Hodges Fields: Chapter 2
It was still very early in the morning. The sun hadn't risen yet; Cane could still see stars in the parts of the sky that weren't obscured by clouds and he could smell the damp grass. He had been walking through an early morning fog for a while now, two large jugs of sheep's milk slung over his back and clanking as he continued. Even though his vision was for the most part obscured by fog, and there was no physical trail cleared before him, Cane knew where he was headed. He was following a scent trail that had been left behind by the two guardians who now watched over his flock of sheep. The distinct smell of the Guardians was easy to pick up on, even if was a day old.
Cane continued to walk through the cold darkness, thinking. He could not wait to be home, where he would not have to wear the concealing garments of a shepherd. He couldn't wait to be back in the arms of his wife again, it was not like last night. The sheep was warm and somewhat comforting as he slept, but it was not the same. Even though she had lain naked in bed, he remained fully clothed. He was simply after her milk, not anything else. Besides, it was against the codes for him to show himself to any of the sheep. Not even Balso, his right hand and most trusted member of his flock. If one saw what he looked like, he would be forced to kill them. This was commonly accepted and not questioned by the flocks of sheep.
Balso woke up with the dark forms of the guardians staring down at him. Their eyes eerily glowed in what little light there was. Noticing that the sheep had woken, one of the guardians spoke in his gruff voice, "The shepherd left a while ago. We leave in an hour. Ready the camp." Balso stood up, eyeing the strangers in his tent. He knew that they were there to protect them, but something about the Guardians always seemed to put Balso on edge. Even Cane used to give him the same feeling, but he had grown used to it with the Shepherd.
Balso dressed himself and left the tent; the two Guardians followed him out, and then went off on their own ways. No doubt, they were patrolling the camp in case of an attack. Balso looked up at the partially cloudy sky. The stars were no longer visible, it was a dark blue. The sun was on the verge of rising over the mountains. He yawned, stretching his arms out. His breath was visible in the cold morning air. He shivered, realizing just how cold it was outside, then began to wake the others by banging on a metal pot and shouting "Wake up! Wake up! We leave in an hour! Get ready or be left for the wolves! Wake up!"
The camp was stirring now. The sheep packed their wool tents and belongings into the wagons. They dowsed their fires with water and smothered them with dirt. By the time the sun had finally begun peaking over the mountains, the sheep were ready to continue on their trek towards Hodges Fields. Balso and many of the other larger males grabbed the wagons and pulled them as they walked. The two Guardians split up around the flock of sheep; one leading them and the other following the rear. They would slowly work their way around the sheep, changing positions as the flock moved.
Far ahead of the sheep, there was a group of wolves chatting with one another. "How long do you think they'll take?" A large black wolf with fierce yellow eyes said to a smaller black wolf with dark brown eyes. "They are slow, probably all day." The wolf replied to the larger one. Another one of the wolves, about the same build as the first with grey fur and grey eyes spoke, "They better be here before then. I don't know how much longer I can wait, or the rest of the pack..." The smaller wolf nodded his head, "I know. But we don't have much of a choice on the matter, do we?" He snarled out the last sentence. The other wolf growled back, "Don't disrespect me. I know we have to wait." Another wolf stepped in between them, "Ashleigh, Dovan, we need to keep our energy for the attack." Ashleigh and Dovan glared at one another, but backed off. "We need the meat." The wolf who halted the conflict said. All the other wolves nodded their heads in agreement with him, licking their lips at the thought of the food and staring at their starving stomachs.
While the sheep had rested, the wolf pack had used the extra time to their advantage. A hunting party had been running all night. They had made sure to give the sheep flock a large berth as they traveled the night forest. The wolves knew that instead of attacking them while they were camped, an ambush would be far more effective. They had passed up the camp and were instead waiting for the sheep to come to them.
It was midday; the sun was reaching its zenith. There were still plenty of clouds obscuring the bright blue of the sky with a light grey. The early morning fog had long since burned off. Cane was far from the sheep herd now. He was nearing his destination, fortunately for him, because his arm was growing tired of carrying the two large canisters of milk he had tied together and slung over his shoulder. Cane was on a different path than the sheep were on. Instead of heading towards the pass to Hodges Fields, he was climbing up one of the hills that surrounded the fields.
Cane smelled a familiar scent in the air. He backed up against a tree and set down the cans of milk. He held his staff up, ready to fight off any attackers as his eyes quickly swiveled back and forth, surveying the forest. He heard multiple targets approaching him, catching glimpses of shapes moving from tree to tree. He started to snarl, when suddenly three guardians appeared before him. Two of them carried bows, with arrows knocked, but not drawn. The guardians were still a deadly threat in this position, drawing the bow would put unnecessary stress on both the bowstring and the archer's arm. They could just as easily hit the target at this distance, without drawing.
The third Guardian was armed with a large sword. He approached Cane and bowed. "Welcome, Shepherd. We have long been awaiting your arrival." The Guardian said. Cane let out a sigh of relief to see that they were not wolves. Glancing down at the canisters of milk, the Guardian with the sword spoke, "What do you carry with you, Shepherd?" Cane looked down to the milk and said, "I bring milk from my herd, for my family." The Guardian nodded in understanding. He took the canisters of milk while talking to Cane, "You must be tired, I will carry these for you. We are not far from the house, where you may rest, Shepherd." Cane followed the Guardian up the hill. "Thank you, Guardian. I look forward to being home again." The Guardian gestured to the archers, telling them to return to their posts. The other two Guardians took off, quickly being concealed by the forest as Cane and the Guardian with the sword hiked uphill.
The sheep were closing in on the pass that would lead them to their annual paradise, Hodges Fields. Every year, flocks of sheep would be lead by Shepherds and Guardians to the fields. It was quite the momentous occasion. Here, the sheep would have great festivities, they would trade and breed with other flocks while knowing they were perfectly safe. Hodges Fields was surrounded by mountains and hills, making it easy to protect. Not only was it a paradise for the sheep, but it was the home of the Shepherds and Guardians. This meant even more protection, because for the whole time the sheep were in Hodges Fields, every Shepherd and Guardian would also be there to protect them.
Knowing that they would be within the fields by the end of the day only lifted the moral amongst the sheep even higher. The flock began to sing a song that praised the Shepherds and Guardians as they walked. Balso, who had grown tired from pulling one of the large wagons, had traded off with another large ram. He was now walking leisurely and singing full-heartedly at the front of the herd, following close to the leading Guardian.
The Guardian stopped in front of Balso, holding up a fist to signal for the rest of the flock to stop as well. Balso stopped singing and stood still next to the Guardian. He looked back to the other sheep; they were still blindly walking and singing. Balso bellowed out at them, "Stand!" The sheep all stopped in unison, a hush falling over them as they stared at the Guardian.
The Guardian lifted his head up to the air, it seemed that he was sniffing at the air. The other Guardian who had been covering the back of the flock had walked through the herd of sheep, stopping next to the lead Guardian. They both sniffed at the air, and then tentatively drew their swords in unison. They stared out to the forest. The sheep stared out at the forest as well, unease running through them. Some even began to back off. Balso slowly pulled a knife from his belt. Whatever put the Guardians at unease was sure to be a threat.
There was a swishing sound, followed by a bleat of pain from behind. Balso looked back, seeing a large arrow stuck in one of the other sheep's shoulder blade. The sheep all began shouting and bleating in terror, running aimlessly in panic as another arrow flew through the forest, hitting another sheep. Suddenly, two figures came running from the forest. As they drew closer, it was obvious that they were wolves armed with short swords. Balso stood still, watching the approaching wolves as the flock behind him ran away.
One of the Guardians charged at the wolves, engaging in a sword fight with both. The other Guardian stood where he was, still surveying the area for wolves. Balso noticed out of the corner of his eye another wolf coming from the side of the flock. He let out a loud bellow and charged toward the wolf, his knife raised. The wolf was armed with a short sword, swinging it at him. Balso deflected the blow with his small blade and quickly cut at the wolf's legs. The wolf yelped and fell to the ground, snarling and gnashing its teeth at Balso. He jumped onto the wolf, wrestling with it.
He managed to pin the wolf, holding its mouth closed. The wolf still violently thrashed, fighting the large ram, but unable to free himself. Balso glanced about, still holding the pissed off wolf to the ground. H e saw that another wolf had shown up on the other side of the flock, and was fighting with the other Guardian. An arrow shot out of the forest, hitting the Guardian in the arm. The pain made the Guardian slip, giving the wolf the opportunity to stab him and bring him to the ground. The wolf ran into the flock of sheep, grabbing the sheep who had been hit by an arrow and slinging him over his shoulders. He quickly turned tail and ran back to the forest, disappearing from view.
The two wolves who were fighting with the first Guardian quickly took off into the forest. The wolf that Balso had held down kept thrashing in anger under him. Soon, the wolf gave up on escaping from the strong ram's grip, realizing that his pack had left him behind and he was firmly pinned down.
The Guardian slowly approached his fallen brethren. He knelt down next to him. The hurt Guardian had an arrow sticking through his left arm, and a large gash in his side. He was bleeding badly over the ground, his chest beat heavily as he gasped for air. The Guardian coughed, blood seeping out from under his mask. The wolf had punctured a lung with his blade. The Guardian was dying. He tried speaking, it came out as mostly gurgles. The other Guardian leaned down, placing his head next to the dying Guardian's mask. He listened to his brethren's last words, as he slipped from this world. Soon, he convulsed violently, gurgling and coughing, and then he was still. The Guardian who was kneeling next to him placed his arms over him and mourned silently. The sheep left the two Guardians alone, tending to their own business.
Balso shouted out to the other sheep, "Hey! A little help here would be nice!" A couple of rams looked over, noticing the large ram holding down the injured wolf. They quickly grabbed some wool ropes and ran over. They tied the wolf's mouth shut and his arms and legs behind his back. The wolf fought with them, but they were able to overpower him and tie him down.
Soon, the Guardian walked over, his brethren's corpse was slung over his shoulders. He gently set down the dead Guardian on the grass and stared down at the wolf. All of the sheep, except Balso, backed away. The Guardian angrily kicked the wolf, causing him to let out a muffled whimper. "What do we do with him?" Balso said as the Guardian was readying himself to give more kicks to the wolf. The Guardian didn't take his eyes off the wolf, speaking, "I'd kill him.... However he may be of better use to us. We will have to take him with us, still living. Put him in a wagon, we're moving out now."
The wolves had been running for a good ten minutes now. Neither of the Guardians had followed, meaning that they had escaped. They had received some fortune too; one wolf carried a sheep on his shoulders. The wolf that carried the sheep let him drop to the ground.
All four of them gathered around their prey. The sheep was still alive, but badly hurt. A large arrow stuck out of his shoulder blade. The wound was not fatal, but it was still enough to render a sheep helpless in pain. One wolf looked to another and growled, "You missed that bastard and instead hit this morsel." The other wolf shrugged it off. The first wolf growled again, "Because of your mistake, we lost Ashleigh." The other wolf growled back, "Because of my mistake, we will eat!" The first wolf tackled him and started to claw and bite him. He retaliated, slashing at the wolf on top of him with his own claws.
The large grey wolf knocked the first wolf off the other. "Stop it, you two! We may have lost Ashleigh, but we now have this sheep. And Dovan happens to have a piece of good news as well." The three wolves looked to the large black wolf named Dovan. He nodded his head as he spoke, "I killed one of those bastard Guardians." They stood up, "Really? How?" One of the wolves asked. Dovan gestured to the wolf that had just been attacked, "Vanith shot him with an arrow, and I sliced up his ribcage something good." They all grinned to each other.
The large grey wolf looked down at the injured sheep on the ground. The sheep had tried crawling away while they were arguing. He reached down and picked the sheep up, twisting the arrow still lodged in the sheep's shoulder."You're not escaping that easily." He looked around to the other wolves, slinging the sheep over his shoulders and holding him still. "We'll take this one to the pack, alive and still warm. Then, we discuss saving Ashleigh." They all nodded and started to run through the forest, towards their pack.