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el-cadejos · 3 years ago

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The Wolf King & the Great Stag

(Story inspired by this drawing under read more ↓)

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It was twilight.

He was overlooking the lake, without focusing on anything in particular, when the wind carried a voice to him. One of his ears folded in its direction, and then the rest of his body followed.

“Greetings, Wolf King! It is a pleasure to finally meet you! I'm the new Great Stag.”

He narrowed his eyes with a puzzled expression. “But you’re a doe.”

She chuckled, amused. “In the Herd, whoever can best lead and protect everyone receives the Antlers. I believe the same is true for the Crown in your Pack, yes?”

“... Indeed, it is.”

A silence settled between them, and after a while, the Great Stag cleared her throat. “I will get going, then. Thank you for your time. Be well, Wolf King.”

“Be well, Great Stag,” he replied, watching as she walked away. There was a large scar over the left side of her face, but what really caught his eye were her Antlers; truly majestic, a crown in their own way.

***

“How did it go, my child? Did you meet the new Great Stag?”

“Yes, Pap- Elder, but… she is a doe.”

“A mighty one, no doubt, if she has received the Antlers.”

***

She peered over the pasture, ears perked up and eyes sharp. All seemed well, until she picked up a scent that meant no good. The Great Stag immediately ran ahead, gesturing heavily, but trying to make no sound. Those who caught on moved out at once, while she circled back to warn the others.

The helpless cry of a fawn made her turn around, towards the lake. The Great Stag managed to get between it and its pursuer. A large, gray-and-tan wolf bared its fangs, ready to pounce. She lowered her head, and steadied her arms.

A whistle, however, was enough for the wolf to back down, and away, towards the tree line. Not far from there, sitting on a rocky hill, the bright golden eyes of the Wolf King focused on the lake shore. Without a word, he returned to the Den, in the thickest part of the woods.

***

Even though it was freezing, he couldn’t help being outside. It was one of those times when the night sky lit up with electric greens. The form of a Higher One allowed for so many new experiences, and ever since he was given the Crown, this became his favorite one. Out of habit, the Wolf King went down to the lake. After all, it was even more breathtaking when it reflected on dark waters.

To his surprise, there was someone already there, looking up at the sky. Her ears flickered as he approached.

“Greetings, Great Stag.”

“Greetings, Wolf King. Did you come to see the Norðrljós (1) too?”

“‘Norðrljós’? Is that their name?”

“That’s what the Raven called them the night I received the Antlers. They said it was a coincidence, as they come and go frequently… but I like to think something special happens when they light up the sky.”

The Wolf King crossed his arms, lowering his gaze from the Norðrljós to her. “Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t mean to say that it happens to me,” the Great Stag replied, looking back at him. Her eyes were bright silver, like two full moons stolen from the sky. “You have my gratitude.”

“For what?”

“For calling off the wolf pursuing that fawn. Poor young one, trembled all the way back.”

“There’s no need to thank me. A fawn so small would not feed many. Besides, I’d rather not lose a member of the Pack to the Great Stag. Our numbers must not dwindle.”

She nodded. “The form of a Higher One gives so much knowledge and understanding, every day I learn something new. Like now, I learned the Wolf King is kind.”

He scoffed, an awkward smile on his lips. “You are a strange one, Great Stag. Your predecessor would have left the moment he heard me.”

“Indeed… Does it bother you?”

“I am at peace with it.”

“Then I hope we can speak again soon,” she said, nodding as she smiled. “Be well, Wolf King.”

“Be well, Great Stag.”

***

When there was a chance, and sometimes even when there wasn’t, they managed to find each other and share some time together. Once again, they met by the lake shore to see the Norðrljós.

The Wolf King reached out and gently caressed her left cheek. “May I ask where this scar came from?”

“I was just a fawn, cornered by one of you, mighty wolves. I thought my end was near, but I somehow managed to see another day,” the Great Stag explained, noticing the Wolf King was not actually looking at her scar.

“As expected, you truly have… doe eyes…” he said, lost in thought.

The Great Stag leaned in with a smile. “Wolf King, up close, you’re quite handsome.”

The Wolf King’s ears immediately perked up, and a light blush spread through his cheeks. “Those are kind words, considering the Great Stag holds great beauty.”

Her ears lowered, taken aback. “Beauty? With a scar like this?”

“A scar that shows the Herd you understand their struggles, even though the Antlers now protect you from harm. You faced pain and near death as a fawn, yet retain a gentle nature. Indeed, the Great Stag holds great beauty.”

There was a pause, and then a gentle kiss. They parted, staring into each other's eyes; the amber gaze of the Wolf King, and the silver moons of the Great Stag. A sparkle shone in both of them.

***

“Regardless of the relationship between you, our Pack will never stop hunting the Herd. You understand this, my child?”

“Yes, Elder. The Great Stag has never requested otherwise.”

“Nor will she. The Great Stag also understands. However, the Pack will not grow from this either. A doe…

"Is unable to bear my pups. I understand… I will choose a Queen when the time is right."

***

A loud crack froze the Herd in place as an incredibly sharp pain went through the Great Stag’s skull. All eyes were on her, and each face seemed stunned in horror. Panting, she sprinted as fast as she could to the lake’s shore. Her reflection showed the right Antler was covered in fissures. Another loud crack did the same to the left.

The Great Stag’s scream was heard all over the land, even in the Den in the thickest part of the woods. The Wolf King immediately took off, stumbling a few times as he hurried under the bright green sky. It didn’t take long to spot her, collapsed near the water. He helped her up, and felt a shiver as the blood stained his hands.

“What is happening? Are the Antlers punishing you? Did I… cause this?”

A part of the left antler broke apart and seemed to explode in a million pieces. The Great Stag let out another soul-crushing scream.

“We do not know… this has never… happened before,” the bases of both antlers were bleeding profusely onto her face. She cupped his cheek with a feeble smile. “Even if it was because of you… I have no regrets.”

The Great Stag grew weak, fainting from the pain as another piece broke off and disintegrated. Terribly afraid of what this might mean, the Wolf King carried her back to the Den, out of breath. "Papa! Something's wrong!"

The big, older wolf came into the light. His fur had gone gray with time, but the blue eyes remained as bright as ever.

The Wolf King kneeled. "Please, help her."

The Elder let out a deep sigh. "I don't know how. The Antlers are not from the Pack, their rules are a mystery to me."

"The Herd doesn't know what is happening either! What should we do?"

"My child, what you should not have done is bring her to the Den," the Elder said, melting back into the shadows. "The Great Stag's blood is still prey's blood, and there are nothing but hunters here."

The Wolf King suddenly noticed the growls all around him, humbly asking for a piece to nibble on. He left immediately, sprinting to reach the spot by the lake once again. Every time a part of the Antlers broke off, strands both in her hair and in her tail bleached white and the Great Stag would let out a weak groan.

“I don’t know how to help you,” the Wolf King sniffled, holding her hand.

Her eyes half-opened, and fixed on his. After a great effort, the Great Stag’s lips managed to curl into a feverish smile.

“Maybe you can’t, and that is alright. If I must go, either back to my simple form, or away forever, I’m glad it’s beholding what I love the most. The Norðrljós… and you.”

The last of the Antlers crumbled and disappeared. She would probably revert to her regular doe appearance soon, and be lost within the Herd, awaiting death once again. The Great Stag was trembling greatly, but did not move, nor say anything else. The Wolf King laid her on the snow and held her close, gently kissing her lips.

“I will stay with you until this is done, dear one. For the love we share, and that I will carry with me until the last of my days.”

***

He couldn’t recall falling asleep, and jerked himself awake. The Great Stag was still there, in the form he had always known her for, but something was amiss. A long, fluffy tail, not unlike his, replaced the short one, and her ears… her ears had moved up, and changed shape. Even the colors of the furs she always wore had faded. She was completely still.

The Great Stag was, somehow, not a deer anymore, and he wasn't the only one who noticed. There was a loud flap of wings around them. Ravens saw everything, and remembered plenty, but kept little to themselves. "Ahh, so you've finally chosen."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I just said. You chose her, is that not so?"

"I- I do prefer her over other mates, yes."

"And so, the Antlers have gone away, away, away for another deer to lead the Herd."

"Oh… It really was because of me. Her pain and suffering, I caused them all."

“That much is true, true, true.”

The Wolf King quietly sobbed over the former Great Stag, and was noticeably spooked when she cupped his cheek with a feeble smile. “Up close, you really are quite handsome.”

He immediately embraced her, while the Raven cackled on a branch above them. “You chose, but her head cannot hold both the Crown and the Antlers, so one of them has gone away, away, away.”

“The… the Crown rejects the Antlers?”

"Choice! The Pack cannot prosper with just a King, he must have a mate. The Herd is safest under the Great Stag's watchful gaze. AND YET! You both left these matters behind to be with one another. All that has happened was due to your choices, choices, choices!"

"Is it… is it alright with you?" The Wolf King asked, holding her hand. "To leave your Herd?"

"It is too late to ask," she replied, giving him a meaningful squeeze. The color was slowly returning to her cheeks. "I had already chosen you, so the Antlers-"

"Went away, away, away!"

"I see… Both the Crown and the Antlers follow their holder's will…"

The Wolf King helped her wash away the blood from her face. She noticed two things reflected in the dark waters; one was the remnants of the Norðrljós, and the other was that her ears and most of her hair, just like her tail, were now snow white.

He helped her up. “Come on, let’s go home to the Pack so you can rest.”

“But… how should I present myself now?”

The Raven interrupted. “Isn’t it obvious?”

***

“Great Elder of the Pack, may I introduce the new Wolf Queen?”

The old wolf’s eyes shone with approval. There was honest joy in his laughter. “A white Queen, no less!”

As a fawn, and even as the Great Stag, she had always felt a healthy fear of wolves. The mere sight of them put her on guard, and yet, now that so many were around, there was no more fear in her heart, just a familiar desire to keep them all safe.

The Wolf King guided her to the Elder’s side and whispered, not without surprise. “No one seems to recognize her.”

“Recognize who? Before you left, you were carrying the Great Stag in your arms. Now, you come hand in hand with the Wolf Queen. Much has happened in that time, but to those who don’t sport he form of a Higher One, or Elders like me, it will remain unseen.”

“The… the Raven saw. Won’t they say something?” the Wolf Queen asked quietly.

“Ravens see everything, my child, but worry not. Those who hear their whispers will not mind.”

***

It was twilight.

The Wolf King stirred, and immediately shuddered when he noticed no one by his side. However, before he could fully panic, his eyes fixed on a ghostly silhouette at the Den’s entrance.

“I did not hear you wake,” he said, sitting by her side.

“You’re not alone in that regard, dear one,” she replied, briefly looking back at all the other sleeping wolves. “Has the moon always been so bright? I can't seem to stop staring at it.”

“Me neither,” the Wolf King said, not looking up, but deep into her eyes.

They shared a kiss, and then leaned into each other, admiring how the moonlight shone brightly over the land. Deep in their hearts, they realized that something special certainly happens whenever the Norðrljós light up the sky.

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(1) Norðrljós: lit. “Northern Lights'' in Icelandic.

Pose reference by @LTMOG14 (twitter). Aurora pics by Tobias Bjørkli.

#saint seiya #stseiya #stsfanwork #alioth epsilon fenrir #alioth shadow artica #el cadejos #fic #scumbag10ships #scumbag10ocs #scumbag10aniversario #scumbag10AU #asgard segun el cadejos

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