The Quest

"The first wilkolak," the guardian explained in his ear. He had crawled onto Tom's shoulders once more. "He searched me out after the High Priestess cursed him."

"What did he want?" Tom looked towards the cat. He grew up hearing about the first wilkolak, but there was only one story and they had never written it down. He wasn't even sure if he remembered it correctly.

"Looking for a cure to his curse. He felt it was unjust. Unfortunately, there was no way to reverse it right then and there. He needed to fulfill a debt before anything could be done." The cat batted at the ball, the image changed to show the wilkolak forcing his help on others. "He didn't understand how to repay the debt and his first transformation happened."

Tom continued to watch. The wilkolak transformed and was instantly consumed by bloodlust. Tom shivered. He had heard of the bloodlust as part of the transformations. His family, thankfully, had never been plagued by it. It was terrifying to watch. This man turned into a feral beast almost instantly. He howled in pain as the transformation broke his bones and replaced them to fit his new shape.

Tom couldn't imagine the fear that he had most likely gone through. Not knowing what was happening or how long it would last. He watched as the first wilkolak went to nearby forests, murdering entire clans of mythicals.

Finally, the first rays of light for the next day poked through the trees. He stopped ripping apart his newest kill as the rays splashed on his face. He slowly transformed back into himself, sobbing from the horrors of that night.

The orb flickered, then showed the man living in a cabin, a forest surrounding him. He looked out the window to see the rising moon. He clutched at his head as he screamed at the sky. Wishing for his life to end. He went into a rage in his confined space. The door locked from floor to ceiling to keep himself from hurting others.

"He finally got his rages under control." the cat brought Tom back from the horrors he was witnessing. The cat's tail tickled his nose. "Found a wife, had some kids, and they continued the line. They became known as protectors of the less fortunate. By doing this, the blood rages lessened until they were nonexistent."

"Wilkolaks fathered werewolves too." Tom wasn't sure if he wanted to know the truth about this one, either.

The cat nodded sagely. "The first bite victim... they no longer expand that way. There's enough of them to grow their numbers without hurting others."

Tom took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Why are you showing me this?"

"You need to know what you're leaving," the cat replied. "You came because you wanted to save someone... correct?"

Tom looked towards the yarn ball to see Tess cowering in a dungeon cell. Chained to a wall, as she cried his name. "Tess," Tom gasped, his heart speeding up at how scared she was.

"My, my, how she's grown since then," the cat chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Tom asked, not sure if he wanted an answer. The scene changed once more. Tess was walking down a cobbled hallway, slow and dignified. It took Tom's breath away at how graceful she was. Her hair was brought back into a loose, low bun gathering at the base of her neck. Her hair shimmered in the low light offered by the torches she passed.

She turned through a door and went into an outside courtyard and was greeted by a woman. They exchanged a quick embrace; the woman whispering something into Tess' ear. Tess looked into the distance to see another woman with an umbrella held open against the sun's rays. A troll standing underneath it. Tess looked back towards the woman, who said something else. Then pointed her outstretched hand towards the troll. No emotion on her face.

The troll watched the interaction, a brief look of fear on its face, then back to nothing. It wasn't able to do anything since there were no shadows to protect it from the sun. Tess closed her hand, staring at the troll, her lip trembling slightly. The umbrella closed in one swift motion. Tom gasped as the troll became stone. He kept watching Tess, hoping for any sign of remorse for her actions.

"Tess, no," he whispered in horror as she turned to walk back inside, her face unreadable. No emotions on her face to prove she regretted what she had done.

"This isn't the first time she's been told to do this," the cat purred into his ear.

Tom glanced towards the cat, then back at the ball. He turned it in his hand to see the courtyard was filled with similar statues of trolls. All ranging from emotions of terror to acceptance of their fate.

"I need to get her out of there," Tom finally gasped out, the last scene still churning in his mind.

"If you insist," the cat sighed, jumping to the ground. "I have one sword to give, but I need something of yours to bring it here."

"Anything." Tom fell to his knees in front of the cat. "I'll do anything to save her."

The cat regarded Tom for a few minutes before asking a question Tom never thought he would ever hear. "Even if it meant giving up your wolf?"

Tom seemed taken aback. "T-that's not possible."

The cat sat in front of him, tail curled around his front paws. "All curses can be broken once the debt is paid," the guardian purred, half closing his eyes. "Yours has been paid for a while now."

Tom hesitated, giving up his wolf? What would that be like? Did it matter? He finally lowered his head. "I will do anything to get Tess back."

"So be it," the cat nodded. "You'll need to transform. You won't need to undress because you'll never fully shift. I will transfer your power into the sword of the High Priest."

Tom licked his lips nervously. He didn't want to think the guardian was wrong, but he was still concerned he'd rip through his clothes.

"Tick tock, wilkolak," the guardian chided, watching him closely. "These offers only come once in a lifetime."

Tom nodded his head, taking a deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready."

The cat nodded, moving away a bit, then sat down. "Then shift," the guardian commanded, his voice booming all around the room.

Tom let out a cry as his body shifted before he had done anything. The previously still room now filled with a magical wind that picked him up and held him midair. Tom gritted his teeth, pressing his eyes closed as he felt his body shift, but it was pulling his wolf from him.

Starting at his feet and working its way up. Tom whimpered as his shifting seemed to get stuck halfway through. He opened his eyes a crack to see a wolf forming across from him in the whirlwind. He gasped as it moved up to his chest. A howl was ripped from his throat, the wolf across from him howling with him.

The whirlwind started spinning faster, the colors of the room blurring together. Tom felt his canines appear, then disappear, his vision blurring as he got dizzy. Everything was spinning too fast.

He was thankful when the whistling of the wind became a dull roar. Maybe his head would stop pounding. Finally, he was lowered back to the floor, exhaustion filling him. The last thing he saw was a sword hitting the ground near him as he laid his head down on the cold stone floor.

-----

Destru was in a tizzy when he found out Tom had gone to the flower fields with no one to help him. He insisted on going as soon as a few of his men had finished their late breakfast. He had marched directly to the fields, becoming irritated when he was stopped at the front gate.

It shocked him when Richard and Alestat showed up, helping them enter the fields. They rushed through the flowers when rumbling was heard coming from the middle of the fields.

"Richard, why are the flowers rumbling at us?" Destru hollered as he ran towards the sound. He knew deep in his gut Tom was the reason for it.

"The Hero's Dias appeared almost two years ago. The higher ups didn't want anyone to know," Richard panted as he attempted to keep up with Destru's long strides. "It sounds like it's ready to go back underground."

They ran in silence for a few more minutes, arriving at a large rocky hill. A cat was sitting on top of a flat rock, cleaning its ears. It looked up at the panting figures in front of it, paying no mind to Alestat, who was studying the hill as it shook.

"Well, it's about time someone came to pick up their dog," the cat spat, glaring at Richard. "Better hurry before he gets buried with the rest of this place."

"What do you mean?" Destru asked. He didn't see an easy way to get into the hill.

"The hero's weapon has been given out. This place will remain hidden until he has fulfilled the prophecy," the cat explained. His ears twitched in annoyance. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am off to find a better place to stay." With this, the cat hopped down and wandered towards the main gate of the fields.

"Richard, how do we get in?" Destru started pawing at the rocks, trying to find a door, or a secret lever.

"I'll get your dog," Alestat growled, rushing up the rocks to the top and jumping into a hole. He reappeared near Destru, an agonizing ten minutes later. Tom's unconscious body was in his arms, along with his sword.

Destru took Tom from the vampire, then jumped back as the rocks started moving back into the ground. A huge gaping hole left in its wake. "I'd hate to be the Gardener that has to fix that," Destru remarked, before looking at Tom. "Alestat, he appears to be missing his ears... where'd you leave them?"

"That's how I found him," Alestat sneered, before walking away. "It's not my fault you dogs can't keep track of your shifts."

"I should head back too," Richard fidgeted nervously. "Gotta report what happened and all."

Destru watched as Richard and Alestat left, looking down when he felt Rune tug at his coat. "Capt'n, is Mr. Tom going to be okay?"

"Lets get him back to the ship and we'll find out," Destru led the way back, his crew following him. Rune carried Tom's sword back with them, admiring the way it shone in the light.