Holmberg, D K - The Teralin Sword 03 - Soldier Sworn by Holmberg D K

Author:Holmberg, D K [Holmberg, D K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ASH Publishing
Published: 2017-08-21T16:00:00+00:00

18

The merahl led him east, but with a southerly direction as well. As they went, Endric could tell that the Antrilii that they had found and followed remained nearby. After the days that he’d spent alone, there was a certain reassurance in having someone else near him. The merahl remained silent as they tracked east, barely making a sound on the stone and never once growling or even howling, not as they had before.

At about the midpoint of the day after leaving the Antrilii, one of the merahl bounded off, powerful legs carrying the red-furred creature up the slope of the mountain until it disappeared altogether. Endric paused to watch, as always impressed by the creature and its grace. The smaller merahl with dark stripes through its fur nudged him, pushing him forward.

They began moving south, and the sky parted, giving a hint of warmth from the sun, the clouds that had been present finally clearing. Despite the heavy bank of clouds that he’d seen since entering the mountains, no rain had ever come.

The air was colder here, but with his laca fur coat, Endric barely felt the bite of the wind, able to ignore the way it gusted between the peaks and could push away the harshness of this land.

After a while, the merahl that had disappeared returned, carrying a pair of hares in its jaw. It set one of them down in front of Endric and then backed away, leaving him.

“Thank you,” he said.

The merahl met his gaze, and he had the unsettling sensation that the creature could tell what he was thinking. Using the sword he’d taken from the Antrilii, he made quick work of skinning the hare. Then he collected a few branches for a small fire. While the hare roasted, he crouched, watching the merahl.

The cub made its way toward him and licked his hand. The cub’s tongue was rough, and it felt almost like the cub was peeling the flesh from his hand, but Endric didn’t pull his hand away. When it was finished, he scratched it under the chin and then moved to rub its ears. The cub watched him as he did, and Endric felt as if the creature could tell what he was thinking. Even in their youth, the merahl had a certain intelligence to them.

When the hare was done, Endric tore meat off it, chewing slowly and savoring the flavor. He tossed hunks to the cub, who caught them in the air with a sharp snap of his smaller jaws. The other four merahl all watched, and Endric wondered if they were going to share the remaining hare, or if they wanted to share with him. They waited almost expectantly, and he decided that he should throw them pieces of the meat. When the hare was gone, the red-furred merahl that had gone hunting pushed the other hare toward him.

“Do you want this one roasted as well?” Endric asked softly.

The merahl sniffed, a sound that Endric took as agreement.

He quickly skinned it and roasted it the way that he had the other.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.