Legacy of Kail - Chapter 9

Looking across the lake, Kail could see a boat coming from the island. Hopefully that meant that Soxolfr was already on his way to towards them, perhaps to help defend against the attack.

“You really think that old man will be of any help?” Kin asked.

“Well, he’s a shaman like me, and he says he can use the Ookami spirit. The Ookami is…. well… something else. It must be of some help in a fight. He should be good to have around.” Kail answered.

“Hmm… Still, I feel like we’d be better served hunting down any werewolves that might be attacking people.” Kin replied.

“Maybe… But I’d like to tell Soxolfr what we found first. Besides, Siegfried should be about, as well as those armoured fighters he trains with. In the forest, up in the trees at least, me and you are at a huge disadvantage.” Kail said.

 “True. I’m much more confident here where there’s more of a clearing.” Kin said. “Although…” he looked at his broken spear. They hadn’t taken the time to try to find the end with the spear-head… so all he had was a stick with blood on the end. He sighed.

 “I guess I’ll be doing the fighting if one of them comes here.” Kail said, unable to keep the uneasiness from his voice. The boat was near the shore now, heading for them. And then…

A roar came from the forest behind them. It was louder and somehow different from what they’d heard so far. It was somehow more inhuman. The picture of a lion came to Kail’s mind. He’d never seen one, only read about them and looked at pictures drawn of them, but the lion was known as the ‘king of beasts’ in the land it was from. It was said to have a mighty roar that would alert all nearby creatures that the one who stood at the top of the food chain was there. That was the effect the roar had on Kail. Just like the werewolf he had met before, it was as if there were two sounds he could hear un unison. One; the loud roar of a beast, and two: the pained scream of a man in pain. A grim reminder that these creatures were once tahke.

They could see red eyes glowing from the shadows of the trees. Then creature stepped from the shadows towards them. This one was larger than the others. Even Kin looked small compared to its height. Two magnificent and deadly horns crowned its head, and a strong and powerful tail followed it as it silently approached. It smelled the air and looked around, finally settling its glare on Kail, who held his sword ready, yet felt unarmed before the gigantic beast. The most unsettling thing about it was not its size compared to the other werewolves, nor its calm demeanour nor its red eyes. It was its fur. Unlike the other werewolves, its fur was a stark white, waving around its frame in an almost ghostly fashion. It truly set it apart from the other werewolves Kail had seen, which had had much darker fur, more animal-like. Then it opened its mouth which Kail was sure was big enough to bite his entire head off, and it roared at them again. The same fear-inducing roar they had just heard. Then its body tensed, ready to attack, drawing Kail from the almost dreamlike stupor he had been in from looking at the creature. He gripped his sword tight.

The werewolf burst into a sprint toward Kail when a piece of wood hit it in its face. Kail looked to Kin in shock, who looked equally shocked at his own actions. He had no weapon, and he must had realised his stick wouldn’t do anything in real combat. Kail looked back to see the werewolf change its target to Kin. It growled threateningly and closed the distance almost instantly. Kail swung his sword at it, hoping to catch it off-guard, but it swung its arm at Kail’s sword to intercept the strike. The strength of it sent Kail’s sword flying out of his hands, and the beast turned to Kail. Then there was a flash of light from the creature’s feet.

“Run!” Kin shouted. Kail didn’t need to look down to realise that Kin had frozen it to the ground. He ran towards his sword, and Kin also took the momentary distraction to run after him, not wanting to be stranded by himself without a weapon against the werewolf. “I’ll support you with my magic.” Kin said. Then they heard the sound of ice shattering. The werewolf had broken free effortlessly, and it turned its attention toward them again.

“Right.” Kail answered. Then, suddenly, loud sounds attacked his eardrums, causing him to drop his weapon and cover his ears. Kin looked at him, confused and panicked, but picked up Kail’s sword as the werewolf slowly and calmly walked towards them. Kail could still hear it though. They were voices. A lot of them. Shouting at him. He felt his vision fade, and realised that the spirit world was coming into view without him willing it. He looked around and saw the ghosts of tahke yelling angrily at him.

Kin stepped in front of Kail, sword held at the ready, and slowly and calmly crouched down and put his hand onto the ground. The ground froze where he touched it and spread from his hand towards the werewolf. The werewolf noticed what was happening and growled in annoyance.

They must pay for what they’ve done to us!

Kail tried to differentiate between the voices and quiet them down.

Turned us into monsters!

He realised these were ghosts of the tahke that had been turned into werewolves.

It’s his fault!

The werewolf in front of him was the ‘leader’ of the werewolves. He was the alpha of the pack.

The werewolf roared at Kin once more, then pounced from his spot, jumping to the side of the frozen ground effortlessly, running around it and then jumping at Kin. He held the sword out in front of him but he wasn’t confident it would help. Then he was rolling across the ground. Something other than the werewolf jumping at him had knocked him away. He slid across the frozen ground he had made and looked up. It was Kail. He had knocked Kin out of the way and taken the werewolf’s attack. They tumbled across the ground together. Amazingly Kail stood back up, but he didn’t look like the Kail that Kin knew. His eyes glowed red, just like the werewolf’s eyes, and he growled a similar growl to them. He held his hands ready as if they were claws and he actually jumped at the werewolf to attack first. They locked hands, and somehow Kail didn’t get effortlessly pushed away, although he did slowly get pushed back.

Kin took the chance to join in the fight. He ran towards them, sword ready. As he did so, however, the werewolf lifted Kail off the ground and threw him away, but Kail twisted in midair and landed on all fours. He then jumped once more at the werewolf. The werewolf held out its arm in defence and Kail grabbed onto it, attempting to bite it. It then swiped its arm with such force that Kail couldn’t hold on. Kail went flying into Kin, sending them both to the ground. Kail jumped to his feet to get back to the werewolf, but Kin grabbed a hold of his legs from the floor. He had no idea what was going on with Kail but he realised that their best chance would be to attack together. Kail ignored him, growling and trying to shake him free. The werewolf approached.

Then a torrent of water came from seemingly nowhere, assaulting the werewolf and sending it tumbling to the ground. Kin looked around and saw Soxolfr walking towards them without hesitation. Close at his heels was Ylva; his granddaughter. Soxolfr moved his palms forward as if he was attacking the werewolf and water jettisoned out of the lake and slammed into it. He made it to them and grabbed Kail by the shoulder. Kail immediately stopped struggling against Kin and fell down to his knees.

“W…what just happened?” he asked. He looked to Soxolfr then down to Kin who was still on the floor, grabbing his legs. Soxolfr then strode away from them and towards the werewolf. It roared at him, although its roar seemed more quiet than before. It also seemed like the werewolf had become smaller. It jumped at Soxolfr but more water slammed it into the ground, and it stopped moving. Soxolfr stopped a safe distance from it. Ylva helped Kin to his feet.

“I… think I got possessed…” Kail said. Kin handed him his sword back. “Thanks.” he said as he struggled to his feet. They all looked to Soxolfr and the werewolf. The werewolf was getting back to its feet, but it was the same size as Soxolfr, and its fur was falling away to the floor.

“Its…. you.” Soxolfr stated in confusion. The fur fell away completely to reveal a tahke that neither Kail nor Kin had seen before.

“That’s definitely not the doctor.” Kin said.

“No…” Ylva said, dread clear in her voice. “That’s… my father.” Kin and Kail looked at each other in shock.

“Torbjorn.” Soxolfr said. The man looked around, shock and confusion clear on his face. Soxolfr slowly approached him. Torbjorn grabbed his head with one hand and held the other before him, signalling for Soxolfr to stay away.

“Stop!” Torbjorn said, although no one could tell if he was speaking to Soxolfr or someone else. Soxolfr didn’t stop, however.

“So the transformation can be reversed….” he said. Then Torbjorn screamed in pain. His body contorted, and he started to grow in size. Soxolfr held his hands up and water moved through the air from the lake towards him, but before it reached him Torbjorn jumped forwards and kicked Soxolfr to the ground. The water fell. Torbjorn stood with one foot atop him and transformed into the werewolf that had instilled fear in them all. He then, as they watched, swiped his claws across Soxolfr’s chest. Ylva screamed out, and Kail and Kin both shouted out in shock. Kail ran forward with his sword, even though he realised he wouldn’t be a match for the beast. It locked its eyes onto him, stopping him in his tracks. It then looked past him to Ylva. Time seemed to stop for a moment. Kail wasn’t sure how long it went on for, but afterwards the werewolf turned away from them and ran into the forest.

“Wait!” Ylva shouted. Thankfully he didn’t turn back. Kail walked over to inspect Soxolfr. He was… dead. There was no movement, and the wounds the werewolf had inflicted were undoubtedly fatal. There was not much of his chest left. Kin and Ylva moved to join him, Ylva notably hesitant. “Grand…father…” she whispered weakly. She crouched down next to him and started to cry over his body. Kail didn’t know what to say. He realised it would probably be best to say nothing.

“Well, that didn’t go so well.” Kin said. Kail turned to him to give in a disapproving scowl, but then he heard a voice call his name. He looked around in confusion. There wasn’t anyone nearby.

Hear me, damn ye. Came the familiar voice. His sixth sense activated, and he saw the ghost of Soxolfr standing before him. There you are. Soxolfr said.

Soxolfr… Kail started. What could he say to the man he had just seen die?

Stop right there, alright? Soxolfr responded. I don’t need your sympathies. Nothing that can be done about it now. But one thing I DO need you to do, is I need ye to awaken Ylva’s shaman powers, alright? See, neither me nor her are like you. Our family has always had a shaman, but we pass down our shaman power to our child when they take over charge of the village. But…. Well I died. To be honest I didn’t see that coming… Torbjorn… Knew he was still out there… But didn’t realise we could turn them back! Even if it’s only temporary, this could help.

So what do you want me to do? I don’t know how to turn someone into a shaman. Kail responded.

All I need is to possess your body, and I’ll do the rest. Soxolfr said.

And… how do I do that? I’ve never done it on purpose before. Kail replied.

Just keep a clear mind and relax. Soxolfr said. He reached a ghostly hand towards Kail. Kail prepared himself. Suddenly he could feel Soxolfr. Their thoughts were one. He turned to Ylva, seeing her both as his granddaughter and as the tahke girl who he didn’t know much about that was mostly the head of the village. It was a strange sensation. Then he held out a hand and grabbed her shoulder.

*

Kail awoke in a familiar room; the same room he had first woken up in in the tahkean village. He lay on a bed once again. As he looked around, however, he noticed that another bed had been put in the room, with someone sleeping in it. Kail then saw Siv, who noticed that he had woken up.

“Good morning.” she said. “How are you feeling?”

Kail checked under the blanket to make sure he had clothes on, then rose to his feet. He felt… perfectly fine.

“Good.” he said. “The last thing I remember is…” Soxolfr took over my body. Everything came back to him.

“Ylva told me to fetch her when you woke up. Stay here. I’ll go and get her.” Siv said. Kail didn’t respond, deep in thought, so she left the room.

“Kail.” came a voice. He looked over to the other bed to see that they had woken up its occupant, whose identity surprised him.

“Siegfried?” he asked, stunned. “How did you get injured?” he asked. The five-horned tahkean pulled down his blanket to reveal a… missing arm. Kail was speechless.

“I met my match yesterday.” Siegfried said in a grim tone. “One of the werewolves… it wasn’t like the rest.” he started. Kail thought of Torbjorn. Had it taken out Siegfried on its way to them? If even Siegfried couldn’t match it, then did they have any hope?

“Did it have white fur?” he asked. Siegfried looked at him in confusion.

“No… I haven’t seen one with white fur. This one… it was… a lot bigger than the others, and stronger, but it didn’t have any horns, which was the most strange thing about it. No tail either. But it… somehow managed to bite into my arm. So… To be safe I had to… cut it off. I don’t want to become one of them.”

A werewolf that can bite Siegfried? And it’s not even Torbjorn? Kail’s stomach sank.

“That… doesn’t bode well.” Kail said. Then he thought back to when he had looked at Siegfried’s soul. He looked at it once again. Just like before, it was different to anyone else’s. While most souls glowed a light blue colour, just like most living things, Siegfried’s had black lines running through it like vines on a tree. Kail had no idea what it meant, but he imagined it had to have something to do with Siegfried’s unnatural strength and toughness. The thought of Siegfried turning into a werewolf…. It was not pleasant. Then he wondered… If Salomon was behind this… what could he be after? Could he be after Siegfried? A super-strong, super-tough werewolf. But why? Could he control them? Kail thought back to Torbjorn. If Salomon could control them, then what had happened would make more sense. Torbjorn had seemingly, against his will, turned back into a werewolf and killed Soxolfr. He went back in his mind over what he had learned.

The first ones attacked had been Torbjorn, Siegfried, and Edwin, but Siegfried wasn’t infected because his skin was unnaturally tough. Then Salomon had shown up and the infected had turned into werewolves. The night just gone, Kail had seen a human soul in Salomon’s downstairs room, which Salomon had disappeared with, and then Siegfried had been attacked by a werewolf unlike the others. Bigger and stronger, and able to bite through even Siegfried’s flesh. And it had neither horns nor tail. It had to be the human Kail had seen. The girl that had gone missing. It seemed to Kail like Salomon, if he was behind everything, was trying to infect Siegfried.

“I think… they might be after you.” Kail said. Siegfried looked at him suspiciously. “Think about it… There is suddenly a new werewolf that can injure you. A new werewolf. Also… your abilities are… unnatural.” Siegfried nodded grimly. “If they turned you into one of them you’d be the strongest creature in the whole forest.”

“Perhaps.” Siegfried responded, nodding. “But why do they want that? How would that help them?”

“I think they’re being controlled….” Kail explained. A flash of concern crossed Siegfried’s face.

“Controlled? How? And by whom?” he asked.

“I’m not sure how, but it would make sense. The werewolf we came across last night was…. Torbjorn.” Kail said. Siegfried’s eyes widened in shock. He had been there when Torbjorn had been infected, after all. “Soxolfr found a way to turn him back.” Siegfried raised an eyebrow in interest. “But… Then he turned again, and the way he acted was as if something was forcing him to do it. And then….” Does he know about Soxolfr? Kail sighed. Siegfried looked at him expectantly, but Kail didn’t want to go over the event again.

“If he’s being controlled, if they’re being controlled, then who could be controlling them?” Siegfried pushed.

“Salomon.” Kail said. An awkward silence followed, as Siegfried struggled with the idea.

“What makes you think it’s him? He’s been trying to look for a cure.” he asked. He then held his chin as he ran through events in his mind.

“Me and Kin went to ask him questions yesterday… I saw the soul of a human in the room underneath his main one.” Kail responded.

“A soul?” Siegfried asked doubtfully.

“I’m a… shaman. Just like Soxolfr… That’s why me and Kin wanted to see him.” Kail explained. Siegfried nodded. It made sense. “When I asked Salomon about the infection I noticed that he had another room below, and I could see a human soul. When I asked Salomon about it we were attacked by a werewolf. By the time we killed it… he had disappeared. And the human soul had gone too. You said the one that attacked you didn’t have horns. That means it’s not a tahke…”

“It could be a human.” Siegfried finished for him, his eyes lighting up in understanding. “The werewolves didn’t appear until after doctor Salomon arrived… Have you told anyone else about this?” he asked.

Kail shook his head. “Only Kin. I’m not so sure anyone else would believe me. After all, I’m not one of you, and it would be his word against mine. I have no proof…” he said. Siegfried nodded in understanding.

“If you can find proof, then I will take him down.” Siegfried said, determination clear on his face. Kail thought then that Siegfried was a good person. He simply wanted to end the werewolf affliction and keep his people safe.

Chapter 10

Legacy of Kail - Chapter 8

Kin and Kail stood on the island in the middle of the lake. It wasn’t a huge lake. Kail could even see the other side from where he stood, and he could see where the lake narrowed and snaked into the forest as a river. Siegfried stood by the boat he’d used to take them there and motioned to the wooden cabin in the middle of the small island.

“Not coming with us?” Kin inquired.

“No.” Siegfried responded flatly. “The old man is hard to handle sometimes. I’d rather not. I’ll wait here for you.” Kin shrugged and walked towards the cabin.

“Thanks.” Kail quickly said before catching up to Kin. Kin knocked on the door. There was no response. He held his ear up to it. Kail tapped him on the shoulder, giving him a disapproving look, but Kin gestured for Kail to do the same. Kail sighed and pressed his ear against the door. He could hear voices… No, just the one voice. Someone was talking to themselves. Then Kin simply opened the door and walked in.

“For gods’ sake, Kin.” Kail said, shaking his head in frustration, then moved to follow him. Immediately they were greeted by a strange smell. The inside of the cabin was filled with some smoke that made them lightheaded. Kail couldn’t help coughing as he inhaled it. In the centre of what Kail assumed to be the living room sat an old man in the pose of meditation. He had long grey hair, and a long grey beard and moustache to match. His eyes were closed and he was smoking a pipe. He opened his eyes to look at the intruders. An intense stare. This isn’t just any old man Kail realised. Does he think we’re here to hurt him? The old man put down his pipe.

“I don’t get visitors very often.” he said, his voice carrying a strange authority about it. “Not so much anymore anyway.” He didn’t move from his position, but he seemed as if he had no openings. “Well, since you’re here…” he said. An intense silence followed and then… he burst into a coughing fit.

“Err, are you okay?” Kail asked.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, just gimme a minute will ya?” the old man said. He regained his composure and moved to his feet. “You two are human aren’t ya? What’re you doing in my forest?”

“Didn’t anybody tell you?” Kin asked, a tone of annoyance evident in his voice. “I’ve been here for the last month, helping your village against these… well… werewolves.”

Werewolves? Kail had heard stories and myths about werewolves, and hearing the word spoke out loud made him realise how well it fit for what they were fighting. He hadn’t thought werewolves were real though.

“Werewolves?” Soxolfr asked. “Aye maybe that’s what they are. Anyway, what have you come to bother me with?”

“Here you go, Kail.” Kin said, nudging Kail forward. “Here’s the person who can see souls just like you.”

“Hm?” Soxolfr responded. “A shaman, eh?”

There’s that word again. Shaman Kail thought. Then something strange happened. Soxolfr’s eyes glowed peculiarly. Kail stepped forward to look closer and he could see a strange symbol in his eyes. Was Soxolfr looking at his soul? Kail reciprocated, focusing on Soxolfr as the world turned blue. He was surprised. Soxolfr’s soul looked normal enough, but there was a strange symbol marked on his chest. It might’ve been the same symbol Kail had seen in his eyes. Did he have one too?

Aye you are a shaman after all. Kail heard a voice say. It was Soxolfr, speaking to him in the world that they could both see. Although yer soul looks strange.

What is a shaman? Kail asked.

Ye don’t know? Even though you are one? Soxolfr responded. Kail heard what could’ve been a laugh. We are those that can interact with spirits. Hasn’t anyone ever told you how to use your power?

Power? You mean there’s more to it than just talking to the dead? I mean… it did feel like someone’s spirit took over my body once… Kail replied.

Aye, possession. The same as me. How lucky. Soxolfr said. We can take spirits into our own body, and, depending how well you do it, gain their memories and skills. It takes practice and control to do it well, though. Ye’re lucky you met me. Maybe I can teach you how to do it so they don’t take complete control.

That sounds… like an amazing ability. Kail thought to himself, although he then realised Soxolfr could hear him. Talking to spirits was very similar to thinking, and it was hard to differentiate between the two.

Yes. Soxolfr responded. It’s why we ended up coming to this forest, from what my mother told me back in the day. It’s this power that has allowed the shaman of the village to shape the trees to our will. The spirit of the forest gives us its power. The Ookami.

Soxolfr pointed upwards. Kail realised that he couldn’t see the walls of the house. Unlike the tahke village in the trees, this cabin was made from wood that had been cut and worked. There wasn’t an actual tree on the island. The word used for the cabin was no longer alive. Kail looked up, not seeing any ceiling. Instead he saw a spirit looking down at them. A gigantic spirit glowing magnificently of white. It had four legs, seeming like they were connected to the ground itself. It’s body and head looked like that of a wolf. It remained silent, simply looking at them. Kail couldn’t take his eyes off it. It glowed like it was made from white fire.

That is the Ookami. Soxolfr explained. It has been in this forest for a long time. It lends me its power in times of need, and in return we promise not to damage the forest and keep care of it. Although we haven’t been able to do such a good job lately…

It was a lot to take in. Kail glanced to Kin, his tall and human soul unmoving, made up of a light blue fire, not quite as impressive as the Ookami, and not privy to their conversation. Kail turned his attention back to the land of the living, and Soxolfr seemed to follow suit.

“It’s strange that the Ookami seems to look like a wolf, and your people are turning into wolf-like creatures. Is there any chance this could be caused by it? Maybe someone angered it” Kail said.

“Wait, what? What’s an Ookami?” Kin asked. “Have I missed something?”

“Aye I agree, it’s strange.” Soxolfr said. “Some of my people have voiced the same concerns, but I commune with the Ookami regularly, and it’s not the cause of this. It was distressed when the infection came to the forest. It could feel as the animals of the forest became rabid.”

“When exactly did that happen?” Kin asked, realising they had ignored his question. “Seemed to me like we haven’t been told the whole story.”

“Perhaps we might be able to look at events in a fresh light.” Kail added.

Soxolfr sighed. “Alright. Come with me, let’s sit and drink some tea while I tell you.” He led them into a separate room with chairs and a table, and had them sit down while he boiled some water and made them each a cup of tea. It tasted different to the tea that Kail used to have, which is popular throughout Terra Deorum, but it didn’t taste bad.

“It all started about a year ago.” Soxolfr started. “The Ookami felt somethin’. The animals of the forest crying out in pain. So I sent patrols to find out what it was. The animals of the forest everywhere were going crazy and attacking anything they could. People were wondering if we angered the Ookami, but it was nothing of the sort. Of course, eventually one of our patrols got attacked and infected. That patrol was made up of Siegfried, Edwin, and Torbjorn.”

“Wait a minute… Siegfried doesn’t seem like he’s infected.” Kin interrupted, seeming dubious. “And who are Edwin and Torbjorn?”

Soxolfr waved his hand in annoyance to quiet Kin. “I’m getting to that, by the gods. Siegfried is unusually strong. Not sure why. He reported to everyone else that he didn’t get bitten, but in private he told me that he’d only said that not to worry people. The animals simply didn’t manage to break his skin. His skin is like iron. We know now, thanks to Salomon, that the infection spreads through saliva. That’s why Siegfried didn’t get infected. Edwin… well, he’s not here anymore. Shame, really. He and Siegfried were good friends. Like Siegfried, Edwin didn’t have two horns like the rest of us, he had three. And Torbjorn… well Torbjorn was the husband of my daughter, and Ylva’s father.” Soxolfr took a moment, sipping his tea, while he recounted the bad memories. “So, they started showing symptoms. At first they just had a fever that seemed to be getting worse. Then they started getting violent. We had to tie them up for everyone’s safety. That’s when we sent a messenger to the mountain tahke, to see if they knew anything about it. The messenger came back with Salomon. Salomon had been around different tribes that had suffered from the same thing. He came to our village to help.”

“So your doctor, Salomon, wasn’t originally from here?” Kail asked, curious.

“No, he is from a different tribe. But he told us he’d seen similar cases and had helped before. He inspected Torbjorn and Edwin. He said he’d never seen a case this far along, but that he’d try to help anyway. He thought he had a cure, one he had used before, and we captured some animals for him to test it on. It worked. When he used it on Torbjorn and Edwin, however, it didn’t help. He did use a medicine that kept them asleep though, so we didn’t have to keep them tied up. But then….”

“But then?” Kin pressed. “It sounds like there weren’t any werewolves at all to begin with.”

“Right, not until it happened. While Salomon was working on a cure, more of our people were bit by animals in the forest and infected. Salomon kept them unconscious too. But then, one day my daughter, Ylva’s mother Bodil, she visited her husband. Not unreasonable. To be expected. But during her visit… Something happened. Torbjorn and Edwin turned into what you’ve seen there to be out there, as did the rest of the patients. They fled into the forest. Inside the room Salomon was using…. Bodil had died, killed in the outbreak. And now we’re in this situation. Werewolves, if ye wanna call them that, out there in the forest. And while, over time, we’ve killed some of them, sometimes they bite one of us and add to their numbers.” Soxolfr sighed, seemingly worn out by the story. And yet… something didn’t seem right about it to Kail.

“Were all the animals in the forest infected?” Kail asked. Soxolfr looked thoughtful.

“Not sure about all of them, but probably most of them.” he said. Kail nodded, then got to his feet.

“Alright, thank you for telling us everything.” he said. He motioned for Kin to follow. Kin didn’t seem to have any more questions and followed Kail outside. They walked towards Siegfried, who was still waiting by the boat.

“I want to investigate something else, outside the village.” Kail said to Kin.

“As long as don’t go too far and we get back before night, we should be safe.” Kin replied. “Not sure why but they only seem to be active during the night.” Kail also found that strange. Perhaps they were on to something.

*

“Strange, don’t you think?” Kail asked. They had looked around, but then it had started to get dark, so he and Kin had gone to doctor Salomon’s house to ask him questions. They were waiting patiently for him to appear.

“You mean that we could find any infected animals? Yeah, pretty strange.” Kin agreed.

“If there aren’t any animals infected in the whole forest then it means it was a temporary thing… It wore off over time? But then why hasn’t that happened with the tahke? It could mean that the initial infection and the werewolves are two separate issues.” Kail said. Then Salomon appeared from the shadows at the far end of the room. Kail realised there must be a staircase or another exit there, hidden away in the dark.

“What are you two doing here?” he asked. “You should go and help Siegfried patrol the village in case it comes under attack.”

“Thought you wanted us to leave?” Kin asked with a smirk. Kail nudged him to be quiet.

“We wanted to ask you some questions. We got the full story about when the infection started from Soxolfr, and some things don’t make sense.” Kail explained.

“No surprise.” Salomon said, tutting. “That old fool is high most the time. Thinks he can talk to some wolf god.”

“Either way…” Kail started. “He told us that at first the infection spread amongst the animals of the forest before spreading to the tahke- I mean the people here. Yet me and Kin went around to investigate the animals around the forest… and none of them were infected. I think that the initial infection and whatever is turning people into werewolves are two different things.”

“They are linked.” Salomon responded, seeming adamant. “Maybe the animals you found were ones I used an antidote on when I was testing different ingredients. Or… perhaps the….werewolves are because of that wolf god that Soxolfr worships.”

“Thought you didn’t think the ‘wolf god’ was real?” Kin asked.

“Soxolfr assures us it isn’t the work of the Ookami.” Kail added. “But look, if the two infections are different, then you might be looking for a cure for the wrong thing.” Then the loud sound of a horn interrupted their discussion. Kail looked to Kin. Kin looked… scared. Well that’s unnerving.

“That’s the horn they sound when an infected tahkean has been found.” Kin explained. The horn sounded again. Kin’s eyes narrowed. “That means they’re under attack…” Then the horn sounded a third time. “And that means the village is under attack.”

“Well you better get out there and help.” Salomon said. Kin nodded. Kail, however, wasn’t convinced. Salomon walked towards the corner of the room, where he had appeared from. Kail once again looked into the world of spirits in case there were any secrets he might find. He could just about make out the structure of the tree. It seemed like it did turn into a staircase at the back and joined to a room underneath. And underneath them was… a soul. A human soul. No horns. No tail.

“Wait!” Kail called. “Is there someone downstairs?” he asked. Salomon’s eyes went wide in shock. This is it! He is hiding something.

“Nothing you want to see.” he said, seeming to regain his composure. “It’s where we keep the bodies of the dead, to help me find a cure.”

He could be telling the truth…. If that soul is her, then maybe she’s dead. But surely they would’ve noticed if a werewolf without any horns or tail had attacked.

Kin nudged him, rousing him from his thoughts. He saw Salomon disappearing into the staircase. Kail moved to go after him, but Kin grabbed him.

“We should go help.” Kin said. Kail sighed. It would be easier if Kin could also see what he could see.

“There’s someone down there. A human. Or at least a human soul. If she is dead then it likely means her body is down there. If she isn’t. Then… It means Salomon has something to do with all of this.” Kail explained. Kin was shocked but nodded and moved to follow. Then they heard a nearby scream from outside the room. They both look to the outside and rushed to investigate. A little tahkean girl was standing on one of the platforms coming from a separate tree. She was staring in horror at a horned, tailed, and clawed werewolf. It was growling at her and closing in. A woman, presumably her mother, then grabbed the girl and jumped to a different tree, amazing Kail at how easily and at how far the tahke could jump. However, both Kail and Kin knew that the werewolf wouldn’t have any trouble following her. They both drew their weapons, although Kail wasn’t sure how he was going to fight so high up in the trees without falling to the ground below. Kin, however, threw his spear straight at the werewolf. It moved back at the last second. Kin’s spear embedded itself into the tree. It then looked at them as the woman and child ran away.

“You’ve got this, right?” Kin asked, now weapon-less.

“Err… No?” Kail responded. The werewolf leapt effortlessly onto the platform they were on. Kin and Kail both moved to opposite sides of the werewolf, effectively pincer-ing it, although Kin was unarmed. Kail couldn’t help but peer over the edge, looking down into the darkness below. He did not want to fall off the edge of their platform. The werewolf seemed focused on Kin, so Kail swung at it with his sword. His sword pierced flesh, but it didn’t go very deep.. The werewolf immediately turned around with enough force to send Kail’s sword out wide. He grabbed onto the tree so that he wasn’t thrown off the edge, and he managed to keep his grip on his sword. The werewolf howled at him; an all too familiar sound that made his blood run cold. It reminded him of the first one he had seen. He had almost died. He carefully backed away. The werewolf looked like it was about to pounce on him, but when it tried it fell down as if something had tripped it. Kail looked to its feet and saw that they had been frozen to the wooden platform.

“No problem!” said Kin from behind the creature. Then, seemingly in reaction to his voice, the werewolf’s tail whipped up, hitting him in the face. He fell over as he yelled in pain and shock. He got to his feet to retaliate, then seemed to remember that he had no weapon as the monster’s tail lashed about threateningly. Then, as Kail watched, he ran and jumped to the other tree. He hit the tree just above the platform and with enough force that Kail was sure he was going to bounce right off and fall in between the trees, but he stuck to it instead. Kail then saw that he had created ice, freezing his hands to the tree so that he wouldn’t fall. Then the ice vanished and he dropped down comfortably to the platform and retrieved his spear.

Kail’s attention was brought back to the werewolf as it growled at him. It struck at its own feet with its tail, breaking the ice. Then it moved to jump at Kail again. Its horns looked even more deadly, seemingly like it could simply skewer him onto its head. Kail looked around him. There was another platform, but it was too high up. The werewolf was between him and Kin’s platform, and he doubted that Kin would easily be able to get back up to him. As the werewolf jumped at him he reacted on instinct and fell flat to the floor. The werewolf went over him, its own momentum against it, and off the platform. Kail quickly rushed over to help Kin back to his platform.

“Well done!” Kin shouted, but there didn’t seem to be any easy way for him to get back. Kail’s platform was above Kin’s, so jumping back was out of the question. Then Kail spotted a rope. He remembered how Siv had shown him that each platform had ropes, to make travelling between them and between different levels easier. It was firmly tied to the platform, so threw it over to Kin, who gave him a thumbs up. Then his eyes focused on something behind Kail. Kail turned to see that the werewolf hadn’t fallen all the way to the ground. It was climbing up another tree that it must had grabbed on to. It then turned its head to Kail threateningly and jumped easily onto his platform. Kin had swung over on the rope by that pointed and had his hands on the platform, trying to pull himself up. Kail could see the spear safely sheathed on his back. He positioned himself between Kin and the werewolf, and realised he had to attack to buy him time, as much as the creature scared him. So he did. He swung his sword at the creature, who caught him by surprise by deflecting it with its horns. Kail didn’t lose focus, however, and brought the sword back, and the werewolf actually moved back to avoid Kail’s attack. Relief spread through him. He’d actually made it momentarily retreat.

“Don’t lose focus.” Kin said, appearing at his side, spear brandished before him. Despite it being two on one, Kail and Kin had barely any footing as they presented a united front. “We have to finish this fast.” Kin said. “I’ll try to create an opening.”

The werewolf moved closer to them, eyeing the spear warily that Kin had pointed towards it. Then it swiped at the spear. Horror struck as its large claws swiped through the wooden shaft, sending the sharp end of the spear flying through the air. Then werewolf closed in, focusing on Kin. Kail realised that it had actually served well as a distraction. He could stab it… but he remembered that these creatures were the tahke of the village, albeit infected. Maybe they could be saved? The werewolf swung a claw towards Kin. Kail reacted in time to cut into its. It roared in pain, pulling its arm back, and Kail with it, his sword firmly embedded. As it did so Kin closed in, grabbing onto Kail as he stabbed above him at the creature’s face. In his hand was the broken half of the spear that he’d kept a hold of. He jammed it viciously into the creature’s eye. He then grabbed onto the creature’s horn to stop it from retreating and forced the shaft deeper and deeper until… the werewolf halted. Kail pulled his sword free and moved back to see that it had stopped moving. Kin let go of its horn as it fell to the floor lifelessly in front of them. The sound of Kail and Kin’s breaths were all they could hear as they stared at its body as if they were in a trance . Then shouts in the distance brought them back to reality, and Kail pushed the brutal sight of the creature’s death to the back of his mind.

He ran back into the room they’d come from and looked to the world of spirits once more. He couldn’t see anyone. Salomon, as well as the human spirit, had gone.

“They’re gone.” Kail said. “Salomon and… whoever was in the room below. They’re gone. Where is he?” he said angrily in frustration. “If that was the girl then why would her soul go with him? Unless she’s alive and he took her with him! We should… go to Soxolfr.” he said. Kin nodded in agreement and they made their way towards the lake.

Chapter 9