Nothing slipped by the Valley wolves, not even the smoldering king of the Chamber. They were the shadows and the shadows were them. To speak of one was to speak of the other in a singular breath. Immediately their howls set the mountainsides alive, their forlorn cries ringing from one end of the Valley to the other. It was a warning cry to the king as much as it was to the Valley inhabitants, who would no doubt rise from their slumber to lay eyes on the intruder, for lack of a better word. But this wasn’t a visitor that needed their attendance, and quickly Topsail sent out her own call, filling their dreams with her singsong voice. She would meet him alone, unattended by even Eight. Underwood was still sleeping peacefully; at least, his face was passive and his breaths were steady. She couldn’t tell much about the child. He was as abnormal as was possible to be, but he held promise. He held the promise of his powerful bloodlines, which were drenched in powerful old magic and uncommon strengths. But for now, he seemed to be in whatever dream land that strange children visited, so with nothing more than a backwards glance and hint of a smile, Topsail headed towards the scent of scorch.
It had been a long time since she had met with Killdare. Since the war, however many years ago that had been. Holding the title of Queen gave her the gift of immortality, so she held the youthful visage of a girl just turned woman. But beneath that, beneath the slender lines and swaying hips, was something harder; something…darker. It was something forged of iron and steel and all things strong, but with a sharp edge like that on a filet knife. It gave her eyes a certain gleam, left some kind of doubt in how genuine her smile was. By all intents and purposes, he had made her this way. He had robbed her from her home in the midst of a war, and she wasn’t fool enough to think he didn’t have some hand in thrusting her onto the throne. What would he think of the fresh faced filly she had been in comparison to the tough as nails mare she is now? Slipping further into the shadows she shifted, shedding the mousey dun coat and replacing it with tawny brown scales. The raptor inside of her did not appreciate the newcomer, but by now she was easily able to control it. Shrieking into the night she crashed forward, her eyes and teeth eager. In the raptor form, it did not take her long to reach the king made of magma and sulfur. Tilting her head she barked at him in that strange noise only a raptor could make. Her eyes flashed between the smoke-formed dragon and her struggling wolf, and she in turn flashed her teeth at Killdare. “Killdare, you smell terrible. I’ll also ask you kindly to unhand that wolf. You can’t blame him for being weary.” Any other ruler she would have held her tongue, but given their past, Topsail felt she had more license than most to poke at him.
topsail
I was in the darkness, so the darkness I became