Chapter 4: An anoyed stole away
Ulv had a covered wagon with two horses. His gray charger, and a brown charger. Both of them where mares. In the covered wagon, there were trading goods and there were supplies. For trading goods, their were two units of twenty-five ox hides each. A total of fifty ox hides. There was also thirty-five sets of clothing and a crate of soap bars. For supplies there was two casks of whine, a crate of dried foods such as venison jurkey, dried fruits, and a few long lasting vegetables. Next to the supplies was the bundle of wheat that he wasn't suppose to sale. The wagon being a covered one was convenient. It meant he could sleep in it even if it rained, his goods wouldn't be as soaked, and covered wagons where large compared to most carts. Only carts designed to carry stone, iron ingots and barrels of fish surpassed it.
Six ribs made up the supports of the canvas. There were even flaps so the canvas could be closed. Besides that their where drawers on the sides just under the seat there was a hidden compartment under the seat where he had a strong box. It was a good wagon that would last him a long time.
He traveled for three uneventful days towards the south east. On the forth day he decided to stop. He was next to a river and a grove of trees. Unhitched the horses from the wagon and tied them to a branch so the wouldn't wander far. He did this with two separate ropes that way he could graze. Ulv had earlier found a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows in the wagon. He wanted to go hunting and that was what he did. He was gone all day, and had managed to track down and kill a buck. He had gone hunting on several occasions. And with that practice he could confidently hunt. And now he brought back a large buck that he had already gutted with a boot knife. He laid the buck near the wagon. He began to gather materials in order to build a fire. He made a pile twenty feet away from the wagon and went back for more. When he finally finished he arranged the border stones into a circle and made a pile of dry pine straw in the center. He went and retrieved a flint stone and began to strike it against his sword. Soon he ignited the pine straw and had added twigs. Soon enough he had a decent cooking fire going.
Red eyes appeared in the wagon. The smell of the cooking deer drawling it's owner to seek t and he source. The owner to the crimson red eyes was a girl of mid teens with tawny brown hair and the most interesting futures was that she had two wolf ears and a tawny brown tail with a splash of white at the tip. She watched the man cooking at the fire. She watched him for a while unable to recognize where she had seen him before, she then notices what was in the cart. APPLES, ALE! She screamed in her head. The farmers of Gallmire where to kind. She looked at the bundles of clothes they had left in the cart for her. She opened the bundles and sorted through them. The farmers where also poor. but she didn't mind that. She selected a nice blue dress with a crimson sash and a gray cloak. She looked back at the man who owned the cart. "Lawrence?" She asked as soon as she remembered.
The man snapped his head up and back towards the cart. His sword drawn in a spit second. "Who goes there?" He demanded, his silver eyes searching for where the voice had come from. He had thought he was alone with the horses, but someone else was here. "SHOW YOURSELF!" He waited before he jumped onto the wagon and saw the girl who sat in it immediately. He grabbed her and pulled her out of the cart, although he was forceful the girl noticed he was also gentle and was trying not to hurt her, he wasn't a brute. He also wasn't Lawrence. The man pushed her away from the cart and held the falchion towards her. "Who are you and what are you doing in my wagon?" He demanded his silver eyes locking into her crimson eyes. She had her ears covered. She looked the man up and down. From behind, he was easy to mistake as Lawrence, but up front, it was obvious. This man was stronger and his eyes had a hungry look to them, but they held pride that no number of humiliation could extinguish.
Ulv noticed the girl didn't look away from his eyes. He felt calmer some how. And also curious. " Who are you?" He asked in a gentler tone. He didn't mean to make it friendly, nor less rough, but that was what his voice sounded like. The girl smiled. "I am Horo the wise." She answered proudly. Ulv chuckled. "I doubt that. It is far from wise to wander into ones wagon, less you know and are traveling with the owner of that wagon." He said in answer. Horo simply gave him a mischievous smile which made Ulv more cautious. "Ah, but I am wise, for I do travel with you, though I do not know your name." She answered. Ulv had a suspicion growing in his head at this stole-a-way.
Horo stared at the young man. "Silver eyes. You don't see to many people with those." She said and noted the slight shiver that racked through him. "What's wrong?" Ulv shook his head, remembering the dream. He turned away from her sheathing his sword and checking the food. Horo watched him curiously. She smelled the food cooking and couldn't help but drool. She didn't notice he was watching her from the corner of his eyes. Nor did she care. When the food was ready he went to the wagon to retrieve two wooden bowls, two spoon eating knives, and a ladle. He pored two bowls full of the soup. "Lower your hood and I will give you some soup. I know you haven't eaten anything in the wagon and I forbid you to do otherwise until I can fully see the face of my unexpected guest.
Horo stared at him. She refused. The man simply shrugged and began eating. Horo gave him the death glare and sat down opposite from him. So this was the game? Her stomach growled. He had won. "Fine, but on one condition. I want to know the name of the noble who holds me captive on his wagon." She said staring at him with slight anger. In truth she was upset that this male had bested her, a kid, of all things, a simple minded snot nosed kid. Ulv raised an eyebrow. "First of all, I do not hold you captive and second, ..." He paused to consider an answer. "You may know me as Ulv, Silver eyes." He held her bowl out toward her. "Lower your hood, receive your meal." He said with a simple nonchalant grin. Horo hated this man, not really but who was he to think he could play this game with her? She lowered her hood to reveal her wolf ears, snatched the bowl away from him and a spoon and knife and began to wolf down her food. Ulv examined her eyes. As I expected. He told himself in his head. "So what are you, a demon? some pagan goddess?" He asked already knowing the answer.
Horo glared at him. "Why don't you wipe that stupid fox grin off your face and stop asking questions you already know the answer to?" She shouted at him with a mouth full of food. Ulv watched her for a moment, his bowl of food forgotten. He watched her intently with a hunters gaze, and when Horo saw it she shivered, which served to only amuse Ulv. He yawned and leaned his back against the wheel of his wagon. "Horo the wise wolf of Yoitsu. Incarnate of a wolf that takes the form of a girl in her mid teen. She has tawny brown hair, a brown wolf tail with a splash of white, and wolf ears. The most you ever see of her is her red eyes glowing in the dark." He recited and shrugged.
Horo looked up from her bowl. "So, you do know who I am?" She said and then frowned. "You ingrate!" She stared at him, his face was calm and expressionless. If anything a bit grim. After a moment she calmed down. "So what are you going to do to me?" She asked after a while. It was growing dark. He didn't answer. "Turn me into the church?" She asked, scoffing. He didn't answer. After another moment of long silence she began to worry. "What are you going to do to me?" She asked her voice quivering. Ulv shrugged. "I made a deal with that girl. She wanted me to allow you to travel with me. But the deal was that I wouldn't destroy the wheat and that I'll keep it safe. It may have not been said that way, those words may never have passed our lips. But when I said I'll do it, I accepted that you might be here, and that I have to protect you. Other than that, I have a lot of learning to do if I;m going to be a proper peddler. " He said nonchalantly.
Horo flushed. He had purposely let her worry. Oh how she despised this man. "Now, I guess I have to make an agreement with you or else I'll have to find away in making sure you arn't in danger. The farmers would hate me for that." He said simply stretching his legs out and crossing one foot over the other. "What sort of agreement?" She ventured with a mischeivious smile. Ulv's grim expression played a crossed his face stronger this time, and it seemed to worry Horo. The fact was, Ulv had her in a vice, and he was smiling on the inside, but she didn't know that, even her ears couldn't sense it. He had never lied once. "I'll take you along the road, and let you do what you wish, but you have to make your own budget and you can not disobey me. There may be times when I have to give an order and you have to fallow it to ensure your safety. I can pay for lodging, I can pay for a drink or two, a three course meal, if I make a killing, but I prefer to hunt and forage, and I'm good at it. If you want to buy something for yourself use your own money or make sure I'm well notified before hand, that way we don't end up bankrupt and in debt."
Horo giggled. 'He sure is a long winded fellow, and he's good at speeches.' she giggled once more and nodded. "Fine. But we mite have to change buisness arrangements, I'm Horo the wise wolf, and I've peddled before and with the best." She said proudly. Ulv got up and douesed the fire. He looked around the landscape for a long while and then sat on the opposite wagon wheel and began to finish his bowl. He washed it out and set away in one of the shelves. He returned to the wagon wheel and closed his eyes. Horo crawled under the wagon trying to sneak up on him and see if she could over power him with her knife. "I wouldn't try if I were you, I have a bigger blade." He said with a scoff. Horo bumped her head on the bottom of the wagon, startled. 'how did he hear me?' She asked herself quietly. She eventually settled herself in the wagon, keeping the eating knife in one of the folds of her dress. She didn't like Ulv at all, but something about him sparked her interest.