by Griff Hosker
As we approached our land from the north I heard the sound of axes. We came through the woods to the east of the manor. They were thin and spindly and the ground was too poor for farming. Alf and the men of Stockton were hewing the thin trees which had grown there in recent years. He paused as we approached. "I know it is cold, my lord but I fear it will get colder before it thaws. These trees are thin and easy to cut. We have burned much already. I would not have us run out."
Harold had lived in the forests of Sherwood and he said, "In the forest we dried out animal dung and burned that. It burns for longer than wood. If you mix the two then we will be warmer for longer."
"Thank you. We were wondering what to do with the animal waste. They are warm to be close to and the milk is nourishing but we wondered what to do with the dung."
It was another example of how my people's skills married together. As a community we were all greater than had we been isolated individuals. I think that was what helped us to survive the winter.
The days were cold and the nights colder still. The river became frozen so hard that a warrior in armour could walk across to the other bank. That was the first warning sign. The river had been our defence. If there was no river to halt an attacker, animal or human then we would have to increase our vigilance. With three times more night than day we had to have three sets of sentries to keep watch. We all dreaded those times when we have to leave the relative warmth of the draughty castle to endure the biting cold outside. All of us now wore the rabbit mittens. I never ventured out without my fur cloak which I wore over my head. If a man was outside for any longer than an hour then his beard would be rimed with white frost making him look like an old man.
The wisdom of keeping the animals within our walls was soon obvious. Although not as healthy as grass fed cattle and sheep, they survived better than we could have hoped. Their diet was not the best but then neither was ours and they lived. Their waste was dried and provided fuel. The milk was the lifeblood of the manor. We continued to make cheese. However, inevitably, some animals succumbed to the poor diet and we had to slaughter our first cow a week before Christmas. It fed us all for that week leading to Christmas Eve. It was a blessing. The bones were not burned but placed in a huge cauldron and simmered to extract every morsel of goodness. Every shrivelled vegetable we could find was used to add to the flavour of what we termed Christmas broth. Our Christmas feast would be this strange soup. As we hunkered down on Christmas Eve the rich smell of the bubbling broth permeated the castle and drifted across the still air to the town. We all felt warmer.
And then the wolves came.
They came silently across the river. Wolves do not know what day it is. Were it not for our priests then we would not. They came on the night when all were comfortable and looking forward to our feast of Christmas when the spiced treats we had saved would be brought out to savour on the feast of the birth of Christ. They came when the nights were so long that we seemed not to have any daylight. They came when we hoped for joy and they brought death and despair. I was awoken by Edgar.
"My lord, we have heard screams and the sound of wolves."
I was out of my bed in an instant. "Where?"
He pointed north to the land to the east of the Hart Burn. "Towards the farm of Alan of Aldborough."
Even as I was dressing I remembered that Alan had come to us with his family the previous year. He was a young farmer whose family had been either killed or enslaved by the Scots. He and his wife had four children. I prayed that they were safe and cursed that he had not come within my walls as some other families had. "Have five archers and four men at arms readied." Harold was dressed already. "Bring your bow."
I did not dress in mail but a leather byrnie with my surcoat on top. The cloak I wrapped around me would keep out some of the cold. I took a spear and strapped on my sword. Aiden was already there with the horses. We left by the north gate. "Keep a good watch for farmers seeking refuge but keep the gates closed until you see them. With wolves about I would not invite danger into my castle." Ethelred and Alf were at the gates of the town. I paused to speak with them. "There are wolves. We go to fetch in the farmers. Keep a close watch. My men say they have crossed the river."
"We will, my lord and we will keep torches burning. Wolves cannot abide fire!"
The ground was mercifully frozen but it was slippery and we had to travel slowly. I was relieved when I saw Alan of Aldborough and his family trudging towards us and the safety of the castle. "Thank God you are safe. We thought that the wolves had had you."
"No, my lord, we were woken by the noise of them but they were to the west of us. They were close to the Ox Bridge over the beck."
I wracked my brain to think who lived there. I remembered it was a small hamlet of four farms who eked out a livelihood by the old stream. Oswald was the head of the families. He was one of the original farmers of the manor and had lived there since William the Bastard had scoured the north. He was as old as my father had been. I spurred Scout on.
We saw lights flickering in the distance. Fire was the only foe the wolves feared. Some of Oswald's family lived still. I held my spear like a lance. It was more accurate than trying a throw. As we crossed the frozen beck and climbed up the other side it was a scene from hell which we saw before us. It was a pack of twenty wolves. Three men were fending them off with flaming brands but there were six who were carrying off the dead and dying already. Our duty was to the handful who lived. I needed issue no orders. All of the men I had with me knew what we had to do. I leaned forward and charged Scout at the centre of the baying, growling, howling pack. A large she wolf turned and leapt at Scout. Scout was a brave mount and did not flinch. It gave me a steady platform. I punched forward with my spear as though it was a lance and the spear head plunged into the chest of the beast. Even then its savage jaws tried to clamp on Scout's neck and I hurled the spear and dying wolf to the side. Drawing my sword I swung it down on to the neck of the next wolf which was preparing to launch itself at Edgar. It took the animal's head in one scything motion.
My archers, aided by Aiden and Harold had done the damage. Ten of the wolves lay dead and the rest fled.
"Edgar, get after the wolves who took the bodies. Bring the bodies back. We would have a Christian burial for them."
I dismounted as my men left. Edward son of Oswald strode over to me and dropped to his knee. "Thank you Baron. We would have all died had you not come."
"Where is your father?"
He pointed to the middle of the family. They had protected his dead body with their living ones. His throat had been torn out. "He died with a sword in his hand. When was younger he had been a warrior and he had kept his old sword. There is a wolf out there who knows that my father fought to the end." He shook his head. "It was the young that they took."
I put my hand on his arm. "My men will fetch back their bodies." Waving my arm around the hamlet I said, "You cannot stay here. Have your families bring what they can carry and you shall spend Christmas in the castle. I want no more deaths."
By the time my men returned with the bodies of the children and the young women who had been taken we had all that they could carry. The wolves had not had enough time to do much damage to the bodies but the six were a tragic sight and the mothers and the fathers fell upon the bodies weeping. My men looked away. It was too much to bear. They had lost friends in war but these were children and should have grown up. I said the words I did not want to say but which I knew I must. "The ground is too hard to dig a grave, Edward son of Oswald."
He looked up from his dead daughter's body. "I know my lord but we cannot leave them for the rats and the foxes."
"We will build a pyre and when daylight finally comes we will collect the ashes and put them in an urn. Father Peter will bury them in the church at Norton. Your father and his grandchildren will rest together close by my father."
They could see it was the only way. We built a pyre in the centre of the huts and placed Oswald's body wit
h his sword on his chest and then the bodies of the others. Piling kindling and wood on the top the fathers of the dead threw their burning brands on the bodies and we watched them burn. The sword would mark their ashes.
When the flames had died and the bodies no longer recognisable as human we loaded the dead wolves on to the horses, put the ashes in a pot and carried Oswald's sword to be interred with his ashes. We wearily trudged the mile back to the castle. We reached there on a cold and misty Christmas morning. Father Peter had told us that when the baby Jesus had been born then wise men brought gifts and the shepherds, lambs. We brought the survivors of Oswald's families and dead wolves. It was a reminder of what a harsh world we lived in.
Adela proved to be a tower of strength. When Alan of Aldborough had come into the castle and she knew what we were about she had rearranged how my men slept and curtained off a corner of their hall for the refugees. Our broth would not be for our Christmas feast it would be the sustenance which gave hope to the shocked survivors. As the morning drew on more families came from the east. The sounds of the howling wolves had drawn them in. While Adela and John son of Leofric saw to the domestic arrangements my men skinned the wolves. In many ways although we had lost children the wolves provided a lifeline for the rest of us. The wolf skins made the best cloaks and fur. The meat meant that all of us, including those in the town, would eat well. We would devour those who had meant to devour us. As Father Peter might have said, "It is God's will."
By the time the food was ready I was exhausted. I had worked so hard that day that I felt not the cold. It was crowded in the two halls we used to eat but no one minded. The presence of so many bodies made us warm for the first time in a long time. Edward, Adela and myself made sure that all of our refugees were fed first. We left Wulfric presiding over the telling of tales and the singing of songs and wearily headed to my hall for our own feast. There were just the five of us around my table and I felt guilty about the crowded hall we had just left. I began to rise and Edward asked, "Where are you going, my lord?"
"We have much room here and they are so crowded down there."
You are right, my lord, but I tell you to sit, Baron. You have done more for them than they might have expected and none of them would thank you for bringing them here where they would have to watch what they did and said or what their children touched. Wulfric is a good man and he will care for them."
Adela put her hand on mine. "He is right, my lord. You have done what Christ would have wanted. You have provided shelter for those without one. This is their stable. You can do no more. Let us enjoy this Christmas here in your castle and be thankful for what we have."
I smiled, "And I am thankful to you Adela. I know not what we would have done without you and John organising what you did."
We had a pleasant time despite the presence of the wolves and the biting cold. Edward showed what a sense of humour he had by telling us tales of his youth and his early campaigns. I suspect there were some risky parts he omitted for the sake of Adela but he kept us amused. Then John totally surprised us by singing. He had a beautiful voice. He sang in Latin and although neither Edward nor Harold understood the words it did not matter. It was such a beautiful sound and it echoed through the castle. The Christmas of the wolf winter ended better than it had begun. Sadly our troubles did not end that night.
As the weather showed no signs of abating Adela and my men worked with Alf and Ethelred to accommodate all of the refugee families. The willows and hurdles were covered to provide shelters. I went with Edward and his brothers to take their families ashes to be buried. I had loaned them horses and we gathered the pot and the sword and rode to Norton. Father Peter was distraught at the deaths. He, of course, had known Oswald all of his life, having grown up around Norton. Athelstan and Osric joined us as we placed the urn in a niche in the church. When the weather warmed the land they would be interred beneath a stone along with the sword which rested against the wall of our church.
As we left the church I said, "I will have William the Mason carve a stone for them. When we return to my castle tell him the names of those who died and they will be remembered."
The brothers left and Harold and I as I spoke with my steward and castellan. "We heard the wolves but we did not suffer any losses."
I sighed. They were good men but they thought little of the life beyond their walls. "Have you visited Wulfestun? Have you seen those who live to the west of you?" They hung their heads. "Then Harold and I will visit. Prepare to have those within your walls who cannot survive beyond."
"But Alfraed we have little enough food as it is and with the water frozen we cannot grind at the mill."
"Then tighten your belts. We all survive this wolf winter not just those lucky enough to be behind Norton's walls!" There was an edge in my voice which I did not intend. It was my fault. Osric and Athelstan were too old to rule the manor for me. When the spring came then I would have to make other arrangements. They both looked embarrassed.
Osric said, "We have let you down, Alfraed. Better we had died with our lord."
I softened my voice. "No, it is my fault. You two should be enjoying the twilight of your lives and not worrying about the problems of those who would be strangers to you. Do this until the spring. Then I can make changes."
"We will not let you down again. We swear."
It was sad that two old men who had helped to bring me up were almost begging to seek my approval. I felt ashamed. "You never have."
I rode north to Wulfestun. Thomas Two Toes and his family lived there. They had fought off Scots before now. After the last raid we had helped them build a wall and ditches around their hamlet. I was relieved to see a shut gate when we reached there. He and his two sons, Edgar and Tom came out to greet us.
"I was worried about you when we heard the wolves. They killed Oswald of the Ox Bridge and some of his grandchildren."
Like Father Peter Thomas Two Toes had known Oswald all of his life. "He was a good man. We heard the wolves."
"You can always shelter in Norton."
"I know, my lord, but we are well provided with wood and we eat well."
I smiled. Aiden had told me that Thomas and his sons hunted both rabbits and deer. I should have been offended at such poaching but it did not hurt me. The King might not be very happy but as he rarely visited I would turn a blind eye. "Good but do not let pride and a stiff neck keep you from the safety of Norton. I have buried one of the oldest men in the manor this morning; I would not bury a second."
"Do not worry my lord I was not born to end up in a wolf's belly." He was a tower of strength and always had been. So long as he lived in Wulfestun then the approach to Norton from the west was protected.
The other three farmsteads felt the same. They were closer to Norton, less than a mile away and I knew that they could reach the safety of the walls should danger threaten. We headed back as darkness loomed from the east. The road home had not become any easier and the two of us struggled to move at more than the pace of a snail. The days should have been getting longer but it seemed that darkness and the night ruled my land. The long nights stopped what little sun there was from warming the air. The snow and the ice were here to stay. I felt a great sense of relief when the gates of my castle were slammed behind me.
Chapter 16
Looking back, years later, I am still amazed at the how long the snow and the ice lay. Each day we looked for a break in the weather and a little warmth but none came. We eked out our provisions and killed more of our cattle as they succumbed. The husks and the dried grass had kept our animals going longer than we would have possibly hoped. There were little enough scraps for the pigs but they survived. When spring finally came then we would have larger herds and flocks. I just prayed that we would survive to see another spring. Aiden managed to cut holes in the ice and hunt for the fish who dwelt beneath its icy shell. Every mouthful meant we were closer to surviving.
The wolves came again a month after Christmas. The days
were a little longer and we were more prepared. When Aiden and his fish hunters returned from the river they noticed, in the fresh snow, the prints of wolves. They had come scouting. Each day Aiden used a different part of the river. On this day he had been at the bend in the river two miles to the south of the Hart Burn.
"There were the tracks of just four wolves. This is the time of year when they have cubs. They will risk the wrath of men for they have young to feed."
"Why did they not attack? You found their tracks and they were recent. Why did they return to their pack?"
"These wolves came from the north, my lord. I am guessing that they have finished hunting in the hills and there is little left for them. These are not the same ones as came across the river. Their scouts will have been searching for new hunting grounds. Close by the prints we saw where Wulfstan's men had been chopping trees. The wolves picked up their scent for they had relieved themselves there."
I summoned Edward and Dick. "Have your men rest today. We go hunting wolves tonight. Harold ride to Wulfstan and warn him and his people of the presence of wolves."
Since the winter had started we had learned to protect ourselves from the cold better. The wolf fur I used went beneath my cloak and I had boots lined with rabbit fur. My mittens kept my hands warm and I wore a linen mask across my face. We did not look warrior like but we were better protected. The others took bows but I was happier with my spear. Aiden led us. It was the only choice. Had I led we would have blundered into them and they would have escaped.
As we left the castle at dusk there was a wind coming from the west. Aiden led us north. We headed towards the Durham road. If the wolves had come down from the hills then they would see the security of the forests which were to the north west of us. We were down wind of the animals we hunted and they would not smell us. We were reliant upon the senses of Aiden and Scout. Both would warn us of the presence of wolves. Wulfestun was just two miles to the east when we entered the forest. We walked our horses. Wulfstan and his men were waiting close to the Hart Burn. Our plan was simple; catch them between us and kill them.