The Order of Events: The Red Wolf (26 page)

The weather was growing worse as a horde of thieves had made themselves a home among a small tree canopy, southwest. The rain poured down through the limbs infinitely as the leader of the horde stood on top of a long, dipping tree limb. He gave out orders as he stood over a pool of water, constantly assaulted by the wet pellets of rain from above.
              “Come on now, get a fire together, you lazy slumps, before I sick you with my curved blade here, Cuttah!”
              The horde roved about, grabbing trees limbs that had been ripped from their placements by the storm, and cutting down formidable trees for fire wood. They were all dressed in rag tag garments and armor, none of them uniform or matching. The leader that ordered them from above had a bald head, two scars running down the left side of his face, piercings in his ears, and the best armor of all his warriors. A curved blade was in his hand as he waved it proudly, directing his horde around the opening in the middle of the heavy canopy.
              “Come on, move it. Not that way, this way! I want the fire on dry ground, not in the water, you idiot! You can’t burn wet wood!”
              The commotion continued onward, as something stalked the trees, stealthily, sneaking behind a horde warrior and snuffing him out without giving notice.
              The leader of the horde hopped down from his view point, landing on some sturdy boulders that were encircling the pool, and made a dictating figure, as he stood above his horde warriors, commanding and waving his curved blade, furiously. “You idiots, you’re never going to get a fire made this way. I should lay into you with Cuttah here, right, now!”
              The horde leader raised his curved blade and swung down viciously, killing an unfortunate one of his warriors, one who had sent a huge tree limb into the pool of water. The blade had caught the attention of the Red Wolf, as he lay hidden in a pair of bushes, only but twenty feet from the horde leader, who was furious in his manner.
              The leader gritted his teeth and licked the blood from the curved blade, and questioned his audience. “Anyone else going to screw up and get killed today?”
              One of the warriors had spoken up, raising their fidgety hand in the air. “No, not at all, but I don’t understand why we didn’t just stay at that small shelter back that ways. It’s not like he could harm us!”
              The leader stepped through the crowd of warriors, and stood before the speaker, and stared him in the eye. “Because there isn’t enough room for all of us in a small, trashy shack as that one, that’s wh-” Before the leader could finish is words, the cries of two rent the air, as they were flung for the leader and his horde. Both burning, as they flew over the crowd and into the pond, letting steam off as they met death.
              The leader pulled his curved sword sharply into the direction of opposition and gestured into the venture, as he roared out. “That way, it came from that way, but what in the blazes was it?”
              The entire horde stood silent, with their weapons at the ready, awaiting the attacker, and then they came. Fire burst from among the horde, burning and scorching many of them to death, as a blade whistled in great, swift strokes, dealing death to any within reach as the burning blade danced among those soon to be dead and lifeless.
              The leader of the horde rushed away from the death dealer, as he saw nothing but the spray of blood and fire, as his horde warriors were dealt quick deaths, leaving only but a few left. The leader and two remaining warriors, whom he pulled to his side, stood awaiting the stop of the slaughter, atop one of the white boulders.
              “Stay here. Let’s see what the blaze this is!”
              The killing had stopped as the trio atop the boulder were met by a well-armored, burning figure, whose helmet was that of a wolf, horrific and burning with hate, as the charcoal plated warrior stood below the last of the horde, speaking in a deathly monotone.
              “Is there only three of you left? I wanted to kill more. I guess I’m just going to have to savor your death that much more!”
              The leader was in great fear, and held his blade downward at his foe, as he spoke, trying to keep a rough tone. “Really, is that so? I’d rather savor your death! By the way, why do you come here killing my horde? I haven’t done anything to you!”
              The iron fashioned warrior looked up with a burning glare of hatred, looking upon the one whose death would bring release of his anger. “That boy you so carelessly slaughtered and drained of blood, back at what you call a trashy shelter…that was my brother. I’ve brought an old friend of yours to help me kill you too, look familiar?”
              The Red Wolf produced the chain which his brother of adoption was hung from, and allowed it to drape on the ground, as he stared vengefully at the killer.
              The leader was caught with cold fear, as he could not bear the burning stare of the warrior below and yelled down to him, pushing his last two warriors ahead of him, as he leapt down to issue attack. “You aren’t gonna kill me! You hear that? I’ll kill you, as I did that rotten kid!”
              The Red Wolf saw the incoming attack, and kicked each approaching warrior aside, and then dealt a good kick up to the stomach of the leader, holding him in the air, as he then swung his leg in a spin, sending him flying onto the hard ground.
              The Red Wolf made an approach to the grounded leader as his warriors, loyal but stupid, tried to make approach to the beastly warrior. The ember rich warrior did not even bother to turn to his approaching foes, and swung his blade backwards in two fine cuts, dealing a pair of quick and sharp deaths to the two horde warriors.
              The leader got up, and was hurt badly, his leg broken and his jaw cracked as he raised the curved blade to the face of the burning warrior, speaking in muddled speech as he raised his blade thinking he would be able to bring it down for the kill, as the warrior stood silently before him. “I’m gunnah khu…t you in tuh…sev…eral good pieces…you…rotte…”
              As the blade came down, the beastly warrior grabbed the hand that held the blade, with a firm grasp, and started digging burning claws into the flesh of the killer. “I hope this hurts as much as I want it to!”
              The leader could only scream in pain, but was soon silenced as his death was ever painful, but quick, and torturous as well. The arm that gripped the curved blade was soon turned to ash, and the blade caught, and dug deeply into the stomach of the leader. The beastly warrior, taking no reservations, took the chain held in his grip, and tied it around the neck of the leader as he fell to his knees, groaning in horror to the pain administered to him. The chain was pulled tight and started to burn, as the Red Wolf took grip of the killer’s throat and then stuck his claws into his back, raising him above his head, ready to finish him.
              The Red Wolf’s eyes grew great with anger and hate, and the twin flames burst, as he turned the body in his hands into charcoal, and tore the killer of his brother to pieces, the chain around the killer’s neck falling to the ground, along with his spread remains.
              The Red Wolf had avenged his brother, but the anger was still within him. He leapt from the ashes of his foe, and onto a great boulder and howled fiercely to the sky, his cry a vengeful and sorrowful one, and then he sensed something in the trees around him.
              The wolf spirits poured from around the opening, and surrounded the angry, charcoal boy, as he made his helmet to disappear and stood staring at the beasts, speaking with anger in his voice. “What do you want?!”
              The wolves encircled the charcoal figure, as embers danced on his furious face, the spirits speaking in their manner of completion and form that the Red Wolf had come to know.
              “Did you ever think that you could make a life with these humans, these murdering, savage things?”
              The charcoal boy replied, gritting his teeth at the wolves. “I could have, I could’ve been happy and made something…”
              The wolves made themselves closer to the boy, encircling his body with their forms as they spoke. “But you didn’t, the humans made sure of that, didn’t they? They destroyed your only chance of happiness, didn’t they? And now what shall you do…kill the rest for their sins committed against you?”
              The boy heard the words clearly and rose from the center of the wolves, and gritted his teeth in anger and in hate for those of the human race. “They took him from me, they destroyed my only chance!”
              The wolves liked where the conversation was going, and continued their influence upon the boy. “And they should pay for it…with death! Kill the humans. Fulfill your purpose, in the name of your fallen brother!”
              The boy agreed with their words and made his beastly helmet upon his form, and leapt down to the ash ridden ground, his armored tread landing heavily upon the ashy remains and spitting them outward, as the charcoal warrior knelt down and took the chain from the embers and wrapped it around his sword handle, making it a weapon even deadlier than before, as he spoke out a promise. “With this I shall slay all who come into my path, and I shall wreak vengeance upon all, with the pit, and bring new life to this world, that I promise I shall commit!”
              The wolves howled and disappeared from sight, their last words circulating with the boy’s own thoughts. “Kill the humans! Fulfill your destiny! Fulfill your vengeance!”
              The Red Wolf howled up through the clearing, and morphed into his beastly, ragged form of blood red fur, and bound out from the woods, and for the pit that which he was to harness and deal death out from. He would kill all life, and he would do so for his brother.

-Chapter 11-
Past

Many years later, after the time of Sofius, the clan of Ernai was growing extinct. They had slowly been dying out from starvation, age, and the pain of the Sharp Sands. They had spent generation after generation in the Sharp Sands, home of their people, and now faced near extinction.
Four figures stood among the dying remains of the Ernai camp. A great descendant of Sofius, after many generations, Satthias, sat kneeled amongst the sharp sands. He was at his wife’s side…she was about to give birth.
              Satthias gripped his wife’s hand, as an old woman of the Ernai, Runa, was beside her and rattled her bone bracelets, and craned her skull topped head, speaking as the woman bearing child lay on her back. “Satthias, she is about to give birth. She is about to give birth to the Red Wolf!” Satthias looked at Runa with his sunken eyes, yellow and wild as he held his wife’s hand and shook his head. “Runa, is it, can it…be?”
              Runa grit her teeth sharply and touched the pregnant stomach, speaking in a voice dealing truths. “Yes, Satthias, it is true. After all, she is the last woman of our clan capable of birth. We are but four survivors, now. Yes, it is the Red Wolf. It can be no other!” As Runa had spoken, the woman, Renume, began to thrash about and held her stomach as she became still, staring into the eyes of her husband, she spoke. “Satthias…I love you…love our child…no matter…”
              Satthias had listened to her words intently, and then she began to thrash wildly, her eyes beginning to burn with fire. Runa watched as it had begun, and stood, backing away.
As Runa and Satthias watched his wife become wild, thrashing left and right, the third of them, one named Rartyr, watched intensely as the woman began to give birth to something beastly. Rartyr toyed with a sheathed long sword at his side, as he watched.
              Satthias was still holding his wife’s hand tightly as she was convulsing, and then suddenly…she stopped. Satthias grabbed her shoulder with his hand, her form lolled on the ground, as her head was soon bending back with burning eyes. Tears poured from them, hot and sorrowful, as Renume spoke weakly. “Satthias…tell him…he…was always...!”
              The pain was growing greater, burning into her flesh. Satthias kept to Renume’s side as she began to writh and bend once again, stretching her limbs outward as her belly began to burn.
              Satthias held tight to his wife’s hand as long as he could, for it began to feel as hot as fire to the touch. Burning what would be future scars into Satthias’ hand, as he spoke.
              “I’m not letting go. I won’t, Renume!”
              Runa and Rartyr watched as the skin of Renume grew as embers, becoming grey and dead as ash. Satthias watching in horror, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it.
              Renume cried out as her stomach had grown black as charcoal and then caved in. All watched as fire burst from the open cavity of her belly…something shifted and peeked out, while Satthias was stricken with tears. He could not bear to watch his love suffer in such a way.
              Molten fluid spilled out, as the form of the child rose from Renume’s belly, dripping with the hot molten liquid. It raised its head up, and breathed in its first taste of air. Satthias looked to Renume’s face as her whole body burned and sweat embers, a soft wind passing through, sending them dancing on the air as she reached out to Satthias and ushered him close, as she spoke her last words before death, muttering it quietly into Satthias’ ear as he leaned in.               “His…name…Satthias…he…is…wanted…he…is…”
              Satthias held her hand tightly as she had spoken. It turned to ashes in his grip as he nestled his scarred face next to hers, speaking her name softly, as he felt great loss.