Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

30. Amarok Wolves

The unit rested for a few hours before starting their march again.  The air turned colder, and they tightly wrapped their cloaks around themselves.  The ground that was frosted now turned to ice and snow.  Fearing their horses may stumble in these precarious conditions, they slowed their pace.  Only Skadi seemed comfortable as she lightly stepped on the snow and ice, leading the group safely.

Because of the heavy overcast, they did not know when it was day or night.  The weather shifted between biting wind or mind-numbingly cold snow.  They moved in silence because they feared their chattering teeth would cause them to bite off their tongues.

Erebus, who was at the forefront, was discreetly moving his mana to block out the chilling winds from affecting the troops. If it snowed too hard, he would slow their pace and track every member with his domain to ensure they did not get lost in the storm.  He naturally led and protected the small group.

When he found that his soldiers were straining to keep up, he would stop them to rest. Although this slowed the progress, he could not risk any injuries. They needed to be fit and vigilant if they attacked the facility.

However, the journey that should have taken him a week extended into two.  Erebus felt his anxiety growing with each day that passed but never revealed it.  He could still feel Leo's mana on his tracker, but the pulses were becoming weaker and less frequent.  He needed to push forward and find him.  He originally wanted to meet with the Amarok Wolves, but time was against them.

They kept moving until they reached a valley where the snow stopped falling.  But instead of being greeted with a white snow-covered ground, they saw an eerie sight.  The snow reflected the red sky, making the valley look like a blood ocean.  The dark red mountains were just beyond the valley, pierced into the sky, and the peaks were covered in a thick fog.

Based on the mana tracker, Erebus knew that they were close.  He stopped the group. "A defense formation, the Cohisid Array, is blocking the facility.  It will mask it's presence."

The mage and runemasters jumped off their horses and immediately started their arrays and spells to locate the formation.  Erebus kept his eyes open and watched the area closely.  He pushed his shadow domain to make sure no one approached them.

He saw a shadow pass by in his peripheral.  He snapped his head in that direction and observed the area with tension building.  Another flash passed in the corner of his eye, and he turned again.  He didn't say anything, fearing that he would alert the others concentrating on their spells, but he remained alert, especially when he noticed several shadows circling them.

He tapped his belt quickly.  [Defense formation around the others.]

The group moved quickly and set up their defense.  Erebus continued to watch the shadows and extended his domain to be prepared.

His eyes narrowed when he saw that the figures stopped circling them and started to walk inwards towards them from all sides.  They were surrounded.  He counted the figures and found at least 20 large creatures approaching.

However, instead of panicking, he chuckled with relief.  "Well, good thing we didn't go further North."  

[Stay alert and watch your mouth.  Our company can be a little... stubborn.] He hesitated on the last word because their company was a very proud and arrogant race.  But it was a race he was very familiar with.

Twenty giant wolves stalked up to them with bared teeth and low growls.  They were extremely tall, some even exceeding Heath's height.  The smaller ones still reached his chest.  They all ranged from an off-white color to a dark gray; however, none were the pure black that Fenrir boasted.  Erebus was pleased to see the Amarok pack, his old friends.