"Your Highness."

I instantly open my eyes and sit up straight. Dame Alex seems to be surprised by how quickly I'm awake - truth be told, I've been up for a few minutes now, as my body has started sending me signals of the highest urgency.

"Have we arrived?"

"Er…not yet, but…I thought you might want to take this chance to relieve yourself."

I poke my head out, and find that we're on a heavily wooded trail. I frown in confusion, before noticing that there's a certain…smell in the air.

"Oh, God - was I farting in my sleep?"

"Y…yes, Your Highness."

"Right - sorry about that." That urgent signal I received? It was that I have to take a massive shit.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

I start to make my way out, but I'm thrown off as Alex stands to follow me.

"Uhh…what's up?"

"I must accompany you at all times, to ensure your safety. There may be wild animals about that may hope to harm you."

I want to refute her, but honestly? I can't imagine anything more embarrassing than being capped by a snake while dropping a deuce.

"Okay, just…no peeking."

"I would never, Your Highness."

"Yeah, I know, I was just…" I clear my throat, blushing at my failed attempt at humor as I silently exit the carriage.

"Is there anything I should look out for? Like, any poisonous plants or anything?"

"Look for a clear spot surrounded by plants with broad leaves. You can use those to cleanse yourself after, as well."

I nod silently, and begin to pick around in the brush. Dame Alex lags behind me.

I have to say, I hate this. I've gone camping before, so I've shit in the woods a few times, but it never feels any better. Also, I've had toilet paper on hand at those times. Never had to use a leaf.

I eventually find a suitable spot, and begin to dig a cathole.

"Found a spot," I mutter, my cheeks flushing again.

"Very well." I hear her draw her sword, and I have to say - shitting in the woods has never felt so regal.

I'll spare you the details of course.

Once I'm done, and I'm burying everything, and miraculously keeping my hands clean, I get ready to head back to the carriage.

"Kay, I'm done."

Dame Alex nods wordlessly, and begins to sheathe her sword. Something makes her stop, however, and she silently gestures for me to stand by her.

"What's wrong?" My heart pounds a mile a minute as I look around nervously. "I don't see anything."

"What stalks us now is a master of camouflage. Without the honed senses of a knight, you could never hope to notice it."

A chill runs down my spine, and I stand just a bit closer to her. "What is it?"

"A Shadow Wolf. It has the power to melt into the shadows. The only way you can sense it is by the unnatural movement of shadows."

All my senses are on high alert as I look around. "How many?"

"Just one."

I shake my head, straining to see any kind of movement in the shadows. "There's never one wolf, Dame Alex. It's not the one you can see that should scare you. It's the one you can't. There's no such thing as a lone wolf."

"That may be true for normal wolves, Your Highness. But Shadow Wolves have never been seen in a pack."

"Has anyone ever survived an attack?"

"No human has ever been attacked unprovoked. but they are still -"

"Oh!" I stand up straight with a sigh of relief. "Alright, that changes things."

She looks back at me, dumbfounded. "Your Highness, they are still dangerous! We shouldn't make any sudden movements!"

"Yeah, and so are we - and they know that." I look around in the brush, and start to slowly move back towards the carriage, which I can just barely see through the trees. Luckily, we're not that deep in the woods.

"Your Highness, stay still!" She grabs me by the arm, and I sigh in frustration.

"It's fine - it's just scared!" It's then that I notice it - a slight movement in the shadows, just out of the corner of my eye. I zone in on it, and I notice that there's a certain rhythmic motion to it, as if it were breathing. Notably, it's in the opposite direction as the carriage!

"Okay, look - I just saw it, right there, and the carriage is in the opposite direction. If we just slowly walk towards the carriage, it shouldn't bother us."

"No, Your Highness - we must kill it. It is a dangerous beast."

"What!? No! What is wrong with you!? You said yourself they never attacked unprovoked! Why would we kill it?"

"It poses a danger to unaware travelers that may enter its den! If you enter its den, then it will attack you!"

"That's not the wolf's fault! Wouldn't you attack someone that walked into your home!?"

"Indeed, I would." We both freeze in place as a third, unidentifiable voice enters the conversation.

"You have entered my home uninvited, humans. And you have defaced my ground with your waste. So, why should I not attack you?"

A nearby tree begins to glow. Dame Alex spins around, sword at the ready, as a short, androgynous humanoid emerges from the bark. As they exit, the twists and valleys of the wood are embedded in their green skin, giving the impression of their body being made out of living wood.

Their face is similarly carved, and their eyes seem to be mostly normal, except that their irises are in the shape of a flower. The colors of the flower constantly shift, as though the Spriggan is unwilling to choose a single eye color.

"This is not your land, Spriggan. You speak now to Eric Moore, Prince of Beruzia - these lands lay under the King's claim! It is only by His grace that you have not been eliminated."

"Oh my God!" I move to stand between the knight and the so-called Spriggan. "Alex! That's so fucked up!" I turn to face the Spriggan, distressed and distraught.

"I am so sorry about her. It's her job to protect me. I honestly didn't know that this was your land. I buried my waste, if that makes any difference - but if it's truly an insult to you, I will…" I gag a little at the idea. "I'll go…dig it up…"

"Your Highness! Do not lower yourself before this beast! This land belongs to the King, not to a lowly Spriggan!"

"You foolish humans. You are so arrogant and filthy! If only the Elves would get their priorities straight, we could have been rid of you long ago."

"The Elves are allies of humanity! How dare you attempt to turn us against each other!?"

"The Elves are allies of nature! They should hold you accountable for your crimes!"

"Our crimes? We have dominion over this land, beast. It is humanity's to do with as we please."

Alright, this is going nowhere fast.

"Yo, shut the fuck up!"

Alex falls silent, as does the Spriggan, who was about to retort with something.

"You want to know the truth of it, Dame Alex? These trees were here long before the King was born, and assuming that humanity treats nature with the respect it deserves, they will be here long after he's dust in the wind.

"Now, I may not know exactly what a Spriggan is, but from what I can tell, they're a part of the trees - so, as far as I'm concerned, this IS their land! And I just strolled on in and took a shit on their living room carpet.

"So stand down, Dame Alex - because this sure as shit ain't Beruzia. And there is no fuckin' world in which I would let you harm either that Shadow Wolf, or this Spriggan! They are a part of the natural world - part of a world that you and I have absolutely no right to interfere with. We left it behind when we built our walls and our castles - the least we can do is leave it be.

"Everyone always acts like what we do won't affect nature - like it's some kind of all-powerful thing, but in reality, it's incredibly fragile. If we throw off the balance even a little, it could all come down like a house of cards. And I won't let the ignorance of our society sway you into making that mistake!"

For a long while, the only sound is my heavy breathing as I stare down Dame Alex. After a few moments, the Spriggan breaks the silence.

"Eric Moore…you speak of nature with such passion." I turn back to see that the Spriggan is staring at me with wide eyes. "And you would even defend a lone Shadow Wolf, separated from its pack…"

"Ohhhh, you see!?" I turn back to the stunned knight, frantically pointing at the Spriggan. "Fuckin…pack! I think the supernatural entity that walks out of trees has a bit more authority on this subject than you, Dame Alex." I can't help but gloat.

The Spriggan surprises me with a light giggle. "Eric Moore…you are quite interesting. From this point forth, I will consider you a friend of these trees."

"Oh, uh…thank you." I'm surprised by their willingness to consider me a friend. Maybe magical beings are more tempestuous than humans?

For a brief moment, the flowers in the Spriggan's eyes flash solid green. I suppose green means a positive impression.

"I will grant you a chance very few humans have had, Eric Moore." They kneel down, and extend their hand into the shadows, saying something in a language I can't quite hear.

Suddenly, the shadows coalesce, and adopt the shape of a wolf. With a vigorous shake, the shadows fall away from the wolf's fur like water, and what is left is a shaggy black wolf pup, with beautiful brown eyes and massive paws!

"You may touch her."

I can hardly contain my excitement as I squat down, and immediately start to scratch the pup behind the ear.

My voice shifts up a few octaves as I melt all over the puppy, and say things that would usually be quite embarrassing.

"Spriggan - what have you done to him?" Dame Alex sounds genuinely afraid. I can hear the Spriggan stifling a laugh.

"I haven't done anything…"

The puppy briefly licks my hand, and I let out a squeal of excitement. "Oohhh, so cute! God, I love you."

She lays down and rests her head on my hand. It proves to be too much for me, and I begin to cry. A literal wild animal is trusting me right now!

"Your Highness…we must depart. We have a tight schedule."

I release a hefty sigh. I would normally ignore that, but Dame Alex sounds genuinely uncomfortable. "Okay. Just let me say goodbye…" I lean down and give the pup a little kiss on the forehead. "I'll never forget you, you sweet little thing…"

"Your Highness…"

There's a howl far off in the distance. The wolf pup's ears perk up, and after a quick lick of my palm, dissolves back into shadow. I smile sadly - it's for the best. She's a wild animal. She deserves to be free.

"Okay…if it's alright with you, we'll be going now." I stand up and wipe dirt off of my pants. "My offer to, uh…clean up after myself still stands."

The Spriggan shakes their head. "No need, Eric Moore. The magic of the land cleans itself - even where humans dump the waste from their cities, the magic allows the land to thrive."

"That's…convenient."

"Be warned, though - that magic is weakening, as humanity continues to treat nature with little more than scorn. Please, as a friend, promise me that you will spread your love and respect for nature to the people. Before it is too late."

I nod, steadfast in my decision to help. I'm already considering what kinds of renewable resources should be used to prevent deforestation.

"I will do just that. Thank you for allowing us to use your woods."

I bow to the Spriggan, and they giggle as they bow in return.

Dame Alex and I turn to leave. She keeps her sword out in caution. As we're almost at the edge of the trees, the Spriggan makes one final remark.

"Be well, Eric Moore."

I turn back to look at the Spriggan, but they've already disappeared. I smile and wave, before boarding the carriage again.

Dame Alex knocks on the divider between us and the driver. Only once we've started to move does she sheathe her sword.

We sit in silence for a long while. I'm not sure what to say to her now, and she doesn't seem to have anything to say to me.

I look out the window and watch the trees go by. Soon, the trees give way to rolling planes. As I watch the scenery change, something hits me.

"Hey…isn't the Academy kinda far? I assumed it'd be in the capital."

"It is set apart from all major noble houses and properties, to ensure that no one family has influence over it, to preserve the notion that all who attend are equal."

"Except commoners, 'cus fuck 'em, right?"

"I…I suppose? There is a clear delineation."

"Sounds about right."

Just as I'm about to lean back, I notice a collection of buildings in the distance. It's hard to make out what it is, but it kind of looks like an old college campus from afar.

"Hey, is that the Academy?"

Dame Alex leans forward to take a look. "Yes - that is the Academy, Your Highness. We are about two hours away."

I nod, reclining in my seat with a sigh. Dame Alex clears her throat.

"Your Highness…how did you know that Shadow Wolves hunt in packs? It has never been documented."

"Well, I figured that Shadow Wolves and normal wolves share a common ancestor, for them to both be classified as canines. Wolves evolved to hunt in packs - so, assuming that hunting in a pack is an instinct rather than a learned behavior, it stands to reason that a Shadow Wolf would hunt in a pack, as well."

She seems rather surprised by my logic. Is evolution not a common concept here? Eh, that's not really my problem - I'll be working on technology, not on biology.

Although…it would be fun to get up close and personal with some unique fantasy creatures. Like, if I could meet a dragon, I think I'd die happy.

I mean, I'd probably die as a result of meeting a dragon, so maybe keep that one way down on my bucket list…

"Your Highness…you're much more intelligent than the rumors say."

I can't help but laugh. "That's a pretty low bar though, isn't it?"

She doesn't say anything for a little while, but when she does, I'm caught off guard.

"I…I am sorry, Your Highness."

"For what?"

"My rash behavior placed us in a compromised position. It was only your knowledge of wolf behavior, and your earnest plea to the Spriggan that saved us. I am confident in my abilities, but if a Spriggan had attacked us…I am not certain we would have survived."

"Hey, it's alright - you don't need to apologize." I blush as I think about how I yelled at her, back with the Spriggan.

"Actually…I'm the one that should apologize. I was way too harsh on you - I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Dame Alex frowns at me. "Your Highness, you should never apologize. You are a prince. You are above me, and you are above a Spriggan."

"Nah, man. As we've just established, my shit stinks the same as everyone else's."

Dame Alex hesitates, but ultimately releases a sigh. "That it does…"

We share a brief chuckle, and I can't help but feel like we've grown a bit closer. I hope I can consider someone as amazing as her a friend, someday, and that I can rely on her for help in the future.