CHAPTER FIVE
"You have the wolf?" Nathan Briggs, leader of the gang known as the "Wolf- Demons" to humans and the "Dark Ones" to wolves, runs his fingers lightly over the ivory carving of a wolf on the head of his cane. At twenty-five, he's caught more wolves for farming and fighting purposes than most skilled scholars could count. And Nathan Briggs has heard of a strong, pure black, female wolf, good for farming, fighting, and breeding. He sends out tenscore** men to catch her. He knows he will get her, because Nathan Briggs always gets what he wants.
"Yes, Your Worship." A tall, heavily muscled man, known as Bullseye for the merchant he killed at a bar steps forward and bows. "We gave her a big taste of the cat, though. She wouldn't stop long enough."
Briggs bristles slightly at the remark: his Demons have ruined more than one wolf in their time. --Idiots!-- he thinks. -Did they expect her to sit still and just let them take her?!?!?!?- But to the Demon before him he merely says, "Bring her in, and we'll see if you've earned your salary and another day to live."
A young Demon, no more than thirteen, cruelly kicks out a frightened wolf, barely more than a pup. Fresh whipmarks adorn her back and belly, there is a dirty bandage on her left hind leg, and her right ear has a small chunk missing from it.
Suddenly the world shifts to the view of the wolf:
She is in a richly furnished room: Multiple overstuffed sofas and armchairs, their wooden legs intricately carved with pictures of wolves hunting, are scattered about the massive room. A soft carpet, covered with complex geometric patterns, covers the entire floor. There are large windows at the north, east and west corners of the room. Dark Ones are scattered about the room, armed with everything from new, flintlock muskets to swords to nothing but themselves, bodyguards to the High Dark One she's been told about. At the south end of the room, where all the Dark Ones are facing, there is a large fireplace, but her view of it is obscured by a wooden desk and a high-backed armchair, where the High Dark One sits.
A young Dark One kicks her forward, purposefully hitting her bandaged leg; she whimpers and tries to move back into the shadows. The Dark One looks to the High One for instructions. He says, "Aaron, the cat-o-ninetails isn't illegal here." Aaron nods, and lashes her forward with the whip. She whimpers and cowers: she doesn't want to die here, without her pack. Aaron flicks her injured ear with the whip, and she yelps and limps forwards, towards the desk.
The High Dark One comes forward and examines her, as professionally as a carver looking over his newest creation.
"You should have whipped her less, Bullseye, but I'll overlook it if you'll give her a fresh bandage. Aaron, get some medical ointment for the scars, and if you can find it, something to make them heal faster. David, get the tapes so we can measure her for a harness and armor. Jessi, get the Wildmage, so we can find out what this brute's pack named her. Now get out of here before I get mad!" He speaks with a mountain-man's accent that she can't place, and he directs his last sentence to all of the Dark Ones, who bow and leave, leaving her alone with the High One.
The world switches back to an outsider's view. (This is now happening in real time--that is, this is essentially the wolf reviewing what's happening to her. It's the same with Briggs. By the way, when the text is in italics, someone's dreaming or remembering something unless otherwise stated)
Briggs knelt, and stared directly into her eyes: He's challenging her, seeing if she'll grasp that he decides what she does, has complete power over her existence.
She seems to, for she only stares back at him with the strangest eyes Briggs has ever seen for seventeen seconds before abruptly looking down and away from him. --Very good, very good. She knows who her master is already. But the young do learn so very fast.--
Briggs gets up and goes to his desk. He searches for something under it, than comes back up with a piece of wood, curved down at the top; two strips of brown leather, the right-hand one with a buckle on the end, the left- hand one with several holes in it dangling from the padded curve and a carved paw at the bottom, and comes towards her with it. She yelps and jumps back, but Briggs catches her.
"You're not getting out of this one, wolf." He says, and places the padded top of the wood directly next to the inside of her bandaged left leg. He buckles the straps at the top of her leg quickly, then steps back.
The wolf tries a few tentative steps, but falls flat on her face. She struggles to her feet just as Aaron bursts into the room with the medical supplies.
Briggs takes the supplies, dismisses Aaron, then gingerly removes the wolf's bandage and applies the ointment to the deep arrow wound. The wolf jerks, but doesn't run. She wants to live as long as possible.
Bullseye enters, holding a bandage.
Briggs takes it, dismisses Bullseye, and wraps the bandage tightly around the wolf's leg.
He ties the bandage tightly, then ties the wolf's leg to the wood.
The Wildmage enters and bows. "You sent for me, Excellency?"
"Yes. I want you to find out what her name is, and tell me the measurements for chest-and-back armor."
The Wildmage walks over to the wolf and says, in the telepathic language of all animals, What's your name?
The wolf's eyes widened in shock. I didn't know humans could talk!
The Wildmage said sternly, I asked what your name is, wolf. Tell me, or I'll hurt you.
The wolf took an involuntary step back. My name is Jerick. Because of the eyes. The black part changes with my mood and other part is as orange as the sun in a human's painting.
The Wildmage rose. "She claims her name is..Jerick, Excellency. Jerick."
Please review!!!! I took forever to write this (Almost five pages!) and it does have to do with the story! This is important background information for a new character!!!!!
Admiral Sundance
PS: Q comes in here soon. He plays a very important part. But you need to understand Sundance's past before you understand why Q---well, I'll let you find out. In the meantime, I'm bushed! I wrote four chapters in a row!!!
"You have the wolf?" Nathan Briggs, leader of the gang known as the "Wolf- Demons" to humans and the "Dark Ones" to wolves, runs his fingers lightly over the ivory carving of a wolf on the head of his cane. At twenty-five, he's caught more wolves for farming and fighting purposes than most skilled scholars could count. And Nathan Briggs has heard of a strong, pure black, female wolf, good for farming, fighting, and breeding. He sends out tenscore** men to catch her. He knows he will get her, because Nathan Briggs always gets what he wants.
"Yes, Your Worship." A tall, heavily muscled man, known as Bullseye for the merchant he killed at a bar steps forward and bows. "We gave her a big taste of the cat, though. She wouldn't stop long enough."
Briggs bristles slightly at the remark: his Demons have ruined more than one wolf in their time. --Idiots!-- he thinks. -Did they expect her to sit still and just let them take her?!?!?!?- But to the Demon before him he merely says, "Bring her in, and we'll see if you've earned your salary and another day to live."
A young Demon, no more than thirteen, cruelly kicks out a frightened wolf, barely more than a pup. Fresh whipmarks adorn her back and belly, there is a dirty bandage on her left hind leg, and her right ear has a small chunk missing from it.
Suddenly the world shifts to the view of the wolf:
She is in a richly furnished room: Multiple overstuffed sofas and armchairs, their wooden legs intricately carved with pictures of wolves hunting, are scattered about the massive room. A soft carpet, covered with complex geometric patterns, covers the entire floor. There are large windows at the north, east and west corners of the room. Dark Ones are scattered about the room, armed with everything from new, flintlock muskets to swords to nothing but themselves, bodyguards to the High Dark One she's been told about. At the south end of the room, where all the Dark Ones are facing, there is a large fireplace, but her view of it is obscured by a wooden desk and a high-backed armchair, where the High Dark One sits.
A young Dark One kicks her forward, purposefully hitting her bandaged leg; she whimpers and tries to move back into the shadows. The Dark One looks to the High One for instructions. He says, "Aaron, the cat-o-ninetails isn't illegal here." Aaron nods, and lashes her forward with the whip. She whimpers and cowers: she doesn't want to die here, without her pack. Aaron flicks her injured ear with the whip, and she yelps and limps forwards, towards the desk.
The High Dark One comes forward and examines her, as professionally as a carver looking over his newest creation.
"You should have whipped her less, Bullseye, but I'll overlook it if you'll give her a fresh bandage. Aaron, get some medical ointment for the scars, and if you can find it, something to make them heal faster. David, get the tapes so we can measure her for a harness and armor. Jessi, get the Wildmage, so we can find out what this brute's pack named her. Now get out of here before I get mad!" He speaks with a mountain-man's accent that she can't place, and he directs his last sentence to all of the Dark Ones, who bow and leave, leaving her alone with the High One.
The world switches back to an outsider's view. (This is now happening in real time--that is, this is essentially the wolf reviewing what's happening to her. It's the same with Briggs. By the way, when the text is in italics, someone's dreaming or remembering something unless otherwise stated)
Briggs knelt, and stared directly into her eyes: He's challenging her, seeing if she'll grasp that he decides what she does, has complete power over her existence.
She seems to, for she only stares back at him with the strangest eyes Briggs has ever seen for seventeen seconds before abruptly looking down and away from him. --Very good, very good. She knows who her master is already. But the young do learn so very fast.--
Briggs gets up and goes to his desk. He searches for something under it, than comes back up with a piece of wood, curved down at the top; two strips of brown leather, the right-hand one with a buckle on the end, the left- hand one with several holes in it dangling from the padded curve and a carved paw at the bottom, and comes towards her with it. She yelps and jumps back, but Briggs catches her.
"You're not getting out of this one, wolf." He says, and places the padded top of the wood directly next to the inside of her bandaged left leg. He buckles the straps at the top of her leg quickly, then steps back.
The wolf tries a few tentative steps, but falls flat on her face. She struggles to her feet just as Aaron bursts into the room with the medical supplies.
Briggs takes the supplies, dismisses Aaron, then gingerly removes the wolf's bandage and applies the ointment to the deep arrow wound. The wolf jerks, but doesn't run. She wants to live as long as possible.
Bullseye enters, holding a bandage.
Briggs takes it, dismisses Bullseye, and wraps the bandage tightly around the wolf's leg.
He ties the bandage tightly, then ties the wolf's leg to the wood.
The Wildmage enters and bows. "You sent for me, Excellency?"
"Yes. I want you to find out what her name is, and tell me the measurements for chest-and-back armor."
The Wildmage walks over to the wolf and says, in the telepathic language of all animals, What's your name?
The wolf's eyes widened in shock. I didn't know humans could talk!
The Wildmage said sternly, I asked what your name is, wolf. Tell me, or I'll hurt you.
The wolf took an involuntary step back. My name is Jerick. Because of the eyes. The black part changes with my mood and other part is as orange as the sun in a human's painting.
The Wildmage rose. "She claims her name is..Jerick, Excellency. Jerick."
Please review!!!! I took forever to write this (Almost five pages!) and it does have to do with the story! This is important background information for a new character!!!!!
Admiral Sundance
PS: Q comes in here soon. He plays a very important part. But you need to understand Sundance's past before you understand why Q---well, I'll let you find out. In the meantime, I'm bushed! I wrote four chapters in a row!!!