Chapter 2
The wolf continued to sprint away as the orcs tried to explain themselves.
"Our apologies Mr. Krieus we didn't think it would turn out this way."
"The problem is that you didn't think at all. I already told you not to bring these things here!"
Due to the dragon being drastically stronger than anyone in the woodlands, he formed quite the relationship with the orcs. They'd provide Areon with clothes, and give Krieus interesting herbs and spices as well as anything else they could assist him with, while in exchange, any beast that posed much of a threat to them, would be handled by the dark dragon himself.
For the most part they got along quite well, though Krieus had two restrictions.
The threat must be something that they can't handle on their own and more importantly, they agreed that they must set aside a time to handle the problem outside of the cave, because Areon was there.
Yet somehow, the orcs found a way to break Krieus' most important rule today.
"We're sorry Mr. Krieus, the wolf was just so dangerous. The orcs that it injured are almost on deaths door and if it got to more of us the possibilities could have been fatal. So we didn't know what else to do but bring it to you… We were afraid.
The lead hunter swallowed the lump down his throat whilst intensely sweating as Krieus' eyes instinctually glowed. His bellowing growl almost causing the orcs to tremble.
"You should have been more afraid of me."
He then turned around, stretched his wings and began to fly to track down the wolf.
While he was in the air he saw the orc children who were bullying Areon from earlier running in the opposite direction. Krieus was too high for them to see him but his hearing was attuned to their conversation.
"That damn wolf almost killed us! We could've died back there! I can't believe that just happened!"
"If that goof Areon wasn't there to take the attention away from us, we would be dead meat by now too!"
"I feel bad, that kid is so done for, that wolf got way too close for him to run away now!" One yelled.
"If you don't keep running, he would have died for nothing. Shut up and race!"
Damn it all! Krieus grit his teeth and glided, cutting a swath through the wind as he continued to think to himself that he can't be too late.
"Don't worry Areon, I'll save you!"
Once Krieus landed his eyes were widened immediately, he was flabbergasted by the scene playing out before him.
Surprisingly, Areon was calmly standing in front of the now halted wolf.
The wolf, no longer growling, was patiently looking up at Areon as the boy with his hand placed out only a few inches from the wolf's forehead, maintaining confident eye-contact as if he had a kingly authority over the being. There was a palpable pause in the air as Krieus was still in denial about what he was seeing.
"Wait a minute...What is this? Is he… in the process of taming it?
Areon looked at the wolf with a soft gaze and gave a satisfactory nod before speaking.
"Good, now sit."
And to Krieus' surprise the wolf knelt to the ground and sat at the boy's command. Krieus' mouth was wide agape. As he watched the wolf who was previously growling and foaming from the mouth, now perfectly calm and nuzzling his head against Areon's chin.
His confusion only grew as he watched his son pet the beast, who now, was even licking his hand. The two were in complete bliss. It was as if the wolf never been hostile a day in his life. It was exactly like if these two had been long time friends or some sort.
Krieus examined the beast. Their demeanor was different, their eyes were different and he sensed no killing intent. It was undeniable. This wolf truly was at peace.
"No, he's not taming the wolf. It has already been tamed!... But how?"
The inconceivable sight only served to perplex the dragon as he called out to his son.
"Areon!"
Peaking his head just above the white fur of his newfound companion, Areon saw Krieus.
"Ah, my pops is here, can you stop licking me for now."
As if the wolf understood Areon's every word, it relented and did indeed stop at his request.
"Oh hey pops! I found the wolf!"
Areon enthusiastically gestured his hands towards the beast as if to present him to the dragon.
"His fur is like a pillow but better because he cuddles you! This wolf is amazing pops can we keep him? Please!"
Krieus was determined to make sense of what was happening before him.
"Areon… What happened here?"
The boy answered without skipping a beat.
"I think he was a bit grumpy when he got here so I just calmed him down… I think that he just needed a friend, ya know."
Krieus was still in shock, but there was no point in denying what he was seeing. He began to laugh as he mused to himself about the situation.
"This is quite interesting…"
Areon continued to caress the fur on the wolf's head.
"Oh by the way, I managed to put the sack of fish inside the cave before you got back. So can you take me hunting next time?"
Areon's eyes glimmered as he asked the question.
Krieus cracked a smirk.
"Well, I suppose a deal is a deal!"
As the three of them walked into the cave, ready to eat the dragon's meal. Krieus couldn't help but think to himself, it could possibly be a misstep to avoid training the boy for so long, he may have a serious amount of potential that he could be squandering.
"If he can take a wolf like that, maybe he can manage hunting. Was he really overconfident for no reason? Or does he possess some sort of power that even I cannot comprehend? Perhaps, I made a mistake and he may not be as fragile as I think."
The next day was a lively one.
Krieus trotted up the hills of the forest while Areon was on his back with their fluffy newfound company. Areon stared wide-eyed at all the water flowing down the river and was fascinated by the birds in the sky, clearly happy to be so high up. He was still curious though.
"Are we there yet?"
"Not yet."
"How about now?"
"Still negative, chief."
"Darn."
They went passed large trees and ripe, vibrant colored berries tempted at stealing Areon's attention.
"There's a Yellow berry in this tree, can I eat it?"
"No, it's poisonous you'll die."
"Okay but what about the next yellow berry?"
"Same thing."
"Darn."
They continued to the top of the hill where Krieus finally said the words that Areon was longing to hear.
"We finally arrived."
"Awesome!"
Areon jumped off of Krieus' back with the wolf following in toe.
"I have a task for you today."
Krieus spoke carefully, still mentally holding some resignations.
"This will serve as a trial for you Areon, if you can successfully complete this mission then you can go hunting with me as much as you like."
"What?"
Areon's eyes began to glimmer with hope and optimism after hearing these words. He had always been told that it was not yet time, so the aspect of earning the right to hunt next to his father was indescribably precious to him.
"I won't let ya down!" He said chalk full of gratitude and vigor.
"That's a good attitude, now pay close attention. Do you see the bird in that tree over there Areon?"
Krieus pointed in the direction of a pheasant. It was a colorful bird, almost regal in it's demeanor. Their feathers comprised of many colors including red, green, dark golds and brown. This bird was easy to spot and it didn't hurt that it was also infact edible. Areon quietly nodded as the dark dragon continued his instructions.
"I want you to catch and bring me three of those pheasants, dead or alive, you can pick. But bring them to me before sundown. If you can do that, I will take you hunting with me."
"Really? That's it? Okay, when do I start?"
"In a little while, though first you'll need a weapon, you don't intend to hunt these birds empty-handed do you?"
"Ah, yeah I guess so…"
Areon hastedly looked around the trees and bushes perplexed as there was no type of weapon to be found. He fervently picked up a random tree branch that just so happened to be on the ground before proudly presenting it to Krieus.
"I'm ready!" He huffed confidently, much to the dragon's silent dismay.
"I love his zeal, but boy do we have a lot of work to do."
Krieus used his tail to gently take the stick from Areon's hand and continued to explain.
"I love the initiative, but I have a better suited weapon for you on mind."
"Really?"
Areon tilted his head to the side out of confusion. There were no other weapons here, what could he possibly be talking about.
Krieus then reached back with his tail and grabbed one of the many obsidian colored scales on his back. He plucked it out and gave the scale to Areon.
This scale was much in the shape of a small blade already, it weighed heavy for Areon to hold. Compared to Areon's small frame, the scale was more of a full blown sword where as to others it would seem like a decently sized dagger.
"That's what you can use as your weapon. But I want you to be careful with it, it's sharp."
Krieus would have given more instructions but this was meant to serve more as an assessment for Areon's natural abilities. So he intentionally gave no demonstration and little information. He wanted to see how much Areon could pull of by following his natural instincts alone. Though he would not leave him completely without direction.
"Can I go now?" Areon feverishly replied after nearing the limit of his patience.
"Almost, I have three rules for you before you go. If you don't follow them, there's a good chance you might die so listen closely."
Areon once again nodded his head, eagerly waiting to receive the instructions.
"First, Don't mess around with other monsters when your out there, stay out of sight and only focus on the birds. Second, When you see it's getting close to sundown, return back home immediately, it gets really dangerous at night. If you're not home by then I'll start looking for you. Third, this is the most important one. Whatever you do, do not go near the river."
The little boy was not used to seeing Krieus act so serious, though he understood the rules well enough to agree.
"Understood?"
"Understood."
A large sigh left Krieus' body as he felt his worries had somewhat been addressed. He nodded his head and was almost ready to let Areon go.
"Okay, but just to make sure. Repeat back to me the rules."
"Don't mess around with other monsters, be back by sunset, and no going near the river."
"That's perfect."
Then with a smile Krieus let Areon hunt.
"That's everything, good luck with your hunting. Don't forget the rules, okay?"
Areon bubbled with excitement before triumphantly thrusting his blade up in the air.
"Yeah! Just you wait pops I'll come back with three birds no matter what! Oh, and I won't forget the rules!"
Then he and the white furred wolf ran off in the distance of the woodlands ready to pass the trial the dark dragon had set up for him.
The dragon was admittedly a little worried. As much as he wanted to accompany Areon he still had plenty of resources to collect before the upcoming winter, he could not afford a repeat of last year, Areon almost died. He found out the hard way that humans are not able to store food in their stomachs nearly as efficiently as dragons can, and it led to dangerous levels of malnutrition. Krieus remembered his emaciated body and had long since vowed to himself that this would not happen again. Besides, he had faith that the boy would live.
"It's just a simple task, he should be fine as long as he follows the rules we went over together. The monsters that he encounters in the future will only be stronger than those orcs that were bullying him, so it's best to get a headstart now..."
He was still troubled by the thought, but he decided to trust him.
A couple of hours later, Areon was exhausted and laying on the wolf's back as the animal was carrying him from place to place, with no birds in hand.
"I've been hunting this entire time and I haven't caught a single bird, this is embarrassing. I have to be back soon. Soon… what time was I supposed to be back by again?"
Then Areon realized exactly why Krieus was so worried.
"Oh shoot, I completely forgot the rules…"