The adventures of Wolfgard

He sits quiet, gazing into the slowly dying blaze that not too long ago, had been a roaring campfire. Fiercely devouring its wooden prey, rapidly turning the logs into coals and ashes. The once raging miniature inferno that had been casting long shadows on the close by mountain cliff was now a smoking heap of embers barely shinning its reddish light on its surroundings.



Almost hypnotized, he stares at the fire pit but more precisely at the two last charred logs lying parallel to each other. One on each side of a field of cinder reminding of two mountains separated by a ravine, a path. He is captivated by the small shy flames appearing and disappearing randomly, seemingly chasing each other on the burnt surface of the wood.



The delicate touch of two silks white hands slowly clamping onto his jaw, gently pulling him out of his daydreaming. Languorously, he shifts his gaze from the smoldering rumble to the beautiful visage of his wife Athya. She carefully lay a kiss upon his lips then releases her satin grip and slowly rise. A delicate smirk appears on her lips as she turns and saunters toward the leather tent.



“Good night,” he almost says as the feline silhouette gracefully ambles away but instead, afraid of ruining the moment, he keeps his words in his mind and his eyes on her curves.” Kiith have the reputation of being great spirit hunters... well this one has no doubt captured my soul” ... At the same moment that Athya disappears behind the thick hide of the tents wall, a gust of wind suddenly emerges from the west, furiously reigniting the dying fire and casting a swarm of spark flying in the night sky. The breeze is strange, almost unnatural and it sends a chill down the young nuruk’s spine. Wolfgard can almost swear that he hears wolves howling tangled in that draft, calling him, pleading him to join the hunt. Instinct takes over and suppresses all rational thinking. In an instant he grabs the basic and starts marching westward.







…







The moon has just disappeared behind the ivory peak of Double Iron Mountain but it still radiates its silver light upon a sinuous path commonly known as Mira Pass. Mira pass is a deep gorge scarring Double Iron Mountain range from west to east. It owes its name to the Miragaia, a bloodthirsty dinosaur species roaming the area. Legends has it that this crevasse once crawled so deep below the sea level that lava pooled at its bottom.



Carefully prowling west, senses on high alerts, the nimrod advances scrutinizing the vast landscape surrounding him. So far nothing out of the ordinary but the uneasy feeling is still deeply imbedded under his bronze-like skin. A glint at the far edge of his vision catches his attention. The fading moon glow must have reflected on steel or jewel. Betrayed by a twinkle of moon light, the silhouette of a humanoid now clearly stands out from its dark surroundings.



-Who can you be? Ally ...or enemies? Whisper Wolfgard to himself.



Baaaammmmbi...ennnnnemy... The answer seems to come out of thin air, like a wisp conjured from the nether worlds, bitter, intended as a curse. The disembodied words ring like thunder to the young nuruk.



-Orderrr...growls Wolfgard. I can’t let you get away...



Instinctively, without thinking further, Wolfgard howls. The sound dies into the distance, apparently unheard. Even the enemy seems unruffled by it. Immobile, the strangers observe each other for what seems an eternity. Heart pounding, senses on high alert Wolfgard waits patiently. Distant howls from the east suddenly break the silence. The pack is answering the call to war, hungry for Orders blood. Eyes steady on the target, Wolfgard observes the uneasy gestures of the target. Then Coldheart appears to the horizon, rapidly moving through the rough terrain but without a sound, like a ghostly shadow of death.







Time is finally right. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Wolfgard lunges across the plains fueled by hatred. Bambi, the nuruk traitor anticipates the attack and darts toward the west. The gap is rapidly closing between the foes as the pursuer's speed is uncanny. The pursuit abruptly ends when Bambi stumbles on a lounge of sleeping reptiles. They immediately surround the intruder convinced that dinner is served but Bambi turns to face his humanoid assailant sword in hand with a wicked grin. He barely giving any attention to the scaled beasts around him.



-Hello! Spits Bambi as he strikes first blood.



Worfgard quickly realized that he is out match, his adversary moving around him slicing deep with every strike and easily dodging and parrying his clumsy blows. But he is not afraid, all he has to do is distract his enemy long enough for Coldheart to join the fight. Body weakening from the loss of blood, breathing heavy Wolfgard drops on one knee pressing his bone shield on the ground to prevent himself from falling flat in the dirt. Soon it’s Bambi’s turn to be out matched as Coldheart joins the melee. Vision blurred, confusion setting in his mind Wolfgard raise its shield on last time in a weak attempt to defend himself but Bambi seals the deal with a precise strike to the throat, cutting deep and sending a spray of blood into the air. The limp body of the young hunter crashes heavily on the dusty ground but is soon after joined by the bloody carcass of his assailant.







...







He sits abruptly as a gust of air loudly rushes into his empty lungs. Puzzled, he looks around at the stone wall of the dark and damp chamber.



-What happened?...Flashing vision of Bambi’s blade painfully biting his flesh.



The atmosphere is heavy with humidity and smells of mold and wet earth. Scattered candles slowly burning, they flicker their dim lights, scarcely illuminating the surroundings and revealing a massive wooden door at the far end of the room.



-Bad strategy?... Flashing vision of a frantic chase down Mira pass.



He sits there, naked on the muddy floor for a while, catching his breath, piecing together the recent events. Tenuously rising to his feet, he leans on the cold moist wall. He then starts to plod toward the exit of the mystical cavern.



-Was I at the wrong place at the wrong time?... Flashing visions of the lethal strike that sent him to oblivion in a shower of his own blood.


He pushes lumberingly on the heavy oak door and reveals steep stairs carved into the rock, leading toward the surface.



Flashing visions of Bambi the renegade’s bloody corpse crashing upon the rocky ground of Mira pass.

-Naaah... hmmpf!!! I was exactly where I needed to be…at precisely the right moment…He finally says, wicked smile printed on his face.

The angry midday sun is cruelly casting its blazing rays on the burning sand. A searing breeze slowly brushed upon the endless dunes, caressing the ever-changing landscape. Covered from head to toe in earth-tone leather and silk clothing the kneeling nuruk scrutinize the wavy horizon. Something catches his attention at the edge of his sight. Dark elongated shapes dancing like a den of royal cobras hypnotized by a kiith snake charmer's music.

-"Another mirage?" spits the nuruk. Squinting his eyes, he focuses his gaze on the distorted silhouettes. "Humpf...nah, those must be stone pillars... maybe I can escape that dreadful sun over there." murmur's the traveler to himself as he slowly rises. Then, suddenly movement catches his attention and he drop right down on the sands. Roughly halfway between him and the stone formations, on top of a rippled hummock, is now standing a mysterious figure. Long dark hairs tied in a loose ponytail graciously streaming behind him. The dark skinned man is of average height and build but there is something more about him. Something... mystical... unnatural, a perfect amalgam of grace and power, inspiring awe with his sheer presence. Like an howl, with calculated precision the stranger then set's his piercing gaze on his observer.

-"How can he!!"spits Wolfgard incredulously. At that very moment a sudden rush of adrenaline erupts into Wolfgard's body. Confusion set in for a brief moment as: fear, wonder, panic and reverence hustle into a whirlwind of contradictory emotions. Without warning and with uncanny speed the stranger pounces with knees high and arms spread like wings then falls behind the mound that, moment before, served him as a pedestal. Instinct take over and the young nuruk instantly engages in pursuit of the mysterious man.

...

Panting and exhausted by the frantic chase through the sea of burning sand, Wolfgard is now at the foot of a massive rock formation. He pauses for a few seconds trying to catch his breath, observing his surroundings for signs of the elusive man. In front of him an alien world reveals itself. It seems like an enormous volcano froze amidst of a violent eruption. This mountain range is dominated by four dark gray peaks seemingly challenging each other's supremacy over the barren and devastated surroundings. Deep crevasses with pointy ridges reminding of a gaping megalodon jaw, tall crooked stone towers leaning menacingly, sharp-edged boulders of all sizes scattered randomly. A river of gray sand separates the quadruplets of spires. Crude dark grains of rough sand drastically contrasting with the pale ocean of silky dust-like sand he had crossed to get here.

Sense on high alert, Wolfgard advances carefully into the entrails of the grotesque mountain range.

-"Hey wait!!" He suddenly shouts lifting one hand in an impossible attempt to reach but the man vanished once more, leaving the young tracker alone with the resounding sound of his voice.

The last fading echo dies in the stony maze and is almost immediately replaced by weird squealing and groaning in the distance but it's rapidly getting closer. Very soon the nuruk is detecting movement all around him, shades moving fast in the shadows. The squealing noises now sound like maniacal little laughter. They are taunting him, mocking him apparently excited for the meal to come. Finally, a majestic dinocrocuta leaps into the light, bearing her fangs, growling. The matriarch snaps her jaw at the imbecile who dares to trespass into her territory. The beast start to circle the defiant trespasser. She's gauging the intruder, drooling with anticipation of the rich taste of fresh meat. She snaps her jaw once more but this time her pack moves in. Dashers charge from the shadows moving with surprising speed. The nuruk hunter easily dodge and deflect the relentless attacks of the dashers and manages to kill one of them but by doing so he commits a deadly mistake as he stops paying attention to the real threat for the briefest moment. Excruciating pain suddenly arises into the nuruk's left leg as he feels his flesh being shredded and his bones shattered under the incredible power of the dinocrocuta's bite. The beast brutally shakes her head determined to ripe the impudent fool to pieces. Confident that her assault has surely incapacitated her foes she releases the leg but before she can bite the neck of her prey to finish him, a razor-sharp blade plunges through her left eye and exit below her right ear, killing her instantly. Stunned by the demise of their queen the dashers scatters in confusion.

The predators have fled for now but Wolfgard knows they will be back. His wound is serious and he needs to find a shelter rapidly to tend to his injury. The sun as now disappeared behind one of the high pinnacles, night is fast approaching. The wounded nuruk look around for a place to set up camp or to make his last stand if need be.

That's when he notices that the mysterious man he was chasing earlier is now standing in the distance, arms crossed, looking straight at him. The stranger slowly nods at Wolfgard in an approving gesture, then turns around and saunters away.

-"Wait!!... who are you!?!? Whah...hmpff...arrg!!"grumbles Wolfgard in frustration, as the stranger simply keep walking and disappears behind a massive boulder. Wolfgard is compelled to follow once more. He rises strenuously and start dragging himself despite the horrible pain pulsing from his mutilated leg.

The narrow mountain trail unexpectedly open up and on the ground, the coarse gray sand littered with shards of sun-bleached bones fragment slowly concede dominion to its pale soft counterpart. The night is setting by then and the sun is now just an orangish glow on the far horizon. The brutal heat of the day is rapidly being replaced by a vicious cold. The first stars are already shinning their shy twinkles into the black moonless sky.

Wolfgard rubs his eyes and shakes his head to make sure he is not hallucinating as he distinguishes what seems to be small town, or maybe fortress on top of a high rocky peninsula that stretches into the desert. A guard tower reaching for the haven from the highest close-by peak overlooks the entire region. Wolfgard discern a great stone building on the flat part of the peninsula. A solid structure built with stone blocks taken from the very mountain it sits upon. He can tell that this is not a simple edifice, there is something spiritual about it. He perceives an undeniable link with the place, it's like coming back home even though he has never set foot upon this ground. At the foot of the cliff, below the seemingly overhanging fortified temple, a rudimentary settlement of semi permanent structures is established. Situated approximatively in the middle of this small outpost, stands a massive leather tent decorated with painted scenes. A pack of hunters chasing big game in the wilderness or warriors bravely charging into the enemy lines but also of feasting and celebrating after a hard earned victory. Smaller tents are scattered chaotically around the main pavilion and a few campfires are already burning, perfuming the air with the smell of smoke and roasting meat. Despite the setting darkness, its with no difficulty that Wolfgard notices that there is a lot more space inside the rudimentary palisade surrounding the encampment then what is currently occupied. Resembling skeletons picked clean of flesh by scavengers, many abandoned habitations framework stood as undeniable witness of a more favorable past.

Weak and shivering the injured nuruk calls upon his last ounce of willpower to get to the entrance of the main tent. As he get close to the entry he can now clearly hear the charismatic words a soft female voice. " ...as many before him, pursuing the eternal hunt ...". Wolfgard brushes a side the bead curtain to step inside and instantly feel the caress of the pleasant warmth on his exposed skin. A sweet incent flagrance mixing harmoniously with the cooking stew is filling the air of the dimly lighted room.

-"Rholtar be praised you made it!! Welcome to Hiraeth Wolfgard." Declares the nuruk priestess spreading her arms open in a warm welcoming gesture.

-"Who are you? How do you know my name? How did you know I was coming? Why.." Questions Wolfgard in a distrustful tone, visibly taken aback. Wolfgard's primal instinct scream at him to run, to fight, to defend!! But soon those emotions are supressed by the calm suiting voice of the priestess.

-" I'm Oorali, Voice of Rholtar and Keeper of Hiraeth. You are amongst friends Wolfgard. I see that you are wounded. Let me..." Words fades and vision blurs as Wolfgard collapses heavily on the rugged carpet floor, unconscious.

...

-"A token of water, for I was blind but now I truly see," softly says the hooded figure as he carefully lies at the altar ten bundles containing cactus pastes. A well-known source of water that will keep you well hydrated when traveling through arid terrain.

-"A token of food, for I was hungry and cold and I was met with hospitality " murmurs once more the kneeling man while setting on the altar ten well wrapped fresh pieces of pegomastax meat, deliberately selected from this morning hunt.

-"And a token of health for my body was shattered but now is whole," solemnly proclaims Wolfgard as he hangs ten suture kits on the altar.

The young hunter, slightly limping, exits the temple's toward a small but luxuriant garden. In fact a small white marble fountain from which softly flows clear water allowed the vegetation to proliferate on an otherwise baren rock. Wolfgard notices Oorali peacefully sitting at the end of a thin paved path, on both side of which is carefully set memorial stones honoring the memories of fallen rangers. Ambling towards The Keeper of Hiraeth, he advances quietly and randomly stops in front a memorial stone with the name Frinz.

-" You have come to thank us and say farewell I suppose?" Softly says Oorali, The Voice of Rholtar.

-" Yes...I...hum...I wanted to...humm" Awkwardly stuttered the visibly uneasy nuruk, he had never been good with words.

-" Haha You don't have to. You have been touched by Rholtar. The doors of Hiraeth are for ever open to you as they are to all those who can prove their worth in the eyes of Rholtar. Now you better hurry up if you don't want to get stock in that storm" titters Oorali turning her head toward the east with a hint of mockery.

Looking eastward at the horizon Wolfgard notices that a storm is brewing. A vicious one by the look of the black angry cloud building up in the distance. Without wasting any time the nuruk hunter straps his travel bag on his back and set his half mask over his mouth and nose leaving only his deep black eyes exposed.

-"Rholtar, rides with me!!" exclaims Wolfgard as he leaps once again toward his destiny.