chapter 13

Chapter 13


    Everything around shouted out at him.  The earth was churned by the feet of both horses and men.  Footprints of goblins, ogres, and trolls were scattered around the pond, but there was no blood.
    Odin stood silent.  The wolf was trying to read the mass of information that was pouring in from all his heightened senses.  Yes, not just men, no fighting, soldiers- leather, steel, sweat.  He sniffed again, horses, yes military mounts, goblins.  The scents were all lingering and mixing- together on everything and everywhere.
    It was clear to him they did not fight.  They must be working together. With his nostrils flaring and his eyes sharp he put the pieces together.  They relieved themselves by the thickets of willows near the water, his nose read the information.  They ate, cooked food, meat and cheese... no fighting at all but a feast.  The layers of odors were all around him.  
    He could smell the men, the perspiration, and the drink, the characteristic smell of humans.  They left their signatures on the ground, the air and the trees, everything they touched they left a well known face for him to find.  
    Since Odin had traveled with Tyrell he understood people far better now, yet he was not alarmed.  Wolves do not fear though they knew a sense of righteousness.  It was a dialog between spirit and life.  The intensity of the residue left behind, indicated they were but thirty minutes ahead of him.  
    Odin walked a circle sniffing and gathering the crucial- invisible evidence.  He discovered the humans and demi-humns separated.  He followed the scent of the armored men through the thicket, silently like a shadow.  
    A few hundred yards away, the invisible tracks the humans unknowingly left behind on the grass and leaves, joined with the main troop.  Here he found the scents of Tyrell and Galedian.  
    He followed the heavily scented trail, his nose investigating the ground, every movement, every step.  There was no scent of fear that his nose could detect, however; his keen mind told him something was amiss.  Tyrell left the saddle bags behind; he did not trust these men and neither shall he.  
    Nose in the air, he found their direction.  The essence of rain whispered on the winds shapeless breath.  His advanced hearing detected the far off sounds of thunder.  He did not worry; the rain would not come fresh and clean washing away the faces the wolf had come to know them by until late after he had already found them.  
    His huge powerful legs carried him forward with tremendous speed.   Pacing his breath as if on the hunt his endurance, unyielding, unwavering would last throughout the night.  
    He only had to slow his pace twice to turn his ears and hone in on the sounds around him singing out their secrets to those who would listen.  Before he came upon the party, the crickets chirping- stopping and pausing as each soldier passed them by, gave their exact numbers away.  Mud squishing and sloshing, told him in its sluggish voice that the horses were war horses, heavy and strong and carrying well armored men.  
    His keen eyes pierced the darkness.  He could see Tyrell and Galedian riding next to each other among the troops.  He could see clearly that they were not bound.  He could smell the faint odor of illness and blood mixed with sweat in the scent of Tyrell in the air.  
    He squinted his eyes with concern, knowing his nose did not make mistakes.  He moved around them flanking to the right, a shadow, a hunter, a stealthy wolf with the cunning of a man.  He did not dare get too close knowing the horses would sense his presence and possibly give him away.  He circled around them three times, his eyes, ears and nose collecting- sifting through the information.
    His mind stopped as the scent of a single dwarf deciphered in all the garble, the scent of a familiar dwarf. A familiar dwarf creeping and crouching off to the side, cloaked in the darkness from human eyes was detected by Odin’s keen eyesight.  
    Odin changed his course to find the little man hiding, spying with his natural infravision from behind the veil of protection created by the thick woods and moonless sky.  
    Suddenly he caught the scent of armed humans.  The oil from their blades and the sweaty leather they wore from many days travel, gave their seclusive hiding places away.  Lowering his head, his yellow eyes filled with danger and pierced the darkness.  He knew their scent, their faces.  He knew them as scouts for the party of men.  
    He watched guessing they waited for the group to approach them to relay information.  Standing on high ground, Odin could see that the men were about sixty yards from the slowly approaching unaware shadow of the crouching dwarf.  He knew for Tyrell’s sake he had to act quickly.
    With incredible speed and the silence of darkness he ran through the trees, his powerful legs closing the distance.  He could see the back of the dwarf, apparently holding no weapon.  The dwarf’s attention was fully focused on the riders as they passed.  In an instant he was there right behind him.  
    The dwarf felt the pit of his stomach roll as his stone like skin crawled with danger alarming his senses.   He was crouching low; his hands on the ground, cursing himself in his mind for letting someone sneak up on him.  
    The hot tempered dwarven nature welled up in him.  He knew if he moved to quickly the suddenness would provoke an attack that would alarm the others of his presence.  His best chances were to do as the Knight said so he could at least get to his feet, a better position.  He could then take the man quickly and silently.  
    “Don’t move!”  A deep voice came suddenly sounded.  
    The dwarf followed the order, patiently and silently waiting for the command to stand and turn around.  That’s when he would make his move.  
    “Don’t even think about it.” the voice came so low it resembled a growl.
    The dwarf felt the sudden hot breath on the back of his neck, and the warm sticky drool of an animal on his bare skin.  For a moment an overwhelming sense of fear and desperation flooded over him, in a tidal wave.  The un-intimidatable bull headed dwarf caught his breath and held it for a second longer than usual.
    He swung his head around slowly; his coal black eyes met the gaze of the large yellow dilated eyes of the wolf.  
    “By the Gods Odin, Ya scared me right from me old boots.” the dwarf said in a husky whisper.  
    “Shush!” the wolf attempted but came out strange due to his long tongue.  
    “What in the blazen forge is ya doin sneak’n up on friend folk like that fur…Ya over sized monster.”  Reaching out his stubby fingered hands he grabbed the wolf by the scruff of the neck and gave him a quick rub.  “Shish, I thought me beard was gonna fall off.” he said feeling the relief flow back to him.  
    “There are armored men up ahead.”  Odin said in a hushed growl.  “I saw you heading for them and thought I’d come down here and spare you the embarrassments of a surprise attack.”      The dwarf scolded and jutted out his bottom lip, not taking kindly to the wolf’s playful words, though he knew he was joking.      “What are you doing Thorin?”  Odin asked.  
    “Well, after seeing Tyrell and that young lass dressed up all boyish and hearing that old man go running off at the mouth, me and the others figured he was headin fur trouble and needed some help.  So bein’ his friend an all I took it to me self to look after him.  I’s taken a short cut across these here woods when me ears caught sounds of ‘em comin.  Bein’ the fine brave warrior I am, figured I’d sneak up on em and see what was goin on. I heard Tyrell’s voice, and knowin’ the man so long, I figured somethin was amiss with him travelin with all these armed men.  Sometin’ with it just didn’t settle well in me gut.”  
    Odin nodded in agreement, “No something isn’t right, not at all.”  He gave a quick glance around then raised a brow on his hairy face.  “Tyrell left these satchels purposely back there in a cave they were hiding in.  I figure he doesn’t trust them, but went along with them willingly to make sure the girl was safe.”  
    “Why in the Abyss would he do sometin’ like that, goin off and putin’ himself in a terrible fix to protect a girl?”  
    Odin turned his fearsome glare on him, “I have reason to believe he likes her.”  
    Thorin wrinkled his nose and scrunched his eyes, “Bah- you’re out of yer mind wolf.  Why, if there’s a woman hater alive it’ll be him.  Next thing ya know yer’a gonna tell me you thinks yer’a cat.”  
    Odin’s ears folded back on his head at the remark.  “You know if you weren’t a dwarf Thorin, I’d eat you, but you creatures are far too tough and foul for my liking.”
    The dwarf’s eyes wrinkled up at the corners as a smile curled the edges of his lips with humor.  
    “You just remember that, wolf.”  He said.  “Well - enough with the friendliness.” Thorin added, now being serious.  “What are we gonna do?”
    “We are going to wait for these men up here to do their business and be on their way.  After they are gone, I’ll give Tyrell a signal to let him know I’m here.”   
    Thorin shifted on his feet. “Now you can’t do that.  You let out a howl and they might come looking fer ya.”
    Odin sat on his haunches.  “I’ve got a way.   Trust me, old friends have ways of communicating that mere Ogres and men are blind and dumb to.  It’s something he and I devised a few years back.  I’ll circle around to the other side and get in front of them.  Then I’ll dig three holes in the ground next to each other.”
    “Damn wolf, I’d hate to have you tracking me- you’re a smart one.”  Thorin raised his brows at the genius of the trick.  
    Tyrell watched as three men stepped from the trees up ahead and rode up to meet them.  Tyrell studied them hard, listening carefully, trying to hear what they were saying, but the voices were drowned out by the clogging of hooves in the mud.  The conversation was short and brief then the men turned and ran off ahead and returned.
    Scouts, Tyrell thought and not very good ones, having missed the goblin tracks about an hour back, unless....  Tyrell’s eyes continued to scan the road ahead, his gaze sweeping from side to side inspecting the bushy leaves, and dirt.  
    He stopped, then without giving notice, adjusted his sight and returned his gaze to something that did not catch his eye at the time.  There at the edge of the road, three small holes were dug next to each other.  There were no tracks or sign of what had made them, but he knew.
    Tyrell didn’t even bother to search the woods any longer, Odin was close.  He figured it wouldn’t have been too much longer before his old friend showed up, and that was what he was looking for.  
    Several men carried torches that lit the road rather well, but Tyrell was not worried about anyone spotting Odin.  The wolf could be ten feet away and remain virtually undetected in the thick foliage and darkness.  Not to mention the flickering flames of the torches created dancing shadows, weaving and dipping on the bushes which made it impossible to detect movement with out sound.
    As he passed the wolf’s signature holes, he lightly shook his head in a silent answer telling Odin to hold back and follow.  He turned a glance towards Galedian; she rode tall in the saddle and seemed a bit cheerful.  It was probably because she was in familiar company now.
    She didn’t notice him watching her; for the most part she hadn’t even spoken to him since they meet their new companions.  It felt odd to him but he was relieved that she was distant from him, having worried she might ask him questions he did not want these men to hear the answers too.  He still could not shake the strange way it bothered him and he felt a touch of anger for her stir in him.
    She doesn’t even seem to show concern for my condition, he thought.  He shook his head to clear his thoughts away; I don’t want her to concern herself with me any way…  What am I thinking?  He shifted his eyes from side to side hoping no one was paying attention to him.  
    His emotions felt mixed up and unclear.  He decided it was the fever from the poison and dismissed the thoughts.  His condition was something he did not want the soldiers to become aware of.
    Odin, now setting beside the dwarf, told him what Tyrell meant with the nod of his head.  They remained where they were, letting the unsuspecting band of soldiers move further ahead of them.  They waited until they were far enough behind they could safely follow without being discovered.  Swallowed in the darkness, the wolf and the dwarf holding their silence, separated in their own thoughts, followed their friend.
    The mid morning suns’ fiery heat scorched the ground lifting the fog from its resting place.  It was going to be a hot day indeed he thought as his stubby fingers, covered in filth from travel, smeared with the sweat as he wiped it from his brow.
    Thorin’s beady dark-brown eyes scanned the undergrowth.  His eyes were much sharper than humans and yet he could not even see where the wolf had gone.
    “Argh- now where has that blasted wolf gone off to.  If he’s gonna go and have a mind of his thinkin and talkin as he does, then he’s gonna take in to considerin telling me what his minds about before he goes off and disappears like that.”  Thorin thought.
    Just then he felt the long course silver hair of the wolf brush against the back of his wide meaty hand, followed by Odin’s’ deep throaty voice.  “What are you looking for?”  He asked amused having sensed the sudden rise of fear in his companion.  
    “Darn it wolf - I’s looking for you, and if’n ya don’t quit sneakin up on me like that I’m gonna have you for a rug.”
    Odin turned his dangerous yellow eyes to meet Thorin’s.      “Yea-yea I know you’d eat me if us dwarves didn’t taste so bad.”  Thorin said, and then his eyes narrowed as the thought occurred to him and with a slight hint of edge on his voice, “How do ya know what us dwarves taste like any how?” he asked.
    Odin turned his head, “Well... really I don’t, I’ve never eaten one.”
    “Aha... for all ye knows the meat on me ol’ bones taste mighty good.”  He stopped short thinking he might provoke the wolf’s stomach.
    “Nope.... I’m fairly sure Dwarves taste bad simply by the way they smell.”  Odin jested.  
    He knew Thorin didn’t mean anything by his words, it was just his nature, being tough and cranky and he enjoyed getting the dwarf riled.
    “What do ya mean I smell bad… you don’t smell much better yer self, ya over sized mutt.”
    Odin leaned down, licked his paw and gave it a sniff.      “There’s nothing wrong with the way I smell.”  He said giving what appeared to be his best attempt of a smile.  
    The dwarfs face reddened, “If your gonna go traipsing off like that without telling me you should be bringing back a rabbit or sump tin to eat at least.”  
    Odin just ignored him wishing he had hands to point with.  He nodded his head in the direction he was meaning.  “See that tall dark haired man with hair on his face.”  Odin said.
    “The one that’d be their captain.” Thorin replied.
    “Yea - him.”
    “What about him?”
    “I heard him saying he was sending men to bring back the scouts.  He said they were getting close to Mid-haven and had no need for them out there.”
    Thorin tugged the hair on his chin, “that settles it then” his voice boomed.  “We’ll be headin to Midhaven.... We best beat’m there so’s to see where they go once they enter town.”  
    Odin nodded his head in agreement.  Without hesitation the dwarf and the wolf, who stood nearly as tall as him, made haste.  On the way they compiled a plan to distract the guard at the gate and sneak the wolf in, a plan Odin wasn’t all for.