The Mercury Wars: The Clearing

Chapter 7 - Wolf

Deep in the trees, Connor stares ahead at the overgrowth. Henry is nowhere to be seen and the sense of fear sits uncomfortably on his shoulders.

He watches as the bush rustles, awaiting another wolf to emerge and take its charge at him. He inhales the scent of the forest. He awaits his opponent to make its appearance.

His hand reaches back to grip on Eindride, ready to defend and protect both himself and the people he has grown to care for. His hold on the weapon is firm but no longer forcing him to tighten his knuckles in anticipation.

The bush shakes again, leaves rustling as small feet begin to appear and a tiny wolf pup slowly makes its way out of the greenery. It walks forward, cautious of the man in front of him. Hesitant to approach, but curious within its age, not knowing fully what the capability is of the human before it.

Connor lets go of the sword's handle and stares at the youngster making its way across the muddy ground. He looks at the soft grey fur, the eyes that are still too big for its face. He notices the way it cocks its head in curiosity at what it is approaching as it finally reaches his feet.

He is still looking ahead, at the bush it came from when he hears it start to whimper at his feet. His focus instantly returned to the child.

The sight before him is of the pup, crying beside its lifeless mother. Head detached from the body, blood staining the ground around it.

He watches in horror as the pup tries to use its snout to nudge its mother awake. Unable to make her move but not stopping in its desperate display of love to bring life back to its parent.

Connor's heart breaks as his chest feels heavy with the guilt of his actions. The realisation that he has taken a mother away from her child. The oldest and most natural connection of affection and love in the universe and he has destroyed it for this young wolf in front of him.

"I'm sorry" Connor whispers, tears filling his eyes as the colour slowly drains from the world around him.

Greens, browns and yellows begin to settle slowly into greys, whites and blacks. He is searching around him for any sign of colour remaining in his vision. But the only colour he can set upon is a dark maroon that is draining from the wolf mother at his feet.

As beauty is stripped away before him, he watches as the victim of his attack lays lifeless, but with its eyes open, piercing into his soul.

He hears a disturbance to his side, turning to his left and seeing a pack of wolves approaching. The five of them edge closer in a line, teeth showing as they approach. He begins to creep backwards, each step feeling like he is stepping back into the unknown as he remains pointed towards the dogs heading in his direction.

He reaches back and draws Eindride as a warning for the wolves, but he falls to the floor in shock when the blade revealed is coated in blood. It drips down the steel towards the handle, thick like syrup. As it draws close to his hands, Connor throws the sword to the floor and shuffles back, looking back up to the wolves approaching.

But they are now lifeless on the floor with their heads detached from their bodies. Each of them sat beside a pup that is mirroring the image of the first one.

He continues to shuffle back until his hand stops before it reaches the ground, landing on something soft and waving through his fingers. He looks down suddenly and leaps to his feet as he is met with Link laying on the floor, motionless but looking up to him.

"Why did you do it?" Link says to him. Sadness is evident in his words, tears falling from his eyes.

Connor keeps stepping backwards until he trips on something and falls onto another body. He turns on the floor and is met with dark skin and eyes that usually hold a friendly fondness towards him. Henry. He is also laying there, asking the same question.