"Grim Wolf" A Tundrawolf Story

Part Three "The Blood Moon"

Natalia could feel the surge of warnings her wolves were sending her. It was almost a physical thing, as if someone was yelling in her ear. All the turns of learning in the Battle Houses and training on the Battle Grounds made her ready for this moment. The many times she watched her father give commands to his men went into effect as she started barking orders to the three young men before her. She turned and looked down at the swirling mass of black that was coming out of the forest and circling the Smallhenge.

"The only way we can defend against so many is on top of the stones. Kaleb, you take the cap stone in the east, facing the wolves. Alvari, you take the tallest stone to the west, you can watch over the horses and our backs with that horse-bow of yours. The Tundras will stay in the center and fight from below. Kal, you take the stone to the south, and I will take the one to the north." Natalia belted out.

"Make every shot count and when you can pick your targets shoot the big ones. You could be killing a pack leader. Do not let them get close. Their bite is death and their claws are sword-sharp like a cat. They can jump and climb and are masters of the ambush so watch all your sides. May your arrows fly true and strength be in your arms, NOW MOVE!!"

The three young men who towered over her had been hanging on her every word. They looked at her with a new-found respect and more than just a little bit of awe. She stood as straight as an arrow, ruddy red light from the Blood Moon dully gleaming off of her plain steel armor. Her face was framed by strands of sun-gold hair that had escaped her braid. Her tilted eyes were burning a bright green, instead of brown, with the gold flecks swirling around like embers from a fire within. None of them had ever seen an Elf before, but if they had they would know that a Princess of the Elves stood before them in full battle-mode, radiantly beautiful and extremely lethal. They watched as she strapped her shield and bow across her back and threw her spear up to the top of the cap stone to the north and moved.

No one mentioned the Blood Moon coming out of the trees behind the raving blackness of wolves. It was an ill omen, a night when demons roamed the earth possessing man and beast. Legend had it that the Grim Wolves were more courageous and grew stronger on the night of a full moon. Men who lived in the Snow Forest said they became shrewder, more vicious and were more feared under its cold light.

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Alvari had no idea what a Full-Blood Moon would do to the beasts, but he could see he would soon find out. He turned and looked at the stone he was to be on top of and wondered how in the world he was supposed to get there. When he turned towards Natalia to ask he was amazed to see her shimmy up the side of a standing stone. She seemed to be running up the smooth rock grasping at hand holds he could not see.  He took one more look and could see no hand holds at all on its polished surface. He then looked to the twins and saw them both climb up at the lowest point of the stone circle. He watched as Kal made his way running and jumping to his post. Alvari ran fast as he could chasing after the two Sea Marines.

Once Alvari jumped up to where Kaleb was he ran and jumped half way around the stone circle until he was on top of the huge granite slab. He gazed down the hill to get his first good look at the Grim Wolves below. He could still see the grass on the hillside, but any grass around the Smallhenge was covered by a black writhing mass swirling around it. In moments he watched as tendrils from the mass started shooting up the hill, tendrils getting thicker by the minute as more and more wolves joined the charge. Suddenly, he found himself in agreement with Kaleb, something he rarely did. He too did not think they had enough arrows.

Alvari then double checked his weapons. He made sure his bow was strung and undamaged and felt for his quiver of arrows. He found his spear on the stone and slid his long sword in and out of its scabbard on his back. The young hunter also checked his armor making sure everything was on tight. A few minutes ago he would have given anything to take it off, now he did not think he had enough of it on. He looked forlornly down at his helm sitting on top of his bedroll below and wished it was up here on his head. It came to Alvari he really had no idea what he was doing as he was no warrior. He wondered how they were all going to get through this night. Fear was in danger of setting in.