Threewolf by Zyz Zak

Author:Zyz, Zak
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-09T00:00:00+00:00

10

The game trail wove north by northeast into the endless evergreen waves of the Inamultan Singir. Along the way, they found signs of all sorts of beasts: elk velvet, hawk feathers, porcupine spines, and the scattered bones of an unlucky beaver. They came across a heart-stopping mound of droppings that seemed big, even for a bear.

The men stood around the mound of spoor and spoke of gorgons and dragons. Whent poked at the pile with a stick and shook his head.

“One legend at a time, friends. I believe that’s from a bull moose.”

Relieved, they pressed against the edge of the great boreal forest. Here was a great green sea of untamed trees untouched by axe or saw. Kingly white pines towered over sprawling stands of blue spruce. Larch flickered between the foothills and swayed in every color of flame. Solemn, they walked through the primeval forest, surrounded by plants they could not name, trilled at by birds they’d never heard before.

Not long after, Whent found a line of wolf prints embedded in lichen, and excitement ran down the line. Ives, Ames, and Cocker readied their spears. Flinzer and Stripes checked their bows. Bluddox unslung his battleaxe. They were on to something.

The prints pointed at a stretch of woods so dark they could scarcely see. A deep carpet of needles stole the sound of their steps. The underbrush grew thick, and the birds fell still. On point, Cocker pushed through into a clearing. A shaft of light broke through the trees ahead and lit a cairn capped by a weathered standing stone. Cocker crept forward with his spear raised. Ten paces into the clearing, he came to an abrupt stop.

“What is it, Cock?” Flinzer whispered.

“Skulls!” Cocker hissed as he retreated. “This place is cursed! There are skulls everywhere!”

“Eyes out!” Flinzer ordered.

The men faced out in a circle and barely breathed. The threat might come from any direction, and Flinzer expected to hear some huge monster crash at them. Nothing came. Their hearts wound down, and they peered into the clearing. It was too dark to see much.

“All right. Fan out. Ames, Ives, Bluddox, left. Whent, me, and Stripes go right. Cocker, keep watch here. Sound off if you see anything. Don’t shoot each other. Circle ‘round, care for any kind of trip-line or trap. Meet back here.”

Flinzer snapped off orders, and the hunters set to. They swept the brush around the clearing with care and found themselves back where they’d begun. Ill at ease, Flinzer squinted into the trees.

“Find anything?” Cocker asked.

“More wolf tracks, headed west,” Ives reported.

“Saw that. There’s also a game path that heads due north. No tracks. Might be nothing. Let’s have a look at these skulls,” Flinzer said.

His words had no purchase. The men were not with him. Trifling with curses was too big an ask.

“All right. Cocker, come with me. Rest of you can stay.”

“Hell, why me?”

“‘Cause, if it’s cursed, you’re hexed already.”

Cocker went pale, but he could not refute Flinzer’s logic. They stepped into the silent clearing and let their eyes adjust.

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.