Chapter 8- Atlas

**Atlas**

I hated horses. Not only did they smell, they were also a lot slower than me in my wolf form. We didn’t keep many of them, as they were hardly ever used. However, on rare occasions when we needed to stay human, they were the best option for travel. My wolf wasn’t happy that I wasn’t letting him out, but I didn’t have a choice. I clumsily saddled the black stallion. He almost appeared to be looking at me with the same apprehension I felt. I checked the packs, enough food for two people for a couple of days, supplies for the horse and some blankets. I sighed at the sword inside its sheath on my hip. If I wasn’t able to shift, it would be my only protection for the duration of my journey. I wasn’t a bad swordsman- it was a skill we practiced despite being able to deliver more damage in our wolf form. However, I still hoped there would not be a need to use it. I took a breath and reminded myself why I was doing this, and pulled myself up. One final check to ensure the strange pendant was around my neck, and I gave a light kick on the horses’ flanks to begin my journey. I had risen early in order to avoid being seen again. The feeling of the wind of my face was blowing the last remnants of sleep away. I realised that if she was the hybrid we were looking for, I would need to bring her back on horseback. I thought about getting another horse once I reached the village.

As I wasn’t in wolf form, I decided to take the main road. To get to it I had to travel a little way through the ancient forest. We had scouts posted all the time around our territory. Not only could we then ward humans away, we could also report any vampire or mage threats. As Beta, I knew when and where our scouts would be. I rode towards the area I knew would be clear. Although our senses weren’t as heightened in human form as they were in our wolf form, they were still superior to that of a normal human. I could hear the movement of every animal that was nearby. I could even smell them. I suddenly sensed a stag to my right. My wolf growled. He wanted to be released so he could hunt. As much as I wanted to submit to his will, I had to carry on.

I reached the main road without being seen by our scouts. From here the journey would be fairly boring. The main road had been built in open flat land, so the view was monotonous. I entertained myself by making up stories about the other people travelling on the road. It’s a game my mother had played with me when I was a child. We’d come out to the main road and we would bring something to eat and watch people go by.

I let my mind wonder while the horse galloped on. Before I knew it, I was stopping for lunch. I found a stream not far from the road to refill my water pouch and allow the horse to drink. I walked gingerly. I had forgotten how sore riding could be, another reason to avoid it wherever possible. I sat on the trunk of a fallen tree and ate the bread and cured ham I had bought with me while the horse, now fully refreshed by the stream, was grazing on the lush grass. I was making excellent time. I would be at her village before supper.  Just as I was packing up to continue on, I noticed another traveller in moss green robes. Clearly having the same idea, they had stopped to let their horse drink. They were quite far down the stream so I couldn’t make them out well, but I thought it was odd for the individual to have their hood up on a warm day.  I watched from the corner of my eye while half continuing to pack my things. My wolf stirred and I knew he had sensed something. I couldn’t work out if it was a feeling of threat or not. I decided that I needed to reach my destination as soon as possible, and got the horse ready to leave. When I turned around, the traveller was gone.

I arrived at the village a few hours later. It was much the same as any other human village, thatched roofs covering stone cottages, dirt tracks and an entrance leading to a market place. I dismounted my house. I caught a group of young women giggling and looking in my direction. I rolled my eyes but secretly enjoyed the attention. It was a shame I didn’t have time to indulge a little while I was here. In order to escape temptation, I stopped a man carrying a crate of vegetables to ask him where the inn was. “Just across the market, one ‘o the biggest buildings here” I gave my thanks and led the horse in the direction the man had pointed out. After passing the next few stalls, I discovered the inn. It was larger than the cottages, but was still made the same with stone and a thatched roof. It looked a little tired, and I could tell the roof needed repairing in places. It certainly would be an odd place to find a hybrid. I tied the horse to the post outside and made my way in. If I thought it looked tired outside, it certainly didn’t get any better inside. The place needed a good cleaning, and some of the tables and chairs had been crudely fixed with odd pieces of wood. I made my way to the bar where a grubby looking blonde girl stood leaning back and inspecting the filth under her nails. At my approach she looked up and smiled, making sure to lean over the bar so I could see her cleavage. “What’ll it be” she asked, giving me a look up and down and batting her eyelashes. “I’d like to see the owner”. The girl blinked “What business do you have with her?” “Business that I will only discuss with her” I replied flatly. Although originally charmed by my appearance, the girl was annoyed by my lack of willingness to flirt with her. “Who shall I say’s asking?” “Someone who will pay for her time” I replied. The girl gave me a final dismissive look, and turned to leave through a door at the back of the bar.

An even grubbier and disgruntled woman appeared from the back door with an odd body shape. She was short, with skinny arms, small bosoms and a large stomach. It was almost comedy like the way she shuffled forward. “My name is Gurtar and I own this inn, perhaps you’d like to tell me who you are and what you want”. I smiled and bowed my head “I will gladly tell you, however I would appreciate it if we could speak in private” I held up the purse with the gold in to indicate my ability to compensate her. Her interest instantly elevated by the promise of coin she motioned for her to follow me towards a door just off the bar.

Through the door was a small corridor, Gurtar pushed the first door on the left open to reveal a small parlour. She prompted me to take a seat on a wooden chair positioned near the fireplace. “Well?” she said, taking her own seat. I placed the purse on the table beside me. “My name is Atlas, I come from a town some miles from here and have been sent by my master to enquire about one of your servants, a girl, with dark hair. We believe she may have caused some trouble for you recently with one of your patrons some days ago involving a burn to his hand”. Gurtar narrowed her eyes “If this is some kind of threat to myself because of what happened I will be cutting this meeting very short”. “No it’s not a threat, my master isn’t concerned for the man, but the incident did bring the girl to his attention because of her description. My master believes she is a…” I hesitated, lying wasn’t one of my skills. “...distant relation, that was lost to the family some time ago and has sent me to find out if that’s the case” I noticed Gurtar’s face had turned from angry to amused. “If it is the same girl, I intend to take her back with me”. I stopped, waiting for Gurtar to make comment. Instead, she began cackling like a mad woman. “So…you think…” She was still laughing as she went on “...that dirty troublesome urchin is a long lost relative…of a man that clearly has enough money to send out muscle to retrieve them?” She continued to chuckle. “Well, you have at least made a dull day into a jollier one”. I smiled thinly. “That as it may be, I still need to meet the girl as soon as possible, I will of course pay for the time. And if she is the girl, I believe her to be, I will leave you with more than enough money to employ her replacement” Gurtar clapped her hands together “Well what a turn up, here’s hoping you take the brat off! I will fetch her”. And with that she disappeared out of the parlour. I could still hear her laughing down the corridor.