Kyyanno's Journey - Epilogue
This was the project I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2011, and was my first victory. I had promised :IconKyyanno: to include him in a story in exchange for a fun day out seeing motorcar racing (my first time seeing it live ever), but little did I know he was going to become a main character. He did end up being a bit of a Mary Sue character, but (hopefully) somewhat less obnoxious as they typically tend to be. This tale was meant to be the first one released, but so far only the prologue has been second-drafted. It certainly helps cement some of the locations in the County of Brokkenshire, and it's from this that most of the other tales spawned.
The final NaNoWriMo story spanned 8 chapters, plus a prologue and an epilogue, and I'm going to try to get a chapter posted each Sunday if I can (real life allowing).
A white wolf dressed in the king's finest cloth walked down the narrow path that served as Windrush Forest's north corridor. He had an important task to do. By now, the cheetah known as Kyyanno should have arrived into the village and handed the royal stamp to one of the village elders. It was his job to find which elder and collect the stamp. As he approached the village, a small tiger cub, no more than just over a couple of seasons old, jumped out at him with a small roar.
“Well, there, little one," the wolf said, pretending to jump with surprise. “You gave me quite the scare. What's your name?"
“Nastika," the cub replied.
“That's great, Nastika. Now can you tell me who the village mayor or elder is?"
“CloudLion is," the small tiger chirped. “She's really old."
“Well, can you go and let CloudLion know that the King's Diplomat has arrived to collect the special delivery?" The wolf was soft with gentle encouragement in his voice, keeping the young tiger's energy up whilst getting him to do his bidding. The cub nodded and ran off along the path to the village. Deciding that the cub was too fast to follow closely, the wolf ambled along the path in a slow and leisurely attempt to catch the tiger kit up. As he got closer to the centre of the village, he could see an old grey cat coming to meet him. He dipped his head to her, respectfully, and she returned the greeting.
“I am CloudLion," she said. “Here is the package, you can inspect it if you wish, but I assure you it's all quite correct." The stamp was passed from the cat to the wolf.
“I must give it a quick inspection, I'm sorry," the wolf said. “Otherwise if it is a forgery, the King will have my head."
“I understand," CloudLion replied. The wolf checked it over, and once he was satisfied it was genuine he slipped it into a concealed pocket and fastened it tight.
“All is as it should be," the wolf said with a polite smile and a nod. “I shall now leave you to your peace, for I wish to intrude on your village's hospitality no longer."
“Farewell, wolf," the cat said as he turned his back on her and walked away from the village. She turned and went back to the celebrations. The tense wait to see if Kyyanno would make it had ended with success and despite her age, she wanted to be a part of the celebrations too.
As soon as the wolf felt sure he was out of sight, he sprinted as fast as his clothes would allow him. He ran, and he ran, until he had run to the edge of the forest. It was there he met three grey wolves. There was an elder, who was obviously the alpha male, and two younger wolves, though they both were older than he was. He knew he was the youngest of the three younger wolves, and they never let him forget it. Maybe this victory would change that?
“I've got it," he said, running up to the alpha and presenting the stamp to him. “We have managed to trick the cats of Windrush, and I have the stamp."
“Excellent work," the alpha sneered, taking the stamp and giving it a thorough examination as the white wolf started to dust himself off, revealing he was a grey wolf in disguise. “Now it doesn't matter that those simpleton dogs failed to capture the stamp. At last we have what we need to bring down that wretched lion and his kingdom. Come, my followers. We have much planning to do. Before long, I won't be the only master in this forest, and that so-called king will rue the day he ousted my family from the throne."
Together the four wolves made their way towards the kingdom at Sovereign Hill. While Kyyanno's journey had come to an end, the struggle for the kingdom had only just begun.