The Tracker: Book 1 of the King's Hand Series

by B. A. Monaghan

  Instead of going back to their camp they stayed on the ridge overlooking the valley. Wolf didn’t seem to worried about the Yeti or Cockatrice. They would remain scarce until the orcs left. The next morning, they were up before the sun. Roland could tell they didn’t even keep a guard about. They must have been staying in this valley for ages. They had what looked like permanent houses and well-traveled trails.

  When the sun came up the small group of orcs started to move around. It almost seemed like a small human village but the residents were big green and ate humans. He could see them eating and preparing to move out. There were groups of 3 to 5 orcs heading out at a time. One group caught his attention and it was a group of three orcs. Two of the orcs looked and acted like any other orc in the area except they had bows and arrows. The third orc was a bit bigger than the rest and he carried a sword. He had some leather armor on top of that. He had several necklaces and his face was painted. That would be the group to follow.

  They were taking off in a direction opposite the other groups were headed. They followed at a safe distance. With wolf it was so easy to follow the orcs with smell it made tracking by sight almost obsolete. Almost that is. He could tell by sight that one of the orcs was favoring one of his legs. He must have some type of injury on his right leg. Smell couldn’t tell you that but prints could. The orcs were heading into the lower slopes where the trees were quite large. The light getting down to the ground was minimal and the underbrush was scarce. As they crossed a scree field their movement slowed and they could tell the orcs were in the hunting mode. Roland wasn’t sure what they were hunting for but wolf did.

  Wolf was becoming anxious himself. A picture of a large Alpine Grizzly came to mind. Wolves didn’t hunt this animal. The hide was too thick and the cost of wolves lives was too great. They let the orcs move well ahead before they crossed the scree field. It was noise and they didn’t want the orcs to know they were being followed. Surprise was on Roland and Wolf’s side.

  After they crossed the scree field they could hear the roar of an orc. It was followed by the roar of the grizzly. Roland felt like running but that would have been foolish. Wolf took the lead and they were extra careful. It sounded like and epic battle. Wolf spotted the archers first. They were taking careful aim and shooting down the hill from them. They found a good place they could see what was going on. The big orc was facing down the grizzly and the two archers were shooting from a distance. The grizzly probably had 12 arrows sticking out of it.

  The orc with the sword had wounded the grizzly multiple time on its forelegs. The orc wasn’t unscathed. He had two long gashes. One on his face and the other on an arm. The grizzly was losing the battle. He was losing blood and the archers weren’t in any danger with the big orc between them. Wolf and Roland decided to end the battle for them.

  Roland took the archer who was further back. With the battle raging the archer up close didn’t notice his partner was no longer shooting. The second archer died just as quickly as the first did. The big orc was howling at the top of his lungs thinking he was soon to be the victor. With the arrows no longer coming in and distracting the grizzly he could concentrate on the big orc.

  The big orc took another swipe, this time across his chest. He did a quick look back and his eyes got wide when he realized he didn’t have back up. He began fighting and backing up. Trying to see what happened to his archers. He was able to hold off the beast until he got up closer to his archers. When he saw the arrow sticking out of the orcs body he yelled and he started looking for the enemy. He positioned the grizzly so it was between him and the top of the hill. This didn’t help the orc because he was downhill from the grizzly.

  The battle between the orc and the grizzly went on for at least 10 more minutes. Roland had to admit the orc was tough. If it wasn’t for the armor he would have died soon after the fight began. Both the grizzly and orc were about done. Roland shot the orc in his side where there wasn’t any armor. He fell back kneeling on the ground. The bear rushed forward and finished him off.

  The battle wasn’t over. The grizzly knew Roland and Wolf were still there. He was angry and would clear out his territory. He started up the hill and Roland started releasing arrows fast and furious. Wolf dashed out and got the attention of the grizzly. The fight was on in earnest. The arrows Roland were using were iron broad heads. The bow he was using was a long bow. The penetration was much deeper and he was hitting vital areas in the grizzly’s body. The bear was slow and Wolf was fresh and fast. He was in and out before the grizzly could swipe at him. He finally went down.

  Roland had gone through 8 arrows before the grizzly went down. He was glad the orcs had worn him down first. Wolf was still pumped full of adrenaline. He growled at the beast and circled him. Almost thinking it was too easy.

  Roland checked the archers first. They didn’t have anything he wanted. He pulled them over to a cliff and let them drop. He went over to the grizzly and took his arrows out of him. Several arrows were broken but he harvested the arrowheads. He took the teeth and claws off the beast. He also took most of the hide he could get. He couldn’t turn it over. It was just too big. With this hide and the elk, it was going to take him forever to get down the mountain. The last thing he did was check the big orc. His sword was a very nice weapon. He took it and looked at his armor. It was good armor but it was so much bigger than what he could use he left it. The one thing that got his interest was one of the necklaces. One had a pouch hung on it.

  He took all the necklaces. He would show his parents and let them determine if they had any significance. The pouch had a single stone in it. It was different than any stone Roland had ever seen. It was a deep red and it almost looked like it had a fire inside the thing. It was almost mesmerizing. The inside had shades of orange and yellow. It wasn’t as big as an eagles egg but it was close. If nothing else, he would take the stone. It would be a great keep sake and a reminder of what happened out in the alpine mountains.

  They dumped the big orc off the side of the cliff. If the orcs climbed down, they would know someone killed the grizzly. That would be if they were brave enough. It would be tough for them to find the orcs that Roland dropped off the cliff. Hopefully the scavengers would find them and they would disappear forever.

  Wolf and Roland went back to their cave. They had elk that night. Roland was thinking that he should head back soon. He had almost more than he could carry down the mountain as it was. He would skip the Black Cedar this time. He wouldn’t be able to get it down the hill with what he had. At least Wolf could keep an eye out for anything dangerous for him. It would be hard to carry a travois and keep aware of the world around you. It was nice to have a pack. Even if it was only two in the pack.

  On the travois he had his pack, one Red Elk hide and carcass, four Mountain Wolf hides, and a partial Alpine Grizzly hide with teeth and claws. The smell of the grizzly and the wolves might keep any predators away. They started out early in the morning. Stops going down were often. It was so tough getting the travois through the rocks and between trees. Going uphill and getting to the pass wasn’t easy but pulling all this weight was so tough. It was good he was going downhill.

  When he got close to home he cast an illusion on Wolf so he looked like a dog. No need worrying his parents till they were used to wolf. Wolf wasn’t really happy about it. He understood but he still wasn’t happy. Even looking like a dog Wolf made his father jump and his mother just pointed and said. “That isn’t a dog. I assume you cast the spell.”

  “Well I didn’t want dad to shoot him before I could explain.”

  His dad had an inquisitive look on his face. “What do you mean it isn’t a dog? He looks like a dog to me.”

  “Dad just understand he and I have some kind of bond together. So don’t do anything rash.” Roland canceled the spell and Wolf stood up in all his Mountain Wolf form.

  His dad jumped back. “It’s a wolf!! What do you mean you have a bond?”

  “If you’ll help me unpack t
his travois I’ll explain everything that happened up at the pass.”

  The hide of the grizzly got almost as much excitement. Then the four Mountain Wolf hides was almost too much for his dad. It took quite a while to get the hides cleaned and prepared for stretching. His mother was thankful he had brought back so much Alpine Phlox. They stayed up late into the night as Roland told his tale. His mother said they needed to speak more tomorrow and they went off to bed.

  Wolf stayed outside. He wasn’t real comfortable being inside a building. He liked being outside where he knew if anything came along he would let Roland know. The understanding he had for Wolf was getting stronger. Wolf seemed to be understanding more too.

  The next day his mother wanted to talk to him about Wolf. “Remember when I told you that it was possible for you to manifest magical abilities like growing plants. Well an Animal Bond is one of those magical abilities. It isn’t a common manifestation with the elves but it does happen. It is more common for Half Elven to manifest this ability. I’m not going to be able to teach you about the bond. I’m sure you will have to go to Capital to the mages guild for training, or even some understanding.

  The other thing we need to talk about is the stone you found on the orc. The stone is called a Lava Gem. Obviously it gets its name because it looks like lava flowing through the stone. They are most commonly found in some small rock formations in the middle of the Great Grass Sea. Since it was an orc who had it and that is their home that isn’t surprising an orc leader had one. The surprise is the size of the thing. I’ve never seen one that big. Fire mages use them to amplify their fire spells. They usually put them on the top of their staffs. Different mages go for different stones. Water mages go for sapphires for example. If any fire mage knew you had that stone, you would be hunted down. Don’t let anyone know you have it till you get it to a bank.”

  “There is a good side to you finding the stone. If you take the stone to Capital and you deposit it into a bank you can let people know you have it and that you will auction it off. I have no idea how much it could go for but it could set you up for the rest of your life easily. I want you to remember life isn’t about having money. It doesn’t make you better than everyone else. It will help you but you should make sure it doesn’t change who you are. We have raised you to be a good, kind and giving. Please stay that way Roland.”

  Roland spent the rest of the day stretching the hides he came back with. This trip had changed his life in so many ways. He was now Animal Bound. That was probably the best thing in the world. Wolf was great he was always with him. He could point in the direction he was at no matter where he was. The connection he had to Wolf reminded him how important it was to keep the connection to his family. If money changed that he vowed to give it all away. Family was more important than gold. Wolf was part of the family now whether his mom and dad knew it or not.

  When he was done he opened up his panel.

  Status Panel

  Level

  10

  Age

  16

  Health

  320

  Title:

  N/A

  Mana

  335

  Heath Regen

  0.001/Second

  Stamina

  175

  Mana Regen

  0.0005/Second

  Vitality

  32

  Stamina Regen

  0.01/Second

  Strength

  20

  Race

  Half-Elven

  Endurance

  19

  Bonus

  Dexterity +5 per level

  Dexterity

  56

  Wisdom:

  68

  Active Status Conditions

  Intelligence

  19

  Animal Bond

  Charisma

  7

  Available Points

  0

  His Dexterity was really going up quickly. Being a Half-Elven was really helpful with that. Now that he had hit level 10 he was able to cast Navigate. This allowed him set down magical points that allowed him always know the cardinal direction he was moving in. This is why his father never got turned around in the forest no matter what. This was a boon for him.

  Tracking - Experienced 8

  You gather details of the world around you. You distinguish what has gone before you.

  Passive Abilities

  Detection +20%

  Animal Bond Share senses with Animal

  Active Abilities

  Shadow Meld (35 mana)

  Reveal Tracks (35 mana)

  Navigate (40 mana)

  On his Illusion skill he was now able to cast Invisible on himself. It lasted 3 minutes and it cost him 60 mana. It was a lot of mana for only 3 minutes. Wolf wasn’t too impressed with the spell. He could tell where he was immediately because he said Roland smelled so strong. Roland was sure it was the bond but Wolf insisted any wolf would be able to find him.

  Illusion - Experienced 1

  You seek to change the appearance of the world around you.

  Passive Abilities

  Detect Illusions 10%

  Active Abilities

  Change Appearance (20 Mana)

  Change Others (40 mana)

  Cast Invisible on self-3 min. (60 mana)

  The only thing he wasn’t experienced in was Meditation. It had always been hard to meditate because it kept him from being aware of his surroundings. Wolf was able to interrupt his meditation now if anything was near he should be concerned with. Again how much better can life get?

  Fall was in the air and winter would soon be coming. Roland wanted to get some lumber for his arrows, feathers, and arrowheads before the snows started. He would use the time indoors to build up his inventory. He was still growing fast and clothing would be an issue so he would need to get some skins. So Roland decided to head out for another few days and do some harvesting.

  Wolf was ready to go. The geese were heading south and if he was going to get some white feathers now was the time to get them. They headed to a lake that seemed to attracted the Snow Geese. There were other ducks and geese he could use but the Snow Geese had the best white feather for fletching. His mother liked the down feathers from the geese as well. His dad liked the taste of goose so it was a win, win, win.

  The lake full of migratory birds. This was probably the best time to hunt for his birds. Roland was able to get quite a few geese but Wolf wasn’t a dog and he refused to fetch the geese unless he got to eat them. He ended up roaming the area while Roland bagged his birds.

  Roland brought back the birds that night. His mom was still using the elk and most of it was being dried. One goose she would use for a meal the next day the rest would be preserved for winter. They plucked them and separated the feather for fletching and his mom used the down feathers to stuff the pillows.

  The day after finishing up the birds they headed out for a strand of Black Cedar grove. Roland brought an axe with him. He would chop the straightest tree he could find. Chop off the branches and drag the tree back to the cabin. That took him all day again to get the tree. The next day his father and he cut the tree in sections. Then they placed them in the cellar to dry out. Because they didn’t care if the wood cracked or not they didn’t cover the ends with any pitch, for a slow drying process. The sections were just a bit longer than was needed for arrows.

  The next day he took his hides into the town of Halfway. The general store was always needing hides. He sold the wolf hides, along with the beaver pelts, mink, and a few foxes. Wolf went with him on this trip and he cast an illusion on him making him look like a dog. The dogs in town knew what he was and they were scared of him. The people didn’t have a clue. He was paid well for the pelts. He had enough to buy a large amount of arrowheads. He did pick up some salt, wheat flour, and beans for his mom.

  He had taken a hand cart into town so he could get all the pelts in on one trip. He was able to get the items he pur
chased into the cart with room to spare. The trip took a lot longer though. On the way back Roland had noticed a Forest Asp sunning itself on a rock. He caught it and milked the thing for its venom. He hadn’t gotten an asp for quite a while. Wolf looked at him like he was crazy. “What? I need the poison to put on my arrows. If I would have had some that grizzly would have went down faster.”

  Wolf walked away sniffing at the ground. He found a rock and sat next to it. Roland realized he now knew what a Forest Asp smelled like. He walked over and flipped the rock over. Sure enough another asp. They were able to get another twenty by the time they had gotten home. Roland had never found that many asps’ in his life. He didn’t know there were that many in the forest. He would make a paste for his poison to go into this winter. This was almost a lifetime supply.

  The winter was long. Roland was able to make new boots for himself. He had so many arrows he was bundling them into bunches of 50. That was enough to last a few years. He and his mother made elixirs and poultices for those in Halfway. The winter was hard this year and there were lots of sick folk. The town was short on food too. Seems not everyone was as ready as Roland’s family. This gave a reason for Wolf and he to head out and hunt.

  Hunting in subzero temperatures wasn’t easy and game wasn’t very abundant. With Wolf at his side and the smell of game life was a bit easier. The deer were having a rough go too. There were too many deer for the amount of food available. So taking a bunch of deer was good for the forest as well as for the people in town. The deer skins would make good shirts and pants for Roland. He was still growing and it would only be a matter of time before he needed bigger everything.