Shadows of wolves

Chapter 5

Now that Shadow is settled in lets meet the other main character, oh and sorry I didn't mention this before but it is back in the day of the dark ages :P sorry

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The breeze through the trees woke me up. Curse it! How long was I asleep for? As if she heard my thoughts, Scarlet, my younger sister, started to call everyone in to tell us it's market time. I had wasted a whole morning, I should have been out tending to the herd or helping make the new yard.

Annoyed with myself I got up and walked to the house. The forest behind me was silent and somewhat darker now, as if it was holding a deadly secret, but it always accepted me as it's own in a way. That's sounds crazy but it's true, none of my friends from neighbouring farms can hunt in there, they always end up where they started. But me? I can walk where I want in there, I catch large fat rabbits in there every few days.

Strangely none of my family  can go in there, which makes me wonder, is it because of my heritance? my mother died giving birth to me, but she was only half human. The other half was Narrian, a human like being but with pointed ears and lighter build as well as strange abilities, she had the ability to transform into a large wolf, slightly bigger than a great dane, but it  is something all Narrian people can do.

A whet nurse helped my father raise me, he feel in love with her and had three more children. To my father I am 'the son who is only good for hunting' he blames me for taking my mother's life but keeps me around because of my skill of hunting and working with animals and because I was the reason he met Trisha.

As I walk in the house I heard my father mutter something like 'useless boy'. in a way I deserved that. Trisha and Scarlet were getting baskets to start collecting the vegetables and herbs to sell in the markets. "Your brothers are readying the cart, go help them Ash, unless you want to go disappear in the woods again?" My father says glaring at me.

I sigh inwardly, "I apologise for my stupidity and laziness, I will go now and help my half brothers." I corrected him and quickly walked out the door, dodging the pewter pot his father threw at my head. My half brothers were at the stables trying to get the thoroughbred into the harness. Idiots, complete idiots. " What are you doing? or rather what are you trying to do?" I startled them.

They were twins that didn't have half a brain between them. Ronald and Ted, they were having their thirteenth birthday soon. Scarlet was fifteen and her hand was promised to the son of a lower noble. I hoped he made her happy because she was a good person and worked harder then she should. "What do you think we're trying to do? Help us already" Ronald shouted. Blitz kicked at the loud sound.

"Firstly Dapple pulls the cart not Blitz," I said grasping the horse by the bridle and tethering it a post some distance away. After I calmed the gelding I went to Dapple's stall and bridled the shire horse. She gently nudged my shoulder and let my lead her out. "Shire horses are stronger than thoroughbreds and are breed to pull heavy loads," I explained to the twins as I put Dapple in the harness, "where as  thoroughbreds are smaller built and are designed for speed."

Both of the younger boys took in what I said, I think. just as I finished harnessing Dapple, or father walked around the corner glaring at me. "I want you two to stay and guard the cattle while we are gone and put them in the new yard if you can," he said sternly to Ronald and Ted, who both nodded and walked in the direction of the mob of fifty cattle, grazing lazily on the last bits of summer grass.

"You" he pointed a cubby finger at me," load the cart with the skins and the vegetables and herbs your mother and sister have collected, and keep you tongue in check or I will cut it of and make you eat it!" He basically growled at me. I swallowed the curses I wanted to tell back at him, walking back inside to the room I shared with the twins. I had rabbit and deer skins to sell, stashed away under the floorboards where my bed was. My father would try and take the skins so he could get the money himself, he had done it before. I also took a coin pouch from the hollow, my half brothers weren't very reliable at all.

After I loaded the cart and tied my animal skins to the back of Blitz's saddle, my father plonked into the drivers seat of the cart. Scarlet and Trisha were in their best clothes, seated in the back. My father urged Dapple into a trot and on to the dirt road leading to town. I followed on Blitz, pondering whether my friends would be in town at the markets.