Blood & Carrots - Silverpaw Ep. 04

We settled into our new home comfortably. I even convinced Elias to learn to sail with me after I found a willing instructor. It took some coaxing to get training in the late evening and night time hours, but I managed.

Years moved along as I realized through time and circumstance, I found I had grown enchanted by the ocean. The magnificent ships that plowed the waterways had also enthralled me. Some nights I would sit upon the balcony of our home, just watching the ships come and go through the harbor.

Galvanized with my love for the sea, I studied and trained hard to learn the ways of the modern ships. I even dressed as a male a few times and spent a couple of weeks a year working as one of the night hands on the ship of my instructor.

Nearly five years passed before Lorelai received a request from the council. She summoned me into her study once the messenger left.

"How can I serve you, my lady?" I spoke the words politely, knowing this was a formal summons.

"I have been summoned by Ra's to witness the evaluation of a new court member. I must leave on the morrow." Lorelai spoke the words in a matter of fact tone to me from her large desk.

I lifted my ears curiously. "Where will you be off to, my lady?"

"Seville, the capital of Spain. It is not far but I will be away for a minimum of a week," She sighed the words and shook her head. "I will not be placing any of you in charge officially, but please work in tandem with your brothers to maintain the home in my absence."

She saw the look in my eyes and watched me fidget on my feet before raising her hand. "What is it, sister?"

My large black tail wagged as I set her with a childish look. "May I accompany you? I wish to travel the ocean and see the city. Will it not be safer to go with a second to watch your back?"

Lorelai gave me an amused giggle and waved a hand. "Well... normally I would tell you I do not need protection. However, I do not wish to hear you yowl like a child and I could use the company... yes, you may join me."

My cheeks darkened and I folded my arms. "My lady! I am not some sulking child, I would have accepted your orders with grace and respect." I bit my lower lip and looked away awkwardly. "However, Thank you. I am thrilled you will allow me to accompany you."

"I'm happy to have you. Go tell your mate and spend a final night with him." Lorelai hummed the words and waved me off. "We leave upon the dusk of the following evening."

I wagged my tail furiously and gave her a respectful bow. "Of course!" I quickly exited the study to go tell Elias of the news.

#

"Take care of yourself, my love." The white fox gripped my hands in his own while we stood before the carrack in the harbor.

"I will, know I will miss you and I will bring you a fetching bauble from Seville." I gave him a loving smile before we embraced and kissed.

"Okay love birds, let's go. I swear you two dogs act like you're newly wedded. How many years has it been now?" Lorelai pushed between us, then gripped my wrist, pulling me along to the boarding plank.

"See you in a week or so, my fox." I called out with a grin as I waved at the white fox while being pulled along.

"But seriously..." Lorelai called out to me as we stood at the stern of the ship, watching Ceuta slowly slip out of sight. "You two have been together for decades now, why not just start calling yourselves wed?"

I pursed my lips while leaning on the railing, my tail wagging slowly. "It hasn't come up, neither of us pines for another mate. It seems fine how it is."

"If it isn't broken, don't fix it?" The sheep asked me curiously.

"Something like that..." I frowned and watched the city dip out of sight and lowered my ears. "The dreams, they have been bad lately..."

"I wish there was something I could do, Sarnai... does it weigh upon you so?" Lorelai placed a hand gently to my arm while speaking.

"It does... it feels like the only way I would ever be free of them is to hunt down the monster that did that to my kind..." I showed my teeth and thrashed my tail in anger.

"That is so long in the past now, my sister... you must not let that consume you. You have a good life now, with a family, and a good fox." The sheep stood on her toes and moved to gently stroke at my ears and hair.

"I wish I could... but when it comes to me fresh almost every night... it is not something I can easily shake away." I sighed the words, my ears flicking at her petting. I lowered my stance to allow her to more easily reach my ears.

"The world is vast, my sister. Perhaps someday we can find a means to quell that blight upon your soul. I will strive to find a means as well." The sheep rubbed my ears lovingly while speaking to me as a mother would a child.

My cheeks darkened, the earplay starting to get to me before I gently pulled my head from her grip and smiled. "I truly do not deserve you, my lady. I pray we are always together." Lorelai smiled at my words but I saw a distant look in her eyes. I could only imagine how many times she may have been told such things in her life, or perhaps even how many of our now lost siblings had possibly said the same.

The sheep shifted her gaze to the horizon, looking upon the dark waters before us. "So, how has your sailing and seamanship been going?"

I nodded at the topic shift and looked over the water with her. "Very well, I feel confident I could effectively run both a ship and her crew."

"Impressive, you will have to show me some pointers later. These modern ships are all a mystery to me." The elder vampire gave me a playful grin, showing me her sharp teeth.

I lifted my ears excitedly and patted the railing. I was eager to show my knowledge off to my lady and began right away. "Well, this is known as the stern of the ship, it also may be called the aft, it's the rear of the ship. The front is typically called the bow and if you're facing the bow, the left side is known as the port, while the right would be the starboard..."

#

It only took a handful of days to make our way to the city of Seville. It was the first major European city I had seen and though its size paled in comparison to Istanbul, it was still a thriving beautiful sight to behold. The architecture reminded me of a lot of the buildings I saw in Ceuta and made me wonder if that was the standard of most construction in this part of the world.

We found ourselves at a large mansion before being greeted and brought into the foyer by the massive bull I had seen at my own evaluation decades past. I gave a deep bow to him, lowering my ears and drooping my tail respectfully. "Lore Ra's, it is an honor to see you again." I spoke the words politely with my head lowered.

I heard a loud snort come from his nose before he waved a hand. "I am glad you are well, my sister. Especially after the tribulations your family has faced in recent years. Please, dispense of the formality until our council business begins, you are a guest in my home and I will not have it."

I lifted my ears and smiled, relaxing and folding my arms. "Thank you, brother."

"Tell me fox, when you exacted retribution upon the church in Moscow. How did it feel?" Ra's spoke the words curiously to me, folding his own arms.

"Ra's... she is not the one on evalu-" The sheep snapped her mouth closed as his large hand moved towards her in a gesture of silence. Lorelai scowled but held her tongue.

I frowned and gave a shrug. "If I'm being truthful? It filled me with joy and happiness to put them to the sword and burn their little cathedral to the ground. I only wish I could lay low scores more of them in retribution for our fallen brothers and sisters."

He grunted and rubbed his chin before pushing his palm over his large bald head. "I see that the decades have not quelled the madness in your heart for vengeance."

"What is the harm in taking pleasure upon the suffering of those that have wronged my family?" I showed my teeth in challenge, my tail cutting through the air in obvious agitation.

Lorelai spoke out to me sternly, "Sister, your words should be less-"

"Let her say her piece, Lorelai. I did welcome her into my home as a guest after all." The bull cut the sheep off once more. I saw the look of fury fill her eyes at being interrupted once more, but she simply clenched her teeth and looked away.

"I do not go out of my way to seek retribution and my lady is satisfied with the payment we enacted. I do not see the need for this dialog." I spoke the words pointedly and leveled the bull with a bored look.

"Because if you had it your way, you would be on a rampage right now." Ra's snapped the words out sharply at me, the first heat I had ever heard in his voice. "Know the difference between retribution and cruelty. I say it again, the day will come you will wish you had learned this lesson. Best to learn it now before then."

I clicked my tongue and jerked my gaze from his. "I thank you for your advice, my brother. I will try to calm my desires in the future."

"Can I talk now?" Lorelai spat the words out bitterly, her hands on her hips as she glared at the bull.

"Apologies sister..." Ra's bowed his head to the sheep.

"She doesn't stalk around the villa plotting death and dismemberment of the church. Her vengeance is not all-consuming, Ra's." Lorelai folded her arms as she grumbled the words.

"Well, the hour is nearly upon us. Let us talk more about this later." The bull gave the sheep another bow as one of the other lords arrived.

#

The evaluation was for a new member of Ra's house, back then the head of the council still held their own house, since travel was less simple and more time-consuming. The evaluation went off without a hitch and soon enough the other three lords had dispersed and it was just the three of us once more.

"Can I not convince you to stay the night, ladies? I feel crass to call you all the way here and not at least offer you lodging," The head of the council spoke the words as we moved through the grassy lawn of his estate towards the waiting carriage.

"Thank you old friend, but we have a vessel already chartered for Lisbon. I wish to let her see more of the Iberian coastline before we return to Ceuta," Lorelai spoke the words politely.

"Truly a shame, but I understand. Sarnai my sister, please do not think ill of my words earlier. I simply show concern for you, I have seen what an unchecked thirst for vengeance can do to someone." Ra's nodded to me and I slowly nodded back.

I gave the bull a smile and shook my head. "I am not upset, my brother. I do appreciate your concern and will strive to-"

None of us expected what happened next, there was a blast of bright light that erupted before the carriage. It reminded me of the sun and I felt myself grow sick before taking a knee. The steeds panicked and fled, drawing the carriage with them.

In my dizzy haze, I heard the bull roar out in pain. Lorelai was still on her feet, her teeth clenched in fury and I could see she struggled to maintain her position, her legs wobbling slightly. "Bastard!" The sheep spat out and I saw her cutlass draw from her scabbard before she blurred from my sight.

I tried to rise to my feet but the light had me paralyzed as my head spun and I threatened to vomit up the blood I had drank at the post-evaluation meal. My ears filled with the sound of clashing steel and scuffling before the light faded before us.

My vision cleared and I shook my head before climbing to my feet, the nausea passing. "My lady?" I barked out and looked to see Lorelai standing between Ra's, and two other figures. The bull had found his feet and drawn a large claymore that he easily held in a single hand like a longsword. A large wound was raked across his chest and I could see wisps of smoke coming from his body.

One of the two assailants I recognized. It was the platinum-haired fox from years ago. She now sported a pair of feathery wings on her back and her sword was held aloft over her head, her knees bent in an odd stance. I had never seen a sword like it before, it was curved and seemed to only be sharp on one side of the blade, certainly not the one she brandished half a decade past.

The other figure was obviously a male, he wore armor in a style I had never seen before. The chest was layered in plates of leather and silver with ornate shoulder guards and hip guards. The figure looked to be some sort of ram with large curled horns, and hair as jet black as my own.

He wore a well-manicured beard that came down several inches from his chin to a point and braided. The sword he sported was similar to Rachels but much larger to accompany his size, he was easily seven feet in height.

Shaking the daze off I drew my saber and moved to stand with my two kinsmen. "Rachel! Is this how you repay my lady's mercy?" I spat the words out towards the other fox, my tail thrashing about furiously.

"Sinners... you have caused enough death and destruction with your cursed existence." The large ram spoke the words, an odd draw to his dialect, his words sounding sharp and pronounced pointedly.

Ra's showed his teeth and dug his heels in. "Away with you two, this is not a fight we can win. I will stall them here."

"I will not leave you to die, Ra's!" Lorelai set her stance, bringing the cutlass upwards, resting the blade against her arm.

"That's right, brother... we stand together, and we die together, like family!" I barked the words and summoned my flames in a burst of black shadows. I saw both the fox and ram shift their gaze to me as the black wisps of flame rolled off my body.

"It means little, we would hunt you down. You went too far when you burned our sanctuary and attacked our clergy." The large ram raised his curved blade to point at Lorelai and then me as he spoke the words. I saw large white wings unfurl from his back and stand out sharply.

"They come!" Ra's spat the words as the fox and ram launched forward. I knew better than to square off with the ram, I could feel his overwhelming power, but I would be damned if I would let the fox get away with this betrayal.

There was a clash of steel as my saber met the curved foreign sword of the foxes as we met. "Sparing you was a mistake! I knew we should have taken your throat that night!" I snarled the words, black flames rolling off my blade as I struck out against the brown fox before me, driving her back from the melee between the other three.

"I am grateful! But..." She showed her teeth as I slammed by saber hard against her sword and we locked blades.

"But what? You bitch!" I barked in her face, my spittle hitting her cheeks as our weapons ground against one another.

The angel delivered a sharp booted kick to my hip and I barked out as I stumbled back, jerking my head away, the curved blade nearly coming down atop me. "I have no choice in the matter!" Rachel barked the words and brought her curved sword down once more.

I positioned the saber to deflect the blow and the moment the steel clashed, I grabbed her wrist. Twisting her wrist hard I gripped the pommel of the blade to disarm her. My teeth clenched and I yowled out as touching the blade sent pain through my hand. I bound several paces away, looking at my hand which was now smoking and looked blistered as if I had grabbed a blacksmith's iron rod straight from the forge.

Rachel set me with an apologetic look as she readied her stance. "Blessed silver, it will burn to the touch."

"Do not explain to her, you fool!" The ram snarled the words while dodging and parrying the claymore as well as the cutlass strikes that were raining down upon him from the two elder-vampires.

My ears filled with the sound of their struggle as Rachel gave me a shake of her head and sprang off her toes towards me. I widened my eyes in realization, the dog had no choice in the matter, he was compelling her. Our blades slammed into one another once more and ground there. The pain was influencing my grip as I held the saber with both hands, the silver blade inches from my face. It felt like it was alight with flames and it was as if I could feel heat radiating from it.

"D-Damn it!" I barked out as I rolled my blade, before tucking into a roll and pulling from the lock. The sword came down heavily in an overhead chop and I yelped as I jerked to the side to avoid the blow. She had me on the defensive now, I was having to retreat back with each exchange, drawing further from Lorelai and Ra's.

I felt panic start to fill me, she was my better now that my hand was injured and I knew it. Her sword was obviously designed for two-handed use, mine was not. Without full grip, her blade brought too much weight and power to parry it reliably. Our blades clashed and I rested the flat of the saber against my arm in an underhanded grip, my own blade digging into my flesh as my arm quivered from the brown foxes' strength. "I'm sorry, I am grateful..." Rachel whispered the words and I yipped before breaking from her.

I bounded several leaps away, panting and dragging my tongue over the large self-inflicted gash on my arm. The angel set her stance, her wings unfurling as she leaped straight up and took to the air.

"You're jesting with me, they can fly?! Of course they can, why am I surprised at this point!" I snarled the words as she set her blade and dove on me like a bird of prey. My eyes darted back and forth, I knew that much power coming from such a dive would shatter my sword. There was a reason birds of prey were such good hunters, I was in the open and she could easily adjust her descent to keep in line with me.

"Gods be damned!" I snarled and thrust my burned hand forward, summoning a gout of black flames that poured forth. I heard the other dog yelp out as my hellfire covered her as she came to bear upon me. I threw my blade up to take the blow and there was a violent clash of steel on silver.

I heard the steel whine and the pommel crack before I shifted myself at the last moment as the curved sword simply broke the blade off my saber. The angel brushed some black flames out on her leather armor, her wings looking singed and a few feathers still burning as she set her stance once more and showed her teeth in a growl.

With a grunt, I withdrew the large knife from my boot and set it against my wrist, hellfire pouring off me. "We're not done yet, bitch!" I barked the words and snarled as I lunged forward, tired of being on the defense.

The angel set her sword and struck at me but I blurred to the side of it, catching the base of the blade against the blade of my knife. Using my free hand I grabbed her by the throat and willed a gout of flames to pour forth. The hellfire burst forth all over the dog's face and head, rolling down her shoulders. My ears then lifted sharply as the sensation came again, it wasn't as strong as before but it still burned and ached.

"Wretched... argh! Just touching your lot is like quaffing poison!" I snarled the words as I pulled back, shaking my hand that had now been burned twice in this exchange.

Rachel snapped her wings out sharply as the flames faded, most of her platinum blonde hair and fur on her ears burned away, I saw her snarl before she set her stance once more. Her hair started to regrow before my eyes and the blisters of my fire healed on her flesh in real-time.

A little voice came to me as I swallowed hard seeing her ready her stance. Even with my hellfire, I couldn't beat her. It seemed like everything I had she healed or countered, I couldn't disarm her or even touch her. "Gods be damned..." I hissed the words and set my knife, my flames feeling weak from the long struggle.

"Again... I'm sorry." Rachel growled the words and lunged forward. I yipped and threw my knife up in a parry, the blades clashing as sparks filled the night air. Each blow made the blade groan and creak in my grip. It was a hunting knife and was never designed for this sort of combat.