There's a Change in the Air

No sooner had the two wolves agreed to leave and had turned to do so, a strong gale whipped across the plains, bending every blade of grass and forcing Artorias to brace himself against the force of the wind. He grit his teeth and held his ground, trying to use some of his bulk to shield Bowen while he fixed his steely gaze out across the plains. An unnatural sound rang out from seemingly nowhere and everywhere, a groan unlike anything the young alpha had ever heard before in his short life. Although it struck icy terror into his heart, Artorias continued to keep his ground, pressing back into Bowen to guard and reassure her. His eyes frantically scanned the plains as shadows seemed to stretch across them from all directions. The world felt like it had been killed and reanimated into something most sinister—and it was coming for them.

Bowen's cry to run was all Artorias needed to turn tail and bolt back to the castle. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, which thanks to his rigorous training routines was fast. Bowen could outpace him though, her slender frame and long legs carrying her like coppery lightning across the plains, but she never pulled ahead of him. Artorias raced across the grass as close to Bowen as he could, hovering just slightly behind so he could make sure she got to the castle first. If anything was going to try and take them from behind, he was going to meet it head-on to give his sister a chance to escape. Another gust of wind pushed into their flanks like a demonic breath. Artorias didn't dare look back, too afraid of what he might see. The image of the ghostly white wolf burned in his memory mocked him, and the last thing he wanted was to turn to see it again.

Faster and faster the pair of wolves ran, outpacing the darkness as the castle drew larger and larger the closer they got. The darkness didn't fade though, if anything it only grew more oppressive. Just when Artorias began to fear that perhaps they had slipped into some sort of nightmare realm, the siblings reached the castle gates, and when they ran through them, the world was normal once more. The sky had returned to its normal galactic night canvas, the sound of crickets chirping filled the air, and only the smell of nearby sea salt and fresh florals from the gardens could be detected. Artorias slowed his pace and glanced back at the gate, leering hard out at the quiet nighttime plains just beyond. Gathering up his courage and swallowing the lump in his throat, Artorias cautiously made his way back to the gatehouse, stepping through the archway to peer outside and... saw nothing. The world had once more returned to normal, with only the distant glow of those strange fireflies hovering over the distant fields.

Artorias shook his head and backed away inside the sanctuary of the castle once more. No way in hell he was setting foot outside the walls again tonight. He turned and went to follow Bowen inside. He didn't think he'd be getting much sleep tonight, but maybe he could convince Bowen to snuggle in front of the fire with him while the two came down from their terror-fueled adrenaline high. Of one thing he was certain: he could never tell anyone what he saw on the plains tonight.

"Artorias Carpathius"