A month had passed since my most recent trip to Erivale. The scrapes and bruises had almost completely healed, erasing all the evidence of that night except for my memories. The semester was nearing an end as well, and I had a few projects due at the beginning of December. One of which was a master art course with an exhibition piece as the final. Primarily, the entire class was dedicated to creating our last project.

Art was my escape into the world of Erivale, but the images were often dark and gruesome, painting the history of Erivale with blood. I had never seen them during my time there, and I don't know how they are in my head, but I had been seeing them even before my first trip, all those years ago. One of the most potent images I had in my head had become my design for my art final. I pulled the fabric off of the vast canvas that was almost as tall as I was and longer than my wingspan. It was nearly completed, the Great War of Erivale. It was one of those images that never seemed to stray far from my mind, and thus it came out on canvas with acrylic paint.

Setting down my backpack, I dug out my headphones and plugged them into my phone, turning the music up almost all the way to drown out everything else, as I let the images of the war run through me once again. They were so real. I could smell the smoke and blood; I could feel the ash in my lungs and eyes. I stood amongst the carnage as cities around me burned, and all of the races of Erivale fought on the open plains.

The great rivers were stained red with the blood of the water races. Syreni and Nereides lined the beaches amongst their Ichthyocentaur cousins. Fauns and Satyr's alike fought against the chimeras created by the evil sorcerer of Trinity. Garudas with blood-stained wings, Minotaurs, Lilitu, and Ursa all fought as one, as it took every living thing to beat the sorcerer and their army of beasts. When I opened my eyes, I picked up my favorite paintbrush and began to finish the war.

Not only was art my way of expressing what I experienced in Erivale, but it also comforted me in a way I wasn't sure I knew how to describe. Erivale, foreign as it may be, felt comfortable. Immersing myself into painting scenes of Erivale made me feel like I was there, like I was back in that world. The call grew stronger. It was a constant urge, like a tiny itch in the back of my mind. Come back, it seemed to say. Come back.

It wasn't uncommon for art students to stay late working on their pieces, especially during finals, but I was often the last one out. Today, or rather tonight, I found myself so lost in my work that I hardly noticed when the lights were turned out. With a start of surprise at the sudden darkness that nearly sent a stroke of pink in the wrong direction, I decided it was best to clean up and head home. It was almost 9 PM, and I had a nice bus ride home to catch before they started going every half hour instead of every 15 minutes.

I quickly rinsed my brushes and then packed up my backpack before pulling my beanie over my head and plugging in my headphones. The bus stop I needed was a few blocks off of the main campus, and it was as familiar to me as breathing. Since I live at home, the bus is how I go to and from college every day, no matter the time or weather. It was the campus I had always known; it was safe until it wasn't.

With my music playing in my ears, I almost didn't notice the footsteps coming up behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a group of large men following me. One held a liquor bottle in hand, and another held a knife – subtle. I wanted to roll my eyes in annoyance at them, but the anxious sliver of fear was already curling its fingers around my stomach and heart. It reminded me of when I saw the hunter's eyes. The feeling that you are undeniably being followed and if they catch you, well, if they catch you, it won't end well.

I tried to subtly pick up my pace and noticed that they did so as well. The men were unusually good at keeping about a 20 ft distance from me even in their intoxicated states. I saw my bus stop up ahead where a bus was leaving. Fucking great, that means the next one won't be here for another half an hour. And now that I was on the fringes of campus, it was much darker and much lonelier – perfect for getting mugged and assaulted by three drunk men following you with a knife. The only thought I had at this point was to run. So I did. I heard a shout and looked back to see them chasing after me.

Oh, not again. I thought. The same rush of adrenaline and fear as when I ran form the hunter slammed into me, and I ran like my life depended on it. I ducked down side streets, hoping to lose them, but they were surprisingly fast even with the alcohol in them. I guess that was the moral of the story; don't underestimate drunk dudes. They were catching up to me as I turned down an alley, a dead-end alley. Great. I thought that Erivale was my most significant danger, but the real world can be just as frightening, if not more.

They meandered slowly into the mouth of the alley with smirks on their faces. I was trapped now, I knew it, they knew it. "What's up, baby? Why you trying to hide?" One of them called. 

I looked around myself frantically for any possible way out. There wasn't even a trash can or dumpster to give me a boost over the alley wall. I was well and truly trapped, and I brought my fists up, weak as they may be, to fight. I knew that was my only option. And then I saw it, that glimmer. The faint waving in the air, the mark of my exit from Erivale.

The shimmer was just off to my left, and the men were closing in on me. So I took off in a run straight towards it. I had never intentionally run from the real world into the otherworld before, I usually just accidentally fell into it. But this time was different. I could feel the air change around me as I went from the mild winter street back to the icy mountainside from my last trip. I didn't expect to pop out exactly where I had left the previous time. Which was over the empty air off the side of a cliff, and I immediately started to fall. A scream tore itself from my lips. Before the feeling of free-falling could completely take hold, I was yanked forward by an invisible force and slammed directly into something, or rather someone furry.

Shocked, I stumbled back, and my butt hit the frozen ground. I sat staring up at none other than the hunter. He immediately kneeled down next to me, pinning me to the frozen earth. I was struck with how imposing he was. I felt like a minuscule speck of dust compared to him with his dark furs, and what looked like leather armor studded with silver under his cloak. The sword was still attached to his back. I had gone from one nightmare to another. He reached a large, bare hand out to touch my face, but his fingers wavered and pulled away as I screamed at him. He seemed startled before his eyes narrowed at me in what I assumed was an expression of annoyance.

"Shut it, a screech like that will alert anything near."

"What, so you can kill me secretly?" I snapped at him and took a deep, chilled breath to scream again. He quickly clamped his hand down over my mouth to prevent the sound from coming out. I tried to pull my face away, the terror of running from one threat to another making fight or flight kick in.

"I'm not going to kill you; do you think I would have saved you from falling if I was?"

I guess that made sense, but that still didn't explain why he chased me the first time. Or why he is still here.

When I finally shook his hand away to speak, I asked: "Well, then why were you hunting me in the first place? A month ago?"

"Hunting? That was tracking, darling. No matter how annoying you may be and how much I may want to stick my sword through you, you are much more valuable alive."

So many questions were swimming through my head. But as he shifted, I noticed once again his close proximity. His knee was by my right hip, and his foot propping him up was by my left shoulder. It was too tight, I deemed, and I sat up abruptly, making him move backward and eventually stand up.

He offered me a hand, which I ignored and moved to stand next to him. At my full height, I could feel the wind grab at my clothes and hair. "I don't know what's going on. So please tell me what's happening and why the hell you have been tracking me or whatever." A deep shiver ran through me as I finished my last sentence, and the large man cocked his head slightly to study me.

I probably looked like a child wearing creased white sneakers, loose denim overalls with paint splatters, and a pale yellow hoodie. My hat had long been lost, most likely over the edge of the cliff or in the alley. He, on the other hand, looked like he walked straight out of romance novel about wild hunters or knights in shining armor.

"Princess Amberleigh, do you not know your own realm?"

"Excuse me, what now?"

The man seemed to be concerned. "You have been walking between realms for years now. Do you not know where you are? What this is?" He gestured to everything around us.

"I know the name Erivale, and I suspect that the name belongs to this land. But I have only accidentally found myself here. I don't know why or how, and I was not even aware it was a different world until I had been here a few times. For all I know, I could be dead."

"You are not dead, although with your reckless realm hopping you would have been. If it weren't for me, of course."

"Wow, you're really cocky. Who even are you?"

"I am Ulric."

"Well, Ulric. I need to find my way back to my own world or realm or whatever you call it. I honestly can't stay here; I have finals to finish, and I haven't even gotten my parents' Christmas gifts yet."

"What in the gods names are you going on about?" He barked.

"I'm freaking out, I don't know. I've never talked to someone actually in Erivale before," I snapped.

"Wait until I bring you back. The hallowed Lost Princess, the Savior of the Lands, is a dunce."

"Okay, who what now? Also, fuck you, don't call me that."

"You use strange words, must be your mortal learnings. It would do you well to not speak in mortal tongue here, it is not well-liked, and some may think you are insulting them. You wouldn't want to get a blade through the ribs for saying the wrong thing."

"I am insulting you. Fuck you is an insult."

He seemed curious about the word but put it off for the time being. "Your words do not matter. This is the realm of Erivale. It is very much like your mortal world, but yet very different at the same time. But you are very important to Erivale whether you know it or not, and I'm going to take you to the king and queen of Ithica to collect the reward that your head brings in."

A bounty? For me? That wasn't possible, I was a nobody. A struggling artist that will probably end up living in her parents' house for the rest of her life. My mind was spinning. He had taken me on a roller coaster of emotions and confusion in less than a minute, and I felt completely and utterly lost. Ulric studied me again; he seemed to do that a lot and then looked to the night sky above us. The aurora was not greeting us tonight. 

"We will camp here tonight," he said. "Then move out in the morning."

"I still don't understand what's happening or who you are or why you or anyone else wants me," I said, now a tinge of desperation in my voice. He was well and truly terrible at answering any and all of my questions. And I was absolutely freezing now. I could barely feel my toes or fingers, and a strong shiver made my teeth chatter.

He unclipped his fur-lined cloak from his neck and tossed it over my shoulders before fastening it around my neck. The outer fabric did a superb job of keeping the frigid air and wind out, and the fur inside was perfect insulation. "You make too much noise."

With the cloak gone, I could make out his features better. He had white hair that fell to his shoulders in matted strands and his face was chiseled and cold, but still youthful. He was maybe 25 or 26 if I had to guess.

"Well sorry I'm such a burden. It's not like I just somehow portalled here or whatever trying to not get stabbed. I didn't even know I was going to end up in the same place I left from."

"The reward for bringing you back will be enough to outweigh how burdensome you are," he said simply. I wanted to smack him. This man really needed to lighten up, maybe learn some sarcasm.

"Follow." He turned around without making sure I was following, and I wondered if this would be an excellent opportunity to escape. I didn't know who he was or what he wanted, but maybe I could find another shimmer and jump back to my world. I took a small step back and felt a nudge on the back of my leg. Looking down I yelped in surprise at the ginormous wolf urging me forward.

At the sound of yelp, the wolf flattened its ears back and seemed annoyed. Ulric looked back at us. "Do not mind Fenrir and his pack, they are friends, not foe."

"Fenrir?" I asked. My voice was shaky and weak. The giant wolf blinked its golden eyes at me as if acknowledging his name. Up closer I noticed that he had silver fur on the tips of his ears and tail. The other wolves with us had slight variations from their black coats as such. It must be the only way to tell them apart.

Fenrir came up again and nudged my hand forward with his large nose. I tried to ignore the jolt of fear from his teeth being so close to my hand. The other two wolves I remembered from the last time I was here flanked my sides, caging me in, corralling me along.

I was forced to follow Ulric. No wonder he didn't look back to see if I was following. He knew the wolves would keep me with him. We didn't have to walk far, just inside the tree line where the wind wasn't quite so harsh, and the foliage made it much darker. But up ahead, I noticed a few more large, black masses. They were lumps on the forest floor with gentle puffs of air coming from their large noses. It was more wolves. A fire was lit, illuminating a large, dark horse with a white blaze on his nose as well.

"The wolves will help keep you warm. They also won't hesitate to bite or chase if you run." He arched an eyebrow at me before placing a warning hand on a wolf's side to let the creature know that he was there. He then lay down beside it. One of the wolves on the ground lumbered to a standing position and moved closer to lay down on the other exposed side of Ulric so he was nearly buried in fur.

"You're not going to explain anything at all?" I asked. He had to tell me something, anything at least.

"No, it is late. You need your rest. We have much traveling to do, and I doubt your mortal skills can keep up."

"Well you need to work on your people skills."

"Elf skills."

"Huh?"

"Elves, we are elves, not humans. And in case you haven't noticed, my company is wolves."

"Doesn't give you an excuse to be a jerk."

"I do not know what these words you speak of are. Go to sleep, and try not to freeze to death, Princess Amberleigh."

"Princess?" I whispered to myself. I nearly stumbled over when a sizeable furry mass suddenly crashed into my shins. I looked down, surprised, and recognized the silver-tipped ears of Fenrir. I think he was letting me know he was tired and ready to sleep.

"This is so weird," I grumbled to myself as I lay down with my back to Fenrir's back. The other two wolves walking with me curled up as well until I too was surrounded by warmth and fur. The massive wolves didn't smell the best, frankly like wet dog, but I was still grateful for their heat. The cloak Ulric had given me also did an excellent job of providing some cushion and separation from the frozen ground.