Deep in the heart of Wolf's Den, a isolated land surrounded by towering mountains and dense forest, a young man of seventeen had left the walls of his village a few hours ago. He had ventured off into the wilds to practice scouting and gather herbs and other materials he needed, but primarily he left to get away from the whispers and looks of others...

Von Red Wolf was the young man's name, he was dressed in a deep red robe, decorated with gold embroidery and trimmed with black fur--the clothing of a warlock--but his face was covered by a mask that resembles a red wolf. The mask had beads with orange and blue feathers tassels hanging off the side. The young warlock glanced around at his surroundings before he looked back in the direction of the village that he came from. //No one should notice I'm gone for a few hours... I'm far enough away from the village now, no one will see...// He thought to himself as he took his mask off and tied it to his waist. Von brushed his raven black hair over to the right side of his face, his bangs covered that eye, but his left, a burnt umber colored eye, was clearly visible.

The young warlock continued on into the woods; he was observant in what he was searching for. Von stopped and knelt down, brushing his fingertips over some tracks in the soft earth //They're fresh, a deer came through here not long ago... A doe by the shape of them,// he noted, studying the direction the tracks went before he followed them in silence through the woods...

Yet, as the young man follows the tracks, he can't help but feel that... something is amiss in the forest today. The birds are eerily silent, and there's a slight chill in the breeze despite it currently being a summer month. Even the doe seems unnerved and on edge when Von finds her, and bolts off further into the woods.
Von stopped when he saw the doe bolt, he knew it wasn't from him, he had stayed quiet and out of sight. //... Something is off,// he thought, looking up and seeing the light filter through the pine trees, //No birds or squirrels chattering...//

The young warlock slowly walked forward, he pulled on his red coat //It wasn't this cold earlier...// It was summer and it'd be a few months before the cool fall chill would come. Von wasn't wasn't afraid of the ominous feeling, but instead he was curious as he scanned his surroundings carefully. But, there's another set of tracks here leading a different way--horse tracks that look a day old, and that are spaced out as though the horse was galloping away from or towards something.

//Now what's this?... A horse maybe? Or some other equine? Hmmm... Whatever it was, was in a hurry...// he looked in the opposite direction the track were going,//... Was it running from something or just trying to get somewhere fast?//
Von's curiosity was getting the best of him, he looked up from the tracks to see the direction they were heading, his gut told him all of this was no coincidence--after all, there was that strange roar that was heard throughout the village yesterday--so he stood up and followed the trail of tracks and broken foliage deeper into the woods. There, the young warlock comes across an interesting scene, it's a clearing in the forest--though it's not a natural one, many trees in this area have been completely snapped and broken, and the ground is torn up as well, as if something large crashed through the trees to the ground. There's a mess of different tracks where the ground wasn't decimated, and those horse tracks lead into them, getting caught up in all the confusion. On top of all this, there seems to be frost and ice lingering on the foliage here, making the temperature here quite a bit colder, and there's something else splattered here and there on the trees and the ground... The only living things that can be seen are some black birds by the outskirts of the clearing, sitting on the branches of a still-standing tree over some dense bushes.

//Now this is interesting,// Von smirked internally, this was something he had hoped for and it got him excited to uncover what happened here.

The young warlock pulled out a leather bound note book and pencil, he then carefully began to explore the scene so as to not disturb the evidence.

First, Von took note on the sheer destruction of his surroundings //Hmmm... These trees are hardy... They have thick bark and deep roots so for this to happen... It was clearly something powerful...// he took his free hand to one of trunks of the snapped trees, his mind played out what could have happened to break a tree this size; by the way they were snapped he ruled out that they had been cut, the edges were not smooth, but rough and jagged. He wrote this all down in his book before moving on.
The young warlock then took a better look at the tracks. //Hmmm, something was definitely hunting the horse... These tracks?// Von had found one of the newer tracks that was the most clear and crouched down to examine it more closely. It was much larger then the horse and the way the toes were spread and the claw markings that broke the earth, the warlock had a guess what creature this could have been //A dragon...// Von's eyes narrowed as he was deep in thought. //Being young and naive I can see one wandering this deep into Wolf's Den, but by the size this isn't a young drake, it should know better... So the question is, what would bring a dragon this deep into Wolf's Den? ...// After thinking this, Von's eyes drifted to the horse tracks, the more he was finding the more his curiosity was getting the better of him, his mind was swimming with questions and theories. //What makes this horse so special? I know there's horses outside of Wolf's Den that would be far safer to hunt... So why risk going so deep into dragon slayer's land? It can't just be for food... Unless whatever kind of horse this is, is some kind of delicacy? ... Or maybe I'm thinking about this wrong...// He now wondered if the horse had a rider... This opened up many more theories.

Von made some sketches of both sets of tracks, going into detail about the shapes of them, of both the back and front feet and the difference between them, he took down notes on the size and width of both tracks for future reference.

The young warlock follows the tracks to the outskirts of the scene, and it was here he found another set of tracks, but this set of webbed tracks also look to be from a dragon... Von did like before and crouched down to investigate. //There's still moisture in these...// He stared at the water, he reached out to touch it but stopped, Von worked his jaw as he contemplated some things.

It took a moment of thinking it over, the young warlock took two fingers and touched the wet track with them, he felt the texture and rubbed his fingers together and then sniffed them. //Hmm, it's not just water but slimy to... It has a musky smell, kinda like a fish or old water... Some kind of water dragon most likely... Whatever it was came by not to long ago for the tracks to still be wet...// He stared at the tracks a bit longer as he rubbed his two fingers together. //Maybe it just stumble across this and was curious on what happened here... Or maybe it was on the hunt?.... Hmmm... But why would it be out this way? I didn't think I was getting close to any lakes or ponds, so why would a water dragon wonder out here?...// He looked out into the forest and narrowed his eyes, he was pretty sure he wasn't close to any large bodies of water so why would a water dragon be out this far out? //This is all very odd...// The deeper he was looking into this mystery the more he was getting hooked, he wiped his fingers on the bottom edge of his coat and then stood up to write down his new findings.

He made notes that maybe a new water source was popping up in this area and made a notation on his map at the back of his book to be cautious, he didn't want to tango with a water dragon for a good reason... He also made a note that this new find got him thinking that whatever kind of horse it was, maybe it was a delicacy to dragons, he didn't know what kind of horse that could be but he'd look into if there were any known kinds.

Von stood up and placed his book back into one of his pockets, there was more he wanted to check out from the scene... He carefully walked around the evidence and made his way to a place that was covered with ice...

//So this is why it got so cold?...// The young warlock knew that someone here had to be a ice elemental magic user, //Now the question is, just what kind are we dealing with?// He could see the ice wasn't spreading, but with not knowing exactly what did this Von was being extra cautious, he always had a small forensic set on him, he pulled it out of a larger pocket that was attached to his waist belt.

The warlock crouched down, he opened his forensic set on the ground and took a small blade from it and took it to the ice and cut off small piece of it. He then took a tweezer from his set, picked up the little piece of ice, and held it up to examine it more closely. //... Hmmm, the coloring has a hint of blue and a bit of a light purple hue to it...// To get a better idea of what could have done this, Von took the ice and waved it under his nose. //... Hmmm, it doesn't have a pungent smell... No hints of those kind of chemicals at least, but there are odorless kinds...// He took the piece of ice and placed it into a vial with a blue top, he sealed the lid and placed it in a slot in his pouch. Von pursed his lips as he thought about this puzzle, he reached back and pulled out his notebook again and put down his thoughts.

He jotted down the colors and what he smelled, also the way the ice had incased the foliage, now that he was getting a better idea with what this might be, Von took his fingers and touched an ice-encased leaf //It's very smooth... And it's cold, really cold, but that not surprising seeing the ice isn't melting in this heat...// He removed his fingers and rubbed them together as he pondered, he was leaning toward whatever did this used magic.

//Magic is the likely cause, but I have to take the sample back for further study to know what kind,// he thought, it was then the young warlock notice something very peculiar not far away, something was reflecting the light.
//Oh? What's this now?// Von got up and walked a few paces over to a spot were the ice was heavy and the land was torn, it was there he had noticed blue liquid on the ground, and even some on the trees. //What is this substance?// He thought as he knelt down, he dug around in one of his pockets and pulled out his kit again, this time he got a swab and dipped it in the mysterious liquid, he then held it up and examined the odd hue of its color and its faint shimmer. //Its texture seems pretty thin, I never seen anything quite like this before... What is it?// He brought it under his nose and sniffed it, but he pulled it away quickly and rubbed his nose with his other hand. The inside of his nose tingled like he just took in a sharp breath of frigid air. //Good to know whatever this is, is cold to, really cold... It has a bitter cold like a hard winter, if I had to relate it to something similar, but... Hmm it has kind of earthy, metallic smell to it to... So what exactly is this? Is it the chemical that made all this ice? But the ice didn't have the same scent, and if it was what caused all this ice, then why isn't my tool freezing over, or the area around the liquid?// he pondered as he looked back up at the destruction, the warlock placed his sample into a cylinder then gathered a few more from various locations.

Von tapped his chin with the end of his pencil looking over his notes again, he turned his eyes from the pages out to the scene before him. It was still eeriely quiet without even the rustling of the wind through the trees, but he wasn't creeped out by this, especially when he noticed a group of black birds scattered amongst the tree branches. //I'm not the only one checking out the scene?// he thought to himself, amused, and then looked back to the destruction of the forest, //I doubt any of you've seen anything, and it's not like I could ask you anyway... But this gives me more of an idea on time, whatever did this had to have happened yesterday... This definitely must be where that roar came from... There's still the tension in the air of something big happening here, but it's losing that dangerous feeling some, at least the birds are coming back.//

Now that he had collected enough evidence, Von took a step back to look at the scene as a whole and tried to imagine what happened: a horse or a horse and rider were galloping through the forest as if running from something, and that something was a four legged dragon, he looked up and imagined a giant dragon snapping the trees as it swoop down. He imagined an attack right here, but by which one, he didn't know, the ice started from the middle and made a spiral going outwards going in all directions... Von took his pencil and drew the layout of the scene and made notes, but one thing he still didn't have was the conclusion...

The young warlock needed to know--something still wasn't clicking! Von set his pencil in his book and walked over to the most destroyed part, the ground was so ripped up it was hard to tell whose tracks were whose, where he stepped around the scene carefully. //Whatever the end result was it happened here... The tracks don't go any farther...// He looked out to the tree line, and while his expression didn't show it, the young warlock felt a little sad, it was looking like the horse didn't get away and he really wanted to see and know what kind of horse it could have been, but at the same time this was a part of nature, and he understood that to. However, as he looked out across the way, that was when he realized the black birds were congregated in only one side of the scene. This got Von curious, he knew birds like crows and ravens would follow hunters in hopes to get scraps from their kills, and in winter some ravens were even know to find prey and lead the hunters to them.

//It's a hunch, but maybe I overlooked something...// Von started in the direction of the birds, he didn't know exactly what to expect; a part of him thought maybe something dead, but he didn't smell death, but with it being so cold it could be enough to refrigerate something to keep if from smelling; then again he thought there could be nothing at all, but one doesn't know until they look.

Only after a few steps he stopped when a new, tiny set of tracks were found from the chaos, Von got down again to check them out //What do we have here?// They looked like someone's, a person's, like a little person stumbling barefoot on their toes... //So there was a rider?... Someone small, one of the smaller species maybe, or it could be a woman or even a child....// Now his curiosity was turning into worry, especially as he followed the tracks and spots of red blood were around them here and there, a part of him wanted to take samples like he did with the oddly colored blood, but if someone was hurt, he had wasted enough time.

Von quickened his pace as he followed the trail, it lead to a group of dense bushes. He stopped for a moment, knowing the chance of him finding something he'd rather not was high, but there was still a possibility he was hoping for, to find nothing or whoever made these tracks was still alive... and with that thought Von pressed forward into the brush...

It was there that he found her: a small, strange little girl, with white hair, large ears, strange legs, and a long tail, all curled up on her side in the brush as if in an attempt to hide from something before she inevitably lost consciousness. She's wearing a rather drab brown shirt and pants, both of which are torn, filthy with dirt, mud, and blood, and seem a tad too small for her, paired with an equally dull rag around her neck like a scarf. Scratches and bruises cover the exposed skin on her arms and legs--not to mention her arms are frozen solid from the elbow down in thick layers of ice. The girl is completely unresponsive, even as one of the black birds caws at Von as he approaches and disturbs the brush, with only her slight breathing and occasional twitch to even indicate she's still alive...

Von stared at the girl, he had never seen anything like her before, sure he heard stories about beastkin but had never seen one himself. The young warlock's mind was swirling, questions and theories on who and what this girl was and were did she come from, but by her looks he had a good guess. //Is she a run away slave?...// he frowns with that thought, it was to soon to make any sure conclusions and one thing Von knew was now wasn't the time. Making a better pathway, Von purposely was breaking the branches around him, he crouched down next to the girl and started to examiner her. //She's hurt really bad...// He glanced at the ice encasing her arms and made a mental note about that for later.

Taking off his red coat, the warlock placed it on the girl and calmly said, "Stay alive." Von then carefully scooped up the mysterious girl into his arms bridal style as she whimpers at his touch.

The young warlock had the unconscious girl securely in his arms, he made his way out of the thick foliage, but he didn't realize that his mask had fallen off in the process.

Once he was out, Von made a quick glance up at the black birds. //Sorry guys, you're going have to find something else. I'm taking your lunch to go,// He smirked inside but didn't show it on his face. The warlock then took one last look at the crime scene, knowing this would be the last he'd see it for a while, so he made sure to burn it into his memory... //Hmmm, maybe time will tell more...// he hoped, but this evidence would fade away in time and he knew that, but as Von ventured back into the forest with the injured girl, his thoughts were that getting her help was more important.

Von made haste as he traveled, he knew the faster path to take back to the village, even if it led him to a place he wasn't supposed to go... The young warlock slowed down to catch his breath, he could hear running water not far away, he glanced down at the girl in his arms. //I have to get her back as fast as possible...// And with that thought, Von continued. Not far ahead was a wide creek, it was deep enough to come up to a man's chest in some places, even without the girl Von wouldn't dare try wading across the water, he typically took a different route to avoid the creek altogether but that would have added half an hour to his travel back, thankfully he judged his surroundings correctly and came to a place we're a make-shift bridge was at.

//This is it, you knew you had to cross if you came this way... Just stay focused on the girl, get her back to the village, it's no problem, it's just a little water, nothing to worry about, you have to do this...// After giving himself a little pep talk, Von took a breath and slowly started forward, he was about halfway across the rickety bridge when he stopped... The sound of water was all around him. The boy found himself taking deep breaths, water was everywhere--it was flowing beneath him, behind him, and in front of him, even the air was moist from the creek... Von was staring down at the waters below, through his black bangs his right eye shimmered shades of blue, for a moment the boy just stood there, his eyes locked on the water like he was lost in thought until he pulled himself together. //What are you doing?! Get going!// Von told himself as he shook his head.

The wood creaked beneath his feet, it was damp and slippery in places, even with the boy taking it slow he nearly lost his footing. Von hissed as he tried to balance himself while carrying a girl in his arms, he could feel his heart beating in his ears. //Just get across, get the girl across!...// He went as fast as he could the rest of the way, once his feet were on dry ground Von took a few breaths to calm himself. //That was close, that could have ended disastrously, why can't there be a quicker path that didn't have to cross water, or at least have a better bridge...//

After taking a few more breaths and making sure the girl was secure in his arms, the young warlock charged forward.

It seemed for a while all he could hear was his own ruckus from running and occasionally a moan from the girl, but as time passed the forest was once again lively again, sounds of small animals and birds broke the silence.

The warlock's thoughts were running faster then his feet, //They're not going to help her... Even if it wasn't me who found her... She... She isn't like us, but there's nowhere else to go...// and with that thought he passed on.

Von only slowed down when he neared the village, he had contemplated trying to take the girl the way he snuck out. //... No, that would only hurt her more, and its not like I could just hide her in my house... It only be a matter of time before people found out, and that would only look worse on me and Dad...// He cast his gaze down at the mysterious girl, he was surprised she had lived through what he had guessed the night.

Von crouched so he could use one knee to support the girl, he reached back with one hand to grab his mask but much to his horror, the mask could not be found. //Well this is unfortunate... It looks bad enough as it is and now I don't even have my mask...// The young man sighed, // I'll just tag it with all my other rules I've broken today.// With that thought Von stood back up, he close his eyes and took a breath //Well it's time to smash the hornet's nest...// He let out his breath and opened his eyes, then stepped out of the forest and walked out into a clearing, he kept his head tipped down...

Soon a shadow cast over Von and the girl, towering walls of wood and stone were before them--the walls were big, sturdy, and meant to keep the dangers of wilds out... Or perhaps to keep something inside...

"Renashin!" A man's voice called out from one of the towers by the main gate.

Von glanced up at the man, he was dressed in a robe and had a staff held in one hand, the man's face was covered with a mask that resembled a bird, in that moment the young warlock knew he wasn't wearing his mask... Von quickly lowered his eyes knowing he had already broke several rules and he didn't need to make things even more difficult. "Open the gate, there's a girl who's injured and needs help," he said calmly but in a firm tone.
Even though the girl could be seen despite being wrapped in his coat, he had held the unconscious girl out the best he could without dropping her, to better show her to the man.

There was a moment of silence while others had gathered at the wall, all of them were wearing masks of different shapes and colors, and now they were whispering to one another.

Von stood there staring at the floor. He knew not to speak again until he was told to.

Finally someone broke the whispering "Lies! That is no girl, Renashin! You vanished and then returned to the village without your mask, and brought an omen with you! We are not fools, Renashin sorcery's at play here!"

Von didn't speak at first he needed to choose his words wisely for he knew the girl's life depended on it. He was going over his options and what would likely have the best outcome, should he tell the truth knowing that they wouldn't believe him anyway, should he make up a story knowing it'd be a lie that they might believe, or should he use fear? It would likely work but he knew it wouldn't help the girl in the long run.

"I found this girl unconscious about a three hour's hike north east from here, there was evidence that a massive dragon had attacked her, I say this if you don't believe me you can see for yourself... But this girl needs medical attention, is it not the Magjkkia way? She was attacked by a dragon in Wolf's Den, thus it's /your/ duty to care for her and see to the dragon threat," Von said firmly.

To add on to the situation even more and placate his people, the young warlock knelt down and set the injured girl carefully on the floor. //Just hang in there a little longer.// He then slowly raised his hands, got up, and stepped back from the girl, saying, "If you still believe that I'm lying and she is a monster, then come kill her yourself... I will not stop you, but know just as much as you believe she is a demon, she could be just as innocent, a beastkin who was attacked by a dragon, you can make all the assumptions you want; perhaps she is a monster, a demon, or perhaps she's just a girl." Von looked up to the wall and to the people who have gathered there, "An omen she may or may not be, and if she is, have you stop to question a good or bad omen?... Perhaps she is a good omen and thus why the dragon was after her, and by killing her you'd be cursing yourselves?... So before you cast judgment upon her, you should find evidence of your charges, or it be may be innocent blood that will be on your hands."

The people on the wall fell silent as Von spoke. After a while of waiting the gate opened up and a dozen riders on horseback came out, all of them with masks covering their faces. Several large wolves followed them out as well, each of them standing about four and a half feet at the shoulder and all were in armor.

A solid black wolf with red eyes went up to the girl and sniffed her before looking to Von, it snorted at him before trotting off to a man who stood out from the rest of the riders. The man's mount was not a horse, but a rare creature of the woods, it was a few hands taller than normal equines, its smooth pelt was a deep red to where it looked black until the sun hit it just right, and had split hooves and horns coming from its head. It had small webbed wings and a weasel-like tail, but the man on the creature was different from everyone else as well: his clothing and armor were far more intricately detailed, and he was the only one to have a mask that was that of a wolf, it too was adorned with intricate patterns and accessories.

Von lowered himself to a bow, on his hands and knees, he dared not look up at the man or his company, and even though no words were spoken, the young warlock could almost sense the man with the wolf mask's disappointment.

There was a brief pause before the man spurred his mount and took off into the forest with his company following him.

//... I know I shouldn't have gone outside the wall, but I did, and I couldn't just leave her like that... What would you have wanted me to do?...// Von thought as the sound of hooves soon vanished and the gate closed once again...

The young warlock never moved from his position, he never said another word or looked up, not even to check on the girl, he was hoping she was strong enough to endure his people's stubbornness, she had lasted that long in the woods as it was.

Von didn't know how long it had been, he guessed a few hours had passed and in that time he was going over all that had happened that led up to this point: did he make the right decisions? Did he miss any evidence, could he have chosen better words? He wondered just what was the girl, should he have been more cautious about her, sure she could be anything--he himself didn't know what she was or where she came from--but Von wanted to know.

Eventually, the sound of distant hooves reached the young man's ears, he put this thoughts on hold because soon the girl's fate would be decided, whether she lives or dies right here, if she hadn't died already from the long wait.

Von held his breath when the hooves draw closer and one stopped right before him, the young man didn't need to look up to know which one of the riders that was.

The man in black returned and tossed Von's red wolf mask in front of the young man, and ordered, "Put that where it belongs and take what you brought inside, boy." The man's voice was deep and stern, showing his authority.

"Yes sir," Von reply calmly, he didn't look or move his position beside moving his hand to grab his mask, he put it back on and tied it firmly in place. After that the young warlock got up, his muscles ached from having to sit in that position for so long but he didn't say anything or make any body language to show his soreness.

Von moved as quickly as he could to pick up the girl, he glanced at her for a moment, relieved that she was still alive, but to his fear her condition had worsened, she was trembling and her breathing seemed weaker, without any more delays the young warlock carefully picked up the injured girl and carried her bridal style toward the gate.

The riders and armored wolves positioned themselves around Von, then the man in black raised one hand and signaled for the gate to be opened, and they escorted the young man with the omen inside...

Von did not say anything nor did he stop, but he kept at a casual pace despite the urgency, he knew going any faster would just aggravate the situation more then it already was.

A crowd had gathered by the gate but the people were at a distance, their faces hidden by mask of different colors and shapes, it might have hidden their expressions but it didn't hide their whispers.

As Von walked he could hear the villagers gossip amongst each other.

"The Renashin really did escape...
He brought an omen with white hair...
It's a demon, it has the ears of a beast, and look at its tail...
Was a dragon really sighted?... I heard they said a dragon was after it...
It's an omen... The Renashin has brought this omen to curse us...
We're all doomed...
The warriors will protect us...!
The Chief knows what's best...
Does he?...
Shhh...
It was bad enough with one curse, now we been cursed again...
Is that thing really being brought into the village? ...
I wonder if the shop has a charm to ward off white-haired omens?...
They should have killed it... Left it out in the woods...
No, they couldn't do that, I heard the Renashin threatened to kill everyone if they didn't let it inside...
What a foul beast...
People are going to start dying and we know why, mark my words... He might look like a man but he's the devil...
Shhh, the Renashin will hear you! Do you want to get cursed?...
It isn't him we should worry about, but that thing he's carrying...."

These were just a few of the things Von picked up from the crowd, it continued as he made his way deeper into the village.

The young man and his escort continued, at the pace they were going and with the people gawking at them as they walked through the village, it felt more like a show, and in a way it was. People peeked from the safety of their homes at the monsters on display, and by the gossip he overheard, stories were already being fabricated.

Von kept his head tipped down and only relied on his peripheral vision to see what was going on around him, he could make out some of the villagers holding things which he assumed were items to be thrown at him and the girl. //The people are really on edge about this...// Von took a small glance to the hooves of the creature ahead of him when the man in black spoke, saying, "Choose your actions wisely, for they will bear consequences."

Von could barely make out how some of the villagers either dropped what they had or tried to hide them, he didn't show it, but he was a little more at ease knowing that the villagers had not done anything yet because the Chief of the village was present.

Not even the masks could hide the tension everyone had or the pressing glares, it made the walk seem even longer then what it really was, but finally the group had made it through the main part of the village.

Just ahead was yet another tall wall, however this one had elaborate copper designs on it, a large gate made mostly out of copper was opened. The village chief stopped his mount and called to one of men following them. "Venali, take the boy home and see to it that he stays there this time."

A man dressed in green armor and wearing a bear mask broke the formation, and he steered his chestnut colored horse beside the chief's mount. "What about..." he nodded his head towards Von, but he was referring to the unconscious girl

The chief turned his head to Von and the unconscious girl, his wolf mask hiding all of his expressions, but it didn't hid his gruff tone. "The boy brought her here," the chief started, then looked to Venali, "If the girl is a demon, then kill it, but until we know more, she'll be the boy's responsibility, for now." he turned his mount around and signaled his other men, "Look after him as I see about fixing this mess..."

Von didn't look up as the Chief called over the other man, he just stood there silently as the Chief and over half his escorts took off back towards the main road of the village.

Venali steered his horse in front of Von, he let out a sigh and then said, "Well you heard the Chief, let's get you home."

Von simply nodded his head and went under the gate, then headed up a gravel path. Now that they were farther away from the village and the people there, the young man quickened his pace, he was tired and sore but he carried on, until soon a large home made of wood and stone came into view, one that was far grander in design compared to the homes seen in the village.

Von didn't wait, he rushed up the flight of stairs that led to a oversized deck, he ran to the front door and pushed it open. "Abigail!" he called as soon as he entered the house.

Venali had the other two riders stand guard outside, he tied his horse up to a post and made his way up to the house.

The young man rushed to the living room and carefully set the girl down on a couch made of fur and wood, then immediately went over to a large fireplace and tossed more wood onto the small fire.

"Master Von?" a brown hair woman called back as she came into the living room, she stopped at the doorway with wide eyes upon seeing what the master brought home, "Von, what's going on?!"

"I need warm water and dry rags," Von told the woman not making comment yet on what happened.

She was hesitant for a moment but did what she was told "Right away master!"

Venali helped himself inside the house, he took off his mask and took his fingers through his reddish brown hair. "What a mess..." he mumbled as he hooked his mask on the wall hanger. The man had an average male appearance, his face had a little dusting of freckles and a old scar over his right eye but, it wasn't deep enough to have caused injuries to his vision, which was clearly seen by his fine hazel eyes.

The man went to the living room were all the commotion was coming from, he watched for a moment as Von was busy tending to this unknown girl. "You really have a /lot/ of explaining to do, Von Red Wolf," he said, folding his arms.

Von glanced up at Venali but didn't say anything. //I'm kinda busy right now, trying to save this girl's life! Not the greatest time for a scolding, Ven!// He went back to tending to the girl, and moved his jacket so he could see her better. The young man placed a hand on the girl forehead and realized, //She's burning up...//

"You're not supposed to go outside the wall without an escort. I get it, you're tired of being cooped up in here and having to have a babysitter, you need time away, but that's no excuse, you're not some young child anymore, you're seventeen now, you know the laws, Von," Venali scolded the younger man.

Von didn't even respond, not a glance or murmur, but he was listening and was aware of that. He stayed busy trying to treat the girl, he took one of her ice covered arms and examined it more closely. //There's no sign of frostbite, but her arms are completely encased with ice....// He then took note on the color of the ice on her arms, it was the same at the scene where he discovered her. //Ether this ice dosen't harm those it touches, or...// he thought as he looked at the unconscious girl, //She was the one who used that magic...// That then got him wondering, if she's an ice folk, wouldn't putting her in a heated room be more harmful to her?

Venali sighed while rubbing his brow. " Von, I know your listening," he said as he put his hand down and rested it on his hip "We found your tracks, we know you took the creekside path." The man folded his arms with a frown and scolded the boy more, "Von, you know how dangerous that was, you put everyone in the village at risk."

"Nothing happened," Von bluntly replied, but he still didn't look to the man.

"You were lucky Von, you know how dangerous it is to go off on your own, what if either one of those dragons were still around? You're not ready to face G rank dragon, not even close, let alone a water dragon, you could have been killed or gotten others killed," Venali lectured the boy harshly, "What do you think would have happened if you got dragged off by that water dragon? Or if you fell into the creek?"

Abigail returned with a kettle of warm water and dry rags like she was ordered. "Master Von, here's what you requested," she said as she set them down on a table near him, "Is there anything else I can assist you with?" she asked nervously.

"Abbey, can you see about getting the girl a dry pair of clothes, her being in those wet ones isn't helping her hypothermia " Venali chimed in before Von could say anything.

Abigail looked to Venali and then Von, she could feel the tension in the air but it wasn't her place to say anything, being only a housemaid. She looked to her master and when he nodded his head Abigail replied, "Yes sir, right away," before hastening to find clean clothes.

Venali watched the woman go, he held a smile until she was out of sight and then his expression changed back to being serious. "Von, stop ignoring me."

Von knew the man sent Abigail away just so they have some privacy, he took a rag and dipped it in the water. "I'm not ignoring you, I knew what I was doing."

"Is that what you call this?" The man waves a hand toward the girl, "Von, what do you think everyone going to be talking about? You broke the laws of our people and brought this girl we know nothing about into our village, there's already word spreading that she's an omen, and I don't blame them... Things are changing Von and something's behind it, for this girl to show up in the month of the Blood Star? The day after an unearthly roar echoed through the mountains, unlike anything we've ever heard before?"

"You think she's behind everything?... She's just a little girl," Von said, he didn't look to the man

Venali sighed, "I don't have enough evidence for me to rule out that she is, but I don't have enough to rule that she isn't, but that's not what the others are going to think, they need something to blame and she just that."

The young man was silent with that, he knew his people well, they would deem her a monster before even knowing her.

There was a long period of silence in the room, until it was finally broken by Venali again. "I'd see about getting that ice off her, that can't be comfortable and it'll only get the dry clothes wet again," Venali said as he walked closer, up to a small chair. He turned it around and sat in it, then he folded his arms and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So, what're your thoughts on her?" he asked raising a brow.

Von raised an eyebrow at the man suddenly offering advice on helping the girl, //Ok, what are you up to Ven?// he looked to the ice on the girl's arms, he had already assumed that, but getting confirmation helped with his conclusion, the young warlock set down his rag, then took a hand and started to write something in the air with his pointer finger, it left a reddish light as he was readying a spell. His hands gained a warm glow to them and he moved them just above the ice that covered the girl's arms, it was slowly melting the ice, but he was being careful not to use to much heat. "By her appearance, I'm guessing she's a run away slave..." he started, "There were some kind of horse tracks where I found her... I'm only guessing, but either the horse was something of value, the girl stole it, and the dragon was sent to collect it, or it was a wild dragon and the horse was something it merely wanted eat, I don't have enough evidence yet to make a solid conclusion... By her appearance and the scene where I found her, the first is the likely, but there was also evidence backing my second theory, there was a second set of dragon tracks at the scene, I'm only assuming that whatever it was draws the attention of dragons." Von paused for a moment before continuing, "Then there's my third theory, she's one of the beast people who can shapeshift and she /was/ the horse, but if that was the case what would have stopped the dragon's assault? There was ice at the scene, but for a beast of that size and power, I have a hard time seeing this as the conclusion, unless there is something I missed... What would have stopped the dragon if it were after her?"

"Good question," Venali replied, by the evidence he found his theory was close to what Von had, the man rubbed the scruff on his chin. "Hmmm, there many possibilities.. One thing is for sure, she's not from around here and I never seen anything like her in my travels..." he added on to his thoughts on the matter, but as Von was melting the ice off the girl, something bugged him, however he waited until the young warlock was almost done before he sighed.

Venali got up, went over to the young warlock, and lean over to Von's belt where his patches were that kept all of his trinkets and items, the man knew what one held the boy's detective set and he rummagged through it. "Ah, I see you did pick up some evidence, I thought as much by the tracks you left at the scene..." he pulled out a vial that had a piece of ice from the scene, he held it up to look at it and then he looked to the girl.

Von glanced over when Venali started going through his things, he never liked that but couldn't do anything about it. His mind was going through what the man was looking for, he was sure Venali would have picked up his own evidence so maybe he was checking if he had been thorough in his search.

Venali took out two empty vials and handed them to Von. "You're wasting evidence."

Von looked to the empty vials and thought, //The ice?... Of course he'd be more concerned about that...// He was irritated by that but took the vials anyway, he got some of the melting ice and then rough handed the vial back to the man without saying anything.

Smirking as he took back the vials, Venali held one up with the one he had took out of Von's bag. "I would wager most of the ice at the scene came from her," he glanced over at Von, "but we won't know for sure until she wakes up and we interrogate her."

"If she lives that long..." Von mumbled, he finished getting the ice off the girl arms, then took the dry rag and carefully dried off her arms.

"Hmm, we'll have to see." Venali put the vials back in Von's bag but kept one to put with his samples for later testing. He then stood up to observed Von as he was treating the girl. "Either way, if she lives or dies, you made a mess by bringing her here, I guess we'll just have to find out just how big of one this really is... For all we know she could be a thief, a fugitive, heck, rumors are already going about her being an omen or demon." he knew Von already knew all this and that this was why the girl was feared or already hated, but unlike most the the villagers, Venali did his judgment by what the evidence said, not by mere assumptions, so he added, "But... She could have been a messenger girl who got lost, really the list goes on."

Von stayed quiet as the man spoke, his mind had already been swirling with questions about the girl, but he didn't doubt himself by saving her.

The young warlock took one of the rags and got it damp with warm water from the kettle, he then began to clean her injuries. //I hope this isn't going to make things worse... I don't know just what she's acclimated for, is it to warm for her?// He carefully cleaned the dirt and blood off the girl's face, dabbing the rag on her forehead. //She's barely making any response...// He grimaced at that.

He took in the girl's features more closely as he workedm and noted, //She has a face almost like a human, but her hair and ears... She's kinda weird...// Then, Von tipped his head with a new thought, //Is there a bruise on her neck?// He set down his clean rag, carefully took the dirty brown cloth that was wrapped around the girl's neck, and move it to get a better look...

//... What is that?!//

What he uncovered was something he hadn't expected and had never seen before... A wicked onyx colored collar was clasped around the girl's neck, with three blood red gemstones in the center front, and curved spikes along the edges that dug into her skin. He reached a hand out to touch it, but before he could, Venali grabbed him by his wrist. "Don't touch that!" He said sternly.

"Do you know what it is?" Von inquired, glancing up at the man before looking back to the collar.

"Not exactly, but I have enough sense to know that isn't any thing good," Venali replied, he let go of Von's hand and then leaned closer to get a better look at the subject. "Hmmm..." the man narrowed his eyes, and he moved a hand to hover just over the collar. "That's interesting... It's giving off heat..."

Von was making mental notes of every detail he could see on the collar. //That... It looks painful with those spikes along it, and what reason do those gemstones have on it?... Is that what's giving off heat? Why would they do that and for what reason?// He was curious but also very worried about this. "What will happen if we remove it?"

Venali narrowed his eyes at the collar, he was getting bad vibes from it. "I have no idea, but I shouldn't have to tell you that collar was made with evil."

Von stared at the wicked device, a part of him wanted to take off his mask so he could get a better look, but he knew that likely wouldn't go well with Venali there. "Wouldn't it be best to remove it then?" He asked even though he already figured he knew Venali's answer.

"For now, I say not to, we don't know what she is or what the collar really does, but we can ask her if she wakes up," the man replied calmly.

The young warlock's curiosity kept going to that collar, something about it seemed off, but as he watched the girl a few pieces came together, //She was covered in ice and yet it didn't damage her skin... That collar is giving off heat...// "Should we move her away from the fire?..."

Standing upright, Venali rubbed his chin thinking for a moment. "For now I think she'll be fine, but we should move her to one of the guest rooms after she gets dry clothes on "

It wasn't long before Abigail returned with a stack of folded clothes. "I did my best to find things that might fit her, but they might still be big..." she said, her voice carried her uncertainty.

"Thanks Abbey," Venali gave the housemaid a smile, "I'm sure it's fine, dry clean clothes are better then what she has now." He then looked back to the unconscious girl and narrowed his eyes, he had suspicions about the girl "Could you help change her?"

"Yes, master Venali," she replied giving a small bow despite her uncertainty about the white-haired girl.

Venali then turned his attention to the young man and said, "Von, go to your father's work room and get me a bottle of Nadsuei, that should help with her injuries, and also make a fresh batch of Atatameru for her hypothermia."

Von looked at Venali, feeling some suspicion of his intentions. //Now you're helping?... But you're not telling me something about that collar... You know something, don't you?// The young man got up anyway and started toward his father's workroom, but he stopped just before leaving the room completely. He looked over his shoulder back at Venali and girl, he knew what kind of work the man did, and he heard the chief give his permission to do whatever was necessary to protect the village.

"Relax Von, I'm not going to kill her, at least not behind your back, you know I'm not that low, now hurry up and get those elixirs before her condition gets worse," Venali said almost playfully, and waving his hand in a shooing gesture.

//Very reassuring, Ven...// Von sighed, however he did know that was true, the huntsman was honorable at least. He was still a little reluctant to go, but the young man knew the girl needed those items if she were going to live, so he left.

Once the young warlock was out of sight, Venali turned back to the girl, he took a green bottle out from his own pouch on his belt, took one of the rags on the table, and poured some of the bottle's substance on it.

The housemaid stared at him, confused "You already had a bottle of Nadsuei on you? Then why ask Master Von to go get some?"

"Obviously to get rid of him," the man said plainly as he took the rag and dabbed the girl's exposed skin with it, "Why else do you think he hesitated? Von knows I always keep some on me, he should have known better to have some on him to... If he had given the girl some soon after fining her, she likely wouldn't be so bad now.... It was because of his /own /negligence that she almost died," he said sternly, knowing Von was eavesdropping...

The young warlock had his back up against the wall in the hallway, indeed, he had heard everything. He looked down at his belt and brushed his fingers acrossed the tops of his pouches. //... That was stupid of me...// He was now frustrated with himself as he quietly turned and went to go get what he had left to get in the first place. //I won't be careless next time...//

Some time had passed, Venali and Abigail had gotten the mysterious girl into dry clean clothes, then moved her to one of the spare rooms. Von had finished getting the required items and found what room the girl was moved to, where he now was treating her again.

Venali was sitting in a chair off in the corner of the room, he was leaning forward with his elbow on his knees and his chin resting in his palm. For now he didn't say anything, but was deep in thought as he watched the young warlock work.

The girl was lying in a bed now, where Von carefully poured just a small amount of the Atatameru he made into the girl's mouth. He stopped when the girl coughed.

"She'll be fine, that's normal, but I would hold off giving her more until later," Venali informed the boy.

Von barely gave a nod, he placed the bottle on the end table and then pulled the blanket over the girl more.

The room fell silent again for a while, but many thoughts were going through both Venali and Von's heads. Then, finally, Venali spoke. "Have you figured her out yet?" Venali asked and then rubbed the scruff under his chin.

Von had moved over to the wall and leaned his back against it, with his arms were folded "She's a beastkin of some kind... My guess is she is an ice mage, she was covered in the same ice that was present at the scene... A class G dragon was after her or the unknown mount..." he said plainly and glanced over to the girl, "She's likely a run away slave or one sent on a task... Even though you said you couldn't find a slaver's brand on her, you said she had old whip markings on her back, and that collar was likely a control collar for slaves."

"Not bad Von, but remember /not/ to take assumptions as fact, we still need more evidence to know what really going on," the man nodded towards the girl, "That's like that collar, I only assume it's a slaver collar, I've seen something similar a few years back, actually I was close to your age." Venali rubbed his chin in thought.

Von was quite for a moment, thinking about what to say next " ... That was when you went outside of Wolf's Den, isn't it? That's how you know so much?"

Venali smirked and put his hands down. "It's a whole different world outside of Wolf's Den, Von, but I learned a few things when I ran into trouble a couple of times, some things I regret, some things I don't." The man then pointed a finger at Von and added, "But outside of Wolf's Den is no place for keepers of the blue devil, and no place for you," he said, knowing Von's curiosity of the outside world.

//But if the evidence points to outside of Wolf's Den, that's where the truth is....// Von cast his sight down, so many thoughts ran though his mind, but despite his curiosity of the outside world, the young man knew his place was to stay here in Wolf's Den.

Venali sighed and patted his legs before getting up, he walked over to the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should rest, try to relax some before you make your head explode, I'll take the first watch of the girl, you can take the next after supper," he said, but his expression changed to an irritated yet playful look as he added, "And for the love of Maribelle, take your mask off Von, you're in your own home!"

Von hesitates for a second before he removed his mask, he had forgotten that he had it on this whole time. "... I'll be back after supper, but let me know if anything changes with her in the meantime," he said in the calm way he always spoke, then the young man headed towards the door, but stopped to give the girl one last look before heading to his room.

Venali rubbed his head as he walked back over to his chair. //Curiosity going to get the cat killed one of these days...// he plopped down into the chair, knowing Von all to well... //What to do with that boy?//

Because once Von was in his room, rest was the farthest thing from his mind.

//I can't take a break now, How can I rest at a time like this?// he tossed his mask on his bed and took his utility belt with all his collected samples off, and he placed it on his work table. He then started to pull books and scrolls off his shelf and stacked them on the end of the table.

The last thing Von did was pull out his note book and set it down in the center of the table, the young warlock then sat down in his chair, getting right to work. "Now what do I call this mystery?" He said opening his note book and taking his pencil, he tips his head up and tapped the end of the pencil on the table "In the month of the Blood Star, a mysterious girl of ice appeared..."

Von looked down with his pencil in hand and wrote down the name... He called this investigation, "The Winter Star."

~~End of Chapter 1~~

Iiiiiiii loved reading this! It was so awesome, you guys have done great rewriting it for the thousandth time x'D

This cover is still super cool too

I'm excited for the next part!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

THIS WAS SO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

I WANT MORE

HhhhHhhHhhhh the setup and story and lore is so fascinating, I was hooked right into it! I love seeing the culture of the village, and how thta interacts with Von being a Renashin and the whole stuff about omens. It was set up really well and I'm so excited to see what happens next! I love ittttttttt

It was fun to listen to the suggested music and stuff like it while reading too x3

Aaaahhh I'm so excited to finally see this! I always wanted to know more about these guys' story!
I loved the writing style here, the descriptions and Von's inner thoughts flow really nicely; it's easy to picture everything that's happening.

I'll be waiting for the next chapter. :D

Re: Thank you! Having a bit of a slump lately, past few days have been rough. I'll try to survive x)

And sure! The rp is optional honestly haha, I will still be writing drafts/lore a long the way. :D
Still small bits because school is a killer of everything lol.
Mine is AlkaSeltzer#9019
I'll add you!