A fountain of blood painted the river a gross scarlet. Ffion had to wipe the gunk from her eyes. When she could see, she found a knife embedded in the fox's chest. The beast recoiled, abandoning Ffion and staring at a new threat. A deep guttural growl came from the orange titan. The giant dug its paws into the gravel on the riverbed. This was its territory, and it would be surrendered to no one.
"Disobedience is an indication of poor training. That old hag did nothing to curb your feral tendencies, Royce." A man stood at the water's edge. He had a deep voice, with the stern inflection of an old school headmaster. He was tall and slim. Tousled black hair fell over his large round-rimmed glasses, which he removed, folded, and slipped into the pocket of his purple button-up. With little worry for the monster in front of him, he took the time to roll up his sleeves and wipe the mud from his slacks and shoes. "Hate it here," he tsked, "Royce, come here dog, I'm not getting in the water."
A sinister growl came from the fox as it advanced, entirely ignoring Ffion, stepping over her. Its steps sent wild ripples across the water. It hunched its shoulders and prepared to pounce. The man showed no fear. Really, he showed no emotion at all.
"Who are you?" Ffion asked as she slinked to the shore. She crawled onto land by the man's legs. She made no effort to cover herself.
"Malcolm Iva, of the Royal Titanium Knights, and you better scurry away, bounty hunter. This place is not for you, as evident from your situation." He looked down on her, scoldingly.
"Titanium Knights?" Ffion muttered. She had heard the legends, but she didn't know they were real. They were elite, beyond human soldiers, bred and built to annihilate any monster under the sun. They were the apex predators of the world. And here one stood before her, staring at her as if she were a slug.
"Move," he ordered. With his foot, he placed it on her backside and pushed her away. Crawling on all fours, Ffion was forced to scamper away, leaving the knight to his work. She saw her cloak hanging from a tree, and quickly went to retrieve it, securing her modesty before the elite soldier.
Meanwhile, the fox had accepted Malcolm's challenge. It sprang into a terrifying lunge. Launching from the river, it flew towards the unarmed man. He did not flinch. He did not retreat. He did not react at all, until the very last second. Cold fearlessness dictated his every move. The man was the personification of steel. Outstretching his hand, Malcolm caught the beast by the snout, using the fox's momentum against it. He twisted his nose, breaking it, and jammed his other hand into its ribs, throwing it to the ground. With a heavy thud, the fox crashed to the ground, shaking the earth.
Ffion watched as the man stood over the beast she failed to triumph over. Not a spec of dirt covered the well-dressed knight. With a foot on its neck, Malcolm leaned his weight on the fox. The monster spasmed. Hair retracted into its skin. The claws faded back into fingers. Beast became a man once again. The naked red-haired human laid curled up under the knight's boot.
"There we go," Malcolm muttered, "I prefer your better half, Royce."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Iva," Royce muttered, trying to climb to his feet. Malcolm wouldn't let him. "I was scared, and-"
"Save it," the knight glared down at the man with little mercy. "You've been gone for three weeks, you know that?"
"What? No, I just went out to-"
"You telling me I'm wrong?"
"No sir, Mr. Iva."
"Your feral side got the better of you. As you always do. You need to train that hound."
"I turned back before, I was going to go back, but she scared me." Royce pointed right at Ffion. "She was hunting me. I panicked."
Malcolm glanced at the mercenary. "Come here, what's your name?"
"Ffion." She hesitated before approaching the man. A chill ran down her spine when she looked at the man. There were monsters, and then there were men like that.
"Give it," Malcolm outstretched his hand.
"What?"
"Your clothes, give them to me, you came here into the Weirdward Woods unprepared and look where it left you. I don't know if you're brave, stupid, or insane. Maybe all three. But I cannot look at you without being disgusted. You're just as much an animal as he is. Animals don't need clothes. Give me the cloak, you have it back when I see that you're trained."
Ffion grabbed the shoulders of her cloak. She entered these woods fully stocked. Armor, arrows, weapons, and more. Now all she had was scraps sewn to leaves. "And if I refuse?"
"Disobedience will be met with severe retribution," Malcolm stepped forward, getting in Ffion's face. He leered down on her, eyes piercing into her soul. He grabbed the cape and tore it in two, ripping it away from her body and onto the ground. Now she had absolutely nothing. "On your knees, now girl. You too Royce. Head towards the ground, bottoms up."
Royce listened without comment or resistance. He bent over, pressing his face into the mud. Ffion laid next to him, copying his pose. Her heart raced. Excitement and fear coiled. What would this royal knight do to her? What was a royal knight even doing in a place like this? She submitted herself entirely to his authority.
Smack! Malcolm's hand whipped her ass. A sharp pain went right through her as she held back a moan. Then he did the same to Royce. The red-haired man did not hold back, a loud moan escaped his lips. A drop of drool ran down his cheek.
"Thank you, Mr. Iva." He said, on cue.
Malcolm spanked Ffion again, harder. Then again, and again.
"Thank you, Mr. Iva." Ffion copied. Her breath was quick and heavy.
"I have trained soldiers, horses, and dogs. The key to this is discipline, something you two clearly lack. I intend this to mend this error in your conviction." He picked up a long slim branch, and used it on both Ffion and Royce at once. They gasped in unison.
"First, you Royce."
"Yes sir?" Royce lifted his head, but Malcolm used the weight of his boot to push him back down to the ground.
