“Freeze, lad! Don’t move!”
Zayden realised the cry came from nearby. It was the old retainer on duty at the tree who had woken from his afternoon doze and seen the wolf. He lumbered over as fast as his rather portly frame would take him to where Zayden lay on the ground with the wolf standing over him. The old man pointed his halberd1 at the wolf. “Get back, you brute!”
Zayden was grateful to the brave old man but was quite conscious that the wolf was quite large and if it attacked, there was really nothing that either of them could do about it. But as he gingerly rose to his feet, he noticed that the wolf didn’t seem to have any ill intentions towards them. In fact, he looked as though he was hurt.
“Just a minute, Carswell,” he said. Carswell was the old man’s name and Zayden had a rea
