Jack looked around at all of his hunters. All of them were bringing their weapons, naturally unsure if the wolves would be friendly or not. He could not help but to feel nervous, just like he always felt before leading them on a hunt. He could only hope he was not leading anyone to their death.
"Alright men, you all know your orders. Hopefully we will get through this without bloodshed, and only attack if the wolves attack us." They all nodded in reply.
"Alright, let's go then." Jack led the hunters out of the castle and into the moonlit streets. He felt it would be safer to go at night, so his father or the king would not catch them. One hunter, Joel, had refused to come, saying he would not interact with the wolves in a friendly manner. Jack had no choice but to accept his decision.
They walked along the cobblestone paths, nodding politely to the few villagers who happened to be out. All of them could sense fear from one another and it made sense. No one had any idea how this would end. The cobblestone paths and houses soon gave way to the forests bathed in moonlight. Jack nodded to his hunters and crept into the woods, his eyes squinting in attempt to see. He could faintly recall Fire-Flower's directions to the wolf pack's camp. He also remembered that she made it clear to not enter the camp, but to stand a couple yards away.
All of the hunters were fully alert as they stalked deeper and deeper into the woods. The hooting of owls and chirping of crickets filled the night. Jack was thankful for the nearly full moon and clear sky that night, as that gave them both moonlight and starlight to guide them. They had been walking nearly twenty minutes, and with each step they all grew more nervous. No one would dare harm their pride enough to call it fear though.
Sounds of barking and paw steps soon reached the hunter's ears. Moonlight revealed a large cave in the middle of a clearing. Outside it, multiple wolves roamed about, gnawing on bones, play fighting, laying down, or perhaps even talking, as Jack had said the wolves had human intelligence. In the middle, a huge golden wolf stood. He was bigger than a horse, and towered above even the tallest of humans. The sight of him was truly terrifying. What made it more terrifying was when the wolves began to notice the hunters standing a few yards away. They stood, hackles raised, ears flattened, teeth bared, claws unshielded. The golden wolf stood, stalking forward.
The hunters drew their weapons, prepared to defend themselves if necessary. Suddenly, a young woman with hair similar to the color of blood appeared. She quickly raced forward, standing in front of the golden wolf, who was obviously the Alpha. Shock coursed through many of the hunters, as she stood before the wolves without fear.
"Vänta! Lejonhjärta, menar de ingen skada. Jägarna bara vill återställa fred. Vänligen inte attackera." The wolves ceased stalking forward, many turning towards the Alpha. Jack was amazed to hear her speak, as he had never really heard her speak wolf. IT was a strange language, sounding like both human words and growls mixed into one.
"Brand-Blomma, Vad menar du med de menar någon skada? De är jägare! Hur kunde de vill återställa fred?" The Alpha spoke and for once it did not sound like mere growls and barks. It sounded similar to the way Fire-Flower had spoken, just in a deeper voice and with more growls, it was harder to hear as words.
"De lärde sig sanningen i detta krig, Lejonhjärta. De förstår att de inte behöver döda oss, precis som vi inte behöver döda dem. Snälla, lyssna på vad de har att säga." She replied to the Alpha, her eyes pleading.
"Hur är det du vet detta, Lilla Lågan?" The Alpha's eyes were narrowed, watching the hunters.
"De leda jägare, de alfa, han är min para sig. Jag älskar honom. Snälla lyssna på vad de har att saga." As soon as those words left her mouth, the Alpha turned to the hunters, a snarl escaping his jaws. The Alpha stalked towards the hunters, barking something to the rest of the pack. The hunters drew their weapons, fear coursing through their bodies. The Alpha's gaze flickered over the group, soon landing on Jack. Fire-Flower walked forward, standing beside the Alpha wolf.
"Du kan lita på hans ord?" The Alpha spoke, his head turning towards Fire-Flower.
"Jag litar på honom med mitt liv." She replied, her voice confident. The Alpha looked back at the hunters, the anger in his eyes bubbling down to annoyance and dislike.
"Mycket bra, skall jag lyssna." The golden wolf turned, stalking away towards the rest of his pack. "Brand-Blomma säger att de menar någon skada. Attack endast om de attackerar." The Alpha barked out what was likely an order to his pack. The wolves relaxed, staring warily at the hunters.
Fire-Flower looked at him, a smile on her face.
"He says he will listen."
"What did you say to him?" Jack could not help but to ask.
Fire-Flower shook her head. "It does not matter, now speak!" Jack nodded, looking back at his hunters.
"We have learned the truth of how this war began, humans started it. Now I and my hunters wish to end it." He stopped to allow Fire-Flower to translate it.
"Vi har lärt oss sanningen om hur detta krig började människan började det. Nu har jag och mina jägare vill avsluta det."
"End your attacks on our flocks, and we will convince our people to end our attacks as best we can. Let us be enemies no longer!"
"Avsluta dina attacker på våra hjordar, och vi kommer att övertyga vårt folk för att avsluta våra attacker så gott vi kan. Låt oss vara fiender inte längre!" Many of the wolf's ears perked at this. The wolves appeared to be interested in what they were saying.
"We wish to end this war as much as you do. Please help us to end it."
"Vi vill avsluta detta krig så mycket som du gör. Hjälp oss att avsluta det." By now many wolves were talking in their native tongue to one another. Many looked interested and impressed from what Jack could tell. Minutes passed and soon the Alpha stood, he walked forward and stopped next to Fire-Flower.
"Vi kommer att hjälpa dig, Alfa jägare. Vet att du har tur, om det inte vore för min dotter, skulle du vara död." The hunters turned to Fire-Flower, waiting for a translation.
"We will help you, Alpha hunter. Know that you are lucky, if it were not for my daughter, you'd be dead." The hunters grinned. They had succeeded in their mission.
"Daughter?" Jack asked, looking to Fire-Flower. She nodded.
"Yes, Lionheart is my adoptive father." Jack nodded, a bit surprised.
"Well, thank you for this. We would not be able to restore peace without you." Jack pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her head into his cheat. Jack pulled away from the hug after a minute, looking down at her with a grin. Little Wolf smiled back up at him. Jack looked around, the hunters looked pound and were talking amongst themselves, the wolves were also talking amongst themselves. Jack wrapped an arm around Little Wolf, looking back down at her.
"Want to meet some friends of mine?" She nodded, her eyes brightening with joy. Jack chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Alright, come on." Jack said, leading her over to where Thatcher and the others stood.
YOU ARE READING
Little Wolf
Fantasy"Little Wolf! Little Wolf!" A young boy with dark hair called. He stood at the edge of the shadowy forest. His eyes peered into the woods, squinting as he struggled to see. He waited and waited, but was only met with silence. Confusion crossed his f...
