The morning had started ordinarily enough for Charlie. Heâd woken up at dawn, having dreamt of a delicious breakfast feast of the finest Fillorian delicacies. Heâd rolled out of bed stark-naked, yawning noisily and giving a good stretch to his long, powerful limbs. He didnât bother to get dressed as he headed for the door of his cozy cottage; it was fortunately tucked away from prying eyes. When his feet touched the slightly damp dirt just beyond his welcome mat, Charlie closed his soft blue eyes and gave over to his instinct. With a roll of his neck and a stretch of his jaw as he bent down to the ground, his hands spread through the earth and emerged as sturdy gray paws. He nuzzled his nose in a sparse patch of grass for a few moments, then picked his head up at the lazy buzzing by of a honeybee. Charlie chomped at it playfully, then bounded off the beaten trail deep into the woods behind his house. There was a lake a half mile away that he was eager to bathe in. Only, before he made it there, he encountered a nasty enchantment that trapped him by the hind leg.  Â
He yowled in agony as the trap clamped down tight, the cracking of bone echoing into his furry ears. Charlie tried to pull himself out, but the slightest movement sent a searing pain through his leg and only caused him to bleed more. Panicked, Charlie continued to twist in frustration, until a stranger happened upon him and somehow undid the trap. Eyes wide and bewildered, Charlie felt the manâs palm glide across his fur. If this man had meant harm, surely he would have left Charlie in the trap. Or maybe it was his trap that heâd fallen into. Either way, Charlie tried to push up onto his paws to run off, but he whined as the pressure on his back leg was too much to bear causing him to fall back down to the dirt. Breathing heavy to stave off further panic, Charlie chose not to reveal himself. He didnât know this manâs intentions.. But he was hopeful that he did know someone who could help him out of this. @esotericboys¡
It pained Eliot to see the grey wolf in such a state. Heâd often preferred the company of animals to his own kind, and crimes against them had always felt personal. Rage simmered under the surface of his skin. The wolf was truly a magnificent creature and seeing him collapse to the ground was more than the magician could take. That feeling wasnât one he was in a position to entertain, for fear that it might be misinterpreted by the wolf, so Eliot swallowed that rage down. It became a knot in his stomach that would fuel his desire for vengeance. Another day, he told himself. âCome on, big guy,â the king offered affectionately. âWeâre gonna get you all fixed up.â He dipped lower and slid his forearms under the wolf, cradling the creature carefully as they stood. Now, Eliot Waugh was not exactly known for his physical strength, and this was a big wolf, but he somehow managed to find a delicate balance while supporting the injured paw. âAnd donât worry, when I find the fuckers that did this to you, you can have the first go at them,â he proposed while his fingertips slowly traced small symbols into the creatureâs fur. The runes were a ward to alleviate pain, ones heâd used to help with countless hangover headaches, and they were as much as Eliot could do to help as he set off in the direction of the road at the edge of the woods.
Just when the wolf was starting to feel impossibly heavy in his arms and he wasnât sure how much longer he could maintain this heroic charade, he saw the carriage ahead. His arms were beginning to shake a little by the time he was able to set the wolf down gingerly inside. âTake us... back... to Whitespire,â he uttered breathlessly to the coachman. âAnd try not to shake us around so much this time. Weâre not making margaritas...â Yet, Eliot added to himself as he crawled into the carriage, closing the door behind him. Collapsing onto the seat with a long sigh, he took a few moments to catch his breath before looking down at the wolf as they lurched forward into motion. âGood help is hard to find, I tell you.â