The Unwanted Winter - Volume One of the Saga of the Twelves

by Richard Heredia

  *****

  Anthony watched with horrified resignation as the Swüreg loosed his arrow. He knew he was about to die, even if tried to jump out of the way, there wasn’t enough time…

  Before he felt the arrow pierce his chest, there came a sound like thunder and his ears popped. Something, he could only describe as a streak of light and color, came hurling up the hill, smashing through bushes, dead branches, even boulders as if they all were nothing more than paper-mâché. He barely had enough time to register, whatever it was, it was angling toward him. And then, not quite.

  In one instant, it was a blur of motion, beginning near the large tree sheltering his sisters. In the next, it swept passed the small trail upon which he was standing. With terrifying speed, it collided with the hillside a blink of an eye after. It impacted toward his left and made deep gash in the ground before coming it to a stop in what looked like a small meteor crater, complete with ridges of dirt and rock heaped about a circular rim. He was so astounded when he saw Mikalah lying on her back with the arrow in her hand, he almost vacated his bladder and his bowels simultaneously.

  “Mikalah, how did you do that?!?” exclaimed Anthony, he mouth agape.

  “I don’t know,” whimpered Mikalah as though she was on the verge of tears.

  Then Anthony glanced back at the Swüreg, who equally surprised. His jaw was hanging almost to his chest as he lowered his bow. His head swiveling from Anthony to Mikalah with eyes was wide as they could go.

  Anthony motioned for Mikalah to join him, but stopped in the middle of the gesture.

  That was when Fenris appeared at the warrior’s back and clouted him over the head with a fist glowing with a sickly blue-green fire.

  “How many times do I have to tell you, idiots? THE LORD OF THE STORM WANTS THEM UNSPOILED!” he howled.

  The Swüreg fell to the ground, the entire back of his head burnt away in the perfect shape of Fenris’ fist, where it had passed through the hair and bone like a knife through butter. His lifelessly body fell on the pathway with a thump just as three other Swüreg came over the ridgeline and into view.

  Anthony’s eyebrows rose on the own, when he realized the Swüreg were holding two boys. They were a pair of young men who couldn’t have looked more different from one another if they tried.

  One, had a light complexion, but not like a typical Caucasian of the United States. He had more a European caste about his features with dark, unkempt mange, more facial hair than what was usual for a boy his age. He had a large, well-muscled frame, belying the training and the work ethic of an athlete. He had bold facial features, large hands and feet, and sported a nasty bruise under his right eye, looking quite new.

  The other was much smaller, about five-foot-six with long stringy muscles. He was svelte. He appeared strong, despite his size. He was Chinese with straight black hair, cut in short, in flattop fashion, only a bit longer than the military version. He would wear it spiked, held in place with copious amounts of jell. Although, some the spikes had been broken and tweaked as if the boy had just emerged from a hard-fought tussle. He had prominent cheekbones atop a wide Asian face with a rougher sort of complexion. One could see his was a more rustic Chinese heritage. There was very little Han in his looks.

  Both were dressed in sweat outfits under big winter jackets and gloves, with sturdy hiking boots on their feet.

  Anthony glanced around nervously as Fenris’ gaze fell upon him. He realized that both of the bear-dogs had moved up to join Andrew and Elena. The two were half-heartedly dusting themselves off, peering upward, and reassessing the rapidly unfolding situation.

  Mikalah stood up not bothering to clean the debris from her person. Her gaze was fixed upon Fenris, the arrow that would’ve pierced Anthony’s chest gripped firmly in her small hand.

  “Well, well, it would seem I have underestimated some of the Guardians in the pocket of the Kring-Hël,” began the half-wolf, half-man creature in his deep, lisping voice, feinting at humor that didn’t reach his furled brow or his angry eyes. “Or, perhaps, I have been duped into believing the Lord of the Lights’ minions were weak. What say you, Kring-Hël?” His eyes flicked over toward Kodiak and Kenai, who were bracketing Andrew and Elena in a defensive posture.

  Anthony felt his throat begin to tighten and he shared a quick glance at Mikalah. He motioned for her to come and stand beside him for a second time. He wanted her as far from Fenris as possible. “I really don’t care what you believe, Dog Face. I just want you to leave us alone.” The boy was surprised he sounded as defiant and determined as he did. He sure didn’t feel it inside. His stomach was in knots.

  Fenris laughed aloud at that. His large head tilted back as if he was about to howl like a wolf. He didn’t, though, and only his rasping, slurping laugh issue forth from between his jaws. “I am afraid, young one, that is one wish I cannot grant, for I am bound to the Lord of the Storm. His commands cannot be disobeyed.” He took a few steps toward Anthony.

  “Stop where you stand, foul beast!” shouted Kodiak, vaulting from beneath the eucalyptus tree to land some ten feet closer to Fenris, her hackles raised, her teeth bared as a feral growl rumbled in her throat. The ground shook beneath her.

  Kenai stayed behind her, but moved in front of the two children nearest to her.

  “Or what, little pup, you will attack me?” snarled the man-wolf. “Do you honestly believe you can challenge the Storm Lord’s Hand, you and your mongrel offspring below?” He did stop, but turned to face the bear-dog more directly as he spoke. “Do you have any idea what countless horrors I have fended off in order to keep my position as the Lord of the Vanguard?” He paused to give her time to think on the matter. Then, “I think you have absolutely no idea of why you are even here in the Melded World. I think you are merely driven by pure instinct to protect these doomed children, because you are compelled and cannot fight against it. You are…”

  Anthony was aware Fenris was still talking, but his horrid voice seemed to drift away into nothing as a strange movement caught his eye. An instant later, he heard nothing from him, not a single sound, and could only focus on the spectacle unfolding before him.

  What he noticed first was the strange sort of behavior exhibited by one of the Swüreg warriors - the leftmost of the trio. For no immediate reason Anthony could discern, he began to arch at the torso, from the middle of his spine, as if he was loosening some tightness in his back or chest area. Yet, the warrior’s eyes were opened too widely and his expression didn’t match the appearance of someone stretching. His orbs began to bulge from some tremendous pressure pushing them out from behind. He continued to arch, more bent with each passing second. A strangled weep escaped between his lips.

  The Swüreg next to him began to turn his head to look at his comrade, a confused expression written on his face when something black, hairy, and tall swooped out of the falling snow.

  Anthony watched aghast, as this new creature sunk fangs two inches long into that unsuspecting Swüreg’s neck. The force of the bite was immense. Everyone nearby heard an awful crunching, squishing sound. The black beast ripped a huge chunk of flesh from the warrior, spitting it out in disgust as it whipped its head back and forth. Life was already gone from the second Swüreg. It buckled at the knees and began to fall to the ground.

  As if following some macabre tune, the first Swüreg lifted from the ground, his feet kicking outward and into the backs of the two boys. They were knocked forward, stumbling over the uneven ground, trying to keep their balance. There was a great ripping sound like the sundering of a bed sheet, followed by a hollow thump and cracking bone. A dark, yellow-orange paw burst through the Swüreg’s chest, long claws holding a good-sized lump of throbbing, pulsating flesh in its grip.

  At his side, he heard Mikalah gag, recover, only to retch again, throwing-up on the ground in front of her.

  He had just glanced her way, when he heard another colossal hollow thump! From across the way, the third and final Swüreg – who, to this point
, was only vaguely aware of what was transpiring around him - squelched like an accordion. It was as though something struck him from behind with the force equal to that of a wrecking ball. He appeared to squeeze together, within himself for a second, and in the next, he was unceremoniously hurled through the air. The warrior flew clear across the thicket of trees, over Anthony’s head by more than a dozen feet. With immense force, he smacked into a huge pine tree not far from where Anthony stood, rattled to the core by what he’d just witnessed. The impact shook the tree from top to bottom. The warrior was now no more than a messy pulp, oozing mostly from his hands and feet. Some of it dropped to the pristine white-colored ground in a small grizzly heaps, ruining its’ perfection. Some of it remained in the boughs above, some forty feet from where he’d stood only moments before.

  Fenris turned around in complete surprise, for the entire event began and ended within a span of three heartbeats, and he roared. “WHHAAAAAAT!” but then fell silent as he surveyed not just the damage done to his troops, but calculating his newfound situation– a dire one at that.

  The black creature was the one Anthony saw first. His kill had been the quickest, accomplished with the most efficiency. He thought, at first, it looked sort of wolf-like, but it didn’t really. It had a pushed-in face, pug-like, making its’ lips seem frozen in a perpetual frown. It was merely the shaped of its skull and jaw giving the impression. It had two-inch canine-looking fangs, protruding from its downturned mouth, set where its’ lips sagged their lowest, which exaggerated their length. Its’ eyes were completely black, showing none of the white of its irises. Its’ fur was long, somewhat wavy, black. It hung about its’ body streaked many times with long coils of white fur. To Anthony, it appeared like the sort of a middle-aged man, salt and pepper. It stood on two legs, well-muscled and cord-like – strong - ending with padded feet and prominent black-skinned toes. It had two powerful looking arms, terminating in very man-like, black-skinned hands. The creature was six feet tall and stood there, poised, waiting. Its’ eyes were locked on Fenris. Though, every once and a while, he would glance in Elena’s direction, a chance peek, a very protective vibe emanated from him. Sensing it made Anthony frown for some reason.

  Next to this creature, stood another, upon four legs, absently licking a forepaw matted with gore from the tip of its nine-inch claws to the very beginning of its incredibly stalwart shoulder. There its’ muscle and tendons appeared about to explode at any second, they were so well developed. It was feline and was simply huge. It was about the same height as Kenai, but didn’t carry her massive bulk. Rather this beast was thinner, lither of build and didn’t seem to have a single ounce of body fat on it. Quite plainly, it was a remarkable sight. Its coat was a continuous striping of burnt yellow and ochre, from head to toe, ending in a five-foot long, bushy tail that, oddly enough, was tipped with some somewhat boney, stinger-like appendage. Even at a distance, Anthony could tell it was as solid, possibly as strong as steel, razor-sharp along its outer side. Its face was very cat-like with large, bi-focal, russet-colored eyes, a wide orange nose, glistening in the cold air, at the end of a typical cat-like snout. It ears were swept back along its skull and constantly moved this way and that.

  Anthony knew this creature was hyper-aware. Even when it appeared not to care, it wasn’t missing a single thing going on around it.

  The third newcomer was the strangest of all, if one could imagine, after everything they’d experiencing in this strange world thus far. It had ears very much like a rabbit, extremely white and about a foot and a half tall. Their interior was the same sort of pink skin one would expect to see when gazing upon a hare-like animal. The rest of it though wasn’t very rabbit-ish in the least. Its head did not pull forward as it should have. It’s chin and nose protruded from a much flatter plane than that of a rabbit. Its’ face was uncannily human-like. Only, it was completely covered in matching white fur. Its’ eyes were as unsettling, reddish-pink, almost three inches wide. They looked much like those of a lemur’s, literally bulging from its skull as it looked around. Its nose was pink too, but unobtrusive. Its’ fur covering nearly all of it, except for the very tip, which quivered and flexed as the wind blew. It stood upright, humanoid with two strong arms and legs, nearly six and a half feet tall. But, it didn’t have the customary bushy tail at the end of its spine. There was nothing there at all, just a sloping back, leading to well-muscled backside that, too, was entirely covered in fur.

  Its feet, though, caught Anthony by surprise, making him gasp with shock. It stood… rather, it balanced, upon four gigantic toes, each with a long triangular nail. The boy imagined they would give it adequate purchase even walking upon ice. From its toes, the remaining foot arched up off the ground nearly two feet and commenced in an ankle. They were as far off the ground as a man’s lower thigh, continuing on to its’ knee. Its’ hip was positioned more forward than the lower half of it, so it walked with an awkward gait. Its’ knees were in a constant bent configuration whether it stood still or walked. Anthony didn’t think he could have dreamed of a more bizarre extremity – even if he tried.

  Then, Kodiak’s voice split the morning air, breaking Anthony’s train of thought.

  “So, Wolf-Demon,” she wasn’t the only one with a unique name for Fenris, “it appears as though the odds have tipped in our favor.”

  With that, the three new comers began to spread out, while she and Kenai moved up the hill and across the small pathway Anthony and Mikalah were standing upon. Slowly, they began to surround the man-wolf from all sides.

  “I have not the time for this!” bellowed Fenris, bringing his hands together at his chest, palms touching one another, flat - perpendicular to his breastplate. “Bëi-Gwûn!” he shouted.

  As if that were the signal, all five of the animals charged with blinding speed, but it didn’t matter.

  Fenris abruptly separated his palms, bringing one just under his chin and the other just above his waist. Where they came apart, there appeared a searing white glob of light, blinding everyone.

  It forced the animals to stop in their tracks.

  The children had to shield either their eyes or turnaround and away from the pain.

  There came a sound like ripping paper and the light grew hugely. The next instant there was a thundering clap and the light winked out of existence.

  Fenris along with it.

  ~~~~~~~~<<<<<<{ ☼ }>>>>>>~~~~~~~~

  ~ 45 ~

  An Introduction

  Day One, Thursday, 7:14 am…

  There was nothing but silence for nearly two minutes. They merely glanced at one another, breathing heavily, not sure of what to do. None more lost than the two newcomers, who were literally cringing at the site of three animals standing where, just a few seconds prior, their captors had stood. Now, they were all dead. Their former captors were no more than bloody lumps of indistinct flesh lying upon the ground. The one was smashed to a pulp, high up in the large pine tree - cast forth by one impossibly powerful kick from the rabbit-man - got it the worst. He looked like Hamburger meat to Elena.

  No, they’d been slaughtered.

  They were mostly covered by snow now, which had continued unabated.

  She looked from the three new animals to the just-arrived boys and back. The boys so scared, they were on the verge of tears. Their confusion and bewilderment deepened with each breath they took. The smaller of the two was shaking uncontrollably. She was certain it wasn’t from the cold.

  “Don’t be afraid,” she said her voice soothing, calming, one she used with her pets or at playtime with her dolls and stuffed animals. “From what we’ve been told, these creatures here are friendly. So, I’m pretty sure you have nothing to fear.” She stepped around some of the boulders and roots of the eucalyptus tree, coming more into the open. She made her way a bit closer to the pathway, coming to stand among the ferns, dusting the last bits of dirt and grime from her clothes as she went.

  Sensing the uneasiness of the boys, all five of the an
imals stayed silent and didn’t move from their positions.

  Elena heard her brother ask, “What are you names?”

  Her eyes darted back and forth between them.

  The boys exchanged a look and stayed silent for a few more moments, before the larger of the two spoke. “My name is Joaquin Barrientos.” He shrugged. “Umm…I’m not quite sure what else I should say.” His put his hand outward from his sides, palms up as he shrugged his shoulders.

  Elena could see he had blue eyes.

  “I’m Jason,” began the Asian-looking boy. “Jason Fong… and I’m trying my best not to throw up right now.”

  That got a laugh or a chuckle from all of the other children.

  The animals stayed quiet and merely watched. Kodiak and Kenai sat on their haunches, while the feline actually laid down on all fours as it continued to lick clean the forepaw it had used to impale the Swüreg soldier through the chest. The other two just stood in place and watched.

  “It’s ok Jason, I threw up already, so it’s not like you’ll be the first or anything,” assuaged Mikalah, taking a hold of Anthony hand.

  Elena was shocked to see him give it a small squeeze and not let go. This was so not his usual routine. Anthony had never been one for physical contact, even with members of his own family.

  “Well, I’m Anthony Herrera and these are my sisters – Mikalah’s right here next to me and that’s Elena down there next to my friend, Andrew Ibarra,” introduced Anthony, indicating which kid was which with a flick of his finger.