The second Arabella left, Gwen and the wolf jumped back from each other and started to pace.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7gDISbxuR
The wolf slightly growled, and Gwen held her shield-like mirror at the ready. "Why do I keep running into you?" she asked, "Why don't you be like any other wolf and run away to your pack?" What Gwen didn't know was that this wolf did not have a pack. He was alone, much like how Arthur was alone when she met him. In fact, the wolf was heading somewhere else when the imp-like creature pulled him out from hiding to come meet her. Unfortunately, it looked like he did not want to be as friendly tonight as he was that morning. The entire time he paced in front of Gwen, he growled deep in his throat and showed his teeth. Slightly nervous, she pushed the reproduction further out and asked,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufnGCLjx0K
"Wh-Why are you st-still here?" in a shaky voice, "Look, I don't know what that imp means by 'the children of destiny' and those 'who come from an Arabian past,' but I can assure you that you are not a child. If there is one child of destiny here, it's me." Woof. That was a little harsh.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo4ha34mi5
Gwen's words offended the wolf. If she was the only child of destiny, then why did the imp pull him aside too? Right here, he concluded that Gwen may actually be a little selfish. Continuing to growl, he edged closer to her with his lips curled to show off his fangs.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuVkrH3tf3
At the sight of them, she gulped and stepped away, "Stay back. Please don't call your friends." She felt her heart rate increasing, and sweat trickled down her temples. Please don't have another panic attack. Please don't have another panic attack, she begged in her mind. The wolf noticed her rising anxiety and seemed to laugh. What a coward. Gwen continued to retreat away from him, but then her back hit a tree, and she gasped. She was too frightened to move. It looked like the wolf wanted to sink his teeth into her skin. She wondered what she tasted like but shivered when terrible thoughts came to her mind. She expected for the beast to maul her, but he didn't. Instead, when he reached her, he plopped down on his backside and sat as tall as a king in front of her. He stopped threatening the girl with his teeth and panted. It almost looked like he wanted to smile.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWKakTAJ0P
Gwen had no idea why this wolf wasn't attacking her. He was a wild animal. Or was he? She didn't know who was more mysterious: him, Artie, or the imp. It truly had been a strange day for Guinevere Emberblight. With her shield-like mirror still in her hand, she got down on the canine's level and set her book on the ground.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwXnqPuqhK
The wolf's tail started to wag, and noticing this, she asked, "Wait a minute. Do you like me?" What a dumb question. Did a wolf like a human girl? I don't think so. Although, Gwen felt a little more comfortable around him now, and she even went as far as tossing her mirror aside where it joined her Legends of Irodia book. Now knowing that she wasn't going to attack him, the wolf hopped to his feet and picked up a stick. He gave her the puppy dog eyes and offered it to Gwen. "Do-Do you want to play fetch?" she asked him, and the wolf nodded. Gulping, the young lady lifted her hand and took the stick out of his mouth. The second she did, he became so excited that he ran in circles. He almost looked cute, even though he was a wolf.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXh5y3mS0Ca
He jumped from side to side and barked,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXldCQyfEU
"Arf! Arf!" Then, just like that, Gwen tossed the stick over in the direction of the creek. The wolf took off after it and did a nose dive to grab it. A laugh escaped Gwen's lips when she saw this, and she slapped her palm to them. Did she seriously just laugh?11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyx3ql6PrA
From where he rested, the wolf tossed the stick into the sky and caught it in his mouth again.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSysdv56Zlb
He pranced like a dressage horse back to Gwen and dropped it in front of her. "You want to go again?" she asked as she reached for the stick. However, both she and the wolf stopped communicating with each other when they met eyes again. For the first time ever, Gwen felt like the wolf almost looked familiar. His emerald green eyes and facial features were almost similar to...no. That was crazy. Strangely, though, she felt a connection with him. So did he. Then it suddenly became fun to play with him.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnjHMW9YlU
Gwen again tossed the stick, and he almost looked like a flying bullet when he went to retrieve it. By then, she could not help but to laugh and clap her hands. Wait a minute, though. Was she having too much fun with the wolf? What if his pack noticed he was missing, and they came after him? Even then, if they smelled a human scent on him, would they abandon him? Just thinking about the wolf abandoned and alone caused Gwen to shudder. She snapped out of her trance when she suddenly heard whining coming from a cluster of bushes in front of her. The wolf. The chain around his ankle caught on one bush's branches when he tried jumping over it, leaving him trapped. He pulled as hard as he could, but the chain would not break free. Momentarily, Gwen thought about leaving him. After all, this was a wild animal she was dealing with. She's already played too much with him. If his pack came, surely they would abandon him, unless she left. Gwen contemplated the idea as she worked to pick up her mirror and book. The wolf's whines were painful to listen to. The chattering of the chain only made it worse. All he succeeded in was hurting himself. Gwen put her shield-like mirror on her back and again hugged her book to her chest. She started to leave but stopped and peered over her shoulder. The wolf barked and again gave her the puppy eyes. His free paw slapped the stick he had just been playing with. Gwen sighed and closed her eyes.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiliy68vlCZ
She made up her mind. "Why do I do this?" she asked herself, and she started back in the direction of the wolf. He saw her coming and barked excitedly. Guinevere checked to make sure his pack wasn't around and fell to her knees next to him. "What did you do to yourself?" she asked him, and she grabbed the chain, as well as the branch in which it was caught.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1EnzppJqR
Right here and right now, truths and ideals were clashing with one another.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zxgdWi7aC
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The children of destiny. The ones who come from an Arabian past.
After a tug-of-war between the chain and bush branches, Gwen finally managed to release the wolf. He seemed to gasp and hopped back a few feet. Head tilted down, he hewed at the chain and shook his ankle out.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnUvN4fCP4
Off to the side, Gwen crossed her arms and rubbed her chin, saying, "We have to do something about this chain of yours." The wolf did not listen to her. He was overcome with excitement. Smiling, he leaped into Gwen's chest and knocked her to the ground. "What are you doing?" she frightfully asked him, and she tried to push him off, "This is how you're repaying me? I just freed you!" The wolf knew she did. He was just showing his gratitude. He slobbered Gwen's face, and she yelled, "Argh!" finally managing to push him off, "Okay! Okay! You're welcome." After saying that, the wolf let her go. He hurried back over to his stick and picked it up. Gwen, who stood up and wiped the slobber from her face, explained, "I can't play anymore, boy. It's already too late. My mother will be worried. You should return to your pack too." His pack. Strangely, the second she said that, the stick dropped from the wolf's mouth, and whining again, he lowered his head. "Wait a minute." Gwen added when she noticed his reaction, "Are you saying you don't have a pack?" When the wolf looked up again, something strange happened. His eyes flickered, and the image of Illusion on his forehead glowed up. He took a step forward and fixed his emerald green eyes on Gwen. Just like before, the same design appeared over her right hand, and she gasped when she noticed it. "We're connected," were the only words that left her lips. At the same time, she remembered that Arthur carried the same design on his own hand. What was going on here? There were so many questions roaming in Gwen's head.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMufQp0F4w
The wolf seemed freaked out by this unusual phenomenon happening right now. Truths and ideals. Confidence and un-confidence. All this was happening right now. Gwen was the child of ideals and confidence, but who was the child of truths? Who was un-confident, or not as confident as her? It couldn't be the wolf. He was an animal, not a human.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2Q28kcilU
The young girl sank to her knees and waved him over,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbEBPXIcnc
"Come here, boy. Let me look at you again." Even though he was a little nervous, the wolf obeyed. He pranced over to the girl and plopped down in front of her again. She glanced at her glowing hand and held it up to his forehead so she could compare the designs. Yep, they were exactly the same. Before long, a theory found its way into Gwen's brain. The only reason why she possessed the design, according to the imp, was because she was one of the children of destiny. However, Mr. Arthur and the wolf possessed the same design as her. This was unusual because there were supposed to just be two children of destiny, not three. Did that mean this wolf...?11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeQOf0vCIG
To test her theory, Gwen stared into his face again. She squinted to get a good look at it. It looked so familiar. What gave it away were his emerald green eyes and facial features.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWp7uzWy0D
This was all that escaped her lips, "Artie?" and she picked up the wolf's chained ankle, "Is that you?"11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRY35dzbPnk
Just as she said that, the wolf returned to his aggressive personality. He flattened his ears, curled his lips, and snarled. His reaction also gave it away. He looked frightened, and he tried to hide his fear behind anger. Turning on his heel, he stomped down on the stick he and Gwen had been playing with, with his chained foot. Snap! The stick snapped in two pieces.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4xhEUrZjT
Gwen, who slowly rose to her feet, said, "Aw, I really liked that stick," but then she returned to the task at hand.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iGVMJMlf9
The wolf walked away from her and made his way towards the wall of trees behind him and Gwen.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXWvnqkLoS
He stopped on his tracks at the sound of her confident voice, "I know that's you. You don't need to hide your identity from me...Artie." Disappointed, the wolf lowered his head and closed his eyes. What Gwen said was true. He was Arthur, the fifteen-year-old boy she tackled in Blacksmith Village's market. He thought for sure she wouldn't recognize him, but there was a reason why she did, and it wasn't just because of his eyes and face. Head still lowered, he turned around and came within reach of Gwen who sat cross-legged on the cool forest floor. Lying down, he rested his chin on her thigh, but he didn't look directly in her eyes. He was too shy.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecwW4AGN0N
As the two bonded, Gwen stroked the wolf's soft fur and asked,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzL6HX2Py2G
"Why didn't you tell me? Now I know why you asked me if I recognized you." Her hand moved down to Artie's chained ankle, "What happened?" but he couldn't answer her question. Not in wolf language. Right now, he felt like a complete utter failure. He failed to keep his identity hidden, but for some reason, he felt comfort around this mysterious girl.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF32dzIO6C0
His mind returned to Arabella's song, 11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8u65HX7Wvp
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"To those who have a connection so bright and so pure.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSooSowH72F
And those who come from a past they can be sure."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJC1ntKCPV8
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Did that mean he and Gwen...were family? Lifting his head, he peered into Gwen's beautiful, blue eyes, and she stared back.
There was a long, awkward silence between the two, and then the young girl flicked the wolf's wet nose. "You are the one whom I am searching for," she explained, "Why would you and I receive the same mark if that weren't the case? You are my little brother." No! Arthur didn't believe that. His parents died a long time ago in the Thirty Years War. He never had a sister. He lived his life in pure solitary. That was mostly because he was a loser in school, and he felt like an even bigger one because of this dumb curse.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgCQ6l617B
As Arabella said,
"Once upon a time, when Irodia was young and warm,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ6NLvUw3K
This lonely soul fought a war so great and four more.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfu4B0NdeM
Surrounded by darkness between king and kingdom,11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KsUXMBKJJ
He will become a demon and watch it fall.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJvAxGMlhk
Forever cursed, he shall find himself lost in his own failure.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVgRFG10ga
With no hope of escaping so he can clutch for freedom."11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJNc52wxBT
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Artie lived on the idea that he would be the downfall of Irodia, so he kept his secret hidden from everybody at school. He already went too far tonight. He never should have let Arabella bring him to Gwen. The guilt was killing him. He just wanted tp go home.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODLNUXFFR2
With that, he left Gwen and dove into a wall of trees where he disappeared behind the overgrown branches. "Wait!" Gwen shouted. She leaped to her feet and held her hand out to him, "Come back! Please." A few unexpected tears ran down her cheeks when Artie did not return. She just met her long-lost brother, the other half of the Emberblight family, and he was gone all too soon. How could she become a musketeer without the wolf by her side? A sister needs her brother, just as a brother needs his sister.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMVUsBzloC
Gwen felt like her body was ripping apart. Her aching heart throbbed as she cried up a storm. The whole reason why she felt so connected to the wolf was because he was a part of her. Sure, Artie was super annoying in the forest when he forced her to carry him out, but that was just because he was a little brother. Gwen suddenly felt super entitled to her musketeer training now. If she perfected her skills, she could hopefully connect with Arthur again and find a way to free him from his curse. That was as if she ever saw him again. If only she could figure out where he went to school.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cibQi11KG
Gwen was determined. She had to train extra hard if she ever had a chance in the musketeer world as well as unraveling her family's deepest secrets. Guinevere and Arthur Emberblight were the future of the Emberblight family - both whom shared a common dream as well as a craving for Illusion's power. Confidence and un-confidence. Truths and ideals. The Arabian War. The musketeer and wolf; this is where their journey begins.
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