Chapter 30
Steel, Fire and Ice
Upon the woods of Yoites did our questionable troupe imprint themselves. Ranger followed Kaytaff, who was leading Nikiski, who was accompanied by Agatha with which Doc and Ottis came in tow, finally ending with Jethro and Timothy. Though they traveled as a pack, they were a union in appearance only.
Ranger sought Holo; Nikiski had designs of his own he made unclear, Agatha vowed to stay by the side of that man at all times, Doc kept wished to find additional injured, Ottis was indentured to follow ore due to the obligation of his apprenticeship, Jethro was not to turn back and leave his beloved to wait for him to find her while suffering in vain, and Timothy did not have a choice but to follow, considering that his only hope of his life being prolonged was to remain close to those who could exert such capabilities over him.
For the time being, it was not difficult to track Holo's path, for the wolf prints of a god can hardly go amiss. Atop this Kaytaff had his powerful snout as an additional assurance. Ranger followed the path with Lawrence's jacket tied around his torso to preserve it for reasons unknown to him.
The journey, though greatly desired to be so, was not silent. Timothy, being a typical lad of juvenile rapport, passed the time by lamenting his situation which was irritatingly unanswered by his adult comrades. He complained of the cold, mewled of fatigue and despaired over the risk of another attack.
After an hour of tracking through the unrelenting threshold of mother nature, and enduring through Timothy's endless charade of murmuring they all, though silently, unanimously decided to take a recess in hopes it would quell his grumbling. This did nothing to satisfy his protests who was now grumbling on about the dangers of standing idle in enemy territory.
At last Ranger was compelled to address Doc, "You there, you are a physician of sorts yes?"
"More of a field surgeon." he clarified.
The masked man then huffed, "Have you ever stitched a mouth shut before?"
Jethro bowed his head, put a hand to his mouth and chuckled loudly which only soured Timothy's mood.
"You will not be laughing when we have been attacked." he moaned.
Ranger stepped off the tree he was leaning against, "And perhaps we will not be attacked if you are silent."
"I agree,' commented Agatha stretching her back, 'all they need do is launch an arrow in the direction of the bellyaching."
Timothy folded his arms and pouted, "I still think we should return to Trapper's loop and recruit more men."
Agatha pointed in the direction, "Help yerself then lad."
Shaking his head in sulkiness he made only a partially committed departure then stopped when perceiving he was about to embark in solitude. Seeking companionship he muttered, "None of you shall accompany me?"
Agatha echoed her sentiment in greater detail, "Our course has been charted laddie, and it doesn't lead to where ye be off to."
Throwing his hands up he proclaimed, "You're all being fools!"
Ranger unfolded his arms and, in direct response to that allegation, approached the young man with perfect intent displayed in his stride that he demanded satisfaction.
Backing the intimated boy up to a tree, he growled with a voice as subtle as distant thunder, "Who was the one who abandoned his home in a reckless stunt for adventure? Who was the one who exchanged what little wealth he possessed for weapons insignificant to the task? Who was the one who, when confronted by the enemy, still stands due to the exertions of better men than himself?' he pressed his face closer to his a bit more warmly, 'And now, who is the one, when confronted with the harsh elements of the adventure he sought wishes to turn back into the arms of security? Let us be clear, your wish to return with us in accompaniment is not a result of a strategic move, but because you are a coward."
He whipped around and departed, leaving the boy stunned and silent, then stopped, turned his shoulder and made a final word, "You had been warned before."
As he was about reprise his course deeper into the woods, a swift set of rapidly moving footprints caught his ear followed by an alarming hullabaloo, "Timothy! Whoa!"
Ranger quickly drew his sword, pivoted around and caught the steel of the boy's sword, who sought to deal a lethal blow from behind. Of all the human reactions that could have avenged this action, none was quicker than Kaytaff who was well acquainted with the body language of mankind. The hound need not a command to rush in and, in defense of his master, clasp his jaws around the boy's ankle and hit him like a bolt.
Timothy yelped as his leg was yanked out behind him and face planted before being drug around. No intervention to save the pitiful fool from the dog's rage was necessary for the signal of his master rang out by which he obediently released his hold and heeled by his side.
The boy moaned, mainly from shock, while Agatha bellowed, "That's enough, both of you! We can't go on like this if we be aiming to kill each other!' then turning to the bewailing young man, corrected sharply, 'Quit yer belly aching before ye bring the whole damn injun army upon us!"
"Doc!' pled the boy, 'I am gravely injured!"
Rolling his eyes with unbelievable annoyance, Doc muttered, "For the love of God…"
Jethro, though supposedly expected to be the boy's caretaker, allowed him to fall prey to the consequences of his actions. Yet even he grew weary of this civil dispute and said, "No one asked me, but if you want my advice, keep the war out there and not with each other."
Ranger huffed, "You are correct, no one did ask you."
Jethro spat upon the ground and glared back.
Ranger, whenever in conflict of any sort, as we have seen, always sought to be the one to deliver the final blow, which in conversation was one of his worst qualities. And this final blow came across as this when his eyes motioned to Kaytaff, "My dog is obedient and follows every order and command,' then pointing to Timothy said, 'keep yours on his leash."
As he moved on he past by Agatha who accounted, "Well, you certainly have a way with children."
Doc was assessing the lad, who found no puncture of the boot or bone out of place and diagnosed the boy's lamenting as a result of whininess. He shrugged and said, "Well serves you right for trying to strike a man when his back is turned."
Jethro was the only one kind enough to help him to his feet. Brushing his shoulders off, Timothy grumbled, "I'm not a coward."
…
They continued onward, scouting here and there and living off the land in whichever way its scarcity allowed. In due time Agatha called out to them to join her and observe her findings. When they had done so they had come across a collection of corpses which was a curious sight, some were mountaineers, some were Sawatii. But the peculiar finding was the nature of there deaths, for none of their carvings matched any inflicting weapon known to either party.
Ranger took to a peculiar interest into each specimen leading him to wonder if there were other forces at play than what was originally displayed. His suspicions began to tread towards the lands of confirmation when hearing Doc explain and annotate his findings to Ottis, saying, "See here, how the tissue is gashed and pulled at an angle, while we see this bruising and misalignment over here? That is not natural to regular swords and clubs we are accustomed to."
Ranger approached a small gathering of smitten bodies and flipped one of them over with his boot to give it an examination. A slight cough escaped the corpse's throat accompanied by a small movement of the hand, the man was still alive. Ranger kneeled by him and called Doc over to assess.
As they were advancing, Ranger addressed the sufferer, whose very methods his body commanded to sustain homeostasis was torturing him to his very being. "What happened?" he said with a tone that commanded him to answer.
Weak, frail and on the verge to give up the ghost, the dying man said, "He…betrayed…them…"
"Who?"
The man grasped Ranger's collar heaved out the final words his mortal frame would utter, "Turn back…leave…this place…"
His grip relinquished and he fell back. By the time Doc had gotten there he heard the wayfaring man give out an agonal gasp and die.
Confirming he was in fact dead, Doc asked of Ranger, "What did he say?"
The masked man looked around with a much darker scrutiny in his complexion and said, "Stay on guard, there are other forces at play."
Kaytaff let out a small bark to request his master's attention who arose and rejoined the quadruped. He went off, allowing their frames to melt into the darkness and foliage without a care or expectation as to whether or not the party would follow in line. The troupe caught up, much to their distaste for his lack of courtesy, while Timothy said to Jethro with loathing, "Why follow him anyway?"
Ranger, having heard his inquiry, responded rapidly, "I am in search for my companion Holo, it would serve your interests to seek her out as well."
"And why is that?" he challenged.
His irritation with the youth was becoming more apparent with each passing moment provoked him to say, "She is a god boy, a beast equal to any army. She is a great asset when outnumbered as we are. If that does not convince you, then know that she left her clothing behind, which shall pique your interest, or so I have heard."
Agatha chortled to herself and continued onwards.
As Kaytaff moseyed about with his nose to the ground, he snapped his head towards the left flank and growled. This put Ranger on guard and ready to strike.
"Hold a moment!" cried a voice in a familiar tongue.
Soon after a set of mountaineers transitioned themselves outside of the shrubbery and into plan view with their hands held up. Agatha was quick to great them, "Ahoy, we be seeking stragglers such as yerselves."
"Thank the Holy Mother,' stammered the lead, 'we've been held up in the woods, unsure where to move. We heard you talking and moved to investigate."
"How many more be there among ye?"
"Maybe, about a dozen."
"Show us then."
They were lead to to an area about two hundred feet off the beaten path to where ten more mountaineers were dwelling. They looked at their embattled leader, Nikiski, with the same harrowing complexion of relief comparable to the lost wayfaring seamen who, when spending endlessly hopeless hours upon the ocean's mighty tempest, sees the lighthouse not too afar off.
A handful among them were tarnished, which quickly put Doc and Ottis into the station of which they effected their purposes. One among them suffered three parallel gashes ripped across his left shoulder blade. Doc had him lay down, numbed the affected area with snow and began stitching. This of course, was met with a rapid storm of curses and fouls with a tone that pierced the ears like hale.
Agatha expressed the wishes of the troupe upon them, and that was to venture onward in greater numbers while picking up any straggler. When some moved to protest, she responded by saying tenderly in regards to the lost and wandering, "Let us leave no man behind."
Ranger, however was becoming perturbed, but not to what was just recently established. When Agatha inquired of him the cause of his shift in attitude, he replied, "I believe Kaytaff has lost Holo's scent…"
Realizing, due to his powerful and abrupt personality, that he was a man who loathed walking a course with no direction, she said to him, "We will do what we can to help you find your companion, keep with us."
"You have no bearing." came his short tempered response.
"Perhaps, but a step into the dark does not mean it's a step in the wrong direction. Ye savvy?"
His silence, which he figured how to command as an answer, was affirmative that he would go along for now. As the enhanced group advanced further into enemy territory, Jethro, who for a good chunk of the duration of time this journey was expanding upon, kept a sour disposition towards Ranger. This was perceived by the masked man, who knowing his tendency to make civil enemies, could feel the daggers of his eyes striking his back.
He chose not to respond, considering he was accustomed to most animosities; rather he let the man sour in his struggle while he could live on not being any more carefree. After nearly an hour of walking, they came down a slope of which a large river was sloshing by. Many of the men, compelled by thirst, fell to their knees and thrice drained their canteens with its dregs. Oddly, despite the freezing temperatures, some complained of an unusual aftertaste.
Jethro spied Ranger further up stream near the bend who chose to seclude himself from the group, and there advanced to join him. As we have stated, the masked man, did not dispose himself to the enmity of others, unless of course, it proved to be a nuisance to him.
Casting a partial glance over his shoulder to him, he asked with the same regard he beheld him in, "Is there some quarrel with me you wish to satisfy?"
Jethro kneeled beside him to fill his animal skin cask, "I see you get straight to the point."
"The helm of politics do not navigate on straight courses." said he.
"Very well,' said Jethro who noticed Kaytaff tap the water with his tongue, sputter and walk away. Paying it no mind he directed his crudeness on the point, "It is odd, we were doing well, all things considering, and then you arrive…"
Sighing out his nose, Ranger responded, "Did not Libert, known to you as LeBaron, clarify why your luck has run afoul?"
"Despite that revelation, that is not what makes me cautious of you." returned Jethro, "I have had many dealings with the Sawatii many times, however I have never seen such hatred and determination from them before."
"Perhaps they wish to rid themselves of the invaders for good." he replied with callous.
"Or perhaps, it has something to do with you. The Sawatii rarely make the extra effort to slay a pale face, but you're a different case."
Ranger turned his head towards him.
"What are you hiding, really?"
After a long and disturbing silence, Ranger said in a tone so cold and threatening that were it not for his peculiar garb, he would have been mistaken for another person, "Let us speak on hypothetical terms. You believe the enhanced hatred of the Sawattii armies stems from their hatred and determination against me. You believe I have something to hide, a secret yes?"
"These are my suspicions."
"Let us say that you are correct, that I am targeted by these people because I am known to them and they know of this secret that I possess. Then that would mean that their hatred and animosity towards me is a product of their fear."
Jethro's hair stood on end.
"What could one man, such as me, do to invoke such fear among a loathsome, idolatrous and warmongering people? Of all men, why would they fear me the most?"
Jethro's face became as solemn and pale as stone.
Ranger then said the words that plunged the dagger into the heart of this topic, "I will let you reflect upon this, and whatever you imagine it to be, I can promise you, it would be tame by comparison."
Jethro slid his face back to the river, and, as he began to sip, immediately spat it out.
"Oh, it is foul!" he proclaimed.
That is when both men took note of Kaytaff who was whining and pointing his nose towards the bend. They looked yonder and found among the rocks was the source of the river's tainted condition, human bodies.
Jethro yelled at the rest to cease quenching their thirst and make haste to the horrid sight. Approaching the crags they found numerous nude bodies damming the river, filling it with blood, filth and bile. Walking among them, Timothy asked with terror, "Who are these people? They're not soldiers, I see women and children too!"
Agatha responded when seeing swelling and rope burns at the base ends of their appendages, "They may be the slaves the Sawattii abducted. Look at their wrists and ankles, they were tied up at some point."
One of the mountaineers pulled out one of the bodies out to identify him, "Yes, I recognize this one, he was among the farmers who chose to settle deeper into the frontier."
Doc manipulated the lifeless limbs of a few, which flailed with ease from the motion, "The rigor mortis has not set in, they were killed recently."
Jethro was wading in the water amongst them, frantically looking about in near complete hysteria. The purpose of this episode was fully realized by the signal of a desperate scream that was unleashed by the agonizing despair of the heart. A scream that came from McKinley who rushed to a lone corpse hooked about the rocks in solitude. A nude female body with graying skin was the source of his grief as he collapsed by it and held her up in his arms.
"Gowda! Gowda!' he sounded off with the horrid realization that his most feared nightmares transcended the confines of his mind and was now a reality in his arms. The woman was his wife.
The result of his continual shaking of her lifeless frame yielded a whispered moan and exposure of the eyes, indicating she was still alive. Picking her up and rushing her towards the group he demanded in a frenzy, "DOC, DOC! Get me a blanket!"
He nearly threw her body into Doc's chest who dropped to lay her down and perform and assessment. Jethro, unconfined by logic and rationality, presumed by his own madness, pried and manhandled the physician while pleading, "Save her! Please,You Must Save Her!"
Agatha pried him away by which Jethro began pacing and caressing his face frantically. Nikiski stood there in reverence, then glanced up and saw Ranger standing closer, partially to show some respect. Timothy stood next to Ranger and watched helplessly as his mentor menatlly unfolded before them.
Ottis was called over and they began treating her in whatever way they could. However, the woman was alive in the academic sense. She was breathing, her heart did beat and there was some response to stimuli, but there were too many great evidences that revealed the future of her condition.
As Ottis wrapped her form up in a cloak donated by one of the mountaineers, Doc turned to Jethro and had him step away for a moment so they could have a talk.
"Please tell me she will live!" he cried.
The physician, kept upon him a very solemn face that was prepared to deliver the news, "Jethro listen to me a moment. Her breathing is very sporadic, her heart beat is nearly absent and there is not much I can do."
Grabbing him by the collars, the deranged Jethro protested in anger, "That is a lie! I have seen you work many miracles among the dead and injured, why is she the exception!?"
Pushing him off he retorted, "I don't have my equipment, supplies or medications and we are miles from a warm place!' then readjusting his professionalism said, 'I have seen these kinds of signs before, her body has surely been subjected to unspeakable abuse over the last few months and is too weak to carry on. What we can do is have pass in comfort in the arms of her lover as we wait it out."
Jethro seemed distracted by nearly every conceivable aspect of his surroundings in which Doc called his attention back, "Mr. McKinley, do you understand what I am suggesting to you?"
He gasped with a sob and said, "If I would like…to…say…goodbye!"
Doc opened the way with his body and allowed Jethro to approach his tormented wife who made no response to any passerby. Doc called Ottis off while Agatha gave the order to the rest of the men to leave the bereaving individual in peace.
He held his beloved ever so tenderly with tears liquifying his cheeks. He sniffled and sobbed before speaking to the slightly gasping woman, "Oh, Gowda, what have they done to you? I tried so hard to find you, as God is my witness I did! I am so sorry…"
He bowed his head and rested it in her clammy bosom, "Please forgive me…Dear God…spare her…take me in her place…"
As this went on, the soft footfalls of an individual were crushing the snow behind him. He turned his head to see Ranger standing over him respectably. Wiping his nose he plead, "Please help me…I don't know what to do!"
Ranger put a hand on his shoulder then presented to him his crossbow that was loaded and ready to spring, "You know what must be done…"
The idea of euthanasia had crossed the minds of everyone present, but no one had yet to mention it. Jethro's trembling hands took the handle but kept his finger out of the trigger guard. Ranger then traced his finger down her forehead, stopping at the area where the the bridge of the nose and the eyebrows meet.
"Aim there when you are ready…she will not feel a thing."
Jethro's mind was swirling in chaos; it was the woman he loved, it was the woman he failed. He did not wish to see her die, yet death would release her from her tortures. He desired for her to live, yet her quality of life was misery. He vowed to never harm her, yet he was prolonging her pain.
He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, "I love you…so much…"
Laying her body down he set the tip right where Ranger pre warranted.
Timothy watched their backsides, then after a long pause, the sound of the drawstring snapped out. Her foot slightly kicked and that was all.
Jethro let himself down and mourned over her body. Ranger turned around and walked away. As he was passing Timothy, he paused, looked him straight in the eye and asked appallingly, "Have you had your fill of adventure yet boy?"
The lad stood there, petrified and overcome by the insanity. The masked man came at rest upon the bank to where he supported himself upon his knee which was resting on a large rock. The rest of the bodies where hauled out so that they may not bloat and pollute the river further and provide additional respect for the dead. During the duration of the task, Jethro had yet to move.
As depressing as this scene was the more audacious oddity was that of Nikiski, who never once consoled or paid homage to what was transpiring. Apparently that role was to be filled by Agatha so that the overseer could watch and plan.
One mountaineer looked down the rivers path and discovered more corpses floating to their destination and made a ruckus over it.
"Follow the bodies and we find the tyrants who have slaughtered our kinsmen!" yelled one.
This vociferation caught Jethro's ear and was the only audible thing to rouse him from his misery. He arose, turned and headed that way without the sensibility to await reinforcements. He marched past Ranger with that same oblivious rage which compelled the Montague and Capulets to wage war as sworn enemies towards each other. This of course invoked the masked man's head to turn and ask, "What is your aim?"
Snarling like a deranged, rabid dog, who would just as easily bite his master, said, "I will kill them all…"
Agatha, who had her hands full with the deceased, called out to him, "Ye will be doing no such thing! Not on yer own!"
Her words fell off his shoulders like dry weed in the wind as he continued onward. The troupe cast their gazes upon Ranger for he being the closest one to take action was thus expected to assume the responsibility of talking sense into the man.
Reluctant at first, then considered all consequences of his potential omission, he lifted his foot off the stone and muttered under his breath, "Dammit man." and persisted after him.
…
The widowed individual had taken an unanticipated larger league than anticipated as Ranger had lost sight of him at the entrance of a wood that the river cut through. Still insistent on finding him, he pushed the underbrush aside and entered with his hound shortly at his heels.
Jethro's outline could be seen at arms length from the river mouth and that is where our masked warrior intercepted him in hot temper.
"Vengeance will be rarely satisfied if the one who wished to enact it becomes overrun and falls dead." he criticized.
"And to the man who discourages another to engage an army alone, but does so in hypocrisy, I say got to hell!" responded Jethro.
Ranger quickened his pace and cut him off at the drive line, "If it is hell you seek, you can be obliged."
"Look at me! Am I not already obliged to the torments of perditions throne?"
"Stay this course and you will be chained to it forever." returned Ranger.
Disrespectfully, Jethro shot back, "As you would know? Oh I am sure the nightmares that plague your mind are more or less deserving."
With a hardened scowl and intent to kill upon crime of word alone, Ranger reprimanded, "I would chose my words more carefully if I were you."
The deranged man opened his arms to reveal his chest as a target, "You would intend to kill me?"
"If it means to ensure that those men are not compromised by a foolish vendetta, then logic must take place over emotion."
Distraught in his rampage, Mckinley declared, "Then strike me down or allow me to meet my fate attempting avenge Gowda. It does not matter for I have nothing else to loose!"
Ranger stepped forward, "But that does not mean you have nothing left to live for."
"Like what, Timothy, Agatha? A home to return to devoid of the laughter of my children and affections of my wife? What is there to live for now?"
"A cause."
"What are you talking about?"
"Something you are willing to fight for."
"Like my family; which you have seen me literally just kill."
Ranger diverted more of his anger to that of reason,"No there is more for you, there is a cause you can still fight for."
"Such as?"
"A chance to rebuild, to become more. To fight off injustices that may threaten future generations."
"But I can't go back!" pled Jethro.
Ranger became more authoritative, "Yes you can go back. There is life after this, you simply cannot see it because you are in the dark. But the blind need not stumble through the world endlessly, they learn to navigate as they are. You will learn how to keep on living, you will find the cause which will compel you to endure."
Jethro rubbed his trembling lips, sighed in great conflict then replied, "Perhaps you are not the biggest Jackass you make yourself out to be. In fact you speak as a man who has gone through this before."
Ranger averted his eyes with discord, "I simply wish to see those in these positions become better."
"Better than they are?"
Looking back into his eyes, he said, "Better than me."
Ranger proceeded to escort Jethro back to their troupe.
Looking at his hands, the widowed condemned himself by stating, "Of all men to bring her life to an end, I never thought mine own hand would deliver the killing blow."
Ranger responded, "Better it had been yours than anyone else's."
"How can you be so sure?"
"It is as you have said, I speak as a man who has been through this before."
Jethro cancelled his hike, "You speak in riddles. If I am to get one thing clear, that is, if I am to be a better man than you over this ordeal, what post actions will separate me from yourself?"
The masked man turned slightly, pondered his words then spoke, "There is a reason I am feared and hunted by the Sawatii people. There is a reason they seek my life."
"And that is?"
"There was a time, due to the nature of my trials, I was cold hearted and full of vengeance."
Raising his eyebrow, Jethro chided, "You mean more than you are now?"
Nodding he went on, "I was a young man so blinded by hatred and malice that mercy would never be found at the end of my blade. My wrath was once turned against these people and so great were the terrors I inflicted upon them that future generations were sure to hear of it."
"What are you talking about?" bewildered Jethro.
"This was a time in my life when a legend was born. A dark and terrifying legend known throughout the northlands as…"
A ruckus cut him off there, one caused by Kaytaff who was thrown into a fit of growling and snarling. Ranger with hastened anticipation, withdrew his bow, took the subtle cues and warned, "Wolves."
Jethro heard the faint patter of their paws rustling through the bushes and quickly stood on guard. Both men noticed Kaytaff's attention being cast here and there and all around quickly causing them to conclude they were being encircled in which their response was to go back to back with arrows at the ready.
"Can you see them?" Jethro inquired wishing an update.
"I cannot." came the reply.
"Well, if this be our final hour, I just want you to know that I still think you are a jackass!"
"Stay focused man, and do not loose your arrow until you see their eyes."
Jethro gave a quick warning, "Get down!"
In tandem the duo haunched down as a massive wolf soared over head and landed before Ranger who spared no time launching his missile towards the beast. The arrow's velocity allowed it to pass completely through the animal's side who recoiled with a yelp and ran off into the woods.
"Nasty devils!" cursed Jethro as he recovered.
They could easily assume the beasts were rethinking their strategy to make another go. This time one wolf revealed itself but ran in circles around them to intentionally draw their fire. Jethro sent an arrow for it but narrowly missed by which another that laid in waiting emerged with a bound nearly overtaking the man if not for Ranger's arrow implanting within its forehead, causing its limp body to slide lifelessly across the ground.
The other, when seeing them currently disposed of arrows loaded, leapt forth and snatched Ranger's bow from his hand and ran off into the woods with it.
"Smart wolves." pondered Jethro allowed.
Drawing his sword, Ranger commented suspiciously, "Perhaps a little too smart."
As soon as he spoke, another wolf darted towards Jethro, who was in the process of re arming his bow, leapt up and latched on then pulled him into the ground.
"Dammit!"
Ranger turned to slay it but was seized by the ankle from another that awaited its moment which was forced to disengage when Kaytaff's fury aimed upon it. As they clashed and snarled, Ranger thrust his blade through the wolf who had Jethro subdued in which it hollered and ran off leaving a trail of blood as an after thought.
"They are relentless!" galled Jethro.
Ranger rushed in and emitted a deep slice down the neck of the beast who quarreled with Kaytaff, then, when hearing a massive howl, so great that it shook the foundation, come from the woods, heard the rest of them departing.
"They seem to be taking orders." returned the masked man.
When the air had settled, they detected more commotion coming from the group they had left behind and executed their plan to reunite with them. Once rejoined, without sparing an instant, they found a few of their comrades laying injured with others apparently beating back the opposing forces.
Apparently they were laid to siege by Sawatii stragglers. Doc could be seen kneeling over one who was on his side with his left side arm nearly ripped open by which the good physician was taking needle and thread to bind it shut. Ottis could be seen doing the like but what put Jethro on alarm was the absence of Agatha and Timothy.
Nikiski had a brave down upon his knees with his blade thrust through his chest cavity and, as he was pushing him off with his boot, was approached by a nervous Jethro.
"Where are Timothy and Ms. McDubbland?" he inquired with trembling unease.
Panting whilst looking about, Nikiski answered with a reflective look of anxiety. A sudden commotion echoed from within the deep wood. It was an explosion, the follow up of which was in the form of men screaming in pain and terror.
Rushing to the scene of which this kaboom had signaled, the men were then introduced to a ghastly sight. Laying about a smoldering crater, were bits and pieces of earth and human parts. This, combined with dismembered men laying either motionless or thronging in agony made it a scene most foul.
Nikiski's eyes panned around in abhorrent testament to this carnage; one man emerged with his face charred and crisped on the right side who, when turing, had but only a severed and mangled socket in place of his arm, who scavenged about, leaned over and picked up his disjoined limb which was still holding his weapon in its grip.
An individual shrieking in terror was found at Nikiski's feet whose legs were reduced all the way up past his knees. The amputation was so uncleanly performed that parts of his flesh and muscle were angled awkwardly while his bones remained straight and more intact. Nikiski went to the sufferer who grasped his collar and begged for assistance.
Doc and Ottis were not far behind, who though being medical professionals, were taken aback by the nature of these injuries.
Doc went to the leg amputee and ordered Ottis to control the bleeding which was coming from his femoral arteries that dangled out like cords from his mangled tissues. He pinched the vessels off with his fingers and elevated them above the appendages.
Doc took his knife and cut the arteries at the tip, for cleaner cuts can be remedied easier, then used his thread to tie them off. The first attempt had failed for in the patient's state of shock, the heart's beat was elevated and the vessels were dilated to increase blood pressure and preserve the body's right to homeostasis. Yet on the second attempt and with more reinforcing of the thread, the bleeding was placed under control.
Their were others, though few in number, who were too far gone to be reclaimed considering the conditions; for example, there was one, whose gastronomic cavity had been subjugated to the blast, laying on his back with his burnt entrails were blown out and scarcely exhibiting any consciousness. And thus under the counsel of the lead physician, Nikiski undertook the grim task to euthanize the too far-gone and hopeless.
Now if any reader disagrees with the humanity thus displayed here, then let the ideology of what constitutes as mercy be challenged by the resources and medical advancements available for this time frame. For in times of war, humanity is lost.
"Burns, lacerations and eviscerations,' commented Doc, overcome with horror, 'I have never seen anything like this before."
Ranger commented, "The Sawatti have a new type of weapon, one that unleashes force and fire unlike anything I have previously experienced." said he, with the wisdom and know how of a man who has had this weapon used against him as well.
The masked man continued to scavenge about the war zone and ventured further into the woods to come across yet another scene of melancholy. It was Agatha who sat upon the ground with Timothy's head being cradled in her lap. The boy, whose skin was ashen grey and leaking blood from either corner of the mouth, was shivering and shuddering whilst making small complaints here and there. Further down his core an arrow was angled through his thorax and resting within the mediastinum.
Ranger took a knee beside them while Agatha, filled with anguish, said with oblivious abandon to whomever owned the ears of which her words would fall on, "The shot was meant for me…but he jumped before it and took the arrow in my stead…"
The masked man looked the boy over, who coughed, "They killed me…I-I don't…I will be alright…"
"Timothy." said Ranger softly.
Blind to the man's addressing of him, the boy went on, "You all have been…shot before…I am sure…I will…pull through…"
"Timothy,' re addressed Ranger, who though not as medically inclined as Doc, knew a fatal shot when he saw one, 'You are dying Timothy."
Stiffening up, the boy sputtered, "Papa…I'm sorry…I just want to go home…"
Agatha put her finger to his mouth and soothed him like the son she was robbed of the opportunity of raising, "Shhh,shhh. Just rest yer eyes now and let the good Lord take ye home, and may we all meet again on the other side."
Becoming more relaxed and at peace the boy suddenly asked in complete comfort, "Is it dawn already?"
Then the light in his eyes, that most consider the spirit dwelling within our mortal frames, extinguished and his body fell cold and still. And thus at the tender age of sixteen, this young lad was recalled to that God who gave him life, to where all men and all women from all walks of life enjoy the blessings of eternity, free from all care and all sorrow.
With tears coming off her scrunched lips, Agatha looked to Ranger and said, "He walked as a coward, he lived as a fool, but he died as a hero."
Ranger arose, cast a partial downwards glance upon her and said, "The others need your help, look after them." then departed to the consignation of his own designs.
She did not ask to where he was heading as he receded into the wilderness with only his hound to accompany him. He still possessed Lawrence's jacket which was tied as a bandolier about his shoulder and continued onward.
What had called him away? The trail of blood leading to a suspected target.
And he came across it. One of the wolves who was injured by either by Jethro or himself, had collapsed from pain and exhaustion. Kaytaff alerted the wolf to their presence and would have jumped at the opportunity to sink his teeth into its throat but had not the permission to do so from his master. The wolf snarled in attempts to keep them at bay but Ranger's responded by drawing an arrow on it slowly as to hint that it would not have so much as the opportunity to die with honor by putting up one last fight.
Ranger had a suspicion in mind, and to test its validity, addressed the wolf, "Have you not any final words?"
In fear and agony the animal cried out, "Spare me!"
Putting the arrow to rest, Ranger replied, "So you do speak the words of men, Cross breed."
From there the wolf's body shifted to that of a young man dawning canine ears along with his human ones and a tail sprouting from hind area.
Coming on his haunches, Ranger said, "I had my doubts you were as plain in mind as the other beasts of the wilderness."
This creature we now behold in our minds is revealed to be that mysterious guardian known to the Sawatii people as the Chinua. When the seed and soil of human and Kenrou sprout forth an offspring, it comes in the shape and abilities of this individual.
Trembling from the cold, the Chinua declared with indignation to receive some honor by a quick death, "Kill me foul invader! Enough of your idle talk."
"No, not yet' replied the masked man with that silent terror his cold calculating mind could produce, 'You are more valuable to me alive."
Realizing his intent the wolf boy snarled, "You wish to gain knowledge from my lips, but I shall never yield."
Seizing the leg which bore his wound, Ranger's thumb began driving into it which invoked the pitiful boy to cry out for relief.
"You will if your threshold for pain is low enough."
Tearing up in his eyes, the Chinua brave declared, "I fear neither death nor pain!"
Squeezing and prying at the wound while slowly twisting the ankle with his other hand, Ranger callously replied, "You can learn."
"Do your worst!"
Standing erect while kicking the boy's ankles apart, he said while drawing his sword, "What an egregious slip of the tongue."
With a quick swipe the large toe on his right foot severed off and sent flying. But before the boy could comprehend his injury in its entirety the blade of the warrior, with it's edges thirsty still, swooped down for his groin and nearly chopped the member if not for the controlled hand which guided it.
"Enough, I yield!" plead the terrified youth.
Wasting no time, Ranger interrogated quickly, "There was another wolf god who was passing through this way, were did she go!?"
"I do not know!"
With an aggressive sigh, Ranger rosined his blade and said, "Enjoy your time as a eunuch."
Scrambling away while protecting his manhood, the Chinua pled, "She was not our intended prey!"
"Then direct me to the one she was intended for."
"They were warriors numbering in three, who last we heard had been left to their own designs."
"Where can I find them?"
Horrified at the possibilities that either his honesty or deceit could bring, he went to his hands and knees and begged, "The last we had heard was they were spotted somewhere over there!" said he while pointing.
Partially satisfied, Ranger then inquired, "If you do not hunt the wolf god, then who hunts us?"
"Telekna…our master." shuddered the youth, then, when seeing Ranger lower his sword, asked, "Are you going to slay me now?"
Breathing out his knows, the masked warrior informed, "No, you shall act as a messenger on my behalf."
"What am I to do?"
"Tell your master, that his angel of death comes knocking."
As he turned about to pick up Holo's trail, the Chinua boy asked, "Is it true?" Ranger stopped and turned, "They say the Nukapa has returned, is he the man who stands before me?"
Glaring at him with an evil eye, Ranger returned, "He is."
He then departed with no remorse.
As he was venturing onward upon the guide of the young boy's direction, Kaytaff began sniffing the ground and barked, he had reclaimed Holo's scent. He lead his master to a small clearing which took his interest greatly.
The ground had been dug up and torn and the trees were freshly toppled and sliced, a great battle had ensued here. The air had fallen silent and betook the harrowing atmosphere of the calm that comes after the storm.
Kaytaff sniffed and pawed then looked down the ravine with which Ranger began journeying down. Finally, as he came to level ground, found the foot prints which most likely belonged to these warriors fore mentioned in the snow but found no one.
Kaytaff began clawing at the crest by the ravine to where the hollow where Holo hid her injured and disfigured form could was discovered. Ranger took to a knee, bent all the way over and looked inside. It was empty.
Withdrawing from it and observing his surroundings, Ranger wrestled with his thoughts.
Holo was lost to him.
