Free Tales of the Wolf: Book 01 - The Coming of the Wolf by A. E. McCullough

ever remember seein’ smoke from their homestead before.”
    Mortharona shrugged his shoulders. “Bah! That could mean anything.”
    Hawkeye could see that Rjurik was about to explode onto the dark haired elf. Stepping in between them, he spoke in a low calm voice. “What it means is that we need to be extra careful during our approach.”
    Gesturing to Rjurik, Hawkeye commanded. “Take the rear guard position. The rest follow me slowly and as quietly as possible. We may find that our enemy is already ahead of us.”
    Tatianna felt compelled to ask. “And if they are?”
    It was Khlekluëllin who answered. “Then we make sure that there won’t be anyone left alive to report on our location.”
    Hawkeye nodded his agreement before leading the way down the valley. Reaching the outskirts of the clearing, he raised his right hand and quickly closed it into a fist. Knowing this was the universal signal to stop; the elves stepped off the path and melted into the foliage of the forest. Hawkeye raised his head and sniffed the air; calling on the magical nature of his race, he transformed into a white wolf and loped off into the forest.
    Khlekluëllin looked over his shoulder at Rjurik. The old dwarf just shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against a tree. One of the first things a warrior learns is to rest whenever possible.
    Turning his attention back to the trading post, Khlekluëllin watched as Hawkeye moved slowly through the homestead. No other living creature stirred within the clearing.
    The thin ribbon of smoke that they saw from the ridgeline wasn’t coming from a chimney but from a large bonfire in the center of the clearing. Seeing Hawkeye transform back into human form as he stepped out of the closest building, the companions moved cautiously into the clearing.
    None of the elves were ready for the carnage that confronted them. The doors and shutters had been completely ripped off the buildings. The livestock, horses, chickens and sheep, had been slaughtered in their pens. The traders, the men at least, had been crucified around the bonfire. The women had been gutted and left to rot but it was the fate of the seven children that affected the companions the most. Tatianna froze as she came upon one of the children, a young girl who would’ve been about six or seven. The head had been hacked off the body and then hurled against the closest wall.
    Tatianna felt her stomach lurch as she realized someone had also urinated on the headless corpse. Turning away, she could see that the remains of the other children had also been similarly mutilated.
    All three elves paused, overwhelmed by the carnage around them. Elves have the oldest surviving empire on Terreth and can trace their heritage back ten generations before the dark times, before the war of the gods. Elves have earned the reputation as fierce warriors for their nation has been under siege nearly its whole existence. But this wanton destruction and callous slaughter of animals and people alike went beyond all reason.
    Turning north, Rjurik and Hawkeye moved toward the forest with heads bowed low. Glancing back Hawkeye said, “Come we must go.”
    “But… but we must bury them,” Tatianna said. “We must put them to rest.”
    Hawkeye shook his head. “Nay. They stay as they lie.”
    Placing her hands on her hips, Tatianna’s face became flush with anger. “How can you be so cruel?”
    “Do you believe in the spirit?” Hawkeye asked.
    “What? What does that have to do with the matter at hand?
    “It’s a simple enough question. Do you believe in the spirit? Do you believe in some form of the afterlife?”
    “Yes.”
    Hawkeye pointed at the corpses. “If you believe in an afterlife, then what is lying here are empty shells, broken vessels that are nothing more than food for scavengers. The force that animated them has fled to a better life. Nothing beneficial can be gained by taking the time to bury them.”
    Tatianna’s jaw dropped. “That’s so