trail twenty feet ahead of her, and she slid to a stop. She almost fell when e turned to go back, but a shadow of another man stepped out of the trees from that direction too. She turned again, but there was a rustling in the bushes to that side.
Panicked and backing away, she grabbed another rock from between the tree roots, but the path towards the clearing was clear again when she stood. But would one of them be waiting to ambush her?
"Who are you? What do you want?" she screamed, putting as much anger as she could into her voice. But she trembled from head to foot. She felt helpless against these people.
Did they think this was a joke? Was it some kind of Anima initiation? Was someone going to leap out of the bushes with a balloon while laughing and then tell her that this is how they accept new members to the club?
A low growl puttered behind her, and Joyce froze. This was no joke. She tightened her grip on the rock, wishing desperately that she saw better in the shadows between the trees. In the last effort to help herself, she took one more mad dash down the trail towards the clearing, but feet pounded alongside her, and before she could break out of the trees, a man stepped out already in the clearing, and his arms hung loosely at his sides.
Joyce slid to a stop, panting as more male and female figures materialised from the sides. No doubt there was another behind her. She didn't recognise them, though they all looked fairly young. The man in front of her smiled, and his eyes glowed; his teeth flashed in the light of one of the lanterns in the clearing.
"Oh, look," he said softly. "It is our Queen."
One of the others huffed.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped. "Why are you following me?"
"Because you are a stain on Anima's skin, Queen Joyce, a stone hung around the neck of our people. So, we will do what no one else has the strength or courage to do. We will remove you," she met the woman's gaze in the dark.
"If you kill me, you will only bring your king down on your heads," she snarled.
The woman shrugged, smiling. "I will take the risk."
The two men chuckled.
"You might take me," she said, hefting the rock in her hand, "but even if you win, my husband will tear out your throats."
"Too bad you would not be here to see it, isn't it, Joyce?"
As she turned to look at the man who had spoken, she immediately realised her mistake because the rush of movement from her other side forced her to whip back around. She turned just in time to see the woman leaping at her, mouth open and teeth baring just as a mighty snarl echoed through the trees, and a massive lion landed on the dirt before her.
It was huge, shoulder level with her own and a chest almost as broad as she was tall. Its tail whipped back and forth as it crouched, ready to pounce.
Joyce froze, terrified.
But it was not looking at her.
Its back was to her, facing the three wolf-people, a low snarl guttering in his throat.
***
SUNG
His mate was in danger; his mate was afraid.
He had torn between the trees to head them off but reached the spot almost at the same time they did, the people who smelled like kin. Something deep in his head had a memory of that. But he could not be distracted.
His mate was afraid and trying to escape. He would remove the danger. As she turned, looking for a way out, her heart beat rapidly; like a little bird, he leapt to land between her and the predators just as the female charged. She almost bent herself in half, attempting to avoid him, but she was already in flight. She yelped and tried to turn as she landed, but he cuffed her, and she tumbled into the dirt at his feet, stunned.
He let the growl roll in his chest so the males would hear it. They had both crouched when he appeared, but they both submitted immediately at the sound of his dominance and seeing him standing before them, proud and ready. The young were so hasty to hunt, so quick to fail. The female found her feet and scrabbled backwards, away from him, closer to the males, who both stood with their heads down and shoulders rounded, their eyes at his feet. The female, breathing quickly, looked at them. He snarled, and she shook, dropping to her knee, chin almost on her chest.
The proper posture before a king.
With the three hunters subdued, he turned his great body to find his mate wide-eyed, hands clutched to her chest. He inhaled deeply, but there was no blood save that in her veins. She had not been touched. Her racing heart trembling was fear only, not pain. A small part of him sagged, and something inside him pressed him to… change.
He made the call of the mate, the question. But she just stared at him. He stepped forward, shaking his mane and called again. She stumbled back a step, her heart still pounding.
What was wrong? What frightened her?
He turned to look for another hunter, but the three remained submitted. So, he turned back and met her eyes; the eyes were so strange yet called to him.
She did not look right, and she was not Leonine, but she was his.
If he knew nothing else, he knew that. The question was, did she?
JOYCE
For the second time since arriving in Anima, Joyce had a moment of seeing her death reach for her, followed by a shocking interruption. As the wolf-woman pounced, a vast, snarling lion landed on the dirt before her. The wolf-woman yelped as the lion cuffed her from the air, and she tumbled to the ground. Within seconds this creature had all three of the wolves bowing, eyes down, no more swagger, no more sharp promises for her fate.
But then this… thing turned to her, and Joyce's heart leapt into her throat. Pounding feet behind her announced yet more arrivals, but Joyce was frozen in this massive animal's golden gaze. But she recognised Erwin's voice behind her when he spoke.
"Joyce, it is Sung. He is just… it is Sung!"
Joyce blinked. She had seen those deep golden eyes the other night in Sung when they were interrupted, and Erwin asked him to return.
This was Sung? This was his beast form? Was this what Gray meant when he said they all could change? Sung groan-huffed; the noise was so deep and resonant in his chest that Joyce felt it in the ground under her feet.
"Sung?" she breathed.
He huffed again, ending in a sound that was almost a purr. He stepped towards her, his massive paw so huge she could not have circled it with both hands. Standing on all fours, he looked her in the eye.
She trembled as she stepped forward, reaching toward his face.
"Joyce, no!" Erwin hissed behind her, but she ignored him. "He would not, in this form, he does not think like -"
She shook her head to silence him. There was something in those eyes. This was Sung, and he knew her, she thought.
"Is that you?" she breathed, her shaking fingers splayed out.
He groaned and pushed his muzzle into her palm, his soft fur and warm skin a shock after the chill of fear. She scratched the side of his face like she used to do to her pet cat, Bessie when she was a child. Like Bessie, he leaned into the attention, his eyes closed and lifted his chin for her to scratch underneath.
"Sung… you are beautiful… but…." He snorted out a breath, and she felt the force of it on her arm.
She swallowed hard. "Please, come back. I have missed you, please," she sighed as he pulled out of her hand and met her eyes again. She could not decide whether they were the picture of the warmth of his heart or the cold darkness of his willingness to kill. "Please?"
He turned his great head, tail lashing again, and scanned their surroundings. Then, glancing at her, he walked into the clearing properly. Hesitantly, she followed, not sure she was reading him correctly. But once she stood with open air around her, he began to walk a circle, scenting the air and sniffing the ground, huffing every time she started to move.
By the third time, she put her fist on her waist. "I am not going anywhere; I just want to watch you." He growled, but it was playful, she thought.
To Joyce's surprise, Erwin and the others surrounded the young wolves and sent them back to the city alone. Sung paused in his search to watch them go. But when they came to join her in the clearing. Sung eyed them until they circled her. She could not tell if he approved, but he did not make any noise at them, just continued in larger circles, spiralling out to check the clearing.
"She is safe, Sung," Erwin called eventually. "Come back; she is safe." Sung looked at Erwin over his shoulder, then disappeared into the trees.
Joyce looked at Erwin, who was frowning at the tree line where he had disappeared. "What is he doing?" she asked quietly.
"Either he caught a scent he wants to check out, or he does not want you to see him transform. But I do not see how… he is not usually that thoughtful as a beast. We have to be careful with him. His dominance takes over and -"
Joyce gasped as completely naked Sung appeared in the moonlight, walking towards them, his body sculpted in silver and shadow. He looked magnificent, although his shoulders were rolled forward and his steps shorter than usual.
"Sung," she breathed and ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck.
He grunted but pulled her into his chest with one arm, swinging her around, immediately out her down and searching her eyes.
"Are you okay?" his nostrils flared, and he searched her from head to toe, then pulled her back into his chest. "You are safe, thank the creator, you are safe," he said, his voice heavy with relief.
"I am fine, thanks to you!" she said into his chest, surprised by the sudden well of emotion that made her throat pinch and eyes blur. "Sung, that was -"
"Erwin?" Sung's voice was deep and sharp with disapproval, and his eyes shone with anger. Joyce turned to see Erwin, though Sung kept his arm around her and did not let her step from his side.
Erwin stepped up, almost to her feet, and knelt before her. "Please forgive me, my queen," he said. "I failed you."
"What? You didn't do anything! It was the wolves -"
"They should not have had an opportunity to reach you," Sung snarled, his chest heaving as he snorted a breath.
Erwin paled. "I left my post, and… clearly, your plans changed. Please forgive me, Joyce; it will not happen again."
"Of course; he wasn't even with me! How was he supposed to know?"
Sung spoke to her, but his eyes were hard as flint as he stared at his second in command. "He was watching over you, Joyce, from a distance while I was gone. When he learned I had called for him, he should not have come until he had made sure the guards were in place. For the exact reason we just witnessed."
Erwin's shoulders sagged in his bow. "I beg for your forgiveness too, my king." Sung glared at him for a moment, and Joyce's heart raced. The two were so close! Surely Sung would not let this come between them?
"Gareth," she hissed and elbowed him. He flinched, which surprised her. She must have caught a rib with her elbow. Before, she had not even been able to make him move. Erwin did not leave his bow, but his eyes popped to her in surprise, and Sung growled at him. She caught the light of humour in the equine's gaze before he looked away. Then she turned back to Sung. "You know, if you had told me that I was supposed to have guards all the time, I would not have started walking back without them," she said quietly, stroking his chest with one hand because she needed to touch him. Turning to face him suddenly reminded her of how naked he was. She kept her eyes on his face, swallowing hard.
But Sung still glared at the horse-man and snarled between his teeth.
"Your awareness should not have made an ounce of difference to his job, which was to keep you safe while I was gone!" he ended in a shout that echoed off the mountain and over the trees.
All the equines flinched.