HOME | DD

Description
The rain had been falling steadily now, and with the dramatic temperature drop there too was hail every now and then. A small group of no more than twelve soldiers stood fixed on the cliff top. A few had never seen the sea before and looked on it in its ferocious beauty as a storm in the distance hurtled flashes of blue flame into the churning water.
Two soldiers on horseback stood idly close to each other. They were identical in appearance, long frail white hair, and harsh angular features with piercing ice blue eyes. They looked fearsome to outsiders, but to this young rabble of soldiers they were the Wintermane Brothers. They could even be seen as fatherly figures if you looked close at their weather beaten wrinkles under the frosty exterior. Clothed in similar bearskins they stood patiently.
‘How long has it been brother?’ one whispered to the other in the galling winds.
‘Too long.’ A flick of his wrist aimed his bony hand high above his head and flicked towards the rocks below. A trio of soldiers heeded the call and tottered off below the line of view. They emerged several minuets later hauling a black wet thing up the rocks. The brothers dismounted. One lifted the chin of the half drowned thing.
‘You’ve got to stop doing this to yourself Brianna.’ He whispered as if to himself. The body hung still for moments. The brother kneeling on the floor looked up with a sigh at the other. The other took the weight of her body from the soldiers.
‘Mount up!’ the first called. The soldiers obeyed. ‘She’ll go with you Kelby.’ Kelby nodded and mounted his horse. His arms outstretched from the towering height of his black mount.
‘Pass her up to me Kaelin.’
‘No!’ The soaking woman spun away and practically fell from Kaelin. ‘I shall walk!’
‘Brianna! It’s a five-mile walk! You’d never make it by nightfall. Please just get on the horse.’ Pleaded Kelby. Brianna swept her hair back and numbly marched onwards ignoring the brothers. Her armour was getting stiff for her but she marched nonetheless. Kaelin glanced at his brother, shrugged, and walked his horse behind Brianna.

*** *** ***

‘Keep your pelt on young pup!’ With that a roar echoed through the halls as a grey beast lurched at the blonde human. His body was slammed into the cold marble floors of the ruined fortress. The beast snarled dripping its foul breathe and spit into the humans face. His claws only just touching the mans throat, threatened to pierce the jugular.
‘I’m older than you and your deceased grandparents put together! You brainless parasite!’ The wolf soldier snapped, snorting slime like substances out of his shiny wet nose.
‘Calm yourself brother’ the lead bull, Hakan, said in a barely audible whisper. With that there was the sound of claws scraping malevolently against metal as the beast withdrew himself from the flattened human. Lieutenant Thane lay still, breathing heavily on the floor. ‘Stupid mutt’ He muttered.
‘Lieutenant, It is no good trying Cheveyo’s patience. He could slice you to ribbons any day with no need of a sword. Pick your self up boy.’ A nod of understanding and gratitude passed between Cheveyo and Colonel Donovan. The hall was once again in icy silence.

Winds from the south brought forth more rain and several bursts of hail, which clattered onto the stone outside. Hakan excused himself and stood silently ‘listening to the rain’ he called it. His hoof made a hollow slop sound as it hit the now muddy stone and he stood with his face in the wind.
‘Close the bloody door Hakan! Not all of us like to be cold and wet!’ One of the wolf warriors hissed. Hakan plodded back inside and closed the doors with a humble smile. The humans now were huddled anti-socially to one corner whilst the beasts were lolled about the place. Each group had their own fire.
Colonel Donovan sat on a fallen pillar by himself, staring intently at a crack in another piece of fallen pillar. Hakan came to sit by him. Where the Colonels feet hovered above the ground, the Bulls hoofs rested squarely on the marble.
‘You stare at that piece of stone as if all your answers to your unsolvable questions were hidden in there.’ Donovan stared at the Bulls bright wide eyes.
‘Coming from you, I’d expect you to tell me they are.’ It was supposed to sound light-hearted. Donovan rested his head in his palms. He curled one leg beneath him and rested an elbow on his knee. He was a boy again, preparing himself for and old mans wives tale.
‘Not this one friend. This stone is numb…not this one. Not quite yet.’ A dull smile spread across the creature’s features.
There was the clatter of claws on marble again. One of Cheveyo’s followers were crouched in a hostile stance. Cheveyo sniffed the air. ‘I smell wet dog.’ He grinned devilishly; it was his attempt at a joke.
The large wooden door that Hakan pushed shut with ease was now being creaked open. Men grabbed their weapons and grouped into some attempt of jumbled formation. The beasts lay still. The door suddenly swung open and slammed into the walls with a thud that echoed through the great halls. A lean figure slid and held herself steady on the door handle. Brianna stood dripping in the doorway, trying to catch her breath. The salt water had matted her dark hair that stuck to her face and clung to her armour. She was rusting on the spot in her mail. Her eyes rolled, hand slipped, and she fell. Brianna’s limp body landed on the soft fur of Cheveyo. Cheveyo had seemingly crossed the room in a blink.
In a not too far off distance he could see the small rabble of the Wintermane Brothers troop. He sniffed, cautiously turning; making sure none of the humans had spotted them.
‘Close the door’ He said casually to one of the Bull officers. ‘Remove her mail and find her replacements.’ He growled to the humans. He crouched down and let her roll off his body near to the Human campfire. His own followers looked at him peculiarly as he came to sit by them once more. ‘You saw them did you not Alpha?’ one of the youngsters mumbled inaudible to the humans. Cheveyo inclined his head in a yes.
‘It is not the time to bring them into this now.’ He growled softly as his tongue rolled over each syllable.

Description
The rain had been falling steadily now, and with the dramatic temperature drop there too was hail every now and then. A small group of no more than twelve soldiers stood fixed on the cliff top. A few had never seen the sea before and looked on it in its ferocious beauty as a storm in the distance hurtled flashes of blue flame into the churning water.
Two soldiers on horseback stood idly close to each other. They were identical in appearance, long frail white hair, and harsh angular features with piercing ice blue eyes. They looked fearsome to outsiders, but to this young rabble of soldiers they were the Wintermane Brothers. They could even be seen as fatherly figures if you looked close at their weather beaten wrinkles under the frosty exterior. Clothed in similar bearskins they stood patiently.
‘How long has it been brother?’ one whispered to the other in the galling winds.
‘Too long.’ A flick of his wrist aimed his bony hand high above his head and flicked towards the rocks below. A trio of soldiers heeded the call and tottered off below the line of view. They emerged several minuets later hauling a black wet thing up the rocks. The brothers dismounted. One lifted the chin of the half drowned thing.
‘You’ve got to stop doing this to yourself Brianna.’ He whispered as if to himself. The body hung still for moments. The brother kneeling on the floor looked up with a sigh at the other. The other took the weight of her body from the soldiers.
‘Mount up!’ the first called. The soldiers obeyed. ‘She’ll go with you Kelby.’ Kelby nodded and mounted his horse. His arms outstretched from the towering height of his black mount.
‘Pass her up to me Kaelin.’
‘No!’ The soaking woman spun away and practically fell from Kaelin. ‘I shall walk!’
‘Brianna! It’s a five-mile walk! You’d never make it by nightfall. Please just get on the horse.’ Pleaded Kelby. Brianna swept her hair back and numbly marched onwards ignoring the brothers. Her armour was getting stiff for her but she marched nonetheless. Kaelin glanced at his brother, shrugged, and walked his horse behind Brianna.

*** *** ***

‘Keep your pelt on young pup!’ With that a roar echoed through the halls as a grey beast lurched at the blonde human. His body was slammed into the cold marble floors of the ruined fortress. The beast snarled dripping its foul breathe and spit into the humans face. His claws only just touching the mans throat, threatened to pierce the jugular.
‘I’m older than you and your deceased grandparents put together! You brainless parasite!’ The wolf soldier snapped, snorting slime like substances out of his shiny wet nose.
‘Calm yourself brother’ the lead bull, Hakan, said in a barely audible whisper. With that there was the sound of claws scraping malevolently against metal as the beast withdrew himself from the flattened human. Lieutenant Thane lay still, breathing heavily on the floor. ‘Stupid mutt’ He muttered.
‘Lieutenant, It is no good trying Cheveyo’s patience. He could slice you to ribbons any day with no need of a sword. Pick your self up boy.’ A nod of understanding and gratitude passed between Cheveyo and Colonel Donovan. The hall was once again in icy silence.

Winds from the south brought forth more rain and several bursts of hail, which clattered onto the stone outside. Hakan excused himself and stood silently ‘listening to the rain’ he called it. His hoof made a hollow slop sound as it hit the now muddy stone and he stood with his face in the wind.
‘Close the bloody door Hakan! Not all of us like to be cold and wet!’ One of the wolf warriors hissed. Hakan plodded back inside and closed the doors with a humble smile. The humans now were huddled anti-socially to one corner whilst the beasts were lolled about the place. Each group had their own fire.
Colonel Donovan sat on a fallen pillar by himself, staring intently at a crack in another piece of fallen pillar. Hakan came to sit by him. Where the Colonels feet hovered above the ground, the Bulls hoofs rested squarely on the marble.
‘You stare at that piece of stone as if all your answers to your unsolvable questions were hidden in there.’ Donovan stared at the Bulls bright wide eyes.
‘Coming from you, I’d expect you to tell me they are.’ It was supposed to sound light-hearted. Donovan rested his head in his palms. He curled one leg beneath him and rested an elbow on his knee. He was a boy again, preparing himself for and old mans wives tale.
‘Not this one friend. This stone is numb…not this one. Not quite yet.’ A dull smile spread across the creature’s features.
There was the clatter of claws on marble again. One of Cheveyo’s followers were crouched in a hostile stance. Cheveyo sniffed the air. ‘I smell wet dog.’ He grinned devilishly; it was his attempt at a joke.
The large wooden door that Hakan pushed shut with ease was now being creaked open. Men grabbed their weapons and grouped into some attempt of jumbled formation. The beasts lay still. The door suddenly swung open and slammed into the walls with a thud that echoed through the great halls. A lean figure slid and held herself steady on the door handle. Brianna stood dripping in the doorway, trying to catch her breath. The salt water had matted her dark hair that stuck to her face and clung to her armour. She was rusting on the spot in her mail. Her eyes rolled, hand slipped, and she fell. Brianna’s limp body landed on the soft fur of Cheveyo. Cheveyo had seemingly crossed the room in a blink.
In a not too far off distance he could see the small rabble of the Wintermane Brothers troop. He sniffed, cautiously turning; making sure none of the humans had spotted them.
‘Close the door’ He said casually to one of the Bull officers. ‘Remove her mail and find her replacements.’ He growled to the humans. He crouched down and let her roll off his body near to the Human campfire. His own followers looked at him peculiarly as he came to sit by them once more. ‘You saw them did you not Alpha?’ one of the youngsters mumbled inaudible to the humans. Cheveyo inclined his head in a yes.
‘It is not the time to bring them into this now.’ He growled softly as his tongue rolled over each syllable.