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

cruel!”
    Turning back to the forest, Hawkeye spoke over his shoulder. “Be that as it may, they stay as they lie, undisturbed and unburied. Now, we must move.”
    With one final look at the bodies, the three elves fell in behind Hawkeye and Rjurik. 

Chapter 8
    The weather began to turn colder as the companions travelled further north. Snow had begun to fall constantly, covering the Highlands in a white blanket which complicated their journey. The elves were still nursing wounds and couldn’t travel far without rest. They had covered less than seven leagues over the past two days due to the numerous raiding parties that were roaming the area. Hawkeye took extra precautions in selecting their paths; ones that would hopefully avoid any trouble.
    The raiding units they saw were well organized and usually numbered about ten gnomish soldiers, five goblin scouts and one or two barbarians who acted as commanders. One unit passed within fifty feet of their hiding spot even had a cyclopean enforcer along.
    Thankfully, the companions heard the raiders coming long before they could be seen. They had given up hope on finding help in this region of the Highlands. It wasn’t very populated in the best of times but since the raiders were patrolling the area, they had found only empty or burnt out homesteads.
    On their third night out from the destroyed trading post, Hawkeye led them off the game trail they had been using, out of the protection of the trees and up the snow covered ridge. Scrambling over the broken rocks that littered the area, the companions were buffeted by the cold north wind. Soon they reached a point on the north-western slope where two large rocks stood like silent sentinels.
    Hawkeye stopped and motioned his companions to a small opening behind the rocks. Stepping into the crevice, they discovered a small cave with a campfire already laid out and ready to light, along with a pile of sleeping furs and several boxes stacked against the back wall.
    Moving inside, Rjurik immediately set aside his shield and backpack and began to light the fire. Mortharona stumbled in and promptly collapsed on the furs. His head wound had begun to seep again and he had found travelling the last few hours extremely difficult. Khlekluëllin and Tatianna paused at the cave entrance and studied their surroundings.
    Khlekluëllin noticed that Hawkeye had not entered with them. Glancing at his sister, “Where did Hawkeye go?”
    Tatianna’s eyes widened at the realization that he had left them. “I don’t know.”
    A flash of light illuminated the cave as the campfire flickered into life. Putting away his flint and steel, Rjuirk spoke softly. “Now don’t ya be worryin’ about da pup. He’s gone off  scoutin’ the area.” He pointed at the crates. “Now lass, make yourself useful and go through them crates and find us something to eat.” He handed Khlekluëllin an empty bucket. “And you can get us some water.”
    “Where is the closest stream?” asked Khlekluëllin.
    “Probably the bottom of the ridge,” Rjurik said turning away. “Personally, I would just fill it with snow but you can hike all the way to the bottom and back if you want.”
    Khlekluëllin turned and moved toward the cave entrance as Tatianna opened the first crate and asked, “Rjurik, what is this place?”
    “This is one of our campsites. Many a time, da pup and I have had to travel this far north, either hunting game or goblins. If you want to live a long life in the Highlands, you tend to scout out defendable campsites long before you may need them.” He gestured at the supplies around them. “Then you outfit them the best you can and try to prepare for any situation.”
    With a shrug, Rjurik pulled out an old battered pipe. “You never know when you will get caught in a blizzard or behind enemy lines.” Pointing with his pipe at one of the sacks Tatianna had just removed from a crate. “Would ya mind passing me that bag o’ leaf?”
    Hefting