A.N.D. - Wolf Woods

Queen Red watched the east with a patience she never felt. Her soldiers might be few but they were loyal-it was a rare fighter who would travel the night of the full moon through wolf-infested lands for anyone! But they had done so for her, and she would see that they were well rewarded.

Even more rewarded would be her scouts. She’d sent five people ahead yesterday with a load of wood and a wagon guaranteed to fall apart almost the moment it got within the gate; reason enough to stay the night even for the suspicious wolves. If the scouts had survived the night-and she had full confidence in their abilities-then the front gate and subgate would be open and unguarded and the “windtalker” wolf would no longer be their concern.

The horizon turned grey, then pink, and finally the golden tip of the sun appeared. As soon as she saw it, Red gave the signal and her soldiers swept forward.

The gate was open, the doors and windows of the barracks had been blocked in the night, and the wolves of the town were as sleepy and stunned as she expected them to be. Wolf’s Gate Garrison fell within an hour, just like she’d planned.

No one escaped-her soldiers saw to that. And as the network howl started in the next town over, her newly-captured wolves gave the proper signal. They didn’t want to, and they certainly didn’t howl with the same verve as they had when she’d visited the first time. But it was amazing what they’d be willing to do for her when they saw the swords of her soldiers inches away from the necks of their cubs.

Burly shifted from foot to foot impatiently, glaring at the dark bulk of Troll Gate. There had been a whole bunch of howling last night, and now there was nothing but creepy silence. Half a dozen times he’d been ready to signal the attack, then thought better of it. As long as it was still night, the wolves might still be hunting.

Now it was dawn, a time of day he usually slept through. Cranky, nervous, and unwilling to show either unroyal virtue, Burly finally waved his sword in the air, sweeping his army into a yelling green tidal wave of Troll fury.

The front gate wasn’t very well braced; just a few bangs of their ramrod broke through whatever had been locking it.

“This is easy!” Burly laughed, wheeling his horse to take point of the invasion. He would win! He would be king of the Third Kingdom! Burly the Brave-that had a wonderful ring to it!

His horse balked so suddenly that he almost pitched over its head. There was another gate behind the one he’d just broken through. Now that was stupid! Now he’d have to bring the ramrod back, get his soldiers back in ramming order, get the wolves out of his way...

His brain caught up with his eyes a second later. Wolves in the way? Yes, there were. Big, bad, furry wolves with yellow eyes and big teeth, and they looked perfectly awake and aware. Burly gulped and looked up. Archers were on top of the walls all around him. Some of them had tails. All of them had a clear shot at him. He turned to ask his general’s advice and saw the troll lying on the ground, an arrow sticking through his eye.

He’d never even heard the bowstring twang. But then, it was hard to hear anything over the rising growling.

The art of being a king lay in being able to make the decisions. Burly made one now. ”Retreat! Retreat! Everybody run for your lives!”

“There! You can hear the wolves walking home ahead of us!” Blabberwort pointed, ignoring the eye-rolling of her soldiers. Get a little lost in the dark and your people start to think you shouldn’t be leading. Well, she’d show them! “A year’s supply of wolf skin boots to the one who kills the most!” she promised, then had to shush them before they cheered and gave their position away.

Trolls are very stupid, she had to admit to herself. Good thing I’m not your average troll!

The tramping ahead continued, oblivious. Blabberwort signaled to her soldiers, who stared, puzzled, back. With a sigh, she tried to whisper her orders instead. In very small words. “You, you, and you. Go that way to keep them from retreating. You, you, and you. Head to the left to keep them from running that way. You and you, go to the right. I will jump out onto the road and scare them.”

Her people got into place, more or less. Rolling her own eyes, Blabberwort waited, waited, waited until-Now! She jumped out of the woods onto the path, roaring, waving a sword in each hand.

Why are all the soldiers standing on two feet? They’re wolves. Blabberwort wondered, followed by, Why are they wearing Second Kingdom uniforms?

Blabberwort and the second wave of Second Kingdom troops blinked at each other for a moment, then she bared her stubbly teeth in what was meant to be an ingratiating smile. “So sorry, just got a little lost, we’ll go now, have a nice day!”

She’d made it back into the woods and gathered her frightened trolls around her when the Second Kingdom commander snapped out of his surprise and shouted, “After them! Catch the trolls!”

How far is it back to our border? Blabberwort wondered, panting as she ran as fast as she could.

Jennifer hated going out to feed the chickens at dawn these days. No matter how often King Wendell insisted that they were safe now in Beantown, she’d never forget what it was like to be hauled off in chains by the trolls past the bodies of the townsfolk.

Trolls even made the wolves look good. She didn’t like those big, hairy animals, she certainly didn’t trust them like Wendell did, but at least they’d let her out of that terrible prison before they’d gotten around to “playing” with her. What those trolls had done to Danielle’s feet... her friend would never walk again.

Behind her, Granny shuffled out of the house. She’d snapped when the Trolls had come through before, completely lost it when she'd seen the shattered body of her son; now she just wandered around like a child. “T-t-t-t” she stuttered, pointing behind Jennifer.

“It’s all right, Granny, it’s all right...”

“No! T-tuh-truh...” A big, warty, green hand grabbed Jennifer, spinning her into a pillory and chains before she knew what was happening.

“You are now the property of Bluebell, soon to be King of the Trolls!” the ugliest one of them shouted.

Jennifer screamed and struggled. Not again! Not again! Where was the protection that Wendell had promised?

“I have killed your wolves!” the troll exulted, waving the dead body of the Greenman’s black dog by the tail.

“That’s not a wolf,” a gravelly voice said from the shadows.

“Yes it is! It was sleeping outside just like the wolves are after the full moon.” Even the troll sounded dubious, taking a closer look at the dog. “This is a wolf! It’s big and hairy and has a snout!” He thrust the corpse out at the captives being dragged from the houses and hen coops. “This is what a dead protector looks like!”

“This is what a live one looks like.” A gigantic animal stepped out of the shadows. “Good thing I have a taste for the mice who run these fields, isn’t it?”

Bluebell waved a bent sword at the wolf. “Just one more wolf? I have many trolls with me!”

“I’m very frightened. I think I shall howl from fear.” The wolf was the worst actor she’d ever heard, delivering the lines as if it were listing items in a menu, but the howl was long and clear.

“Ha!” Bluebell advanced on the wolf, only to stop in terror as an entire chorus of wolves answered the howl from either side of the town.

The wolf in question licked a paw and washed its face. “If you start running, you might make it back to your border before the garrisons to either side catch you.” It scrubbed an ear thoroughly. “If you let the captives go first, I’ll tell them not to cross the line.”

“I don’t fear you!” Bluebell announced, taking a shifty grip on his sword. The hunting howls sounded again, much closer. The garrisons weren’t that far a run from Beantown and wolves traveled quickly. “Then again, a wise king doesn’t commit suicide!”

Jennifer squeezed her eyes shut, moaning as the troll sword flashed next to her face. Next thing she knew, the pillory on her shoulders shifted, its severed lock falling on her foot. Another slice, and her ankles were unchained.

All around, the trolls were following their leader’s actions. “So sorry, been nice seeing you, gottagonow,bye!”

The trolls scrambled away as the wolf sat, laughing. Granny shuffled up behind it and patted it heavily on the head. “Good doggie!”

As the sun rose, so did the humans of New Sanctuary. People swept through the streets, loudly crying the news that Wolf had cursed his wife and presumably eaten his own child-news that was immediately followed by demands for all the humans to “protect” themselves by arresting all the wolves.

The wolves and half-wolves, still under the lingering spell of the moon, were all to eager to fly into battle in self-defense. Soon the streets of the town were in chaos as aimless mobs of assorted species banded together and started looking for enemies to attack. Those who were unable to fight barricaded themselves in their houses, digging up any magics that would help protect them and their families.

Sanctuary Windtalker raced for the signal tower, only to get troll-dusted and wake up in chains, his mouth muzzled shut. Humans stormed the signal tower and raised the “Sickness-Keep Away!” flag. From that high vantage point, archers shot down everyone trying to run down the roads out of town.

Everyone except the pre-selected human messengers.