The Faolchuln

got there?!"

Those were the words her mother had uttered the night Faernyn had brought Inis home. He was small and bony, obviously the runt of the litter and obviously underfed, and covered in grey and black fur. He had followed her home that day. It was raining so she hadn't noticed him at first, but when she did, she'd picked him up and carried him the rest of the way home. Her mother, despite her protests about bringing a stray do home, gave him some scraps and an old blanket in the kitchen to sleep on. Later that night however, Faernyn had awoken to find him curled at the foot of her bed. He had lifted his head, stared at her for a moment as if checking to see that she was all right, and then gone back to sleep. They hadn't know what he was at the time. He hadn't looked dangerous.They found out what was a few months later when her step-father came home. He was drunk, as usual, and was more than upset to find a stray dog in his home. He had started yelling and had even kicked Inis, who was now three hands tall. Inis had shied away but had made no threatening sounds or movements. It hadn't been until her father had reached for her that Inis reacted. As her step-father grabbed her hair, Inis started growling. It wasn't a high-pitched growl from a puppy either. It was a deep, menacing growl from something much larger. Her father had turned to kick Inis again and froze. Faernyn also stared in shock. Inis was facing her father, ears back and teeth barred; but what they were staring at was the fact that he was now twice his normal size and that there were "quill" like spikes protruding along his back. His claws had also lengthened and were digging into the hardwood floor. Her step-father had let her go and left, never to be seen again. Shortly afterward, Inis had returned to normal, all traces of the transformation gone.When she had told her mother about it, her mother had turned pale and asked to repeat, in detail, Inis' transformation. Then she told her that Inis was not a dog, he was Faolchuln. The Faolchuln were a wolf-like creature from the north-east mountains, and were never found far from there. They were the hunting and battle companions of the elfish people who resided in those mountains. They were said to appear as small dogs or wolves, only to transform when their masters were threatened. It was also said that they bonded for life, and that they and the one they were bonded with could draw on strength of the other. Yet none of those were the reason for her mom's reaction. In all of stories and legends of the Faolchuln, there was never a case of a Faolchuln bonding with a human.


*Faolchu- Irish word for wolf.

**"Prequel" for a larger story that's floating around in my head.