Wolf and Delivery

The sun was dipping towards the edge of the sky as the carriage entered the village. All of the villagers made way for the entourage and knelt down to the ground. The lady in the carriage looked out of her window and gave the people a warm smile and a gentle wave, being greeted by the people's friendly smiles and waves in return.

"Princess, I assure you that everything will be fine. Perhaps you are over thinking." A man explained for the hundredth time since their journey began.

The Princess sighed as she shook her head and drew the small curtains to a close. The sun peeked through to bounce off of her pale flesh and ruby-like eyes. Her vibrant blonde hair fell freely over her right shoulder and melted down to her collarbone, melding with the bright yellow dress she had chosen to wear for this occasion.

"General Thorne, I know my uncle well. Though the letter he sent was filled with nothing but happy news, I could feel his deep sadness." Her voice lulled like a calm ocean, normally soothing to those that heard it.

Though, to the greyed old man dressed in iron-plated armor embroidered in gold, it did nothing but make him sigh. "The appearance of another Aura Master is nothing but good news. What grievance could he have for asking us to take them to the capital?" His voice was husky, like rolling gravel that stopped a flood.

"I fear my uncle regrets that this person has become an Aura Master." She replied as her eyes drooped and saddened.

"Is that the reason you demanded to accompany us? Duke Jeremiah is known for his freewill and endless happiness, what regrets could he possibly have?" General Thorne asked as he held his hand up in gesture.

"It is to confirm he is alright. Be lucky I've managed to convince my father to not join us instead. You know how he can be with my uncle."

"Yes, I remember he had the same look as you when we heard the news. Let's just hope you didn't come for such dark reasons." The General said as he folded his arms over his chest.

Before the Princess could retort, a sudden shout outside let them know they had approached their destination. Opening the curtain again, she saw the simple yet elegant manor off in the distance. The maids and butlers were already lined up and awaiting their arrival, with her Uncle, his wife, and head guard all standing in line.

Unlike other nobles, their uncle wasted no money on making the front so boisterous. Instead, he worked with the villagers as a hobby and cut the Iron Wood that made the village so famous. This was shown by the woodshop, sheds, and tanned leather clothing some of the men and woman in line wore. The front was also gutted out to held recieve large wagons for delivery and shipping.

As the carriage stopped, General Thorne stepped out first to help the Princess step out onto the moist dirt below. Duke Jeremiah immediately opened his arms and took a few steps forward with a bright smile upon seeing the Princess.

"Lilly, what a surprise. My how you've grown." He was taller than most around him by a head, his bright blonde hair and ruby eyes showed off his royal bloodline. He wore a simple white shirt and brown pants that hugged his muscular body, the years of work he put in showing under his tanned flesh.

"Uncle Jeremy!" Lilly squealed as she ran up and jumped into his arms to wrap hers around his neck.

The man roared in a deep laughter, holding his niece tight and spinning her around once. "Look at you, how are you here? I hadn't recieved any word you were coming till just now."

Her eyes deepened with sadness as she stared up at him. "Uncle, Father and I are both worried about you. We could tell you have some regret about telling us."

Jeremiah closed his eyes and gave a small sigh. After looking at his wife, she nodded and looked to the guard standing next to her. "Let us know as soon as they arrive."

"As you wish, My Lady." The man said before walking past the group towards the front gate.

"Are they to arrive soon, Uncle?" Lilly asked as she watched the guard leave.

"Yes, they deliver our order once a week. I'm glad you've arrived today, otherwise you would need to wait another week to meet them." He said as he reached out to his wife.

She obliged with a warm smile. As she wrapped her arm around his back, she looked at Lilly with a sadder smile. "I'm glad you are here Lilly. Perhaps your kind nature is what is needed." The dark haired woman spoke softly. She was well known for her quiet, yet stern voice. In the high circle, she was known to quell even the loudest of voices with her own and break down even the most strong minded of girls. Even if she wasn't the current Queen, she still held the highest seat next to her instead.

"Aunt Sarah, what do you mean?" Lilly asked as she hugged the woman.

"Let us continue inside. There is much we must speak about before they arrive." Duke Jeremiah gestured towards the door as he nodded to both Lilly and General Thorne.

They both looked at eachother before following them into the manor. Like any manor in the capital, the inside was decorated in various sculptures and paintings, though these were both made by the Duke and Duchess as a hobby.

After a small walk, they turned to enter a large room with a long table that could sit 8 people on either side. The ends of the table held no chairs to show the free will Jeremiah had. As the Duke and Duchess sat to the left, Princess Lilly and General Thorne sat to the right.

The mood dampened after the maids served tea and some light snacks. The source was Duke Jeremiah, who let out a soft sigh and bowed his head. "First, allow me to apologize."

The sight made Lilly and Thorne's eyes widen in shock. Never had they seen this man bow so low before, and that regretful look he held only confirmed Lilly's fears.

"Uncle, what is there to apologize for?"

"Duke Jeremiah, please raise your head."

"Please, listen to what I have to say. First, I must apologize for the person you are going to meet. They do not speak, and have little care for etiquette. They will not bow to either of you and will treat you the same way as they would anyone in the village."

"What? But infront of the Prin-" General Thorne tried to argue, but was interrupted by Sarah's silent voice.

"Please, Thorne. When you meet her, do not try to flaunt rank or titles either. We have long tried to teach her, but she's to far gone." She interjected in a depressed tone. Her eyes watered in regret as she wrapped her arm around her husband's back.

"To far gone?" Lilly asked as she raised her brow.

Jeremiah sighed as he held his wife and rubbed her shoulder gently. "Do you remember the report I made about the bandit subjugation?"

"Yes, 5 years ago you finally brought in the head bandit and executed him. You reported no casualties were made in your guard, making it an immense achievement." Thorne replied with a warm smile. "What about it, My Lord?"

"If you remember, I told you the near 200 bandits were killed by a child." Jeremiah sighed as he turned away.

"Yes, no one believed you and it was written off as a joke to show how weak the bandits really were." Lilly replied slower, seeming to piece it together.

"This child is that very Aura Master. The sole survivor of the woodcutter village that supplies us with Iron Wood." His smile was warm, but tears welled in his eyes as well.

"The same village your dearest friend perished in?" Lilly asked as she held her hand over her mouth.

"The very same. This child is his only kin, and spent 2 years killing every bandit in the Duchy. When I reported he was executed, she had actually dragged him to the town square. His head was cut off after admitting his crimes." Sarah spoke instead as tears streamed down her face.

"She did not ask for help. She let anger take over and went on a rampage for two years against impossible odds to avenge her people. Now, she's like a husk of her former self." The Duke began to cry as well. His regret was deep, like a man describing his only child.

"She? You mean to say the Aura Master is a woman?" Thorne asked in astonishment and disbelief.

It was then that Sarah nodded to Jeremiah. With a sigh, he slowly stood and lifted his shirt to his neck. On his chistled chest were scars that marred everywhere on him. It looked like a young beast had tried to tear him open and eat him while he wad alive. Both Lilly and Thorne gasped at the sight, Lilly's face turning paler by the second.

"These scars are from her when we found her. By the time we arrived to assist them, both the soldiers stationed there, as well as the workers, had been annihilated. In the center of the burning village and corpses was the child. Her beastly nature went rampid in her anger. It took three lives and my flesh to finally calm her down." Jeremiah sighed as he sat down and let his shirt go. Now, it was his turn to let the tears fall as the flames of memory danced behind his eyes.

"So she's..."

"Wait, if she's a Were-Kin, that means that village..."

"Yes, the village was made up of Were-Kin. They were happened upon by the 'bandits' when they began their plan to take this Duchy over. We later learned they weren't bandits, but soldiers from the kingdom that had lost the war 50 years ago." The Duke sighed through his tears and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"If she's a Were-Kin, it makes sense she could kill so many over those years...wait. How old is she now?" Thorne came to a realization as horror painted his face.

"She turns 18 tomorrow." Sarah replied as she dried her husband's tears.

Both Lilly and Thorne looked at eachother in astonishment.

An Aura Master at 17, and having been only 10 when she started killing the bandits. How was this even possible?

It was then that a horn was heard. The sound made Lilly and Thorne jump, only recognizing it as this Duchy's war horn. Just as the two were about to get up, a guard burst through the door in a hurry.

"My Lord, she's here." The young man in leather armor panted as he leaned down to catch his breath.

"Thorne, Lilly, I urge you to ignore her mannerisms. She's far to broken to care for such things. And show no hostility, she will sooner cut you down than wonder why you are being hostile towards her." The Duke said as he suddenly stood.

Grabbing a full bottle of wine, he raced towards the door and shouted for the butler to grab the payment.

Sarah sighed as she rubbed the dry tears away. "Lilly. I ask that you show kindness to her. Do not be scared of what you see. And Thorne, I beg you to hold your temper. She is...a bit unique with woman."

"Unique?" Thorne asked as he raised his brow.

Before Lilly could ask as as well, the Duchess stood up slowly and gestured for them to follow. Her mood was noticeably brightened, as if she were a mother seeing her child after a while.

This confused the two as they slowly stood to follow.

To treat her so well as if they were her parents. This was almost unheard of among nobles, but it made sense for the two since the couple was well known for not having bared their own kin.

As the two walked outside, the sound of horses drew their eyes to a topless wagon that carried trunks of wood that was stacked quite nicely. The wagon was pulled by two strong horses with their driver being a young woman.

The woman herself was rather tall, wearing only a pelt band around her chest and leather pants with fur leaking down her thighs. Her flesh was marred with scars from various battles, endless blade scars covering her arms down to her leather gauntlets. There was a burn scar on her right shoulder that had long faded, evidently from the fire long ago they were told about. Most astonishing was her midnight black hair, tied in a ponytail with a leather, fur rimmed band that hugged her head.

Lilly then felt her heart skip. Those golden eyes the woman had peered at her, seeming to glance through to her soul. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't breathing and that her face had turned rather hot.

As the wagon stopped, the woman hopped down and gave a small smile to the Duke, who opened his arms the same way he did for Lilly. "Raina, welcome back."

The Raina's eyes warmed as she saw the gesture, walking over quickly to wrap her arms around his back in a warm embrace. He returned the hug and pat her back, gently swaying as he gave a groan.

"Oh, it's so good to see you. Have you been eating well? Please tell me you didn't stay up all night chopping these down." The Duke said as he let her go and eyed her up and down.

Raina rolled her eyes and patted her muscular belly with a nod. She then flexed her left arm and gripped her toned bicep.

The Duke laughed as he held his stomach. "So long as you eat right. You are staying the night right?"

Raina nodded as her face softened. One hand then came up to rub the dry tears off his face. It seemed to hurt her, given how feebly she looked at the man.

"I'm alright, don't worry." Jeremiah spoke softly as he gently held her hand. He then closed his eyes and bowed his head a little.

In response, the woman gave a small grunt of affirmation and did the same, holding her forehead against his with a small sigh.

It was then that Sarah stepped up with a warm smile. "Welcome back Raina, I'm happy to see you doing well."

Upon seeing the green dressed woman, Raina's eyes saddened once again.

The Duchess' eyes had yet to dry as she approached, making her bring her hand up to wipe the liquid off the woman. It was then that her eyes landed on the two standing at the door. A guttural growl slowly built up in her throat as a murderous bloodlust was aimed at them.