Honor
I stared at the wolves as they ran after Calder, a deep pitting feeling rising up in me that they will never be seen again.
That feeling however was thrown to the back of my mind temporarily as Alistair crashed into me, leaving me winded.
I took a moment to relish his embrace before I dipped down and pushed myself away so I could breathe, a smile plastered on my face.
Looking at them all now, I'm glad they only came out with a couple of cuts, nothing that couldn't be patched up by Thyra but still, the gut feeling of the safety of our other members bothered me.
Looking at Alistair and Gavrill, River surfaced and whined but before they could give approval, River pushed even harder causing me to shift and take off.
Running in the direction Calder and our wolves went, the ominous feeling I had became almost overwhelming.
River followed the scent of the warriors before stopping and looking over her shoulder.
Rune was directly behind her.
Looking around for a moment, River looked up to see Eskil perched on a branch as the sound of more paws approached, rattling the earth.
Turning a bit, I looked at Rune again as Snowball, Kiba, Nomad and Rayshon approached along with the magic girl and the black wolf.
"Who are they," I linked both Gavrill and Alistair .
"That is Herlief. Alistair might be the Alpha of this pack but I'm also an Alpha and have my own chain of command and I also command a different set of warriors. Herlief or as you see right now, Vuk, is my second like Nebo is Alistair's," Gavrill explained, jumping down a couple branches.
I just stared blankly at Vuk.
His name literally means 'wolf'.
"Then what about the girl," I asked, staring up at her.
"Evenora," Gavrill piped.
"And she just rides Vuk like a steed," I questioned sarcastically as Rune snorted.
Looking over at him, the massive wolf was staring at me with a stupid expression.
"Evenora is a powerful witch that has mastered combat magic."
When River looked at him, she tilted her head in confusion.
"I guess you could call her a Battle Mage," Alistair stepped in. "And stop calling wolves 'steeds'".
River and I both rolled our eyes but before we could question further, a loud yelp echoed around us causing River to jolt forward and towards the sound.
River raced towards the sound but skidded to a stop causing Rune to crash into her followed by Kiba and Rayshon.
I didn't even acknowledge them as I shifted and stared at the scene before me. Pack members littered the ground, some still in wolf form while others had taken to the human form and were being eaten.
Looking at the wolves gorging themselves, I scrunch my nose and felt bile rising up.
Skelmar.
A man however caught my full attention as he ripped flesh off of one of the human bodies.
When our eyes made contact, the man's eyes widened, watching me. His face looked almost innocent but he had a nerve-wrecking chill about him. He sat crouched, leaning slightly towards a corpse. I quickly became even more unsettled by how grotesque the stranger was.
"What do you think you're doing," I shouted, making sure not to move from where I was standing.
He laughed.
The laughter was childish and mischievous, causing a chill to run down my spine. I wondered if he knew how to speak at all.
When he didn't move, I forced myself to study him. He looked messy, as if he hadn't bathed in a while. This led me to notice a musky smell of dirt and mold around me which was difficult to smell given the carmine soaked soil. His hair didn't look greasy, just wild and un-groomed.
He never said anything as he went back to eating, his eyes never leaving mine. He was devouring it, tearing strips of flesh from an arm.
The most horrible feature of this act of cannibalism was the complete silence with which it was performed.
Ugh Gods, I want to puke.
Looking at the wolves, they shook their heads as blood, flesh and entrails dripped from their jaws.
That's it.
As I went to take a step forward, two different hands landed on my shoulders.
Looking left to right, Gavrill and Alistair held me in place.
"Aren't we going to stop them," I growled.
When neither man said anything, I ripped myself away from them and stood to the side and pointed at the scene.
"Alistair. Gavrill. We have to stop them," I all but shouted at them, at the group.
"There isn't anything we can do," Alistair said as he visibly shook.
"There isn't anything we can do," I mocked in a harsh tone. "What the fuck, Alistair? They're a part of our pack. They deserve a proper departure so they can rest peacefully in Valhalla."
When Alistair didn't say anything, I looked to Gavrill.
"Gavrill. Please," I begged and he too didn't say anything.
"Cuyler?"
Nothing.
"Valenner? Nebo?"
Nothing.
Then I looked at Herlief who immediately shook his head.
"Evenora," I asked and she stood straight, looking a bit uneasy.
"She's right," Triaa spoke up, moving to stand beside me.
"They deserve a proper departure to Valhalla and that won't happen if they are left to be eaten by this shit-fest."
Still no one budged.
Fuck this.
I threw my hands up in the air, Faelen and River both growling at the scene before I looked back at Evenora and pointed.
"You," I shouted. "END THIS!"
The woman stood shocked for a moment before she raised her hand, white and blue sparks flickering between her fingers.
For a moment, the sky turned dark and before Gavrill or Alistair could stop her, Evenora slammed her hand to the earth and the sky parted as bolts of lightning rained down, striking it's targets with astonishing rigor but as soon as it began, it was over.
We all stood in silence for a moment before the taciturnity became too much.
"Valenner. Nebo. Collect what remains of the pack," I seethed before turning to Cuyler and Herlief.
"You two," I pointed. "We WILL send these warriors off properly. Make a makeshift platform or shift and dig a hole. I don't care, just do it NOW."
I then whipped around to Alistair and Gavrill, partially shifting.
"And YOU TWO," I growled as I stomped towards them. "WE are going to have a TALK."
Skelmar - Rogues