Wolf Guardians

Disclaimer: Okay I'll get to the point, if you aren't suppose to be here please vacate the window and thank you. If you are repulsed by any content that this or other stories have please do not continue any further, and exit stage left. You have been warned!!!! This story is pure fictional. Some characters are real, but changed due to respect of privacy and what not legal stuff. Yes this story contains sexual tensions/relations between gay men (Duh! It's not a gay erotic story archive for nothing!) So like I stated up above if any of these apply, you have been warned.

Author's Notes: Okay to recap, we met Ardaous a mage of great respect. He heard commotion outside and decided to check it out. He saw a pack of black wolves ganging up on a white wolf. So Ardaous decided to help the white wolf, and used a fire spell and the black wolves left and vacated. Ardaous watched as the white wolf turned into a human form. Ardaous healed the man's wounds. The man's name turned out to be Daren, the leader/head figure for his family. Ardaous extended his hospitality and Daren stay the rest of the night in Ardaous' house. The next morning Ardaous found a pack of white wolves in his yard and got Daren. It was Daren's family. They gave thanks to the mage, and left. Daren assembled the family to talk about telling the mage about their secret. So you're caught up with where this chapter starts. Enjoy!!

Chapter 2- The History of the White Wolf Clan

A couple of days after Daren left with his family back to his house, Ardaous was outside reading a book. He was so engrossed by it he didn't see a white wolf with a gray stripe under its left eye walked up. The wolf soon morphed into it's human form. "Mage Ardaous??" A man spoke.

Hearing this voice surprised Ardaous from his reading. "I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you, but my lord Daren has requested that you come to the manor to discuss some issues with you, if that is all right?" The man announced.

Ardaous stood up and sighed a little and grew a smile on his face. "Very well then I will me honored to speak with Daren. Let me tell my wife about my leave and we shall be off." Ardaous went inside his house to tell his wife he'd be leaving for awhile.

"I don't want you to worry about anything Layla. This is the man I saved the other night, the one I told you about. They will guard and protect you while I'm gone." Ardaous kissed his wife on the cheek and proceeded to the door.

While Ardaous was telling his wife, the man sniffed the air. "I know this reek smell." The man turned around and whistled.

Soon four more white wolves appeared out of the bushes. "Can you also smell that stench?" He asked one of them.

All four of them nodded. "We must do as Daren said. He gave his word to this mage, so we must do as we are told. If this smell is around, it only means that 'they' are around. We need to watch over his family."

The door to Ardaous' house opened, "Whenever you're ready we can leave." Ardaous said as a carriage arrived.

At arriving at the manor Ardaous asked the man, "Exactly who is Daren?"

"Daren is of the Tower's house master mage." The man answered.

"The Tower's??!!" Ardauos couldn't believe.

"Yes." The man smiled.

'I didn't know who I really saved until now. Wow, his family is respected far and wide. I really did his daughter a favor on healing his wounds and chasing away the pack of black wolves.' Ardaous thought as they entered through the manor entrance.

The carriage halted to a stop in front of the main doors. Daren was standing by the door waiting to greet his honored guest. When Ardaous stepped out of the carriage Daren smiled and extending his hand. Both men shook each other's hand, "Ardaous, it's nice to see you again. I hope the trip wasn't long and tiring."

"Actually it was quiet pleasant. I love the landscape of your lands. They are most impressive." Ardaous mentioned about the beauty of the scenery on the way to the manor.

"Why thank you, we try to keep the land fertile and managed around here. All of my family lives on this land, and we have a sense of pride and duty to keep it up, including the manor." Daren opened the door and welcomed Ardaous in.

Once inside the main hall Ardaous was taking in by more beauty. For the floor was of white marble with gold trimming. The walls where a crème color that brightened the halls. "Not only is your land a sight to behold, but your house as well." Ardaous felt like he had died and gone to paradise.

Daren smiled again. "This way please Ardaous." Daren showed a door that led off to the right of the main hall.

They entered Daren's office where the shelves where filled with books beyond books which ranged from philosophy, science, politics, and fiction. "This is my private study where I do most of my work and finances with the family." Daren went over to the bookshelf behind a table that was his desk.

He pulled out a book and the shelf moved in, "Please follow me." Daren escorted the mage down a flight of spiral stairs with a torch in his hands.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs they where in a white chamber that was trimmed with gold. There was a painting on the ceiling of wolves in a patch of trees. "Let me show and tell you of my families history." Daren started to say.

The ceiling then started to fade and clouds started to form to the center, "It's been about 75 years ago when it seemed wars against families where at its highest peak. None so well known as the one between my family and the Steveson family. I don't know how it all started, but the fighting was getting worse, almost to a massacre. Well, the greatest mage at the time, Arcamis, was tired of hearing about the feuding going on between our houses. He finally decided to try to put an end to it. He cast a spell on both houses that if we insist on fighting like animals, then we must live as animals as well. Thus, that's how we can morph into wolves. They became the black wolf clan, and we became the white wolf clan. Well the fighting did cease, but not for long. There was a plan a foot to murder the mage. So when word of this got to him, he came to our house, and gave us his book of spells. He entrusted it to us, cause he knew it would be safe with my family. He didn't want the book to get into the wrong hands. After that he died. It was murder." Daren presented.

"I remember hearing about how he kept the peace through out the land. He was kind at heart, and truly loved animals of all sorts. Some say that he created some himself." Ardaous mentioned.

"Well, those are just stories, none are true." Daren turned around and opened a drawer.

He pulled out something that was wrapped in purple velvet, which had the crest of his family. He handed it to Ardaous. Ardaous uncovered the object that was inside. His eyes went wide-eyed with wonder, "This is---" He began to say.

"Yes the spell book of Arcamis, still safe as when he first gave it to my forefathers." Daren smiled and finished what Ardaous was going to say.

Ardaous opened it to the first page. These words where written:

"Those who use this book for ill intentions will have three times of what they cast, casted back on them."

"Arcamis was pretty smart to cast that on any one who makes ill use of the book." Ardaous remarked.

"This is the gift I wanted to share with you, but the book must remain in these walls, for if the Steveson's ever found out where the book is and get their hands on it, who knows what may happen." Daren grew a more serious tone to his voice.

"You can trust me my friend." Ardaous and Daren shook hands and smiled.

There was a knock on the chamber door. "Yes." Daren called out.

"Sorry father to disturb you, but there has been some trouble from the Stevesons." Alisa announced to her father.

"The Stevesons again." Daren rolled his eyes, "What did they do this time?"

"They have burned down the mages house father." Alisa looked at the floor not wanting to see the look on Ardaous' face.

"My wife, my son are they...?" Ardaous cut himself in a choke.

"No sir. Like my father promised we would protect your family. When you left, one of our men smelled their scent and quickly got your family out of there as soon as possible. They are on the way here so it is safe." Alisa felt some relief from the bearing of news.

Daren and Ardaous both gave a sigh of relief. "I am sorry for you loss Ardaous. It is because you are tied up with knowing me and my family that they did this to your house." Daren tried to apologize.

"You don't need to apologize to me Daren, it wasn't your fault. Their family will get their justice in time, so don't worry about it." Ardaous tried to reassure Daren.

"You're family will arrive here shortly." Alisa added to the news.

"Then we will greet them when they arrive at the gate. For your wife will need you at that time master mage." Daren put his arm around Ardaous' shoulders.

"You are completely useless and incompetent!" A man with salt and peppered hair, totally dressed in black was yelling at another man standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry Lord Naz, but we could not find any signs of the book as you asked us to look for." The man apologized.

"That isn't really the point my dear nephew. My point being is that you let them beat you and save the damned mage's family. We could have used them as bait so the mage would have had Daren give us the book!" Naz continued to lecture.

"I'm sorry sir." The nephew couldn't find more to say.

"You're sorry? Is that all you can say for your incompetence?? I expected more from you Arek." His uncle said in a more unsettled voice.

Nothing was said more between the two men for a moment. "Why does he need that mage? What is Daren up to? If there was a way I knew what he was up to?" Naz mumbled to himself while he looked out the window.

"What was that uncle?" Arek asked.

Naz snapped back into himself and turned around. "Nothing important. Well nephew, we will do better next time to do better, we can't let Daren's family win." Naz said with a malicious smile.

The sound of horses entering the gate of the manor was heard. Layla, was holding her and Ardaous' seven your old son as she held onto the rein. She saw Ardaous and another man waiting at the main doors and the horse picked up more speed. When the horse stopped at the door Ardaous walked over to the horse to grab his son from Layla's careful hold. Ardaous hugged his son and tears rolled down his face. As soon as Layla mounted off the horse she joined her husband in hugging them. "I'm so sorry my lovely wife." He whispered into her ear.

They all turned around and looked at Daren, "Daren this is my wife Layla and our son Nathan." He introduced his family.

"It's a pleasure to meet you in such circumstances my lady." Daren nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Thank you sir." Layla replied.

"Since you are deprived of a home, I would like to extend an invitation for you to live here for awhile until you can have a new home." Daren offered to them.

This came as a stun to both Ardaous and Layla. Layla looked up at Ardaous. "Let me talk it over with my wife." Ardaous said back to Daren.

Daren smiled. Layla and Ardaous whispered for a moment, and soon they turned back to face Daren again. "We will take your invitation for all your kindness and keeping your promise to protect my family. I am grateful for you Daren." Ardaous smiled and hugged his wife.

"Very well, then you are as much as part of my family now." Daren opened the door and let them in.

As the seasons quickly changed, Daren was building a home for Ardaous and his family. In the mean time Ardaous spent most of his time in the chambers below the study, reading and casting spells from the book, and mixing potions. Some spells he dared not perform. One day when he was rest from casting spells and mixing potions, he was decided just to look at the other spells. More towards the back of the book something caught his eye and he folded the page corner. "I'll ask Daren if it's alright to perform this spell, cause the book is in his keeping." Ardaous thought before he tried anything.

Ardaous had Daren look at the spell and gave his approval on Ardaous to cast the spell. In the book the title of the spell was 'time sight'. What the spell called for is a mirror or glass so images could be projected in it. There were three steps to the spell, all which took one day each to perform. Daren had a mirror brought down to the casting chambers as they started calling it so Ardaous could cast the time sight spell.

The first step of the spell was labeled 'the past'. To perform the spell it required that of something of the past be laid on it. As it was fall, and leaves covered the ground Ardaous picked a leaf up. "This leaf was green once seen the days of spring and summer. It holds things of the past, this will work perfectly." Ardaous smiled and went back into the manor.

The book called for it to be mixed in a potion that was written in the book. When the potion was done the spell then said it had to be poured onto the mirror and rubbed into the surface of the glass. As soon as it dried up, Ardaous had to chant the spell thirty times and keep his hands on the surface of the mirror. This took most of the day to perform. The spell then instructed him to let if set over the night covered until then next day. The book then said to make sure that it worked properly he had to put his hand on the mirror surface again and say a word out something that would show him the past. So he chanted, "Show me my childhood."

There was a soft humming from mirror and it shook a little and Ardaous backed up just in case the mirror wanted to break. The mirror started to cloud inside the mirror. Ardaous' handprint started to glow a light blue, then vanished inside the mirror. The images fast-forwarded from the day he was born in the world until a month before he casted the spell. Ardaous had Daren come and observed the first spell. Daren was very much impressed.

Soon Ardaous was performing the second step, which said that it needed something from the present, mixed into the same potion as the first one and poured and rubbed on the surface. Ardaous was having a struggle to find something from the present that he saw fit to be mixed in the potion. When Daren asked Ardaous how the process of the second step was going Ardaous replied, "I'm having a rough time, cause I can't find anything to represent the present."

Daren leaned back in his chair and looked at Ardaous, "Hmm... I can see your predicament."

Daren then just had an idea. "My grand daughter is having her hair cut, that would be perfect for the potion." He suggested to Ardaous.

Ardaous smiled at Daren's idea. So Daren went and got a lock of his grand daughter's hair and gave it to Ardaous. Ardaous was to excited he went straight to the casting chamber and started on the potion. He poured and rubbed the potion into the mirror. This time he only chanted fifteen times and covered the mirror, putting all of his power into the mirror. Ardaous was tired and went to get some rest.

As soon as the dawning of the day was known to the world, Ardaous woke up and went down to the chamber with Daren and said "Show me what Layla is doing."

This time the mirror didn't hum or shake. The mirror again clouded up and showed what Layla was doing at the very moment. Both men where very pleased with the results.

Ardaous was hard at work with the final step. This time he knew what he would use to represent the future. He had a sharp bladed dagger with him and cut the tip of his finger, and put a couple of drops of his blood in the potion and mixed it well. He thought to himself, "Blood always represents what is in the future ahead."

He again poured the mixture on the mirror and rubbed it into the mirror. This time the mirror glowed three colors. First it turned red, then gold, and then purple. This time he didn't have to chant anything. Ardaous covered the mirror and left the chamber until the next day.

When he uncovered the mirror and he wiped it cleaned and looked at his reflection and took a deep breath. "Show me my future blood line."

The surface of the mirror started to glow white. The brightness of the mirror caused Ardaous to shade his eyes. The glow then dimmed down and Ardaous looked inside the mirror. He saw each child that was of his blood or there of. The last person that he mirror showed was a copper haired male with glasses smiling. Then the next image showed him hugging another male and kissing. The other male had black wavy hair, and looked very much like Daren in ways. This got Ardaous curious, as he felt something from the copper haired male. He sensed something in him that made him feel calm and warm, and felt a strong power within him.

At this time Daren came down to see the final results of the spell. He saw all the faces that flashed in the mirror. When he saw the black haired male, he gasped softly. This caught Ardaous' attention and he spun around to see who was there. The mirror stopped the images, as the two men looked at each other. They both sat down and nothing was said until Ardaous broke the silence, "That dark haired man looked a lot like you Daren, I know you saw it."

Daren looked at Ardaous with his two index fingers touching his closed lips. "That's what I thought when I saw what the mirror was showing." Daren broke his silence.

"That means something drastic is going to happen in the future, our families will unite as one. But what brought it?" Ardaous questioned what he saw in the mirror.

"It would be more then a great honor to have a family unite into one I must say, if that is indeed someone from my bloodline. You're right, what does this bring now, here in the present?" Daren added.

"There is more, when I looked at my future descendant, I felt something powerful in him. There was warm present in his heart." Ardaous admitted to what he felt to Daren.

"Maybe this was not wise to perform the spell." Daren started to have doubts.

"I agree with you my friend. I will not use that mirror any more, cause I am not wanting to change the future. It would be breaking the laws of nature to do that. We might have broken one law already." Ardaous felt the same way.

"I will have the mirror put in a safe place so no one will ever know of it's secret, until it is necessary to use it." Daren decided.

"Before that I want to know who that dark haired male is." Ardaous got up and went to the mirror.

He put his hand on the mirror and said, "Show me the image of who is in my mind. Show me his life."

The mirror glowed again, and the mirror showed the male once more and showed his life from when they both saw him in the future to when he was born. The next image stunned both of the men. "That's why he looks so much like you Daren. He is your great grandson." Ardaous announced.

Daren sat in silence again, "Then we must keep this mirror and what it is capable of doing a secret. For what we saw is important to the future."

Ardaous nodded his head in agreement.

Ardaous returned home, a little distracted that Layla noticed this when he entered the door. "Is something the matter hun?" She asked.

Ardaous smiled and looked into her blue eyes and brushed her hair with his hands, "Everything is fine, I'm just a little tired. I'm going to lay down and rest a little."

Layla smiled back, and then remembered something. "This came for you today." She said as she handed him a folded letter with the seal of the mages guild.

Ardaous opened the letter and read it, "The mages guild wants to meet with me in three days. I must go, it must be of important matters. I must attend to them."

"Then you must go. Don't worry about me, I know that we can rely on Daren to keep an eye on me and our son." Layla kissed him on the cheek.

The next day Ardaous set out. He first went to the manor and told Daren that he was called on urgent business, and he'll be back in four days. "Safe journey my friend." Daren shook Ardaous' hand and bid him luck.

When Ardaous arrived at the guild, they were expecting him. He was shown into the council room where he was the center of attention. "Mage Ardaous, do you know why you where summoned here?" The chairman of the council spoke.

"Your Excellency I do not." Ardaous answered.

"The council have heard speculations of you breaking the codes of the mage law restrictions. Is this true." The chairman asked another question.

"What are the accusations that are made against me?" Ardaous was a little confused to what was being said about him.

"That you are practicing in the art of black sorcery sir." The chairman answered.

"I would never touch such spells or magic your Excellency." Ardaous denied the accusation.

"Well someone has substantial proof against you Ardaous. Is that the reason you burned your own house down and moved in with the Tower house?" The chairman started to get rude with his tone.

"I'm sorry sir, my house burned down, cause of thieves thought I had something which I did not." Ardaous was biting his tongue on what he really wanted to say.

"And what did they think you had?" Another council member asked.

"I'm afraid that I don't know that answer myself." He looked at the man that asked the question.

When he looked at the council member he was a dark figure looking at him, and then the figure moved out of sight. 'Is someone setting me up for something that I didn't do?' He thought to himself.

The room was silent for a moment. "I assure you and the council that I have not touched any shape or form of black magic. I took an oath as a mage never to break the mage restrictions. I've kept that promise and still up hold them to this moment." Ardaous looked at all the members in the council.

"Mage we have evidence that all the council members have seen, it all suggest that you are. You better not be lying to this council, for there is sever consequences for lying to us." The chairman spoke harshly to Ardaous.

"I swear to you as a fellow mage that I'm not lying to you at all." Ardaous pleaded.

"I am sorry to do this to you, but we have to lock you up, until we find out otherwise, mage. That is the decision of this council." The chairman gave his reading.

This enraged Ardaous. He started to chant something under his breath. One of the council members noticed this, "He's trying to cast something."

The council members all looked at him. "Mage you better not try to do anything that might endanger your life." The chairman said furiously.

The chairman tried to move but couldn't. None of the members could move. "He's going to try and kill us all!" One of the members said.

"You will hear me out. I don't know who is accusing me of such nonsense but it is not true." Ardaous said forcefully, as his powers started to glow around him.

"Is that a threat to us mage?" The chairman asked.

"No, it's more or less a plea. If you won't listen to me, then I am not responsible for my actions." Ardaous answered back.

Something flung at Ardaous and hit him on the back of the head, and he fell unconscious. The council members started to move again. "Arrest that man and make sure he tries nothing funny." The chairman said as he left.

In a corridor the chairman met the shadowy figure. "I hope you are satisfied. Doing this to an innocent mage is not my style." The chairman said.

"Don't worry about it, if it's to strike against Daren in any way I'll do it." The figure said.

"Well, Daren Towers better not know of the mage guild being involved, but since you promised us money, then I'm not concerned with your petty feud." The chairman snapped and walked off.