Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 388: CCCLXXXVIII. The Rolling Bowl

As he spoke, Dag kept that tone safe and detached, talking about killing enemies as if the value of their lives didn't matter to him, even regretting saving that little boy who had sounded the bell and knowing that if he had killed him, maybe the wolves would never arrive.

Freydis got closer to him and grabbed his hand, resting her head on his shoulder.

Dag squinted, smelling his woman's hair, mixed with smoked salmon aroma and all the food cooked on the embers, whose grayish smoke floated under the high ceilings of the stone house.

As Dag and Freydis frolicked in silence, exchanging kisses and caresses, their companions continued to eat.

"You two! Take this bowl with food and a mug of mead and bring them to Master Sander's room. I don't think he's regained consciousness, but maybe the smell of hot food will make him feel better" Egill said, ordering two Hammers Of Thor soldiers to go watch over Sander, being him and Karl exhausted.

The two soldiers nodded and brought food to their Master's room, gently opening the door, without making any sudden noises.

"I'm almost certain he won't be able to resist the smell of..." 

As Karl began to giggle, he stopped suddenly, feeling something strange coming from behind his back.

Soon after, Egill and the others heard him, and they all suddenly fell silent.

Dag, who still had his lips resting on Freydis's, immediately detached himself from her and stepped forward, toward the room, whose door was ajar.

"What's going on?" 

"Why did you all shut up?" 

Some warriors in the room said, when Dag moved an arm toward them, ordering them to remain silent.

The strange noise continued for a few minutes, which was enough for Dag to understand what it was: it was like a sound of flesh being cut and torn apart, followed by the sound of torn clothes.

After about thirty seconds, the metal bowl that was supposed to contain the salmon rolled on the floor, completely empty.

"What?!" Egill exclaimed, who immediately rose to his feet, as did Reidar, who took his Failnaught leaning next to him and drew an arrow from the quiver.

Thalos, who until then had been crouched in a warm corner of the room, stood up and began growling, slowly approaching Dag and staring at the door of Sander's room.

While everyone muttered something, alerted to the strange behavior of their Masters, Dag ordered Freydis to back down and stood still, listening.

After him, Kjell also rose, swallowing a sip of mead.

*and*anf*

A deep and panting breath came from the room and everyone immediately realized that it belonged neither to Sander nor to the two soldiers who had brought him food.

When the bowl stopped rolling, stopping right under Kjell's feet, he picked it up and with Egill, noticed that there was some fresh blood inside.

Caught in a strong fright, before they could say anything, something else flew out the door, landing on the ground.

Freyidis and Gridd were the first to scream when the dismembered corpse of one of the two soldiers hit the floor, smearing it with blood and pieces of organs.

"Fuck!" Dag exclaimed when a large claws-equipped hand clung to one side of the door, clutching it so hard that it shattered the wood.

From the darkness of the room, an unclean being dragged himself towards the soldiers, who were paralyzed by terror.

Two long ears and another large hand popped out, preceding a long snout with razor-sharp teeth.

A giant werewolf stood through Sander's door, standing in front of it, without going out of it completely.

Egill and Dag, unknowingly, simultaneously ordered all the soldiers to remain silent when they noticed that the giant wolf was smelling the air around him.

Holding their mouths with their hands, the warriors obeyed and all of them moved to the opposite side of the room, standing in a row attached to the wall.

Beginning to sweat cold and knowing that none of them except Reidar had his weapons at hand, Dag continued to retreat slowly, thinking of Freydis and Gridd, who were fortunately further away from him and from the beast-man.

The giant wolf stepped forward, continuing to widen and close his broad nostrils, attracted by the scent of fish on the embers.

When he came out the door completely, Dag and the others noticed that he had only one leg, and to move forward he helped himself with the two mighty arms, all scratched and wounded.

A large cut on the side of his chest leaked blood, running down his hairy body, ended up on the ground along with that of the two soldiers who had been slaughtered.

Leaving a single large footprint with their blood, the wolf continued to head forward, moving his head to one side and the other, as if he could not see well and relied only on his sense of smell.

His fur was thick and grey, almost black at the long tail, which swayed accompanying his clumsy movements.

As everyone retreated to let him pass, he reached the small bonfire, on which pieces of salmon were burning, having been on the fire for too long.

Just then, Dag looked at Freydis and nodded his hand, asking her to enter his room and take his belt with the two weapons, while Thalos, with his tail in the middle of his legs, walked away from his master, realizing that he was intent on facing that huge beast, larger than the average Claws Of Fenrir's wolves.

Continuing to breathe heavily, the wolf lowered his snout toward the embers, sensing the heat of the fire. 

Egill, who had moved only a few feet, looked at him and spoke with a thread of a voice.

"S... Sander?"

"Grr... urgh?!"

The wolf turned his face towards him, trying to frame him with an eye.

Egill looked back and, although he was very frightened, he noticed that the werewolf's eyes were brown, exactly the same as those of the Master Of Defense.