Chapter 23: Wolves in the Bushes [1]

The old stone walls in the eastern outskirts served as the second defensive line. It guarded the entrance towards the village.

The old walls once served as a protection for the subjugation army camp against a beast tide a few years ago. Although a lot of years had already passed, the stone walls remained and stood tall against the test of time and blood. It was a testament to its quality and endurance.

With a few tinkling from the old villagers, the walls stayed well and in shape. It remained in good condition for years, fending off a few monster attacks coming from the forest of wilderness.

The former soldiers in the village acknowledged the importance of these old walls. The village survived thanks to the old wall, saving them many times against monster attacks. And today, it saved them again.

…

“Wait for the cover… Now!”

“Retreat!”

With alchemical flasks burst forth with raging flames and the sneaky archers targeting the wolf’s paws and snouts, the vanguard escaped the tide of rushing Death wolves. The death wolves could only stop and watch, unable to give chase.

The soldiers retreated faster to the walls, taking various positions as instructed by Annis. After a few moments, the fiery flames receded. A few wolves rushed ahead with wild abandon.

As for the gigantic wolf, it watched first, giving the soldiers time to catch their breath. The lord death wolf stared at the retreating soldiers with its cold emerald eyes. Irritation and fury flickered in its eyes. It moved its gaze on the nearby wall and saw a silver-haired lady looking at it with a smug face.

The female human was taunting it. Her eyes were full of mockery as if the lady were courting and inviting the beast to attack. If translated into words, it would be; “Come, come, big bad wolf, and eat my trap!”

The alpha wolf’s anger rose for a moment, and a feeling of humiliation washed over its dark fur. A glint of fury blazed in its emerald-colored eyes. It felt challenged.

The smug-faced lady humbled down its once unshakable prestige. A pitch-black aura rose from its body, rendering the land where it stood barren and dead. It fell into the lady’s trap. The beast knew it.

The alpha wolf beast almost rushed out to the wall to kill the complacent bug. Its wariness and wit still prevailed. It crushed the thought from its mind and huffed.

Its proud self would never fall to cheap tricks.

It stood there and finally decided to only watch, putting the image of the lady in its memory, huffing, and puffing in frustration. After all, no human had dared to challenge and mocked the dark beast’s authority. This was the first.

Even in the Tundra of Van, no one dared to challenge it. Of course, except for the bald, scarred-face bastard on the Citadel and the missing lord of the tundra. That guy was a freak who loved to tussle with this beast, while the other was a freak of nature. The latter could even make it feel dread.

It also caught the glimpse of the red-bearded human mowing down its minions. Seeing the trace of red lighting covering the man, a bit of anxiety rose from its eyes.

It never thought that it would face such resistance, unlike the first few villages that it feasts on. It felt threatened. The man was dangerous.

With a howl, it ordered a temporary halt of the hunt. The alpha wolf felt it was falling into a quagmire with every step it took.

The honed instinct it had kicked in. As it remembered the burning pits, it became even more sure. Huffing from its nostrils, it swore and cursed the tricky human traps.

Awooh!

The alpha wolf stopped the remaining wild, rushing wolves. The fools tucked their tails and returned, whining. It was a temporary halt, with each side bidding their time.

Sighs echoed behind the stone walls as the wolves retreated to the forest. Even so, they knew it was not yet the end. Before the dawn peeks, the wolves would attack again. After all, its advantage was the covers of the night.

The emerald-eyed alpha wolf made a loud howl again. A flash of exasperation shone from its eyes. Sniffing for a moment, it caught a whiff of a large group of humans moving away from the village.

It roared in anger again. It was being tricked again but couldn’t do anything.

In a moment, it sent a few of its Death wolf to find another route. Trickery! It must catch those running rats. No prey shall escape from its claws and paws.

…

The booming drums continued until the Madam ordered it to stop. The war drummers immediately fell to the ground like dead dogs.

Their eyes closed before they could even hit the solid ground. Some started twitching on the ground. While others foamed from their mouths. Soon, rushing soldiers took them away to the medical tents, giving them the utmost care they could have.

Madam Annis and Lady Leine sighed in relief after seeing the retreating wolves. The number of wolves was more than they expected. The dark beast brought not only a pack but brought an army.

They won the bet.

The wariness of the emerald-eyed beast won them fewer casualties for now. The Madam and Lady Leine gambled the wolf lord would retreat. They made a scene in the alpha wolf’s mind, letting it think that there were more traps, even though there were none.

The bravado of the Madam atop of the wall was also part of the plan. She had to let the wolf lord think that there would be more traps ahead by showing great confidence. The bet paid off, and they had used the alpha wolf’s cunningness against it to buy some much-needed time.

The Knight and the soldiers culled over 120 Death wolves within a short duration. Still, the maddened wolves never faltered, even as their numbers dwindled. The bastards dogged them, not caring about anything aside from their prey.

The army of the knight lost at least 3 brothers, with 5 more earning life-threatening wounds. It was hard to imagine that it occurred in a single skirmish.

A short skirmish. Some of the wounded even lost a part of their body. Unless a golden potion from the dungeons reached their hands, they would live as handicapped in their whole life even if they survive.

It might not mean a lot in enormous battles, but in a small and unreplenishable army like the Knight’s, it means a lot. One death is the death of a comrade.

Soon enough, grief and tears poured down, especially from the greenhorns. The faces of those who perished stayed on their minds. Avoiding the possibility of a plague, they immediately cremated the fallen with care and haste.

Since the soldiers were only a few, each soldier knew each other either by name or by face. Some even drunk together during social gatherings. It was hard to take things as if it was only the death of someone they don’t know.

Still, their will to fight wasn’t lost. It didn’t ebb. Rather, it burned brighter along with the dancing flames and ashes.

The soldiers bid their goodbyes to the dead and found their places around the flame to sit and catch some rest. They stared at the flame-like moths in the middle of the night with tears and snots.

Watching the dancing fire - the Knight, the Madam, and everyone showed solemn attitudes. Walking towards the dancing flames, the Knight pulled out his elk sword. He pierced the ground with it and bowed to the swaying flames. In the kingdom, it was a sign of gratitude and respect.

He stood up and looked up at the soldiers. The soldiers watched him as they held back their tears. It was a simple ceremony for the glorious men.

“Fear not! For our brothers are in the embraces of the goddesses! They fought a good battle. We all know that the Heavenly Elk will guide them to the spirit of the first King! Soon enough we will dine and drink with them again. It will be a place where wines are infinite and food is overflowing. Rejoice for the brave souls!”

Bam! Bam!

The soldiers struck their shields with their hands to the ground, producing a unique echo. The flames burning deeper and higher as if it was reaching heaven.

The war drum rang three times as remembrance to the fallen. Soon, solemn roars echoed within the walls.

“We Fear Not!”

“The goddesses are with us!”

“With us! With us!”

With that, the ceremony has ended. It was brief yet meaningful.

“Alright heed! Take rest, close your eyes for a short while for another battle is nigh.”

The direct vassals of the Knight, along with the veterans, took a step back. They walked towards the crying newbies, consoling them with slaps and brags.

The greenhorns never thought that their first battle would be this bloody. Recollecting how the wolves killed their comrade as their watch made their legs jelly.

The young soldiers couldn’t help but cry in silence. They would forever etch the dread into their heart. They swore they would get stronger to protect those dear to them.

The Knight then walked towards his wife. They looked at each other. Levo simply took the hands of his wife and they walked towards the open tent. They found a wooden log and sat.

He nodded at his resting men and caught the trembling hands of his wife.

“You’ve done great.”

…

…

“Not good enough.”

Annis sighed.

“Hmm.”

The knight uttered nothing and let out a simple hum while clenching his wife’s hand.

There were no tears. The cracking sounds coming from the blaze flew to the ears of the Madam and the Knight. The two watched the burning fire in solemnity. They gazed at the fiery embers, waltzing like fireflies in the night.

They knew that the weight of life was far heavier than their tears. What’s loss is loss.

The soldiers had found a short solace for an hour, a much-needed rest.

Soon, an hour had passed. Growls and howls echoed again.

Another battle indeed was nigh.