"You're.....you're....." Vinny couldn't help himself any longer. His knees buckled as if they broke, and he fell like a sack of potatoes back down to the dirty ground with a loud thud; a dust cloud puffing up from under his butt.
"Yes," the fatherly voice remained calm, the lips of origin unmoving as they held onto a perfectly fitted, sharpened broadsword with a bright red, intricate handle. "I can speak," the giant, now docile wolf confirmed, standing tall on all fours only a few feet away from the trembling man. "I'm just as surprised myself. Speaking to humans has not happened in the past two thousand years. And this sword?" The wolf started to close the gap between them, leaving behind paw prints Vinny would only see in prehistoric shows, before stopping mere inches away. He didn't say anything more until he lowered his fur-covered head, placing the sword down by the soles of Vinny's shoes and then bowing down like the mailman were King. "I, Maddox the Sire Wolf, shall accept your request for kinship. I will protect you as my alpha and my brother."
Vinny's voice cracked, "no, no, no," he waved his hands out in front of him, "i'm not any type of animal whisperer or anything; I'm just a mailman from New York in the United States." He looked around him once more, "so, where am I?" He asked, standing up and brushing himself off while side eyeing the carnivore. "Obviously not home."
"I don't know of what land this New York is that you speak of. I have lived for well over 100 years, and have traveled many miles throughout my life, but..."
"What's that?" Vinny interrupted the old wolf, not wanting to waste time on a history lesson. He pointed towards the large stone walls that surrounded a city in the distance; a cathedral-like castle in the middle, decorated with colorful stained glass for every window.
"That is the city of DeRora, where the King of Abordia's Western Hemisphere rules; his long line of ancestors doing the same for longer than I've been alive; though the battle for Emperor lasting just as long." The wolf positioned himself next to the mailman, "get on, I'll take you there. Perhaps you'll get the answers you seek."
Vincent furrowed his brow, studying Maddox the wolf for a moment, before placing one of his hands upon the course grey, black, and white fur that covered him like a thick, warm blanket. The moment his fingertips touched it, a jolt of energy blasted through his body, fueling him with adrenaline and power as bright blueish-white light orbs shot out from their point of contact, briefly dancing around them like pixies before dissipating.
As he felt his body become slightly stronger, a tungsten chest piece formed upon Maddox that displayed the carved image of his paw print. He quickly grasped Maddox's fur with both hands before flinging himself upon his back, mounting him like a gallant steed. "Never mind your new drip, but I know you felt that too," he remarked, the feeling remaining in his body as the wolf bolted at full speed towards the wall, grabbing the sword as he took off.
"Each... mailman... must bond with their kin to empower each other; a successful bond forming a crest. The power remains for as long as the beast does, but the crest is forever," he informed Vinny as the mailman held on for his life. "And the beast themselves is granted powers too, such as my sword and the knowledge to wield it."
Vincent raised his head up to look over Maddox's head, his blonde hair whipping around in the wind while his green eyes widened in awe as the duo entered the vast, green clearing the enclosed city was built in; the hot rays of the sun instantly beating down upon them.
From afar the walls looked impressive, but as they rapidly approached them, he realized they were more than impressive; they were breathtakingly majestic. Despite the signs of war with chipping stone, hundreds of different sized holes, and an abundance of soldiers at the wooden gates, Vinny felt a sense of safety.
"I'll be honest with you," Vincent began, his only worry being his lack of worldly knowledge, "I'm not from this.... world. Will the soldiers arrest me?" He asked, watching men and women dressed in crimson-colored armor oversee common folk outside the gates; he didn't dare ask about the worst of punishments as if it would make it a mythical option.
"Do you intend to attack?" Maddox gripped his sword harder, as if he were readying himself to fight.
"No!" He hastily corrected. Even if he knew how to fight, there was no way he was taking on an army.
"Then you have nothing to worry about," he snorted, loosening his grip, "as a beast-"
"Mailman."
"-As a mailman, you will be welcomed with open arms." He lowered his voice and slowed to a steady strut before finally stopping behind a gathering of people all with the same goal; enter the city. But when the lot laid eyes on the Sire Wolf, chaos broke out with women screaming, babies crying, and men yelling. The soldiers instantly readied their weapons, separating the common people from the odd duo.
Some had traditional weapons such as swords and bows, but Vinny wasn't the least bit worried about them upon further examination. He was petrified of the other, more special, soldiers. They were behind the ones with black smithed weapons, but were wielding oddities such as flying boulders about to be chucked, or a mini wave that appeared out of nowhere.
Vinny leaned forward, whispering into his companion's ear, "this is real?"
Maddox raised his head, sword in mouth, refusing to show weakness. "Allow my kin to enter," he announced to the soldiers loudly, keeping a favorable distance between each other, "we have business with the King, I'm sure."
The protectors of DeRora instantly sheathed their various tools, before a man with black-armor heavily decorated with medals came to the forefront. He had a full faced, metal helmet on, the opening for his eyes blackened to appear hollow. Vincent scanned him for a weapon, but nothing hung from his hips or back; another magic user.
Silenced washed over the crowd as they gawked, with only the distance sounds of the city leaking out. "Who are you, boy?" The soldier's voice echoed, booming out like a megaphone. "We are not ones to try and fool with visual tricks! Of all animals, you chose the Sire Wolf to try?" His armor immediately became engulfed in flames, "A Sire Wolf does not befriend men, and they kill before a mind can think; Speak now or I will eviscerate and burn you."
"No need for that!" Vincent pleaded, peeking around Maddox's head. "I'm just lost!" He swung his leg over, hopping off his steed's back and back onto his own feet, though refusing to move from his side.
The flaming man did not stand down, instead he kept demanding answers. "The wolf is real?"
Maddox shook his body, "My drip holds the crest of our bond. I shall ask if you're real, then?" He questioned the knight without hesitation, beginning to take offense at the idea he was possibly fake.
Vinny heard the soldier huff, "what are you, then? Beasts speaking the same tongue as us like it's their first language; If not an illusionist, are you a-"
"I'm a fucking mailman!"