The next day Toland woke to the sun shining directly into his window. He winced, but silently thanked his parents for allowing him to sleep in. The night had been long and arduous, but they had finished everything eventually.

He flopped out of his bed and dragged on his clothes before heading down the creaky wooden stairs to the kitchen.

“Morning,” Toland’s mother said cheerfully, looking up from whatever she was baking.

“Morning Mum.”

Hearing the voices, Rin stuck his head through the door.

“Toland, have something to eat quickly, Ir Shan has called a village meeting.”

Toland nodded and picked up some pieces of bread and spread some fruit preserve over them.

As he ate, Fel wandered through, carrying the sword and shield they had made last night, wrapped up in thick sackcloth and put them by the door.

“You okay, kid?” Fel asked.

Toland nodded.

Fel turned back to the sword and pulled it from the cloth, holding up to the light from the window. The line where the two types of metal met was drawn into a wavy pattern, and with the sparkling light falling on it, it looked like morning sunlight on the ocean. As he turned it over in his hands, the chaotic, swirling engravings caught the light and shimmered in turn.

“It’s so beautiful, I almost don’t want to see it go…” Fel mused.

“Then don’t,” Toland replied between mouthfuls, “Take it for yourself and you can go out there and fight off the direwolf.”

Fel scoffed, “I am quite content with sitting in the forge, thank you very much. Let’s leave the heroics for other folk.”

As Toland finished his food, Rin walked back in.

“Ready?” he said, “Come on then, let’s get going. Put the sword back, Fel. You can have one like that when you get your own house. If you would get on with finding a wife, of course.”

Fel rolled his eyes and put the sword back in its cloth then handed both sword and shield to his father.

Toland licked his fingers and got up.

“Honey! Are you ready?” Rin shouted up the stairs.

“Yes! Just a second!” she shouted back.

A few minutes later Toland’s mother walked down the stairs in a fine coat and adorned with several bits of jewelry.

“Is that really necessary dear,” Rin remarked, “The meeting will only last a few minutes.”

She pouted, “Reila will be there in all her finery, I will not be outdone by that witch.”

Rin sighed but knew better than to make any further remark.

Town meetings were held in the tavern, nominally because it was the closest communal building to the centre of the village, but mostly because Duglan Ir Shan usually found them quite boring and enjoyed having drink close at hand.

Today the tavern was packed full, with everyone in the village in attendance, gossiping loudly and a small group of people gathered around Ir Shan, demanding to know what this was all about.

Just behind him was his wife Reila and his son Fergun.

Rin led them through the crowd until they could hear the conversation Ir Shan was having, but before Rin could push his way in, Reila was upon him.

“My, Rin Ir, how lovely that you are here, we haven’t talked in ages. And Ophelia, you are looking well. I see Fel and Toland are growing up fast, especially little Toland here…”

Toland raised an eyebrow.

“I remember when you were up to my knees, how time flies. Rin, you must be proud that Fel is turning out such a handsome young man, just like his father at his age. I’d have thought the girls would have been all over you, but surely by now you would be looking for a wife.”

Fel fidgeted uncomfortably.

“And of course Toland as well, despite your hair turning out like that… but I’m sure the Garashian girls would be all over you as well.”

Ophelia twitched with rage and Rin gently touched her hand with his to make sure she wouldn’t slap the woman right there.

“Yes, well, thank you Reila,” Rin said, cutting her off before she could say anything else.

“Everyone!” shouted Duglan, finally reaching the end of his patience with the people around him, “If you could find a seat, we can start.”

The people around him began shuffling away and Rin lead headed towards the back, spotting Herdru sitting on his own with a tankard of ale.

“Morning Herdru,” Rin said and placed the shield on the table in front of Herdru and then the sword on top of that.

“Ah, Rin Ir, good morning,” the village guardian replied, hastily moving his tankard out of the way of the incoming weaponry.

He took a moment to appreciate what was before him, then pulled the sword out of its cloth and ran his finger along the blade. He stood and gave it a light swing then span it around with his wrist.

“It’s magnificent,” he said, taking out his old sword from its sheath and comparing the two.

The new one was about a hand longer and a finger wider. He took a moment to weigh both, acknowledging the extra heft of his new weapon and slotted it into his sheath, much to the protest of the old leather.

He then held out his old sword to Rin, “Do you want to melt this one down for scrap?”

Rin shook his head, “Silvered swords are tricky, its possible to get the silver out of the alloy but it is far beyond my capabilities. Keep it.”

Herdru nodded and put the sword down beside him.

“Everyone!” shouted Duglan again and Rin hastily ushered them into the next seats along.

A pair of hands from behind them lowered a wooden serving plate with five tankards onto their table and they all looked up to see a middle-aged man with a large, shaggy beard and big, hazel eyes scoured by laugh lines.

“Thought you might need these,” the man smiled.

“Thanks Nesh,” Rin replied.

“Bless you Neshian,” Ophelia added and picked up her tankard, downing it and placing it back on the tray, then taking the fifth.

Neshian smiled and took the plate and empty tankard away, “Of course, Ir Kenkarten, always a pleasure.”

Rin took a gentle sip from his and returned his attention to Duglan, who had finally managed to get everyone in a seat and paying attention.

“Right,” Duglan began, “If I have everyone’s attention, I shall be brief, a few days ago Querth found some large prints in the woods, to him it looked like wolf prints…”

“Horo’s balls…” breathed Fel, earning him a slap on the shoulder from his mother.

“However, after sighting the beast we can confirm that there it is in fact a direwolf, and it has moved into the forest of Byr.”

Silence swallowed the room.

A child started to cry.

And suddenly everyone was talking, people were out of the seats and Fel and Ophelia looked over at Rin and Toland, who were not looking at all close to the level of surprised they should be.

“And when, exactly, were you planning to tell me this?” Ophelia shouted at Rin.

“Well… I only found out last night, we were so busy getting that sword and shield done, and then the meeting came along. If Duglan wasn’t telling you this, I would be, so, I guess about now.”

“And how does TOLAND know!”

“Apparently he figured it out by himself.”

Toland smiled awkwardly.

“How?” his mother glared at him.

“Kinic was making Stenshium when I was over there yesterday.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s a wolf repellant, it smells really bad to them, so you scatter it about and they go away.”

“Huh…”

“Everyone!” Duglan shouted yet again, “Please, hear me out. As of right now, we have only lost a few sheep, however, I must ask everyone to stay away from the forest as much as possible, and to try and avoid being out alone. It is unlikely that it will attack people, but it certainly won’t attack groups of people. Our priority must be protecting the sheep, so, I propose a watch through the night. I have some lots here with numbers on them, I want every head of household to take one, if you have a one you will take the first shift, if you have a two you will take the second, etc.”

“But what if it’s a pack out there! Wolves move in packs! We can’t fend off a pack of direwolves,” said someone from the other side of the room.

“We have seen the wolf on multiple occasions, and there was definitely only one pair of tracks. We are as certain as we can be that it is only one. But, of course, if it is a pack, you are right, we can’t fend them off and we will be forced to give up the sheep. Now, if you would come and get your lot, we will allocate the groups.”

Rin sighed and got up to go and fetch their lot.

“Neshy!” called Ophelia, holding up her tankard, “I think I need another!”

The tavernkeeper obliged and headed off, only to be quickly replaced by Kinic emerging from the crowd.

He took the seat next to Herdru and smiled at them.

“What did I miss?” he asked.