Chapter 8
Wolf and the Ranger
In an area graced by the mystical sceneries of mountains and pines that were covered by the dazzling effects of winter which fell under the silver illumination of the moon, there was a small village encircled therein. It was a modest hamlet of small cabins and yurts that was far from any identifiable source of civilization and arranged in a haphazardly order.
Within one of these yurts was a young women with brown ocre hair and the ears and tail of a wolf. She was resting upon a cot made from bear skins and seemed to be recessing from an unknown fatigue. Soon after, her eyes awakened and she sat up with a look of perplexity across her soft face. She gazed around the walls with a bizarre cross of familiarity and disorientation.
Upon swinging her legs from off the mat, she stood to venture outside with caution as she peered upon both sides before exiting the yurt. She stood out into the snowy passageways and felt an overbearing loneliness as her shadow that stretched across the frozen vapor was the only of the humanoid delineation with the other obscurities.
The cold breeze left a soft brush that gilded her hair and caressed her flesh with a sensation of frigid velvet. The soft airflow sent a near soundless whistle which carried another modulation that caused her ears to perk. They were the wails of an infant who did not sound too far off.
Nervously she began examining the housing around to find the source of the cries, but each attempt proved fruitless in her favor. She continued to look around until at last she found the yurt from where the bewailing was originating.
As the wolf girl came upon the identified the yurt she could see a small squirming bundle within it and identified it as a babe who was wrapped in animal skins.
She made a move to provide comfort to the the lamenting infant. However when she went to infiltrate the edifice, a wall of fire arose in which she retreated while barring the heat wave with her hand.
The wolf girl gasped in terror when finding that the flames engulfed the village in all of its entirety. She cried out in a panicked assurance to the infant that some way to provide aid to it would be granted, yet they were words that provided no comfort for either.
Then when the sense of absolute hopelessness had come to its apex, the effeminate canine began to back away as a blackened figure came through the enflamed passageway with the babe in hand. A silhouette of a robust man with eyes that glowed red and pierced the very panorama its gaze had set upon.
Fearing an abduction, the wolf girl made a stand to confront the the blackened figure. Her body contorted and enlarged in size while its very genetic makeup changed to that which resembled more her animal half. A great wolf of immeasurable proportions had taken place of the delicate young woman and stood fiercely to contend with the demonic being who was unlawfully in possession of the youngling.
She made a lunge for her enemy, who in turn made an aggressive movement that astonishingly found the great wolf on its side and injured. Unable to move, the wolf observed helplessly as the silhouette came upon on her. She then could only assume that her final hour had come and awaited the shedding of her blood with an overwhelming sense of failure.
Through the hindering effects of her own grog, Holo was able to govern her eyes open and let fall a few tears down her cheeks as the ordeal by sleep gave off unpleasant emotions. A frigid chill left a sliding bite across her face as she stared up at the early morning's sky which still had a cluster of stars spotting the canvas while the mountains in the east had a light glow rising behind as the sun had yet to crown.
The wagon shook and thrashed about according to the terrain of the road which disturbed the she wolf greatly. She made an attempt to sit up but did so weakly as the effects of the narcotic given her only six hours prior still left its mark of near paralysis upon her muscles and left her in a state of dense lethargy. However, her strength was more than it was since the time mentioned.
She looked around and found Ranger in the driver's seat with his backside facing her and only caught the thighs and bobbing mane of Gallavaun around his figure. Kaytaff was laying on his side and breathing listlessly as he too was caught in a state of induced slumber and languidness. The wagon was rather crammed, for the body of the buck had taken up most of the bulk.
She let out a soft groan as to both warm the interiors of her body and to signify to the coachman that she had awakened. He turned his head only marginally before setting his eyes back from where he had them placed.
Painfully she turned over and put her face over the side of the wagon as the awkwardness of her sleeping position left a tension in her ligaments yet was vexed with another ailment. The early morning combined with the smell of raw meat triggered an unwanted reaction from her hormones which filled her being with the biliousness effects of nausea.
"Stop…the….wagon!" she managed to sputter.
He pulled up on the reigns and looked back to see Holo's trembling figure and pale facade. "I do not feel well…." said she with a sickly tone in her voice.
The wagon was parked and Ranger dismounted the box while Holo was breathing more heavily and could not exit the coach for the sedative rendered her independence incapable. He went to her torso which was draped above the the rear wheel and extended his arm to help her out.
He was too late in assisting her as a moan and a gurgle followed by a spew of vomit came crashing down near his boot and splashed upwards. He stepped back to avoid the gastronomic downfall from splashing upon him. After the episode, he gazed upon the side of his wagon which now had the burning stench of the regurgitation staining the woodwork.
Coughing and panting, Holo fought back tears as she was immensely discomfited by her condition which was made manifest in front of a stranger. Ranger himself gave off an aura of disfavor as he had not the means to cleanse the filth in time before it would harden.
Looking all the more as the abject creature of pity Holo wished to resign herself to an apology but was at a loss for words for she was formerly assuming his thoughts and what he would say. Be it that it was her own doing that brought about this circumscription of bodily strength or some other blunder on her behalf that somehow stacked the slats of misfortune upon them.
Arguing or making restitution seemed a fool's errand to the masked man. Though knowing him for only two days, Holo knew enough to assume that he was a headstrong individual whose mindset seemed to teeter towards totalitarianism when coming to any partnership. However in this case she could not help but feel responsible in this moment for the conflict that happened quarter of a night ago. As though if she had not taken the offer of Bjorn then perhaps the blood would not have been spilt.
As Ranger began to walk away and back to the driver's seat, Holo thought perhaps it would be better to give an offering of thanks and gratitude, "I never did thank you…"
He stopped and turned with a keen yet inquisitive gaze.
"The warehouse, the fire, yesterday morning, last night. I never did give you my thanks for coming to my aid." She could not help but bite her tongue as the pride of the wise wolf flared within her. For it was well within her power to have disposed of the threats thus mentioned, however she chose to give him praise despite it being against her better judgment.
"You have risked your life a great many times on my behalf, and I am fortunate to have such a skilled man such as yourself to face up against so many opponents to escort me to Valenfurt. And for that I owe you my life and give you thanks." She nearly vomited again only upon the self disgust of condescending to such trivial appeasing that was well against her character.
Ranger's only response was a quick yet irking reply, "It was mere child's play for me." said he before loading back up and striking the reigns.
As the wagon pulled forward, Holo could not help but feel saddened, not out of guilt but of loneliness. She was without her cherished companion, and though in the company of another, he was in such short supply of hospitality that it only served as the height of unwantudness. She felt as though he viewed her as a stumbling block for his own discourses and simply wished to hasten the journey to Valenfurt to be rid of her and be reinforced with the company of his choosing. In summary, Holo felt discouraged by the fact that though she was not alone, she did not have a friend.
While our two peculiarly paired adventurers were persisting onwards with their own journey, there was group of other individuals who had an agenda of their own who were all but forgotten. They numbered in three while traversing on horseback along the road a day's ride outside of Nyohirra.
They were geared for rigorous journeying with thick tunics, swords, bows and provisions that would prove useful for camping such as sleeping mats that were rolled up and securely synched to the saddles.
As they rode along with the heavy wallops of the horse hooves pounding the terrain the one in the lead looked up at the morning sky and observed an unusual sight that called for him to inform one of his comrades.
"Chadrick, look up ahead."
The man set his eyes towards the scene called for and noticed an unusual amount of buzzards soaring overhead and inquired with suspicion, "What do you make of it Kovalsky?"
"Well, you don't see that many birds gathering for just one carcass."
"My thoughts exactly." returned Lydford with an ascending tone that hinted towards a brief investigation of the anomaly.
Sliding form out of their saddles then hitching the horse's muzzles to nearby trees, the three journeymen began to scout around into the thicket. They split ways and carefully navigated on their own through the foliage to where the condors were circling. It was a rather lovely scenery of extravagant leaves shedding their morning dew. What weighed oddly upon the minds of the more seasoned two, was the absence of mingling life, such as doe's and wild goats, which one would spot easily when venturing off the roads.
"Corporals!" bellowed the younger one which left his voice echoing throughout the nearby canyons.
This caused the other two to rush towards the heightened outcry then found the source of his start. Once they came to it, there was a morbid stand still as their eyes lifted at the sight of a used camp ground which had both the presence of sight and smell of day old human corpses.
The younger one then pointed down the slope and informed with a nervous rejoinder, "There are more down there, the birds have already started feeding on them."
"Show us Samson." ordered Kovalsky with a dolor discontent upon this discovery.
The young private then led them down the path to were more of the bodies lay that were dismembered, opened and resting in strained blankets of dehydrating viscera. The birds were already using the points of their beaks to rip into the expired meat and pull up the strands of muscle and tissue and devoured the flesh.
"I see the victims, but where are the survivors?" said Lydford with a slightly dark sense of humor.
"Maybe this was a war among mercenaries." stated Samson with an attempt to sound more logistically sound in the presence of his superiors.
"I've never seen handy work like this before." came the rejoinder of Kovalsky, "I don't think this was the work of mercenaries, it's too precise, too quick. See how the bodies are lying closely knit together?"
"What does that mean?" inquired Samson.
Kovalsky bowed his head as if to say that this next theory would render him absent minded, "That these in particular were pairing off against possibly one or two people."
"Couldn't they simply have been fighting each other?" inquired the Private.
"I recognize the garb and weaponry of this group,' returned the corporal, 'Hawks of Heizenberg.'"
"Why would they come up this far north? They mainly operate in the south." interjected Lydford.
"For a right sized paycheck, they'd go to hell and back."
"Who would pay them though?" said the thinking out loud Samson.
Without answering Kovalsky took the lead to scout out the area even more. It was not long until they came across a similar scene however the corpses were mashed, not gouged.
"These ones do not belong to the hawks." observed Kovalsky when noticing what could be identified as their appearance. "Another mercenary group."
"So they were fighting each other." concurred Samson.
"This wasn't done by the sword kid." pointed Kristov to a massive imprint of a great wolf paw that indicated that it was this animal that brought these men to their doom.
Samson looked at it with a wavering fault, as if to question all that he perceived to exist within the natural world.
Kovalsky began searching the bodies for any evidence until he came across one that had an unusual script on the right knuckles of the hand, the word 'negro.' Rubbing his chin Kovalsky sounded the word aloud.
"Black." said Lydford as translator of the word.
"La Mano Negro!" stammered Samson.
Both men turned to face him with a posture to demand that he explain himself.
"La Mano Negro, it means the black hand. They are a mercenary group from across the sea."
"How do you know this?" inquired Lydford rather pressed.
"They plagued my village when I was a young boy, tis why we moved overseas from Winfiel."
"Now the question is, why would they come here?" said Kovalsky silently.
"I think sir,' replied Samson respectfully, 'is who hired them, and who killed them?"
Arising to a straight posture, Kovalsky responded, "I'm no Bourgeois, however I can answer to your first question, I'm suspecting this Jurgen character if he exists. In answer to your other question, I believe this was a joint operation of the two groups who were assigned to ambush Holo, Lawrence and Alden."
Looking down at the paw print, Lydford commented almost to himself, "So she really is a kenrou…."
Kovalsky then brushed off his pant legs and sighed, "Well, I believe we know who killed these men."
"That Holo wolf creature?" answered Samson with insecure assurance.
"On account of these men, yes." responded Kovalsky, "But those first dozen were cut to pieces, not torn nor mashed."
"Lawrence and Alden?"
Lydford then threw in his voice, "The other night when the inn burned, I saw the inn keepers leaving with Alden and three others. One was the count I did not know the other two though, but whatever organization is being run by the old man, they act well their profession."
"You mean to say that only three men withstood the combined forces of the hawks and la mano?" enjoined the private who sounded agitated when considering the lethalness of the skill required to fell such a large group when outnumbered.
"I think the wolf helped Samson." reassured Lydford with a slight tone of sarcastic impatience to quell the private's queasiness.
Kovalsky gave his partner a slight ragging look, then began to walk back up the hill towards the horses. "Come then."
"But sir, we're just going to leave them here!?" protested the private.
Turning quickly, the corporal reminded, "We are out here looking for the sergeant Samson, not playing the undertakers."
Lydford then walked passed and said silently while slapping his shoulder, "Let the dead bury the dead."
Before quitting the scene, Samson gave one last look at the monstrous graveyard and observed the buzzards feeding upon the corpses with little to no regard for the dead. An unusual sensation betook him, as though he would be numbered among them in the near future.
As the sun's celestial golden rays graced the terrestrial ornaments, the wheels of the wagon which the mighty Gallavaun pulled, rolled on down the stony dirt roads. Holo was still found laying in the back however there was a rearrangement with the cargo. The crates and barrels were moved to the farthest rear corner, the buck off to the left bulkhead, Kaytaff (who was raising his head every now and then) to the right and the she wolf length wise and closest to the driver's seat. While Ranger was unmoved from his usual spot.
The effects of the paralyzing remedy were finally wearing away and Holo was finding strength return to her muscles, little by little. However, there was a slight nuisance in the regaining of her vitality, as a slight vibrating sensation continually flowed through her fibers.
She turned her head as she was awakening yet a again, and let out a soothing groan in the process. Ranger immediately shot his eyes back to the matron in precaution to perhaps another episode of morning sickness.
Seeing his reaction, Holo reassured, "Fear not, I am well."
The masked face then turned back without so much as a mutter. The two continued to ride on in silence. The birds were beginning to sing and chirp and fly about in groups of three or four. The moon was still faintly visible despite the efforts of the sun while the rest of the vegetation seemed to be awakening as well.
"How much longer to Valenfurt?" inquired Holo with an odd want to not have the question answered.
"At this rate, should we remain unhindered, at noon." returned Ranger inconsiderately.
Timidly she asked of him, "When do we plan on eating the deer?" with a tone of her wolfish wants for meat.
The wagon was then pulled off the to the side of the road and brought to a halt as Ranger forfeited his seat and retrieved the carcass with a sour and unforbearing attitude in his body language to her request for nourishment.
Fortunately the animal was drained of its blood yet still needed to be skinned and cleaned before its intended use. Holo, when seeing his unpleasant like disposition slid from out of the wagon with weak yet workable joints and informed, "I shall fetch some kindling and firewood, yes?"
Ranger was still transfixed with cleaning and preparing the meat and made no response as though he had not heard or simply did not care what dictated her conscience. She moved on into the woods nearby and began to collect dead leaves and dried out twigs before taking a small bundle fallen branches in her arms.
All while doing this, Holo was still fighting not only the fatigue of body but of spirit as well. She did not wish to be left behind once their destination was reached nor did she find the hospitality of Ranger to be at all in good favor. She only longed for Lawrence.
Eventually after gathering the fuel for the fire she ventured back and noticed that Kaytaff was lifting his head up and observing the actions of both wolf and master. Despite still being effected by the tranquilizer, he like Holo, responded positively to the preparedness of food.
She placed the the wood and kindling down beside the man and stated, "Here, will this be enough?"
"It will do." came the icy response.
Ranger then used a knife and flint to ignite the kindling and was not long before a small blaze was burning in the morning air. He took a long stick and used it to skewer the slices of raw venison and began to cook it over the fire.
Holo was eager to devour the savory essence which seemed to be the only good thing left in the world. Once the slabs were done, Ranger arose with them and to the astonishment of the she wolf, went to the wagon.
She glanced behind her shoulder and saw him sliding pieces off and feeding them to to his loyal black and gold shepherd dog, who accepted them with enough will to chew and swallow. He then scratched him behind the ears and left him to rest.
He came back and with partial chivalry, gave what was left to Holo before preparing another skewer. There was little communication between the two, the only sounds among the lone souls was that of the crackling fire and the birds who sang out in random fashion.
Holo nibbled the meat which was even a shock for one such as herself that it had not already been swallowed whole.
"How did you know of their intent?" she asked with a want to be recognized.
Ranger sat motionless with a forearm resting on an elevated knee amd the opposite leg tugged under his buttock. He did not answer, only looked on into the smoldering fire as the meat sizzled and cracked as the juices boiled. He appeared to be in deep contemplation, therefore Holo said a bit louder.
"How did you know Radley meant you harm?"
Listlessly lifting his head, Ranger let out a long exhale through his nose before answering, "When on the hunting trek, he claimed to be a master hunter, he was not."
"Can you elaborate?"
"A number of reasons caught my suspicion, one being that he claimed to have set snares for prairie dogs."
Holo gave off a small snicker as she chewed, "Those little ground rats that burrowed through the fields. I would encounter them from time to time while providing for the harvest in Pasloe, but never have I seen them in the forests."
"It is not habitual for them to nest in trees…" replied the masked man with a condoning air in his voice while testing the condition of the meat, "One would never see them this far north which caught me off guard when he spoke as such. However there was more…"
"Go on." returned the she wolf with some attentiveness.
"As we were tracking I had noticed the tracks of the buck and Radley had inquired of me how it was that I knew it was a male."
Holo again let off a slight smile that trophied her awareness of such things, "Any hunter could easily identify the relative difference in size whether it be a doe or buck. I however, would know by the smell." said she with a highly dignified sense of pride in her skill.
Ranger pulled the venison from the inferno and replied with a slight hint to outmatch her in this game of sportsman superiority, "And at last, when I went to slay the beast, he offered me his arrow."
Holo pondered and slanted her head slightly while Ranger pulled a slice of the victual from the smoldering stick. Her hopes suddenly lifted when concluding that the only means he would have to nurture himself would be through forfeiting the mask that covered his face. However he simply pulled the cloth away from his nose and tucked the meat inside, thus still rendering his facade a mystery.
The she wolf seemed to be at a loss of how the offering of a projectile could have exposed Radley as a fraud, then in the attitude of defeat, accepted her ignorance and inquired with bitterness, "What was condemning with the arrow?"
Ranger finished with his morsel before answering, "His bow and arrows were made of wood, mine are made of steel."
She could not yet determine if he was stringing her along in some way as to gloat in his own knowledge then discarded the notion when concluding it to be out of his character.
"And…?" she pled rather annoyed.
"Those materials cannot be interchanged and expected to bring in the maximum success. A wooden arrow would not function with a steel bow as well. Any master hunter would know this. This is how I determined him to be a fraud and would only go on this venture if it were only to get us alienated from each other."
"I see." said Holo nodding her head while finishing off what remained of her serving.
She longed for more of the meat but was hesitant to ask of it, aside she had already gathered the importance of time and what position it held in the mind of the Ranger. Thinking of nothing else to talk about, she asked, "So, why is it that you wear a mask?"
Ranger then arose to his feat and replied, "Come, we must move on."
He then kicked up some sod and doused the fire, lifted up the carcass and went to the wagon with a stride that seemed to telegraph that he expected Holo to be following shortly after. Dropping the stick that served as her troglodyte silverware, Holo stood to her feet and went to the passenger seat and mounted it with ears hung low. It would not be long until Valenfurt, to where she would be left behind.
…
The noon day sun stood brightly erect over the valleys and mountains of which the small road navigated through. The two ventures road along side by side in total silence. Gallauvan pulled the wagon without any guidance, for the road was all that he needed to go by.
Holo sat with her tail across her lap and was in the habit of attempting to groom it. However the once white tipped end of her pride and joy was charred black due to the blaze that had taken her home. Despite this deformity, it did not prevent the wise wolf from at least enjoying her leisurely pass time in some form or another.
Ranger took advantage of the shire's independent direction and consumed time with a similar activity. He had withdrawn his sword, laid the back of the blade across his lap and began sharpening the edges with a whet stone.
For Holo it was more of a nuisance seeing how the cold steel overlapped into the space that her tail occupied followed by the continual shrills of the grind stone that whetted the weapon. However she did not make any argument seeing how it would have been a won battle in his favor considering the ownership of the wagon and the expected time the two would be together.
She only gazed upon the blade with an odd reverence for it was not a normal commodity for one such as herself to see such an elegant craft of war that had been the tool of both destroying life and constructing death. The two continued their work without speaking or making note of anything.
Suddenly Ranger took his scabbard, turned and swatted Kaytaff on the rump for chewing on the deer carcass. He perked his ears and shot his head back with a look of guilt and discouragement, however he accepted his master's rebuke and rested his head with a frustrated groan.
"He has been doing that for the last hour." said Holo casually while continuing to treat her tail.
"He knows better." returned Ranger without breaking his gaze on the whet stone and continued caressing the edges with it.
Looking up Holo observed with a sigh of detached anxiety, "That is Valenfurt yes?"
Putting his eyes up to see a collection of woodworks off in the distance when coming over a hill crest Ranger assented, "Yes, put away your tail and cover your head." he then sheathed the sword and slapped the reigns to put the horse into a trot.
The so called settlement of Valenfurt was not at all what Holo had imagined. It was a rather remote and dilapidated town with a large collection of tents on the outskirts with ragged looking individuals with blackened skin roaming about with resilient complexions in their mannerisms.
"Why are they so dirty?" inquired Holo when taking note of their filthiness.
"It is a town that invests its time in mining and prospecting." returned the hood.
As they were coming to the town square which was a modest gathering, Holo noticed the statue of a wolf that was erected as a monument and seemed to be howling towards the nearby mountain they were headed towards. At the base of the paws was a plaque that read, 'Shalashaska, may he forever bring us rich minerals.'
Holo pondered the monument with genuine interest, "I do not recall a wolf by that name." she said to herself.
"He may have been after your time." returned the masked man.
Holo was so caught off guard by that remark for he sounded as though he spoke with a sure knowledge instead of a logical guess. She would have inquired it of him however there was a commotion that caught her ears.
As they were riding deeper through, there was another wolf monument, however it was not howling, it was standing tall and looking down as if to say to the people, 'come unto me.'
There was a man standing in front of it with a growing crowd gathering around him as he spoke with a loud voice in which Holo was only able to come in on the middle of his speech.
"…there are many things that can keep us from the truth, but only because we know not where to find it." he pled.
In answer another voice said aggressively to him, "What makes you so sure that it is your god that is the truth and the light!?"
With a calm sigh the man replied, "Because I have called upon his holy name in my darkest hour and I have felt his everlasting love which was the light to guide me back."
"Do not speak to us of love!' spited another in the spirit of conflict, 'we know well the stories of the south, how your kind killed and destroyed the gods in some carnal campaign of power then forced all their followers to bow down before the 'one and only true god,' and those who did not, suffered the church's wrath!"
There was a pulse of approving sounds among the crowd.
"I am not here on behalf of the church, I only wish to spread the message of that one true god. And I do so under mine own conscience and burden, not that of man's."
"Tell me preacher,' came another detractor, 'what are the fruits of your god? Ours are that of precious metals and coal which were promised to our forbearers, and to this day we gain them so abundantly. Yours so far have been death, destruction and forced will!"
Nodding the man replied with a smile, "As it was written of old, 'by their fruits shall you know them.' The fruits of our eternal god is that of love, peace and long suffering towards all men. You have only tasted of the fruits of the church, tis why I denounce their agendas and organization. I only come here to invite each of you to partake of the fruit of the true god and see if it is not delightsome for all of you…"
The wagon was passing by the horde and leaving it behind. As Holo looked back she saw the plaque of the wolf statue the man preached under, it read, 'Nazani, may he save us all from the afflictions of our flesh.'
Holo's eyebrows knitted, "Nazani, it does sound familiar."
Ranger made no reply, he only guided the shire out of the back ways of the town and took a trail which lead them deeper into a small canyon. Though Holo knew not the exact whereabouts to where she would be entrusted into the care of another, she logistically assumed it was at the end of this small, dirt path.
"Tis either bravery or stupidity to be saying such things in pagan country." Holo said aloud in regards to the preacher they had just overheard.
Ranger made no reply, he kept his eyes affixed upon the winding road until a small cabin came forth into view.
"It is small to be a nesting ground for reinforcements, is it not?" concurred the she wolf.
"It is the home of an organizer for the rangers,' replied the masked man, 'once I inform him of the situation he will send out for the others to convene with me."
"And how is it that you will know where to find Jurgen?"
"There is an informant who works in the shadows, he will likely have theories as to pin point the location of your husband."
The new filled Holo's soul with joy, until coming closer to the cabin. Something seemed terribly amiss. Though in what was physically displayed seemed to be harmless, there was a heavy presence that betook her senses. So much so that Kaytaff arose and began to whimper.
This put Ranger on guard and looked to Holo for guidance.
"The cabin,' said she with startled gloom, 'I can smell something rotting and…' she began gagging and was forced to plug her nostrils, 'I can smell human blood!" she managed to sputter.
Ranger pulled up on the reigns and ordered, "Stay here."
He leapt from the driver's seat and pulled out his blade, Kaytaff made a motion to accompany him but was ordered by motion of the master's palm to stay where he was at.
The masked man cautiously approached the door with his weapon at the ready and slowly pushed it ajar. He peered inside then turned back and gave Holo an indescribable look that telegraphed that it was both safe and tragic at the same time.
She quitted the seat and followed his path while the stench was growing stronger. Ranger moved his body out of the way so that her visuals were not obscured.
Inside she saw a corpse hanging by it's neck from the ceiling and slowly swaying side to side. The flesh was moulded green, the gut was bloated with flies spotting the body of the deceased.
"Is this the organizer you spoke of?" said Holo with morbid disgust.
"What was left of him." returned Ranger sheathing his weapon.
He walked in and began to investigate. The furniture was overturned, debris polluted the floors and on the wall was a message written in blood.
'Can the warrior still conceal the fight?
Can the wolf withhold the bark yet yield the bite?'
After an intense prying of the crime scene, Ranger said, "This was undoubtedly the work of Jurgen and his men. They sought to cripple our efforts by killing the organizer and steeling both money and many documents concerning the other rangers. I must inform the count and warn him that no one is safe for all has been compromised."
Holo looked off with a complexion that was the culmination of hopelessness and despair. All seemed lost, the tracks of her enemy would remain uncovered and her husband would be forever lost to her.
"What shall I do now?" she pled with tears filling her eyes.
Walking away from her, she was only responded with a cold, "Leave the body."
She went up to the suspended corpse before taking a chair, standing it upright and mounted it in order to undo the knot that held him up, with the flies irritatingly hovering about.
"I said 'leave the body.'" said Ranger with more authoritative demand in his voice.
With tears coming down her cheeks she protested with engrossment to her sympathies, "Just because he is dead does not mean we need to leave him hanging here like a piece of meat! Can you not spare but a small moment for decency?"
She continued to work at the knot but could not get it to unfasten. Suddenly she saw a quick swipe and the body fell to the floor with a lifeless thud. Ranger had used his sword and cut him loose, then quitted the cabin to his wagon leaned against it and only pondered.
They were in a desperate predicament. The reinforcements, supplies and security were all lost to them. They had no means to afford provisions or food for themselves at this point. Alas it seemed as though Ranger was to leave without her still and go on the venture alone.
She exited the tomb and shut the door behind her and quietly approached the man who had his back turned and was leaning on his forearms over the wagon bed while glaring off into the trees.
Holo began to beg with him, "I know we have not seen eye to eye on many things, nor have we gotten along well these past few days. I know I may have been burdensome to you and have caused you trouble, but I am begging of you! Please do not leave me here alone! Whatever I can do to help you save my husband and Matthias, I will do it. I am Holo the wise wolf and I promise you to be a good companion as long as you have need of me!"
Ranger did not move nor adjust his gaze, he did not even blink. He stood motionless which made determining whether or not he was listening almost incomprehensible. Holo hid her face from him and walked away to another end of the forrest fence. She took off the ushanka and wept bitterly and used the hat to wipe her tears and bury her face.
She stood still and pitiful and covered her eyes and sobbed. Then her ears twitched as she could detect the masked man come up and stand behind her while awaiting for her to turn around.
When she had done so, they only stared at each other for many moments.
Finally Ranger spoke calmly, "I am going after your husband and Matthias and bringing Jurgen to justice." he sounded very confident and determined.
Holo's ears fell as he sounded that he wished to this in solitude.
"However,' her ears perked as he went on, 'if I am to do this I will need a continual source of money, an alias and a keen companion. In order to so, I will need the skills of a merchant and the abilities and cunning of a wolf to bring success to this campaign."
Holo was at a loss for words, she looked at him with an expressionless face.
"Whatever troubles we have had in the past are behind us and I am ready to start anew."
The then extended his hand towards her, "What say you? Partners?"
She looked down at his palm and outstretched fingers with total bewilderment. Then with a warm and rekindled hope in the future she clasped her hand in his and replied, "Partners."
Thus a deal was made, away for the moment was the wolf and the spice, now came the new pact, the Wolf and the Ranger.
