Chapter 6
By estimation it was now almost a full year since I arrived on this world, give or take a month. I had stopped counting the days during the fight with the other packs and never picked it back. It was useless to mark the time when I needed to focus on survival, plus I didn't know if my measurement of time was any good. All I knew for sure was that for the last few days storms seemed to be brewing in the north, and the planet was getting colder. Something that I didn't know it could do but before I arrived here I didn't know there was mind-eating rabies that gave wolves mind-control over their kin and allowed them to talk to you in your mind.
The situation being as it was, I suspected that massive creatures of the mountains would soon be forced into the valleys. Since I knew those creatures included massive wolves like the former leader of the western clan and yetis... I thought it was time to pull up stakes, at least for now.
I loaded up my 110 wolves with everything reasonable: spears, tools, food stalks, furs, and anything else I could think of. I also strapped wolf armor I built on Mother, Fierce and Cunning. They were my sub-leaders of the pack thus I needed them to be ready to handle any situation we came across. I had also created a bit more saddlebags than I really needed during my practice session, those I mounted on wolves so they could be used by the 20 or 30 pups that had come into existence since I had taken control. If something were to happen we couldn't afford the little ones slowing us down.
The last thing I did before we set out on our journey south was to make a stop by the western pack cave. I had set a team of wolves to guard it, making sure nothing had come out of it, after I had piled the entrance with as much burnable debris as possible and set it alight. So far nothing has come out of it, though every few weeks I came by and attempted to fill entrances with as much junk as possible.
I doubted there was anything left of that pack alive in that darkness, but I wasn't going to take any chances that I would come back after winter to find a monster had taken over my valley permanently. During those trips though I had confirmed a few things that upset my understanding of things.
I now knew humans existed on this planet, the leader of the western pack had made that clear if the bones found on the yetis had not. What I did not know was where they were, and what state humanity was in.
On the side of assuming they were advanced, I had the pod I had found myself in, which was something well beyond my understanding, and the way cave walls had been drilled through to indicate humanity had progressed to machine use. The problem was some of the junk by the cave entrances said something else.
Swords, shields, arrows, and other implements of feudal society… Now, thankfully, what I had seen looked old and rusted but there was no way they were as old as the bored entrances in the cave. Which meant humanity had progressed to the point they could bore through mountains, then collapsed to the point they were using axes. That could mean any number of things, but the most likely outcome was this planet was probably going through a dark age.
What did that mean for me? Well, it meant any hope that humanity would be my safe path to stress-free retirement was not looking great, but otherwise, it just meant I had hard work ahead of me.
If I was in a dark age that meant I was not in a very enlightened time period, there were good chances that if I wasn't careful and very kind when I finally met the human population I could get declared a witch or demon.
Wouldn't that tickle that bastard's fancy… What bastard? If I ever find out who blocked off large chunks of my memories I was going to teach them that if memories needed to be removed, then they should be removed and not left behind a damn cheese grater. Leaving those issues aside I would need to be careful. I may be stronger than I suspected but I was just a 5-foot girl. By my estimation, if humans were just as genetically modified as myself, it would not be hard to tie me to a stake and burn me as a witch.
But that was my last trip before the big move. I looked through junk for any gold I could give as a gift since gold should be worth something, found nothing I could use, then headed back to my own camp to finish the last of the preparations.
The next day I gathered up all my wolves and all the supplies I could get my hands on before starting the march south. It only took a day to leave the valley I spent the last of my year in and soon we were moving through foothills that flanked the mountain ranges of the north. Hunting along the route we moved through the snowy cold-as-hell tundra for several days, stopping to rest at several campsites the wolves knew such as volcanic springs or warm spots that had probably been used for generations for such trips.
The wolves were generally faster than me but I was able to ride on the back of my three sub-commanders for most of the trip. The higher position allowed me to keep an eye on our movements as the wolves moved in a column of two, seeming to default to this in order to hide their numbers I guessed.
Keeping this routine, and not being slowed down by the pups, we were able to make good time and soon found ourselves at a set of low hills, near a river. My pack seemed to think this place was good for a permanent camp and, looking around, I did see signs of old wolf habitation.
There were no caves here, though there was some sort of geothermal activity beneath the earth as the nearby spring ran with warm water. Following the water that bubbled out from the earth led to a cold river, beyond that I didn't know. For now, I focused on setting up camp over this warm spot using furs I had taken from many of the megaFauna and tree branches I brought as replacement spear poles to construct several tents for my and my pack to share as we survived down here.
The wolves were back. Like always the hordes of wolves had swept out of the mountains preying on the farmlands of the Russ. The only good thing about the wolves coming down from their mountain homes was the war with our neighbors stopped as we all rallied together to survive the Helwinter and the wolves that stalked it.
As King of Russ, it was my duty to see that as much of our lands was protected from the ravenous beast as I could, but after decades of hard work, I knew that in reality, I could only hold 40% of our territory safely. I would have my forces put on a good show in the other 60%, marching through the countryside and fighting single wolves when they could. That is just how the Snow fell on Fenris and it would be a miracle if things stayed in that good of a situation.
Especially with the black demon leading them. That monster was older than the possible Kingdom of Russ itself. I had grown up on the legends of the proud warriors who stood up to the beast and died in glorious battles sending the beast back to the mountain it came from. In my youth, I was afraid of it. In my prime, I thought I would be the one to kill it. Now… Now I am just glad I had never seen it.
Though who knows. Maybe this would be the year I saw it up close and personal. If I had to make an end, I guess I would rather go down as a good king who fought to the last for his people than a good king who didn't leave anything for his people after he died. The first option would at least overshadow my failure in life.
As for the current deposition of my kingdom, things stood as they always did this time of year: my scouts were on the move, tracking three groups of 50+ wolves each. There had already been several skirmishes with farmers and local guards. Fighting had gone in our favor so far, as these were the common Fenrisian Wolves, they were not the true monsters that would stalk our nightmares.
No, the Blackmaned, the monsters who lived in the mountain, were what would change the tide. They were massive beasts the size of warhorses and they came in the second waves of wolves that hunted my lands this time of year. The monsters would sweep down from the mountains and eat everything that was not the common wolf. Whether it be human or elk or wooly mammoth, it didn't matter to them.
No doubt the Black Demon, the fabled King of the Mountains, a Black Thunder Wolf who led the local Blackmaned, would lead this sweep with cruelty this year. At the start of this Helwinter I had attended meetings with other kings in the region, My allies in Helwinter, and one of the younger and foolhardier kings had reported they sent an expedition in the mountains to kill the Demon at the end of last Helwinter. They said that stupidity with such pride, it had been sickening. I hadn't even bothered to point out that unless there was pelt there was no proof of the dead. I had seen a fool do something that stupid in my prime, the ravages the land underwent had been such that they had brought a wave of peace. For 5 years, when not being raided by the wolves in Helwinter and the sea peoples in the summer, there just was no willingness to fight. People had been too busy trying to survive with what little they had.
That is why I planned to not overextend myself this year, most likely the other lords who remembered that time were also thinking the same. Whoever had the most power after this Helwinter would have the power to dictate the situation of the lowlands for the next 5 years.
But, even with that being my plan, I still needed to put in appearances. Thus I had taken my Huscarls on a campaign, 200 of my finest warriors marched behind me in orderly lines. My mission was simple, I needed to kill as many of the common wolves as possible. With that done my people would be appeased and I could plan for a defensive campaign against the Blackmaned wolves.
Riding my horse at the head of my column of troops I pondered how I was going to keep my people safe from the terrible beast. I could evacuate large parts of my land to castle Russ, its heavy thick stone wall would serve as prime defenses against the Blackmaned. Though if the Demon himself came he would break down the doors without issues.
Really I just had to hope it would be one of the other 2 packs of Blackmaned wolves who came to my territory. They were bad but they were weaker, and less likely to attack fortified holdings unless desperate.
Perhaps I could arrange things so that the wolves went for other kings' lands? I'm sure the other kings were thinking similar things, so theorizing possible ways to move the wolves along was not breaking off the alliances yet. I was simply coming up with ways to move the wolves back if one king broke it first
Most likely the best way to do that was to hunt on the borders of a king's territory and hope the wolves followed the blood across the border. It was a possibility, but not very likely to work. I needed to come up with something better. Something that would not result in me feeding the enemy my own resources.
Sighing I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes before asking silently for the Allfather to guide me to a path that would save my kingdom from the worst of the coming pain. He worked in mysterious ways and though he never answered my request I did believe he guided me for a long time to my success.
He may not be vocal but his influences were everywhere, if you knew where to look for them. And I had come to believe that looking at all situations closely and finding his influences was the key to the successes in life.
Listening to the clatter of the chainlink on the leather of my Huscarls' armor, I waited for something, some sign to tell me what I should be doing. What meaning would come from that noise I didn't know, but I knew something would come to me as I listened to it. Then the noise stopped suddenly and unexpectedly.
"THE FUCK IS THAT!" I heard a warrior scream, taking me out of my moment. Opening my eyes I leveled my head and looked back at the column seeing that a dozen or so warriors just behind me had broken formation to look at something to the north in the tree line. Following their gaze, I looked to see what had caused such commotion and was left in no better state than my troops.
To our west were 5 to 10 blackmaned wolves, something so brazen I would assume we were surrounded and about to be attacked if not for the other oddity. Blackmaned tended to be night hunters down in the lowlands, using their nearly dark coloration to move about and stalk preys who could not see very well in the twilight hours.
They did not come out in the day because, though they were bigger than humans, we tended to be more organized and able to work together in light to kill them.
To see the Blackmaned in the light of the day tended to be a bad sign, it usually meant the Black Demon was coming to ravage your lands.
What did not have me organize an attack in hopes of killing the beast, in hope of saving my kingdom the trouble of a Blackmaned attack… Was the rider on the back of one of the bigger wolves.
There was a person riding a wolf! That… that didn't happen, that had never happened. There were some old legends about Allfather being able to harness the wolves, but those were myths. The wolves, especially the Blackmaned, were too savage to ride.
Yet there, atop the biggest wolf, sat a figure in all black cloak, their head and face obscured by a hood. In fact, much of their body was observed by the black-furred cloak.
Blinking a couple of times I got a hold of the situation and called out. "Huscarls, Defensive line!" With the sound of many men moving, the quiet line moved like the professional warriors they were, taking up the shield wall with those with spears making up the second line.
Striking while troopers were focused I rode off the side of the road and in front of my warriors looking at the black-cloaked figure from the back of my horse. The figure was watching back. I could tell that from the way the hood moved, just the bare hints of light in the near blackness. Taking a moment I looked away from here to look at the wolves, noting something else was off. They had armor, some kind of crude leather and hide was strapped over the vital area around the neck and sides, making the deadly beast even harder to kill. I had the advantage in numbers from the look of it but if something went wrong I had no idea what was happening. In my many years of life, nothing like this had ever happened.
Moving my eyes to look back at the rider, I noted the figure had been looking at my men, which was good. I hoped they would see the professionalism and dedication, along with the numbers, and realize fighting here was not a situation they could win.
Then the rider dismounted and my assurance lessened. On the back of the wolf I could believe the figure was some regular human, but standing there and petting the wolves as if they had no worries in the world, they were not normal. The wolves tended toward a height that mirrored his own horse at 7 feet tall, the rider was by estimate only a foot shorter, maybe a half foot shorter than the wolves. They were as tall as me or taller and they were handling those wolves, the most dangerous things in the world, like it was a common house pet.
What madness has found me, was all I could think for a moment, then the raven came out from the west and landed on the black rider's shoulder.
"Allfather," I said, making the sign of a hammer, before dismounting from my horse. Ravens did not just land on people's shoulders, they were intelligent creatures that bore the Allfather's messages. He had no idea what was going on but this was the sign he had been asking for, something great stood before him. And he had to do his damndest to navigate the path set before him. Allfather only gave a few chances to humans on this planet, and when he gave you one you either rose to meet the occasion or were cursed and cast down.
Stepping away from his battle line he walked till he was halfway between his men and the wolves. Those wolves were fast enough that they could kill him before he could retreat but something told him that he should show a little faith.
The rider looked at him, gave one more ear rub to the wolf they had been riding, and started to walk closer to him. The wind picked up and he was able to get a better look at them as they came, beneath their cloak they wore some kind of leather armor in a style he had never seen before, over what looked like hide clothing. As they got closer though he could better see the cloak, which he had not really given much thought to, and a thing became clear: it was not just some black animal's fur, it was wolf fur and it was the same shade as described by the survivors of the Demon, the purest black that no light could escape.
They couldn't have, could they? No. Allfather, there was no way the demon had been slain and turned into a fur cloak, that would… that would be something Allfather would find humorous, he had to admit.
The figure came to a stop not five feet away from him, and he could now confirm that they were in fact nearly 7 feet tall, a giant of a human if he had ever seen one. They pulled back their hood, which seemed to undo the cloak, revealing two more confusing and devastating things. First the figure was not only a giant but also a girl, though altogether she looked no older than some of the shield maidens who made up his own formations. The other was that she had ample tracts of land when it came to her figure, if the leather chest armor was anything to go by. Thankfully he was too old for that childish thought but she would be the center of attention in any room she walked into.
The blond-haired blue-eyed girl with a few small scars around her left eye smiled and held out her hand in a friendly greeting motion, then she said something in languages he never heard before.
Stunned and confused he held out his hand and she took it, shaking it happily.
Humans are resilient creatures, even in the worst environmental conditions they can find ways to survive and thrive. I was glad they could because before me stood an example of the human will to not only thrive in the worst but also build up what they have to be better.
Though I was a bit concerned by how small they appeared to be. Being the only human I had seen when I arrived on this world I had made an assumption, that assumption being that I was the average height of the women of my own country. A foolhardy thing to do considering I was not a human from my country but it is how I choose to evaluate things barring any absolute scale. Megafauna and flora had not challenged that assumption, being their sizes were large enough that a difference of a foot didn't matter. The man in front of me did challenge that assumption though, and greatly. The humans in front of me were either hobbit-sized or I was a giant.
Which was not a great situation, being different was a great way to draw fear and ire from humans. This was another reason why I needed to look as friendly as possible.
The human in front of me had to be some kind of leader, the way he walked reminded me how some CEO would walk, like a king in control of everything they see. Considering the leather armor and the 200 or so warriors that were making up the spear line behind him, I would have also assumed he was possibly a king or local lord. If I could ingratiate myself to him and make myself useful, well… The keys to my human life lay before me, one where I didn't have to sleep in tents in the cold. Even if the wolves kept me warm, I would like a proper bed.
Pulling down the hood I used to keep the sun out of my eyes I revealed my face, assuming that such was proper decorum, and smiled before holding out my hand.
The man in front of me was old, I could tell that with a look. His hair was as white as the snow, his face was age-lined and marked and he looked like someone who had seen a hard life. If not for the fact that he was well-muscled for someone in their elder years I would have assumed that he was in his 90s based off his face. Going by his mass and height… Maybe later 60s? Most of his lower face was hidden by a short beard such that, if he was a bit more stout, I could have compared him to dwarfs. He also had piercing blue eyes, not too dissimilar to my own.
He also wore some fine chain armor in between layers of padding and fur that seemed to be dyed a light blue-gray. Over that, he wore a short gray cloak that looked a bit like my own, except without the hood and with more fur around the collar. Looking past him I noted the warriors that came with him wore similar shades of color, perhaps a way to identify each other during a fight?
That spoke of a professional force, which required a central government! Oh, how wonderful. A society I could ingrate my pack into so we didn't need to spend a night out in the cold.
Continuing to smile, I said, "Good afternoon, pleasure meeting you." I knew he could not understand me and I figured it would take a while, maybe a few months, for me to understand him but as long as the words sounded nice it would serve its purposes.
He only hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking my lower arm, a different kind of shake than I was expecting but acceptable, he then said something… I could understand, if barely. It sounded like a mix of languages, but some of it sounded Norden. What Norden was, and how and why I knew it, was a question for another time though the answer was behind the damn cheese grater as usual.
But I could pick out words here or there that sounded familiar, not enough to get the full meaning but enough to tell he wasn't threatening me. He greeted me warmly by my guess, having a tone of voice that was cheerful. No doubt he knew that tone could set conversation just as much as words. Wonderful, like-minded individuals.
Pointing to himself he said "Thengir of Russ" before pointing at my chest. He told me his name I assumed and was asking mine, which was an issue.
Hmm, what to say? He was asking my name, of course, but how do you respond when the name you remembered having in your last life, was very male and very unsuited for your current condition. It would be better to choose a name that would make sense, something European. Perhaps something that sounded a bit like Thengir; similarities would continue the cheery mood.
"Tanya," I said while pointing at myself, choosing the first T name that popped into my mind, and was rewarded with a smile from the old man.
"Tanya" he pointed to the fur cloak I was wearing, then past me at the wolves I came with. Rubbing my chin I quickly deduced he was asking where the coat had come from.
Shaking my head I pointed to my wolves and then held out my arms bigger, trying to convey that the cloak came from a monster of a wolf. The old man's eyes widened and then, looking past me, he pointed to the wolves and mimed petting them.
Not hard to figure out, and I was not about to pass up a chance to improve my social situation. Whistling I pointed to Fierce, who trotted over next to me. He sat next to me and I laid my hand on his shoulder reassuringly, rubbing up and down.
There was a bit of murmur from the warriors back on the road but Thengir headed none of that. Instead of walking up to the horse-sized wolf and petting the other shoulder Thengir smiled and, chuckling as he did, the same shoulder and turned to look at me. He seemed to be thinking, nodding. He stepped in front of me and removed his own cloak, which I now realized was made of wolf fur, and laid it on the ground. He pointed toward the cloak then at Fierce then made a motion that seemed to indicate something smaller.
Nodding I mimicked the smaller motion, assuming he meant there was a breed of wolf that was smaller and had that gray color of fire.
Pointing at the warriors he then pointed at his cloak and then hit his arms against each other. I assumed he meant his warriors and he were out here hunting smaller wolves that attacked his people. An understandable situation, though I wondered where he was going with this.
He pointed to me, then to Fierce, then to me, then to the cloak. You didn't have to be a genius to figure out what he wanted, he wanted me to do what I did to the wolves of mountains to this smaller breed. The question was if that was even possible. Assuming the wolves were more manageable in size then humans could handle them, though they may not be as intelligent as my mountain wolves.
Really this was not even the question, was it not? If they were menaces to this society and my wolves helped in their removal, even if just tearing them apart, it would cement their place and mine in this society. Either way, it was worth a shot so I might as well try.
Chuckling I muttered "Seems I'm stuck managing wolves for a while more" before looking Thengir in the eye and nodding my agreement, holding out my arm so we could shake on it.
Writer notes
Alright, what do we have here today, well we have size, we have her first interaction with humans we have a massive misunderstanding that I'm sure not be any problem, and confirmation that yes I'm going for that image I showed all the way back chapter one. Because why not, Big E wanted Primark to be a pinnacle of humanity, might as well make sure she looks the part. Let me know what you folks think about this chapter in the comments below.
Edited by: preier
Ozpin52; thank you
StoneTheLoner: he getting something that for sure
skrapsynneh: here more
Guest ; thank you
Cat Eyes In The Night; starting to implement more rule of metel and cool with this story hoping works out
Suzuwuzu: of the truest form
Grocamol: ye good place good ideas, if you go there you get the story 14 hour ealey as I lt form point out editing mistakes before go around posting everware elses.
Muminpappan:thank you
Jimbalaya; hell yeah indeed there need to be more,
Szymano:here more
T3ddy: well things are looking better here then leman canon
Maddax: yeah no you just didn't read the chapter,
