The brotherhood of wolves

Chapter 18

                       Katarina

In a frozen December afternoon, shortly before Christmas, winds was making their way through the snow, with heavy snowflake that was covering the ground of the road to the fortress, making it hard to see one step ahead. The Rîșnov fortress, because it was about her, surrounded by high walls that rose up to the clouds, prevented unauthorised passage, being almost impossible to climb.The reason it was built was to stop the foreign invasion and to prevent the passage to the medieval city of Brașov which lasted until valley behind the mountain. Built it right on the mountain's peak, it towered majestically over the wooded valley in the heart of the Carpathians. The area was shrouded in mystery, the safe road leading up to the fortress was so dangerous that not many dared to cross it in small groups, especially in winter. It was said in whispers that dangerous creatures lived in the untrodden forests and that many people who dared to venture through these parts disappeared without a trace.  Rumoures also speak of a demonic creature, a werewolf, about which many were afraid to even whisper, it was not known if it was one or more but only a few were lucky enough to escape its clutches and live to tell the tale.
No one came through these parts unless absolutely necessary.

Vlad, from the ramparts of the fortress he looks boredly in to the distance, far away to the valley that stretches at the foot of the mountain covered by the dense forest of centuries-old firs with the tops lost in the thicker fog. The snowstorm made felt its presence more and more.
Although the visibility was reduced due to the fog, the scenery was magnificent, with it's trees dressed in bright white snow, adorned as if for a holiday. No one really dared to venture out on a weather like this, it was as if even the beasts of the forest found shelter  out of the way of the snow storm where they could. Only the howling of hungry wolves, in search of prey could be heard from time to time, the only ones who dared to face the cold and the wind.

His attention was drawn to the five silhouettes who were strivit together to push up a sleigh to the fortress hill's.
At a closer look they revealed to be women who were climbing the road that led from the small town at the foot of the mountain which was only an hour's walk away to the fortress in question.
He had never seen such determination, especially coming from young woman and at a time like this, not even from men's.
That was what caused him to get down from where he stood, to give them a hand of help, which for himself it was not something ordinary to do.

The howling of a hungry pack of wolves who followed their track, could be heard sinisterly closer to the fortress, attracted by the easy prey. The frost that froze you to the bone bit the gloveless hands of the one from the front who steered the sleigh with difficulty, stiff on the heavy rope with which she pulled through the high trojans, red and numb from the cold that seeped into her bones. Despite the fact that she was covered from head to toes, wrapped in a thick woolen scarf criss-crossed over her chest and tied around her waist, she was shivering badly. Because of the strive, cold beads of sweat was rolling down her frozen face. The gloves that had fallen from her hands from the effort, lost somewhere in the thick snow that covered any trail left with heavy flakes, remained behind her to be found, but she could not waste  precious time on such a thing now that she was only a short distance from her destination.
The other four girls, her friends who were struggling to push the heavy loaded sled from behind, upon hearing so close the howls of the wolves that caught up with them, they froze and stopped pushing, forcing her to stop as well. Their faces showed horror and helplessness. Frantically they was looking around for help or at least for a nearby shelter till' the snow storm will pass .

Then as if by some miracle, the salvation of all five appears abruptly before them.
The massive gate of the fortress in front of them opened with difficulty. With a great effort she called out to the others, her voice muffled by the strong winds. Not being heard, to make herself understood she urge them by gestures  for them to continue pushing the sleigh. Their salvation was only a stone's throw away, a little more and they might have made it safely to the shelter, out of the greedy jaws of the hungry beasts. The darkness that was descending too quickly over the valley made visibility difficult as did the wind that was blowing wildly hitting them in the face with ice shards.
Through the half-opened gate a small, pale-yellow light could be seen burning faintly with weak flickers struggling to light their way, like a cold moon among the stars that gazed unconcernedly from high in the skies that sifted the heavy flakes of snow.