Seven Shards Chapter Teaser

The black haired figure approached the sod house circle, twin blades obviously strapped to his back,. He wore a sleeveless cloak with the hood pulled low over his face, but nothing aside from his blades and his second pair of ears marked him as anything more than an average Wylt traveler. His two pairs of wolf's ears were black with some red mottling to them, as was his longer than average tail. He stood a bit tall for an average Wylt, which drew the clan's suspicious gaze to the stranger's approach. In general Wulf-Wylt were not necessarily a suspicious folk, though they did tend to avoid those who were not their kind. Physical characteristics such as wolf ears and tails marked individuals as either Wylt or not Wylt. This stranger seemed to be both. Young hunters from the clan stopped their work to stare, and many reached for their weapons that lay close to hand. The stranger paid no heed to the actions of the young. He made his way toward the hut near the center of the circle, making a point of keeping his hood covering his face. As he started to pass the women of the clan some whispers were heard. This stranger covered his hands with gloves, yet he wore his swords so freely. Then there was the question of the blades. One young Wulf-Wylt child managed to break free from his mother's grasp and ran out in front of the stranger.

With the innocence of a child, and the bravery of one of the Wylt who had not yet been brought to heel, he looked up, meeting the stranger's eyes, “Sir, do you carry Seyli and Meris? Your swords look like the legends about the Dragon Blades.” With bravery the young boy didn't lower his gaze from the stranger, even though doing so was an offense with painful consequences.

The stranger smiled in the shadow of his hood and crouched down on one knee, so he was close to eye level with the boy. “Boy, you know of the legends of The Dragon Blades, eh? Then you know that only a dragon can wield them or gift them to another.” His smile touched his eyes and he reached out and ruffled the boy's ears and hair. “Watch carefully boy. Not many have seen what you will. Who is the head of your clan?”

At the realization that the boy was not going to end up getting struck for his actions, he stared at the stranger, beginning to be able to distinguish the features of his face. “The clan leader is Malrik, and he and his family live in the house in the middle, where all the warriors go to drink and eat.” The boy obviously believed that young men should be allowed to be there as well.

The stranger laughed, and ruffled the boy's hair again. “Your help will not go forgotten, my young friend. I should speak to your clan's leader. Go back to your games, but remember to listen to your mother. Not every traveler is as kind as I.” With out a glance backward the stranger strode confidently toward the middle hut with the now large group of warriors surrounding the entrance. Some of the younger hunters stood nearby, and the stranger smiled, hidden under his hood. They showed their hearts well, defending their clan leader with such intensity. The ruthless elves hadn't completely broken the spirit of the Wylt. He stopped half a pace away from the entrance to the hut and cleared his throat. “I wish to speak with your clan leader. My swords I shall leave in the care of the father of the young boy I spoke to.” His nose told him which of these warriors was the father of his young friend, and he set about unstrapping his blades from his back. Dragon blades were hard to come by. They were made from the shed feathers from dragons wings, and could cut through anything. They also were rumored to have special powers, but in his century of bearing his blades, he hadn't ever seen any special power that they held. Just that of being really well made weapons. He singled the seasoned warrior out from the rest of the group with his eyes, letting the male Wylt know he knew who he was, and who his son was. Wordlessly he extended his left hand, both blades and their sheaths to the senior warrior, who took them with a nod. Then the stranger turned and walked into the hut, and into relative darkness.