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Chapter Text

- Two days after the events of Wolfwalkers…-

Robyn loaded the food into the back of the wagon, placing it on a shelf, and stepped back to admire her work. She had been at this - decorating and helping to load the wagon - for about two days now, and she had to admit - it looked pretty good, and suitable for living in.

She looked up, noting the sparkly crystals that lined the top of the wagon. If the light reflected off of them, they would be nice to stare at any time she got bored.

Of course, with Mehb around, that would be impossible.

“Robyn!” The former town girl turned at the familiar voice of her best friend. Mehb was the mysterious forest girl she had met upon wandering into the forest. The two had become fast friends, with Mehb even accidentally turning Robyn into a Wolfwalker in the process.

The Robyn three days ago would’ve been horrified at what her “future” self had become - and she was, at first. But when she had experienced the rush of emotions, the wind gently yet fiercely piercing through her fur, and the freeness she had felt upon submitting to the golden magic that now ran inside her, she realized that she would be willing to fight Oliver Cromwell and his soldiers eleven times over if it meant she could feel it every night of her life.

Alongside the newest important figure to her- the orange-haired ball of joy and mischief that was Mehb.

Subconsciously, Mehb had given her a lot - so now, she was willing to do anything just to make sure that she would stay by her side. Even if “anything” was terrifying. And it had been; yet it had all been worth it.

“Ya done loading up the cart? Mammy and yer dad are coming.” the muscular shortie sauntered over to the cart and jumped inside, analyzing her redecoration with squinted emerald eyes.

Robyn found herself anxiously waiting for her response; only for it to be dissolved when her friend turned to her, a satisfied toothy grin on her face. “It looks great; even for you, Townie.” she smirked, leaping down.

“Of course it does - what do you mean, ‘even for me?” Robyn nodded before turning and fixing the Irish girl with an icy look.

“Nothing.” Mehb said - before bursting into a fit of laughter. Robyn stared at her, feeling her cheeks warm up to a dangerous extent. Finally, she settled for not launching into another pointless argument with her - that was, after all, what Mehb wanted; to watch her get riled up - and simply walked gracefully past her.

“No matter,” she scoffed. “Come on. Ya said that me father and Móll were coming soon, right? Let’s go round up the pack.”

Eventually, Mehb stopped her chuckling and picked herself up from the ground, following Robyn with something Merlyn probably would’ve decreed as an “eager puppy kind of look.”

“Good idea,” she muttered, trotting up in front of the blonde. “Come on, I think I smelled them this way. Horsing around, I can tell.”

Robyn nodded. She could also smell and hear them just as well - becoming a Wolfwalker had perks - and based on the combinations of yips, barks, and playful growls, she decreed that Mehb was right, and the pack was being silly; as usual.

The two pushed through a bush, and found exactly what they had foreseen; the pack of up to thirty wolves were playing around, chasing each other, playfighting, or resting. Robyn felt her heart melt at the sight. The wolves were just too adorable.

Once again, to Robyn three days ago, she would’ve run away the second she saw them, but now that she had gotten a good look into their world, they didn’t seem scary. Even when all their playful demeanors were transformed into fierceness, she knew that they were doing it out of loyalty to the others; not out of savagery, as she had been taught to believe in Kilkenny.

Kilkenny.

The power of a single word.

Just thinking the name of the town brought back a tidal-wave of memories, and none of them good. One of the best parts about this new life was leaving the ill-spirited Irish town behind. It wasn’t like they had a choice, but still; Kilkenny would never be one of her favorite places. No fond memories played in her mind - it was all just cloudy skies, darkness, smelliness and rain - and the suffocating weight of oppression.

At this point, the twelve-year-old had gone silent, and yet her feet were on autopilot as she followed her friend and the wolves. Robyn only broke out of her recall when the wet nose of one of the wolves brushed against her cheek.

Leaving the land of smell and mean folks, she turned and saw the concerned golden eyes of a wolf - Night was his name - staring up at her. Upon looking into his sun-like pupils, Robyn realized the uselessness of dwelling on the past.

This was her life now, a life filled with playing, laughter, sweetness, magic, and-

“Robyn? Are you alright?”

-a small girl with the cutest green eyes.

Her eyes landed on Mehb, who stared at her, looking worried. Her heart fluttered fondly, and she nodded. “Just thinking about some things,” she walked past Mehb, patting her head. “Stop worrying, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Ignoring the shout of “hey!”, she walked towards the wagon, and was greeted by the sight of a large, red-headed woman, and a muscular, dark-gray wolf with blue eyes. Bill and Móll, her father, and Mehb’s mother.

Móll was the first to see her walking out of the bushes, and when her eyes landed on the girl, she smiled.

“Robyn,” she walked towards her, bending down so that she could caress her cheek. “There ye are. Me and Bill were lookin’ for ya. Don’t suppose you know where Mehb is?”

Robyn nodded, merely pointing to the bushes - which quivered as Mehb and the wolves stepped out.

“Ah - hello, my dear.” The matriarch of the pack whispered, drawing both Robyn and Mehb close. The two girls giggled, hugging her back. They were soon joined by Bill, curling his large, canine body around them.

“Robyn,” he rumbled, giving her a gentle smile. “We saw what you did with the wagon, and it looks wonderful. I would never argue against using it to travel.”

Robyn beamed at her father’s praise. Even after experiencing the world of chaos and fire that had been the previous days, her relationship with her father seemed to have improved. He had apologized for all of the stress he had caused to both her and Mehb, and - tearfully - the two girls had accepted his apology (well, more tearfully on Robyn’s part, Mehb was just relieved) and the three had grown even closer than before.

“So, are we leaving now?” Mehb asked, pulling away, already raring to go. “The sooner we leave these burnt woods, the better.”

Besides her, Robyn nodded.

“Not quite yet.” Móll sighed, looking towards Bill. “We have to find ye father’s human body. Not to mention, we still have a few more things we need to pack.”

For a quick second, Robyn blinked in confusion, but then realized that her father had most likely left his body near the waterfall during his fight against Cromwell.

She could only really remember feeling fear and awe grip her heart that night, watching as her father - the man whose main occupation was to kill wolves - now fought as one, all rippling lean muscles, and fierce, protective eyes.

“That ain’t a problem.” Mehb placed her hands on her hips, flashing them a toothy grin. “Come on, Robyn! We’ll just turn into wolves, and-”

“-stay right here.” Moll said, placing a delicate hand on her daughter’s mane of fiery hair.

Mehb looked as though she had been punched in the stomach, and she automatically deflated. “What?” she asked.

Robyn winced, practically hearing the doggish whimper in her voice. “We know you both want to come, but the forest might not be safe.” Bill insisted. “There might be soldiers still lurking around, so we can’t take any chances.”

“But if what if ye get caught again?” Mehb protested, waving her arms, and her eyes wide and panicked. Robyn knew she was referring to her mother. Slowly, the blonde placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, making the redhead calm down a little.

“We won’t.” Moll settled down, and in a wave of golden light, her fluorescent soul leaped out of her body, leaving her human form a mere empty corpse. Both Robyn and Mehb turned to the huge, dark-auburn-furred wolf that now stood in front of them. “Trust us.”

Bill looked at her with some slight awe before shaking his head and turning back to Robyn and Mehb. “She’s right.” he walked over to Moll, their flanks nearly touching as they stared at their kids. “We’ll be back, don’t worry. For now, you both have to protect the cart.” the dark-gray wolf turned to Merlyn, nodding. “Make sure you watch over them, and come get us if something happens.”

Merlyn gave a chirp of assurance, landing on Robyn’s head. Robyn herself looked up at her father, her blue eyes wide and pleading.

“Please can we come with ya?” she asked, allowing a dog-like whimper to leak into her own accented voice.

Bill and Moll gave her a gentle smile before stepping forward and brushing their muzzles against her cheek.

“Don’t worry,” Bill whispered, his breath warm as it washed against Robyn’s facial skin. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

“Right,” Moll growled. “It’s okay, Robyn.”

Then, their warmth was gone, the two flashing them one last comfortable nod before vanishing into the dimness of the woods.

Silence reigned on the semi-deserted space before it was broken by Mehb.

“So … what now?”

“I don’t know.” Robyn shrugged, jumping on the edge of the wagon, swinging her legs in opposite directions. “I suppose we wait for them to come back.”

“Boooo,” Mehb growled, lolling her head backwards as she groaned with annoyance. “Robyn, ye know I don’t wait for long!”

“Well, ye better start.” Robyn grumped, the upper part of her body lying back-first inside the wagon. “We might be here for a while.”

Mehb stared at the English girl for a moment, before sighing and curling up with her. The two lapsed into comfortable silence for a short while, before Mehb spoke again.

“Say, Robyn. You gonna wear this scullery outfit forever?”

“Course not. I hate it. It’s tight and I feel like I can’t even move. Not to mention, it stinks.”

“So where are ye normal clothes?”

Robyn paused, her heart stopping for a solid second.

“Back in … Kilkenny, I suppose.”

No, no, no! Agh, Robyn!

She placed a disgruntled hand over her face, and sat up, startling Mehb slightly. Seeing the sudden movement from her friend, the smaller girl sat up as well. “Robyn?”

“We … we need to go get it.”

“Get what?”

“My clothes!”

“What?”

Chapter Text

Mehb scampered after Robyn, pulling on her dress. 

“What do you mean, go get your clothes ? Why? And from where?”

“Mehb, use your head. I left my clothes in Kilkenny, and now I have to go get them! In fact, not just my clothes, but my crossbow, too! I can’t just leave them!”

“Yeah, you can!” Mehb insisted. “They’re just clothes! Me mammy is really good at sewing, she could just make ya some!”

“These aren’t just clothes, Mebh!” Robyn softly pushed the redhead’s hands off her dress. “I’m talking about me crossbow and me hood.”

“Your crossbow? ” Mebh spluttered, her eyes practically bulging out from her head. “Your hood? That hunter’s hood? You wanna get that? Robyn, did ya hit yer head on something?”

When Robyn said nothing, Mebh grabbed onto her dress again, pulling her back, as if scared that she would fade away. “Robyn, that hood is the symbol of a hunter! And we’re wolves! What part of ‘wolfwalker’ do you not understand?” She gave Robyn an accusatory glare, one that made her falter - just a little bit.

Robyn growled, feeling impatient, but stopped when she was given a warning squawk from Merlyn, who sat, watching the scene. He shook his head, as if to say, don’t raise your voice at her, Robyn.

The blonde girl sighed, calming herself down, just enough so that she could give her friend a soft, gentle look. Upon seeing the tranquil look in her eyes, the hairs on Mebh’s head flattened, and she let Robyn’s dress go. 

“Mebh,” Robyn breathed, bending down, putting her hand on her shoulder. 

Mebh felt her cheeks go warm at the soft, caring contact.

“That hood has nothing to do with whether or not I’m a hunter. I shed that title long ago, remember?” She caressed Mebh’s face her free hand. “Look … my hood and crossbow are very important to me. They were gifts from me mother.” Feeling a silent, lonely pang in her heart, she looked away. “Before she died.”

Hearing those three words, laced with sadness, flow out of Robyn’s mouth, the explanation struck Mebh like a lightning bolt. Suddenly, she felt the uncomfortable feeling of guilt wash over her, regretting not giving her friend a chance to explain much earlier.

“S-Sorry.” she mumbled, rubbing her arm. “I should’ve listened to you before jumping to conclusions. And a-about yer mammy.”

She felt Robyn’s gentle fingers patting her head, and she didn’t have to look up to know she was smiling at her. The way everything just seemed brighter was enough for Mebh to know.

“It’s okay.” Robyn murmured, her gentle voice making comforting tingles race up and down Mebh’s being. “You didn’t know.”

Then, she turned around, putting her hands on her hips, making that face she always did whenever she was dead-set on something. And in this case, it was about getting two memoirs from a town they thought they could forget about.

Merlyn flew down, flapping commandingly in front of Robyn, and although all that came from his mouth were protesting cheeps and screeches, Mebh could already tell that he was trying to prevent Robyn from going.

Two minutes later, however, the same falcon sat, nestled on Robyn’s shoulder as she started down the hill.

Robyn looked back out to Mebh, who was taking a couple steps towards her. The English girl held her hand out, offering Mebh a smile that never failed to make her heart skip a beat.

“You coming?”

Chapter Text

Kilkenny was … different, to say the least.

Even Robyn herself was shocked at how much the townspeople seemed to have hated the Lord Protector. So much so that the whole place was in utter jamboree at his downfall. While she was aware that he was not popular among the citizens, she had never expected this.

Kids were running around freely through the square, singing songs of joy and praise, getting under everyone’s feet, and playing as many games they could manage  - something that never would’ve been done if the gray-haired tyrant was still around. Even the snarls and scoffs that Robyn had received so often from the full-grown men and women seemed to have melted away at the prospect of never having to fear the ragged voice of their ruler.

The town now seemed oddly colorful - while no paint of any sorts had been put up, that apparently, was just the magic of laughter and smiles.

“This place is different from when I came here.” Mehb sniffed, helping Robyn up onto the roof. “ No one was this happy.”

“We were all scared of the Lord Protector.” Robyn explained, allowing Mebh to haul her up onto the red tiles of someone’s house. “I guess, in a way…he kind of made the town the way it was.” She sighed, wistfully, wandering across the bricks. “Good thing he’s gone, now.”

“We have yer pa to thank for that.” Mebh added, giving her a charming smile. 

“Yeah.” Robyn breathed. She and Mebh walked across the buildings of Kilkenny, relishing in the sounds that they assumed they would never hear from the once-dark town. The sounds of laughter and joy.

“Do ya think anyone thinks about ya?” Mebh suddenly asked, staring up at the sky, tapping her chin. 

“What do you mean?” Robyn asked, leaping onto someone’s chimney.

“Well, last time I checked, ya did run out of the town on the back of a giant red wolf.” Mebh deadpanned - strange for her. “That’s bound to attract some attention.”

“You’re right.” Robyn admitted, lowering her gaze. “I dunno. Maybe.” 

Once again, the two fell into comfortable silence. Mebh ran forward and slowly interlaced her fingers with Robyn, feeling addicting warmth crawl through her body at the mere prospect of being close to her. The same occurred with Robyn.

“Hey, what’s going on down there?” Mebh asked, drawing her friend’s attention. 

“Hm?” Robyn followed her gaze to where something appeared to be happening in the town square. Upon peering closer, she caught sight of that one pack of street kids that had often terrorized her. She saw that their leader had been painting something on one of the walls - that had attracted the attention of some guards.

“What do ya think you’re doing, boy?” One of them growled. “That’s vandalism!”

“Don’t care!” he snapped back, brandishing his wooden sword, and his eyes shining in defiance. Behind him, the other street kids backed away, clearly not as keen to pick a fight with the broad-shouldered men.

Eventually, the scene ended with the brown-haired boy kicking the paint onto the guards and “legging it”, with the furious soldiers giving chase. Robyn knew that they would give up soon, though.

“Well, that’s that.” Mebh murmured, her eyes strangely unreadable. She then turned her head, her eyebrows raising. “Hey, look! Merlyn found yer house!”

It took Robyn a full five minutes to pull her attention away from the fleeing boy, and when she did, she saw Merlyn circling above the brown, wooden roof of what used to be Robyn and her father’s residence.

“Come on, let’s go!” Mebh tugged her hand, pulling Robyn - and her thoughts - away from what had happened below. 

_____________________

“Huh.”

Mebh blinked, unimpressed at the interior of Robyn’s house. She wandered inside, giving an uninterested look at the damp floors, dirty sink, and cobwebs that were her friend’s old home.

“You seriously lived here? Ugh! How did ya even stand it? This is disgusting!” she wrinkled her nose, bending down below to check underneath everything.

“Shocked that ‘disgusting’ is even in your word bank.” Robyn retorted, climbing up to her ‘room’ and searching its premises, one thing in mind.

“Hey!” Mebh said, but she laughed at Robyn’s newfound snarkiness. She watched the shadow of Robyn taking clothes off and putting them on, and she felt slightly tempted to draw the curtains open, but modesty stopped her. Instead, she managed to pull her attention away, and walked into the next room.

The room was dark, with a bed lying in the corner. Mebh squinted, able to make out some pictures in the darkness. One of them had Bill in it, holding a beautiful blonde-haired woman rather affectionately. Mebh quickly labeled her as Robyn’s mother, seeing how many physical features the two shared.

The others were mostly pictures of the family together, and some others of Robyn when she was younger. But the one that caught Mebh’s attention was a picture of Robyn’s mother, but besides her, was a tall, muscular, black-haired man with blue eyes. The two looked strikingly similar, despite their differing hair colors.

Did Robyn’s mother have a brother or something?

Suddenly, something about the man drew her attention. She squinted, only taking a step back when she identified the marks on the man’s cheek. It was a black mark, kind of like her’s and Moll’s - but instead of being three black dots, it was a thick, curving line.

Is that guy a …

… a Wolfwalker?

“Mebh?”

The red-head jumped, scurrying back to the main room. “Yeah?”

She felt her heart warm up at the sight of Robyn back in more comfortable-looking clothing. While she didn’t really hate the scullery-made outfit - Robyn looked good in anything she wore - her hunter’s clothes made her look more … natural.

“Good to go, Townie?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips again.

“Never been better.” Robyn said, pulling her hood over her head. Behind her, Merlyn flew through the window, landing on Robyn’s shoulder. He looked her up and down before giving her a cheep of approval.

Mebh smiled at her before remembering the picture she had seen in the room. “Hey, Robyn, did yer ma-”

The loud, echoing footsteps of a guard crashed through her ears, and judging by the way Robyn jumped, Mebh knew that she had heard it too. Before the two had time to flee out the window, the door slammed open, and two soldiers entered, both muttering about something.

Their conversation was halted, however, as they caught sight of the two girls inside. 

“Hey!” One of them growled. “What are you two doing ‘ere? We said that this place was off-limits for all citizens!”

Mebh didn’t answer, only growling menacingly, while backing away towards Robyn, who was stuck between running away and using her crossbow.

Their lack of an answer gave the second soldier good time to look them over. “Hey..” he muttered, squinting his dark eyes. “...I know you two. You were the girl who freed that wolf, and you were the one who kept stomping on me head!”

Mebh blinked, before chuckling. “Oh yeah, that was funny.”

“We’ll see whose laughing when yer in chains!” the first guard roared, lunging forward, his hands reaching for her. 

The small Wolfwalker met his attack with a pounce of her own, pressing her hands against his face and pushing him away. She dashed to Robyn, pulling her towards the window. “Come on, let’s get out of her, Townie!”

“Not this time, ya little rats!” the second soldier snarled, throwing his spear. This time, his weapon actually had some use, as it struck the ground, taking Robyn’s hood down with it.

“Seriously?” Robyn hissed, trying to remove the weapon from her hood - but trying not to tear it at the same time. 

Mebh was already at the window. “Robyn!” she yelled. “What are ya doing?”

“What does it look like?” she snapped back. “I’m trying to get this out of my-”

“Forget it!”

“No way!”

The first guard gave a sickening snicker, reaching for Robyn, his hands closing around her back. “Come on, ya little English runt!”

“Now wolf to save ya now, eh?” The second one growled.

Merlyn gave a screech of fury, divebombing the man, his claws scratching at his helmet. The man’s eye twitched, and he slapped the bird away. Merlyn crashed against the wall, falling unconscious on the ground.

Mebh felt the steamy feeling of anger crawl through her limbs, and she bared her teeth, jumping down from the ledge. “Get away from her!”

Her sharp claws nearly caught the face of Robyn’s captor, but she was pulled backwards by the rough hands of the second one - the one whose head she had consistently used as a stepping stone.

“Got ya now.” he growled, his sickly warm breath washing over Mebh’s face, and the dirty texture of his gloves scraping against her skin. The strong Wolfwalker struggled, spitting curses as the two dragged both her and Robyn towards the dark building that housed prisoners.

Chapter Text

Robyn had never been inside the stocks before. And she had never imagined herself being in them, either. 

The thought of her sitting on a damp floor, her wrists bound in chains, and a cold, heavy neck collar fastened around her neck had always been laughable. But now, here she was - living out something that had always been impossible. But … it seemed as though what had been impossible to her was Mebh’s greatest nightmare.

Even through the chains, the redhead bounced up and off the walls, occasionally rocketing towards the bars of their cell and shouting and growling curses to whoever was out there.

The men that were “guarding” them merely chuckled and mocked the two girls, but they always leaped back whenever Mebh unexpectedly flashed to the front of the cage, baring her teeth.

Eventually, Mebh seemed to realize that even with her abnormal strength, she couldn’t best metal. With a snort and a sigh, she sat down next to Robyn, scrunching her face up and crossing her legs.

Seeing her annoyed expression almost scared Robyn. She knew that Mebh probably blamed her for getting them into this mess. Had she not cared so much about a silly hood …

It’s not silly, though!

“I’m sorry, Mebh.” she whispered, struggling to prevent her voice from shaking. It didn’t work. She felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes. 

Mebh looked up at her, raising a bushy eyebrow. “Huh? What for?”

“If I didn’t care so much about my hood, those guards wouldn’t have caught us. Now we can’t escape, and our parents don’t know where we are.” she murmured, burying her head into her hood and allowing her tears to stain the dark brown fabric. “This is all my fault.”

“What are ye talkin’ about?” Mebh snorted, sounding genuinely confused. “This ain’t your fault. That hood is important to you. This was just bad luck. Besides,” she turned, crossing her arms. “I was if me game. I had ye to think about.”

“That’s never stopped ya before.” Robyn said, allowing a smile to dust her face.

“Yeah, well…” Mebh scratched the back of her head, looking anywhere but the blonde girl. “... whatever. The point is, I don’t blame ye for anything.”

The British girl felt her heart swell slightly at Mebh’s kindness. While the tiny Wolfwalker never really showed her soft side - not to many people - she was always willing whenever it came to Robyn.

“Thanks, Mebh.” she murmured, bringing her hand forward and latching it onto hers. 

“Anything for ya, townie.” Mebh responded, giving her a toothy grin, pink dusting across her cheeks.

________________

Meanwhile, somewhere far away from where the two girls sat in chains, a silver haired man tipped his head on his hand, surveying the town in front of him with a bored expression. 

His delicate, diamond-like face was bathed with white, cloudy light, and his disdainful red eyes never seemed to blink. He sat on the former chair of Oliver Cromwell - who was probably lying impaled somewhere on the waterfall’s cruel rocks, he thought.

He let his stoic expression shift into something of a smile.

A kind that probably would’ve made even the wolf pack shudder.

At that moment, the still air of his room was broken by the loud, brutish shouts of incoming guards, and he winced with annoyance when his grand doors were flung open like twigs. He only bothered to look at his new arrivals with one eye.

There were two of them, and they quickly hushed at the expression on his face. Although it wasn’t much different to what he usually had on, that look alone was enough for the thick skull of man to understand that he would not accept any nonsense-like behavior.

Finally - after some not-so-subtle prodding from the other - one of them stepped forward, fiddling with the weapon he had in his hand.

“Good morning, sir.” he stammered, going for something that was like a makeshift bow. “I hope this day has been finding you well.”

“It was. ” the silver-haired man commented, his voice like ice and lined with poison. The soldiers flinched, immediately understanding that their presence was not wanted.

“Forgive us, for the interruption, but we have something that we feel you would like to see.” this time, the second guard summoned up the courage to speak, but he still hung back fearfully in the corner.

“If it was truly important,” their listener snapped. “Then they would’ve sent someone much more relevant to tell me. Leave, maggots.” he turned his face back to the view, hoping to fall back into his calming stupor-

“It’s about those … Wolfwalkers you wanted!”

He stopped, his eyes widening just a little, and his pupils constricting by a fraction. His hands twitched with want, but he kept them by face and not near the handles of guns. His face was still turned towards the scenery, but he had lost all care for it.

His mind was on something else now.

“...tell me more.”

Chapter Text

- Chapter V -

Something was coming. Something dark and dangerous and unpredictable. Robyn could hear it a mile away, and yet it still confused her where it was coming from. She peeked open one eye, wondering if it was a demon of some sorts.

Beside her, Mebh was curled up in the cutest position imaginable on her lap, snoring away. She had wrapped her sea of ginger hair around herself, and was clearly relishing in the warmth that emitted from Robyn’s body.

As much as it pained her to interrupt the soothing sight, she felt - knew - that whatever was coming towards them was something Mebh needed to see. She furiously patted her snoozing friend on the shoulder, trying to awaken her.

For a while, Mebh didn’t move, only turning around, splaying her arms out in a comfortable position. She sighed, a leisurely smile stretching across her face. She liked the feeling of Robyn’s soft hands.

The blonde girl above her felt her own heartbeat becoming more noticeable just by looking at the sight. She smiled fondly - despite the situation - and opted to try another tactic. She took Mebh’s ear and pulled, whispering gently:

“Mebh,” she breathed. “Mebh, come on. Wake up. Someone’s coming.”

Her friend stirred, rolling over onto her side. “...mrggg…” she groaned. “...so?”

“Someone bad,” Robyn whispered, her voice increasing in anxiousness, as the dark aura became more powerful. Something told her that she wouldn’t have noticed this if she hadn’t been a Wolfwalker. “I can tell. You need to wake up now. ”

Finally, Mebh seemed to take note of the urgency in her voice, and she rolled forward, yawning. “Fine…” she grumbled, rubbing an eye. “...who is it?”

“I don’t know yet,” Robyn admitted. “But whoever it is…”

“...is truly pleased to meet you.”

Both girls jumped, their heads snapping to the source of the voice - who, in fact, was standing outside their cage. Immediately, just by hearing a mere sample of his tone, something about their new visitor rubbed the two of them the wrong way. For one, he had somehow appeared in front of their cell without them detecting him - even with their enhanced senses. That was already unnerving. 

The second thing was his appearance. His clothes were simple, even though both Robyn and Mebh had a feeling he was in a high position of power. He wore a light-gray vest with golden buckles drawing it closed. His sleeves were long and pure black, as well as his pants and the gloves he wore on his hands. His shoes were long, dark-brown pointed ones that were lined with more golden buckles. Draped around his shoulders was a long, maroon cape.

But the worst thing about him wasn’t even the unsettling way he dressed. It was his face.

Although as of now, it was painted in a friendly, almost welcoming manner, both girls were smart enough to see right through his poorly-worn mask. Just the tug of a smile on his lips was enough to make them shiver, and his eyes were icy and cold, the kind that would initiate pain and suffering - and enjoy it.

He clasped his hands together and smiled even wider - that of course, didn’t make the pair feel any safer - and started to speak.

“My deepest apologies if I caused you fright,” he said, his voice smooth and dark. “But as I said; it truly is an honor to meet you.” he raised an eyebrow. “Robyn and Mebh, was it?”

The two Wolfwalkers jumped. Mebh stepped forward protectively. “How do ye know our names?”

“That’s not important,” the man waved them off. “Anyways, since I know your names, I think it be time I gave you mine. You may call me Henry.” his eyes curved upwards, as if he was enjoying the confusion on their faces.

The two friends were indeed perplexed. Most of the time, adults gave both their first and last name. Just revealing your first name was more of a kids thing.

Robyn stood up, walking towards him. “Well … Mr. Henry - may I ask why you’re here?”

“And what ye want from us?” Mebh demanded. “We are prisoners. Strange that you’re being so nice.” Behind her, Robyn nodded.

“Good question, but I’m afraid I don’t have the best answer.” Henry pointed out. “For who I am, you can think of me as a… stand in, for my dear Lord Protector. You see, when I caught wind of his… demise, I knew that the town that he had fussed so much over would be in ruins without him.” he looked down at his fingers, looking uninterested in their conversation. “So, here I am, just making things run smoothly until we find a possible replacement.”

Well, you’re not really doing a good job of it, Robyn noted, remembering the “disarray” and the “chaos” - as the tyrant himself would’ve put it - outside. If this Henry really was a stand-in, what had he been doing?

“Doubtful of my abilities, Robyn?” Henry suddenly said, his smile morphing into a disgusting smirk. 

The blonde girl jumped. She hadn’t said her thoughts out loud.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a mind reader. It’s just that your face is so easy to read.” he chuckled - although it wasn’t a good one. “And to respond to your skepticism, I’ll tell you both a little secret,” he winked, walking closer to the bars of the stall. On instinct, both Mebh and Robyn backed away.

“...I don’t really care about Kilkenny. Or the people in it, for that matter.”

The two blinked, looking at each other. They weren’t sure how to feel about that. They had never held too much connection towards the town either - or the citizens who lived in it. But it was different for Henry. He was supposed to be leading them. It was his job to care, and yet here he was…

“...to tell you the truth, I only came because something about the town… Ireland, as a whole, caught my attention.”

Mebh stiffened, and Robyn could tell by the way the hairs on her head raised that she was beginning to understand where Henry was going with this. And apparently, she didn’t like it. To be fair, Robyn was catching on, too. And she also didn’t like what this Henry was talking about.

“Ah, I think you’re starting to get it.” Henry smirked again, relishing in Mebh’s wild anger. “The thing that has always interested me in Ireland, unfortunately is very difficult to come across.”

He walked away, propping a finger to his chin. He turned away, his scornful red eyes piercing into the two of them. His smile now held every inch of hostility and sadism imaginable.

“So imagine my joy when two bumbling dolts interrupted my private time to tell me that they had captured two of the last … Wolfwalkers. ”

The way he said ‘Wolfwalkers’ made Robyn’s stomach clench, and instinctively, she began softly rubbing Mebh’s hair - something she had recently started doing whenever Mebh needed to calm down. But now, the comfort was directed towards Robyn herself.

How this man… this odd, suspicious, awful man knew about them made Robyn scared, and suddenly, all she wanted was to hold Mebh close to her chest and nuzzle into her wild forest of ginger hair.

However, she could not do that now.

Mebh clenched her hand, a subtle attempt to bring her back to the present. It worked, and Robyn squeezed it back. Her stomach unclenched just a little.

She turned her attention back to Henry, who was still smiling sickeningly. She gulped, and managed to speak. “Why are you so… “interested” in the Wolfwalkers?”

“Well, now you’re talking as if you’re not one of them.” Henry scoffed, his voice unimpressed and clearly bored. 

Robyn jumped again, and even Mebh was surprised. How much Henry knew was very unnerving. And the way he laid it out so blatantly…

“Not very good liars, I see,” he noted. “And why did you think that I wouldn’t know about how you’re Wolfwalkers? You think that the guards wouldn’t tell me about the little situation during the Lord Protector’s show?”

At first, Robyn was confused at what he was referring to, but then she remembered how she had let Moll escape and had ridden out of Kilkenny with her, and paled.

“And your little friend here yelled that she was a Wolfwalker to the whole town.” he sighed, flicking a finger towards Mebh, an amused smirk on his face. “Pretty difficult to miss that .”

Robyn lightly smacked Mebh, and the redhead chuckled nervously in response, her eyes clearly saying: “I kinda had to.”

Henry stood up, keeping his annoyingly leisurely smile. “Putting that episode aside, we can stop beating around the bush.” he knelt down so that he was on their level. “Tell me about yourselves. And not yourselves, personally. About Wolfwalkers.” his eyes flickered, and his hands twitched. “About their magic. ”

“No.” Both girls responded simultaneously, their hands wrapping even further around each other.

Henry chuckled. He then stood up, rubbing his two fingers together. Outside, gunshots were thrown, and seconds after, they were accompanied by the shrieks of sorts. For what reason, Robyn nor Mebh did not know.

Henry’s eyes glowed with crimson blood, and they seemed to glint with glee at their stubborness. 

“I hoped you would say that.”

And then Robyn knew.

He wants us to give him a reason to break us. 

“...Robyn?” Mebh whispered, her eyes wide with panic and confusion. 

“Yes?” Robyn muttered.

“..do you smell that?”

For the first time in a while, the blonde Wolfwalker took a smell of the air, only for her lungs to be intruded by the thick, ugly aroma of smoke. And not just any kind. The kind that was produced by-

Fire.

What an awful memory.

Henry’s eyes wrinkled, and he turned to the window, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He seemed to have detected the smoke and embers as well.

Their chilling moment was snapped by the stomping of guards running up the stairs, and next thing they knew, the familiar burly forms of some soldiers burst into the room, their dark eyes stretched wide.

“Sir!” he cried, giving him a quick salute. “It’s Kilkenny! It’s on fire!”

Chapter Text

Chapter VI

“So?”

Mebh, Robyn, and the two nameless guards stared at Henry, their faces twisted into parlors of shock. The wavy-haired man had an eyebrow raised, and his finger still planted on his chin.

Kilkenny, the town he was supposed to protect and watch over, was burning to the ground right before his eyes, and all he could say was: “ So?”

“S-Sir, we need to go and put the fire out! Or at least evacuate all the citizens. It’s chaos down there!” the second soldier cried, waving frantically to the orange glow that emitted from the window.

“Right,” Henry nodded, still looking bored. “Why don’t you do it? I’m kind in the middle of something here.” he gestured to the two Wolfwalkers.

“But we need your direct orders,” the first guard emphasized. 

“And I’m giving them to you.” Henry said, the beginnings of a snarl entering his voice. “Go and put the fire out. Or cease whatever caused this.”

Robyn and Mebh watched the back and forth between the men with unimpressed expressions. They were beginning to get a little bored at the incompetence of not just the soldiers, but Henry himself.

“But sir, what will the citizens think once they don’t see their leader coming to rescue them?” One of the soldiers asked, getting exasperated. “You want to keep this town under your control, right? Then make the citizens believe you care.”

“But I don’t,” Henry scoffed. He pinched his nose, as if he was surrounded by idiots. He opened his eyes once more, and looked at the guards again. “No matter. I’m getting nowhere with these two, anyways.” he shot Robyn and Mebh an annoyed look, and walked towards the soldiers. “Might as well come.”

“Right, sir!” the two soldiers hurried outside, their clumsy footsteps echoing across the room. Henry started to follow them, but paused, looking back towards the Wolfwalkers.

“I’ll see you two very soon.” 

Then, he disappeared down the steps. As if he had never been there in the first place.

Once he had left, Robyn let out a gasp of relief, not even aware she had been holding her breath in the first place. She waited until Henry’s steps had faded away - much too quickly for comfort - before turning back to Mebh.

“He’s probably right, Mebh,” she whispered, her voice panicked. “I bet we are going to see him again.”

“Well of course we will, if we keep standing around in this damn cage.” Mebh snarled harshly. Robyn knew that she probably didn’t want to speak to her that way - the panic and fear of Henry was getting to even her.

Her friend nodded, and the two ran forward to the bars of their cell, looking for possible ways to escape. 

So far, there were none.

The spaces between the bars were much to thin to slide through, and Mebh’s previous attempts made it clear that the metal used to create the cage was much to strong to break open.

Robyn had long arms, but the cage that they were in wasn’t the kind that Moll was kept in - one where she could just reach over and pull the lock right out. It was clearly made for humans, so it required a key. One that was nowhere to be found. She was beginning to suspect that the soldiers had probably locked them up and thrown the key down a well or something.

Mebh’s growls of frustration were increasing in intensity before the redhead gave an annoyed shout and sat down on the ground. The way she curled into herself signaled to Robyn that she was in no mood for conversation. 

“Where do ya think our parents are right now?” she whispered, her voice rather hollow.

Robyn thought, putting her forehead against the cold metal. “I’d say…somewhere, panicking.”

“You think maybe they’re the ones who started the fire?”

“No…” Robyn scratched her chin. “They know that starting one - even if they’re angry - is dangerous, and it would make it harder to find us. If they’re even in the town.” She began to pale, as the thought of her father realizing that she was gone settled in.

Speaking of the fire, the smoke from outside was starting to fill the room, and it was becoming highly difficult to breathe. The aroma was already disgusting on its own, but smelling smoke when one had an enhanced nose was no fun.

Robyn began to cough wildly, feeling the rotten air coil around her lungs. She didn’t really have to think about all the ways Moll would probably kill both her and Mebh; the smoke would probably do it first.

Mebh panicked as she saw Robyn doubling over, and unfurled herself to run over and put a hand on her back. Her heart squeezed with worry as she looked around, looking for more possible escape routes.

“Robyn…” she whispered. “Come on, mo chara, hang in there.”

“...Mebh…” Robyn rasped, and the redhead felt her heart practically drop at how weak she sounded.

“No, no, no, don’t talk.” she said. “Come on, save ye breath.” 

Robyn, whose skin was normally fair and rich, was deathly white, and Mebh felt like she was going to cry. All over again. She hugged the suffocating girl, whispering promises into her ear, and trying not to let tears fall. She wasn’t one to give up like this, but…

Will she…?

“Mebh! Robyn!”

Mebh’s head snapped up. 

She knew that high-pitched, scratchy English screech.

“Merlyn!” she called. “Birdie, we’re in here!”

Soon, she heard the swift beating of wings, and saw the feathery form of Merlyn, Robyn’s pet falcon fly through the window, a golden key clenched in his talons.

“Good heavens!” he squawked. “I’m so glad I found ya! I’ve been looking for you two all over the place! And this key,” he added, showing them the shiny item. He seemed to do a bird-like wrinkling of his eyes. “I found it in a well.”

“Figures,” Robyn whispered, causing Merlyn to take notice of her.

“Great-” he started, flying up to them. “Robyn! What happened?”

“Smoke.” Mebh explained. “The town’s on fire, unless ye haven’t noticed. Now, come on! Hurry up and get us out!”

Merlyn nodded, and stuck the golden key to the keyhole, and turned it left. There was a click, and the door swung open with a horrid squeak.

“Finally!” Mebh cried, hoisting Robyn into her arms. “Come on, let’s go!’

“No, wait!” Merlyn screeched. Mebh, who was already climbing out the window, looked back at him. “What?”

“It’s better if you turn into wolves,” he explained. “I bet Robyn’s lungs will be better, and you’ll be able to get out faster.”

Mebh paused at his request, not really wanting to let go of the girl that was curled up in her arms. But she shook off the thoughts. They had to get Robyn out of the town, no matter what way.

Soon, through a wave of glowing gold, both girls stood in their wolf forms, Mebh short yet muscular, and Robyn tall and an elegant silver. Her eyes were much more vibrant, so that implied that she had a better time breathing than her human body.

“Thank you, Merlyn!” she cried, fiercely nuzzling her bird companion. “Had not been for you, I don’t think we would have made it.” 

Merlyn cheeped, rubbing his forehead on her. “Your welcome, milady. Just doing what I’m meant to do.”  

“That’s great and everything and yeah, thanks Merlyn, but we have more important things to worry about!” Mebh called, putting her front legs on the window. She hopped outside. “Come on!”

Robyn scooped up her human body and followed Mebh outside - to a world that had been consumed by fire.

____________________________________

Bill and Moll trudged back to the wagon, Bill was carrying his human body on his back, and Moll accompanied him in her wolf form, seeing as she had left her human body, in all its grace, sleeping next to the caravan.

Robyn’s father had never thought that he would see the day where he would’ve walked freely next to wolf; - a ginormous one, at that - and not be reaching for his crossbow to shoot it down. But now that he had gotten a taste of their world, Moll’s world, he was slowly beginning to understand why Robyn had wanted to run in so much.

And now, instead of imagining fierce greed or bloodthirsty swirls in the eyes of the russet-red animal, he saw what was truly there - warm kindness, and motherly protection.

As time went on, Bill began to feel like a fool.

He felt ashamed that his 12-year old daughter was able to see and accept whatever was in the Wolfwalkers, and yet it had taken him to turn against the Lord Protector and have himself chained to finally understand their motives and feelings - and it was the exact opposite of what he had been taught to believe.

His face morphed into a solemn expression, and began to walk slowly, lagging behind his large companion. They walked out into the clearing where the wagon was stationed.

“Bill!”

Moll’s bark reached his ears, and he jumped, his heart stuttering in his chest. He hurried forward, feeling panic stab his form upon seeing Mebh trotting around in the clearing, clearly agitated and worried.

“Moll?” he asked. She didn’t answer him. He looked around, trying to attain context clues about what could be distressing her so. It was an odd thing - now, whenever Moll appeared to be stressed, it was his problem, as well.

Everything appeared to be in order, except-

-Mebh and Robyn weren’t there.

Bill’s heart practically dropped through his chest, and he wasted no time in thinking of every other possible explanation for what might have happened to their girls while they were away.

Hunters? Soldiers? Did they get lost?

“Where have they gone?” Moll cried, sniffing the ground wildly. She scanned the skies, her eyes constricting when she didn’t find whatever she was looking for. “Merlyn’s not here, either.”

“ What?” Bill said. “That can’t be possible, Merlyn follows Robyn everywhere. And from what I’ve seen, Mebh also follows Robyn everywhere.”

Moll didn’t answer, only giving a saddened whine and sniffing fervently. It wasn’t long before the inky shadows of the wolves slipped out of the shadows and surrounded the two, giving questioning growls and grunts.

Bill regarded the large pack of wolves - this time, not as enemies, but as humble companions. “Did you see where they went?” he asked, an uncomfortable fear worming its way through his dark fur.

The wolves shook their heads, casting each other confused glances.

“Wait,” he growled. He looked to the east, noticing vibrant amber and fluorescent blue scent trails leading down from the forest and right towards the bricked town of Kilkenny. In the now darkened sky, was the cyan, wispy trail of Merlyn.

“Moll,” his whispered, feeling dark, terrifying memories crawl through his mind. Images of what he had done to both Robyn and Mebh flashed against his eyes, and the cruel words and eyes of the Lord Protector echoed in his head.

“They went back to Kilkenny. Merlyn, too.”

“What?” Moll yelped, snapping her head to where the trails led. Her eyes shimmered with alarm, and she began taking hefty, panicked breaths. “No, no, no, no, no. Why would they go back there? Don’t they know how dangerous it is?”

“They probably had a good reason.” The reassuring growl of one of the wolves - Cormac - emerged through the night-colored pelts of his brothers and sisters. “From what I have seen of banphrionsa *, she is very smart, and is probably aware that the town is dangerous. She would never put herself or the maistir og* in danger.”

Bill blinked, not used to the foreign terms, but understood what the wolves had said regardless. And they were right. He had known his daughter for a long time now, and she wasn’t the one to put others in peril.

“You’re right.” Moll said, her eyes returning back to their normal calm green. “Regardless, we still need to go and locate them. After Robyn some days ago, the soldiers are most likely very alert. If anything, they probably have their faces plastered all over town.”

Bill nodded, despite the feelings churning around in his stomach. Despite Moll’s words of determination, he couldn’t chase away the images swirling around in his brain. And they weren’t happy ones, either.

“Right.” he puffed up his chest, and set his human body down inside the caravan. “Y-Your right.”

Moll seemed to smell his fear, and brushed against him affectionately. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “We’ll find them. And if anything has been done to them, we’ll eat the culprits for dinner.” 

Her last sentence had been said with a gentle smile on her face.

Bill blinked, finally understanding the power of a mother wolf. 

Chapter Text

Chapter VII

Just by stepping outside, it seemed as though Robyn had traveled back to the night of Oliver Cromwell. 

All around her, soldiers shouted orders to each other, calling loudly for more buckets of water. What accompanied the noise was the clamor of citizens shrieking, scampering around, attempting to grab what little of their possessions remained, and mothers and fathers crying for their children.

This of course, made sneaking around, even as wolves, very difficult. A fleeing townsperson would scurry past every single second, making the two friends jump. What was even worse was trying to make sure that they didn’t drop their human bodies in all of the fray. And the fire certainly didn’t help either - the smoke and smog emitting from the blaze masked each and every scent trail.

Robyn and Mebh kept to the shadows of the houses, trying to blend in with the darkness - which was pretty much a wolf’s very best friend. It covered their pelts, and made them look like nothing more than normal animals.

It was almost very difficult to believe that Kilkenny - the same town that had been joyful and prosperous underneath a cloudy-white sky was now buried under wispy flames of death-like amber. There was no structure that had not been swallowed in fire.

“This way, girlies! Keep going!” Merlyn’s commanding call echoed from up ahead, and he pointed to the walls. “We’re almost there! Climb on top of some houses and get over those walls!”

“Right!” Mebh growled. She jumped leaped on to some barrels and sprung up to the slanted roof of a house that was only barely consumed by flames. “Come on, Robyn!”

The silver wolf nodded, following her friend up high. It was much easier to run on top of houses, get a her fill of the night wind then by stuck in the suffocating city below. 

“How did this even happen?” she panted to no one in particular.

Merlyn answered her query. “Some townsfolk were protesting in one of the streets. The guards tried to split them all up by shooting their guns into the air, but all that did was just scatter em’ and make them drop their torches. One loose fire started, and…you know the rest.”

“Ah,” Robyn nodded, remembering the gun shots she had heard while talking to Henry. She shivered at the thought of him, his cold red eyes burning holes into her mind.

Never mind that. I can forget about him once we reach the walls.

Speaking of the walls, they were thankfully getting closer. Anticipation throbbed in Robyn’s heart at the thought of leaving Kilkenny for good, being able to put all this mess behind them.

Can I put Henry behind me, though?

Her insides chilled at her ominous thought, and she quickly remembered Henry’s words:

“I’ll see you two very soon.”

“We will see him again.”

Right when she was about to lose herself in the land of her worries, Mebh’s voice brought her jolting back to the present.

“Robyn! Up here!” she looked up to see that Mebh had climbed right over Kilkenny’s walls, her cute furry face just barely peeking back over the edge. “Just jump over, and we’re home free!”

By this time, most of the town was able to flee the city, and a large crowd of villagers were gathering near the outskirts of the town, watching with sadness and shock as the only home most of them had ever known burn to the ground.

Even the soldiers had realized that it was either them or whatever poor soul may have still been trapped, and judging by the way they hurried out of the ashened wooden door, it was clear who they chose.

Robyn bunched her legs, ready to spring up and over the wall - when a familiar voice caught her ears.

“Padraig! Help us!”

She found her head automatically swiveling in the direction of the noise, and although she was high up on a roof, through the orange blaze of flames, she saw the small figures of several brown-haired kids.

They were huddled up in the corner of the town - and were barricaded by a flaming wall of wood and bricks. Some of the smaller kids were sobbing, and the older ones didn’t look too far away from breaking down in tears themselves.

Right in front of them, was the Irish street-boy who often bullied her. Robyn almost didn’t recognize him - usually, she saw his face twisted into a look of helpless anger, or sneering cruelty, but now, the only thing that was there was the scared face of a 12-year-old boy.

He was trying to find a way to evade the stinging fire and reach his friends; but the wall of flames refused to let him pass. Even worse, the blaze was spreading towards them, eating up everything in their path. 

The fire was going to burn them along with the town.

Robyn’s paws twitched.

_________________________________

6 years ago…

It had just been a quiet day at home when it happened. 

Padraig, a small, sweet little boy with a carrot-top of brown hair on his head was seated at the table, digging into the wonderful soup his father had made him. Everytime the golden, vegetable-accompanied liquid entered his stomach, it was like his mother was home all over again.

He loved it.

Suddenly, echoing steps walked up to the door, and excitement filled the small boy’s heart. He pushed himself off his stool and hurried to the door, fiddling with the lock. When he opened it, he had expected to see his father’s bearded, smiling face, and he was…

Half of it, anyway.

His father was there, at the door, but by no means was he smiling. His lilac-purple eyes were shimmering with fear, and for some reason, the boy in front of him could smell the terror wafting off the man.

“Padraig,” he whispered, his voice frail and weak. Dirt was smudged all over his face, and a small line of scarlet dripped down from where he had been nicked on the forehead. He hurried him inside, picking his son up. “I’m so glad yer safe.” 

Before the small Irish boy knew what was happening, he had been shoved under his father’s bed, as if he was some kind of valuable trinket.

“F-Father?” Padraig asked, feeling a thick sense of dread curl around him. “W-What’s going on?”

“I messed up, me lad.” his father rumbled. “I wasn’t careful enough. Now they’re after me. And they’ll be after you too, unless ye hide.”

“C-Careful?” Padraig stammered, resisting the darkness of the bed’s underside. “Careful of what? Who’s after us?”

His father shook his head helplessly and turned to go, but Padraig jumped up, latching onto his arm, and holding him in place with a surprisingly strong grip. 

“Father!” he cried, digging his fingers into the fabric of his coat. “What’s going on? What did you do? Tell me!” his last sentence came out as a powerful, yet pleading demand.

His father’s eyes flicked back and forth between him and the entrance of his house, as if debating whether or not he should heed his son’s pleas. Finally, he decided on the latter, and bent down, his eyes still wide and scared.

“Padraig, me boy,” he whispered. “Before you were born, I found somethin’ extraordinary. It was wonderful. It was located deep within the forest.”

“The forest?” Padraig gaped. “But isn’t that where the wolves live?”

“Yes.” his father explained, his fear getting replaced with slowly growing excitement. “But me boy, you have no idea. He’s been wrong all along. He’s been trying to brainwash us.” his eyes grew more distant then afraid. “ He’s the evil one, not them-”

Wind burst into their house as the front door was kicked open. Padraig yelped, burying himself into his father’s chest. Loud shots echoed through the house, and the roar of horse feet thundered across the ground. The familiar clank of soldier’s metal axes and helmets flashed in and out of the clamor.

“Find him!” a raspy voice bellowed. “Find the traitor!”

“W-What?” Padraig asked, looking up at his father. The terror came back so fast, as if his feelings of amazement and courage were never there. He pushed him away, shoving him under the bed. This time, the brown-haired boy went under the darkness, without any complaining.

His eyes peeked underneath the think blanket of black. It wasn’t a lot, but just enough to see the forest of buckled legs that rushed into their room. 

Traitor? My father isn’t a traitor!

He gasped quietly as he saw the soldiers grab onto his father’s shoulders and shoved him to the ground. They lay the axes just a small distance away from his neck, forcing him to stop struggling, despite his growls.

“Get off me!” he snarled, but his protests were deafened by the loud sound of thundering boots against helpless wood. Fear clogged Padraig’s chest as he saw familiar gray boots pound against the ground - and stop right in front of his father.

“Pitiful,” a ragged, disdainful voice spat. “You really thought that you could escape the eyes of God. You forget that my Lord sees everything.”

The Lord Protector!

Padraig stayed deathly silent, his hands clapped over his mouth as he watched the hard brown boots create a predatory circle around his father. He couldn’t see his face, but he could already imagine the way it would be twisted into a condescending expression.

“I trusted you, Ronan.” the Lord Protector snarled. “I gave you a home, a place to live, and money to buy food and clothes, and provide for your family.” he paused, before continuing, a heart-clenching edge to his voice. “...or what is left of it.”

Padraig heard his father’s nails scratch into the wood.

What did he do? What is he talking about?

“And this is my payment? You, running off into the woods, not killing those black devils as I ordered you too, and instead-” he paused, as if he was unable to say his next words. There was a chilling silence for a while, until the gray-haired man continued speaking. 

“...no matter. You will repent heavily for your sins. Not only will you be thrown in the stocks, but your devil-ridden son will be put as well.”

Padraig felt his stomach jolt; but his father’s voice spoke up, gruff and furious. 

“Don’t you dare put yer bloody hands on me son, ya coward, or so help me, I’ll make sure to summon all of nature’s forces upon you.”

“Only a follower of the Devil would say such words.” the Lord Protector bellowed, and Padraig could already imagine him with his fists clenched, his wild, cruel eyes staring down at the one man who had dared to defy him. “Now, before you go, tell me the location of those monsters.”

Monsters?

“Never.” Ronan hissed. “I won’t let you prey on the innocent. Not again - not ever.”

“Choose your words carefully.” his oppressor growled. “Or watch me make sure you never see that son of yours again.”

“It doesn’t matter what you do.” his father spat. “You’ll never get yer dirty hands on Padraig, or the-”

“Take him away! I’ve had enough of his rambling.” the Lord Protector screamed. He sounded unhinged, and a million times more dangerous then he was before - and it was all because someone said “no” to him.

“Let go of me!” Ronan hissed, and Padraig’s eyes widened in horror as the guards heaved his father up, and dragged him, cursing and screaming out of their house.

Fire burned in the pit of his stomach, and he leaped up, revealing himself from where he cowered.

“No!” he yelled. The guards and Kilkenny’s tyrant turned their heads, shocked at his appearance. 

He ran forward, trying to pull the heavy metal cuffs off his father’s legs - while Ronan stared at him in awe and worry.

“Padraig!” he hissed. “Run!”

“No!” 

The Lord Protector saw his chance and pointed at the struggling child. “Get him!”

The soldiers rushed forward.

“No! I - Padraig, I’m serious! It won’t help me if ya get caught. They’ll kill you!”

“They’ll kill you, too!”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ronan said, his voice coming down to a whisper, forcing every other person in the room to mute themselves, going in slow motion.

“I want you to live, my boy. Get out of this horrid town and discover the truth for yourself. There’s a million things out there, waiting for ye to find them, and you’ll never get anywhere if your locked in a cage.”

Padraig studied his father’s face, and saw noting but truth and love. 

“But Mother-”

“This was your mother’s last wish.” he breathed. “And mine too.”

Suddenly, the yelling came back again, and Padraig turned to see the huge forms of the guards towering over him. At that moment, with a heavy grunt, his father kicked him south, forcing his son to go tumbling right under their legs.

“Run, me boy! Run!” 

Padraig ran.

Scrambling out the window, hitting the cobblestone floor, crying all possible tears, he ran.

The taste of his mother’s soup - warm and loving - was fading from his tongue.

_________________________________

Present Time

Fire lashed hungrily all around Padraig, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Smoke was clouding his vision and imprisoning his lungs - depriving him of air, but of course, he didn’t care.

His primary focus was reaching his friends, who sat, wailing behind the barricade of burning objects.

“I - I can’t touch it without being burned!” he protested, jumping back as a spark lashed against his arm. 

Sam screamed, tears streaming down his face as a burning piece of wood fell right next to him, singing his cape. Seeing the sight of his squadmates in danger made Padraig want to run in and save them - tell them that nothing would happen, as long as he was here. 

And he would’ve, if not for that blasted wall of flames.

The burning inferno was slowly closing in, tearing up everything that was in sight. Padraig could no longer hear the voices of those annoying guard - the ones who had started this whole thing - or the screams from the townspeople. Either they had all fled, or the beating of his own heart was just too loud.

He looked around, trying to locate something that he could use to bat the burning dam away, but everything that looked like it could be useful belonged to the fire now.

This is…it?

  He thought, everything quieting down as he saw the fire steadily close in on his teammates. It was going to burn them to death, feast on their burnt charred bodies, and he would forced to watch, knowing that he couldn’t save them.

Sit back and watch as someone else was taken from him.

He wanted to laugh.

What else is new, Kilkenny?

All you ever do is take.

The blaze snatched at his flea-bitten clothes, and the heat that washed against his face was so close it was starting to hurt now. Pain was beginning to make itself at home.

As darkness muffled his vision, he wondered what English Girl was doing right now.

“Move.”

Padraig faintly opened an eye - he didn’t have the best vision, but he saw the familiar shape of something walk through the treacherous path of burning objects.

What…?

His eyes came more into focus, and he saw a wolf.

A long-legged, silver wolf.

With blue eyes.

Chapter Text

Chapter VIII

“Robyn!” Mebh called.

The silver wolf stuttered, turning back to her friend, who sat, waiting on the wall, her head outstretched. “Get over here! What are ye waiting for?”

Robyn found herself turning back to the scene in the town. The fire was even closer now, and if she squinted, she could make out the sight of the flames burning the boy’s clothes.

As she stared, an argument commenced in her mind.

Come on, get a move on! Do you want to burn along with them? Just one jump, and you’re over the wall! 

But wait, the kinder, smaller part of her whispered. What about them?

Some things just happen, and can’t be stopped.

But what if it can?

It can’t. If you tried now, you would get yourself killed!

Protecting Moll almost got me killed. And here we are.

That was different. You were doing the right thing. 

This is also the right thing. It doesn’t matter who they are.

You’re crazy.

Better crazy then a coward.

Robyn turned to Mebh, who was still waiting - impatiently - on the wall.

“Mebh,” she growled. “We can’t leave yet.”

“What?” both Mebh and Merlyn cried at the same time. The shorter wolf walked closer to the edge of the wall and stared at her friend. “Robyn, are ye crazy? This town is going up in flames. What do you mean ‘we can’t leave?’”

Robyn gestured to the pack of street kids. “We need to help them. We can’t go and leave them here. It won’t be right.”

Mebh stared at her, her eyes wide - her pupils were practically small dots. A few feet in the air, Merlyn tipped his head. 

The red wolf suddenly growled, her large fangs glimmering in the moonlight. “ Them? You want to save them?” she pointed to the scene down below. “You want us to risk our lives to save them? Robyn, are ya listening to yourself?”

Robyn took a step back, slightly intimidated by the fury in her eyes. She knew that she had touched a sore spot.

Still, she stood her ground, staring firmly at Mebh. “Yes, Mebh. We can’t leave them here. That wouldn’t be right.”

“We can’t!” Mebh argued. “They caged me!”

Robyn remembered that moment, and she knew her ears were lowering. The hurt and pain in Mebh’s eyes were too much to bear then, and they were even worse now.

She knew that it would’ve been easy to accept Mebh’s words and leave the kids to burn - as her vengeful side had said, just one hop over the wall, and they would be back with their parents.

But…

The right choice is almost never the easy one.

“Mebh,” she whispered, lowering her muzzle so that it brushed lightly against Mebh’s. She stared directly into her beautiful emerald eyes and spoke. “We are the Wolfwalkers. We are supposed to be the good guys. If we hop over this wall now, we are leaving those children to die.”

Her earnest words made the wild wolf falter a little, and she looked to the ground, clearly considering Robyn’s words.

Knowing that Mebh’s ears were now open, she continued speaking, her voice turning grave. “If we leave them, we’re no better than him.”

The disgust that had laced her voice made it clear to Mebh who she was referring to.

Robyn fell silent, waiting for Mebh’s thoughts. The red wolf’s face had darkened, and her once lively eyes were unreadable. Her head had bent down, and her tail dragged.

Finally, she looked back up again, looking rather annoyed.

“Fine.” she growled. As the two raced down the houses of the burning town, Mebh added: “But I’m only doing this for you, not them.”

________

The two hurried through the cobbled, dangerously warm streets of Kilkenny. All around, flames licked the buildings, and wisps of the fire came dangerously close to touching them. Robyn longed for the cooler roofs of the houses - the space much more close to clean air.

Everytime her head swung towards an escape route, she continuously reminded herself who she was doing this for.

“There they are!” Mebh yelled, gesturing towards the section between two buildings. It almost seemed impossible to get through - burning planks of wood had pretty much barricaded the only entryway.

“What are we going to do?” Robyn fretted.

“If you try really hard, I’m pretty sure you can jump over them!” Merlyn chirped from up above, circling the space where the kids huddled.

Mebh growled, and turned and ran away. “Then that’s what we’ll do.” she growled, bunching her legs. Like a burning fireball, she bolted towards the wall of wood and leaped over it, her fur brushing harmlessly against the fire.

Robyn followed after - jumping slightly higher because her legs were longer - and landed safely away from the mass of flames.

The kids were trapped in a circular barricade of fire, every one of them huddled together. Some were crying, while others were burying their faces into each other. The tallest one - a boy with a dark-green cloak - hugged the rest, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

One of them saw the two wolves and screamed.

“Wolf!” she wailed, quickly drawing the attention of the others. Their eyes widened as well, and it wasn’t long before they were all crying, a couple of them begging Robyn and Mebh not to eat them.

“Eat ya?” Mebh cried, her eyes practically bulging out from her head. “Why do they think we’re gonna eat them? They’re disgusting!”

“It was a common belief,” Robyn said, her voice slightly more calm. “We were taught that wolves often ate people - especially children.”

“That’s stupid.”

“If you lived in here for a while - without having met a wolf - you would’ve believed it, too.”

“I wouldn’t!” Mebh insisted.

“That’s cute, but…” Robyn wanted to say, but she held her tongue and simply walked forward, trying her best not to look menacing to the poor things. But of course, you could never know with children.

As she approached them, the image of the kids who had tried to cage her - and caged Mebh - disappeared. Instead, she saw what was really there - some scared little children who had been lied to for most of their lives.

Her heart softened, chasing her vengeful side away.

“Don’t cry,” she whispered, coming closer to them. “We’re not going to eat you, we promise.”

“You know they can’t understand you, right?” Mebh deadpanned, suddenly appearing next to her.

“Shut up!” she hissed.

PADRAIG BLINKED, staring up at the two wolves who seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere. One was small, and had fiery red fur, while the other had long legs and was an elegant silver color.  

His mouth fell open, a whirlwind of thoughts attacking his consciousness right then and there. He was confused. These animals surely couldn’t be the wolves the Lord Protector had taught them to fear and despise. They couldn’t look like this, they shouldn’t, there was no way those same beasts from the stories could look so…

… wonderful.

He had only ever seen one wolf in his life, and it had been the huge, red one inside that cage that the tyrant had showcased all over town. And even then, with her teeth bared in anger, Padraig hadn’t felt any sort of disgust towards her.

It was the one that that English Girl had freed and escaped town on.

He still remembered that day - how could he ever forget? The day that she had seemingly become her true self and had unlocked that cage, releasing the beast, throwing all of Kilkenny into a terrible panic. The day that he had seriously began to regret ever mocking or pointing a sword at her. 

The day he had begun to wish that he could’ve gotten to know her before.

The day he realized he would probably never see her again.

He didn’t know how to feel about that.

Now, as he looked at the appearance of these wolves, he felt no fear, because deep down inside, he had a feeling that they were not the devils that the town had painted them to be.

After all, no creature of Satan could have such intriguing blue eyes.

The moment he thought that, the colors around him disappeared, and for half a second, he saw English Girl, he form bathed in wispy golden light.

He blinked, and the view was gone.

And in her place was the wolf, who seemed to be conversing with her shorter - more spirited - companion.

As he pushed himself up from the rubble, his ears twitched as he thought he heard voices. But the moment he realized this, the whispers had left, scattered away.

He watched as the wolves seemed to be gesturing to his friends, as if trying to get them to do something. The others clearly weren’t understanding, and despite the two obviously proving themselves not to be a threat, his group still backed away from them, screaming and crying.

They want them to do something - but what?

He took another step, and at that moment, a voice, clear as day, rang out inside his head:

“Come on, get on our backs! We’re not going to hurt you!”

Padraig doubled back, taking a look behind him, wondering if someone had appeared. No one was there - which was to be expected, almost everyone had fled the city. 

He scratched his head, turning back to the wolves. He would know that voice anywhere, but there was no sign of the brown-cloaked girl.

Oh great. Am I imagining her now?

As if to prove a point, the voice came back again:

“Mebh, what are we going to do? They don’t trust us, and we can’t step over to where they are, or else we’ll be burned.”

This time, Padraig didn’t step back, his eyes staring at the silver wolf. Especially now that it seemed that its mouth was moving into the shape of human words. The previous yips and growls it had emitted before had all but vanished from existence.

But what had shocked him even more was the fact that English Girl’s voice was coming from the wolf. And the scariest thing was that Padraig could easily imagine the voice being hers, it just fit her so well-

W - What’s going on? Who’s Mebh?

Another voice piped up, but this time, it came from the orange wolf, who stood beside the silver one, their flanks brushing.

“I don’t know. Maybe we could just-”

“Mebh! We’ve been over this. We’re not going anywhere.”

“Okay! Okay.”

The Irish boy could only stare at them, his eyes as wide as the very moon. He was witnessing a full-blown human-like conversation between animals. And worst of all, now he was positive: he wasn’t just hearing things. The wolves could talk. And those suspiciously familiar voices really were theirs.

“Is the street boy okay?” English Girl- the silver wolf - asked, swinging her head around to meet his eyes.

The second their eyes met, Padraig saw her again. 

Once again, she stood, bathed completely in golden, completely mirroring the look and action of the silver wolf that had been in her spot once before.

His eyes closed and reopened, and the world regained its color, and she was gone again. And in her place, was that silver wolf.

The three stared at each other, the only sound being the whimpering of the trapped children and the eerie clicking of the amber flames.

Finally, the orange wolf extended her muzzle to meet the silver wolf’s ear.

“Is he okay? He looks like he’s seen a ghost.”

The silver wolf nodded, eyeing him warily. “Yeah, it’s honestly very creepy.”

This line was what snapped Padraig out of his stupor, and he opened his mouth to say that he could hear them - only stopping when he realized that they probably weren’t aware that he could understand them.

Instead, he walked right up to where his terrified friends scooted into the wall.

Throwing his thumb behind his back, he called out to them, his voice stern.

“Get on their backs. We’re getting out of here.”

Chapter Text

Everyone in the scene of the moment stared at Padraig as if he had grown an extra head. But no, he hadn’t done that - he had done something much worse, in the street children’s eyes: he had sided with wolves.

And that, according to the ways of Kilkenny, was pretty much equivalent to selling your soul to the devil.

Those who knew Padraig - or even those who had merely interacted with him - were aware that by no means was the Irish boy a rule-follower. He annoyed and pranked the guards daily, and was always trying to find ways to get past the gate. He seemed to hate everything about the Lord Protector. 

The only thing that the two seemed to agree on was the threat of wolves. Padraig seemed to be spending his whole life preparing for the day that he would kill one of them; in fact, his favorite thing to do was to pretend that some innocent child was his most despised creatures, and it was his job to trap and kill it. Both Mebh and Robyn had caught onto that side of him very quickly.

So of course, it was no surprise that everyone was dumbfounded when Padraig calmly ordered his friends to get on their backs.

Finally, Truffles - a bad-mouthed girl with thin brown hair - spoke up.

“Padraig, have ye gone mad? They’ll kill us!”

A murmur of agreement rippled across the group of children. Merlyn stared on in confusion as everyone seemed to forget that they had limited time here.

Moptop - a short boy with a large scarf - nodded. “If not that, then they’ll eat us!”

Padraig turned and stared at both Robyn and Mebh, who both giving him something of a quizzical look. He then faced his friends again.

“Well, they’re not eating me.” he said, matter-of-factly. “If they were here to eat us, they would’ve done it a long time ago, instead of standing here, wasting time.”

“Don’t they know that we would never eat them, no matter the time? We would probably be poisoned!” Mebh snarked to Robyn. Padraig, of course, heard her.

His friends seemed to be considering his words, and realizing that he was right. The two animals had every opportunity to hurt or kill their leader, and yet they had strangely chosen not to.

Blinky fixed his hat, and stared up at Padraig through the wall of fire. “I’m still scared. What if they take us away?”

“To where?” Robyn muttered, exasperated.

“The only place they’ll be taking you to is away from this fire, and to safety.” Padraig explained. Finding a discarded shovel, he began to hack at the wall of burning wood, creating a pathway for his friends to get out. He tossed it away, tossing the kids an exasperated look. “Up, up, up! Come on, get out! We don’t have a lot of time!”

Even with his urgent tone, there was still no movement from his fellow street children. Finally, the smallest boy shifted from his position, and slowly made his way through the path and towards the awaiting - shocked - Wolfwalkers.

Although she was glad that they could finally get this over with, Mebh still couldn’t believe what the boy was saying. She stared at Robyn, as if asking her if she knew the reason for his strange behavior.

“He wasn’t like this when I was here.” Robyn offered, her own eyes wide. “I wonder what made him change.”

You started talking, that’s what. Padraig wanted to say, but he still held his tongue. He didn’t want them to know that he could understand them perfectly, as unnatural as it was. He wanted to see what he could learn from them, seeing as how they thought no one would be listening.

The small street child cautiously walked in front of the two wolves, and looked from Robyn to Mebh, as if deciding which to hop onto. He eventually settled on Robyn, slowly approaching her back, his entire form shaking.

She gave him an encouraging nod - which at first made him flinch, but when he registered exactly what she was doing, he made small noise of surprise, realizing that the supposed “cruel beast” understood he was scared.

Slowly, he reached up, and hoisted himself on her back. He immediately cowered, as if expecting her to throw him off, but she stayed still.

When the boy realized that she hadn’t done anything, and had merely accepted his presence, his eyes widened, and he settled his hands on the back of her neck.

“See?” Padraig said, turning to the rest. “They’re not going to eat you. They’re trying to help us.”

The other kids looked at each other. They only got a second to ponder before a huge flaming plank of wood fell down, igniting another blaze right near them. It was if even the world was telling them to hurry up.

Eventually, one by one, they rose and walked out of the enclosed space. Just as Sam had hurried out, the spot where they had just been huddled together burst into flames.

Padraig began to cough, the smoke around him taking a toll on his lungs. He stuffed his mouth in his arm, and pointed to the two wolves. “Come on, hop on!”

This time, the kids did so with a bit more urgency. They seemed to have finally registered that by no means did they have all day. Or all night.

“Mebh, you can hold more because I’m pretty sure you’re stronger than I am.” Robyn commanded. Her friend nodded, turning to go. The silver wolf than turned to Padraig, nodding towards her back, which already had about three kids on it. 

Despite being the one to herd everyone on earlier, the Irish boy hesitated when it came to getting on. It was only when his lungs began to burn uncomfortably did he hop onto her.

The falcon that had been circling the area for quite a while darted away, giving a commanding chirp. In response, Robyn followed him, ignoring the cries of the children nestled into her fur.

Padraig didn’t feel any sort of fear, only marveling at how fast she was. Even with four kids weighing her down, she still made the wind slap them all in the face. She easily outran her red-furred companion, leaping up onto the rooftops, away from the suffocating burn of the city below.

“Wow!” Someone called. “She’s so fast!” 

“Well, she’s got four legs,” Padraig said. “I’m certain it’s normal.”

“Yes, it is,” Robyn muttered. “I can outrun all of you any day.” 

As they raced along the rooftops, Padraig began to feel an odd sensation. One that made his heart beat with exhilaration and excitement. The wind no longer seemed to be pushing against him, instead swirling around him, and caressing his hair. He found himself leaning forward, gripping the wolf’s fur in amazement, a smile begin to stretch across his face.

Robyn’s eyes flicked upwards, a bit surprised at Padraig’s joyful expression. But she relished it, anyway, beginning to run a bit faster. 

“There’s the wall!” Mebh called. 

In front of them was the wall that “guarded” Kilkenny from the outside world, and prevented anyone else from getting out. (Also the wall that Mebh often used to enter Kilkenny, as well as the one that both Moll and Robyn escaped the town from.)

The drawbridge had flames slowly licking its surface. Robyn put on an extra burst of speed, and with a mighty leap, she soared over the wall, landing unharmed on the grass below.

There was a poof, and Padraig turned to see Mebh land down as well. Up above, the falcon circled the area.

Padraig’s eyes were wide with astonishment, and he wasn’t the only one. His group was also stunned into silence; not only from the ride, but the fact that the wolves had just helped them escape near death.

He felt a bit disappointed that the ride had ended so soon; he had enjoyed feeling the magic of the night like that. 

Maybe I could ask her to give me a ride another time. If I can understand her, then surely she can understand me, right?

“Look!” 

The group turned to see the villagers hurrying up to them. Once they saw the wolves, a gasp rippled throughout the crowd, one lady even crying out; “Wolf!”

“They’ve got children!” one yelled, pointing towards Padraig and his friends. “Somebody shoot!”

The guards loaded their guns, pointing them right at Robyn and Mebh, who bunched their legs, preparing to jump.

“Hold it!”

The loud yell broke apart their increasing clamor, and the crowd parted to show the pot-bellied figure of Sean Og, the Irish man who many seemed to avoid these days, seeing as he had been chained for openly talking scornfully about the Lord Protector. But his freedom seemed to come with the tyrant’s downfall.

“Hold yer fire,” he said. “They not be doing anything to them kids. Besides, if me eyes work properly, then I’m certain I just saw them save them. They would’ve died in there had they not been there.”  

The crowd fell silent. While it was obvious that the man was right, no one was sure that they wanted to admit that the devils had done no harm. In fact, some of the soldiers looked as though they wanted to shoot the two just for fun. But they had the decency to lower their guns.

Sean Og smiled at the two wolves. Just when he felt a spark of familiarity in the silver one’s eyes, the falcon fluttered down, resting on her head.

His eyes twinkled, and for a moment, he was looking into human eyes. 

“Ah…” he said, with a knowing smile.

Chapter Text

Mebh stared at the street kids - particularly their leader - with curious green eyes.

She had only met him once, and even then, it hadn’t been a particularly fun experience. All she could remember about him was the fact that he and some rabid kids had locked her in a cage, and had mocked her cruelly as she clearly expressed distress. But their original appearances were gone now; in fact, she couldn’t help but gape as she watched them all gather around both her and Robyn.

But the absurdity of the situation wasn’t enough for her not to notice the townspeople - who were standing behind them. Most were keeping a safe distance away from the two wolves, and the guardsmen had their guns at the ready, just in case. In front of them was the sizzling Kilkenny, which had fallen in a sea of spitting amber. Although she herself had never liked the town - too stinky and way too gray - she understood the connection that some of the townspeople must’ve had to it. They had probably spent most of their lives there.

But she had also seen the way the town had affected Robyn. And a darker, more protective side of her relished that it would finally be gone. Judging by the way the flames hungrily devoured the buildings and everything else, she knew that it would take a long time to repair; if they decided to repair it at all.

“So…uh…thanks for saving us.” The voice of Street Boy drew Mebh’s attention, and she turned to find him scratching the back of his head, looking everywhere but into the eyes of Robyn. His other friends didn’t seem as scared of them as they had been prior, and one of them - MopTop? - was even stroking Robyn’s fur, his eyes amazed and wistful.

But there was something about the boy that Mebh didn’t understand. When she had first met him, he was a total troll, chanting something about slaying wolves. And now, here he was, talking to them as if they could hear him. 

What on Earth happened that changed him so quickly?

But it wasn’t like she was complaining. While just putting her in a cage alone would always mark this kid as one of her least favorite people, the fact that he wasn’t pointing a sword at her anymore certainly made looking at him easier.

Robyn was clearly just as lost as she was, and the silver wolf merely nodded, keeping a confused - yet steady gaze with the boy. 

He switched to scratching his arm. Mebh could tell that he was getting antsy.

“The name’s…Padraig, by the way.”

Both she and Robyn blinked in confusion. This was even stranger. Most of the residents of the fallen Irish town had viewed wolves as savages, devils, creatures. Foes who had lost all kinds of sense and reason. And apparently, this kid, who had been no different from others, was telling them his name. Like they were people who could respond.

Mebh only took to raising an eyebrow at him, while Robyn - fueled by her natural politeness, even in animal form - nodded again. 

Behind him, his cronies looked at them, their eyes a mixture of confusion and intrigue - and in some - still fear. Eventually, the one named Mop Top - who had been stroking Robyn’s fur before - asked, “Are they boys or girls?”

“I think they’re girls,” a brunette with a black, withered apron replied.

“How do you know?”

“My mom used to have a dog-” she began, only cutting off when her dusty green eyes darkened with quiet sadness, but she continued. “-she said that in order to see if they’re a boy or a girl, you have to lift up their tail-” her hand drifted to Robyn’s tail, and she began to take a look under her legs.

Robyn’s eyes widened, and she gave the girl an incredulous look. A rush of annoyance slammed into Mebh, and before she knew it, she gave brown-hair a threatening growl, which made her whimper and step away.

“Don’t do that to her, Petron,” Padraig urged, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t think you would like it if someone looked up your dress.”

“No kidding.” Mebh growled, still eyeing Black Apron. Beside her, Robyn did her best to give her an sorry look, as if apologizing for her friend’s behavior. 

The girl seemed to get the message from both, and kept a respectful distance.

Now that the tension was over, Mebh let the question that had been not-so-subtly hiding at the back of her head come out. 

What now?

Suddenly, she heard Merlyn’s beckoning cheep.

“We should probably get back to the forest,” he called, landing on Robyn’s shoulder as she cocked her head towards him. “Your parents have most likely returned, and if anything, are worried sick about you.” 

Both wolves nodded, with Mebh casting a wary glance to the crowd of people that were still focused on the sight of their town’s destruction. The last thing she wanted was letting the guards follow them back to where the rest of the pack was - after all, just because they had saved the kids, didn’t mean that the fear of wolves was no longer evident.

“Let’s leave, now that they’re all distracted,” Robyn whispered, her voice ever soft. Mebh huffed in agreement, and turned to go, Merlyn at her heels.

“Wait!”

At the voice of the Townie Boy - sorry, Padraig - Robyn stopped, while Mebh kept moving. She only halted her movements when she saw her friend’s hesitation.

His voice was low and uncharacteristically just as gentle as Robyn’s - or, as gentle as he could be, anyway. 

“...will I ever see you two again?” he asked, his hands rubbing each other nervously. There was nothing but genuinity in his eyes, a silent, quiet hope. 

Mebh’s ears flattened. 

Despite his drastic change of heart that night, she still didn’t completely trust him. Not to mention, the way his purple-gray eyes mostly focused on Robyn made her fur rise and her teeth bare itself in a snarl, even if she herself didn’t want to admit wasn’t sure why.

Up above, Merlyn rolled his eyes and gave her a knowing look.

Robyn tilted her head, looking slightly unsure. Mebh could tell, even from where she stood, that she didn’t want to lie to the boy - they probably wouldn’t see each other, seeing as how they led separate lives. And not to mention, no matter what she replied, he probably wouldn’t understand her, anyway.

But despite the obvious language barrier, Robyn only gave him an honest, soft smile. 

“No,” she murmured. Her eyes fell to the floor before focusing on him again. 

“...but it was nice to see this side of you, Padraig.” Her smile broadened, and she even closed her eyes with it. 

This was strange.

Not only was Robyn smiling at this Townie Boy, but he was smiling back. As if she wasn’t a magnificent Wolfwalker, and he wasn’t a stinky Townie. Their interaction was so unusual that it sent a bolt of uncertainty down Mebh’s stomach. She told herself that she was just confused, and nothing else.

Finally, Mebh was relieved of the tension circling her stomach when Robyn turned from him, and walked back to her, making her pawsteps as quiet as possible. She grinned at her, and Mebh did her best to grin back, trying her hardest to pretend that she didn’t have an emotional turmoil deep inside mere seconds ago.

The two ventured off into the darkening trees of the forest - or at least, what was left of it. But that didn’t matter. 

Just so long as they were away from the sizzling memories, and the awed stare of Padraig.

Chapter Text

Robyn lay, bathed in softness, of leaves, of a calm, natural, blue light. Her eyes were closed, and yet not pained, in the way one would feel if they had been knocked out and they were awakening from a reign of pain and darkness. 

They were closed in the way of sleep, when consciousness returned to her mind and in her body, and her  eyelids slowly opened themselves. 

When they did, she was face to face with a forest of silent, sleeping blue and peace. She stared at it, shocked, but not scared. The place was tranquil and quiet - but not in the way where one automatically thought, “too quiet.” It wasn't ‘calm before the storm’ - it had always been this way.

“How do I know that?” she thought, scratching her head. But alas, she let the thought slip away, and pushed herself off the ground. When she reached a standing position, she stretched, and gave a small yawn before looking around.

At her sides were bushes, and beyond those were trees, illuminated by the gentle blue light. In front of her was what looked to be a path. It was like someone had taken their finger and drawn a road through the ground, towards whatever was painting the forest in this azure aesthetic. And all around were white fireflies, making themselves known as white, glowing, silent dots. A couple landed on her finger, as if greeting the Wolfwalker hello.

Right when a smile began to slip onto her face, crunching broke through the silence. But even with the lone noise, no jolt of panic ran through her. Everything was natural, even when some things were out of place. 

The pawsteps grew louder and louder, until Robyn saw the form of a wolf begin to come into view. By the time it was just a few steps away from her, she had assessed its entire appearance, and was awed by it.

It was a huge, majestic white male, and his eyes were wise pools of cyan. He seemed to be watching her too, looking her over, but Robyn herself was unable to tell what his verdict was. Much like a person, his face was emotionless, no wag or lower of tail, or bristle of fur.

He walked over to her, with Robyn’s jaw slightly dropping at his presence up close. She made sure not to make any sudden movements. Despite the intelligibility in his eyes, she wanted to make sure she didn’t scare him with a sudden step forward - despite the way her arm twitched, longing to reach over and caress his smooth white fur. 

The wolf stared at her for a long while, before suddenly cocking his head back to where he had come. 

He then turned his side to her, nodding, and gesturing towards his back. 

Robyn blinked, confused for a moment, before understanding his offer. Slowly, she took her arms and planted them against his back, and hoisted herself up, settling into his glossy, river-like white pelt. She felt his fur swirl all around her, as if it was a living, breathing world of its own. Truly magical, really.

Just as she was enamored with the textures of his hair, the wolf started moving, his pawsteps echoing soundlessly through the serene forest. 

The more Robyn watched, the more it was like he was following the trail of fireflies that led right towards the source of the blueness of the grove. She felt mesmerized by the gentle light - not harsh and piercing - but calm and quiet, whispering for her presence in a sweet voice.

But suddenly, the voice became a reality. It slowly faded into existence, the words just soft enough for Robyn to understand them.

“... turn your face…”

A soft bed.

“...head towards the Sun…”

A gentle, loving touch.

“...let the shadows…”

A voice filled with stories of magic and wondrous creatures.

“...fall behind you…”

Why was the song so universal? It felt as though it was sung to her alone, and yet, the words echoed through everything, pouring out of the leaves, whispered through the ground, and breathed through the trees. 

But most importantly, she recognized the song.

“Don’t look back, just carry on…”

It was a soft tune that her…her…

“...and the shadows…”

Something - creatures, violent and evil coursed at the back of her brain. Whispers of malice echoed behind her eyes, and she tilted her head, gritting her teeth. The whirls were affecting the ride, affecting her head and her mind.

“...will never find you.”

Mother?

And just as she neared the glow, the forest was gone.

And before she could lift a finger to reach for the memory, she was falling, falling back to reality.

“...yn?”

“...obyn!”

“Robyn, wake up! What’s up with ya?”

“ Mebh, what are you-”

“MEBH WAIT-!”

Robyn could only mutter out a groggy “...Merlyn? What’s going on-?” before a wave of ice-cold water was dumped on her head. 

The laziness was chased from her limbs, and before she knew it, she had scrambled up, her teeth chattering and her pupils mere dots, filled with shock.

“AH!” she cried, her hands wrapping around her arms to try and preserve the last of what she felt was her deteriorating body heat. “Wha-wha-” she turned, seeing the culprit, in the form of a small red-haired girl, holding a wooden bucket and a cheeky grin.

“Mebh!” she snarled, feeling the gravity of her fangs weigh down her on her normal teeth. Just like one of the ink-pelted wolves would, she bared her teeth in a frustrated growl. She threw the now-soaked blanket off of her and stood a good distance away in order to properly dry herself off.

(Instead of reaching for a cloth like a normal human would, she started shaking vigorously. Unbeknownst to Robyn, Mebh watched her, emerald eyes shimmering with awe.)

When she had finally rid the dampness from her fabrics, she turned, giving her friend a grumpy stare. She raised an eyebrow when she saw her dumbfounded expression. 

“What?”

“Hm? What? Oh - nothing, nothing.” 

Before Robyn could identify what had been swirling around in her eyes beforehand, they switched back to their natural mischievous form, eliciting an annoyed sigh from the blonde.

“Ugh…why did ya do that?” she said, putting her hands on her hips - as if her stern expression would do anything to make Mebh identify her irritation. “Since when do I have to get up at a certain time?”

“Oh, you don’t,” Mebh admitted. “But something funky was goin’ on with ya. Your magic was moving through your body, but ye weren’t transforming.”

“And is that a reason to pour water on me? Where did ya even get that from?” Robyn countered, not really considering her previous words. 

“The river, duh.” Mebh responded, another smirk flitting across her face.

“The river?” Robyn repeated. She turned, walking to the back of the wagon and lifting up the curtains. Sure enough, the terrain had now changed, going from the forests surrounding Kilkenny to new, larger trees and greener slopes for as far as her blue eyes could see. And sure enough, thanks to her trained Wolfwalker ear, a river trickled peacefully nearby.

Upon glancing down, she inevitably smiled when she saw the wolves trailing behind the wagon, some of them even greeting her a polite good morning.

When she and Mebh had returned to their parents the night before, Robyn’s foresight had certainly come true. Both Bill and Moll - well, mostly Moll - had talked their ears off furiously, yelling about how worried they were, and how they had both been minutes away from storming through the Irish town themselves. They had even received a couple disapproving stares from the surrounding wolves, which had made the normally bold and defensive Mebh shrink slightly into herself.

But overall, their anger had stemmed from the fear the two had experienced upon seeing them gone - which of course, sowed a large seed of guilt within Robyn’s stomach. She had been the one to drag both Mebh and Merlyn on her little quest, after all. But the two had assured her that there were no hard feelings - and quote Mebh:

“We’d follow ye anywhere, Townie.”

Such warm feelings she had experienced afterwards…

Inevitably, the family had left the forest near the once-town of Kilkenny. Even if the townsfolk would be preoccupied with trying to rebuild, there was no guarantee that they would leave them alone - especially considering the spectacle that Robyn and Mebh had created after their recent visit. And besides, who was to say that in their efforts to rebuild, they wouldn’t cut down the rest of the woods?

Robyn had conflicting feelings about watching the remains of the town grow smaller and smaller under the night sky. But she was perfectly aware that it would be for the best. She was free now. She could experience liberation and joy with Mebh forever, no rules or fear holding her back.

But as she had settled down to sleep, she couldn’t help but wonder what had become of Padraig. And the thoughts of him had followed her, even as she had drifted into slumber.

The sounds of heavy footsteps drew her from the recollection, and both she and Mebh turned to see the large figure of her father rising from where he had once slept (as a human). His eyes, though woozy and tired, had warm fondness in them as he spread his arms wide to the two girls.

“Good morning, you two.” he rumbled quietly, nuzzling his face into Robyn’s golden locks, and smoothing Mebh’s mane of hair. “Something going on? You don’t usually get up before we do.”

“I was hungry,” Mebh answered, patting her stomach for emphasis. “And I wanted Robyn to come along hunting with me. But her lazy rump wouldn’t get up.”

“So then Mebh took that as an invitation to pour water on me,” Robyn said, pointing at the bucket her friend still held.

That pulled a hefty chuckle out of her father, and seeing him even take amusement in the situation made Robyn’s ears burn with embarrassment. Mebh’s smile seemed to grow even wider upon seeing the red coloring her skin.

“Aw, don’t take it to heart, Birdie,” Mebh chuckled, putting a hand on her back. “The most important thing is that you’re up now, and you’re dry. Now come on, let’s go hunt!”

She dashed to the opening of the wagon and jumped. A golden light consumed her human form, and out came a small red wolf. Giggling, she ran ahead. 

Because she had been a Wolfwalker for a longer time, both she and Moll didn’t have to sleep in order to become wolves. But that wasn’t the case for Robyn or her father, who had only become creatures of magic just recently. And normally, the hooded girl would’ve hurried to close her eyes, but…

…Robyn, instead of following her, sat down and crossed her legs, her eyes shut firmly.

After a moment’s wait, Mebh’s pawsteps came circling back again, and soon, she had jumped back into the wagon. She tilted her head when she saw Robyn’s position.

“That’s not a very comfortable way to sleep, you know.”

“I’m not sleeping,” Robyn turned her head so that Mebh couldn’t see her face. “And don’t expect me to anytime soon. Not after what you just did.”

“But what about hunting?”

“You love to brag about how much of a great hunter you are,” Robyn sniffed. “I’m sure you can do it yourself. And if not, get the wolves to help ya.”

“Come on,” Another smile spread on Mebh’s face, and she tilted her head. “It’s just water. You’re already dry!”

“And it’s just hunting,” Robyn retorted, not budging. “You’re already a wolf! Now go on, if you’re so hungry.”

Mebh’s grin faded when she realized that her friend was being serious. Her ears flattened in discomfort, the unspoken “But it’s no fun without ya,” resting anxiously on her tongue.

Bill made eye contact with Mebh, and gestured to Robyn, an amused smile carving through his face at the scene before him.

Mebh sighed, before sitting down modestly, drawing at the ground with her paws. 

“Fine…” she growled, and turned away. “I’m sorry for dumping water on ya.”

“And?”

“It won’t happen again.”

“And?” An expectant eyebrow raise.

Mebh winced, her ears lowering.

“Hunting really isn’t any fun without ya.”

Robyn’s posture remained tense for some moments before finally it slacked against the ground. Both Bill and Mebh watched her - one wondering what happened and the other already knowing - for a minute before a wave of gold was drawn out of Robyn’s body, solidifying into a silver wolf.

She smiled at Mebh.

“That’s what I like to hear. Now come on, race ya!” she sped to the edge of the wagon and jumped off.

Mebh groaned, before hurrying after her. “Hey, no fair! I wasn’t ready!”

“It’s totally fair!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

Merlyn cast Bill an exasperated look before flying off to watch over the two.

The wagon rested on a much narrower path - but at the same time, the vegetation seemed to have lost all care for the creation of man, and the grass was slowly spilling out on the road. 

“I think we’re almost there,” Moll breathed, slight excitement sparking in her eyes. Bill smiled at her joyous expression, his own face lightening up. 

“Right,” he said, leaning out of the wagon. According to Moll, his hearing had steadily improved now that he was a Wolfwalker. And yet, Bill never felt any kind of spark, any trigger. It was if his new wolfness had merged with his being naturally, like it had always been there.

Around them, the wolf pack surrounded the wagon, like a large trickle of tar. Some branched off - most likely to go hunt - while others curled up into sleeping positions. Bill felt his smile grow larger at the now-familiar sight.

A small snap caught his attention, and he looked down to see a tiny wolf pup. It was black, just like all the others, and its eyes shined with a youthful gold. But at the moment, it seemed scared, its tail shoved between its legs, and looking around warily.

The newly-made Wolfwalker’s heart squeezed with compassion for the poor young thing. It had probably been born in their old forest, so this new change was most likely an unwelcome one.

Blue eyes searched around nowhere in particular, wondering how he could cheer it up. He thought about holding it up high - the way he might do it with Robyn, but then he remembered that a wolf and a human were two different species. What his daughter enjoyed might terrify another young one.

Suddenly, he brightened as an idea came to him, and he relaxed his body, waiting for sleep.

Before he knew it, warmth engulfed his form, and suddenly, his soul and his human form detached themselves. The warmth continued, growing hotter and faster, until the plumes of gold touched the ground, and normal temperatures returned again. And suddenly, the world lost all its greens and blues, and yet still, seemed to brim with even more life.

Bill could never explain how the magic of transformation worked - and why it only happened in their sleep. But one thing was for sure - it lacked the evil, the darkness, and the horrors that had been put in his head by the fearful stories of priests, his parents, and him.

He felt his now sharpened teeth automatically start to growl at the thought of silver hair and cruel dark eyes. But he pushed the thoughts away, not wanting to risk scaring the other wolves with his aura. 

I’m away from him now - he’s gone. He won’t bother us again. There’s no use dwelling on it. This is my life now.

Feeling himself calm down, he made his way over to where the small pup sat. It flinched when he came over, but relaxed upon recognizing his eyes.

“Must be scary,” Bill murmured, sitting down in front of it her. “To be away from home, huh?”

She stared up at him for a moment, her eyes unblinking - before dipping her head. 

“Y-yeah,” she stuttered. Her voice was tiny, feminine, and squeaky. “I miss the old forest.”

“I understand,” Bill said, nodding. He sat down, allowing his legs to fold beneath him. He recalled the silent feelings of dread that had planted themselves in his stomach the minute he had come to Ireland. 

“You know, I’m not from this place, originally. Me and my daughter, Robyn, came from another land, far across the ocean.”

The wolf pup tilted her head. “Really? Where?”

Bill let a smile grace his snout. “England.”

The anxiousness melted from golden eyes, being replaced by curiosity. “...what’s an England? ”

“See, I told ya! Wasn’t that fun?” Mebh prodded the fallen hide of the huge reindeer that they had taken down. A smirk then drew across her muzzle, and she cocked her head to Robyn. “Yer timing could use a little work, though.”

“Really?” the English girl scoffed. “And whose fault was it that the deer got spooked, huh?”

Mebh had the decency to look slightly sheepish, before her pride quickly took over, and she was back to puffing out her chest. “Whatever. All that matters is that we’ll have a lot of things to eat! And enough for the wolves, too.” She nodded to the section of the pack that had joined them on their little escapade. 

Robyn gave them a gentle smile. Their presence was always a nice comfort for her, and she wouldn’t be opposed to living out the rest of her days surrounded by the loyal animals - even if they were sloppy.

“Hey,” she turned to Mebh, who was beginning to fasten her jaws around the leg of their catch. “Why don’t we head back? It’s getting a little dark.”

“Why?” Mebh asked, still focused on getting the deer to move. “We ran the night before. Besides, we’re-”

“-wolves, now, and we don’t need our eyes, I know, I know,” Robyn finished. She knew the redhead too well at this point. “But I’d still rather head back. You never know what could happen. And besides…”

She turned back to the darkness of the trees. Everything looked normal, but something had been scratching her fur all day.

“...I don’t know, I feel like something’s following us.”

While she knew that such a thing was impossible - wolves had far better tracking skills than humans, and no matter how quiet anything tried to be, they could never go undetected. Not to mention, if anything threatening stalked the bushes, the wolves would’ve determined its whereabouts already - as well as Merlyn, who was scouting from the sky.

Right, no one could get past their senses...

But Henry had.

Mebh most likely knew the fact as well, but she refrained from any comments when she saw the way Robyn's fur spiked up.

“Alright, alright,” she sighed. “Let’s head back. Carry that, wouldja?” she gestured with a shake of her head to the corpse to one of the wolves. (Who snaked his head under it and hauled it up obediently.)

“So why do ya think we’re being followed?” Mebh asked as she hurried to catch up with her friend, who had already started the trek back. “If someone was behind us, we would’ve known.”

“I’m not sure,” Robyn admitted, looking from dark space to dark space. “Just…something in the woods is rubbing my fur the wrong way.”

“Ya sure the dark isn’t making ya imagine things?”

“No.”

Mebh frowned, taking a quick look around their environment. Everything seemed okay to her, but knowing Robyn, that was the last thing she wanted to hear. So she opted for a different tactic.

“Well, why don’t we try and get yer mind off it?” she suggested, cocking her head (in a manner that her friend found quite adorable.) “Anything ya want to talk about?”

“Yeah, actually,” Robyn breathed, thanking the Lord for Mebh. Always knew just what to say. She bent her head, her eyes watching the color-less ground. “What do you think of what went on with Padraig? That - that was his name, right?”

Unbeknownst to the silver wolf though, Mebh’s face automatically soured.

Because out of all the things, why him?

“Don’t ask me,” she scoffed, turning away, her voice owning a hard edge. “Why are ya still thinking about him anyway? Shouldn’t he still be back in yer town?”

“ Former town,” Robyn corrected. “And yeah, but-” she looked up at the darkening sky, one that was just beginning to reveal some stars. “-why do you think he acted that way? All the other times, he was something else, and it wasn’t good. Every time I saw him, he and his friends always picked on me.”

Mebh’s head snapped to hers, her eyes wide and predatory. “What?”

“Yeah,” Robyn rolled her eyes, recalling all of the street boy’s annoying moments. “The first time I met him, he mocked my accent and tried to take me crossbow. And then he tried to put me in a cage-”

Right next to her, Mebh had tuned out her words, her pupils growing smaller and smaller with rage and annoyance. So not only had that boy tried to put her in a cage, but he had terrorized Robyn, too? That was far worse in her opinion. A growl was beginning to build in her throat when she realized that she should’ve mauled him when she had the chance, villagers or no villagers.

After a while, Robyn ended her spiel, and noticed the bared teeth of her friend. She couldn’t help but smile at how worked up she seemed to be getting for her sake.

“Mebh, it’s okay,” she said, stepping a bit closer to the red wolf. “Like you said, he’s back in Kilkenny, now.”

“But he hurt you!” Mebh protested.

“He never hurt me - he was just a twit,” Robyn pressed her nose against her own. “And besides, what are you going to do about it now? Run all the way back and find him?”

Mebh’s eyes lowered. “For you, I might,” she murmured.

Robyn’s cheeks warmed, and she could feel her heartbeat ferociously from within her chest.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “And I know you would.”

The two soon returned to the wagon, where Bill and Moll waited expectantly. Robyn blinked in pleasant surprise when she saw most of the pack surrounding her father, enraptured in some story he was telling. On his paws sat a female wolf pup, craning her neck to look in awe at him. Behind them was Moll, her muzzle bearing a heartwarming smile at the sight.

Her green eyes soon came on to them, and she got up from where she sat.

“Successful hunt, girls?” she queried, brushing their head furs. Her question was answered with two proud nods.

“We got enough for us, and the entire pack!” Mebh boasted. “And we got it just barely too - Robyn came out a bit late-”

“That’s not how it all happened-” Robyn began, but Mebh’s tail in her mouth prevented her from saying any more. 

Moll let out a warm laugh at their usual banter, before bringing the two wolves to her chest for a heartfelt hug. 

“Well, keep working at it, and soon, you’ll be skilled enough that no one will come out late,” she eyed Robyn, who huffed, “Because someone scared the catch.” Her knowing irises landed on her daughter, whose own snapped open.

“But how did you know I-” Mebh began, before clamping her mouth shut with realization at her admission. She fell silent and shrunk down into herself, a rare shade of red covering her cheeks.

Robyn giggled, giving Moll a thankful glance. Not only for getting her daughter to admit the truth, but blessing her with sight of this once boisterous and prideful, and now self-conscious, version of Mebh.

Finally, Mebh let up on the pout, and a toothy grin spread out across her red muzzle. 

“Alright,” she sighed. “Guess ya caught me.” She began heading to the fire that had been started in the center of their little camp. Her sturdy form disappeared into an abstract gold spirit, and soon, a short and stout red-head stood where a wolf once was.

She sat down, tapping her foot impatiently. 

“Well, come on, Robyn! Turn back! I wanna hear about this ‘cooking’ thing ya told me about! Me stomach can’t wait forever!” she rubbed her hands together, and her tongue lolled out of her mouth.

Robyn giggled again, and hopped back on to the wagon, where her body was waiting. Once her human form was reanimated, she stepped down to where Mebh, Moll, the wolves, and her father had all gathered around the fire - small, gentle, and crackling - nothing like the flames of Kilkenny.

The dinner was a success. Despite her initial reluctance, Mebh had gobbled down the warm and seasoned meat, and had desperately pleaded to her mother and Robyn for seconds. (Yes, Robyn made her go down on her knees.)

The wolves also had their fill - but of course, their dinner was still raw and bloody. Watching them decimate the chunks had been rather grotesque - but Robyn had grown used to the absolute lack of table manners by now.

And now, with a full belly, and more of a relaxed heart than she had owned in days, Robyn curled up with Mebh in the cool winds of the night, preparing to drift off to her dreams. It would be easy, with Mebh’s soft and wild hair, her firm and sturdy body wrapping around her-

evil shadows crawling through the land, poisoning all they touched

the life of the forest screamed in pain

Glowing, red eyes

Glowing red eyes

Glowing red eyes

Whirls of ink and darkness

Heart beating, pounding, slamming into her chest and ridding her of breath 

And then she woke up.

Robyn sat ramrod straight, sweat pooling down her head. She hadn’t felt this frazzled in days. She could only connect this feeling back to when she had started the process of becoming a Wolfwalker, looking into her own eyes, bathed in gold-

She shook her head, trying to wipe away the liquid across her forehead. It didn’t stop.

She held her breath as she looked into the night, her hands across her chest. She then deviated her gaze to the small girl resting at her side, still lost in the depths of slumber. But not so much. She seemed to have realized that Robyn had shifted, and her hands groped the air, trying to find her.

Robyn’s heart melted, before smiling sadly. The last thing she wanted was to bother the sleeping Wolfwalker with her frivolous…dreams? Visions? Whatever they were, they weren’t worth disturbing the peace on Mebh’s face.

So she did the only sensible thing.

She stood up, leaving the warmth of Mebh, and started to walk outside. Perhaps some fresh air would do her some good.

Once she got outside, the light of the moon softly brushed against her face, and for once, the haunting thoughts that had plagued her head had the decency to fade, if only for a little bit.

And as she sat on the wood, her chin in her hands, relishing in the quiet and the tranquility, hearing things, all things…

She realized some things.

One, it was a little chilly.

And two-

-someone was behind her.

Their shadow cast over her, and wild, feral energy flashed to her limbs. She sprang upwards, darting a safe distance away from them.

Well, whoever they were. She couldn’t see any details because their form was encased in darkness - but from what she could make out, they were taller than she was.

Some panic entered her heart. She had never seen this person before. Had they been following them? If so, how long? And how had no one detected their presence?

These questions piled up in her brain, but she eventually realized that they were distractions. She could deal with them - and have them answered  - after the stranger’s identity was known.

“Who are you?” she growled. With a flap of wings, Merlyn soon landed by her side, giving the mystery person a scrutinizing look. And with shrill squawk from his beak, the shadows of the wolves emerged from the blackness of the night.

The figure looked around, and Robyn sensed the waves of panic wafting from them. The last thing she wanted was to scare an innocent person, but with all the people who had threatened them before, she couldn’t be sure.

One of the wolves lunged forward, giving a warning snap to their leg, causing the person to lose their balance.

They stumbled down, removing their form from the shadows. And letting the moon shine on brown hair.

Brown hair?

Robyn’s defensive stance calmed, as she looked at the newcomer. Someone who was no longer a stranger, now that identified his gray-purple eyes.

“...Padraig?”

His eyes sparkled (Robyn didn’t know they could do that, she had assumed that was just Mebh’s thing) when she recognized him, and he scooted forward on his knees.

“Robyn!” he cried, smiling. “T-that is your name, right-?”

He was cut off with a yelp as Robyn shoved an arrow from her stock into his chest, not driving through him, but just enough so that he could feel the sting. She had shoved down her shock, and forced her voice to sound intimidating.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Kilkenny? Have you been following us?”

“Y-yeah, but-”

“ Why?” she pushed the metal further, causing him to stiffen, and his eyes to lighten with fear. (Robyn still couldn’t get over the fact that he made different faces other than a confident, cruel smirk.)

“B-because I needed to find you!” he shielded his face from the wolves, who had neared him, interested.

Robyn tilted her head, the grip around her arrow loosening.

“...why?”

Intensity blazed in purple gray eyes, the flame nearly making the young girl recoil. Cool hands closed around her own, and Padraig’s mouth had hardened into a determined frown.

“Because,” he whispered, his voice carrying all the hope and awe that Robyn had ever experienced.

“I want you to teach me. Teach me how to be a Wolfwalker.”

The two held each other’s gazes, blue with a charcoal purple. And for a minute, it was just them - a heart, brimming with wonder, and the gears in the other’s head turning-

But the minute was over, specifically when Mebh came in, rocketing into him.