Chapter 7, Wolf Wrangling
Tanya,
Pest control is not the most glamorous job, but it was a Job, and one I could do with a skill I had acquired living at the feet of the mountain. Hunting wolves was not hard either, with the campaign I led to clean up the valley my wolves already had the basic understanding of how to work together to probe and find the weaknesses of enemy packs. And with help of the ravens that task became easier, as well. Over the course of an afternoon, I had located two packs and their relative disposition, now all that was left to engage them.
Leaving Thengir and his forces behind I moved quickly, riding ahead in the hope of catching the wolves out in the open and forcing an alpha fight.
Bringing them to combat though proved harder than I believed as the lesser wolves, as I mentally referred to them, were more numerous than my own so finding the pack was not hard, but they had their own system to secure their territory. When they saw my wolves coming they simply ran for it, my larger wolves and they must have a history of combat and they wished to avoid a fight with them. Their strategy was to simply run, which I had assumed would not be as effective as it was but considering they fled in all directions the few wolves I found were not really part of any pack structure I could take control of and I was forced to put them down.
Running was a reasonable strategy and it worked the first time, the second time not so much. On the second day of my hunt, I had several of my forces flank around their sides of the second group I knew was in the area allowing me to drive them into a canyon I had scouted during the night. I had also waited for Thengir forces to catch up as they would be needed for this new plan
With Thengir at one end and me at the other, I had the lesser wolves trapped and attempted to bring them to heel, after all, they were just wolves of smaller scale. I fought near horses-sized wolves, human-sized ones couldn't be that hard.
At least that is what I expected as I walked into the canyon with the wolves, spear at my side but not lowered at a threatening angle. I was carrying cooked meat and hoped that by appearing as friendly as possible I could simply woo the wolves to my side.
This proved a miscalculation as the wolves attacked me together, charging out from behind the rocks of the canyon where they had been hiding and attempting to murder me.
Thankfully I had chosen my ground well as the wolves could really only come at me two at a time, so after I killed the first pair with my spear, the ones that came at me had trouble getting over the bodies of those I had already killed. By the seventh wolf, my own wolves were at my sides and this seemed to tame the beasts. They fell back, scared of the larger wolves.
Knowing now that they would not be brought under control through alpha tactics, I was left with very few options. A beast that could not be tamed was useless to me, so I let my wolves off the leash and let them rampage through the lesser wolves.
It was bloody and a waste of some potential, but not something I could do much about. If the beasts could not be tamed they would remain a threat to my employer's interests. The best I could do in this situation was to rescue the wolf pups from the massacre. Perhaps, if they grew up among my pack or humans I was working with, they would be tamer and more manageable.
Over the course of an hour, my wolves worked their way through the valley, killing the lesser as we went. With each new group, I hoped they would be reasonable, that they would submit, but they didn't. When my wolves dispatched them I would look through what was left for pups, find them, and load them up into the saddles back on of my wolves.
Watching their parent die would probably not endear me to them, but I hoped they were young enough that it would not matter. They seemed to not be as intelligent as my own pack, so most likely they would forget... By the end of that day there my forces came out of the canyon to see Thengir's forces holding the line over piles of wolf bodies. If I had to guess it was a similar number to my own pack's kills so somewhere around 300 wolves were dead that could have been useful but had been too dumb or stubborn to take the out I gave them.
Shaking my head in disgust I walked up to Thengir. That valley was clear and the lesser wolves were dealt with. He nodded, looked at my face, and looked at the dead wolves before patting me on the shoulder. I smiled at that, he seemed to understand my disgust at the waste of their potential.
Pointing to the dead wolves he held up two fingers before shrugging. I smiled at that, there were two more packs out there. Assuming the ones I scattered regrouped at some point that meant I would have two more chances at getting these lesser wolves under control. I would have to be better and do better with diplomacy, perhaps things could be still turned around.
Waving Cunning over I reached into his saddle pack and pulled out one of the tamer pups, one that hadn't attempted to bite me, and presented it to Thengir. His eyes lit up as he reached out and took the wolf pup in both his arms. Cradling it in one arm he began to pet it, trying to put it at peace.
Looking around at the warriors who were watching the scene, I noted a few making some sort of sign that looked a bit like a hammer with their hands. That raised my eyebrow but it was not something for me to worry about. What I needed to worry about was properly compensating the men who helped hold the line for this little fight.
They killed half the wolves so I went through saddleback and pickled out the 50% tamest wolf pups and randomly handed them out to the warriors. They all seemed to take the fact that I was handing over the care to them in stride and smiled, taking their new ward with equanimity.
Probably because they thought if they didn't the wolves behind me would take offense and come at them, but that was a worry for another time.
Once wolf pups were handed out I signaled to Thengir the direction I believed the pack I scattered would regroup in and started to head to my wolves to mount up again. The day was still young and I had a second chance to be diplomatic about this.
Tracking down the other known group took less time than I expected, then again coming to an understanding of how quickly my wolves could move compared to others was still something I was wrestling with.
The wolves had taken up a position on a hill to the extreme north of what I was thinking of as human territory. It was a defendable position if I had ever seen one, though not a city that could be used for ambushes. The slopes were just steep enough that it would be a bit of climb to get up it and, by the large number of boulders I saw on slopes mixed with the trees… It was very likely these wolves had developed a tactic of using the boulders as weapons, rolling them down at anyone that tried to invade their hilltop fortress.
It was a terrible thing to attack, but also the perfect environment for attempt number two. Launching an attack up that hill would result in injures, so that was just out, which left talking. Considering the last pack had preferred to fight to the death when pinned somewhere they didn't want to be, having this pack in a position of power, controlling a place that made them feel safe, maybe the way to get a dialogue going.
Ridding on Fierce I tapped the raven on my shoulder "Go find Thengir, lead him here at a leisurely pace." I had no idea if that would work but considering the Raven took flight and headed in the direction I believed Thengir would be coming from I would assume it had. With that handled, I signaled for my wolves to half circle the hill. I wanted to give them an out in case they decided to run, as it would be better for them to run than for me to have to do another extermination mission.
Plus the more the wolves felt like they had an option, the more likely that they would be willing to hear me out. Patting Fierce on the shoulder we began the ascent, heading up the wooded path to the top. Last time I had been a bit foolish and prideful when I attempted to take the last pack on, this time I would be more careful.
Ascending to the top of the hill I found something I did not expect. From the bottom and at a distance this hill had looked like any other tree-covered hill, with boulders and bushes breaking up the ground.
Up close that was not what I was looking at. What I thought was just a cover of trees hid stone walls. Old stone walls, 8 feet high, with crenulations running along the wall. The wall was old and looked like it had seen heavy abuses, with a couple of broken-down areas where something had knocked them down. Otherwise, it was in good shape, as even in those areas I would have to climb to gain entrance. In front of me, right on the path, was a gateway that had seen better days, the wooden doors hanging off the wall of the entrance by a few rusted metal hinges.
I Stepped off Fierce as there was no way I could ride him under the low arch of the entrances. I would have had to double over and I would rather look somewhat impressive when I met the wolves. Taking the saddlebag off Fierce's flank I pulled out some smoked meat and walked through the gateway.
As I opened the door I didn't know what I had expected, besides the rusted metal stressing and making noise. That I expected, and got. What I did not expect was the wolves sitting around a stone bench where an old man with a long white beard and an eye patch over his right eye ran his hand over their shoulder, petting them and seeming to be attempting to comfort them. He wore a simple green and brown cloak and had a spear at his side, with strange writing on the shaft.
The man looked up and smiled at me, pointing to the bench across from him and motioning me to sit. Well, this was not what I expected but this was a step in the right direction. If this man had already tamed the wolves to this will then I really just needed to negotiate with him, which would be easier if we could talk.
"I doubt that Tanya," the man said in Japanese without a hint of an accent. "Since you arrived you have been rather mistaken on a lot of things. You have done a wonderful job making the world fit your worldview, but not everything you see, hear, or smell is as it really is. Even your history is suspect, Rusted Silver." the man said with a smile as he petted one wolf head.
The assault, unexpected, knocked my legs out from under me and I sat heavily on the stone bench. I wanted to ask how he knew my language or what he was talking about with that 'rusted silver' phrase, it sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. But I led with the most all-encompassing question. "Who are you?"
"What would be better questioned, but I'm afraid such answers are best left for your mind to unravel." then he chuckled "But it doesn't mean I can't be cryptic and hint at the answer. I'm something that has watched over the people and animals of this planet for a long time. I was created to serve one purpose, modified to serve another purpose when the first died, and found yet another when that next one died. And your coming is signaling another change in purpose is coming, one that could see great things for this world or cast it further into the darkness we now enjoy.'" the man setting patting the head of the wolf.
"That's not very cryptic; that's more just leaving out details" I pointed out, hoping to push for a better answer than what I had gotten.
He simply smiled and said, "what can I say, programming is hard to fight."
That raised eyebrow, "programming?"
He simply smiled but said nothing. From that, I could take that he was not going to tell me more, or perhaps could not tell me more.
"Alright then. If you can't tell me about yourself, can you tell me about myself?" I asked, my eyebrow raised.
"I could, but you are on a journey of self-rediscovery, so taking that from you would be a shame. I simply thought to step in and give you a hand with the wolves. I saw how that last fight pained you, even if you tell yourself it was necessary, and the quicker you are set on your path the better this world will be."
"Thank you, I guess,' I said before a thought occurred to me, "you say you can't tell me who I was, and you can't tell me who you are, am I to assume you can't tell me who sent me to this world?"
Immediately the old man's smile faded, "It's not a who, it's a what. And no, it's not Being X."
"Who-" a massive headache hit and memories flooded back, of conversations with that so-called god dressed in a toga as he attempted to judge me after the train had hit me, while he had the gall to complain about having to do his own job. I would be astonished at the laziness of that so-called god's work ethic if I wasn't trying to hold my head together.
"Yeah, that's what I expected. Unlocking the memories for yourself without someone poking at it will be easier. It will take longer, but you have time." The bearded man said as he stood up from the rock he had been sitting on.
"These wolves will listen to you, now. There is only one pack left to hunt, and if you approach them as you did these you should be able to get them to listen to you. Do good for this planet, White Silver, it needs someone who can do more than I can do." His voice had taken a rougher edge to it. "And stay out of the tunnels under the mountains, what lies beneath the surface of this planet has no empathy for those who live in Midgard."
I looked up from my pain just in time to see him turn away and disappear. One moment he was there, the next he took a step and he was gone as if he had never been there to begin with.
If I didn't have a massive headache I might try to ask the world what the hell that was about, but as it was I just filed that under not my problem for now. Taking out the jerky I handed the food out to the wolves, gaining their trust if not their loyalty. Once I was sure they would not attack me, I went about trying to figure out what to do about them.
When I came with wolf pups that had been easier, integration overtime was a soft sale. With these 100 or so lesser wolves that lived in this run downhill fort… Well, they would be set in their ways and unlikely to join with humanity even in little things.
Then the best option was… Looking to Fierce I smiled and moved over to him, taking the saddlebag full of food off his side and leaving it open in front of him. The other wolves looked at the food with barely restrained hunger but, tapping my foot to get their attention, I pointed at the wolves than at the food, then to Fierce. What I wanted to convey was that if they wanted food they would have to submit to Fierce as their alpha, I wasn't sure they got it as one wolf broke and tried to get the food.
Fierce smashed its head into the ground under its paw, holding it there just inches from the food. A tense moment, but none of the other wolves moved to attack. Another wolf came forward slowly and took one piece, before backing away its head bowed. Then another. After the third Fierce let the wolf who tried its luck go and it did as the others. Smiling I signaled to Fierce he needed to stay here and keep control of these wolves while I would go down the hill and get some of the pack to join him. Hopefully, with a small group of my wolves to keep these lesser wolves' urges in check, I could keep this pack from causing any trouble for the humans.
Nodding his understanding I petted him on the shoulder and moved back out the door I came in, heading back down the hill. Once there I detailed 20 of my wolves to head back uphill to keep an eye on them. With that wolf group, two-handled there was only group three left if Thengir to be believed. Where this third group was I didn't know but I figured Thengir would have a good idea, so mounting up on cunning I gathered my wolves and headed in the direction of my employer.
King Thengir of Russ, eastern shores of Asaheim
The Kingdom of Russ, North East territory
Fenris
"Traitorous neighbors and fools! Who starts a war at the start of winter!" I muttered keeping my head down as another wave of arrows pattered off my housecarls' raised shields. We had been making good time trying to catch up with Tanya as she was making good time toward what we assumed was one of the wild wolf packs when the first volley of arrows came out of the trees and killed my horse and 40 of my men. Since then the situation had degraded, I was relying on my Housecarls to keep their shield up while we attempted to make our way to a nearby village. The position we had on the road was untenable and the bastard had archers hiding behind trees and bushes every mile.
I was peeved, the alliance that had kept the peace in Helwinter had not been broken in 20 years, and some moron had decided not only to break it but to try and kill me! I could see the plan, if I had died Russ would be disorganized in the winter, and perhaps the wolves that young moronic lord stirred up would finish the Russ off. It was a simple plan, but it would not to come to pass today. I had been through this tomfoolery before.
My Housecarl were the best trained on Asaheim, if not all of Fenris. They knew that my life was important for the survival of Russ and they would sell their lives dearly before they let some crap archers take it.
Getting back but keeping my head low I tried to consider who was responsible for this assassination attempt. Part me wanted to blame the young fool who stirred up the wolves but, though he may be a moron, I doubted he had a death wish. Stirring up the wolves before a hard Helwinter and then trying to kill one of the major leaders on Asaheim, that would get you hunted down by the other leader.
No the person behind this would most likely be someone in my ballpark, someone with a lot of strength in case their plan fell through and blaming the young fool didn't work.
Farthegn, then. That bastard controlled a good portion of the western shores, just beyond the mountains that spanned the continent of Asaheim. Most likely he heard about the young fool's mistake and saw this good opportunity to sow chaos in the eastern shores. Once everyone was weakened he'd march in with his army and claim control of this side of the continent.
That was the kinda warlord Farthegn was. He had watched him take over the other side of the continent with interest but had never had a good opportunity to deal with that possibility.
Well unless there was some opportunistic moron among his own people trying to kill him, something he would run down to be sure. He had a reason now, and once Helwinter was over he'd make that bastard pay. Didn't matter what favor he had to call in, he would gather every lord on this side of the continent and make sure that Farthegn was defanged.
Another volley came out of the trees and I ducked low as a few more of my guards fell dead. At the current rate, I believed we would make it to the nearby village. From there I would have the manpower and position to deal with the assassins if they didn't flee, but it would be a close-run thing if they kept getting lucky shots off into the weak points of my warriors' armor.
Holding the wolf Tanya had given to me I rubbed its head for good fortune, we would need some of that by the end of today, "Sire, look!" one of my warriors shouted over the sound as metal and wood met. Looking down the road I saw the roadblock in my plans for survival. Rather a large one.
There were narrow points in the road where the archers had set up a wooden barricade, an 8-foot high wall. To get past that we would either have to break up the formation to get around or over or loosen up the formation to take it apart. Either one would be a disaster, but they had not left it unguarded. Standing behind the wooded wall weres a dozen archers who were loading some odd contraptions that looked like a bow with wooden crosses. They pointed them at us and I ducked down just in time as the bolt cast from the strange bow ripped through the armor of my front line,
I heard word of something like this, a weapon found on the western coast. Farthegn really wanted this little murder plot to succeed if he shipped some of those over the mountains.
Well, then… My choices had been thoroughly limited. I could not waste time trying to climb the wall as that would expose us to the fire of the regular bows, and I could not stay here as the crossbows would cut us down 12 at a time. There was really only one choice.
Drawing my sword in my right-hand, wolf pup in left for good luck, I called "Men of Russ! Take that wall!" My order was followed to the letter as the shield square formation dissolved into a headlong charge toward the wall. Men at the edges were shot down by bowmen and the crossbowmen unleashed another volley into the front line, but the pure pressure of the charge and hate toward our tormentors carried us forward.
Like a wave, the line hit the large wall and flowed around it. What lay beyond it I didn't see as I was headed toward the center of the line and hit the wall, staying in what little cover it provided from crossbowmen.
My men had taken on forts of such size before, so even if there were no entrances around the sides my man knew taking the wall was important. Already they were working in teams to help each other get up the wood wall. The tree used in its construction, having not been properly cleaned, had plenty of handhold to uses.
"Form up to defend the rear!" I called, knowing as long as we were smashed up against this wall our back was an open target and that was something that we needed to mitigate.
The archers in the wood knew this as well and arrows began to increase in the volume of fire, each shot looking for a weak point in my men's armor. not all would find one that would kill, the rate by which my men were falling was increasing.
Then a noise broke the air, a loud howl that broke through the sounds of our battle and sent a chill through everyone's bones. The arrows slowed, then screams came from the east, followed by more howls. More screaming and more howls at a steady rate, moving closer from the east, continued as my man did their best to try to take the temporary tower and get to the crossbowman. Then the bowman who had been hiding ran out of the woods, quickly followed by Blackmaneds. The wolves showed no mercy as they rushed out of the trees, biting deeply and ripping Limbs from the humans who let them come into the biting distance. A moment later the chosen of the Allfather came, riding out of the wood astride her wolf and sword made of bone in one hand, slashing at the people who had been filling my men full arrow not a moment ago.
An Archer turned and fired arrows at her only for her to strike arrows out of the air with her sword and direct her wolf toward the man who tried to shoot her, his head did not stay on his body after one good bite.
With the enemy behind us now busy with the monsters of the mountains, my men could now focus on taking the tower. A few already found their way in, from the look of it, as one of the crossbowmen fell from the tower next to me with an ax buried deeply in his chest. After a few moments, his companions followed suit, being thrown or falling out of the tower man by man, only to be stabbed or chopped by those who had not found their way in. With the wolves clearing the area of the bowmen… I would say we won.
A cheer For Russ went up as the men realized the threat was over, a small celebration before they went to work searching the bodies for loot and seeing if there were was anything to do for those who had fallen in the fight. Stepping out of the group my man I moved to thank Tanya for her timely arrival that clinched us victory over the forces that had tried to kill me. Then stopped to watch her as she dismounted and started to care for her wolves.
She was proving to be Allfather sent, and a small part of me dared to hope that she was, but it was always possible that the rune priests had simply misplaced one of their numbers. They always seemed to have a connection with the ravens of this world.
But her height was abnormal enough that she could be a child of the Allfather and the control of the wolf brethren had not been seen outside of legends. If she really had slain the Black Demon of the mountains, then well that would cement her as Allfather sent, something that would create great change on this world.
The question was how best to use a demi-god, that was what plagued my mind. Right now using her to make sure wolves would not be an issue for this winter was fine but someone with so much potential could serve many roles, and to leave her in a role of wolf whisperer would be a waste.
I admit what I wanted was clear to me, someone to take over and lead Russ after me, someone to take over my watch of the Russ to guard them 24 months out the year and lead them to greatness. But I worried about the potential candidates currently in the running, warlords of minor statures, hunters, and heroes of the north wastes with a modicum of fame. The ones who I knew of were Ill suited, more caring about personal glory than the people they would rule.
So watching Tanya get off her wolf and start tending to the wolves she guided, caring for the wounds, checking they were in good condition instead coming to me to gain fame… It was inspiring. It spoke of a loyalty to those she guided that I had not seen from potential rulers in a long time.
Smiling I made up my mind and approached her, sheathing my sword and patting her on the shoulder as she seemed more worried about a wound on the wolf's side "Men! Bring me bandages and help our calvaries tend to her wolves." I called as knelt down next to her to offer any help, she smiled and reached over to pet the head of the wolf pup I still carried.
Loyal to her people, caring for her charges, and fierce for her allies. She would make an excellent next king, and if Allfather had sent her to me I would be a fool not to see that she accrued the fame and abilities needed to lead them.
The writer notes: hmm well now looks like the politics at play, and things beyond Tanya's comprehension on fenris… wonder what that is all about. What awaits our heroin and what shall come of this, will see next time…
Edited by Pierre
Madara95: It not long wait
Cat Eyes In The Night; unexpectedly yes they are
skrapsynneh: here more
Guest1/2; thanks here more
StoneTheLoner; haha no problem man should be cleared up now! yeah, the only real difference i can think of from that pick and Tanya here, is maybe a certain hair element that seemed to flow all Tanya through the multi verses.
Suzuwuzu: eure looking like it.
MidKnightMoonglow99: this story done for the fun of the readers so I'm doing less research and going with gut feelings, that means I'm more likely to break canon quick than I will over in the Mando story so anything is possible, but your right we do know something, the heresy will happen their players on the board who are going to want to do things to tip that in to happen, the real question will take the same shape a similar shape or shape we yet to figuer out.
Qinlongfei; even at my most out-there thought i only thought about tuning half and half, at the moment that not happening. I have something better-planed something that makes the question mute.
