A Feast for Wolves.

Part Two: The Waking World

"Aetri! wake up!" The Young man stirred, his eyes flying open to find himself laying in a layer of cold sweat.

Kara was up and about, panic on her face as she gathered her clothes hastily

"W-What's wrong?" He asked groggily, his mind still in a haze.

Kara turned, worry painted on her pretty face "The Skjal, I think they're coming, we have to leave, Now!" Aetri was up on his feet before she even finished her sentence, of course, his wounds from his beating were bad, aching especially terribly after his rest, but that would be nothing compared to what Eric and the Skjal would do to them if they were caught again.

Throwing on his tunic and his furs, Aetri and Kara re-stashed the soft bedroll and snuffed out the flames, Aetri making a point to gather some snow from the Cave's mouth and tossing it on top... hell He could practically hear Crow's voice now

"Leave no trace, not even an echo of you should be found. A shadow does not leave footprints."

Grasping the Redhead's hand, Aetri and Kara ran to the mouth of the icy cave where Hjal's Mare waited patiently for them to mount.

Kara was definitely right, He could hear the echo of the Skjal's horses coming from the North-East, their Nornish Warcries bouncing among the trees, Aetri did not fear this sound, however, He was thankful for it if anything, He couldn't ask for a better alarm to their presence.

"W-We won't be able to lose them before getting to Uld." Kara stammered fearfully, but Aetri shook his head, grinning as He whipped the Mare into a fierce gallop into the trees

"Maybe not... ugh....." Aetri grunted, all this movement in the saddle was already paining him further, but He didn't spare himself "...But if we move away from the path, use a shortcut, then we may get just close enough."

"Move off of the path!? are you out of your mind, even the Great Uld hunters get lost in the Black Forest, and moving in that terrain will open your wounds!" Kara said in a panic.

Aetri merely chuckled darkly, a fiery determination in his eyes "Not even the Great Uld Hunters know these Woods like I do, Kara." He muttered confidently, lashing Hjal's horse harshly into the thick and dark treeline while Yelling in Norn "Come on Girl, let's move!"

Kara was not wrong, The Black Forest of this region was infamous for swallowing those who dared traverse it whole, leaving their frostbitten corpses to the wolves and Ice Cats that roamed it... it was his blessing that He had just so happened to have spent literal months among these dark pines, training on Crow's command to survive, and if Aetri was a master of anything, it had always been survival.

Rougher and rougher was the icy grass hills and sloping snowbanks, the Mare whining in distress as Aetri and Kara struggled to stay on the saddle, each hideous jolt making the Young man's bruises and cuts twist and bump in insidiously painful ways "A-Aetri..." He heard Kara say

"Calm down Kara I have everything under controoooooooooooooh no...." Aetri looked back to her frightened face, only too see a group of monstrously large yellow eyes stalking after them "That would be the Wolves."

"YOU IDIOT WE ARE GOING TO GET EATEN ALIVE!" Kara screamed, but was silenced by a sudden look of realisation on Aetri's eyes as the sound of the Skjal's men drew closer from the opposing path "W-What are you planing, Aetri!?"

He merely smiled "You better hold on tight, Milady, I think we better help our friends back there find some lunch."

Aetri suddenly drew back the reins, guiding the neighing mare towards the Skjal occupied road.

Kara clutched him tight in panic as the Wolves drew nearer, great dark snarling beasts with red tounges and matted black fur, though as they emerged onto the path, she would have preferred the wolves to what she saw then.

There were at least a dozen fully armed Skjal raiders on horseback just behind them, all with rageful red faces, though one particularly large man with dirty blonde hair, scowled at them wrathfully, his face still a little blue from the snowfall.

Eric roared when He saw them, pointing his shining broadsword at them with wrath in his eyes "THERE THEY ARE, KILL THEM!" He commanded the group chasing the two of them along the path.

Aetri's smile only grew however as He tracked the Yellow eyes speeding through the woods beside them "Come on... come on, I brought you a nice lot of fatty Raiders for you to eat, take them... go on, take 'em... Nice wolfies" He whispered more to himself as He looked at that group of Yellow eyes.

Much to his relief and hope, He saw them fall back slightly, moving their attention to the large group of Raiders.

"Aetri! Aetri you Uld-Dog You're going to fucking die!" He heard Hjal say from behind them, He must really be annoyed about his horse huh?

Aetri turned on his saddle to display his smile "Oh someone's gonna die alright, I'm not the Dog you should be worried about!" He shouted back at them, they looked very confused for a moment

"W-What?" One of the other raiders said as Aetri lashed the Horse again

"See what's left of You at Uld Gentlemen!" Aetri cried, feeling Hjal's mare speed even further along the track as the unmistakable echo of tearing screams filled the surrounding forest, Kara looked back in shock and awe as the Dark wolves lept from the trees, sinking tooth and claw into the Raiders one by one, unsaddling them as they were munched on by the hungry beasts

"By One Eye...." She said, trying not to sick up her lunch as they galloped hastily towards the Uld Outskirts.