by C. K. Rieke
“Yes, but this trip just became much more complicated. We must hurry out of these mountains,” Gogenanth said, looking north.
“Why? You killed the big wolf. Won’t they run away and leave us alone now?” Zaan asked, impatiently but hopefully.
“Not with these wolves. These are Cascadian mountain wolves. They are rare, and even rarer still do they approach people. But when they do, they are notorious for their ruthlessness. They must be starving, or be after us for some other reason out of the ordinary.” He then looked at Zaan. “When it comes down to it, these are kill-or-be-killed wolves. We must leave these mountains.”
Zaan did not reply; but stood still, as he could read the nervousness in Gogenanth’s words.
“We are to leave as soon as Astor is back,” Gogenanth said.
“Astor is gone? He went out on his own? Why would he do that?” Zaan asked nervously.
“He went to the high cliffs to survey the area. He will be fine, as he has had experience with big wolves before. We must be packed and ready to leave the moment he returns,” Gogenanth said.
As they packed and ate, they did not speak, but they both kept their eyes on the surrounding area. Every now and then, they would hear a muffled howl in the distance and would both turn that direction. Once they were finished, they sat and waited, sitting with their backs to each other so they could keep their eyes on the rocky area around them.
A couple of small rocks fell to the ground a few yards from Zaan’s feet. They both stood and faced the direction of the large, round rock there, swords drawn. Astor then jumped down, rolling quickly, and then springing up to his feet gracefully.
“Well?” Gogenanth asked.
“It is bad. This is a large pack—two dozen or more,” Astor said, slightly huffing. “Our best bet is to climb up and around the east side of this mountain. It may be too steep for them, but they will assuredly try to follow whatever path we take. You killed one of the big females.” Astor looked at Gogenanth.
“Can’t we just go back?” Zaan asked.
“That isn’t a good option. It would still be a dangerous road back, and we would have to travel into the Rion Sea to get to Barrier Cliff that way. It could take a month to take that route,” Astor replied.
“Well, let’s go,” Gogenanth said.
They started off in the direction Astor had come. It was steep, with many large rocks to climb. They wanted to keep their weapons drawn, but they took turns guarding each other as they climbed. Zaan thought Astor had the most dangerous position of it, as he could never really be sure what was at the top of some of the embankments they were climbing. With Gogenanth the last to climb an obstacle, it wasn’t as scary for Zaan because Gogenanth was so tall that he could quickly climb almost anything if something came up from the rear after him.
It was a long and excruciating day, with Zaan’s nerves spent and his legs sore. As they set up camp that evening, the air was thin and cold, which made it harder to get the fire going. It was comforting once the flames burned hot, Zaan thought, but would it really help against the wolves?
The spot they picked that night to camp was against a long cliff with a tall cliff above it. No human or wolf would jump down from such a high cliff, so the watchmen could remain focused on a smaller area in front of them.
Zaan did sleep better that night, after Gogenanth and Astor both assured him he would be safe and they would wake him if anything happened. He awoke the next morning to see Gogenanth again tending the fire.
“Looks like they left us alone last night. That’s good, right?” Zaan asked.
“They did not try to attack us last night, but they did come,” Gogenanth replied.
“Did you see them?” Zaan asked.
“I could see their devilish eyes. I think they are scared of my sword and the fire, for now,” Gogenanth said, with malice on his breath.
Astor arose from his tent shortly after Zaan. He stretched, and they ate breakfast and wrapped their tents up. They all went off up the great mountain without saying another word. Gogenanth kept his scimitar unsheathed as much as he could. Desperate howls were heard back at their campsite.
They kept a steady pace as they traveled up the winding cliffs. Zaan’s hands began to bleed from his old calluses from the Black Cave, as holes began to appear in his gloves. They reached a point where Astor believed they didn’t have to climb any higher, but could traverse around to the other side of the mountain. It was hard going for Zaan, as it seemed easier to climb up than to shimmy around boulders and steep sides with such tired legs. He lost his footing a couple of times, but there was always a hand to grab onto his coat or arm, even if he didn’t need the assistance.
As the sun began to glow more dimly, the wind bit at them, and they looked for another place to camp. Heavy clouds hung low, and the air felt thick.
“Rainstorm. Maybe ice,” Astor said.
“Hopefully no lightning. That will make using our weapons just as dangerous as not using them at all,” Gogenanth added.
“Over there,” Astor said, pointing to a semi-flat area a hundred yards or so on. “Let’s hurry, to beat the sun.”
They made their way over and set up camp promptly, just in time for the rain to start. They positioned their three tents back to back so they could all peer out of the fronts of their tents instead of having someone stand in the freezing rain. It was not a full-proof plan, because they were fully lying down on their stomachs, not a great defensive position. They all left their metal outside of their tents as well, in case lightning decided to strike.
It was a cold, bitter night. The open flap to look through made the air freeze in Zaan’s tent. His body ached from shivering half of the night. They decided to make a fire in the morning, mostly so Zaan could regain his stamina and recuperate. Afterward, they set out again. Astor said they had probably two more days’ travel to get off this mountain and then head down to the seashore, although there was no certainty the wolves would not follow them there.
Halfway through their journey that day, they began a descent down the mountain, the Rion now in view from that side of the overlook. As they began to climb downward they heard more and more howls behind them. If the wolves decided to attack, they could now attack from behind and above, and have the high-ground advantage. Gogenanth went slowly, so that he could keep sure footing and hold out his sword as much as he could.
As Astor said, it was dangerous climbing down the mountain, especially with how tired Zaan was, and how slippery the rocks were. At one moment, Zaan’s foot slipped as he was climbing down a steep cliff, and he slid so fast that he fell off of the cliff and was hanging by only a few fingers. Gogenanth quickly grabbed his wrist.
Loud howls sounded as Gogenanth held onto Zaan. A loud snarl bellowed, and Astor quickly grabbed Zaan’s dangling feet and guided him down. Gogenanth disappeared above, amidst snarls, hisses, and snapping jaws. He grunted as he swung his scimitar, and with a loud growl appeared above them holding a wolf almost as big as him over his head. With a mighty roar, he hurled the bleeding wolf over Zaan and Astor down the mountain toward the passing mist below. Zaan looked over at Astor, who watched in astonishment. The wolf’s body contorted and tried to grab onto anything as it fell farther and farther through the air, until it disappeared into the fog.
Gogenanth climbed down the cliff quickly. He was holding onto his left arm. Astor removed the big man’s bloody hand from his arm to reveal a pair of long cuts made by teeth or claws.
“The bastard had me by the arm, so I pried his jaws open and threw the devil,” Gogenanth said.
“Well, it could be worse,” Astor said as he took his pack down and began to bandage his arm. “Are you able to climb still?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Gogenanth said.
Zaan felt very small at this moment, to witness such an amazing feat of daring and survival. He felt like he was endangering the safety of his companions. “I’m sorry I slipped, Gogenanth,” he s
aid as he hung his head low.
Gogenanth lifted Zaan’s head up with his good arm. “You are important, Zaan. We need to get you to Barrier Cliff where you will be safe. Do not worry about us,” Gogenanth said, looking into Zaan’s eyes to further emphasize his statement.
They continued climbing down the cliffs, stopping only briefly to regain strength or breath, or to check Gogenanth’s wounds.
The party stopped to make camp that evening. The shoreline was in view from their vantage point. The sky was clear and illuminated by millions of stars. The fire was bright and big that night, because the air was not as thin at that part of the mountain. The moon was almost full, and cast a shadow on the three travelers. They reminisced about Gogenanth’s fight with the wolf, joking whether anyone had ever thrown a full-size mountain wolf off of a cliff before.
There were many loud howls that night in the distance, but none of them seemed to approach the camp. Gogenanth had killed another one today. Surely they will be afraid enough of him to stay away, Zaan thought.
***
In the morning, Zaan awoke to a cool, wet fog encompassing the camp and struggled out of his tent. After rubbing his eyes, he opened them to see his nervous companions. Gogenanth and Astor stood silently with their weapons drawn.
“We are surrounded,” Astor said to Zaan. Terror shot up through Zaan’s stomach and throat, and he quickly drew his sword. Gogenanth began uttering a chant that was only barely audible. A blue mist came up from around the three of them. It swirled and slowly engulfed them in a blue orb.
“We need to go, quickly!” Gogenanth whispered. “Leave the tents. Grab what’s necessary.” They began to climb down the cliff, and Zaan saw a dozen big wolves walk into the camp and sniff around, surely confused about where they had disappeared.
“I don’t know how well my Azulūz works against scent, so we must be quick,” Gogenanth said as Astor picked up his pace. After the first couple of hurdles of steep cliffs the mountain mellowed out into smaller rocks and pebbles that they could run through. The mist was still heavy, but they could see the shoreline. They sprinted down the rocks, and Zaan stumbled but regained his footing. Loud howls came from the campsite.
They approached the shoreline, winded and exhausted. It was past midday now, and they were hungry and thirsty.
“We made it. We made it!” Zaan yelled out.
“Yes, we made it. I must say, Gogenanth, I have never directly seen the Azulūz used like that before. That was incredible. It saved us,” Astor said.
They sat and ate what they had left on them, and made a fire and relaxed. They wouldn’t have tents to sleep under for the remainder of the trip, but it was a small price to pay to escape. There was a chance they would be able to find things on the shoreline to use as shelter. They lay against rocks and bundled up in their clothes by the large fire they made that night. They looked up into the sky, with those same millions of bright stars looking down on them, and the moon was now full. Now heavy, thick, flashing clouds came moving in from the Rion.
Loud howls sounded in the mountains again. Astor awoke quickly and sprang to his feet.
“Up and awake!” he yelled at Gogenanth and Zaan, who were fast asleep. “To arms!”
Gogenanth and Zaan grabbed their swords. Six wolves were walking toward them, slowly, their fur straight and tall on their backs. The lead wolf was the biggest yet, standing at eye level with Gogenanth. A large scar ran across the great mountain wolf’s face, and one eye was missing.
Heavy raindrops began to come down on the party. They stared into the beast’s yellow, devilish eye.
“It’s the alpha male. There is no escaping this fight. Zaan, stay back. The wolves in the back are going to be after you. Gogenanth, you must take on the alpha. He has come for you, anyway,” Astor said, assessing the situation.
Gogenanth let out a monstrous yell that seemed to shake the earth beneath them; it was coupled by loud thunder behind them on the sea. Zaan and Astor yelled after, accompanied by more thunder and lightning behind. The wolves let out loud snarls and grunts with the full moon and tall mountain at their backs.
Gogenanth held up his scimitar into the light of the full moon. He then ran at the alpha male. Astor shot a quick arrow from his bow, and it went into the side of the alpha, who didn’t flinch a muscle, but jumped onto Gogenanth, knocking him onto his back. The other wolves began to encircle the party.
“Stay at my side, Zaan!” Astor yelled, and shot at one of the smaller wolves.
Gogenanth got up to his feet quickly and squared off against the giant mountain wolf. “Is that all you got?” he yelled at it.
Astor let another arrow fly at the alpha. It struck solidly into the hind leg, but the wolf didn’t even seem to notice it. Gogenanth lunged at it again and took a mighty swing at the beast, which it quickly dodged. Then it easily jumped over Gogenanth to land close to Zaan— so quick Gogenanth lost track of it for a moment.
Zaan, full of terror, held his sword straight at the beast, who was a mere three yards away, and at least four times Zaan’s size. Astor let another arrow loose, but it ricocheted off the side of the alpha.
“Dear lord,” Astor exclaimed.
“Hey, devil, come at me!” Gogenanth screamed as lightning and thunder came on hard. The rain was now heavy and about to become a squall. “Was that your bitch I killed the first night? Huh? She smelled like shit while she rotted!” The alpha showed its teeth and snarled loudly, then took a step toward Gogenanth.
“What about that mutt I threw off the mountain? Your bastard, I assume!” Gogenanth yelled again, his scimitar glistening in the moonlight. Heavy and ferocious winds pounded in, and the surrounding wolves encircled them all. “Come on, you devil! It’s you or me!” Gogenanth threw off his heavy hood and cloak and stood there, his long, pale muscles in the moonlight making him look supernatural. “You coward devil, come at me! Let us see what you have!”
“Gogenanth. The weather! It’s the Aterax!” Astor yelled, barely able to speak over the sounds of the punishing winds, blinding lightning, and ear-shattering thunder. “You have to put the beast down! We can’t stay here!”
The wolf hung its head low and took two slow steps toward Gogenanth, then leapt. It jumped a full eight feet into the air, and with its huge maw open and talons extended, it fell onto him. His skin instantly tore from the sharp claws, but he held his ground. Holding his sword sideways in the maw of the alpha, he cut the sides of its mouth, and blood ran into the sand. Even with the sword in its mouth the alpha still tried to bite at Gogenanth, who held out the sword as far as he could. Lightning struck the sea behind them, and thunder clapped.
The alpha’s claws sank deeper into Gogenanth’s arms.
“Is that all you got? You monster! Show me what you got!” Gogenanth screamed, fury in his words, as if a beast had come alive in him.
Astor let fly another arrow, and this one sank into the alpha’s one eye. It winced back in pain and released its claws from Gogenanth’s arms. Gogenanth took his large scimitar from the alpha’s mouth and raised it high above his head. The sky turned white, and a giant shot of lightning came down onto Gogenanth and his scimitar. It was blinding as bright light and power rained down on him as he took a mighty blow down onto the alpha wolf. The sword sank deep into its head with all of the power of a god’s thunder and lightning behind it.
The bright, white light quickly faded, and as Zaan’s eyes began to readjust, there stood Gogenanth in the downpour. He was holding his sword deep into the alpha wolf’s skull. Smoke rose and came off both of them. They stood there together momentarily, like a mighty statue, and then they both collapsed in unison. The surrounding wolves stood there briefly, probably in disbelief and fear, and then fled. Zaan and Astor ran to Gogenanth. Black burns littered the big man’s body, and his eyes were closed. Astor put his ear down to Gogenanth’s lips.
“He’s breathing!” Astor said.
“Of course I am,” Gogenanth choked
, and spit up blood. “Do you think this is the first time I’ve been struck by lightning?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
GOGENANTH smiled, with blood and char marks covering his face. He then closed his eyes, and his head fell to his shoulder.
“This is not good.” Astor gave Zaan a look as they fought the biting, fierce winds battering them. “We need to move quickly. He is still alive, but greatly injured.”
Zaan looked at his unconscious friend with concern.
Astor surveyed the area as the rain pummeled them, lightning lit up the sky, and thunder shook the ground itself. “Go find two long pieces of driftwood taller than him, but each the same length.”
Zaan did as he asked, walking low, trying not to be blown over. He walked toward the shoreline. Examining the wet ground of pebbles and sand, he managed to find two pieces long enough to move his hurt friend with.
Heaving the two pieces of wood behind him, fighting the winds that wanted to take them for itself, he made his way back up the shore and returned to Astor.
“I’ve bandaged him best I could, but we need to form a stretcher and get moving. If the Aterax doesn’t get us, then I fear the wolves could return, and you and I won’t stand much of a chance in this. Needless to say, neither does he,” Astor said, looking down at Gogenanth.
Astor and Zaan went hard to work, forming the stretcher and heaving Gogenanth’s heavy body onto it. They then began hauling him along the beach northward.
“How far do we have to go? Will he make it?” Zaan asked.
“I’d say about six miles. At this rate, if we push hard, we should be there soon, but we must keep a good pace. As for Gogenanth, it is up to him if he will survive. I’ve done all I can.”
They continued along the beach throughout the night. Slowly the winds calmed and faded, and the clouds overhead gave way to a clear sky reminiscent of a master’s painting. Their stretched shadows shortened as the night progressed and the moon rose higher in the night sky. As time went by, the mountains to their left began to shrink and treading through the shallow tide off the beaches of the Rion Sea, they walked past the tail of the mountains. The great peaks of the Cascades fell farther behind them.