The stars twinkled in the sky, an infinity of mysterious dots against a pure black, the perfect backdrop for the imposing full moon overhead. It was a night to be admired and enjoyed, as Inkars usually did. On this occasion, however, no one was enjoying the beauty of a perfect night; they were all worried, casting anxious glances towards the Lunar Hall at the top of Silver Hill. At that very moment, an extraordinary meeting was taking place with representatives from all the clans of the Wall of Eros, a vast mountain range that cut the continent almost in half. The reason for the commotion was the appearance of two Thanes, friends of the beasts, for the first time in a thousand years.
The Lunar Hall was built on the highest point in the area, a rustic rectangular building with a single floor and no roof. According to custom, any clan meeting was only valid if the moon was present as a witness, and only on a full moon for matters of great importance. Similarly, a marriage could only take place during a lunar eclipse, which always led to confusion on the days close to the date because of the large number of weddings taking place at the same time. The interior was as simple as the exterior, with a dirt floor, uncomfortable stone chairs and a large table in the centre made of silver rock, its rounded edges worn by millennia of rain. At the north end was a worn throne that had not been occupied for centuries, the seat of the Chief of Chiefs, Irekan.
"Silence! Calm down, we're not cubs on our first hunt! The legacy of Plattos is weakening and our blood is rising again. There can be no doubt about that, not even for you Yaks." The head of the Wolf Clan was a thin man, slightly bent with age, with a stern, weather-beaten face. But if his icy stare wasn't enough to petrify an enemy, his longsword would make them regret not having been stopped by the "first weapon".
"Control your tongue, wolf, I'm not questioning our tradition, they're back. The problem is that they've only appeared in one clan, so the balance is clearly at risk. "Edvan Forka, the burly chief of the Yaks, the youngest of the leaders, but three dozen years older than I was, replied. The Yaks were the wealthiest clan, with the most arable land and the main trade bridges to the rest of humanity.
"Two problems in fact, the balance of power and the decision as to which of the two will occupy the throne," added Erik Doe, head of the Antelopes, the Moon Mediator, a position given to him because he was the oldest of those present.
Ingrid was standing next to her grandfather, across the table from where I was sitting. Her hands were clenched and her face was flushed with a colour that was certainly not heat or embarrassment. She was staring at me with a look of indignation and perhaps agreement, well, probably because my jaw was almost broken, protruding from my face, as well as a tingling in my muscles. We were at our emotional limit.
The events that had brought us to this fateful night had begun on the previous full moon, on a night ...
*****
The night was clear, with no clouds and the moon's rays intensified by the full moon phase. We were following the tracks of a wolf pack in the Spinal Forest. We had been assigned to keep an eye on them. Well, only Ingrid, who was a caretaker, and I were there for their safety.
The Wolf Clan had four main branches and sixteen secondary branches, plus a sub-branch for each of the first, called Protectors. The rule was simple: mothers could have a maximum of three children, and from the fourth youngest, they were sent to the Protectors to be raised. A military class with blood ties that protected the upper branches.
I was conceived a few days after Ingrid, so my fate was sealed, I would be her shadow. From the moment we were weaned, we were forced to play and live together. From the moment I was old enough to understand what I was, I looked after her. From the moment she realised who I was, she ran away at the first opportunity. That's how it was for almost two decades of our lives.
Ingrid eventually grew into a tall and strong woman, with rare blonde hair streaked with the fiery red, like the Alpha. Versed in weapons and our culture, she was the best candidate for the next leader of the Wolves. She said that when she took the highest title in the clan, she would free me from unjust servitude and fight against this custom.
Wandering in my thoughts, I eventually lost sight of her, as usual. I called her name and nothing came. I tried again and again, nothing. The third time, and getting no response, I screamed. Just as I was about to open my mouth for a second scream, a stone hit my upper lip, injuring my nose as well.
"You brainless barbarian, shut up, I found a trail of the pack and the humans."
"Damn, would it hurt to answer?" She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the marks in the vegetation, "Would the humans be other Caretakers?" I whispered as I stopped a small nosebleed with a piece of cloth.
"No, I was just sent because those wolves were missing and I'm one of the best trackers."
"Villagers or travellers?"
"There seems to have been a clash and the bipeds took off in pursuit. They must be poachers from other clans or outsiders from the provinces." Ingrid spat out the last words with a grim expression on her face, "Now shut up and follow me, you're in the way. I'm not leaving you behind because for once I think you could be useful."
It was late in the evening when Ingrid motioned for me to stop. She bent down, picked up a leaf, studied it for a moment and said:
"This bloodstain is recent, they came through here a little while ago. I think... "As she spoke the wind changed direction. Ingrid fell silent and looked at me in anguish. The sound of men's voices reached us. We walked towards the sound, which led us to a large clearing. There were at least fifteen armed hunters surrounding three wolves protecting the remaining cubs. Bodies lay all around, from the oldest lupines to the smallest. A real slaughter.
I was petrified by the sight and couldn't react in time. Ingrid leapt from the trees, roaring with rage as she raised her longsword and struck a fatal blow at the nearest enemy, who never knew what hit him, falling with his head split in two. Another died before anyone realised what had happened. A third moved forward with the spear as she pulled her weapon from the corpse that had just made it. There was no time to block. She just stared at him defiantly, as if she wasn't about to be slaughtered. Her beautiful face was stained with blood as my arrow struck the stranger's neck, spurting violet liquid.
I drew my two axes and moved towards Ingrid. We were soon surrounded by outsiders wearing hardened leather vests, half helmets of the same material and a variety of weapons without any pattern. Under their chests they all wore an inverted brass triangle with a raven in the centre flying over a plain, a coat of arms. Provincial.
"Well, well! What have we here? A beautiful young warrior with exotic features. She would make a small fortune with the slave traders of Basaah. The other should also bring a small profit to the mines, a small bonus." Some of those around us made way for what looked like the leader, a middle-aged man wearing the same kind of light armour, with silver carvings and a gold-plated coat of arms.
"If you think I'm going to surrender, you're wrong, I'm a wolf!" Ingrid shouted in defiance as she threw a knife at the man, who easily blocked it with his shield.
"My name is Homero, I'm the leader of this group. I apologise, Miss Wolf, for my lack of manners. I'm from a mercenary guild in the Central Province. I don't know if our fame has reached your ears, but our institution is called the Blood Crows. I think it would be wise for you and the gentleman next to you to give up any resistance."
The Blood Ravens were a feared guild of ruthless mercenaries who would accept any mission. Though they obeyed the laws of the Empire on the surface, they would bend the moral parameters in the outlying provinces.
The Western Human Empire was a nation divided into five separate, semi-autonomous provinces under the leadership of the central province. The Emperor didn't care much about the internal affairs of each province, as long as taxes were up to date, Imperial fortresses were well stocked, and Imperial sovereignty was respected.
Imperial laws carried little weight in this land, and the last thing the natives wanted was the presence of Imperial police in the region. As a result, they rarely complained to the authorities, making these regions attractive to criminal groups.
In response, Ingrid simply manoeuvred her longsword and felled another mercenary, as did I with my axes. Irritated by the loss of two more "brothers" in arms, the man roared:
"These barbarians live up to their reputation, you bunch of inhuman beasts! I've changed my mind, I want the heads of these demons as a prize, I'll stuff them and decorate my living room".
We ended up in a brutal and unequal skirmish. Ingrid and I each executed one before our strength ran out and wounds covered our bodies.
At least we managed to avenge some of our four-legged brothers.
"The fight isn't over yet..." Between convulsions and coughs, I shouted my last sentence before the final onslaught, or so I thought; standing up, I got into fighting position and yelled: "ÂMERRGA YUUL!" I didn't know the exact meaning of the words, and I was sure I'd never heard them before. Ingrid repeated them from the ground and somehow got up, just as the three wolves, already wounded and lying inert, howled in a similar tone. From then on I remember little... Vague memories of figures, blood and an inexplicable energy.
We fought with our weapons, our claws red. We screamed as we severed a head or something cut into our flesh, as our jaws closed on one throat or another. The duration of the fight was uncertain, but one thing was certain, I fought fiercely, forgetting reason, senses and instincts, sinking into the underworld of my soul. I didn't know exactly where I was in space or which of the images I was actually seeing, only that I was fighting on three fronts at once.