The weather was treacherous the snow was piling up thickly on the ground and the wind was throwing the snow into the air. One would not be able to see three feet in front of them trying to get from one place to the next. The wind would bite through the thickest coat and clothing that could be put on to stop it.
The weather wasn't the only problem facing a traveler this night there was no moon to speak of in the sky.
The weather and the night were just a few of the dangers in this particular area. The area was usually a darkened forest with very few settlements spread throughout the thicket. The settlements had a constant watch and fires burning troughout the perimeter to try to keep the one thing they feared at bay. Every settlement knew the stories and every one showed a respectful if not warranted amount of fear.
The one thing -or in truth the many things- the people in the villages feared was the pack of wolves that lived in the thickest parts of the forests. It was said that the wolves were not always the blood thirsty creatures prowling the dark roads,that once a long time ago they had been a great race of people. They had been cursed by the King out of the Forest when they had refused to fight in his war against a clan of shadow walkers from the north.
He had cursed most of the denizens of the forest in such a manner but none of the others still prowled the lands like the wolves. They had moved further south away from man while the wolves remained true to the home they held dear.
It was said that if one could find the center of the forest they would come across a temple overgrown with vines and vegetation. That the temple was once where the people had lived before being cursed and now the ruins were home to the wolves they had become. Even if it was all just stories told to scare children the humans of the villages still stayed far away from the center of the forest.
There were very few who lived in the forest that were brave enough to get through to the center of the forest. But those from outside of the forest wanted to get inside to find the power the King had sought.
Looking to get closer to that secret the King had made the only decision he thought would get him what he wanted through it all. He had a nephew that was his sister's son that had been sent to live with him as apprentice to his sword master. He had taken the young man of 18 aside one night in the castle to give him his orders.
The boy would go to the forest and speak to the villagers to find one who would be willing to show him the way to the center of the forest. He would be given information about the wolves from the local hunters and he would navigate his way through to the temple where his mission would really begin. He would leave immediately and he would inform no one of his mission, the King had enemies which meant that the boy had enemies.
The boy left immediately as he was ordered to do only bringing the essentials that he needed for the trip till he reached the village to restock.
The boy's name was Gregor De Monte he was from the Plains to the west and had never even seen the forest in person. He was 6' tall, had lean muscle that made it easier for his swordsmanship, and he had sharp boned features. Even if he was the nephew to the King he was used to roughing it, he had spent days in the sun causing him to have tanned. He had close to shaved blond hair and deep steel blue eyes. He wore all black leather and a black cloak, he even rode a solid black mare.
When he left he took his mare,his sword, and a few provisions. He planned on riding straight until he reached the forest and then continuing on till he reached the first village.
*****
Gregor left the castle in the cloak of night just as his uncle King Roderick LaClair had asked him too. He had agreed to a life of service to the crown and all it's heirs so long as the bloodline was the LaClair line. That meant following through on the secret missions his King sent him on and there had been a few he had been on in his short time as the King's warrior.
There were other clans that the King had sought help from besides the temple shapeshifters in the forest. They had either agreed to help in the fight with the shadow walkers -which was still in progress- or they had been dealt with however the King had decided to deal with it. He cursed a few or banished a few others that would be sent from their homes, only for them to see them among the numbers of the shadow walkers. They had went with who they thought were the better choices for them.
Gregor couldn't blame them for wanting to take care of their own but he wouldn't hesitate to cut them down if it was the best for his people.
Gregor rode his mare hard through the countryside passing by the houses of sleeping farmers who didn't know that the war hinged on some small chance of power in the forest. He knew there were very few people that understood the war thanks to the King keeping the details of the war a secret from the people. He didn't agree with that but the King ultimately made all of the choices in those matters.
He rode hard on his black mare and soon they were on the road to the forest and he couldn't see a soul anywhere near him. He rode with the speed of a man possessed with purpose. He knew this road well even in the night his mare had been saddle broken on this rode when she was just getting trained as a battle horse. She had been a spirited colt and eventually he had been the only one who had been able to ride her. In tribute to that he had given her a specail name that no other knew. He had called her Hestr.
He leaned down low on the horse and patted her neck affectionately as she ran over the cobblestone road. She was a smooth riding horse,she didn't spook easily,and she had even been very good on the battlefield. She was very good at taking down a man when it came down to it,she had trampled a man under hoof when the man had tried to stab him.
Gregor and Hestr had been together for a few years, he had been with her when she was a colt.
He rode on through the night without stopping and his horse never faltered in her step. She ran towards the forests as if she always took this road and he was sure that they had never really traveled this way before. They arrived at the edge of the forest just as the sun was about to crest over the horizon and he brought Hestr to a hault.
Gregor looked back at the road and waited looking into the shadows, studying them carefully. He had learned early on that the Shadow Walkers from the north could send spies in the very shadows around their foes to gain an advantage over them.
"Looks like we weren't followed aye girl?" Gregor crooned softly to his mare. "Come on let's go then."
With a gentle tug on the reins he turned the mare back to the forest and she went into a canter down the path.
The road had changed from the cobbelstone of the city to a dirt path that was well worn from the frequent travel of the merchant caravans. The area was devoid of human sounds but the forest was filled with animals. He startled quite a few squirrels,deer,and hares that bound away from the intrusion.He didn't miss seeing or hearing the birds, he counted an odd abundance of ravens in the woods. But unlike what the villagers claimed he didn't notice rabid wolves in every shadow or skulking in the brush.
He made good time reaching the village and stopped at the local inn to talk to the innkeeper. Walking into the inn he could see immediately that the villagers weren't used to company.
"Good evening lad," the innkeeper said frowning. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yes I need a room for the night and directions actually." Gregor said stepping to the counter.
"We don't have any rooms and where are you wanting to go?"
"To the temple that the local wolves are coming from."
Everyone in the room fell silent, you could hear a pin drop in the silence.
"So your the one the King sent then?" The innkeeper demanded.
"That would be me. Now do you have what I need or not?" Gregor sighed.
"No we don't those who help the King's men don't do well here. The wolves know." a man sitting at the bar said with a snap.
Gregor looked at the man and frowned at the him. He knew every town, city, or village had that one man who believed all the legends. He knew that there would be no help from this man in his quest. He walked to the bar and leaned over it looking the innkeeper in the eyes.
"Do you have what I need or not?" he demanded his voice low and deep.
"I.... I think you should try the next village lad." the innkeeper replied. "Watch out for the wolves though boy. He was rght they know who you are."
"Thank you for your time then. The King will hear of your.... cooperation." Gregor sighed.
All eyes were on him as he walked out the door and he didn't miss how their faces paled at the subtle threat thrown at them. Gregor served the King not serving him was the same as refusing the King himself, it was made worse by the fact that he was the nephew. They could suffer quite the punishment from the King for such negligence.
"Hestr come here girl." He crooned to his mare.
The mare walked over to him from where he had ground tied her and nuzzled his open palm.
"Back on the road I'm afraid."Gregor whispered.
Gregor got into the saddle and turned her towards the road heading even deeper into the forest. He tapped his heels against her sides and she broke into a gallop running straight for the next village.
***
Gregor couldn't see into the forest around him or he would be able to see the wolves. The innkeeper and the bar fly hadn't been wrong when he said the wolves knew who he was.
Two wolves sat in the brush watching the lone rider leave the safety of the village. One was a solid gray and the other was a russet brown wolf with a black stripe down the back. The gray was a male called Asger and the brown male was called Asmund.
"We should inform Aslaug of the boy's coming." Asger growled.
"She has been waiting for him. Come let's go." Asmund barked turning to the forest.
The two wolves turned to run down a well worn deer trail and headed off into the forest. They ran quietly alongside the rider for awhile then broke off to return to the temple. They made excellent time and informed their people that the man would be there in the morning.
***
Gregor recieved a kinder welcome at the second village. He was given a room and promised a guide to arrive at the temple a little after sunrise the next morning.
Gregor could hardly sleep that night thinking of his mission the next morning. He hoped to be home by the next evening at this rate.
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