Tales of the Wolf: Book 01 - The Coming of the Wolf (46 page)

Turning quickly, Hawkeye exited the cave. His heart aching at the act of leaving her, it felt as if someone had reached into his chest and ripped out his heart. It was the worst pain he had ever felt. To keep from running back to her, he whispered a quick prayer to Luna asking for strength.             

Just then, a young brave came running toward him through the foot deep snow. Recognizing the brave as Dark Arrow, Hawkeye paused. “Wolflord! Wolflord!”

“What is it?”

“We have found Bravefoot. The War Council requests your presence.”

Glancing once more at the Cave of Luna where his wife sat in meditation, Hawkeye turned and followed the messenger back to the lodge and his duties

As the long night of waiting came to an end and the faintest glow of dawn brightened the eastern sky all was ready in the village. After inflicting as much damage on the approaching army as possible, the surviving warriors of the wolverine and fox tribes returned to the village with the coming of the dawn. They were tired, wounded and hungry, yet they were also extremely proud of their accomplishment. They had killed seven Dark Alliance warriors for every Highlander they lost but eventually they had to flee into the forest before doubling back to reach Itasca.

Warriors from the wolverine tribe had immediately joined the bear and wolf tribes at the front gate, while the fox warriors used their shape-changing ability to slink into the surrounding wilderness to join up with the puma and lynx tribes somewhere on the sides of the valley walls, in hiding, just waiting for their chance to attack the flanks of the Dark Alliance. The boar tribe had been positioned at the back gate, both as a reserve unit and to guard their only exit from the crater city.

The night had been long and tedious but not without merit. The advancing army had scared most of the animals from their winter nest. Most had headed further north away from the battleground but many had answered the call of their highland brothers. Hawkeye had not counted on this aid when he estimated the size of his army. There were at least two hundred animals gathered to help in the fight, at least half were wolves and fifty were bears; the rest were mixed between pumas, foxes, ravens, owls and a few wolverines. They had joined their brethren in the center of the village, which would be the final battleground. Hawkeye knew that the addition of these animals would help even the odds but not that much.

Kaoni Bravefoot’s return was considered a blessing of the gods by many of the younger warriors. Although he was young, he had gained their respect through his courage and friendly demeanor. Hawkeye was also relieved to have his return, not only for the sake of Bravefoot’s young daughter Amani but to have a fellow wolf-brother to lean on in the coming battle. Bravefoot’s story was the same as many of the Highland warriors; Jotens had massacred his family when he was still a boy. Being adopted by another tribe he had risen to a position of power through his skill at arms and rare wisdom. Many believed him to be destined for a seat on the Great Council one day.

When he went missing on the day of Red Eagle’s challenge, the whole village had joined in the search. Not finding any sign of him until the day before the Dark Alliance’s arrival, the whole village considered his return a good omen. He was found among the dead bodies of fifteen gnomes a few leagues south of the village. Glancing at the young warlord, Hawkeye studied the bandaged and bruised warrior. He had tried to convince the stubborn warlord to leave with the women, children, elderly and wounded but Bravefoot would have nothing to do with it. Hawkeye remembered him swearing ‘If your bride can fight in this war considering her condition, then there is no way this side of the Nine Hells I’m not going to; besides, I have my own vengeance to take.’  That had pretty much settled the argument. And now, they looked over the makeshift palisade together as the Dark Alliance came into view. 

The enemy had reached the foothills of Itasca a few hours after dawn. Instead of immediately attacking as the Highlanders feared; the goblins began a slow steady beat on their drums while the rest of the army formed up in battle formations and waited. In the background, cooking fires and tents were set up. It seemed the Dark Alliance was going to wait till dusk to attack. Hawkeye knew the drums and the troop formations were designed to play on the Highlanders’ fears and wear down the defenders.

Making a show of stretching, Hawkeye yawned and said loudly to no one in particular. “Well, I think it’s time for breakfast. Our guests seem not to be in a hurry, so we might as well get something to eat.”

Hopping off the palisade, Hawkeye moved casually through the defenders. Those near enough to hear and see him seemed to relax. Without abandoning their posts, the defenders began to relax. Runners began moving through the defenders passing food and water.

The day was long for the defenders. They knew that death was sitting at their doorstep and soon, very soon, it would come knocking. The elder warriors took the downtime in stride, sleeping or visiting old friends; while the younger warriors joked and gambled but couldn’t resist looking down at the ominous formations of the Dark Alliance.

Hawkeye had scouts out constantly watching for any attempt to flank or surround Itasca but it was obvious that Blackfang intended a brutal frontal assault. As the sun began to set, the whole Highland Nation waited patiently for what they knew was coming. As soon as the sun was fully behind the mountains, they readied their weapons. They didn’t have to wait long. They heard them coming long before they saw them and smelled them even before that. The immense wall of goblin, gnome, cyclops and highlander bodies illuminated by the burning watch fires was frightening. They filled the whole floor of the valley. Stopping just out of longbow range, the warriors of the Dark Alliance stood still as the silence deepened and time dragged on.

Watching from the walls, Hawkeye tried to guess what Blackfang’s next move would be. After a few moments, a young brave of the Black Wolf Pack stepped forward. Holding up his right hand, palm open in the traditional sign of peace, he began to approach. Before he entered bow range, the twang of several bows rang out in the still night air. Five arrows struck the ground ten yards in front of the brave. Halting, the brave spoke in a loud voice.

“His greatness, Blackfang the one true Wolflord, Commander of the Dark Alliance and Wielder of the Black Flame asks for your surrender. You cannot hope to win against such overwhelming odds. We have counted your numbers and we would let you know that you are outnumbered six to one. My lord Blackfang will allow all those who surrender now to go free with the exception of the upstart Wolflord Hawkeye and his bitch elf.”

There was silence for a moment, as the defenders looked at each other. They knew that the mouth of Blackfang was probably lying about the numbers but he was right; they were vastly outnumbered and the odds were definitely in Blackfang’s favor but not a single defender stirred nor thought of surrendering.  Glancing over the lines of his troops, he saw the resolution in their eyes. Hawkeye knew that his kinsman would rather die fighting for their freedom then to bow down to an upstart demoness.

Drawing an arrow, Hawkeye drew back his great horned bow. Pointing the shaft upwards, he held the arrow in the drawn position for a brief moment. Feeling a breeze on his right cheek, he made a slight adjustment to his aim. Breathing out, he released the string. The arrow shot from his bow with a loud twang that broke the silence of the valley.

For several breaths nothing happened.

As his name proclaimed, his aim was perfect. The young brave fell to the ground with an arrow lodged in his throat.

The Dark Alliance grumbled in anger.

The Highland Nation roared in defiance.

The Dark Alliance attacked and all hell broke loose.

First came a rain of boulders thrown by the cyclops. The boulders came hurling through the night sky at the defenders. Most fell short, landing just in front of the wall. Some were overthrown, landing in the village but many were right on target. These plowed into the wall, creating holes and breeches in the great wooden and snow barricade. Some landed on the defenders, crushing those unfortunate warriors like a bug. Twenty warriors fell in the first few seconds of the volley. The whole barrage lasted only a couple of minutes. When it was over, the wall had been breached in five places and at least fifty highland warriors lay dead or dying. The wave of goblins came next. The green-skinned goblins ran towards the palisade screaming and cursing in their foul language while waving their crude spears.

Climbing back to their post, the defenders watched as the goblins came pouring across the wide-open field. The gnomes were sitting ducks for the skilled bowmen of the highlanders but still they held their shots. About a hundred feet from the walls the goblins ran into the first trap…holes.

Hundreds of holes covered approach to the main gate. Most were just large enough for a leg to fit inside. Some were much larger. All were filled with spikes. These traps broke the charge of the first wave of attackers. Once the attackers were trapped in the holes, the defenders began firing their arrows. The majority of the first wave died in the first few minutes of battle; those that didn’t pulled back to regroup and curse the defenders.

A loud cheer went up from the defenders. Hawkeye allowed himself a small grin. They had stopped the first wave but he knew that the Dark Alliance was far from being defeated. He guessed that Blackfang would send the one-eyed giants next. He didn’t have to wait long to see that he was right.

About one hundred cyclops carrying clubs the size of small trees lumbered forward with a wave of goblins right behind them. The defenders started firing arrows at the cyclops the moment they came into range, aiming for the most vulnerable parts, their eyes and throats. Four cyclops fell before they went ten steps towards Itasca but eight more took their place almost immediately. Most of the cyclops ignored the rain of arrows as they marched steadily towards the village. A few more fell but there was always one or two more to take his place.

Hawkeye knew the moment of truth was at hand. This would be where his plan would work or fail. He had realized early on that he could not stop or kill all of the cyclops but he did need to slow them down. He signaled the waiting messengers. Quickly shape-shifting into their bird forms, they flew off to signal the waiting troops. Hawkeye turned back to see the wave of cyclops only about thirty feet away grinning at the thought of an easy kill. Hundreds of gnomes paced restlessly behind them. Many were firing arrows over the cyclops heads but most fell harmlessly to the ground; a few stray arrows hit their mark but overall this attack was quite ineffective. 

Hawkeye let a smug smile cross his lips as he ordered the retreat. The defenders quickly leapt off the wall and ran to the center of the courtyard to join with their animal brothers. The sight of the fleeing defender caused the cyclops to charge blindly into Hawkeye’s second trap. The last ten feet of ground before the wall had been dug up, filled with tar and covered with wooden poles, branches and snow. In the dim light of the night, the cyclops didn’t see the trap, until it was sprung.

As the foremost of the cyclops fell into the trench with a groan and a splash, several hidden warriors tossed in lit torches. The trench roared into flames. At least fifty of the cyclops were caught in the fiery trench. They screamed in pain and rage. As they struggled to get out, they knocked some of the nearby gnomes into the trench while the rest were smart enough to pull back. Unfortunately, the gnomes were still within bow range of the walls and the highlanders took advantage of the situation.

A few of the burning cyclops threw themselves to the ground to try and put out the flames. Unfortunately, some fell on the smaller gnomes crushing them with their great weight. The remaining cyclops and gnomes attacked their burning companions, killing them before they could do any more harm.

As the fire in the trench died down quickly to a small blaze, the fumes and smoke filled the night air obscuring the village from the invaders view. The wind shifted slightly, coming from the northeast bringing with it the threat of more snow and carrying the smoke and fumes into the faces of the Dark Alliance. With a loud cry, the remaining attackers rushed the barricade. Without the Highlanders defending the wall, they breached the small barricade easily. The Dark Alliance entered Itasca but it had cost them dearly. They had lost at least one quarter of their army in the initial assault, while the highlanders had only lost about one tenth. Now, came the close quarter fighting.

*   *   *   *   *

From a distance, Grunk watched the Dark Alliance’s attack on Itasca with mixed feelings.

Part of him yearned to join in the glory of battle. There is no greater thrill like rushing a fortified encampment, never knowing if an arrow will strike you with enough accuracy to stop you in your tracks or you will win through to the ramparts. Yet any excitement he would’ve felt to be a part of the attack was tempered with the knowledge that every death, Highlander or Dark Alliance served the purpose of Clotho, the true enemy of Terreth.

Grunk had already gained a healthy respect for the Highlander commander as the defenders failed to give into the stress and tension of a long day looking at the enemy camped at your gates. However, his respect grew even more as the first two waves fell to the traps. However, Grunk knew that barring intervention from the Gods, the Dark Alliance would take the barbarian village. There were just too many attackers and not enough defenders. It would come down to a battle of attrition and the Dark Alliance had the numbers, the Highlanders didn’t. As the last of the Dark Alliance swarmed through the fallen gates of Itasca, Grunk moved onto the battlefield and up the body covered slope.

*   *   *   *   *

As the warriors of the Dark Alliance breached the wall, a handful of volunteers put up a token resistance before fleeing. Drawing the attackers into the ambushes Hawkeye had set up throughout the village. As the attackers would pass by a lodge, a group of warriors would leap out to attack. They would only attack for a short time before fading back into the darkness to regroup. They would continue to fade back until they reached the battleground chosen by Hawkeye, the clearing in front of the sacred pool and cave of Luna.