บท 20: Chapte 20: Beast to Man
During the night, the forest sounds grew louder than usual. Leaves rustled in the breeze, branches creaked under heavy weight, and birds chirped loudly overhead. All seemed normal enough, yet something about the noise didn't feel quite natural.
Not long afterward, a wolf howl echoed through the trees. The sound chilled the air and set every animal on edge. Even the normally fearless squirrel scurried along the branch above.
Bekan held out his hand to stop Grim from rising. His brother nodded toward the west. "Do you hear that?"
"What?" Grim turned in response.
A second wolf yipped close by. Its cry sounded different somehow. Grim strained to listen past the rest of the cacophony coming from the forest. Something else was wrong here too.
He sat motionlessly, trying to focus on the distant call. After a few moments, he realized what it reminded him of: the battle cries of warriors who fought each other. Yet those weren't wolves making such noises. They belonged to men.
The two brothers exchanged glances. Neither moved nor breathed while listening intently. At last, Bekan whispered, "Those aren't animals."
Without warning, the entire pack erupted. Wolves streamed together and raced north. In seconds, they vanished beyond the treeline.
"Did you see that?" Grim asked.
"Yes, I saw it," his brother answered. "And I heard it too. There's no doubt."
"Who would attack us?"
"Maybe one of the clansmen from Fevik?" suggested Bekan.
"No, they'd never dare leave their homes without a leader present. Besides, they wouldn't make so much noise either."
"Then let's get dressed and go investigate."
Both stood up carefully. As soon as they did, an arrow shot between them and embedded itself in the dirt near their feet. Another followed closely behind it.
"Stay low!" Grim yelled at his younger sibling.
Scrambling backward, Bekan crouched until he fell into a thicket of bushes. When he came back upright, he had a bow in his hands and an arrow nocked.
Grim reached for his own weapons only to discover he had lost them during his frantic escape. Frustrated, he searched the area with growing dread. Had someone ambushed them from hiding? Or perhaps… No, he could see no sign of anyone lurking within fifty paces. But there was definitely someone around, watching them.
"I don't like this," said Bekan.
Grim agreed wholeheartedly. If these people wanted to hurt them, why hadn't they attacked already? Instead, they fired arrows at random intervals. Perhaps they meant to drive them deeper into the woods. Once they got stuck inside, they might kill both boys.
With nowhere else to run, Grim drew his sword instead. He backed slowly toward the center of the clearing.
"Get ready," he warned his brother.
Arrows continued flying in rapid succession. One after another thudded into the trunk of a nearby oak or sank deep into the soil just inches away. It was clear now that whoever was shooting wasn't interested in killing them. Rather, they appeared intent on driving them farther into the wilderness.
Another volley flew. This time, Grim ducked instinctively. An arrow grazed his head before embedding itself in the ground.
"They're not aiming straight at us," he told his brother. "That means we can move forward."
Together, they crept closer to the nearest tree line. Arrows still rained down all around them, most striking the ground where they landed. Still, none hit its intended targets.
Inching ever closer, Grim wondered if the shooters were hidden somewhere among the trees. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed nothing amiss. Whoever was firing upon them clearly couldn't find them. That left Grim with a single possibility.
"It must be the elves," he concluded aloud.
His brother frowned skeptically. "Why do you say that?"
"Because the elves are known for being able to hide themselves completely whenever they want to. And because the attacks seem more purposeful than accidental."
As Grim spoke, the first elf stepped boldly out of the shadows. She carried a quiver full of arrows tipped with deadly looking metal points. Her eyes glowed brightly green. With her dark hair pulled tightly against her scalp, she looked like a hunter herself.
She raised her arm high and loosed three arrows simultaneously. All three struck home. The point of one lodged in the throat of a large brown bear; the tip of another pierced the heart of a giant red deer; and the third took-covered flesh. Then, without any further warning, it collapsed onto its side. Dead.
Grim froze when he recognized the woman as the one who had greeted them earlier. Now she wore leather armor dyed red and white. Two long daggers hung from her belt. One blade gleamed silver; the other, steel gray. They seemed to glow with inner light.
A second figure emerged from the same spot. Like the first female, he also wore furs colored red and white. His skin was darker though—almost black—and he held himself stiffly erect. He also bore several wicked looking blades strapped across his body. These included an ax, a short spear, a dagger, and even a curved sickle.
The male warrior glanced at each boy standing beside him. After a moment, he nodded curtly. Both turned and disappeared once again into the forest.
Bekan stared at Grim in disbelief. "Didn't you hear what I said about them? Those weren't ordinary elves! We've been tricked somehow!"
But Grim didn't care anymore. He'd seen enough. Whatever those two warriors were, they were formidable indeed. Which made sense since they lived in a place called Alfheim.
He pointed to the dead animals lying scattered at their feet. "Those aren't normal bears and deer either."
"What's going on here?" asked Bekan. He shook his head vigorously. "This is too much. Why would anybody want us dead?"
Suddenly, Bekan heard something behind him. Turning quickly, he saw four more figures emerge from the brush. Their appearance startled him so badly that he dropped his bow. Before he could recover, he found himself staring up into the face of an enormous wolf. Its teeth were bared, saliva dripping from its mouth.
The beast growled menacingly at Bekan. As soon as it did, however, it stopped snarling. In fact, it lowered its muzzle submissively.
Then the creature began licking Bekan's hand. Licking it repeatedly until it finally went limp.
Bewildered by this turn of events, Grim watched helplessly as the wolf licked his brother clean of blood. When it finished, the animal sat back on its haunches and gazed expectantly at Grim.
Again, Grim felt certain that he knew exactly what was happening. But there was no way he could explain it. Not yet anyway.
Instead, he knelt down and extended his arms. The wolf eagerly bounded into his embrace. At least, that's how it started… but then the animal transformed. Within seconds, it became human sized. No longer a wolf, the creature stood nearly six foot tall. Black hair framed a handsome face with piercing blue eyes. It wore only a pair of loose fitting pants and boots.
Once again, he bowed deeply toward Grim.
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