OUTLANDER

                                                        Chapter 37

                                          The Dark Surprise

Iron Beard with Estonia and Bulb Nose with Daitha have just stepped off the Rail Rain at the stop for the Plaza in Sovladen. Waiting for them is Dax holding Vlad and Melody.

“Good Day you four, it has been too long since you visited us here in Sovladen.” Dax said to their combined Elders.

“Not so much longer than you three have been to Twin Mountain Village, I dare say Nephew.” Iron Beard almost roared the greeting back at his beloved Nephew. “Where is my Grand Niece, by the by?”

“She is with Iben Dom and his Parents. They are waiting for us at the Meeting Hall.” Melody answered before her husband could speak. “She and Iban are seldom separated any more. Those two have planned this gathering. They say it is to honor their Grand Parents. Gayla, Ruthor and little Francher are there with Gayla’s parents already.”

“One day Daughter, we will be coming to a much different dinner for a much happier announcement, I feel.” Daitha said back to Melody.

“I have little doubt about that anymore, Mother, but we are not in any hurry either.” All six of them laughed until Iron Beard interrupted the humor.

“Well, I hope we four here don’t have to wait as long, as we did for the two of you.” Which elicited another round of laughter from them all. It was only young Vlad who didn’t understand what was so funny for the six adults.

“Okay, how about we all just start walking to the Meeting Hall.” Dax said stifling his own laughter.

Once there and inside they saw and joined Ruthor already seated with his family, Gayla’s parents and the two young almost adults, Ginger, and Iben Dom. Both had grown much in the last two winters, and looked very much like two young adults would bent on spending their lives together. The chatter around the tables that had been placed together for such a large group, was enthusiastic and happy. They talked about people enjoying some free time now taking voyages on the steam paddle ship up the coast or down the coast. Many enjoyed the southern voyage more because the captain would voyage around the large reef north of Mount Fang and then around East Island. There were schools of a variety of fish to be seen around the reef, and many times deer and boars could be seen near the shores of East Island.  Many would take long hikes up South River and around hills to Stallion River far enough to see the water falls below Wild Horse Canyon. There was an Inn at Darma Village that had rooms for families to stay a few days at a time now.

Other adventurous couples would disembark the ship at the small dock on the southern coast of East Island and spend a few days at an Inn there where they could either hike the islands central mountain or just relax on the southern bay’s beach. There was a platoon of The Wolf Pack now garrisoned there who manned a new tower at the top of the mountain.

As the friendly conversation had taken this turn, Iben Dom stood looking a little tongue-tied, but when Ginger took his hand from her seat next to him, gave him more assurance to speak what he wanted to say. “Commander Dax and Lady Melody, Mother and Father, Ginger and I would like to ask your permission to make an announcement. We have decided that we would like to declare our intention to be betrothed to one another, and then one day not too far in the future to become husband and wife?”

Both Melody and Gayla could not help the tears of joy that came to their eyes. Dax and Ruthor looked at each other and then turned back to the young man as Dax answered. “Iben, all of us seated here have hoped that this day would come. We have all seen the love you two have for one another, and could not be more pleased. Speaking for your father and myself we will be pleased to give our permission for such an announcement allowing that your Mothers are of a like mind, that is.”

Gayla and Melody exchanged quick glances and then spoke together. “Yes, we also agree, and could not be happier.”

Not waiting for anyone to ask, it was Bulb Nose who spoke next. “I feel more than confident that all of us Grand Parents, Grand Uncles and Grand Aunts are just as happy, as are your parents. You are a wonderful couple who are very much loved.”

Ginger also had joyous tears in her eyes as she stood and walked around the table toward her and Iben’s Mother, who both stood and welcomed the young woman into a group female hug, quickly joined by Daitha, Estonia and Domina. Ruthor and Dax stood to do the same with Iben Dom. Ruthor spoke into his son’s ear saying that he and Ginger had just made them all family, even more than they had been for many seasons, and how very proud he was of him.

Iben stood back half a step and asked a question of both men. “Father, Commander Dax, uncle of my heart, I have one more request to ask?”

“Ask what you wish of us?” Ruthor said with full respect to the question.

“Ginger and I have talked about this. She agrees with what I ask. We have both grown up as children of the Wolf Pack, proud of our Fathers, proud to be the children of both of you. Father you know I always played at being a soldier in the Wolf pack, it has been what I have always wanted to be. So, I ask you both now, now that I am old enough, now that I truly need to be making my way in the world for both Ginger and I. Will you two allow me to join in training for the Wolf Pack?”

Dax and Ruthor looked at each other with eyes wide of pride in the question. It was Ruthor who answered his oldest son. “Yes, we will. You and Ginger know how hard the training is. You both know. More men fail than are able to complete the training. But we both have complete faith in your metal, and you have one edge on most who try. You have grown up your entire life with love for our brothers, the Dire Wolves who are our closest comrades and friends. You have grown up knowing the devotion a Wolf Pack man takes in his service and his sacrifices. Knowing all of this and with the complete knowledge your young fiancé knows of these things as well. You will be admitted to training as soon as you are ready to start.”

“I would like to start immediately. Ginger and I would like my training to be completed before we become husband and wife.”

“This being the wish of you both, then you can start in two days’ time. Take that time to spend with her. Because, once your training starts, it will be quite a while before you can do such again.” Dax instructed him. “You know, some may think, because of who you are that you will get favored status. It will not be so, in fact your training officers may expect even more of you than them, but some of those you will be training with may make it harder on you to be accepted among them. You will know your trainers, but do not allow yourself to acknowledge that either. Do as you are bade and do all to your utmost capabilities. That will prove yourself to both trainers and those training with you.”

“I understand and expect all that. I will honor you both, Ginger and myself.”  With that both men grasped his shoulders and shook his hand. Then they joined the ladies and grandfathers. Iben waited a while before whispering to Ginger of his acceptance, when she kissed him longingly in front of everyone, they wished to know the secret. As Iben gave all of them his request of Ruthor and Dax, and their acceptance there was an uproarious clamor of congratulations. During the following two days, little was seen of the young couple except at dinners and family get-to-gathers.

                                                                            *****

“Come in, Commander. What can I do for you this morning?” Commodore Vexlor said as Commander Resham knocked on his cabin door on the Pregmor.

“Commodore, I must report the disappearance of another watchman from last night.”

“That makes three now in the last half moon. Where was this man on watch last night, and what was his time on watch?”

“He was on roving watch to the west end. He was discovered missing when his replacement could not find him at a little before dawn. We have searched since then and have found not a track or sign of where he went or if taken by who. Like the other two he just is not here any longer, not one shred of him, clothing, weapons, or even a blood trail is to be found.”

“This must be the work of the Crog. It can be nothing else, we may have underestimated their capabilities. We cannot allow this to go unpunished. Bring in our officers for a command meeting. Make it during the mid-day meal, we will find some strategy to find these men and exact the appropriate amount of punishment and instill fear into these savages, once and for all.”

“Yes sir, Commodore.”

The Steldar Army officers met with Commodore Vexlor for most of that day. Tactic after tactic was discussed in great detail. Some had little merit, due to the minimum knowledge they had of the interior of the Trees of Dark, some would have required too much involvement of the lumber civilians and time that would be required to make any progress to find and attack any force or encampment. Immediately they would have all watches now stood by no less than two-man patrols or stationary guards. Then they would attempt to make deeper sorties into the Trees of Dark at various locations in search of some path, trails, or any track of the Crog. If all this failed to garner possibilities, then they would need to ascertain other maneuvers that would.

Over the following three moons, not one attempt of any of these gained even one shred of new information about the Crog. Not how they were moving within the dense forest, not even when they had been anywhere, that the Steldar forces encroached into. All that had happened was, That one small patrol of six men who were hacking and scorching a path deeper into the Trees of Dark a moon back, had also gone missing. The entire patrol had not returned, and when a larger force went searching down the track that trail they had left, at its end was nothing, it just ended. Commodore Vexlor was furious, he could not accept that his men with superior weapons, better training and experience could be so inept.

Deep within the Trees of Dark, where no man had ever been, the campfires of the Crog were jubilant. On tall poles driven in the ground around the perimeter of the main campfire were the skulls of nine of the hairless beasts, and at the edges of the clearing were crude structures where two poles had been driven into the ground at angles crossing each other and bound together with thick leather straps. Tied spread eagle to each structure was the headless carcass of each of the same nine men, left to rot on the crude frames. Crog men and women danced in naked reverie around the fire drunk to oblivion on a concoction made from the fruits of two types of plants that grew plentifully, aged well, allowing the hallucinogenic properties to reach full potency. This celebration would go on until the beverage was depleted, men and women had coupled many times and eventually blacked out for more than a full day afterwards.

Two days later the Crog leaders spoke in council. Any living hairless beast would not understand, he would only think he was hearing guttural grunts and see different meaningless body movements as the sounds were made. But to the Crog this was language, and they understood completely. Emboldened in the success at having trapped and then later tortured the ones now proudly displayed around the village so more Crog from the other villages would join with them in forcing these outsiders to leave their lands. Time and their sacred trees would be all they needed to send these creatures away. Never again would they trust any of the hairless beasts, never again in their combined memory for the Crog that were not yet born. Heads and shoulders shook in agreement, men shouted howls to the sky above, the trees, and their fang toothed black brothers who walked on four legs.

Commodore Vexlor had decided their next campaign against the Crog would be devastating to these not quite men. His soldiers, sailors and the lumbermen were already constructing new siege weapons, huge ones; Catapults that would launch volley after volley of boulders, rocks, and hundreds of jars of Dragons Breath. They would burn and pulverize a wide swath into the Trees of Dark. Day and night they would incinerate everything in their path; trees, undergrowth, animals, and not-quite-men. He would erase them all from the face of the earth. He had opted for patience until the weapons were completed, the projectiles ready and stocked for a relentless onslaught. Men prepared and instructed in the attack plan. Then and only then would his plan be put into action. No failure would be condoned, no lapse in following those orders unpunished. He would have this entire race and everything they had obliterated from existence for the killing of nine of his fellow Steldarians.

                                                                           *****

Iben Dom was six moons into his training. His father and Dax had been right, at first his training mates treated him like an unwanted outsider because of who he was, but in time he had won their comradery. Not with words but with his stalwart and steadfast actions at accomplishing every thing the trainers threw at him, and threw at him was easily seen by them all. For everything each of them had to complete, the trainers expected and demanded that Iben do better and quicker.

The three main trainers were Lieutenants Ofid, Cran and Eron (all men Iben thought of like uncles). Training was not confined to daylight, there were times when the training went for as long as two days. Without stopping for sleep and only scant rations, downed quickly and then jumping right back into continuing with that particular exercise. This was as it would be in a combat situation. By now the exercises were more intense and advanced. Iben had exceled at the introductions to working with Dire Wolves, he had been around them his whole life. He had been the best archer in the group, and was a fine marksman with the firelock. None of the new recruits knew that they were almost finished with their training. Several men who started the training had already dropped out, that was normal, Wolf Pack training was not for the faint of heart.

The next morning the three Lieutenants were talking with Commander Dax and Captain Ruthor, about the graduation ceremonies and what they felt about the recruits as a whole.

“Since it is only us five in this room Dax, I will say this for us all. We have talked about this several times over the last six moons and are in complete consort about it. Ruthor should be extremely proud of his son. He was born to be one of us. Regardless of what we threw at him over and above what was expected of every recruit, he forged his path through it all without so much as a moment’s hesitation.”

As Cran and Eron nodded agreement, Ruthor reacted to the compliment. “I thank you all for feeling that way. May I ask, how is his rapport with the other recruits?”

“It was as we thought, at first. But that melted away and he has become one they seek out for help and council in how to excel as he does. He has, probably without knowing it, been the glue in making a group of strangers into a unit.”

“How many have made it to the end of training?” Dax asked.

“Enough for two full platoons, or six squads, if we were to break them down and assign them as squads to existing platoons. Thirty new Wolf Pack soldiers.” Cran replied matter of factly.

“We have in the past, allowed three of that number to be promoted to Man-at-Arms at graduation ceremonies. The top ten percent. I suppose we will continue that tradition with these recruits?”

“We all think that would be appropriate, and we think the selection should be guided by a vote of the recruits themselves, as we have done before.”

“Good, then make that announcement at their morning meal. Tell them to have their suggestions by the mid-day meal and the three will find out our decision during the ceremony tomorrow morning at their graduation ceremony. Have word sent to their families about the ceremony.”

“Yes, Commander.”

After the three lieutenants left, Dax and Ruthor looked at each other for a moment and then grasped each other’s shoulders with fatherly pride. The next morning at the ceremony on the practice ground at Wolf Peck Headquarters 30 new men were formally sworn in and added to the Wolf Pack roles as soldiers, three of their number were meritoriously promoted to the rank of Man-at-Arms: Iben Dom, Denis Prie and Pall Tearz. Ginger could hardly contain her pride when the announcement was made by her Father and was the first person crossing the practice field running toward Iben when the ceremony was over.

He told her that his first assignment was to Lieutenant Ofid’s platoon, there in Sovladen. Moments later both their parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends were many of the other families crossing the practice field for similar congratulations to their sons or loved ones.

One quarter moon later Ginger and Iben Dom became husband and wife. They moved into one of the houses in the Wolf Pack compound for married Wolf Pack men. Three of the other new soldiers from the recruits became members of his squad.

                                                                 *****

The siege had begun a half moon ago, in that time the men from Black Beach Port had only advanced a league and half into the Trees of Dark. It took more time to pelt the trees and undergrowth and the Dragons Breath to burn the immense amount of broken growth to ashes and cool down enough so men could make headway than they had anticipated. In that league and half, not one Crog body was found, not one had been seen or heard screaming, only the occasional animal or bird was found charred and lifeless. Their path was a quarter of a league wide, at this rate it would takes several full phases of the moon to reach any distance into the dense forest province. Everything in the Trees of Dark was damp with heavy dews every morning and the lifegiving water sucked up from the ground beneath by the labyrinth of roots.

Commodore Vexlor was undaunted in his vehemence, not one man complained, no one uttered (even in whispers) of the sheer magnitude of what they were attempting.

Even the lumbermen kept quiet, but they were being paid for their assistance since they were here, instead of working at their trade for profit. They at least could see the loss in perfectly good lumber that could have been obtained, although that would have delayed the progress forward even more.

Thus, every day proceeded as the day before beat the forest down to a manageable incineration, keep sharp eyes for any possible sighting of the Crog and continue moving forward. Men in the rears kept making arrows for the hwachas, others kept collecting the rocks and boulders found from a previous onslaught to resupply the catapults. There were cooks in the rear so that these men could be fed three times a day, and supply men bringing the tentage and bedding moving up behind the assault line. Patrols works just inside the forest’s edge as they moved forward to preclude any possible flank movements of the Crog. Roving and stationary guards were posted every evening for those off shift.

Unknown to this massive compliment of armament and men, they were constantly under the watchful eye of Crog scouts, who reported every movement, every advance, and every lapse in security to their rear. The leaders of the coastal Crog had been right, more of their clans had been to the village, had seen that these hairless beasts could be beaten, and were now helping in the scouting and planning for the right time to counter this sacrilege against their sacred trees, and former slaughter of their kind.

From the tree tops they watched, from just inside the edges of dark they kept vigil, and runners went stealthily between those watching and the ones far deeper in the interior. Early on they saw that these men kept their onslaught to this narrow path, once they were deep enough and could be cut off from the beach, cut off from quick reinforcements and easy resupply. Then it would be time to strike without warning, without escape, and the carnage would be devastating. Between the combined strength of all the clans and all of their fanged black partners these hairless beasts would suffer as the others had, screaming until a long-awaited death released them back to the spirits of the Crog who had lived before.

                                                                 *****

“Lord Daka, may I enter?”

“Of course, Ceric. What may I do for you this morning?”

“I just wanted you to know that I have sent a messenger bird to Neder. I received one this morning from Morden in Lagdian. Their southern out post had seen black smoke on the eastern horizon for several days. From the extent of it they are assuming that the Steldar men on Shadows Beach are burning their way into the Trees of Dark.”

“What has gotten into that fool, King Drofeld?”

“I think he must be trying to find Crog in the interior and wipe them out. That is why I sent the bird. I think Neder needed to be warned.”

“I agree, I will send a messenger to the commander at Skalm, and ask him if his men at the southern outpost in the Daka Mountains have seen any such smoke from their location.”

“That is a good idea, but they may not, the prevailing wind along the southern shores tends to blow from east to west.”

“That is true , but it won’t hurt to ask.”

“No, it won’t. I am going to see if I can talk with Thane Rolf, and apprise him of this information. Would you like to come with me?”

“Not this time, tell him we have spoken, and that I am making inquiries of our men in the south.”

“I will do just that. I will stop by afterwards and let you know his reaction.”

“Thank you.”

Ceric left Daka’s office and turned to go to the Thane’s chambers.

                                                               *****

“How is married life, Daughter?”

“I am so happy, Mother. I couldn’t be happier. Iben has his morning meal, then goes to whatever his duties are for the day, and then he comes home, and we have evening meal and spend time together. Then we lay down and cuddle up and sleep beside each other until morning.”

“And all is good with you two there as well. Sorry, but as a mother and a woman I have to ask?”

“You have taught me well, Mother. He is the gentlest of souls, kind and attentive in every way. It is almost hard to believe that he is trained to be a member of the Wolf Pack, and a man who could kill an enemy so efficiently as Father.”

“Then he is a man like your Father, he is the very same way, and always was. Like you, I have known your Father since we were mere babes in arms. He has always had those same qualities. But we both know that when needs be, he is the strongest of warriors. I have all trust that Iben will be the same. All the men he loved and trusted his entire life are cut from that same cloth.”

“And like my Mother, I will worry when he is gone, and be all the happier every time he comes home. The difference only being that I have grown up knowing this life, even before my heart was given to one, I knew would choose it.”

“I am now glad that you were, Ginger. I know in my heart how much you love Iben, and how much he loves you. All of both your parents have watched this love grow for many seasons, and have been glad of it. No two such young people were ever so well matched.”

“Thank you, Mother, I feel the same. Iben is not only my Husband and lover, but he is also my closest and dearest friend.”

                                                                *****

The Shadows Beach army had now been at their bash and burn onslaught for a full moon and half another. Yet their advance had slowed the deeper into the Trees of Dark that they got. The trees were yet taller and closer together, the under growth was also thicker and more dangerous. Flanking patrols had to hack their way alongside the main force with greater vehemence to make half the distance. Two men had been bitten by snakes and died horrible deaths, three more had sustained cuts from heavily thorned bushes and eventually died as well. Two more had become listless and were taken back to Black Beach Port so sick they could not move, from insect bites while they slept on the ground at night.

Six men had gone missing while on watch during different nights during the last moon. No sound of warning had been given, and no one had seen anything. The men were just gone, vanished, never seen again. Commodore Vexlor had went into a blind rage every time. He had increased the number on men assigned to the force by half again as many. And yet they were now only three and a half leagues away from the Black Beach. As yet not one Crog had been seen or heard. But there were now deep harsh cries in the night from what sound like huge catlike creatures, and the grunts and yells from monkeys of some type that almost never ceased regardless of whether it was day or night. Sleep for the men of the contingent was fitful or almost nonexistent. Morale was at its lowest. Fights broke out almost daily over insignificant and or petty infractions.

What was almost as concerning was that reports from the resupply patrols was that the undergrowth and trees were beginning to sprout back to life along the first quarter of a league that they had obliterated over a moon ago. The patrols kept trampled as much as they could in their comings and goings, but the regrowth continued in the areas away from the most direct track to bring supplies to each days forward progression. And as it did, draft animals became ever more skittish and harder to control.

As Vexlor sent more men to the frontline of the incursion, more men had to be brought to Shadows Beach from Steldar, which meant less men stationed at home. On the slight plus side of this was that now a few merchant and fishing ships were occasionally making port for trade at Shadows Beach Port.

On the night of the full moon, as the moon was at its zenith in the ebony night sky, with the much shriller and louder screams of the monkeys, as if they were in high danger. There was added a more dangerous and lethal abundance of the catlike guttural roars, immediately followed by screams of terror from men on first the left side of the rear guard, and then from the right side of the same horrific yells for help and screaming unintelligibly. Nearly half of the full contingent jumped from their beds, while the force of men continuing with the assault on the trees at the forward stopped and ran to their rear to help at full battle run. As they closed on the locations where the screams had come from, they confronted sights they had never imagined. Huge black leopards were tearing and eating men on both sides of the encampment’s rear. As the leopards saw the men with torches, more catlike roars were heard from deep in the trees on either side. At hearing these roars, every one of the large black cats bounded away into the forest. Leaving nothing but ripped flesh, where flesh still was attached to bones of already dead men. A few not dead already were writhing around on the ground or sprawled out like gutted prey twitching about in the last throes of dying. Blood ran on the ground or pooled all about as if there had been a torrent of it having fallen in a rain. More than one man who had just arrived dropped onto the soaked ground and added the retching of his last meal’s remnants, others gagged with dry heaves.

As the scene calmed from the violence, and men could start the process of assessing the toll of the carnage, they found that a dozen men had been mauled and killed by the large leopards, but not one cat was found among the dead. Again, not one Crog had been seen as they had neared the area of the mutilations. Several men shouted every profanity and threat they could at the darkness of the trees, and again as they found every arrow shot at the melee without any hint of any having even nicked a target. Many had to be physically stopped from running after the huge black cats for vengeance. In all of this the monkeys continued their now calmed nightly eerie serenade. More than one man was just beginning to calm from a blood lust that had momentarily overcame them.

When later the next day and Vexlor received the report of the assault of the leopards and their toll. Those around him feared that the man was going to go insane with total anger. He lashed out at the messenger with his sword, but luckily the man feinted and dodged the stroke in abject terror, then ran full speed from the Commodores office, disappearing into the streets of the town.

Vexlor had his aide send for his horse immediately. Once mounted he made straight away for the opening in the forest and turned into it. He rode at full gallop until he saw the encampment, then slowed to a canter. Once there he dismounted and found many men in the process of picking up all they could find of dead men bodies and recognizable pieces of a human torso. Even at this stage the scenes on both sides of the clearing was horrific, as the visual evidence began to sink in, the captain in charge came close to his Commander.

“Sir, we are trying to find all that we can, we plan on having an honorable ceremony. I trust that meets with your approval?”

Vexlor had sobered at the sight of the carnage. “How did this happen. Where were the guards?”

“Commodore, these are the rear guards. We had increased their number in each group to six and they were within sight of the rear encampment, so this should not have happened.”

“But it did. At seeing this and hearing your increase for their safety, I do not find any fault in your decision. Tell me exactly what has been going on here, do not leave out any small detail.”

The Captain did as ordered and gave a lengthy account of all the activities that had been occurring. He included the increase in animal activity coming from the forest all around them. The necessity of slowed progress due to the increased density of the forest and the full days and nights flanking patrols and rear and flanking guards. He talked about the lack of good sleep from the increase in night long noise. Finally, he finished with the chronologic series of events from the preceding evening and as swift as possible charge of all the encampment to get to these men as soon as the first screams of the leopards, followed by the first screams of men. Then the sights that everyone saw when they got there.

“The main thing in what you have told me is that two independent groups of leopards attacked the most vulnerable men simultaneously at the most opportune moment, and afterwards fled the clearing in both directions after hearing other cat howls from farther away and into the trees.”

“Yes, Sir. That is exactly what happened. It was as if they were called off at that moment.”

“Then, I believe you, no one would tell such a story unless it was true , and that tells me that they were called off. But I believe they were called off by Crog, who sounded like leopards, and who know how to work with leopards from long training. I have been wrong Captain, and I am sorry for this waste in your men because of that error in judgement.”

“Commodore, Crog hunting and killing with Leopards sounds a lot like the Wolf Pack of Marden.”

“Yes, I have that same thought. Knowing what I know of the Wolf Pack’s success in conquering their enemies, I now wonder if this mission I have ordered you to pursue is attainable.”

“Commodore, are you changing our orders?”

“Yes, I am. Start the process of moving men and the siege weapons back to Shadows Beach Port. By the time you get everyone there we will formulate a new plan. I now think we should concentrate our efforts on fortifying our town and port against the Crog, not trying to find them, they have the advantage here deep in the Trees of Dark, and we have the advantage near the beach where we can control the element of an attack.”

“Yes, Sir. We will start at first light.”

“Start now, Captain. Do not delay and suffer any more losses. But do not leave anything behind that they can find some way to use. Bring every man, animal, and piece of equipment with you. We will use everything there to protect us. Take no chances keep the rear guards close and rotate them often.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Commodore Vexlor mounted his horse, reined him around and headed back in the direction of Shadows Beach Port. He didn’t ride at a gallop or even a canter, he just rode back leaving his men to obey his order. He knew he had failed, and he had failed by following his rage, the failure of a military commander. He would not succumb to that again.

                                                                       *****

Lord Ceric walked through his door at home. Mejara was seated at their table darning a pair of his stockings. As she looked up, she could tell that her brother was deep in thought.

“Your day did not end well, my Brother?”

“What? Oh, not exactly well or not well, Mejara. There came a message from Lord Daka’s Captain in Skalm. He had sent some of his men to the new Port at Shadows Beach under the guise of being fishermen docking to trade for supplies. When they returned, they brought word that the fires had ceased since the commodore there had canceled his mission to find the Crog deep in the Trees of Dark. Rumors there are that he lost many men during the mission, and did not even see one Crog in the almost two moons and several leagues they penetrated the forest. It was also said that the final attack on his men was completely by many large black leopards, no men. But all the forces rear guards on both rear flanks were killed savagely by the leopards. It was also said that the Commodore believes that they were being controlled by Crog who remained out of sight in the Trees of Dark.”

“But that sounds like something that the….”

“Yes, like Dax and the Wolf Pack could achieve. The question is, how do Crog have that kind of ability, if they are as all have believed, and they are less than men themselves.”

“No wonder you are in such a state. How did the Thane react to this revelation?”

“Unfortunately, it gave him a new reason to think more about Borland and the Wolf Pack.”

“Oh no, I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Neither do I.”