[fanfic] Justice Or Vengeance
From the moment Holy Elf first touched him, Wolf’s pain eased far more rapidly than he would have presumed it would have otherwise. In point of fact, without her assistance, it wouldn’t have eased at all. He would have simply bled to death from the two arrow wounds in him. He had her to thank for his life – her and Haou.
He’d heard of Haou before this, of course. There were few who hadn’t. He’d certainly never thought that he would meet the infamous warlord, nor that said warlord would, underneath the armor, be a barely half-grown human. That in no way made him less terrifying. In many ways it made him more so. No one that young should be that cold-hearted.
Yet Wolf wasn’t going to tell him that he couldn’t be. He did not know Haou very well, but just what he’d heard from the stories that whispered among the woodland creature, he knew it wouldn’t be taken well. So he did what anyone with sense would do – he watched and listened. He used every sense that he had to add to his store of knowledge.
He couldn’t learn as much as he wanted to at first. His wounds were closed but half-healed at best, and Holy Elf reminded him that it would take time and care before he could safely wander on his own. He would also have to be introduced to the people in Haou’s castle, so they would be aware that he lived there by Haou’s word. He’’d rather not end up thrown out by some careless servant.
In all truth, Wolf found himself quite pleased to simply curl up next to the warm fire and wait for Holy Elf to bring him a meal. Haou still was out there somewhere, and he’d promised to bring in the hunters that had slain his pack. Wolf quite looked forward to seeing them. The foul creatures that laid traps and netted the entire pack, using spells to slay them so that their bodies would not fade away too soon – so they could have their hides.
Wolf remembered every moment of that. He’d not seen it all, not with his eyes, but his nose told him the tale in all of its cruelty. He’d escaped by the barest of chances and he’d not dared to return while he still had the arrows in him. He’d gone to ground in the hopes that either he would survive or someone capable of and willing to help him would happen across him.
That latter had been what happened, though certainly not in the way that Wolf expected. He knew that there were Dryads in the forest and when he’d had the time and a clear enough head to think, he presumed one of those would be his help. Not the terrifying warlord.
Holy Elf stepped into the chamber and set a plate down next to him. “I know you prefer hunting your own, but you’re not in condition to do so for now. This should be good. If you want more, then let me know.”
Wolf eyed the offering before him: several delicious chunks of raw meat. They’d been cut down to the point he could eat them even in his current condition, and he sampled one cautiously, then quickly gulped down the rest of it. A silent servant brought in a bowl of water for him to wash it down with, and Wolf made an excellent dinner. Holy Elf remained there the whole time, watching quietly.
Once his stomach had been filled, Wolf curled a bit closer to the fire, then turned bright gold eyes onto her. “Why would Haou do this? Just for the service of a lone wolf?”
“I don’t think that had anything to do with it,” Holy Elf mused, settling into a nearby chair. It must not have been Haou’s; it was very plain, but with a single soft cushion there. “I would not say I know his mind, but if I were to guess – I think he feels more than just rage that those hunters killed your pack without permission.” She rested her hands in her lap. “That is a part of it, of course. He’s adamant that no one kills in this world without his permission. But there may be something else.”
Wolf’s ears twitched. “What do you think it is?”
“I think he seems something of himself in you. This is, of course, only a guess. There are few who know Haou well enough to guess at his true reasons for anything.”
Slowly Wolf turned that over and over in his head. “What do you mean? What would I have in common with him?”
“Loss.” Holy Elf spoke the word very low. If he didn’t have the keen hearing he did, he might not have heard her at all. “What do you know of him and how he came to power here?”
Wolf thought over what he did know. “Not much, in honesty. We only heard that he began conquering some time ago, and how ruthless he is.”
“He speaks of this to no one. Only those who were there saw it, and not all of them are here.” Holy Elf considered her words with care. “He is from another world. A world where dueling exists as a game, to bring joy to all involved. But somehow someone that he cared about came to this world and has now fallen. Exactly how, no one knows. But he and his friends came to search for their friend – and his friends also fell.”
Wolf winced, ears drooping, tail hitting the flagstones beneath him. No one he knew had ever mentioned anything like that. Haou clearly kept his past to himself.
“So he seeks to rule this world to prevent that from ever happening to anyone else. And since it did happen to you ” Holy Elf regarded him with quiet eyes. “Choose well what your revenge upon those hunters will be. Because if you leave it to Haou-sama, then they will not know peace or pleasure – or anything else – ever again.
Wolf suspected he could accept that. But he would prefer to call justice onto them with his own mouth, if not deliver it with his own claws and teeth. He yawned, sleep catching at his fur, and Holy Elf rose to her feet.
“I will let you rest.” She waved one hand around to indicate the room. “This is next to Haou's room. He will probably come here after he’s returned. Rest while you can, and as much as you can.”
Wolf nodded, curling up so his tail covered his nose, and his ears perked out to remain aware of what happened around him. This continued to be a new place to him and until he learned all of its ways, he would be cautious. His ears twitched again as Holy Elf spoke before she left.
“What I told you – speak not of it to Haou-sama. I don’t know how close to the truth it is and have heard much of it only as hearsay from those who saw him fight Brron. Spread no rumors. But what I told you is what I believe.”
Wolf twitched his ears again. “I understand.” He wasn’t sure of how much of it he understood, as humans confused him on many levels, but he could grasp not speaking to someone else of what he’d heard.
After the healing and the trip to the castle and the good meal, it really didn’t take long at all for sleep to steal over him. He didn’t know how long he slept before the noise of an army returning brought him out of his dreams, which were more of pain and howls and yips than anything else. He raised his head and sniffed; he didn’t recognize most of the smells and the noises weren’t familiar either.
He didn’t like that. Too many strangers and he wasn’t in any condition to fight or to flee. But no one seemed interested in entering the room, though he heard the noises of others walking by it. No one stopped near enough to the door for him to hear anything, and soon enough the sounds all faded away.
Wolf cast his gaze around the room. It wasn’t very big, really, but that made it a cozy lair. The fire still crackled on the hearth and a new, clean bowl of water rested near him. He lapped at it; not quite as delicious as drinking from one of the favored springs of his folk, but clean enough. No windows graced the walls, but fresh air circled regardless. Wolf searched until he spied a small area high up; that was probably where the air came from.
In front of the fire, right underneath him, spread a warm, soft rug, woven of plant fibers. Wolf sniffed at it; not a sign of death or pain in the weaving at all. He approved; he was a wolf, a predator, but death belonged only for food or defense, not for a place to rest.
He wasn’t sure of how long he rested again before another noise caught his attention. He breathed in; the air wasn’t stirring enough for him to get a full sense of who it was, but he recognized one of those voices – Haou. He spoke very little and Wolf couldn’t catch it all.
Eventually footsteps came close to the door, but these didn’t keep going. Instead, the door opened, and he saw Haou there, Holy Elf behind him. Haou strode inside and regarded Wolf carefully. Wolf tried to get up but Haou shook his head.
“There’s no need for that. Merely listen.”
Wolf raised his head. “Did you capture them?” Blood-lust sparked in his heart at the very thought. Wolf never wasted time with random hatred, but those hunters were an exception.
“Yes. They are being taken to the dungeon, to await my judgment.” Haou settled down into a second chair, this one a little more ornate. “And my judgment – is for you to decree their fate. I require lives for Super Fusion, but their lives are worthless. What I seek are duelists and the only duelists in their employ are two bodyguards. Those are mine. But the hunters are yours. Tell me what you wish.”
Wolf’s first instinct was to slay them all, as they’d done to his pack. He would happily have shredded them all, laid their throats bare to the bone. But he could manage to think a little through the rage that simmered in the back of his mind, and so he did. It could not be allowed to happen again. These hunters couldn’t be allowed to keep on hurting others.
He lowered his head, resting it on his crossed paws. “I don’t know,” he said at last. “Killing them would end their slaughter. But would it teach them anything?”
“That their choices were foolish and they should have learned better?” Haou suggested with the faintest hint of dryness. Wolf chuffed.
“But they could do nothing with the lesson.” Wolf closed his eyes, thinking. Haou said nothing but Wolf sensed his regard nevertheless. A lesson that could be taught so that no one else would deal with this ever again – he could not help but think of what Holy Elf told him. His nose told him she still stood in the room, quiet and watchful. Perhaps she would not approve of death and destruction. It had been at Haou’s command, but – he didn’t know.
Finally a thought occurred to him. He would have to be careful with how he asked. Haou might well fly into a rage.
“Haou-sama,” he said, “is there anyone that you wish found? Those who have escaped your justice?”
Haou didn’t respond right away. He tilted his head back, eyes focused on the ceiling for several moments before he said anything else. “Yes.”
“Then this is what I request – send them after those you seek. Let them hunt for you. Make certain that from now on, they obey your laws no matter what. If they fail in that – then they must die.” A chance – that was what he would give them. The chance that they hadn’t given his pack.
Haou again remained silent, presumably turning the thought over in his mind. Then he nodded. “Very well. So shall it be.”
Wolf turned around on his rug, getting more comfortable as he did. He could still face Haou from this direction and he did so. “What is it that you want of me, now that we’ve settled that?”
“Nothing yet, beyond healing. If you are to be of service, you must be healed.” Haou turned towards him. “But afterwards, we can discuss what you can do for me.”
Wolf’s jaws gaped open into a brief smile. Then he closed his eyes. “To heal is to sleep, and to sleep is to heal,” he murmured softly. “If I may, Haou-sama.”
He heard Haou rising and walking out. Holy Elf brushed her fingers across his fur. “I will come back later for more treatments for you,” she murmured. “But until then, sleep well.”
Wolf followed that order without hesitation.
Measuring time wasn’t easy in Dark World. It never had been. Whispers of a glowing ball of fire called “the sun” spread always, in children’s tales and long ago legends. Only the comet arched across the sky, brightening and dimming to mark the passage of time.
The comet darkened and brightened seven times as Wolf recovered from his injuries. Holy Elf brought him food and water every day, worked healing spells over him, and offered him potions to improve his health. He rested in the warm room as much as he could, and on the seventh day, he found himself wandering around, stretching his muscles, aching to go out and do something.
Haou visited him every day. He didn’t speak all the time – Wolf learned quickly that he spoke only when he had something to say. Meaningless chatter wasn’t his way. What he also learned was that many duel spirits dwelled within Haou’s deck, chief among them a tiny Hane Kuriboh.
Hane Kuriboh snuggled against him a few times, clearly keeping an eye on him for Haou’s sake. On that day when he itched for more space to do something, the flying fluff-ball watched him from the chair. Wolf sniffed at the door.
“I can tell Juudai that you want out of here,” Hane Kuriboh said. The language was clear to Wolf, though a human likely wouldn’t have heard anything except whistles and chirps. Wolf turned towards him.
“Who?” He’d never heard that name. Even Hane Kuriboh seemed almost to whisper it and Hane Kuriboh never seemed to fear anything.
“I mean Haou. That’s his real name – Juudai.” Hane Kuriboh ruffled his feathers. “He doesn’t like me to use it now though.”
Wolf eyed the door again, then back to Hane Kuriboh. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Haou was a title, after all. He should have had a name like anyone else.
“I need to get out. I need to get into condition again,” Wolf said, stretching as carefully as he could. He wasn’t close to getting fat yet but if he kept on eating and no exercise, then it would happen. He was a wolf. He wasn’t going to get fat.
Hane Kuriboh nodded then quickly rose up and passed through the door. Wolf almost envied him – not every spirit could do that. Technically he was a spirit and if he’d been in a different world, he might have been able to do the same trick. In this world, he was as solid as he could be.
Wolf paced more and more, pent-up energy raging through him, held back only because he knew that howling wouldn’t accomplish anything, nor would tearing up everything. His instincts demanded he do it anyway but he’d always prided himself on being ruled by his mind.
It didn’t take long for the door to open and there Haou stood, Hane Kuriboh hovering at his shoulder. He solemnly observed Wolf for a few seconds.
“Holy Elf has decreed you healed,” Haou said. “Hane Kuriboh says that you want out of here?”
“I need exercise to be fully recovered,” Wolf said. “I need to run – and hunt my own food.” Unlike those hunters, he hunted only for what he needed, never taking more than he required. He’d not heard from them or about them in the last seven crossings of the comet. Not that he especially cared to. He presumed if they had disobeyed Haou, then they would already be dead in the most painful of ways.
Haou nodded, then gestured to the door. “You are free to come and go as you please. Though inform Hane Kuriboh or Holy Elf if you choose to leave the castle.”
Wolf nodded, then bared his teeth into a wolf’s grin. “I’m leaving the castle. I will return – later.” He really didn’t know when. He just wanted to run, to feel the wind in his fur and taste the freedom of being at his peak again.
With nothing more than that, he leaped past Haou and headed for the nearest source of fresh air. That was the way out. Soon enough he bounded out of the front gates and across the bridge that stretched over the lava pool. He memorized each sight and sound and smell, ready to use them to get back here eventually. He had, after all, given his word.
Again he lost track of time, but this was more because he didn’t care to keep track than because he slept so much. He wandered deep into the forest after crossing the plains, taking pleasure in drinking from wild streams and hunting down a quick meal. He enjoyed the taste of wild rabbit more than the meat that Holy Elf gave to him, but it was more because he’d taken the meal for himself than anything else.
The comet’s light began to decrease and he considered either finding a place to bed down for the night or returning to Haou’s castle. A tiny cave offered decent lair-space and he chose, curling up into it and ready to rest until the light grew stronger.
Sometime in the middle of the darkness, a noise woke him. He didn’t open his eyes but twitched his ears, listening. What he heard didn’t please him at all.
“How far are we to Haou’s castle? I’m hungry and my feet hurt.” Whoever spoke whined more than anything else. Wolf automatically didn’t like them.
“Close enough. We’ll be there by the time the comet is bright again.” This voice rang a little stronger and more certain. “We’ll be finished before much longer.”
“I hope so.” The first voice sighed. “Can we really get in there and do this? I’ve heard his armies are vast and they’ll kill you on sight.”
The second person snorted. “I don’t care. Kill me or not, I’m going to go down fighting.”
Wolf had to admire that part, at least the tiniest bit. Slowly he stood up and moved to the front of his tiny cave. He could see two people walking by, close enough for him to smell and hear, though if they had the same dull senses of humans, they had no idea that he was there at all.
He slipped out of his cave and followed along, listening intently. It became evident what they sought – Haou’s life. He’d crushed their village not that long ago, and they’d only survived by dint of not having been there at the time. Now they came here in search of vengeance. They each carried duel disks, but from the way they moved, they weren’t truly warriors. Wolf shook his head. They would die, and die horribly, if they kept on going.
Slowly Wolf began to growl. He kept it low at first, then raised it higher and higher, until the two of them stopped, clinging to one another, and turned around in every direction nervously until the whiner spied him and jumped with a squeak.
“There! There it is!” One shaky hand pointed there. “It’s a wolf, isn’t it?”
Wolf wrinkled his lips back from his teeth. “I am Wolf. And you two seek your own deaths – there are easier ways to give up one’s life than this.”
The other one shook her head fiercely, braids lashing at her cheeks. “You don’t know what happened Haou – he killed everyone!”
“He does that.” Wolf agreed. “And you will join their number if you continue. That will do nothing to bring back those you’ve lost or to honor them. Turn back.”
The braided warrior took a step forward. “And what if we don’t? Do you work for Haou? Are you going to tell him about us?”
“One might say that. But it doesn’t matter. Turn back. Find another place to live and remember those who fell.” Wolf drooped his head. “You are not like me. You have each other. You can build a new life.” It wasn’t impossible that he could find another Wolf but it would begin a new pack not revive the old one.
“Maybe he’s right,” the whiner murmured. “We’re not strong enough to fight them. You’ve heard all the stories. I can’t even duel.” She stared down at her duel disk. “I wouldn’t last the first turn. I told you that.”
The braided one wavered. Wolf took the chance to say something else. “If you truly seek vengeance, then go – and return another day when you’ve learned how to fight and you can make a better plan than walking to his fortress and – what? Demanding that he duel you?”
She drooped her head. “It was the best that I could do. He’ll duel anyone, won’t he? I would at least have the chance to try.”
Wolf sighed to himself. These were cubs – not even as old as Haou himself seemed to be. “Fighting someone like Haou isn't a chance. It’s a sentence of death. Find others who can train you. Find a home to call your own. Come back another day.”
The two of them hesitated only another few moments before they darted away in a different direction entirely. Wolf relaxed. They might still die if they returned on another day but they wouldn’t die today and it wouldn't be a slaughter. Cubs needed to grow out their teeth and claws before they tried to fight grown enemies.
But now he could feel the comet beginning to rise in strength and he found himself longing for the warm rug and the sounds of Haou’s castle. He watched in the direction the two would-be warriors vanished off to until he could be sure they’d not return, then turned and loped back to Haou’s castle.
Notes: So, I wrote this for Free Day. I’m beginning to like Wolf!
