Chapter I
Warm orange light illuminate the dirt ground from lanterns hung above the windows of nearby shops and on lines that strung across from one shop to another in the main plaza. Little ones laughed and cheered as they wait for the festival of New Divide to begin.
Woman placed food on a massive rectangle wooden table, pushed against the white cement wall of their King Trifuerza castle. The King balcony towered over the table to see the market and the sea. At times, resident would see the king gazing over his kingdom at the sea, watching the sunset.
Mystic, the heir to her father throne and princess of Trifuerza, walk the busy streets in her usual blue jeans and lime green shirt. Her grey fur shined shimmers of orange from the lanterns over her head. It was night like tonight that she loved. How the night sky blanket the kingdom, like a giant dark blue blanket with millions of little pricked holes that white light shined through.
Little ones ran past her laughing as the baker chased them off. She chuckled as she knows the little boys have gotten a small portion of some of the food for tonight festival.
She scanned the crowd in the plaza for her friends, a lioness named Amber and her best coyote friend Ruby. She was 18 and only 5’7”, a little taller than most females in the kingdom. Most the males towered over her liked mountains over a valley.
A massive strong paw grip her shoulder, she jumped and spun around. A burnt orange furred fox, Grand Master of the Royal Knights, Axel Mendrez, stood tall and proud in his tight black silk shirt, and jeans that matched. His outfit hugged every inch of his slender muscular body, from years as a Royal Knight and now their leader. Her heart raced but not because he surprised her.
Every fur, male and female, had a thing for him. Who wouldn’t with a body and nerves of steel like him?
“Mystic… did you hear me?” He craned his neck down to see her eye to eye. His dark brown reddish hair dangled down like jungle vines over his ice blue eyes. ”I said, you should be heading to join your father on the balcony. The festival is about to begin”
“I was going to spend the festival down here with my father’s people this year.” She stated coming out a little more demanding than she intended.
Mystic turned away from the fox and return in scanning the crowd again for her friends. Axel was one male you didn’t turn your back to unless you wanted him to mount up on you. “I was order to take you up there, even if it was by force.” He spoke in a stern voice.
Mystic turned back away to face him and argue but stopped when she saw his face. He was serious. His chest puffed out and his arms cross over his chest. His gazed at her with eyes as cold as eyes, his leaders face. His muzzle line was thin; his ears perked up like a feral cat ready to pounce. She turned her head away from him and spoke, “Fine.” Defeated she pushed passed Axel and down to the castle door.
She was an 18 year old princess, their future queen. Axel was meant to follow her order, but she wouldn’t dare argue with him, especially if the order came from her father. She walked through the cold empty streets, looking down at the dirt. Is that what she was to Axel, dirt?
With her head in the cloud she didn’t see the fur in front of her till she almost bumped into him. She looked up at the fur. He wore a black hood over his head that enclose his in mostly shadows. With his head tilled down, she could see his eyes, but the black tribal marking along his dark muzzle was something she hasn’t seen on any fur her whole life. He was built like Axel, maybe a little more built than him. The lip of his muzzle was thin and serious, as Axel just was. She could tell from his muzzle and his tail that he was a wolf like her.
Something about this hooded wolf made her fur stand on ends. She never seen anyone like him in the kingdom before and he clothes didn’t seem to go with the event they were holding. A black shirt with a hood that didn’t fit his body loose like most of the citizens, nor was it fur hugging tight like Axels. His pants matched the dark of the night sky.
She didn’t see any pockets on his pants nor did she see a bag. He was no traveler that was clear to her. The closes civilization is the small town Alsace, which is a two day walk without stopping to rest. That is if you survived. She hasn’t seen it for herself but, she heard of rumor of some travelers who have been attacked by a furious beast that roamed the woods, surrounding the kingdom.
With a single swift claw, the wolf grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled. Leaning over, he peered down her the collar of her shirt.
Shocked, she raised a firm paw and slapped the stranger across his muzzle, stepping away from him, with her paw over her collar, violated. Who this asshole thinks he was, looking down her shirt, she thought to herself.
The wolf moved toward her. Did he even feel she slapped him, or did he even care? He lifted his paw and gentle pushed Mystic aside. Backed up against a rugged brick wall, she watched stunned, as he walked toward the plaza.
Who was he? She thought. She let the thought slowly drift away, when she remember who was in the plaza, and what Axel would do if he saw some perverted stranger taking a glance down Anthro’s shirts.
Once the stranger turned the corner to the crowd and out of her view, she pushed off the wall and continued on her way. She felt dirty, like a feral pig that been rolling around in mud for weeks. She hugged her arms. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t exactly tell what it was.
She walked through the white marble floor of the great hall. Chandelier made of gold suspended from the ceiling, the size of feral elephants. Crystal shape glass hanged on the gold rims of it, reflecting the lights from the bulbs in the middle in colors of a rainbow. White cement statues of past kings and queens lined up against the wall. The Kings on the left wall, and their partner across the floor from them, in an eternally stare.
She stopped in front of the statue of one of her ancestors, Bodolf Trifuerza. She heard a lot of him from the old furs in town. He was a great king, putting his people before his pride as king. She heard rumors that he was a twin, and when he was announced king, his twin brother just vanished.
She notice for the first time what Bodolf and kings after him didn’t have and kings before him did. A necklace with a crystal shape gem hung from the kings before necks. She looked behind her and notice all the queens before had that gem, even her mother. So why didn’t all the kings? She knew the necklace symbolized peace and love to Trifuerza. Why the best king the kingdom wouldn’t have it.
She reached into the tight woolen pocket of her jeans and pulled out the necklace the statues had, a brown string with a crystal shaped emerald dangling from the lace.
It was all she of her, no pictures, no memories, nothing. She laced the brown string around and tired it into tight knot behind her neck, tucking the emerald into her shirt between her breasts.
She walked away from her ancestors and continued down the hall down to her room. Her father wouldn’t mind if she went to the festival a tad late.
Above the chandelier unannounced, the hooded wolf watched as she walked beneath him and down another hall.
He dropped to the floor without making a sound, being careful not to shake the chandelier to much. He glanced up and down the marble hall. No one but the lifeless statue packed the hall. Staring at him with cold eyes, as they knew what he was going to do. He hurried to the follow the princess.
He reached the corner she turned and witnessed her walk up a spiral stone stairway to one of the upper floor. How he hated following like a lost puppy. How it reminded him of his former life, weak and scared.
He could have token care of her out in the street. Left her corpse to rot in some back alley, give the fly a holy meal.
Why didn’t he, he doesn’t know, but he knew by the end of the night he could have no other choice. He scurried to catch up with her.
Tink. Tink. Tink.
Coming to a hallway to his left, the wolf reached under the back of his shirt. Snapping the strap off the knife tied to his back. His arm swung across his chest, blade slicing through the air, then through warm flesh. A badger Royal Knight was coming from the hallway. Royal Knights found it as a dishonor to their king to wear their helmets within the castle wall.
Blood dripped from the badgers’ throat, staining his polished white chest plate.
The wolf sheath his knife as fast as it toke to slice into the knights’ throat. He grabbed the badger before he could hit the floor, holding cold metal torso in his arms.
Tiny bubbles of blood gurgled out of his throat, most likely to curse and damn the hooded canine that toke his life. The badger clutch a paw full of the wolf shirt with a strong power grasp. A tear trailed down the corner of the knight left eye as his arms and head drooped to the floor.
The wolf slowly lowered and laid the badger down on the cold floor. The knights’ eyes open wide, staring at the ceiling. With two claws, he kindly closed the badger eyes.
He peeked back in the hall he came. Once he felt sure that no one was going come by, he sprinted toward the stairway and up. Slowing down before he reached the top platform. He bent his knees, the pads on his feet pressing softly against the cold rough trends.
Mystic was straight ahead, entering a room with a wooden door that looked like every other. She slowly closed it behind, as if not to wake anyone.
He pursed closer to her door but stopped. Glancing to his right he heard a commotion, laughing and talking.
He trailed the noise behind marble double doors. Inscribed on was a gold marking of a crown. Could it be any more easy for him, the kings’ chamber. The festival was about to begin. So was the thrill of his work.
