Chapter XVI, Jackals and wolves
#17 of Tale's of the wanderer's
Chapter XVI, Jackals and Wolves
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It was a cold morning; the rain from the night before had flooded the flat streets of Whiteport two inches deep. Merchants cursed as the tried to prevent their carts from sinking in the mud and the innkeeper at the Blue-mug inn sighed in relief that he had his servants bring everything out of the root cellar.
The rain had ceased to fall. The normally humid city was now in the grips of a cold spell, a fact not lost on Sibuna.
Any thought of rising from cuddling with the warm wolf in a soft cot, was far from his mind. A pleasant warm sensation engulfed his entire body from muzzle to foot. Her long face rested on his muscular chest. The normally moody face of the jackal was curled into a small but notable smile.
Nauil listened to the powerful beat of his heart and soft rumble that came with each of the jackal's breaths. His scent filled her petite nose with a musky almost spicy aroma. She hugged close to his warm body and enjoyed the solace from the cold.
Sibuna forced his eyes open. The vary thought of ending this warm embrace was unthinkable. In a way he had no idea what to do next, it was tempting to fall back into the fog of sleep and pull the lovely wolf into him.
Eventually he began slight movements, a soft whine of protest came from the wolf-girls muzzle.
"..." Sibuna could think of nothing to say, his normally moody face returned, the full weight of what happened the night prior hit him. His large paw slowly stroked the cheek of the drowsing wolf.
Her eyes slowly opened.
"By Xala girl, you sleep the dead," he somber face smiled.
The heavy screen of sleep lasted only a few moments.
"..." She could say nothing.
The jackal slowly climbed from the bed. From her still tired eyes the jackal seemed to be a giant, her blurry vision made him like shadow upon the wall. An old fear crept into her mind. Memories of dark tales of savage men of the east who could devour maidens without gnashing teeth.
He extended his massive paw to help her to her feet. She shyly hesitated before placing her delicate paw into his bolder crushing hands. He pulled with such force she fell into his arms and was hugged in the same position she slept in.
"I feel it is time we should leave... if you wish to accompany me further?" his gravely voice seemed confident at first, then awkward.
His powerful heartbeat sped. For a moment she said nothing, then she leaned in and gently kissed the side of his muzzle tickling his whiskers in the process. She need not say another word.
- + + +
"BY ORDER OF THE NOBLE BARON DABALOJ, YOU HAVE BEEN SENTENCE TO DEATH FOR THE CRIME OF MURDER, MAY THE LORD GOD LOOK DOWN UPON YOU WITH PITY; FOR YOU WILL FIND NONE IN OUR EYES!" the tall guard read from a scroll.
A sizable crowd had gathered on the wet street corner to witness the execution. A thin rat sneered out at the crowd he knelled before. He was clad only in the kilt he had been arrested in.
A few men clad in white robes with faces wrapped in linen moved like ghost through the crowd collecting alms for the condemned's funeral.
While a few jeered at him, most only watched eagerly for the black robed executioners mount the platform. He brandished a wicked axe that seemed to reflect no sun.
The guard gave the rat a good shove onto the stained wooden block. The robed figure slowly aimed, lifted the axe! And!
Nauil turned away snapped her eyes shut. Sibuna held to her to him. The crowd erupted in cheer as the gorsy spectacle was completed. In ritual manor he lifted the severed head by the hair and held the dripping part up high to the cheering crowd.
It made no new impression on the hardened jackal to see such a spectacle. But the wolf was horrified by the shocking display. Though public executions had taken place in Blackhook the wolf girl always avoided such grisly affairs.
Sibuna on the other hand found this quit mild compared to the sights he had seen.
"What was that mans crime?" he asked a cheering citizen.
"That be Haal ee killed iss own brother for a jewel the size of yer thumb, now ee's the jewel for da potter field,"
The jackal didn't bat an eye. He led the beautiful wolf away from the grisly scene. She seemed even to tremble as she walked. He gently placed his cumbersome paw on her back.
His tree trunk like arms felt like lead but she was never the less happy to leave the scene. Sibuna could care less, if you've seen one execution you've seen them all.
If they had not been in such a hurry to leave the square they may have seen the three men following close on their heels.
- + + +
The streets were still semi flooded from the rainstorm. Every now and again you could see a small collection of rubbish that somehow did not was away in the storm. A few children played in the puddles that were so rare any other time of the year under the watchful eyes of their mothers.
The street was small, and small one-person alleys were spread out like mazes. Is the pair could see where they were going on the deserted lane they would find themselves heading east, and oddly enough only a few streets from a large cistern that now was full to the brink with clean rainwater.
Sibuna walked at a normal pace, with Nauil right beside him. Any observer would muse the irony of a perfectly snow-white Wolf and pitch-black Jackal walking side by side. They paid them no heed. Nauil simply followed Sibuna and Sibuna was now just following instinct.
It greatly pleased the jackal that she would accompany him.
"They are going south,"
"We wait for them," The rat answered his companion, the master had sent them out like the others in order to bring 'guests to the temple.
While the rat would just as soon grab a street urchin, the lion had convinced him the master would be more pleased with larger fare, and the two foreigners would serve nicely...
A native of Whiteport would avoid the southern end of the city for good reason. Its long alleys and shadows plazas made it almost like a labyrinth. Its unpaved streets were of a noxious mixture of mud and shit.
It was not uncommon for someone traveling the south district to come across a body with the throat slit facedown in the muck.
Unfortunately The Wolf and Jackal knew nothing of this. Nauil knew only the few streets she had traveled with her father. And Sibuna knew the open steppes and wastes; he knew nothing of the ways of cities.
As they walked silence reigned. Both felt the awkward feeling that came after the night prior's activity. The jackal would break the silence, but his grasp on her language was week.
He stopped suddenly...
"...Sibuna... What's wrong?"
The jackal looked behind him "...Nothing," he slowly returned his gaze from his back. His long ears perched up and the began to move again albeit at a slightly faster pace.
He gently placed his paw on her shoulder and led her confidently like a bride. Perhaps if the wolf were not so sure something was amiss she would have detected the almost affection note in his caress.
He stopped again, his hand slowly slid to his dagger...
(Took me awhile to write this chapter, I've promise to post a new chapter ASAP, and just because you've been good, I let you know I've been working on another story I'll post after this one is done)