The Myth of the Ice Queen:
Blood and Ice Wolves
Chapter 10 -The Cave
The flurry of noise and action ahead of Muroc brought Feyt forward with his weapon at the ready. He pushed past Tauras and was beside Muroc when he saw Dokara rushing towards them out of the blizzard without his packs.
"We're here. The cave is right past these rocks," he said. Grabbing a corner of the tarp, he helped Muroc pull Gairet faster. "We've made it."
Grinning Muroc chortled, "And no more wolves. Let's go."
"Yeah!" Feyt grinned too, a little giddy with relief. He trotted beside Muroc letting Tauras bring up the rear alone. Ahead the cave mouth came into view as they rounded the frozen rocks. Icicles hung from the top and pillars of ice stood on each side.
Like a gate, Feyt thought. That's silly to think that.
As they hurried towards cave, there was a sudden movement to Feyt's right. He threw up his long-knife as a reflex just as the furry body bowled into him, knocking him flat. In the sudden confusion, he heard Muroc bellow and Dokara shout something. Pulling his sword arm free he stabbed the squirming body on top of him once, twice. He felt the body shudder as a thunk sound came to him. Pushing it off, he clambered up, his long-knife up.
He was just in time, to see several wolves bounding away and hear Tuaras's bow twang again. He saw Muroc wiping one of his axes on a wolf corpse at his feet. Dokara was on his knees holding his arm as blood ran down it and dripped into the snow.
"Are... Are you Okay?" Feyt asked Dokara.
" Help Muroc get Gairet inside. Now! In case there are any more."
Muroc bounded up and he and Feyt together pulled the tarp. As they neared the cave entrance, Aterius joined them, pulling Gairet rapidly well into the cave. Dokara staggered in behind them and Tauras backed in with his bow up warily watching out the opening.
"You're hurt, " Aterius exclaimed to Dokara.
"Yah, but not bad. Damn wolf jumped almost over Feyt here to bite my arm." He chuckled grimly. "Never saw anyone get their sword up as fast as you did, boy. He stuck himself on it when he hit you."
"He...he did? I didn't know."
"Cause he knocked you flat. Ha ha. But you still killed him pretty dead, even with him on top." Dokara grimaced, but grinned again right away.
"That's cause his teeth were in you," Aterius growled. "Let me see that arm. Take off the coat."
"It's cold in here." Dokara complained.
"Now you sound like an old woman," Muroc scolded as he crowded up to peer at Dokara's wound. "But that's not a bad idea, Dokara. A fire will help with the wolves. Feyt! Do you think we can get some firewood without getting killed?"
Feyt wasn't so sure, but he wasn't about to not go. He nodded grimly. "We'll get it."
"I'll cover you," came from Tauras by the cave opening.
"You better," Muroc grumbled. "It'll get pretty cold in here if you can't keep us alive long enough to grab some wood."
Feyt swallowed, he was scared, but he was glad to know Tauras would have his bow ready.
Stopping at the mouth of the cavern, Muroc and Feyt looked around cautiously.
Muroc pointed. "There. See that pile of dead trees? We each grab as big a piece as we can and haul our buttocks back. Fast as you can, boy. Got it?"
Silently Feyt nodded. But maybe some fear showed as he measured how far the tangle of limbs was from the cave.
Muroc touched his arm, "I know you've been a brave lad through this. You pulled your own an' I'm proud of you. Now, are you ready?" Amazed at this praise from the old man, Feyt still managed to nod again.
Grinning fiercely Muroc said, "Good! Go!"
Together they sprinted out across the snow covered cobbles to the dead trees. Muroc grabbed the small trunk of a downed tree. Heaving it out of the snow, he pulled the entire tree back towards the cave. Feyt dodged around him and the tree's limbs, to grab another smaller trunk. He yanked.
It didn't move.
Frozen! Stuck to the ground!
Feeling panic rising, he rushed to another... and then to still another, before one moved as he tugged. Hurriedly he drug it back towards the cave.
"Duck!"
Feyt flattened himself onto the branches, scraping his face. He heard the twang of the bow and a thunk. Looking up, he watched a wolf run limping back into the woods. Jumping up, Feyt wasted no time grabbing his wood again and pulling it to the cave. Muroc's hands helped him when he got close.
"What kept you?"
"Those trees were frozen to the ground," Feyt protested.
"I'm kidding. Never mind. Pull it over here. That's going to have to be enough wood for tonight."
Feyt didn't say anything, but he could not have agreed with Muroc more. That was going to have to be enough wood. I am not eager to go back out there.
"Boy!" Muroc said, his one-eye gleaming. "I'm just glad it wasn't you injured back there." With that he turned to break and pile the branches. Feyt stared at his back. The old guy really cares.
When Feyt drug his branches over to pile with the other wood, Muroc called, "Help me stack some big rocks in our doorway. It will offer us some protection if the wolves return, and maybe keep a little of that icy wind from blowing so much snow in here."
While Tauras guarded them and the opening, Feyt and Muroc built a small wall of boulders. Occaisionally, Muroc nervously strayed outside several feet or more to grab a likely rock. He was quick about it though. They stacked rocks until it was about four feet high and lay across the whole width of the entrance. By the time they finished, it filled about half the opening of the cave mouth. Feyt was sweating. He didn't have to worry about keeping warm after that work. Although by now, Aterius had finished working on Dokara's forearm and a small fire flickered its yellow light on the cave walls.
Muroc limped a bit as he took Taurus' crossbow. "You two go get something to eat. I'll keep watch for a while."
One God! I'd forgotten about his leg. He paused looking at the fire where the others were. All except Seelus. Feeling tears Feyt looked around, seeking anything else for his attention. Just beyond the fire, he saw Aterius talking softly to Gairet. As he spoke, he fussed with Gairet's bandages. He couldn't hear if Gairet answered him. That wasn't any better.
Aren't we a bloody mess? Seelus is gone. Gairet is down, his bicep shredded and bitten who knows how many times. Dokara's sitting there eating his food with his left hand because of his ripped forearm. Muroc's leg has him limping. How can everything have gone so wrong so fast? He wondered. One God, please. Why is this happening to me? To us? Morosely he walked over to the fire. Tired, beaten, trapped in a cave, things look bleak.
Tauras got to the fire ahead of him. He handed Feyt a piece of jerky and hardbread. "Here, Feyt. It isn't much for taste, but it's food. Eat it slow, so it lasts." His sad face tried to offer some comfort. "We only have the one food pack. When we backtracked Gairet to the cave, the other pack was nowhere to be seen."
"Thanks," he mumbled and moved to sit beside Dokara. That's great. Now we are going to run out of food, too.
Dokara said as Feyt sat, "You would complain about ambrosia, Tauras."
"Sure I would. If it had a hair in it." There were a few half-hearted chuckles at that, but they died away.
Turning to Dokara, Feyt said, "How's your arm?"
"Not great. I'm hoping it will be better in a few days." He looked at it critically. "Good thing Aterius had plenty of bandages."
"Dokara... I'm sorry about Seelus. I..."
Dokara put his good hand on Feyt's arm. "Thanks, Feyt. It's how he would have wanted to go. But now is not the time to grieve. Not yet."
Awkwardly, Feyt nodded. "Okay, Dokara."
Dokara nodded too and gently slapped Feyt's shoulder. "Sometimes, out here, it's hard, Feyt."
Taking a deep breath, Feyt uncomfortably searched for something else to distract him. This gave him a chance to survey the inside of the cave. It was fully dark outside now and the back of the cave was pitch black. The flickering firelight helped Feyt enough that he could make out some details. The floor was of coarse sand and surprisingly flat, except where rocks had fallen from above. The entrance wasn't large, and the little wall filled it up enough to comfort him. Anything between them and the wolves was good. He saw that once you got inside away from the cave-mouth, the cavern opened up and the ceiling rose.
Good thing it has a high roof, it lets the smoke rise up over our heads. The fire only illuminated so much though. The cave extended considerably further into the mountain, but it was far too dark to explore much past the fire. Feyt felt exhausted, as well as depressed, but sleep wasn't going to come easy tonight.
On the other side of the fire, propped halfway up, Gairet suddenly spoke. "You're all lucky I found it. The cave," he clarified when Aterius looked puzzled. "It was my hunting skills."
"Bragging already! You must feel better." Muroc groused as he walked up, clearly trying not to limp. He handed the crossbow back to Tauras and motioned for him to take watch at the cave exit. With a muffled groan, he sat heavily, dropping the last way onto the rock he'd chosen.
"Better?" Gairet tasted the word to see if it appealed to him. He shook his head slowly. "Not much, I'm afraid." Muroc looked grimly at Aterius, who shrugged.
Feyt cleared his throat. "Finding the cave. It was the One-God. I prayed as we went and, right away, we made it."
Gairet looked like he was about to argue, but the twang of Tauras' bow interrupted him. All heads turned towards the entrance.
Happily Tauras chortled, "He'll never trouble us again." Aterius applauded him while the others gave at least a half-hearted cheer.
Tauras' smile turned morose, "I've been counting my remaining quarrels. I lost a lot of quarrels out there. I've only twenty-three left."
Blood and Ice Wolves
Chapter 10 -The Cave
The flurry of noise and action ahead of Muroc brought Feyt forward with his weapon at the ready. He pushed past Tauras and was beside Muroc when he saw Dokara rushing towards them out of the blizzard without his packs.
"We're here. The cave is right past these rocks," he said. Grabbing a corner of the tarp, he helped Muroc pull Gairet faster. "We've made it."
Grinning Muroc chortled, "And no more wolves. Let's go."
"Yeah!" Feyt grinned too, a little giddy with relief. He trotted beside Muroc letting Tauras bring up the rear alone. Ahead the cave mouth came into view as they rounded the frozen rocks. Icicles hung from the top and pillars of ice stood on each side.
Like a gate, Feyt thought. That's silly to think that.
As they hurried towards cave, there was a sudden movement to Feyt's right. He threw up his long-knife as a reflex just as the furry body bowled into him, knocking him flat. In the sudden confusion, he heard Muroc bellow and Dokara shout something. Pulling his sword arm free he stabbed the squirming body on top of him once, twice. He felt the body shudder as a thunk sound came to him. Pushing it off, he clambered up, his long-knife up.
He was just in time, to see several wolves bounding away and hear Tuaras's bow twang again. He saw Muroc wiping one of his axes on a wolf corpse at his feet. Dokara was on his knees holding his arm as blood ran down it and dripped into the snow.
"Are... Are you Okay?" Feyt asked Dokara.
" Help Muroc get Gairet inside. Now! In case there are any more."
Muroc bounded up and he and Feyt together pulled the tarp. As they neared the cave entrance, Aterius joined them, pulling Gairet rapidly well into the cave. Dokara staggered in behind them and Tauras backed in with his bow up warily watching out the opening.
"You're hurt, " Aterius exclaimed to Dokara.
"Yah, but not bad. Damn wolf jumped almost over Feyt here to bite my arm." He chuckled grimly. "Never saw anyone get their sword up as fast as you did, boy. He stuck himself on it when he hit you."
"He...he did? I didn't know."
"Cause he knocked you flat. Ha ha. But you still killed him pretty dead, even with him on top." Dokara grimaced, but grinned again right away.
"That's cause his teeth were in you," Aterius growled. "Let me see that arm. Take off the coat."
"It's cold in here." Dokara complained.
"Now you sound like an old woman," Muroc scolded as he crowded up to peer at Dokara's wound. "But that's not a bad idea, Dokara. A fire will help with the wolves. Feyt! Do you think we can get some firewood without getting killed?"
Feyt wasn't so sure, but he wasn't about to not go. He nodded grimly. "We'll get it."
"I'll cover you," came from Tauras by the cave opening.
"You better," Muroc grumbled. "It'll get pretty cold in here if you can't keep us alive long enough to grab some wood."
Feyt swallowed, he was scared, but he was glad to know Tauras would have his bow ready.
Stopping at the mouth of the cavern, Muroc and Feyt looked around cautiously.
Muroc pointed. "There. See that pile of dead trees? We each grab as big a piece as we can and haul our buttocks back. Fast as you can, boy. Got it?"
Silently Feyt nodded. But maybe some fear showed as he measured how far the tangle of limbs was from the cave.
Muroc touched his arm, "I know you've been a brave lad through this. You pulled your own an' I'm proud of you. Now, are you ready?" Amazed at this praise from the old man, Feyt still managed to nod again.
Grinning fiercely Muroc said, "Good! Go!"
Together they sprinted out across the snow covered cobbles to the dead trees. Muroc grabbed the small trunk of a downed tree. Heaving it out of the snow, he pulled the entire tree back towards the cave. Feyt dodged around him and the tree's limbs, to grab another smaller trunk. He yanked.
It didn't move.
Frozen! Stuck to the ground!
Feeling panic rising, he rushed to another... and then to still another, before one moved as he tugged. Hurriedly he drug it back towards the cave.
"Duck!"
Feyt flattened himself onto the branches, scraping his face. He heard the twang of the bow and a thunk. Looking up, he watched a wolf run limping back into the woods. Jumping up, Feyt wasted no time grabbing his wood again and pulling it to the cave. Muroc's hands helped him when he got close.
"What kept you?"
"Those trees were frozen to the ground," Feyt protested.
"I'm kidding. Never mind. Pull it over here. That's going to have to be enough wood for tonight."
Feyt didn't say anything, but he could not have agreed with Muroc more. That was going to have to be enough wood. I am not eager to go back out there.
"Boy!" Muroc said, his one-eye gleaming. "I'm just glad it wasn't you injured back there." With that he turned to break and pile the branches. Feyt stared at his back. The old guy really cares.
When Feyt drug his branches over to pile with the other wood, Muroc called, "Help me stack some big rocks in our doorway. It will offer us some protection if the wolves return, and maybe keep a little of that icy wind from blowing so much snow in here."
While Tauras guarded them and the opening, Feyt and Muroc built a small wall of boulders. Occaisionally, Muroc nervously strayed outside several feet or more to grab a likely rock. He was quick about it though. They stacked rocks until it was about four feet high and lay across the whole width of the entrance. By the time they finished, it filled about half the opening of the cave mouth. Feyt was sweating. He didn't have to worry about keeping warm after that work. Although by now, Aterius had finished working on Dokara's forearm and a small fire flickered its yellow light on the cave walls.
Muroc limped a bit as he took Taurus' crossbow. "You two go get something to eat. I'll keep watch for a while."
One God! I'd forgotten about his leg. He paused looking at the fire where the others were. All except Seelus. Feeling tears Feyt looked around, seeking anything else for his attention. Just beyond the fire, he saw Aterius talking softly to Gairet. As he spoke, he fussed with Gairet's bandages. He couldn't hear if Gairet answered him. That wasn't any better.
Aren't we a bloody mess? Seelus is gone. Gairet is down, his bicep shredded and bitten who knows how many times. Dokara's sitting there eating his food with his left hand because of his ripped forearm. Muroc's leg has him limping. How can everything have gone so wrong so fast? He wondered. One God, please. Why is this happening to me? To us? Morosely he walked over to the fire. Tired, beaten, trapped in a cave, things look bleak.
Tauras got to the fire ahead of him. He handed Feyt a piece of jerky and hardbread. "Here, Feyt. It isn't much for taste, but it's food. Eat it slow, so it lasts." His sad face tried to offer some comfort. "We only have the one food pack. When we backtracked Gairet to the cave, the other pack was nowhere to be seen."
"Thanks," he mumbled and moved to sit beside Dokara. That's great. Now we are going to run out of food, too.
Dokara said as Feyt sat, "You would complain about ambrosia, Tauras."
"Sure I would. If it had a hair in it." There were a few half-hearted chuckles at that, but they died away.
Turning to Dokara, Feyt said, "How's your arm?"
"Not great. I'm hoping it will be better in a few days." He looked at it critically. "Good thing Aterius had plenty of bandages."
"Dokara... I'm sorry about Seelus. I..."
Dokara put his good hand on Feyt's arm. "Thanks, Feyt. It's how he would have wanted to go. But now is not the time to grieve. Not yet."
Awkwardly, Feyt nodded. "Okay, Dokara."
Dokara nodded too and gently slapped Feyt's shoulder. "Sometimes, out here, it's hard, Feyt."
Taking a deep breath, Feyt uncomfortably searched for something else to distract him. This gave him a chance to survey the inside of the cave. It was fully dark outside now and the back of the cave was pitch black. The flickering firelight helped Feyt enough that he could make out some details. The floor was of coarse sand and surprisingly flat, except where rocks had fallen from above. The entrance wasn't large, and the little wall filled it up enough to comfort him. Anything between them and the wolves was good. He saw that once you got inside away from the cave-mouth, the cavern opened up and the ceiling rose.
Good thing it has a high roof, it lets the smoke rise up over our heads. The fire only illuminated so much though. The cave extended considerably further into the mountain, but it was far too dark to explore much past the fire. Feyt felt exhausted, as well as depressed, but sleep wasn't going to come easy tonight.
On the other side of the fire, propped halfway up, Gairet suddenly spoke. "You're all lucky I found it. The cave," he clarified when Aterius looked puzzled. "It was my hunting skills."
"Bragging already! You must feel better." Muroc groused as he walked up, clearly trying not to limp. He handed the crossbow back to Tauras and motioned for him to take watch at the cave exit. With a muffled groan, he sat heavily, dropping the last way onto the rock he'd chosen.
"Better?" Gairet tasted the word to see if it appealed to him. He shook his head slowly. "Not much, I'm afraid." Muroc looked grimly at Aterius, who shrugged.
Feyt cleared his throat. "Finding the cave. It was the One-God. I prayed as we went and, right away, we made it."
Gairet looked like he was about to argue, but the twang of Tauras' bow interrupted him. All heads turned towards the entrance.
Happily Tauras chortled, "He'll never trouble us again." Aterius applauded him while the others gave at least a half-hearted cheer.
Tauras' smile turned morose, "I've been counting my remaining quarrels. I lost a lot of quarrels out there. I've only twenty-three left."