#thegoodwolf

The first and oldest knight held his hand up signaling for the others to stop. He was in his thirties and wore a maroon cloak and black tunic over his silver chainmail armor. His black hair was drenched and clung to his forehead, and his pale face was covered in flecks of red from long exposure to the wind and cold. “Prince John,” he shouted over the wind. “I think we need to find shelter. This storm is too fierce.” He pointed to a small area where a large boulder was wedged between two massive pine trees. “We could use that rock for shelter from the winds and try to gain some warmth.” “You worry too much Sir William,” the taller of the two boys responded. “This is an adventure. We cannot stop now. I demand it.” Prince John had short brown hair and sun kissed skin. His eyes were sapphire and his thin lips curled up at the ends in a mischievous way on his thin impish face. He wore a purple tunic over his golden armor and a pale green cloak draped his shoulders. The other two knights groaned, but Sir William positioned his horse in front of the prince. “Your father demanded I keep you safe and his orders are above yours. We make camp now.” The prince reluctantly followed. As they approached the boulder, Prince John leaned over and nudged the boy next to him. “Alden,” he whispered, “What do you say we go have some fun?” Alden was much stockier than the prince. His blonde hair was constantly falling into his green eyes and his skin was not as tan. “I do not think Sir William would be very happy. He seems pretty worried and I am a bit cold.” “Oh come on. What good is it being a prince if I never have any fun?” Prince John quietly slid off his horse. The poor animal must have been very tired or poorly trained because he took no notice of his lost rider. The sly prince hid behind a nearby tree and waved for his friend to do the same. Alden looked nervously at the knights riding in front of him and back to the prince. He leapt hastily to the ground and his horse jumped from the sudden movement. The knights turned in surprise. “RUN!” Prince John yelled and the two boys sprinted into the trees. “Wait! You know I am not that fast!” Alden hollered, as he tried to follow Prince John through the dense woods. He lost sight of the prince but continued running from the now distant knights. “Prince John where are-” Before he could finish his sentence a hand reached out and yanked him behind a fallen tree trunk. “Keep your voice down,” The prince whispered. “What should we do now?” Alden asked, shivering. “I have an idea,” Prince John answered excitedly “We should go into town ahead of the knights and pretend to be commoners. That way I can really see the town and not the boring tour I usually get. We could really have some fun. I will tell people my name is Jack. It is much more common than John, and you could be Al.” “I just want to be warm.” Alden groaned “Can we do this another time when it is not snowing?” Prince John pretended to think for moment “Hmm, No” They could hear the knights approaching. Again Prince John ran ahead of his friend but stopped when he saw a blur of red from the corner of his eye. He watched from the top of the hill as a young girl, with olive skin and an oversized red cloak, ran past. Realizing this girl could help him find the town, he ran after her. The girl stopped in the middle of a small clearing, opened a large book that was hidden under her cloak, and began mumbling. Prince John stumbled down the hill towards her. Halfway down he tripped and fell on all fours but continued moving towards the girl. “Hello!” He yelled. “Could you help me?” The girl turned and her eyes widened with fear. She scooped up her book and ran away. “Wait!” he cried as he tried and failed to regain his balance on two legs. Confused, he looked down and saw two furry paws where his hands should have been. He chased after the girl on all fours, yelling for her to comeback, but only a howl could be heard traveling on the wind.