Werewolf Knight 3, page 24
“That’s so true,” Tabitha sighed.
“Umm,” I said, “so what happens to knights who spend too long in the flatlands?”
Charles and Tabitha looked up at me with wide eyes and grave expressions.
“There are lots of dangerous creatures in the forest on Eiger Mountain,” Charles said. “In my experience as a knight, it’s always better to camp in terrain with blind spots. The creatures that lurk the flatlands are known for stalking their prey for hours, perhaps even days.”
“But surely the knights are adept at fighting creatures,” I said with a laugh. “I mean, hell, if I can rip a vampire to shreds, I can take… you know… a wildcat or something. No offense, Imelda.”
I looked back and shot the ex-vampire an awkward grin, but she just shrugged.
“None taken,” she said with a sigh. “I would’ve ripped me to shreds, too, if I’d met myself three years ago.”
Tabitha looked up and snickered at the priestess. If anything could win Tabitha over, it was a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor.
“It’s no joke,” Charles said and shook his head. “I know you’re a powerful knight, and I have full faith in you, but as your mentor, it’s my job to warn you. Not only do the creatures of the flatlands keep watch, but they learn the patterns of their prey. They learn their weaknesses, their habits, the way they move. And from there, they launch the perfect attack. It’s always good to stay somewhat invisible, no matter how safe you think you are. And as strong as a werewolf is, a manticore is even deadlier, especially if it swoops out on you with no warning.”
“I’ve heard of manticores killing werebears in the fighting pits of Aligon,” Tabitha added
“You remember those wheat fields on our way to Lake Wahaya, right?” Sybil asked. “When it went pitch black, and we decided that we couldn’t camp there, so we--”
Before she could accidentally spurt out in front of Charles that we’d taken the moon ring back to New Jersey, Imelda pointed behind Charles and distracted us all.
“Speaking of terrible creatures,” she said with a laugh.
I caught a glimpse of Jacob, the direwolf trainer, as he came around the corner of the house, and I realized he must have run off to collect my pup when Charles had turned his attention to Tabitha. Both hands were full, though, and I saw that he was leading Bertie as well as Casanova.
However, this time, the dogs were suited up a little differently. Along with the usual harness and reins, Bertie was clad with a large blue woolen blanket that had been fastened to his back with leather straps. It looked comfortable and massive, and I assumed that we’d be using it for our camping trip.
Casanova, on the other hand, was a whole different story. The pitch-black direwolf was carrying a massive canvas sack which had been fastened with numerous leather belts across his back and fastened snugly under his belly
“Is that comfortable for him?” I asked Jacob.
“Of course it is,” Charles answered and waved his hand. “This is how we Lupercalian knights have been traveling for years with all of our luggage.”
“He’s right, Sir Henry,” Jacob added. “The bottom of the sack is padded with all the softer materials, like the blankets and the tent and whatnot. Then there’s the moon silver, and then the tools, and the snacks…”
“Exactly,” Tabitha added as she stood up and rolled up her maps. “I’d thank you not to question the Lupercalian ways, Henry Baker.”
I would’ve thought she was being serious, however she winked at me, and I knew that she was just teasing. By the Goddess, what an irresistible little minx.
“I’d never dream of such a thing, my lady,” I said and raised an eyebrow.
“Looks like someone is happy to see his master,” Charles said as Casanova wagged his tail and started to drool. “My, my, those pups grow up so very quickly. Anyway, thank you for your hard work Jacob. The girls and I will see you in a few days, and I’m sure Henry won’t be far behind us.”
“Of course, Sir Charles,” Jacob said. “I can’t wait to spend some more time with Bertie again.”
“Maybe you can teach him some manners,” Charles laughed as he rubbed his direwolf’s ears. “Or at least train him to stay out of the larder.”
Jacob bobbed his head and grinned at the two direwolves before he darted away. We watched him greet some of the other kids, but he didn’t stop running until he reached the chicken coop.
“What a lovely boy,” Charles said. “You must be so happy that you found so many people who are willing to work for you.”
“I’m not sure that Clancey was too happy,” Sybil said with a giggle. “But we certainly are.”
“Well, if he wanted them to stay, then he should’ve taken better care of them,” Charles said.
The knight shook his head back and forth and suddenly stretched from six to nine feet. His face and hands sprouted with fur, and his nose elongated into that of a wolf. He took a few sniffs before looking down at the girls and laughing a low, growly laugh.
“You know, I haven’t actually seen another person do that in a while,” I said. “It’s almost a little strange to watch.”
“It’s as natural as anything,” Charles said with a wink. “Now come on, girls. Hank’s going with the bundle on Casanova. That little wolf needs to learn the ropes of carrying precious cargo as well as riders.”
“So you’re stealing my navigatress?” I said with a chuckle, and stamped my foot.
“You can follow us,” Tabitha said with a wink, and she hopped onto Bertie’s back.
The sleepy direwolf let out a big yawn while the rest of his crew mounted, but I knew that was just a feint. The older wolf was fast on his feet and had a mind that was just as nimble, and we’d be hard-pressed to beat him to the campsite.
“Let’s not let them win,” I whispered to Casanova as I climbed onto his back.
“Ready, everyone?” Charles asked.
“We’re all good,” Tabitha assured him.
“Ready as ever,” I called over, and I felt Casanova paw the ground.
“Excellent,” Charles said with a laugh. “To Eiger Mountain we go!”
The knight kicked ever so slightly, and his dark brown direwolf started to trot forwards. Casanova followed obediently as the wolf ahead of us broke into a canter, a gallop, and then a full direwolf sprint.
We turned right outside the bean estate and ran in the direction of the historic Blueclaw estate. The day was cool and crisp, but at least it was sunny, and I was covered in fur anyway, so the breeze created by our passage barely even registered.
Casanova’s gait was exceptionally smooth and fast, and the direwolf zoomed after Bertie with an impressive speed. We flew past the impressive Blueclaw estate, which included four stately homes and a fruit garden that was bigger than a football field. However, the whole thing was just a blur of gray cobbles and spires at the speed we were going. I saw Tabitha lift her arm to wave at the family estate, and Sybil immediately wrapped her arm around the reckless aristocrat’s waist to keep her from falling off of Bertie.
Imelda was the caboose of their crew, and her long white hair fluttered gracefully in the wind. She turned around, and I caught a glimpse of her icy-blue eyes and her soft, round lips. She smiled at me and giggled before turning around and nestling her head into Sybil’s neck.
I was getting kind of tired of staring at Bertie’s ass at that point, so I decided to propose a challenge to Charles.
“Come on, boy,” I whispered into Casanova’s ear. “Let’s let Bertie know that he’s not all that.”
Casanova made a sound like a wolfish chuckle, and then he kicked it up a notch for a few paces. In a flash, we were running right beside the other guys instead of behind them.
And I liked it that way.
Charles was so focused on the route ahead of him that at first he didn’t see me, but after a split second he turned his head and laughed.
“You want a race, then?” he shouted into the wind.
“Hell yeah, I do,” I shouted back, and the girls all smiled and laughed.
“Let’s do it,” Tabitha said with a cackle.
“Okay, but be careful,” Sybil added as she clutched her basket to her chest. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“Oh, please,” Tabitha said and rolled her eyes. “Where’s the fun in being careful all the time?”
“It’ll make the journey quicker,” Charles shouted, and he nudged Bertie even more.
I nudged Casanova, and somehow, both direwolves started running even faster. Despite the breakneck speed, my pup’s gait was still smooth as ever. It was how I imagined the bullet train in Japan must feel. The faster these wolves got, the less it was like riding a creature and more like defying the space-time continuum.
And I would know what that felt like, because it was what my business model was based on.
The sun beat down on us as we raced over the frosty hills and dales. It was a relief to finally make a trip that wasn’t all woodlands, and it was the perfect opportunity for racing.
We raced until the sun was at its peak in the sky and our starting point was far behind us. By now, the thin woodlands were replaced with mountains that loomed in the distance. The scraggly trees that had lined our path began to give way to trees with thick trunks that had to be at least ten feet in diameter. The branches were thicker as well and seemed to be growing backwards. The tips were wider than the point where they grew out of the trunk, and knobby fists sprouted from each meaty end.
Despite the dense trees that surrounded us, we kept up the pace toward the mountains. As the sun started to slip lower in the sky, the waxing crescent moon became visible. It had grown more bloated over the past few days, so there wasn’t much time left if I was going to make it to the lake in time to forge my sword under the light of a full moon.
Ahead of us, the mountain started to grow larger. Toward the top there were icy peaks like on an Evian bottle, but the way up seemed to be lined with trees and something that sparkled in the sun which I assumed were lakes. One of those had to be Lake Perig, and at a guess, it would be the one that was highest up the mountain.
“Almost there,” Charles shouted.
Casanova was still keeping pace with Bertie, but I could tell that both wolves were starting to flag a little. I was, too, after such a long ride. I was tired and cold, and somehow, I’d completely lost track of time.
We finally neared the bottom of the mountain, and I gazed up at the spectacular view. I could see now that the snowy cap concealed a more complicated and varied terrain, all designed to test even the best hiker. But I would be in my hybrid form, so I wasn’t worried about a few rocks or snow-laden branches.
Charles started to slow down, and Casanova followed suit. We finally stopped in front of a babbling stream with remarkably clear water.
“So, who won that race?” I asked Charles in jest.
“Oh, gosh,” he said with a laugh and took a few deep breaths. “Who knows? At least we’re here in one piece. And before dark, by the grace of the Goddess.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the terrain around me. There were no birds, but I could hear the wind rustling and the swift current of the creek in front of us.
“Come on,” Charles said with a laugh, and I opened my eyes. “Time to get this camp started if we want to accomplish anything.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said, and I dismounted Casanova.
The girls practically slid off of Bertie and stumbled around for a minute while they tried to regain their balance.
“That was amazing,” Imelda said. “I’ll help you all in a minute, but I need to sit down for a second.”
Sybil and Tabitha laughed and started to undo the buckles on Casanova’s bundle.
“Wait,” I said, but it was too late.
The bundle broke loose and came toppling from Casanova’s back. I managed to catch it and placed the massive bag of supplies on the ground as gently as I could.
“You are amazing,” Tabitha declared.
“I try,” I replied as I started to pull items out of the bundle.
The first thing I grabbed was the food basket, which caught Bertie’s attention. The older direwolf trotted over for a quick sniff, and his large tongue flopped out of his mouth as he drank in the aroma of our dinner.
“Not today, Bertie,” Charles said. “I have plenty of food just for you.”
If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve said that the direwolf rolled his eyes before flopping down in some of the tall grasses. I shook my head and then turned my attention back to my task. The next thing I pulled out was a large chest fastened with belts that must’ve been three feet in length and two in width.
“Those are the tools you’ll need,” Tabitha said, and she took the chest and put it aside.
The servants had packed away all of the moon silver in another large brown chest fastened with belts, which I decided not to remove out of respect for Lupercalian tradition. Or superstition, as my sister would say. So once I moved the moon silver out of my way, I pulled out poles and a piece of large canvas that was clearly meant to be a tent.
“Right, that looks like everything,” Charles declared as he removed the blanket from Bertie’s back. “You ladies can rest while Henry and I set up the camp.”
“I like the sound of that,” Sybil replied.
The girls joined the direwolves in the grass, much to the canines’ delight. There was a lot of giggling as the girls started to scratch our mounts behind the ears and coo over the pair like they were knights.
“Have you camped before?” Charles asked.
“I have,” I assured him. “In fact, I’ll set up the tent.”
Charles nodded and turned his attention to our other supplies while I sorted through the poles. It was easy enough to sort out which pole went where, but I soon realized that the center pole was missing.
“I guess this is the first test,” I sighed.
“Something missing?” Charles asked.
“The center pole is inexplicably gone,” I replied.
“Let me see if I can find a branch that will work,” Charles suggested and headed for the nearest trees.
I found some stakes and a large hammer in the bundle as well, so I knew that once we had a decent-sized center pole, we were golden. Sure enough, Charles returned with a long and mostly straight branch elegantly draped across his shoulders.
“Here you are,” the knight said.
He looked around on the ground for a spot with some give before taking the branch and shoving it vertically into the ground.
“Perfect,” I said, and I marveled at the long branch.
I threw the large canvas tent piece over it, and then Charles and I went to work pulling the corners and hammering them into the ground before they lost too much give. The canvas was impressively large, and there was even a small slit at the front to crawl through.
“Beautiful,” Charles said. “I haven’t done that in years.”
I took the bundle and made sure that my tools and my moon silver were still safe inside. Then I shoved it inside the tent and looked over at the girls, who were skipping around in the dusky light with both direwolves.
“Everyone come back to base camp,” I shouted.
“Coming,” Sybil sang as the three girls and two direwolves started to run back over.
The sun was beginning to set, and I could feel a cold chill coming over me. I turned to Charles, who was staring into the distance.
“What now?” I asked. “Is there any training we need to do?”
The knight laughed and looked at me.
“Don’t you worry about that just now,” he said. “The first thing we’re going to do tonight is get a good meal and a good night’s sleep.”
“Great,” I said and tried to hide my disappointment.
I was glad for the rest, but I wanted nothing more than to build my moon sword.
“And then tomorrow,” he added, “I will teach you all about forging moon silver. When I’m confident you’ve learned the proper technique, and I’m sure you’ll do so quickly, you’ll make a practice sword with iron. To test that sword, we’ll practice your swordsmanship, and when I’m satisfied with both you and the sword, you’ll be allowed to continue your journey. How does that sound?”
Suddenly, I got a warm feeling in my chest.
“That plan sounds absolutely perfect,” I said happily.
Chapter 15
The girls pottered around our little spot, and Sybil reached for something from the food basket that Matilda had packed us.
“Okay, so there’s a pot,” she said. “And we have a large jar of venison stew. Does that sound good?”
“That sounds amazing,” Charles said with a laugh and then turned to me. “Just so you know, Hank, you will not be granted this luxury once you’re on your own. There’s a survival element to the quest, and you have to prove that you can conquer anything, and that includes nature. So tonight you can enjoy a fire and this stew, but after that, you’re on your own.”
“I look forward to it,” I replied with a grin.
“Just don’t get cocky,” he warned. “I know you’re a strong knight, and I have no doubt you can handle anything, but I’ve seen plenty of equally talented wolves be brought low because they refused to believe that there was something bigger or stronger than they were.”
“I know there are bigger and scarier things than me,” I assured my friend. “And I know that I have to adapt to each opponent.”
“That’s half the battle,” he chuckled. “Well, let me see if I can find some decent wood for this fire I’m treating you to tonight.”
Charles started to head for some of the trees, and Bertie followed a few feet behind. The old knight and his direwolf moved as slowly as tourists in Times Square, and I had a feeling it might be a while before the fire was ready.
“Oh, Hank,” I heard Imelda’s voice sing, and she threw her arms over me. “What a beautiful place this is. I’ve long heard about Eiger Mountain, but it was so far away from my hometown, so I never had the chance to visit myself.”
