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[Back to the Stories page]
Twins
By Curtis Eckerman
They watched him carefully. The two sets of eyes circled the sleeping
man from afar sniffing the air for any sign of danger. This was
very unusual. Normally only the boldest of adventurers ventured
into the forests north of York but even they did not come alone,
not even in the daytime. The stories of the cult of the goddess
Rheda made sure of that.
The man laying in the small clearing was older and slightly scruffy
looking. His attire was that of a merchant. He did not carry a
weapon save the dagger tucked into his belt and was traveling
light suggesting that he had come from nearby, most likely York
itself. He did not pose a threat to anyone out here except maybe
to himself.
Both creatures watching the man kept their distance and kept their
senses open. Despite their heightened awareness they were startled
by the silvery feathered bird as it alighted next to the man.
Intelligent eyes peered over furred muzzles as they witnessed
the man awaken and attempt talking to the bird. What followed
was strange but then again that was expected in these woods. For
a while it appeared as if the interaction was over when the bird
left but it came back shortly with several different colored stones
in its beak. In exchange the man gave the bird what smelled like
cheese.
The merchant was obviously happy at receiving the colored stones.
He kept fondling them and holding them to his ear as he headed
back to York. Had he known of the two large dark colored wolves
following him through the forest, he might not have recognized
them as the guardian angels they were. Once the merchant reached
the outskirts of the city the wolves headed back to the cover
of the forest. The night was beginning and their work was just
beginning.
Their names were Edan and Egon. They are what the locals referred
to as shapeshifters. To them and those that share in their "condition",
they are nature's warriors. This has never been more true than
now as more and more of the cult's creations were wandering the
forest. As humans Edan and Egon are identical twins. They both
stand tall at 6'4" and wear their long black hair pulled tightly
behind their heads. About the only thing that didn't change when
they changed into wolves were their yellow eyes. As wolves they
are unusually large canids with a thick gray coat of fur highlighted
by silver hair.
Edan and Egon were taught early on in their life to hide their
strange ability to change into a wolf. Their parents were shapeshifters
too and knew all too well the unreasonable fear people had of
things that they did not understand. The twins never really knew
why or how they had this gift. They had always just accepted it
as part of their life but understood somehow that with this ability
came great responsibility.
Eventually someone did find out causing them all to flee to the
safety of the woods.
Living in the woods was exciting for the two young boys because
they were free to be their true selves. For them it was a time
of discovery and adventure. Despite their seclusion, Edan and
Egon's parents taught them how to interact with people, how to
survive and how to fight. Other shapeshifters eventually joined
them in the safety of the woods. These were friends of theirs
from the city who were becoming increasingly uncomfortable and
threatened by the attitudes of their neighbors and feared being
discovered themselves. There were many more like them in the city
and surrounding villages but because it was not something discussed
openly even among close friends, many remained in hiding without
knowledge of those in the woods.
Up until a few years ago their existence was relatively peaceful
but then the strange creatures started appearing. They were terrifying
abominations; part human, part animal, completely unnatural. Edan
and Egon's first experience with these creatures was on one of
their excursions into the city of York.
Occasionally they had to go to the city for supplies and that
night they traveled under the disguise of traveler and his pet
wolf. They traveled this way often because they found that it
gave them the advantage in certain situations and it was comfortable
because they could trade off being the wolf without raising any
suspicion. On that particular night, as they reached the outskirts
of town near the temple of Rheda they were attacked by what they
thought was another wolf. They were not caught off guard because
of their superior senses but once the creature was subdued they
realized the horror in what had occurred.
That would not be the only night they would encounter these creatures.
The majority of them were mostly animal but there was always a
human quality to them with some of them having more human qualities
than animal ones. It didn't take long for them to find out that
this was the doing of the priests of Rheda. These were powerful
people and one didn't just walk up to one of them and pull a dagger
on them.
The small community of shapeshifters began forming organized watches
and patrols for these creatures. As the sightings and encounters
became more frequent it was evident that something was going to
have to be done about these creatures but it wasn't until their
parent's were killed by one of these abominations that Edan and
Egon vowed to rid the forests of them. Their parents had been
surprised by a large number of these creatures one morning in
the shapeshifter community. Most of the man-beasts were killed
in the struggle but not before they killed several of the other
shapeshifters. Edan and Egon were not there that morning and were
instead scouting an area where a sighting of a large bear-like
creature was rumored the night before. Those left alive scattered
for a time but regrouped months later realizing that they stood
a better chance working together. Edan and Egon never fully rejoined
the others.
It has now been several years since the passing of their parents.
Every night they patrol the woods for those unholy creations that
only a human without an appreciation for life could create. For
the most part they travel together alone but will occasionally
spend nights with the others when they want to report news or
catch up with their friends. Eiala has done an admirable job of
organizing the remaining members of the small community into a
force to be reckoned with. She had been a good friend to their
family and felt a responsibility to the boys but realized that
she couldn't keep them from seeking revenge.
Today rumors of a rather large ox-beast had brought them out to
where they found the merchant asleep. They had found signs of
a large cloven-hoofed beast in the area, concentrated around the
tower nearby, and were extremely alert. This also prompted them
to watch the merchant because the creature might try to attack
this easy target. Fortunately, for the merchant it did not appear.
Edan considered giving the merchant a scare on the way back to
town just to make the man think twice before wandering out alone
in the forest. However, in wolf form he would not have been able
to communicate his intention clearly and his brother might have
mistaken the display for the real thing and killed the man outright.
After seeing the merchant safely to town the two wolves turned
back to the forest and headed back to the tower. Edan was the
first to shapeshift to his human form. His features were bare
for an instant as his clothes and leather armor also reformed.
His quarterstaff now in hand he whispered to Egon, "The gods just
seem to smile down on some people."
It took Egon a moment to respond as he transformed. "I know, that
man is lucky to be alive, did you see those tracks at the tower?"
"Yes, this is a new one. I wonder what they have done to some
poor human this time? I wish we knew how to stop the whole thing."
"For now we can only take it one creature at a time."
"That might be a problem tonight."
Egon frowned slightly with a questioning look, "Why is that?"
"Did you notice the other tracks as well?"
"I didn't see any other tracks but a couple of times I smelled
a cat of some sort. It was an almost familiar smell."
"Well whatever it is, it is clever. It used the tracks of the
larger beast to hide its own."
"By the gods, I hate killing the ones that have a lot of human
in them yet."
"But they are the most dangerous. Besides think of how many of
them have thanked us for it with their dying breath."
This was certainly true. Many of these abominations seemed almost
happy during the final moments of life. Several of them had in
fact thanked Edan and Egon for ending their misery.
"How do we approach it tonight, brother?"
Edan thought about it a moment, this was going to be tricky because
they didn't know what to expect. "Well first we'll have to change
again. We are way too loud as humans and not to mention slow.
Our senses are much better as wolves too so I think that is how
we will have to find them. We should spread out but no more than
30 paces until we get to the tower."
"Then let's find these damned things."
Edan sighed heavily. "Before we go though, Egon, I think you should
know that I think those other tracks were made by Feala."
"What!? That can't be. She hasn't been seen in months and she
would never become part of this."
"I know, I know, but the tracks do not lie. For the most part
the second pair of tracks I found were cleverly masked but in
a few of them I thought I saw her distinct scar mark."
"Then if it is her then she must be hunting the large creature."
"That's what I thought at first but in several places there is
clear indication that the two were traveling together."
"I hope you are wrong, brother."
"I do to."
Feala was a shapeshifter too that was around their own age. She
could transform into a puma [pumas sightings are still reported
in England today] with all the hunting skills of an entire pack
of wolves. She had disappeared from the small community led by
Eiala a few months ago and was feared dead. Rumor had it that
she had fallen in love with a young priest, named Cartogan, but
was forced to flee to the woods when friends of the priest found
out about her abilities and their relationship. She found the
others and recognized some of her friends from years past among
them. She stayed with Eiala and the others but would leave for
days at a time presumably meeting with her lover. At the beginning
of last season her lover disappeared which drove Feala to the
brink of insanity. The worst part was that the Rhedan priests
were supposedly responsible for his disappearance. When she herself
disappeared it was assumed that she had gone to exact revenge
for her lover and was killed for her efforts.
The thought of Feala alive gave Edan a shudder, he was fond of
Feala but was also aware of her skills in a fight. He was also
not looking forward to the possibility of having to face her,
one of his own. He was certain it was her because of the scar
she had on her left front paw (hand) that she had received in
an escape attempt from York. He just hoped there was an explanation
for it all.
The twins picked up the trail back at the tower and followed it
deep into the forest. They were able to travel quickly and quietly
and it was not long before the trail was noticeably fresher. A
new scent also traveled on the air, smoke from a campfire.
Edan quickly transformed calling to his brother in as loud a whisper
as possible. Egon came bounding over silently, effortlessly. As
Egon transformed Edan whispered in a low growl, "What kind of
idiots would make camp here? We are not even close to the road."
Once Egon's vocal chords reshaped he replied, "The beasts' trail
leads right to it."
"I know. If they are not dead then they soon may be."
"That depends on how many of them there are. They must have come
in from the opposite direction because I did not see any signs
of them."
"Nor did I."
Just then the night silence was shattered by the bellow of a strange
creature and the shouting of several men. They were not far away
and both men leaped into the air transforming in mid-stride to
race to the scene.
It took a little over a minute to reach the small clearing where
the soft glow of a failing campfire could still be seen. They
approached the clearing cautiously. There was no more yelling
but there was the sound of movement. What they saw startled both
of them. Four men lay in a heap next to the fire. They were well
equipped and even still had their armor on but they were lifeless
now piled up like so much fire wood. Standing over them was a
creature of immense size. It reminded them of the stories of Minotaurs
they had heard from their parents. In those stories it was just
myth but this seemed to be a reincarnation of those nightmarish
images that their boyhood imaginations had conjured up. However,
this beast was definitely a Rhedan creation. It was misshapen
in places and gave the image of being pieced together. It's lower
torso was that of an ox but had patches of what looked like human
skin on it. It walked on four powerful legs all ending in deeply
cleft hooves. It's upper torso was that of a man, a powerfully
built man. The human-like arms that extended from his upper torso
ended in long, worn claws. Makeshift armor covered the upper torso
of the beast but was hardly noticed once one looked upon the head.
The head was that of a magnificent bull. It actually appeared
too large for the massive upper torso. Despite the overwhelming
number of animal elements in this creature it worked with a human's
intelligence and awkwardness.
The fight was over hardly before it started and before Egon and
Edan even had a chance to help. Now they just watched for awhile
as the creature piled up the bodies. The men that were killed
looked to be mercenaries. They were lifeless now but there did
not appear to be any blood on them. Presumably the creature had
crushed the life out of them. There were four of them. There was
no sign of Feala.
Egon walked out first into the clearing. Their pattern of attack
was to have one show himself while the other could enter into
the attack at an unsuspecting moment. This was very effective
against opponents who outmatched them or were too confident. Egon's
silent approach went unnoticed by the creature but not by Feala
who stepped out of the shadows in her human form.
"And which one might you be? Where is your brother?"
The sound of Feala's voice startled the creature who dropped one
of the lifeless men onto the pile. He turned to face Egon.
Egon just glared at Feala and growled. He was glad that his countenance
as a wolf was unable to show surprise and dismay at seeing her.
Feala continued. "I know your brother is with you, where is he?"
Edan calmly made his way into the clearing next to his brother
adding his own low growl to his brother's.
"I am sorry that it has to be this way. This is a battle that
you cannot win. You may surrender now and you will not be harmed
as my prisoner or you may die now."
Edan raised onto his hind legs as he transformed into his human
image. Egon followed suit.
"What is this, Feala?", Edan demanded.
"It is complicated, but then again you are in no position to be
demanding answers from anyone."
"That 'thing' may be big but he is no match for the two of us",
Egon added.
Just then the pile of lifeless bodies came to life, standing up.
The four men grabbed their weapons, spears, lying next to them
and stood in a battle ready stance.
"So this was a trap all along", Edan said half to himself.
"You are a traitor!", Egon shouted furiously.
The calm in her voice was unnerving. "I am just trying to survive
and regain what is mine. Now enough of this. Do you surrender
or do you die?"
"We are surprised you even had to ask", Edan said with a smile.
Without ceremony, the two tall twins ran at the mercenaries. Their
main concern was having such a large adversary at their back and
the best way to prevent that was to put these mercenaries between
them and the beast. The mercenaries were well trained but they
were prepared to battle large wolves, not a pair of weapon wielding
mad men. The first exchange found two men without their weapon
in hand and two of them on their back as Egon and Edan used very
similar moves to disarm one man and sweep the legs of a second.
The large bull beast moved in more quickly than expected but had
trouble maneuvering past the fallen mercenaries and ended up stepping
on one of them sealing his fate as the cloven hoof penetrated
the lower abdomen of the fallen man.
Feala was taken aback at their boldness. She had never actually
seen them working together. They were a magnificent pair to watch.
In her heart she was proud of them but she could not let her feelings
for them as friends stop her. She had made a deal with the devil
and there was no turning back now. However, as bold as she had
been in approaching the Rhedan priests, she was not stupid. She
knew that if Edan and Egon had overcome the beast then there was
no way she could stop them herself even in her powerful animal
form. She quickly transformed and left the clearing.
In just a few short seconds one mercenary lay dead and the other
three lay in heaps unconscious from the rapid, powerful blows
of a quarterstaff. The twins now faced the beast who was enraged
at his failed attempts to reach the twins.
"We are obviously quicker than this guy but if he ever gets a
hold on one of us then we are done for."
"Not to mention, its going to take hours to beat this thing to
death", Egon added.
"You keep him occupied, I have a plan."
"What is it?"
"No time to explain."
Edan quickly ran out of the clearing. At first Egon thought he
was going after Feala who seemed to have disappeared but that
quickly left his mind as the creature turned to the fleeing Edan
leaving an opening. Egon struck. It was a powerful blow to the
neck but only succeeded in obtaining the creature's full attention.
He hoped Edan's plan worked because he could only dodge this thing
for so long.
Once Edan reached the forest he doubled back around the clearing
making sure to watch for signs of Feala. All he needed was for
her to surprise him from behind. Now back in his wolf form he
could smell the blood in the camp something that he should have
noticed the lack of before. He reached the edge of the clearing
again closest to where the fallen mercenaries were. He watched
as Egon dodged the powerful claws of the Rhedan creature. Egon
managed to break a couple of fingers of the creature but that
only seem to enrage the creature more. Finally, Edan saw his chance.
Egon had seen Edan and maneuvered the monster's attention so that
its back was to Edan. Edan struck. He ran into the clearing transforming
into his human image and grabbed one of the spears lying on the
ground. It was hard to tell where the heart might be in this creature
but he guessed that it was most likely in the upper torso. He
charge the creature from behind slightly to the right and rammed
the spear up into the upper torso beneath the ribs and under the
armor driving it deep into its body.
The creature bellowed loudly which quickly changed to a gurgling
sound as blood rushed into its throat from its lungs. It grasped
at the spear but its sudden weakness caused it to topple onto
its side driving the spear through his torso further until it
reappeared between its ribs on it's left side. Edan jumped back
just in time to avoid being crushed by the massive creature. A
few more gasps for air and it was over.
"Wow, that was incredible", blurted out Egon.
"It's not over yet. Those men can wake any time now and we have
to make sure that there are not others. I will go and check the
perimeter for other surprises and see if I can find Feala's tracks."
"Yeah, she sure did leave in a hurry. I still can't believe she
would have anything to do with the Rhedans. Do you think this
has anything to do with the disappearance of her lover?"
"I would stake my hide on it."
Edan searched the perimeter and finding no one else he searched
for Feala. Egon busied himself stripping the mercenaries of their
armor and tying them up. He was not in the business of killing
humans and wasn't about to start now.
Edan reappeared into the clearing, "I found Feala's trail. We
might be able to catch her if we hurry."
"I don't think so, brother. She is faster than us and besides
we have a few loose ends to tie up here. I think more importantly
we need to take this armor and these weapons back to Eiala and
warn of Feala's treachery."
"Yes, you are right. What do we do with these men?"
"Nothing. I seriously doubt that they will return to the Rhedans.
Their failure here will surely mean that they will turn out to
be something like our large friend over there. If they are stupid
enough and do return then that will tell the priests that they
have underestimated us. That serves our purpose too because I
am thinking it is time to step up our plans a notch and deal with
the Rhedan priests head on."
"I just wish Feala wasn't involved."
"There may come a time when one of us has to kill her. We must
be ready for that."
The loud bellow coming from behind her made her glad that she
had left immediately and not hung around. This was going to be
bad for her. However, the loss of the mercenaries would hardly
be noticed and the fact that she now had valuable information
about what they were up against would keep her alive another day.
She had to stay alive. This was the only way she was going to
save Cartogan.
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