Dark Wolf's Awakening

by Ryan Evans

  The armor was black leather with dark metal sheets embedded over the front and back in a swirl pattern. Vambraces and greaves with hammered metal plating also sported the same pattern. The metal was polished to a shine in the torchlight, but wouldn’t be easily detectable in the cover of darkness. It was a masterfully crafted collection, and I couldn’t begin to guess its cost.

  The sword and dagger were very similar in design. They had dark metal hilts with black leather wrappings. The blades were also a smoky color instead of the polished silver of most blades. Despite the difference in color, the metal looked just as strong as a traditional blade.

  The weapons and armor were clearly a set, and I changed into them proudly. I set my old armor and weapons on my cot. I’d hold on to them until I had more available as a replacement for what I was now wearing. It wouldn’t do for something to break and be left without proper equipment. Until this point, I’d been worried about just such a thing happening.

  After changing into my new armor, and getting some dust off of my tabard, I headed back out to attend the officers’ meal. I couldn’t help but stand a little straighter in my new apparel. I felt invincible as I stepped through the tent flaps into the bright light of the command tent.

  As impressive as I felt in my new equipment, few officers were there to see me in it. The colonel along with the Umbras were present, but Aaryn, Major Vinea and Darian were missing.

  Darian, I remembered, was handling the watch detail, which was completely understandable. Aaryn and Major Vinea, I found out, had elected to sit with the injured Maxon in one of the wagons. As my missing the officers’ meal was used as the premise for this entire mess, I felt a little irritated at their absence.

  I gave a respectful nod to the assembled peerage while tolerating an obvious once over from Saundra before I took my seat at the table. An attendant immediately brought me a plate of sliced beef, potatoes and some greenery that had been liberally covered with a creamy sauce. It was rich fare for being several days away from any large settlement, and I wondered what other foods we were carrying in the supply wagons.

  Conversation was muted during the meal. The Umbra siblings voiced their approval over my new equipment, and we made small talk about the weather and other inconsequential topics. Major Umbra and Colonel Karsam spoke about trade rights and their competitors in Tor’s Reach.

  I was polite to Stephan and Saundra while also trying to pick up pieces of our senior officers’ conversation. I didn’t know whether to be happy or disheartened by the fact that I seemed to have won the support of the Umbras. The colonel had wanted me to build bonds with the other nobles, but I would have never guessed that it would be this group. I reminded myself that beggars couldn’t be choosers, and that I’d only met a handful of nobles by which to judge things.

  Even though the dinner was short, it felt as if it went on forever. Finally, the meal ended, and after an appropriate amount of banter, I excused myself. I proudly acknowledged that I’d spent an entire meal around other nobility without insulting anyone or causing an incident. I was getting better at this.

  Finishing up, I headed back towards my squad. I was outside the perimeter guards and nearly to the campsite when I had an idea. Since I had spent the day making my soldiers try to sneak up on people, I would hold myself to the same standard.

  I slipped into the shadows and made my way closer to the camp. I took a moment to track the path of the two on guard detail and assess the camp as a whole. Most of the soldiers were already in their bedrolls. I imagined they were exhausted after the day’s activities. Those still awake sat around the fire.

  Content with my assessment, I circled around to what I thought was the most open side. The two guards were moving in a predictable pattern. Making my way in between them without being caught was an easy feat. I moved with a purpose as I entered the camp, finding my three targets.

  I’d told them to stay awake and together until I came for them. As such, they now sat around the fire together. Each of them looked exhausted and grumpy. Tristan, especially, seemed irritated by the situation.

  I moved in quickly and drew my dagger in one smooth motion. Placing the side of the blade against Tristan’s neck, I said, “Now you see why stealth is so important. Your prowess in open battle means nothing if someone slits your throat before you see them.”

  All three immediately went ridged at my dramatic arrival. It took them a moment to catch up to what had just happened and its implications. Even with the knowledge that they weren’t in danger, all three of them looked pale in the firelight.

  They said nothing to my statement, but each of them nodded. “Now, come along. It’s time to make you three more dangerous,” I said as I led them out of the camp. After a moment, they all recovered from the shock of my appearance, and I saw determination in each of their eyes as they followed me into the darkness.

  Chapter 12

  The terrain didn’t gradually change like I’d expected it to as we got closer to Fort Granas and the Eastern Expanse. Instead, it simply changed all at once. After four days of marching with the main force, the trees of the forest disappeared and scraggly bushes along with grasses nearly as tall as a man took their place. The sun became harsher as there was no longer any shade. Even the air felt drier as the wind became stronger without the trees to stop or slow it down.

  The more open landscape seemed to offer better visibility, but as my squad and I found out, it was an illusion. The shrubbery and tall grasses made it easier to stalk the main force without being seen. It even hid small hills and dips that would allow larger groups to hide near the road. If my soldiers could take advantage of it, the saurians could too.

  My squad had to adjust their tactics with the environment; crouching and crawling to make use of the grass and shrubs. Despite the added physical exertion, they got within striking distance of the main force frequently without being seen. Upon realizing how vulnerable we were, I had my soldiers stop stalking the formation and range further out to screen for ambushes. I didn’t want to take any chances.

  My squad found signs of saurian activity almost immediately as they moved further away from the road. Saurian claws left deep furrows in the soil when it was soft. They also left occasional loose scales and flattened grasses where they’d lain down to observe the road. After the first couple of finds, it became easy for my soldiers to point out where they’d been. We also discerned a faint, almost spicy scent we attributed to the saurians’ musk.

  None of the trails or hiding spots we found looked to be recent, but the picture they painted was disturbing. The road had been monitored regularly based on what we were seeing. We were still three days march from the fort, and this region should have been relatively safe for travelers. In fact, there were several small villages and even a medium sized town near our location down a smaller side road if the maps we had were to be believed.

  “Colonel Karsam, I request permission to lead my squad out to check on the nearby settlements. My soldiers have found evidence of enemy activity, and I’d like to inspect things further, sir,” I said riding up to the front of the formation.

  Both Major Umbra and Major Vinea scoffed at my assertion. “We’re three days from the fort, lieutenant. The mounted scouts have found nothing, and no saurian scum has ever made it this far into the empire with its head still attached to its body,” Major Vinea said dismissively to my claim. While Major Umbra didn’t openly challenge me, I could see the doubt in his eyes as well.

  Luckily, Colonel Karsam gave me a little leeway. “Lieutenant, if you believe a credible threat exists in the area, I give you leave to inspect the surrounding terrain. The maps show the largest local settlement to be several hours from here by road. However, I expect you and your men back by midnight,” he said in a neutral tone.

  I bowed and rode off to find the sergeant who tended to the horses in the evening. I found him at the front of the wagon train. While he assured me he could keep Bashita with the supply horses attached to the w
agons until I returned, his facial expression told me it’d be a challenge. Thanking him, I grabbed my field pack from my saddle. I said goodbye to and reassured Bashita, then went to meet my squad off to the side of the road.

  I found Sergeant Iglias and the rest of the troops already gathered and waiting for me. “Alright soldiers, it looks like we’re going hunting,” I said as I took command. I spent a short time giving the details of the mission then led the men into the sea of grass before us.

  If we followed the road to Vega Point, the only sizable town in the area, it would take nearly six hours. We would also miss two small unnamed villages near the town. Based on the map, our first target village was only a couple of miles straight north and had a small trail back to the town instead of the main road. The choice was simple, we’d move cross-country.

  We made our way as quietly as possible, looking for signs of the enemy. It took almost no time at all to be completely out of sight of the road. In the tall grasses, it was easy to lose one’s bearing, and I had to use every sense available to keep us moving in the correct direction. As we traveled, I was disturbed to see we crossed several trails cutting through the long grasses that bore the scent I’d attributed to the enemy.

  After an hour of travel, I picked up an even more disturbing smell in the wind. This one was the sweetness of decay mixed with the lingering scent of ash. From what I could gather, it was coming from the direction we were traveling. With a growing sense of dread, I picked up the pace, afraid of what we were about to find.

  The scene we came upon was as I feared. We broke through the long grass into a clearing outside of the village suddenly. This area had obviously been used to cultivate crops as the ground was tilled with small green sprouts sticking out of elevated mounds of dark soil. A large number of saurian tracks ran throughout the field going in various directions. None of that was important, though, as we looked on the burned husk that had once been an imperial village.

  The trek through the grasses had tired the squad, and they breathed heavily as I led them to the edge of the village at a low crouch. The musk of the saurians was much stronger here and, mixed with the scent of decay, made it impossible to discern the direction the scents were strongest.

  As we crouched behind the remnants of a smoldering building, hisses and chirps could be heard clearly from somewhere within the dead town. Using hand gestures, I sent two groups of one sergeant and four soldiers each to circle around in opposite directions. Their orders were simple; find cover and await the signal to attack.

  Sergeant Iglias and four soldiers, including Tristan and Selene, stayed with me. After a short delay, I led them deeper into the village to see if we could find the source of the noises. We took each step cautiously and quietly. After several minutes, we had a clear view of our enemy and the situation before us.

  There were fifteen saurians in the cleared area at the center of the village. It was impossible to differentiate between male and females as they all looked the same outside of their breeding season. When the creatures were looking for a mate, the females would turn a darker shade of the browns, greens, and greys of their race.

  Five were the larger variety of saurian known as brutes. These creatures were between six and seven feet tall and had to weigh in close to three hundred pounds. Each of the five had a large club made of gnarled wood. The remaining ten were a smaller variety known as chirpers. At five and a half feet tall and near one hundred pounds in weight, these saurians used cunning and ambushes to bring down prey. Some of the chirpers carried crude daggers, but many had no weapons beside their claws.

  None of the enemy wore any form of armor, instead relying on their scales to protect them. Simple hide loincloths served as their only clothing. Based on the variations of loin cloths represented, this was a mixed group from different tribes.

  On the ground around the saurians was a gruesome sight. They preferred slightly rotted meat, and the villagers’ corpses provided that. Several bodies had been stretched out and were being skinned while many more in varying stages of decay were being quartered and wrapped in grasses.

  Everything was tinted the color of blood as rage threatened to make me lose control. “Give me a five step head start. Follow behind and give the signal for the others to attack before you engage,” I whispered through gritted teeth. I didn’t look back to see whether Sergeant Iglias heard me or not as I made my way towards the enemy.

  My steps were controlled, and I transitioned from a walk to a run before the saurians even noticed my presence. Several hissed and made a clicking sound that had given the chirpers their name as I entered striking range. I drew my blades and engaged those nearest to me before they reacted.

  A brute died with my sword through his eye as a chirper that had been busy skinning a villager had his throat slit by my dagger. My sword gutted another chirper as it took a step my way. Their skin was like stabbing through tough leather. While it may have been difficult to pierce, my anger gave me the added strength I needed for it not to matter.

  No more of the savages were within easy range, so I launched myself through the air and landed on top of one of the other chirpers, driving my dagger into its chest. I let out a growl and charged another of the brutes before the chirper beneath me knew its life had ended. This saurian was better prepared and brought his club to bear.

  Using my sword as a distraction, I brought down an overhead swing. The foul beast raised his club to catch the blow. He was big enough that I wouldn’t be able to overpower his arm, but he didn’t notice my dagger until it had stabbed up under his loin cloth. His eyes only had time to register shock before I pulled my blade free and stabbed him under the jaw, ending his life.

  By the time my latest opponent was down, my troops had joined the fray. Several of the beasts were already dead, and the rest were engaging my soldiers. I didn’t care for honorable combat and stabbed one of the other brutes in the kidney as he fought against Tristan. Following my lead, Tristan dispatched a nearby chirper in a similar fashion.

  Soon, the enemy was completely dispatched, and all that remained nearby was death. Several of the soldiers had minor scratches and cuts while one soldier had taken a bad slash to her arm. Sergeant Iglias was wrapping the wound and telling her what to look for to make sure it didn’t get infected.

  “Sergeant Iglias, once you’ve finished administering first aid, please take three soldiers and scout the surrounding grasses to make sure we’re alone. The rest of us will dig a mass grave in the field we walked through for the villagers. The saurians can rot in the sun,” I said as I picked up a discarded shovel from near one of the ruined homes and moved towards the recently tilled field. No one said anything as they moved to carry out my orders.

  It took another hour for us to bury the dead and fill the hole. During that time my anger simmered and then faded. My aura must have been stronger than I intended, because until my anger faded, no one approached me for any reason.

  As we finished the burial, I saw Sergeant Iglias approaching me. I cringed when I thought of my actions and what he’d say about them. My anger had won out, and I’d acted without thought. “All right sergeant, let’s hear it,” I said as he made it within regular speaking distance. I noticed all the nearby soldiers moving away from us. If it hadn’t been such a somber atmosphere, I’d have laughed at their rush to get away from the scene.

  “You already know what I’d say about your actions. Watching you kill a third of the enemy was entertaining. Though, I would ask that you be less impulsive in the future. I’m actually more interested in your assessment of the situation, sir,” he said in a casual tone.

  Of course he was right about my recklessness. If I was going to lead this squad, I needed to be rational. Charging off into unknown danger would only get everyone killed. He was also right that what we witnessed was alarming.

  We knew saurians to be both tribal and cannibalistic. They had no loyalty beyond their own family group. Tribes would fight each other over territory or hun
t each other as prey. The only time the empire got involved was when the savages bred too quickly and pushed into our territory. Here though, we had what appeared to be a multi-tribal group working together.

  A female laid five or six eggs during their mating season, and upon hatching, the newborns would be mature enough to be dangerous within a year. This spawn rate meant that the empire had to lead a campaign against them every couple of years. The sole purpose of these campaigns was to thin their numbers to a level that kept them from being a danger to the empire.

  During our time at the battle academy, we’d learned a great deal about the saurians. Being in the eastern part of the empire, it was guaranteed that we’d fight the reptilian race at some point in our careers. During our training, the instructors emphasized that the saurians only worked in small tribal groups and never united.

  Despite what the academy taught us, some of the books I’d read in the officers’ library indicated something different. They gave historical examples of when strong saurian leaders had rallied the tribes to one banner. When this happened, a tribe of fifty could become five hundred or five thousand. It was said these special saurian were identifiable by their white coloration. Of course, there was no concrete proof of these white saurians, so the stories were mostly discredited as myths.

  “This village probably had between one and two hundred inhabitants. It had no defensive walls, but it should have still been too much for a saurian tribe to take. While it’s impossible to get an accurate count, the tracks point to a sizable force,” I said, laying my earlier thoughts out for Sergeant Iglias.

  “The tribes might be uniting; we need to be sure though before we bring this back to the colonel. We’ll circle north to check on the other village before heading south to Vega Point. Let’s get the troops ready to move; we’re staying off of the beaten path,” I continued. Sergeant Iglias nodded in agreement and got the others ready to march.