Glen - Nightly Regailing

I awkwardly sleep in a fairly nice sized bed fit for a minor noble, feeling the oddest sensation of being crushed in a strong grip of sorts. My dreams reflect upon that, with me being smushed between a large rock and a brick wall.
This was especially odd, since my dreams normally involve various hard to comprehend feelings, sensations, and sights. Regardless, it's nice to be able to sleep in a bed this nice-

"Hey, are you still up?" Ami spoke up out of nowhere, causing me to jolt awake. Why, why won't you let me sleep? I attempt to turn over and try to face the still awake Kitsune, but find it very hard to do so with Sarah clinging to me like I'm some over sized pillow and binding my limbs with her own..
I manage to crudely turn myself around after a few good jerks to my right, with the sleeping Dragon making things much harder than they should be. After doing so, I attempt to free at least one of my arms from Sarah's steel hold, but learn I'd sooner dislocate my arms or shoulders before getting free. Not wanting to feel something that is considered a torture in most countries, I decide to settle for things as they are and look Ami, who is standing at the edge of the bed, square in her glowing eyes.

"What is it?" I ask with a tad amount of noticable anoyyance and reluctance in my voice. If I didn't do this now she'd bug me for the rest of the night I'm sure.

"I can't sleep." The pale white haired Kitsune mutters out something I could have deduced without her talking.
"I also have some questions that I want answered." She continues.

"Well I'm not in any position to refuse right now..." I gesture to the sleeping Dragon binding me, whose tail jerks about and smacks a bedpost with enough force to leave an indent. "So go ahead and ask away."

"Okay!" Ami plops down on the bed, right next to me, and lays down so she's looking at me eye to eye. Her glowing eyes are somewhat captivating, even if her voice isn't... "Your Father and Sister, are they really related to you?"

"Not by blood, but to me they're still family who took me in and cared for me as if I was their blood relative." I warmly proclaim with a small smirk. It's true. Even if I don't take on their last name, which in all honestly is kind of stupid, they're still family. We've shared numerous experiences together.
Fighting, laughing, training, playing, and other things happened during my time with them. I fondly remember one time when Anne and I went fishing, only for her to get frustrated and snap her fishing rod in anger. She's unmatched when it comes to fighting, but when it comes to patience she always loses. Dad is very much the same, only perverted. I never got to meet Anne's mother, since she died during childbirth, but if I had to take a guess she was roughly the same as them.

"Hmmmm, you're still a family even though you're not related by blood." She parrots what I said while closing her eyes and nodding. "I know how that feels a bit. Anyway, what happened to your real family? Were you an only child?" She continues to ask questions.

"I don't really remember much about my actual family." I breath a heavy sigh as I look back on my life. "There were four of us; Me, my Mother, my Father, and my younger sister. We all lived on a tiny farm in the northwestern part of this continent. life was simple, or so I remember it as that." Only thing I really remember is my sister, who was a sweet, innocent, but extremely shy girl who always followed me around. "Anyway, back to answering your question." I pause for a brief moment before continuing. My nose itches like crazy... "My Father left for some reason I couldn't understand one day, and never came back. He's very likely dead."

"..." Ami doesn't speak up, but I could tell she wanted to say something by the look in her eyes.

"About a year after that my Mother fell ill and died from sickness, leaving me and my sister orphaned." A dull and heavy pain tugs at my chest as I continue to look back at my childhood. "With no known family or anywhere else to go, I was forced to raise my younger sister. Since we had no parents to provide for either of us, I was forced to steal food from nearby farms and towns. First few times I was caught and received quite a thrashing... But, after a while, I became good at stealing. VERY good." I practically boast out shamefully. "This continued for roughly a year, with me caring for my young and overly innocent sister. One day, after nabbing fresh bread from a bakery, I come to our falling apart home to find that she's no longer there."

"Did you look for her?" Ami asked while her ears twitched about.

"Naturally. I looked around high and low for her, even going so far as to check places I never went to before. However..." A hint of sadness was noticeable in my voice as I spoke that last part. "...I never found her. I spent weeks searching and searching, but couldn't find a trace. I even went back home to see if she was there again, but she wasn't. Eventually, in a fit of depression, I started wandering around and ended up a few towns over. That's when Anne and her Father found me laying face down in what I surely remember and hope was mud. They took me in and raised me as a member of the family." ...Or at least Fred did; Anne tried to raise me as a dog at first.

"I see... Sorry for asking about such a touchy subject." Ami tries her best to not cry over a simple sob story while apologizing.

"I'm not too bothered by it. Anyway, you have any more? and could you scratch my nose?" I wiggle my noise in frustration at being unable to scratch it.
Ami lightens up quicker than a man doused in oil and scratches my nose with her pointy finger nails, hitting all the right spots. "Thanks."

"Alright, so who taught you how to fight and all? Just how strong are you?"

"I'm self taught when it comes to fighting." I let out a frustrated groan. Fred may have been one of the strongest people in the world, and is as capable with a spear as a hero of legend, but when it comes to swords he knew nothing. Zero.  Because of that, I was forced to learn things on my own. I say it worked out in the end, though I'm nowhere near Anne's level when it comes to fighting. She's mastered numerous weapons and styles, and has done so in very little time. She's even almost as good with a spear as her father.
I don't know how she does it, but it's like she learns those things at an impossible rate. Though it seems to have come at some cost, since she can't read or write to save her life. I at least surpass her in my endurance, vitality, and survivability..........I kind of feel mentally emasculated... "Anyway, I'd say I'm fairly strong, but not very strong." I can hold my own against Anne if she goes easy on me, but even then it's a chore and a half just to not get hit or land one myself. Her Dad's another story entirely. Even in his old age, and being supposedly only '1/6 as strong as he used to be', he's still able to over power the both of us and strike faster than we can react. If his claims are true, then he must have been sought after by pretty much much anyone looking to hire a mercenary, as well as be the apple of every strong monster or noble woman's eye.

"Ohoohmmmmoo." Ami clutches her chin with her hand and makes stranges noises while nodding her head. "Alright, so how about this-" Ami's eyes become almost ominous as she glares at me, "Why are you a wanted man?"

I look back into her gaze, which would normally intimidate a normal person, unfazed as Sarah begins to rub her face into my neck while talking in a language neither of us can understand. ".....I guess it's about time I told you."

"Really? Good!" Ami goes back to her normal self faster than a Griffon that was shot out of the sky by a cannon.
"About time!" "SHHHH!" Two muffled voices come from the window behind me, but I let them be and choose to ignore them. Now then, where do I start here?

"Hmmm, I guess you can say I'm a heretic responsible for one of the most Historical and important strongholds belonging to the Church's Order, The Holy Country of Solaria, being overtaken by other heretics from the next country over." I plainly state holding back a grin in an attempt to be cheeky.

Ami was confused at what I had told her. She cocked her eyebrow and started looking around the place before finally speaking up. "Uuuuh, is that bad?"

"Yes, it was. But, it's not the whole story." Solaria had thousands of years of history as a holy country with a capital known for being bathed in divine light said to be from the heavens themselves. The country was filled to the brim with capable fighters, among other things such as competent merchants and the like. Its pride and joy, the 'White Wall of Solaria', were a special group of knights and paladins composed of the elite of the elite tasked to guard the capital at any cost. Together, they guarded Solaria during countless ages without faltering once. But, in the end, they and their Capital fell to the almost never ending siege from the neighboring country of Arolux. Their army was nothing to scoff at, especially their renowned 'Red Wolves', but their victory was completely out of nowhere. "Now, where should I begin?" I mentally scratch my head and look for a place to start this little story...
"It all started back around 9 or so years ago, when we lived in a small town in Solaria. War had broken out between Solaria and Arolux due to rising tension and because Arolux supported friendly trade with Monsters. At first Arolux showed some sign of having the upper hand in the war, and made their way to the Capital at an amazing pace, but they were unable to take one step beyond the 'White Walls' and ended up retreating. Solaria recovered lost territory and upped its attacks, forcing Arolux to change strategies a bit. It decided to take over numerous small towns around the capital in an attempt at cutting supplies, or something as I still don't know what they were really after that day. They eventually made their way to our modest town, but were promptly driven out due to a retired old man and a mop." I still get shivers remembering Fred take on a small army with such an unorthodox weapon and coming out on top without a single scratch.
"Since the fight was now coming very close to home, and practically knocking at the door, a bunch of townsfolk decided to join in on the war. Among them were Anne and I, as well as a few friends of ours. None of us joined up because we were fighting heretics, much like everyone else was since they viewed this as some crusade of sorts. Anne and the gang merely wanted to bust some skulls, and I joined so that I can make sure they don't end up on the receiving end of a pike."

"I see. So you don't share the same faith as some of the others?"

"Nope, not a tad bit. Despite being a very popular religion over most of this world, I was never a very pious man. There are a few countries around that aren't really controlled by the Church and its influences, such as the one to the east where we're heading, as well as the 'Steel Continent' to the deep south."

"Steel continent?" What's that?" Ami said, perplexed.

"It's the nickname given to the entire continent down way below this one on a map. It has no formal name, so people decided to call it that due to all the contraptions made there."

"Like what?"

"Well, I heard a while ago they made a very explosive powder and are planning on utilizing it."

"Sounds useless...."

"Well, we haven't seen any for ourselves so it's really hard to tell if it's useful or not. Anyway, back to the story." I pop my neck and try to position my head into a more comfortable spot that doesn't have a Sarah's wing talon poking my neck."So we joined up and fought. In little time at all we started carving a name for ourselves among our allies and enemies as we retook areas and even took over a few from Arolux. Before long, we became a big enough thorn in Arolux's side for the 'Red Wolves' to actively seek us out." I grimace a bit at mentioning that name again. Just thinking about them brings back not-so-fond memories.

"Red Wolves? Who were they?"

"They were the best fighters Arolux had. If the 'White Wall' of Solaria was like an unmovable shield, the 'Red Wolves' were like a mighty and unstoppable sword. Their tactics and cunning were overwhelming, even more so when they fought together and alongside the numerous monster mercenaries hired by Arolux to aid them in the war."

"They hired monsters to fight too?"

"Yep. They were fine with monsters in the first place, so it shouldn't be surprising that they hired some to aid them in battle."

"Did you ever fight any yourself?"

"No. I was mostly in defensive battles, and it seems the majority were in favor of defending home base in favor of going out on the attack."

"Was it because of strategy?"

"That or they wanted something that would allow them to be with their husbands longer before battle... Back to the main story, we had numerous skirmishes with the 'Red Wolves' that always ended in either one of our friends dieing or barely getting away after suffering heavy damage."

"Sounds like they were unbeatable."

"Oh, they were beatable. You see, one day I decided enough was enough and came up with a plan to eliminate them. For days I couldn't come up with anything, since every plan I thought of was easily foiled. It was then I thought of using a special poison meant to immobilize those who ingest it for numerous hours on them, which will leave them open for a killing strike. It sounded like a good idea, as it could be snuck into their food or water and they wouldn't be able to notice it before it was too late. Acquiring the poison was extremely easy, as it naturally grew locally. Once I had the poison, I merely trialed one of their two groups, alone, until I saw an opening to taint their food."

"D-Did it work?" Ami asks, a bit afraid and uneasy from the story about killing.

"Only slightly. It seems only a few actually ate any of it, which resulted in the others being altered that something was wrong. Once that happened I attempted to escape, but was noticed by one and the rest who could go after me did so. While only half of the entire 'Red Wolves' were actually there at the time, with three of them being immobilized, being tailed by a group of elite elites was not a very good feeling. Before long I knew running wouldn't be enough, so I had to fight back as well. Their skills and combat prowess were jut as good as everyone said, so if I wanted a chance of coming out alive I had to manipulate things to take them on one at a time. Since this all took place in a forest it was somewhat doable, but still very hard. So I ran around like a headless chicken, taking them out one at a time until none remained. Even with my skills at fighting at the time, I was not able to go about each fight unscathed. By the end I suffered numerous injuries, couldn't even stand without using my sword for support, and had a thick coating of blood all over me. Had the entire group been there I would have been a red stain long ago. My injuries were actually so severe that I would have died if Anne did not follow my trail and brought me back. According to the Medics, I suffered numerous wounds that should have been outright fatal to a regular man and that me being alive is an outright miracle. I spent the next couple of weeks in recovery as the Medics did their things and patched me up with healing magics." I still have numerous scars across my body though... "After the whole ordeal news spread around like wildfire that half of the 'Red Wolves' were slaughtered by one man. The entire enemy army lost their morale and they started showing signs of losing the war. For my services I was awarded the title of 'Wolfhound', and was to be knighted at a later date for my services when I was capable of walking around."

"Wolfhound? What's that?"

"You don't know what those are?"

"I was raised on an isolated island..." Ami puffs her cheeks in frustration at the question.

"Ah. Well, they're a special breed of hound meant for hunting wolves. They were normally owned by royalty, but common folk can get them too. I guess they awarded me that title since I did fight and slaughter a group of people called 'Red Wolves' and all." I explain while letting out a small chuckle, ignoring Ami laughing at the word 'Breed'. "Anyway, I was on getting praised left and right by practically everyone. Even Anne congratulated me when she wasn't punching me in the gut for doing something stupid alone. I even made a few new friends, one of which was a Medic named Rick who was a pretty cool guy. Things looked like they were going to be okay, especially so now that Arolux was now showing signs of losing. But, something decided to rear its head up and change everything."

"What do you mean?"

"One night, I decided to try and walk around a bit since I didn't want to be weakened from being confined within a bed. While doing so, I overheard two people discussing something in private. I couldn't hear it very well, but the next day I awoke to numerous blade pointed at me and a bearded man claiming I was a traitor and heretic. In a panic, I managed to subdue all of them, and in the process reopening a few minor wounds, before trying to find a way out of this mess. I ran into Rick, and he told me that they were looking for me, claiming I was a spy working for Arolux all along. I told him I wasn't, and thankfully he believed me. He then told me of a special escape route and said he would try and slow down anyone that went after me. It took a bit, but I was able to get away for a short while thanks to that."

"So where did you go after that? Did you go over to the other country for safety?"

"Nope, couldn't. They wanted dead even more so than Solaria. I had no choice but to do something drastic and head south through this very desert. Along the way some random guy thinking he could make a fortune turning me in decided to follow me through the blistering sands. Of course, we both exhausted ourselves to the point of passing out, which is where the two of us met the kind and prickly Girtablilu you saw before. After a while I continued heading south before reaching a forest in the south western part of this continent. There, I fashioned myself a shack and resided in it for 7 years." 7 bloody years of eating poisonous plants and having fairies think my hair is a playground. It was the opposite of fun.
"well, that's my story for you."

"Wait, what the bit about you being behind Solaria being taken over?" Ami brings up a point while raising her left tail in the air like a hand.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Some time after I had made my great escape, Solaria, despite having the upper hand, lost the war and was overrun. It is now the new capital of Arolux, and is populated by both man and monster alike. I'm fairly certain the Church pinned the blame on me just so they could blame someone at the time."

"Do you think maybe the country being taken over and the event that happened the night you took a walk might be related?" Ami brings up another point once more, this time raising her right tail instead of her left.

"I don't know, I'm trying to put that crud behind me."

"Don't you want to figure out the plot here and have an adventure?" Ami boasts with otherworldly bravado and fire in her eyes.

"Nope." I flatly blurt out before Sarah decides to roll over onto her other side, taking me with her. Out of the corner of my eyes I can see the sun poking out of the horizon, "I guess this means we're done here, Ami."

"Awww...." The young Kitsune's ears become droopy to show how she feels. Well, I hope she gets some sleep sometime soon, because she'll be needing it in a bit.
I try to go back to sleep, but fail when I hear knocking coming from the window. I look over towards it, and see a Woman with red hair and black horns licking her lips while staring at me through the thin glass like I'm some baked good.
......I try to ignore her to the best of my capabilities and sleep.