Snow wolves were magical beasts known for being fiercely loyal to their own. They formed packs of up to twenty or thirty wolves, and lived by strict rules that allowed for order among their society. For this very reason, they were extremely sensitive to and unforgiving of any “outsiders” who might hinder their way of life or disturb the natural order of things.
“Snow wolves are beasts that gather in huge packs,” said Bjork. “The smallest disturbance to their delicate natural state of being can be the difference between life and death. That’s why they won’t stand for anything that bucks their trends. I reckon that’s what it was. This wolf here might have been one of their own, but if he presented even the potential of a threat, his pack would not have taken to him kindly.”
The vast majority of stray wolves were those who had been driven from their packs. The exact standards for expulsion differed from pack to pack, but this could range from personality issues disturbing pack dynamics to differences in physical appearance. It seemed likely that reasons like these were what had driven the snow wolves to tell Rurii, “That thing’s no snow wolf.”
“And just take a look at him,” Bjork said. “All the packs would have kept him at arm’s length, with that coat of his. And it would go a long way to explaining why he ended up living in Norrsken Mountain, which isn’t a particularly good place for snow wolves to live. If you were looking to stay away from snow wolf turf, it’s either Norrsken Mountain or the area around here.”
Considering the sheer number of snow wolves that existed throughout the forest, there must have been a significant number of variants. And if those variants were left wandering the forests in search of a place to call home, it was no wonder that these “Fenrirs” were spotted by people on a semi-regular basis.
Alec was silent for a long while. In the Fenrir, he saw something of himself and the suffering he’d endured as he struggled to grow accustomed to life among the nobility. He moved slowly closer to his new friend.
“You had it rough too, huh?” he said.
The purple beast let out a low growl and wagged his tail: “Oh, it wasn’t so bad.”
It was a moment between the two that Shiori didn’t want to intrude on, but all the same, she couldn’t simply leave her lover as he was, and so put a hand on his back.
“This decision is yours,” she said. “With all that’s on your mind, I think it’s best that you do what feels right.”
“I agree,” wobbled Rurii, patting his foot.
“Thanks,” Alec said, turning to them and smiling before once again facing the Fenrir. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but know this: You are not alone anymore. You can join us if that’s what you want. Shiori and Rurii, too, will be happy to have you. But if that’s not what you want, that’s also fine; if that’s the case, I’ll come here to visit you often. So, how about it?”
He posed his question in the form of two suggestions. But the answer was already clear; the Fenrir had willingly come out of hiding to find them, and had come this far following them without any resistance. From the very start, his intent had been to join them. And so, the Fenrir stepped forward and rubbed his nose against Alec’s cheek; that was his answer.
“So you’re coming with us, right?” said Alec, smiling.
Caspar, who had mostly been a spectator this whole time, snapped back to his senses.
“Look, I don’t mind you taking him with you...” he started.
“Oh, so you’re okay with it, then?” joked Alec.
“How could I not be, after all of this?” said Caspar with a wry chuckle. “Still, we haven’t confirmed exactly what the wolf is, and so we’re not in the clear yet. We knights can’t just give you a pat on the back and wish you all the best either. We need you to bind him to a magic contract; that’s our first condition. Then, once you’ve sent a report to us through your guild, you take your new friend to an expert and get him properly identified.”
Alec glanced at the Fenrir who, after a moment’s thought, woofed his response. He had needed to mull things over, but had ultimately agreed to abide by the human way of doing things. Caspar watched them, then turned to the village elder, who remained as still as a statue.
“Elder, please, get a hold of yourself. What about the village?”
“Oh,” he muttered. “Yes, yes indeed. Er, as long as there’s no harm to the village, then I don’t see any issues. I’ll inform the villagers myself, but I’d like to ask Bjork for his opinion too. What do you think?”
“I think it’s fine. The wolf’s not a threat. Yeah, the village was attacked by snow wolves in the past, but it was humans who shouldered the blame for that. As long as we don’t do anything stupid, nothing much is going to happen.”
His many years of experience were enough to convince the village elder.
“I reckon it’s fine to let people see the wolf,” continued Bjork. “All the fear and worry comes largely from the mystery—people not knowing what they’re dealing with. Any of the hunters will know at a glance that this fella doesn’t mean us any harm.”
“I’m not a big fan of turning the wolf into a model,” said Alec.
All the same, there was no getting around the Fenrir being eye-catching. If they were walking around with him, they were going to draw some stares. There was simply no getting around it. The wolf let out a soft growl, as if to explain that things hadn’t been any different even when he’d been living around magical beasts. And in the end, he had made the decision to live among humans; if he wasn’t going to be accepted by his own kind, he would make a go of things elsewhere.
Alec drew his sword from its scabbard and opened a tiny wound on his finger. The wolf then licked the blood that emerged from the cut. This act of exchanging a part of one’s self was the establishment of a magical contract, and for magical beasts, it was similar to marriage or the bond between parent and child. It indicated that the magical beast was willing to obey its soulmate, though in truth the two stood together as equals; after all, the magical being had to enter into the agreement and ingest the blood before any contract could be established to begin with.
Regardless of all of this, Alec and the Fenrir successfully sealed their friendship, the act of which was a kind of declaration of safety.
“As for a name...” muttered Alec. “Ah, yes. How about Violid? Vio for short.”
Violid was the name of a knight in an old Storydian fairy tale who was beloved by many. He was a man of royal blood who did not assume the throne, but rather devoted his life to protecting his home, where the snow violets bloomed.
“Not bad at all,” replied the wolf with a sideways glance.
“Ah, the snow violet knight,” remarked Caspar. “I see. A nice choice.”
“You might have a knack for this naming thing,” said Bjork. “It fits wonderfully with his regal aura and affectionate gaze.”
Violid seemed to enjoy the praise and compliments; he huffed proudly through his nose, then pressed it against Alec’s cheek as thanks. Just as they were about to leave the forest for the village, Vio turned to the forest and howled. It did so only once, but the sound of it echoed.
No reply came to the wolf who had been abandoned by his own kin. Instead, two young wolves appeared quietly in the distance—siblings, or perhaps friends. Shiori could not be certain which, but she saw something like familial love in their eyes. For a time the two wolves stared at Vio, but eventually one wolf left, and a short while later, the other did too.
It was a silent goodbye—no words were spoken.
“He may have been alone, but even then, there were those who understood him,” said Alec.