Night Watch I: Eliza, Ward of Andrew

*Andrew’s POV*

Eliza clearly wasn’t following, but I wouldn’t have expected her to. I decided to give her some background. “Did Merry Willows have any Conjuration Healers?” She shook her head. I wasn’t surprised, they weren’t that common, and Merry Willows wasn’t anywhere near as large as the Wild Ones.

“Um, Dani, correct me if I’m wrong... But the short version is that many of you guys have, mm, special companions. For example, Alice has a, er, mount, that you should never, ever go near unless you’re around Alice and he specifically says you should. He’s a ceffyl dŵr, and very-“

“-Are you fucking shitting me? A ceffyl dŵr? Alice can ride one and not die? Why the fuck would he even want to do such a thing?!? Doesn’t it just want to drown and eat him?” Dani laughed, but I sure didn’t. Fuck if I knew, Dani’d have to field that one.

“They are friends, they enjoy each others’ company. He can even tolerate mine, though I’m not sure that he wouldn’t try and eat me if Alice weren’t around. It’s not a slavery-type thing at all, he could go at any time, if he wanted. He chooses to stay because he wants to, and he knows that he has to behave if he wants to stay with Alice.

“The point Andrew was trying to make is that us Conjurers often have, you know… special buddies, if you will. They help us out, it has to do with energy. We spend a lot of time, do a lot of studying and, well, conjuring-” I snorted, “-trying to figure out what would make a suitable companion-“ I got too excited and couldn’t help interrupting. I liked sharing and Dani had been talking forever!

“-The Forest around the Wild Ones is crawling with many, many species of hell hounds! They usually don’t cause problems, but sometimes they kill messengers and travelers. They get into skirmishes with each other all the time, though, so we have to keep an eye on them, it’s wise to just to steer clear of them entirely.

“When enemies come to our doorstep, the hounds can be a real problem. A lot of the species that are pretty indifferent beforehand are unforgiving of the intrusions of war, and indiscriminate in their destruction and vengeance.” Dani rolled his eyes. “What? It’s a real problem with my Watchmen, we’ve had major casualties from running into hounds during battle. So, we’re trying to teach strategies of avoidance. Another problem are the ghost species. They can cause disturbances in the ranks through fear, and I’m working on teaching the Night Watch to recognize the difference-“

“-Yes, Andrew, those are valid issues, and you know that I’m willing to help you with those. We’ve discussed that. But what’s relevant to me, tonight, right now, is this: I feel a hell hound is the right fit for me, as a companion. Whiplasher and his bros have tracked a pack of hounds into the area, Andrew.” Dani grinned.

“But… I gather you knew that. Apparently they’ve been around for three days. Blasko sent Nightmare and Skinny to let me know at Dawn.” I grimaced. I hoped Dani didn’t die. I really liked Dani. Stupid quest fulfillment garbage.

I had known there were some hell hounds very nearby and sent Whiplasher and his unit to keep an eye on them, make sure villagers and travelers stayed clear. I knew the inevitable outcome was that Dani might decide the time was right to try and ‘bond’ or whatever the fuck it was Conjurers did, but I was worried for him. Hell hounds were beyond just 'dangerous.'

Eliza scoffed. “What the fuck are you talking about? If this is some secret shit, I can just plug my ears or go to the end of the room.” Dani and I both snickered.

“No-no! Those are their names. Whiplasher, Nightmare, Skinny, they are all Night Watchmen-“ Eliza looked horrified, wrinkling her nose like she had just smelled a pile of fresh cat shit. Speaking of which, where were my two little-

“Gods! What was wrong with their parents?!? Those poor, uh, are they women or men? Whatever, it doesn’t matter, can you imagine growing up like that? What if Skinny is fat? Uh! Poor Skinny!” Dani and I just looked at each other and laughed until we cried.

“Uh-heh-heh… They’re all grown men, Eliza. They chose their own names, of their own accord.” I hiccupped, making Eliza laugh, then finally spotted a very angry looking Femme glaring at me from under a cupboard. “Dani, keep talking, I’m going to feed the cats.”

“Well, the pack consists of a grown bitch and her two almost grown sons. They’ve begun to squabble with her. The problem is that I haven’t seen them myself, it was Whip and the boys, so I don’t know what species they are.” Shit. I finished portioning out some scraps from Commons for Femme and Crow, who both came running, then sat back down.

Eliza nodded. “Well, I presume they had heads, right? So that rules out yeth hounds.”True. I took just a second to rhapsodize internally over how smart Eliza was. Just one moment. She was always surprising me. When Dani cleared his throat I frowned and decided to move on. Dickhead.

Then I thought more about it. “Where were they been spotted last night? Or anything about their color, or what they looked like?” I seriously was going to smack the shit out of my men when I got back on Watch if they hadn't given Dani any of that information…

Dani was quick to answer. “They’ve tended towards the South a bit, sticking more towards brooks, glens, and forest, away from craggy areas, and off open roads. No mention of glowing eyes, but they did say all three were large and black, with red ears.”

“Well, they sound a bit like feral cŵn annwn, but that would be kind of unusual. They aren’t green or white, and no mention of a braided or curly tail, so that rules out cù sìth. Moddey dhoo are too small to be what we’re dealing with here. If they were gytrash, I would have expected some burning eyes, or for one of them to have changed into a horse or mule at some point.” So maybe feral cŵn annwn? Odd, to be loose with no master, but they were the only hell hound I’d ever heard of traveling in groups. They also didn’t have glowing eyes, which was another argument in their favor…

I ticked through all the hell hounds in my mind, trying to think about all the different species I had read about so many times, about half of which I’d actually encountered at some point. “I guess they could be barghests, but it would be really unusual to see them sticking together as a pack, especially with her sons so old. I mean, barghests get together long enough to reproduce, and the bitches must raise their young, I guess, but I wouldn’t expect her to let them stick around for very long. Barghests are supposed to be terrible.” I’d never seen one before, and I honestly didn’t care to.

One last, long-shot possibility came to mind. “One last thought. It could possibly be a group of gwyllgi, I mean, I’ve never heard of ghosts reproducing, but you’d know more than I would, Dan.” Dani looked impressed.

“Andrew, you do read too much. So, just as I figured, most likely feral pack of cŵn annwn, which is what I hope, or an alliance of barghest, which would be a disaster. I really doubt it’s a group of gwyllgi, but it’s not impossible.” Eliza looked intrigued. Uh-oh.

“So how will you know the difference when you see them? And what difference does it make?” Dani smiled.

“Cŵn Annwn might be rumored to be portents of ill omen and death, but that’s just bullshit. Their howling and growling is the loudest from a distance, but they grow quieter as you approach, most likely because they’re stalking enemies, not for mystical reasons. They’re one of the most benevolent hell hounds, and sometimes are associated with wild geese-“ Eliza chuckled “-I know, it’s kind of random, but every time I’ve seen large packs of them, inevitably, geese will fly overhead before or after, often honking like mad. They can be used for hunting, but are brave and loyal. They also can tolerate others of their own kind, whereas most hell hounds are loners.”

Eliza raised an eyebrow. “But barghests?”

Dani sighed. “Barghests are the dickheads of the hell hounds. They are the largest, with the biggest teeth, and huge claws. They are the most malevolent, and have terrible tempers. They’re pretty infamous, some of the most powerful can shape-shift. They’re definitely loners. Unfortunately they sound sort of the same as the black cŵn annwn, just by description, but if you’re looking at one, you’ll know the difference. I can’t imagine that a barghest and I would ever get along well enough to be life-long companions.”

Eliza was smiling. Oh shit, she was signing me up for this, whatever this was, before I’d heard the whole spiel. “What about that other thing?”

“Gwyllgi? They’re just ghosts, not living things, and they are usually only seen on roads anyways.” Dani smiled, happy to talk about hell hounds and his infernal plan. “So, are you in?”

Quickly, I clamped my hand over Eliza’s mouth. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!I n for what, exactly?” I released her, and she shot me a saucy look.

Dani had clearly hoped I wouldn’t notice him glossing over the finer points. “Alice knows the Council approves Conjurers finding and housing our, um, special companions. The Council knows that they provide essential aid in battle. Andrew, you know a Conjuration Healer without a familiar hasn’t reached their full potential. But the Council can’t officially sanction anyone helping me, you know, on the clock, so to speak-“

I turned to Eliza, “What he means is that no Conjurer has a unicorn for a pet, Eliza. They all have insanely dangerous animals as companions that they go out and bond with on their own-“

Eliza snorted. “-I’m not an infant! I got that, clearly! Besides, Andy, show some respect, they're clearly not pets!" She turned to Dani "How can we help you, if you have to do this on your own?” Bingo! So smart, my woman!

Dani chuckled at me. “My concern is that I’m going to track them down and find myself face to face with three barghests. I’m not sure I’d survive on my own, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to help me in that regard?”

Eliza and I both exchanged glances.

Dani chuckled. “To answer the question you’re both thinking: If we get there, and they are, in fact, three barghests, and they will interact with me before attempting to kill me, I will attempt to communicate with the bitch and see what happens, just play it by ear. I feel like any barghest that has maternal instinct should be given a try, without just killing on sight.”

Dani sighed. “However, my expectations would be extraordinarily low that we'd be able to leave without bloodshed, much less that I'd be able to bond with any of the three. I’ve never heard of anyone with a bonded barghest. They are extremely malicious. I’m very certain they would attack us, and we’d need to kill them in self-defense. That’s why I’m asking for your help, unofficially, as I’m not certain I could take down three barghests by myself.

“My hope is for cŵn annwn and a new companion, I’ve even built a huge den for her alongside the rear of my shelter, even large enough for her sons to visit, should she desire. So, what do you say?”

Notes

long chapter!

So- what do you think the three hell hounds are?

(a futile question, i know- but i need to type something in this space or the thing glitches out if i need to edit the chapter later.)