Story for the Day: Aodhgan and Eochaid - Wolves of Osraige

The Wolves of Ossory are known for keeping to themselves, due to the nature of their curse, but Myndil happens to meet Aodhgan and Eochaid MacCellaig, two wolves from the ruling royal house:

The world blew by in a brush of colour, the towns and villages painted over in a stroke of speed, the defined outlines of rocks and trees fading, but Myndil was beginning to enjoy the sensation, the undulating of the wolf’s back, the exhilaration of false flight, the gnats and midges buffeting him and dying against his face. “Is this how you travel at home?” he asked, picking a midge from his teeth.

                “This is how we travel on our hunts,” Eochaid replied, his fangs gleaming in lupine glee. “My cousin doesn’t like to run free as a wolf as much as I do. He says it leaves us vulnerable.”

                Feeling the weight of Eochaid’s human form pressing down on him from behind, Myndil must agree. “I didn’t know that Aodhgan was your royal huntsman and that he was looking for a prince.”

                Eochaid whined subrisively. “I’m sure he was eager to keep it a secret. He cannot tell everyone he meets that he is searching for a kidnapped prince. He’s protective of me—he has to be—he’s my guardian, appointed by the king when I was born.”

                He told Myndil of how they grew up together, of how they had been best friends from boys, of how Aodhgan, though twelve years older than him, was made Lord Protector of the royal line from an early age. Aodhgan was the only child of the king’s younger brother, and when Aodhgan’s father was killed in a hunting party, his mother having died shortly after he was born, the king adopted him and raised him as his own, hoping that he would be a companion for Eochaid, teach him right principles and keep him from getting into scrapes. Eochaid was born from the king’s second wife, and he grew to be a good-hearted and loving boy, if not a little impulsive and foolhardy, but under Aodhgan’s governance, he became a respectable prince, if not fit for rule just yet than to be molded into prudence in time. The king ordered that there should be no difference between the prince and his cousin, Eochaid learning and obeying all the same rules that any one from the lower ranks would have done, Aodhgan serving as a check to all his instincts, his towering height and indomitable strength always at hand to restrain him. They trained together, wrestling and playing with each other in the woods, the favourite game of all the cousins being ‘hide and hunt’, all the siblings going to hide and then challenging Aodhgan to find them. Even when Aodhgan was younger, his talent at hunting was renowned, so strong were his senses that he could find anyone miles away even in his human form. Aodhgan always won—even during their monthly hunts, Aodhgan would always prevail, forever being the first to find their quarry, but he would never kill; even from a child, from the first time he had discovered his lupine form, Aodhgan could never bring himself to strike something that was smaller and weaker than himself. Killing is what keeps us apart from the wolves, was the lesson Aodhgan had taught him, wanting him to remember that while wolves were noble creatures, they were royal servants of God and not the monstrous abominations that their family curse suggested. Eochaid rarely strayed from Aodhgan’s side, honouring his palace as guardian and only tormenting him by hunting alone some of the time. He admired his cousin, esteemed his abilities and wished he was more like him: the treasure of Osraige, the beloved fondling of the king, respected by everyone who knew him, feared by some, hailed as the greatest huntsman in the realm—but even with all the advantages of birth and situation, he had few friends and fewer confidants; his position alienated him, his rank impeded him, and his wolf form was so notoriously terrific that despite every honour he had earned, he received few invitations from any prospective admirers. Eochaid enjoyed the attention and solicitations from anyone eager to know a young prince, but Aodhgan would rather keep to his obligations, looking after his little cousin, shadowing the crowned prince, making sure all was safe and secure in the kingdom. They were more like brothers than cousins, Eochaid spending every day with Aodhgan, though he was closer in age with his other siblings, but no one could chide him so much or pin him so well, the only person in the kingdom—other than the king—who could tell him what to do and have him listen, who could paw him down whenever he got too bold. Their strength seemed to come from the shared part of the family, the king and his brother also being mountainous men, but no one could hope to equal Aodhgan’s senses, gifted to him by his mother’s side of the family, herself an excellent tracker before a short illness took her off. From a young age, Aodhgan was told that to be afflicted with the curse of Ossory was to be alone-- not lonely, but singular—everyone carrying the curse having to accept it in their own way, some choosing to remain by themselves to keep from passing it on. Those outside the kingdom who knew their secret either shunned them or hunted them, some of the more foolish clans believing that they could become wolves themselves if they catch and kill one of the royal family and parade about in their skins. This was a myth, of course, circulated by the low and licentious, but did not stop them from killing Aodhgan’s father or trying to steal the prince away, hunters looking to either gain the powers of the curse themselves or gain a fortune by it.

“Are you getting married?” Myndil exclaimed, clasping his hands together and then quickly grabbing at Eochaid’s fur to keep himself from falling. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I’m so excited for you!”

                “Well,” said Eochaid uneasily, “it’s an arranged marriage. I’ve only met her once. She’s not from our kingdom and I’m concerned she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. I don’t know if she’ll like me, but our union will make an alliance between the upper and lower kingdoms. I can only hope she will not ‘mind the wolf’, as we say.”

                “I daresay she should like you—she certainly will if you take her travelling this way, only perhaps building yourself a seat for your body so she doesn’t have to carry you might be helpful—and you are very warm and snuggly, and your fur is mighty comfortable. I’m sure that would win anyone’s heart on a cold night.”

                Eochaid yipped in a laugh. “Would that potential wives be as easy and forgiving as you.”