The Broken Kingdom

Chapter 10

Snowflakes poured from the white sky, deathly frost viciously gnawed on Connor's hands and feet. He trudged in the snow along the trail, a little lower than knee high, on the raw night. He'd been walking for hours, and didn't plan to stop until sun rise for a break. Again rose the howls that terrified him to the core, at dusk he'd heard them first. An ear piercing noise that filled Connor's frail figure with fear. He sped up from then, and hadn't stopped walking through the deadly night. He was killing himself, slowly the frost crawled up his leg and up his stomach. The wolves let out their harmonic howls again, this time much closer. Connor kept walking, he couldn't speed up, or he feared he might run out of energy and not be able to out walk the beasts. The wolves kept silent for several moments, in which they'd been racing in the bone chilling snow towards him. Another ferocious howl drummed on Connor's ears, this time behind him. Connor swung around, and stared into the ocean blue eyes of the beast. Connor found himself lost in the mesmerizing eyes it had. The wolf raised his black muzzle and let out a shrill howl, the howl carried itself past Connor's cowering body and through the woods. The powerful noise still rang in his eardrums like water falling in a distance as Connor bolted forwards, running on pure adrenaline to take him away from the beast. Footsteps steadily drummed just behind him, Connor knew he was screwed, the wolf wasn't even trying to get him and was still easily trotting behind Connor, whilst he was using every last straw of his energy just to get a foot in front of the beast. He finally gave up, he almost collapsed against the snowy ground, barely being able to swing around to face the black mass of fur. The wolf slowed his trot to a walk, and strutted up to Connor. It seemed to have a light smirk brimming the ends of it's jaw. Connor heard more foot steps coming, steady trots like the wolf's. More appeared, with slobber running down their hairy jaws. None were as magnificent as the black beast, though Connor didn't notice, he simply shut his eyes and hoped for the best. He felt whiskers brush his frozen face, than whimpers and snarls echoed through his ears. He hadn't even notice the time pass, lost in his frozen wonderland, as the sun now brimmed the horizon, and a few farmers held swords up to the beast's throats. There were, 4 wolves left, none of which were the charcoal wolf. These were smaller, and fragile, almost skin and bones. The farmers scared the beasts away, and helped Connor up. Connor again, was mesmerized by ocean blue eyes, this time in stead of a wolf's they belonged to a dark haired man, maybe 20.

"What are you doing out here in winter? Especially with wolves crowding you, and no fire! What are you insane? Come here kid, we'll fetch ya a mug if you tell your tale at the local bar. Endamir's stories are getting dry lately, old man calls himself a story teller, when he can only tell enough stories to last a week!" The lad beamed.

Connor's feet were numb with frost bite. He walked with the two men to a bar. Connor was sat down on a bar stool, and fetched a mug of the best ale he'd ever tasted. The famers were telling folk how they'd found him lost in a pile of snow. Connor raised his head and set his mug of ale upon the table. All eyes were on him now, eagerly waiting to hear what he had to say.

"I was on my way here, from the next town over, when a pack of wolves started howling behind me. I didn't stop for hours, until they advanced on me and finally caught up. The wolf, I suspect was Alpha, got me. I closed my eyes, than when I opened them again these men were jabbing the four remaining wolves back!"

The crowd was silent, almost as if there to be more. They went back to sipping the last little bit of drink in their mugs, than most left. Connor paid for a room, and clasped into a deep sleep on the bed. He was awoken by a pain in his stomach, hunger. He packed up his stuff, and set the extra weight on his back, than headed down stairs to get a plate of food. He was the only one in the bar, so his food came quick. After chowing down on the delicious meal he left the bar for his past, and looked around the town. It was barely considered a town, with 5 buildings and only 2 poor merchants, it was only a community of famers really. Connor was still good on food and water, though he'd like some new clothes, ones that kept the cold out. Neither of the merchants sold clothes though, so he had nothing new to wear. Connor spent the rest of his day talking to the locals, and finding out where the next larger town was. It was a far distance, a 3 day journey. With the new threats, the cold, and his lack of good clothing Connor wasn't sure he wanted to leave the protection of the village and risk his life traveling to the next town. Connor shrugged it off and decided to think about it the next day, he stood up from the bench he'd been sitting on and walked to the bar, to chat with the bartender.

"So how's this town stay alive with the loss of crops during winter?" Connor asked.

"Well, we're a major ale producer you see, haha we've got a river that runs right through here, and we make some of the best ale you could ever taste! In summer we also farm, you know to make some extra coin, but we're a big producer of Northernbound ale!" The bartender explained.

Connor smiled, he was bored with wasting his time chatting. He left the bar and ventured into the snow covered forest. It was full of life, even in the harsh conditions of up north in the winter. He grabbed his dagger from his pocket, and looked around the forest. He spotted a snow hare, searching for food in the snowy wasteland. Connor decided not to waste his energy, as the hare would see him from a mile, and hear him even better. Connor looked around, though the coldness pelleted his fingers through his gloves, he could withstand the harsh winter. But he knew as he got farther up, he would have to go to sleep earlier, and prepare for night earlier too. Connor was planning to hitch a ride with a traveling merchant when he arrived at the next town, and travel back to the fields, and warmer lands. Connor sheathed his dagger and traveled back to the small village. It was nearly 5 o' clock now, and the sun was almost setting. Connor sighed, there wasn't much to do in the small town, and he was deathly bored. He decided to try out some of his fighting skills, and began swiping at the air. He grew bored again, quickly, and walked back to the bar, deciding to have a meal than sleep the rest of the day away.