Wolf in The Desert of Ice

Family

As they headed back to Hvall the two teens stayed silent. Both had much going through their mind.

Nearing the town's gate they noticed an unusual sight. There were five people in front of the wooden palisade, all of them screaming at the guard behind the gate.

"Let us in, you heartless bastard", one shouted slamming his fist on the wooden wall. "Go away, this is no refugee camp!" replied a  voice from inside the wall, "We are no refugees, we are people from the desert, we bring news for your general" an elderly voice said in response. At this point Shiek and Oki were close enough for both the guard and the people to see them.

"Let them in Ari, Hvall has never denied entrance to anyone" Shiek shouted, "Ah obviously you'd say that, f*****g shifter wants to bring more of his kind into our city? Well I won't f*****g allow it! Just because you are the general's puppy doesn't mean you get to boss me around you hear?"

The guard shouted, now showing his face over the wall, Ari was the same guard that had first showed him the way to Bull's house when Shiek had arrived in Hvall, "Ari, open the gate or I will kick it down" "Oh you dare threaten me you dog?! Just try it!" Ari scoffed, "Just because you trained with Bull you think you can kick open the gate?"  "Well, you see Ari, I don't need to! Shiek replied calmly as the gate shattered, sending wood shards all over the place, "Thank you Oki"  "Why couldn't we just call the general?" "You know, some boneheaded guard would never listen to our demands so we had to bust open the gate now"

He turned to the five people standing outside the gate, "Why don't you come inside? I'm sure the general will want to listen to you" "Shiek" The elderly woman spoke again, "It has been a long time; what are you doing living with humans?"  Shiek stopped in his tracks. He recognized the voice, so he looked down at the hooded woman. An elderly face covered with wrinkles, tanned skin and bright green eyes along with a kind smile missing some teeth. "Grandma? What are you doing here? Wait if you are here than these others?" "Yes there is Fareed (pointing at the man who was speaking to Ari before) along with his wife Kaheela, and their two children Faiqa and Tarek" "It has been a while cousin" Fareed said getting close to Shiek "I remembered you smaller, and less muscular, it seems you have finally grown into a man!" he exclaimed before hugging his cousin, Fareed was taller than Shiek so his hug raised him clean off the ground, Fareed also never knew how to control his strength hugging the air out of Shiek's lungs "Your, choking me, cousin" the boy managed to mutter before the bigger man realized and let him go "Well, I believe there are some introductions to be made but first let us go inside" Shiek continued before heading through the gate where Ari was waiting and beside him Bull and the general.

"Care to explain, Shiek?" the general asked coldly "Ari was not letting them in; they said there is some important information you needed to hear" "And so you had Oki destroy the gate?" "Well yes, and no, I didn't ask Oki to destroy it I just said I was going to kick it down the rest she did out of her own volition"  "Is that true Oki?" the general said turning to the girl "yes" she replied quickly "Well, it looks to me that you know these people Shiek, so who is the one carrying the information?" "that would be me sir" the old woman stepped forward "I am Hena, me and my family have been travelling around the desert looking for trade opportunities. But three days ago we were attacked, Saanbeasts." "And how is this of any importance to us?" Ari butted in interrupting Hena "Saanbeasts are solitary creatures, but when we were attacked there were at least twenty of them, after we managed to escape we saw an enacmpent, an hoard is forming and it's heading westward, we followed the lifeline to here" "Are you sure it is a hoard forming?"

"yes I saw it with my own eyes many times before, this one is still small, maybe 100 individuals" "Ari, gather every soldier and put them guard at the gate, Oki repair said gate and Shiek and Bull come with me you too Hena"

"What about my family?" the old woman asked. "They can stay at Bull's house. Tell someone to guide them there Ari, now quickly" The general said, hastily walking back to his mansion.

He slammed open the door, quickly walking through the expansive entrance room and heading for a small side door at the back end of it, quickly opening that as well. Shiek Bull and Hena quickly followed the general who led them into a small room with a wide table covered by maps of all kinds. The general promptly cleared the table of all maps but one, a rough map of the surroundings of Hvall  drawn on piece of leather. "How far away was the hoard Hena?" the general hurriedly asked; the old woman pointed at a spot on the map near one of the sandstone structure, "They were gathering at the feet of one the limestone mounds" "What do you think bull?" "We can make it there in one day and be back in two, you need to send a hawk to Kleifar and ask for reinforcements, we cannot hold Hvall with 30 soldiers and a wooden wall, we need more bodies"

"I see, will do now prepare yourselves we need you to confirm their numbers, and if a king has already been chosen" "We will be ready by sundown, Shiek say your goodbyes we are going when the sun falls beneath the dunes, you might not come back"  Bull said decisively "What?!" both Shiek and Hena exclaimed "You are a soldier, we are going to scout out enemy position those are your orders be prepared" Bull spoke slowly as always but there was no doubt or room for protest in his statement, even though Hena did not know why Bull had called Shiek a soldier she understood that she could not stop this "Shiek, good luck and come back alive we have much to talk to" she told him before both the young man and Bull exited the room "Will they be fine?" she asked the general " I do not know, Bull will come back alive that I know, but for Shiek this will be his first real test"