The carriage rocked back and forth as it was pulled over the rough, makeshift road.
The Red Falcons left the Dep woods the morning following the capture of the wolf pups, headed for the city of Holen.
Wealthy traders held much of the power in the society, capable of influencing the prices of countless goods.
The group had four carriages, pulled by large workhorses.
One of the carriages were packed with loot they had plundered from the woods, and another contained the wolves and most of the mercenary's weapons. The remaining two housed the hung-over mercs.
The wolves were placed in the center of the carriage, their cage rocking back and forth with the bumps in the dirt road.
Swords and bows were piled randomly in the corners of the carriage, it didn't look like the mercenaries took good care of their weapons.
In the far back corner of the carriage, opposite most of the other gear, were two blue rocks wrapped in layers of cloth.
They were the only thing the mercenaries seemed to take care of, but neither Ash nor Roth had any idea what the stones were.
The Mercenaries that hadn't drunken themselves to sleep drove the carriages or rode on horseback alongside the carriages.
There wasn't much that the wolves could do, so Ash spent most of his time talking to Roth.
The voice inside of his head which seemed to be his friend from his past life acted… differently than one would think.
Roth didn't seem to be too motivated to get a body of his own. He felt strangely comfortable where he was at the moment, but this could always change in the future.
Something was bothering Roth at the moment: how Ash acted when they were captured.
Ash's calmness may have saved their lives, but how could he watch one of his last remaining siblings die right in front of him, and hardly react to it?
^Ash, bro, how were you so calm back there, when Fern died? You hardly reacted at all…^
'Getting angry or acting out wouldn't help in the situation. It isn't that I'm not sad, and I would gladly rip out these bastards' throats, but getting mad won't help us. Fern died because I let my guard down, and got distracted by my emotions. If blindly following my emotions is going to get me or someone I care about killed, I don't have too much of a problem just ignoring them. I'm not going to be emotionless, but I can put down my feelings when needed.'
^Yea, I suppose that you are right. If you had tried to save Fern, we probably would be dead by now as well.^
'What I am confused about is how Oak knew to surrender.'
Ash looked at the sleeping pup that was pressed up against his body.
Oak's tangled black hair rose and fell slowly with his breathing, and he seemed to be smiling slightly, like he was having a good dream.
Roth responded, trying to figure out how Oak was intelligent enough to know to surrender.
^Maybe he is like us, with an intelligent mind? He figured out how to climb trees super easily, and understood to stand down when we were surrounded. Nothing we learned as pups could have taught us that.^
Oak woke from his sleep as the two were theorizing about his, and his eyes locked with Ash's.
Ash couldn't see anything strange in Oak's deep emerald eyes.
They were the eyes of an innocent animal that had lost everything.
'Hopefully we can at least protect Oak. I'm not sure what these humans want to do with us, but it probably isn't good.'
Remembering how the mercenaries treated the forest like a wallet to be plundered, Roth answered.
^They will probably sell us. Our best bet is to be sold to someone with a kind heart, but I doubt kind people frequent the same circles as these monsters… if there are any good humans in this world. All the ones in this group should die in a fire!^
'Or we can run from whoever they sell us to. If we act helpless, they might underestimate us and give us a chance to escape. I just hope we don't get split up with Oak. It will be easier to escape with his help.'
Suddenly, the carriage came to a stop with a jolt.
Ash peered out, trying to get a view of what was happening.
He couldn't hear any fighting, but why were they stopping? The only sounds that could be heard outside were the panting of horses, the quiet mumblings of the mercenaries, and the flow of a small river.
The tarp covering the carriage was pulled back, showing the wolf pups with light.
The mercenary group hadn't stopped to fight, but instead to eat lunch and give the horses a rest.
Jorg stepped up into the carriage, looking at the two wolf pups with a smirk on his face.
*"Bummer that these things are worth so much money. It would be so much fun to skin these rats…"
Ash couldn't understand any of Jorg's speech, but he got the message that Jorg was trying to send.
Jorg tossed a few measly pieces of meat jerky at the pups before turning around and leaving them, returning to his own meal.
None of the food the humans had looked appetizing. Crusty old bread and meat jerky made up most of their meals.
After the mercenary group finished their meals, one of them walked over to the carriage housing the wolves, and pulled the tarp all of the way off of the carriage.
They were nearing the city of Holen, and wanted to flaunt their biggest haul from their hunting in front of all the citizens.
The mercenaries mounted their horses again, and the carriages once again moved slowly over the rough road, pulling the wolves along with them, to their new future.
Soon a large dark shape was visible on the horizon. The city was built on a small hill, its massive wooden walls surrounded in every direction by fields of crops.
Small houses were spaced out throughout the field, home to workers who grew all the food for the city.
A number of farmers gathered near the roadside to watch the mercenaries pass by.
All ages of men and women were among the farmers, even young kids. These kids looked up at the mercenaries with admiration, hoping to one day go on adventures, defeating monsters and making tons of money, just like these men that they viewed as heros.
The Red Falcon mercenary group had a good reputation, always completing their tasks on time and being generally likeable men.
Many farmers ogled at the captured wolf pups, looking at them with amazement.
Most large carnivores had been driven away from the vicinity of the city, and books were not a common commodity, so many farmers had only heard of the beasts through stories told by their parents.
Most farmers would live out their entire lives in the outskirts of the city. Travel wasn't easy or safe, and it was very expensive to find someone to protect you in your journeys.
The caravan soon passed the gathered farmers, approaching the looming gates of the wall.