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Description
CHAPTER 1 DECEMBER ALONG TIME AGO...

The sky was a sheet of opaque powder grey that rolled like a cumbersome wave upon the shore. The folds of its belly dropped close to the ground leaving curtains of cold mist that obscured the passages in the forest. In the gap between the brush and trees trekked a lone pair of wolves. A mated pair alone in the wilderness, separated from their pack of tired knights in the mists of their exodus from the kingdom of Bells. A fierce storm brought blinding snow that caused them to disperse to take shelter. Despite the storm, this pair continued hoping to flee their once beloved homeland, now torn in two by war started by a merciless rebel. They made the decision together, to venture out alone and wait till the storm and the senseless fighting in their kingdom blew over.
Her name was Rose. She hadn't a care in the world; gobbling up mouthfuls of snow to keep her thirst satisfied and pouncing down burrowing mice to feed her hunger. She was far ahead of her mate Longfang, her legs were strong and the massive amount of snow was nothing to her. She was a particular breed of wolf; a descendant of a divine pack called the Xeratull. She had long flowing fur; white as the snow she ran through, but along her back was fur as red a blood, like a crimson cape draped over her.
Longfang lagged behind; a stubborn grey wolf he was. He was a Knight from the mountain kingdom of Beauroc. He suffered many wounds from his many battles he had fought; one of which took his right eye and his left arm. His remaining eye was as stale as a winter night; pale grey and nearly sightless, but wide open and ever searching. He could only see the world through shadows and the dull wintry sky covered most of the land in a hazy dusk that blurred his vision causing him to stagger into snow bank after snow bank, trudging through them like a stubborn mule. He had his head low over the ground; nose in the snow, picking up the smell of the enemy. He knew they were close.
"Rose," he called.
"Yes Darling?"
"you're making noise."
"I've not made a sound. Unless the mice are hard at hearing or they simply don't mind, I have had great luck catching them."
"Those wolves will hear you."
"Let them hear, the snow is deeper in the trenches in which they lie. By the time they get out, we will be gone." She dashed forward at the snowy wake of a snow hare that sprang from the snow bank. Her jaws clipped on the fur of his rump. She felt it kick and release and she watched it flicker away. She walked back up to join Longfang with a mouthful of white fur.
"Luck eh?" Longfang laughed.
"Darling,"
"Yes?"
"You're making noise." She bounded past him again leaving him silent. She lashed her tongue in and out to rid her of the rabbit's fur. Longfang returned his nose to the ground as she pranced about ahead of him.

They burrowed in the snow that night curdled around each other in the blackness of their burrow. The snow kept falling heavier and heavier as the moments passed. The snow served as a fine fortress. They were hidden by its depth and cozy in the warmth it stored. Longfang rested his muzzle on her forepaws and looked weakly up to her. It was too dark for his weak eye to see her, but he could sense her pain. A wave of fear rose up in him, but she soothed him with her warm tongue.
"We shouldn't have left." He whispered.
"We need to leave."
"Then we left too early."
"I'll be alright."
"You are not alright!" He stood up and snow spilled into their cavity. Rose flew up and bit him sharply on the nose.
"Stay down if you wish to live!" she hissed.
"They will not find us!"
"Hush down!" They both lay back down into their pit and waited silently. A low howl arose over the hills. Another followed, then another and another. Pairs of glowing eyes shown like beacons in the darkness as the light of the moon lit their suites of steel armor.
"Knights" Rose hunched down further into the pit. "Are they from Bells?"
"I can't tell, but their looking right at us."
"We can't stay here Fang!"
"Let me talk with them. I don't think they see you yet so run if something goes wrong. Run even if you get a scent of it!" Longfang crept slowly out of the pit and stepped cautiously forward.
"Halt!" Thundered a voice "Declare yourself."
"I'm Longfang from Beauroc. Royal Knight and refugee of Bells."
"Are you alone?"
" Yes."
"I smell a female."
" I was with one before I left. Did not know I had her scent still on me." Longfang's ears perked up and he took a step forward. "Simon?"
"What the hell are you doing out here?" The knight scoffed.
"We were our way to Beauroc to seek help for the war effort in Bells."
" We?"
"…Eh…yes…Rose is with me."
"You lied."
"Only to protect her Simon."
"It's Sir. Simon grey twig!"
"You still haven't forgiven me?"
"Why would I"
"That was years ago ya old foo-!"
"Shut you howler and bring Rose over here!" Long fang backed down with a wine and strutted back to the pit. Rose was lying at the bottom in a tight ball; frost forming on her eyelids and the steam of her breath was starting to freeze on her face.
"Get up." Longfang beckoned. Rose lifted her head slightly, but lay back down.
"Who are they?"
"It's Sir. Simon and some knights from Bells. They're here to get you safe."
"Were is safe?"
"Beauroc. I have friends there."
"Hidden?"
"It's in a mountain, too rugged for a wolf to travel on, but there's a hidden path we can take." Rose was silent for a long time, but she eventually gathered the strength to stand. She peered meekly up from the walls of the pit at the foggy eyes of Sir. Simon.
"Lady Rose," Sir Simon bent down into an elegant bow, "You're as beautiful as ever."
"But you're blind. How can you see me?"
"I don't need eyes to describe your beauty, for eyes can only see the what can be seen. My ears tell me your beautiful on the inside. Your heart so strong and your voice like a songbird…my lady, eyes would only cloud one's judgment of another, that's why I do not need them, not should any other gentle wolf in the world."
"You are always so sweet my dear friend." Rose walked up to him and greeted him with a nudge of her head against his chest.

Description
CHAPTER 1 DECEMBER ALONG TIME AGO...

The sky was a sheet of opaque powder grey that rolled like a cumbersome wave upon the shore. The folds of its belly dropped close to the ground leaving curtains of cold mist that obscured the passages in the forest. In the gap between the brush and trees trekked a lone pair of wolves. A mated pair alone in the wilderness, separated from their pack of tired knights in the mists of their exodus from the kingdom of Bells. A fierce storm brought blinding snow that caused them to disperse to take shelter. Despite the storm, this pair continued hoping to flee their once beloved homeland, now torn in two by war started by a merciless rebel. They made the decision together, to venture out alone and wait till the storm and the senseless fighting in their kingdom blew over.
Her name was Rose. She hadn't a care in the world; gobbling up mouthfuls of snow to keep her thirst satisfied and pouncing down burrowing mice to feed her hunger. She was far ahead of her mate Longfang, her legs were strong and the massive amount of snow was nothing to her. She was a particular breed of wolf; a descendant of a divine pack called the Xeratull. She had long flowing fur; white as the snow she ran through, but along her back was fur as red a blood, like a crimson cape draped over her.
Longfang lagged behind; a stubborn grey wolf he was. He was a Knight from the mountain kingdom of Beauroc. He suffered many wounds from his many battles he had fought; one of which took his right eye and his left arm. His remaining eye was as stale as a winter night; pale grey and nearly sightless, but wide open and ever searching. He could only see the world through shadows and the dull wintry sky covered most of the land in a hazy dusk that blurred his vision causing him to stagger into snow bank after snow bank, trudging through them like a stubborn mule. He had his head low over the ground; nose in the snow, picking up the smell of the enemy. He knew they were close.
"Rose," he called.
"Yes Darling?"
"you're making noise."
"I've not made a sound. Unless the mice are hard at hearing or they simply don't mind, I have had great luck catching them."
"Those wolves will hear you."
"Let them hear, the snow is deeper in the trenches in which they lie. By the time they get out, we will be gone." She dashed forward at the snowy wake of a snow hare that sprang from the snow bank. Her jaws clipped on the fur of his rump. She felt it kick and release and she watched it flicker away. She walked back up to join Longfang with a mouthful of white fur.
"Luck eh?" Longfang laughed.
"Darling,"
"Yes?"
"You're making noise." She bounded past him again leaving him silent. She lashed her tongue in and out to rid her of the rabbit's fur. Longfang returned his nose to the ground as she pranced about ahead of him.

They burrowed in the snow that night curdled around each other in the blackness of their burrow. The snow kept falling heavier and heavier as the moments passed. The snow served as a fine fortress. They were hidden by its depth and cozy in the warmth it stored. Longfang rested his muzzle on her forepaws and looked weakly up to her. It was too dark for his weak eye to see her, but he could sense her pain. A wave of fear rose up in him, but she soothed him with her warm tongue.
"We shouldn't have left." He whispered.
"We need to leave."
"Then we left too early."
"I'll be alright."
"You are not alright!" He stood up and snow spilled into their cavity. Rose flew up and bit him sharply on the nose.
"Stay down if you wish to live!" she hissed.
"They will not find us!"
"Hush down!" They both lay back down into their pit and waited silently. A low howl arose over the hills. Another followed, then another and another. Pairs of glowing eyes shown like beacons in the darkness as the light of the moon lit their suites of steel armor.
"Knights" Rose hunched down further into the pit. "Are they from Bells?"
"I can't tell, but their looking right at us."
"We can't stay here Fang!"
"Let me talk with them. I don't think they see you yet so run if something goes wrong. Run even if you get a scent of it!" Longfang crept slowly out of the pit and stepped cautiously forward.
"Halt!" Thundered a voice "Declare yourself."
"I'm Longfang from Beauroc. Royal Knight and refugee of Bells."
"Are you alone?"
" Yes."
"I smell a female."
" I was with one before I left. Did not know I had her scent still on me." Longfang's ears perked up and he took a step forward. "Simon?"
"What the hell are you doing out here?" The knight scoffed.
"We were our way to Beauroc to seek help for the war effort in Bells."
" We?"
"…Eh…yes…Rose is with me."
"You lied."
"Only to protect her Simon."
"It's Sir. Simon grey twig!"
"You still haven't forgiven me?"
"Why would I"
"That was years ago ya old foo-!"
"Shut you howler and bring Rose over here!" Long fang backed down with a wine and strutted back to the pit. Rose was lying at the bottom in a tight ball; frost forming on her eyelids and the steam of her breath was starting to freeze on her face.
"Get up." Longfang beckoned. Rose lifted her head slightly, but lay back down.
"Who are they?"
"It's Sir. Simon and some knights from Bells. They're here to get you safe."
"Were is safe?"
"Beauroc. I have friends there."
"Hidden?"
"It's in a mountain, too rugged for a wolf to travel on, but there's a hidden path we can take." Rose was silent for a long time, but she eventually gathered the strength to stand. She peered meekly up from the walls of the pit at the foggy eyes of Sir. Simon.
"Lady Rose," Sir Simon bent down into an elegant bow, "You're as beautiful as ever."
"But you're blind. How can you see me?"
"I don't need eyes to describe your beauty, for eyes can only see the what can be seen. My ears tell me your beautiful on the inside. Your heart so strong and your voice like a songbird…my lady, eyes would only cloud one's judgment of another, that's why I do not need them, not should any other gentle wolf in the world."
"You are always so sweet my dear friend." Rose walked up to him and greeted him with a nudge of her head against his chest.