Two young wolves darted in the direction of the sound only to find a blue, spectral wolf, panting and waiting for them.
Jiro sprang from his feet, his jaws open, as lighting charged and danced between his fangs.
****
Kelor was snoring in his cage when Dox kicked a bar with his hoof. The Minotaur was handcuffed and chained to one of the main tent poles. If he stretched out, he was close enough to touch the panther’s cage, but far enough away that he could do little else.
“Leave me alone, Dox. Unless they are bringing more food I have no interest,” said Kelor, his eyes still shut as he rolled over.
Dox tapped the cage again. “Look, here comes the latest catch,” said the beast-man as the tent flaps opened.
Kelor rolled back onto his belly and stretched. He yawned, exposing his long fangs and sharp teeth, providing the ideal picture to welcome the new guests to the holding tent.
“Let’s see what the Warden scraped from the gutter,” said the cat as he watched the procession enter.
First was a grizzly bear, perhaps one season old, and a good eight hundred pounds. Two handlers, holding long metal staves connected to a steel collar led the creature to the far end of the tent where another cage was waiting.
Next were a half dozen humans, most likely thieves, murderers or criminals of some ilk. They were huddled together, their eyes wide and the mouths pursed and shut. A few were so scrawny that Kelor wondered how the chains didn’t slide off their wrists and ankles.
One of the humans, however, looked fit and healthy. He had broad shoulders, a thick neck, and well defined biceps.
Ah, a fighter! It’s about time. The rest won’t survive the night, thought Kelor as he watched the prisoners shuffle by. The healthy human looked straight at him with no fear. Then he gave Kelor a grin and a wink.
Who do you think you are? thought Kelor. He let out a long and deep growl just as the human passed his cage, but that only drew a bigger smile from the man.
“Humph,” said Kelor. “There’s a fool in every bunch.”
A few more creatures, none of any significance followed the humans and were lead to various spots within the tent.
Last was a young wolf. His head hung low as a single servant led him into the tent. His dark fur coat was matted, stained and ragged. He looked weak as if his feet barely had the strength to move his body along.
Pathetic!
The servant led the wolf to the cage closest to Kelor.
No, no, no, not there! Uh… I hate dogs. I’ve never met one, but I know I hate them, thought Kelor as he watched the servant open the cage door and unhook the leash. The wolf entered without a fight, without a scratch, without the smallest hint of resistance.
Pathetic, thought Kelor once again. It would be better if the wretch perished during the night. Easier that way.
“Hey, dog, what’s your name?” asked Kelor as his curiosity grew.
The wolf looked over at the panther with his green eyes but said nothing. He paced along the perimeter of the cage, then walked to the middle, did a few circles and lay down. His head was facing away from Kelor.
“You got a name?” asked the cat again. He waited for a response but didn’t receive one. “Or should I call you dog… mutt? Perhaps you’re the Warden’s new house pet? I could call you that?”
Kelor watched to see if his insults would elicit a reaction.
“My name is Magnus, and I’m not a dog. I’m a Shade Wolf,” said the canine without turning around.
“Never heard of one of those,” said Kelor as he examined the wolf, his head careening forward until his face was up against the bars. “Welcome to paradise, Magnus. Good luck.”
CHAPTER 19
“Hey, dog. Mutt, you awake?” pestered Kelor. It was mid-morning and the panther was growing impatient. The wolf hadn’t moved or made a sound. “Magnus, you still alive?”
“Leave him alone,” barked Dox.
The wolf stirred. Magnus couldn’t remember the last restful night sleep. Even though he was in a cage, he actually felt better for the first occasion in many days.
“Why do you care?” responded Magnus. Then he shook his whole body, fluffing out his furry coat.
“Actually I don’t. But since there’s nothing else to do…” answered Kelor with a grin. “To be honest, I didn’t think you’d make it through the night. You were whimpering and whining. It was really annoying. So now it’s my turn to annoy you.”
“It’s working already,” the wolf said as he licked his chops. He was hungry, and that was a good thing.
“So what’s your problem?” asked Kelor, determined to keep up the harassment.
Before Magnus could answer the tent flap opened and the Warden strode in, accompanied by several servants.
Each one carried baskets, buckets and assorted containers of food, but they waited for instructions from their master before offering any to the captives.
The Warden stopped at Magnus’s cage first. “Well, let’s see how we did,” he said as he took a closer look. He approached the cage, crouched down and gave Magnus the once over. “Not bad. He looks a bit malnourished, but we can fix that. I want him healthy and fit as soon as possible. Double his rations for the next week.”
The servants nodded, pulled out several helpings of various cuts of meat and tossed them into the wolf’s cage.
“A good catch,” he said as he admired the Shade Wolf. “He’s a bit young, but I think he’ll do just fine.”
The Warden moved on, his servants still following behind. He came to Dox next and looked down at the Minotaur. “Still with us, I see?”
“I am,” answered the beast-man.
“Well, not for long. I’ve seen to that. I’ll get some coin for your worthless hide one way or another.
“Let him lap it up,” he said as he knocked the bowl of porridge from the servant’s arms, spilling the contents onto the ground in front of Dox.
It was humiliating, but the Minotaur was hungry and he needed the food for strength. First he tried to scoop the liquid nourishment up with his hands, but that proved ineffective at best. So instead, he bent over, got to his hands and knees and started licking the meal from the dirt.
Kelor watched, as did Magnus. Both felt the Minotaur’s shame, though they refused to acknowledge it. Now was not the time for that.
The Warden walked past Dox, purposely kicking up some dust into the beast-man’s face. He approached Kelor as the cat licked its right front paw.
“Your moment has come my friend. Let’s see what you’re made of,” said the Warden.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Kelor, still cleaning his leg.
The tone of the Warden’s voice changed. “You don’t think I keep you around just to eat all my food… and my profits. Do you?” he asked as he glared at the cat. “Sleeping; doing nothing? That’s about to change.”
Kelor stopped licking his paw and looked at the Warden, waiting for more.
“I’m going to let you do what you were meant to do, what you were born to do,” said the human.
“And what’s that? What am I?” answered Kelor sarcastically.
The captor leaned in so the cat could hear him. “A killer. Down to the bone. And by the end of the night, this whole wretched, glorious dung heap of a town will know it too.”
“If I refuse?”
“Ask Dox over there how I feel about failure,” threatened the Warden as he looked over at the Minotaur still lapping up his meal with his long, pink-brown tongue.
“Like it or not, you need me. I know that much,” answered Kelor.
The Warden’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed.
“Careful, beast. I still hold the key to your freedom, and unless you do exactly as I say I will devote every waking moment of this day, every day, to turn your existence into a nightmare of misery.”
Kelor wasn’t impressed. “Go ahead. I’ll do the same to you.”
The Warden laughed. Arrogant but fooli
sh. I can work with that. Indeed I can! he thought. “You challenge me, Kelor, and you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
The human stepped even closer to assure his next comment hit home. “When I’m through with you, you’ll curse the day you were born. You’ll hate me like no other. Even the mention of my name will cause the rage in your heart to burn. My demise will be the only goal that matters to you. But in the end, beast, you’ll do as your told. I promise you that.”
The panther took the bait. His ears flattened back against his head, and he hissed at the man who stood up and backed away.
“No food for the panther. Let’s see if an empty stomach changes his mood,” said the Warden as he left the tent.
No one in the tent said a word as tension hung in the air like a thick cloud of smoke.
Magnus said nothing while he ate, but soon the wolf looked at Kelor and watched the cat pace inside its small cage. The panther was trying to suppress his anger and contempt, but it was obvious that the verbal sparring had an effect on him.
“That was not wise. You shouldn’t provoke him like that,” said Dox after a long pause.
“I can take care of myself. I don’t need an oversized corgan telling me what to do,” argued Kelor.
“I’ve warned you on several occasions, the human is capable of almost anything,” said the Minotaur.
“I’m not worried.”
“You should be,” warned Dox yet again.
After swallowing one chunk of meat, Magnus still had several more pieces left. He selected one, took the flesh in his mouth, trotted to the side of the cage and tossed the meat into Kelor’s cage.
Kelor snapped his head around and glared at the wolf. “I don’t want your pity, mutt!” he scowled as he swatted the piece of meat with his paw. The chunk sailed out of his cage, struck one of the bars of Magnus’s enclosure, and landed in the dirt. “Keep it in your cage, where it belongs. Don’t send it my way.”
Dox shook his head. Foolish pride. He won’t heed my warnings, won’t accept a gift from the wolf. We’re trying to help you, Kelor, but you’re too stubborn to see it. The path you are choosing is a harsh one and does not need to be so, thought the beast-man. But the choice is yours… as are the consequences.
The sun was setting when the Warden finally reentered the tent. He walked past Dox, Magnus, and the other captives and went straight to Kelor’s cage. “What’s it gonna be?” he asked with his arms folded.
“What do you want?” asked the cat without rancor.
The Warden’s posture changed upon hearing Kelor’s reply. He unfolded his arms and placed his hands on his hips. “That’s better. Now listen closely,” he said as he took a few steps closer to cage. “This is simple; I think even you can handle it. There’s a compound on the south end of town. Break in, slay as many as you can and get out,” the Warden explained.
“That’s it?” asked Kelor.
“That’s it. Easy. I don’t care whose life you end, but it needs to be loud and messy. The more witnesses the better. Got it?”
The human has gone mad! Is this some kind of sick test? Witnesses? What is this nonsense? thought Kelor.
“What have these people done to earn such an end? To earn the honor of succumbing to my claws?” asked the panther.
The Warden rolled his eyes. “Don’t pretend to have a conscience, Kelor. Remember, I know your kind. I know how you all think. That’s how I caught your mother in the first place. Your race is selfish, brutal, and remorseless. So don’t play that game with me!”
The cat’s answer was unexpected. The Warden wasn’t planning on an argument of morals. “If you must know, they’re a family of criminals. Powerful and corrupt,” said the human in exasperation. “Feel better?”
“Are there young ones? What about human females?” asked Kelor.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Just end them all. How hard is that?” the Warden shouted back.
The human’s comment about Kelor’s family was still ringing in the cat’s ears. Selfish, brutal, remorseless, thought the panther. I’ll show him how selfish I can be!
“Last chance, Kelor,” said the Warden, sensing the cat’s hesitation. “Think about it. You sure you really want to go the rounds with me? I’m holding everything, you’ve got nothing.”
“That’s what you want? That’s your plan? End them all?” asked Kelor one last time.
The Warden simply nodded.
“Then do it yourself!” roared Kelor. “I’m not yours to command!”
The Master of the Hunt was fuming. He leaned in and whispered to Kelor, “Very well. You asked for it.” He nodded to a servant standing nearby and stormed from the tent.
The servant walked over and dumped a large basket of meat chunks into Kelor’s cage.
“See!” said Kelor to Dox and Magnus as he gulped down a piece of flesh. “Told you I could take care of myself. I’m not gonna end up like you two. I choose my own way.”
The panther devoured the meal in front of him, a wave of satisfaction… and sudden fatigue washed over him by the time he was finished.
****
The heat from the afternoon sun seared into Kelor’s flesh, cooking his fur coat. His eyelids were still heavy as he tried to get his bearings. Sounds from all directions rang in his ears as he struggled back to consciousness. He tried to open his mouth and stretch the muscles in his jaws, but something prevented him. Then he felt a new series of sensations.
The giant panther tugged his right front leg, but a wood, metal, and leather cuff snapped the limb back to its original position. The cuff was connected to some kind of contraption, a machine of chains, weights, and counterweights all designed to immobilize the large feline.
Kelor tried again, this time extending his other front leg. The cuff moved a short distance and the attached chain drew taunt, but the heavy boulder connected at the end of the pulley system prevented any further movement. The cat released and the large rock slammed back to the ground.
Then the panther heard the crowd. His eyes focused, adjusting to bright sunlight. There was a sizeable mob gathered at what appeared to be the center of the town square. Humans of all ages gawked and pointed at the ensnared beast.
“People of Dravenclaw, have no fear, I’ve trapped the beast - that vile creature responsible for the demise of so many a few days ago,” declared the Warden as he stood in front of Kelor and addressed the crowd.
What is he talking about? A few days ago? Where am I, and how did I get here? thought Kelor as the muzzle prevented him from speaking.
“Behold, a giant panther from the plains of the North. One can only guess how he came to Dravenclaw. Perhaps to satisfy his appetite for blood and flesh. We do not know how this tale began, but we all have a say in how it will end,” said the Warden.
The mob cheered. A few threw tomatoes, lettuce and other food stuffs at the panther.
Kelor was completely helpless. He could do nothing other than take the mockery and the punishment.
“Their murders are no reason for celebration, but we should consider ourselves fortunate on this day,” continued the captor. “Fortunate he did not slay more. Fortunate we caught him so quickly. And fortunate to capture such a rare and legendary beast!”
Another boisterous cheer from the crowd and the Warden was enjoying every moment.
“Do you want justice?” he asked.
In unison, the crowd answered, “Yes!”
“Do you want entertainment?”
“Yes,” the mob affirmed in one loud voice.
The Warden grinned. They were almost frothing at their mouths, eager to see more blood. “Then I give you both. In three days you will all witness this horror of the plains; this slayer of souls will fight for his life. And he will receive the justice he so rightly deserves!”
The crowd cheered again. Shouts of praise for the Warden, shouts for the destruction of the beast, and shouts of a fight to the death all rang out.
As the group started to disperse, the Warde
n made one last statement. “Come close, see the beast. Touch him, feel his strength and power. I swear to you, he can do you no harm now. Remember this moment, for you will never get another chance to be so close to such a creature again.”
Kelor could not believe this. A large number of onlookers accepted the Warden’s proposal and swarmed the giant cat. They pulled on his fur and whiskers. Children tugged on his tail, and one foolish teen tried to jump on top of the cat’s back and ride him like a horse.
The panther tried to recoil and avoid the fingers reaching for him, but he could only contort and move his torso the span of a hand or two at most. He tried to roar, tried to yell, but his attempts were foiled by his shackles and restraints.
Some of the crowd pulled as hard as they could, ripping away fistfuls of Kelor’s fur. Other’s cut pieces of his dark coat for keepsakes. A few even spit in his face or punched and kicked his sides.
It was the longest series of moments in Kelor’s life. He looked over and watched as the Warden stood to the side, his arms folded, as he grinned at the spectacle. The panther closed his eyes and thought of his mother and his brothers. As always, it served as his only sliver of solace.
After a while the novelty of pestering the large cat waned, and the crowd dispersed. They each had their fill of tempting a beast who could not retaliate. The real show would be watching the panther in action, fighting for survival. That was the real spectacle the entire town buzzed about.
When the last few stragglers walked away, leaving Kelor alone, the Warden motioned for the servants to take the panther back to the camp. He had designed the confining contraption to rest on a wheeled platform, thus capable of transporting the helpless predator to anywhere he wished.
The crew of nearly a dozen servants prepped the platform and hooked it to a team of horses. As they performed their tasks, the Warden walked to one of the nearby buildings where a hooded figure stood in the shadows.
“What do you think?” asked the Warden.
Korwin removed his hood, exposing his elfin face and pointed ears. “You certainly know how to handle a crowd. I can see why King Draghone chose you. But will the cat fight? It would be a shame to lose him in the first contest. A beast like that must be hard to come by,” said Korwin as he watched the servants work on Kelor’s device.
Trail of Bones: A Young Adult Fantasy Novel (An Epic Fantasy Adventure For Any Family) Page 18