The First Wolves

12. ANNALISSE

A scraping sound of wood against stone interrupted the wolves’ procrastinations of their last moments and regrets, as they turned to see that Adal had pushed aside a wooden cover to reveal a generous-sized hole in the stone.

“Crawl through, there’s plenty of room inside,” he ushered them, as they put their trust in the young man.

There was a little drop, but it seemed they were in a carpenter’s workshop, ribbons of twirled shards decorated the room beautifully, and the smell of wood calmed their anxiety.

“What is this place?” Rufus asked.

“It was a shop that made toys for rich children, he would travel to profitable markets to sell his creations. One day, he didn’t return, and because he owns the premises, no-one could sell or use the building,” Adal explained.

“Why is there a hole in the wall?” Jerrick questioned.

“Oh…erm…well…I did it. My friend and I would meet here sometimes,” the strain and discomfort in his voice gave a clear enough idea of what they had needed the building for.

Otto suddenly stopped, and placed his hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Was she your mate? Is she nearby? I will bring her with us if she is important to you.” Otto wasn’t sure how he would fulfil this promise, but for the happiness of his son he would try to accomplish anything he asked for.

“No Papa, she wasn’t my mate. We were just very lonely and needed something to…to…make us feel alive. She was sold a few months ago. I haven’t seen her since. Besides, it would be impossible for you to get to her through all these soldiers, there’s almost an entire legion in the market square,” Adal replied bashfully.

“Impossible isn’t a word to be used to a father determined to give his children happiness,” Otto hugged him, desperate to prove that he would do anything for him.

He wanted to say more, but he knew now wasn’t the time.

Adal hugged his Papa. He was a little worried that the cruelty he faced as the butcher’s slave might have finally made him hallucinate, but comforted himself with the thought that if this was madness’ gift he was happy to accept it. He pushed aside the wooden board that led to the next street, glancing out to ensure there were no soldiers.

“Where are you planning on taking us, Adal?” Conri asked.

“To Annalisse, she’s two streets over. I’m sorry for hitting you, Alpha.” Adal apologised.

“No need, I’m just glad to see the strength in your elbow. You can hit harder than your Papa.” He returned, scuffing the lad’s hair a little as the other wolves laughed at Otto’s expense.

Slipping through the gap into another narrow alleyway, Adal led them to his sister. He was surefooted and swift, unperturbed by the pressure of the soldiers, or the idea of being caught. He was determined to rescue his sister.

“I made sure to see her every day that I could, either from the cart at a distance or when the butcher was asleep, I’d run this way to find her. She sees me too, but we don’t speak. We didn’t want to give anyone a reason to separate us, but knowing we are nearby to each other brings just enough comfort.” Adal explained in hushed whispers.

“Is that what happened to your friend? They found you together” Jerrick asked, and Adal nodded.

“Yes, that was my fault as well.” He replied, ashamed.

Surreptitiously, sneaking round each corner, the smell of urine became more pungent. The wolves queried the repulsive stench, but Adal only laughed at their reaction, having become frequently acquainted with it over the years.

“We are entering the textiles quarter, the fullers use the piss to dye the cloth. That’s why it smells so bad, but it will be good for us because it will mask our scents, and people are reluctant to come here,” Adal’s cheeky smile gave a glimmer of the young wolf he still was.

There was courage to be found in the humour that disguised his fear.

Eventually, Adal led them through a narrow alley that steered them to a surprisingly spacious courtyard. Towering in the centre of the cobbled yard was an enormous, wooden, cylinder container that looked like an oversized barrel. An alluring bubbling could be heard, which falsely gave the impression of peace, but Otto could see the danger. His eyes were drawn to the steam that was billowing from the open top, so hot that he could see his fellow wolves uncomfortably wiping the sweat from their brows, even from this distance. Zooming in on the risk, Otto looked at the fire that was barely controlled, lashing out flames like the snap of a whip that was unleashed indiscriminately. A ladder was precariously balanced against the side of the wooden structure and the bottom rungs were black and brittle. After assessing every peril in the vicinity, Otto allowed his eyes to follow his heart to the top rung. Despite his best attempts at restraint, his vociferous roar made the feeble buildings shake in terror. The last time he had seen his daughter she had been a small child, and had to hold his hand before venturing near the camp fire. Now, she was barely balancing atop a ladder that was disintegrating from the bottom up. Using a pole that was three times her height to stir the cloth into the contraption that felt like it was melting his skin off him, and was clouding his view of her because she was hidden by the steam. She sprinkled the maddler flower into the contraption, causing the water to turn bright red. She was so focused on her task, and so close to the water that popped and splashed, stinging her skin, that she didn’t hear the roar of her father.

“We need to be quick. The guards will have heard that,” Rufus cautioned.

Adal took a little animal bone from his tunic pocket and through it into the water in front of his sister with practised accuracy. It was clearly a system that was frequently used, as her head whipped around so quickly that she almost lost her balance. Worried, Otto rushed forward to steady the ladder, and it was then that Annalisse saw her papa, hardly recognising him because her imagination from childhood had distorted his features. Love and safety filtered through her senses, and it was these feelings that assured her that her father really had come to save them. Trembling in shock, she began to descend the ladder, causing it to wobble precariously. Otto reached out his hand, he noticed the rough callous skin on her palms, a sensation that jarred against her youthful face. Her hands had aged from the course material she worked with, her face was drawn like she was tired, but she had scarcely lived at all. His daughter had been a slave for nearly half her lifetime.

Not anymore.

“Papa has come to take us away from here, Anna. Come get your shawl, you’ll feel the cold after all that heat,” Adal instructed her.

Entering a small wooden storage box, and picking up the remnants of a threadbare shawl that was thin and holey, Otto had to fight the urge to throw it in the fire. She seemed comforted by it, so Otto rejected his impulse.

“The shawl stinks of this place,” Amos spat in his head, but agreed with his human.

“We can get her new clothes when we return to the pack,” Otto pacified his wolf and himself.

Looking more closely, he could see that her tunic was stained and grubby, her legs were bare even though winter was upon them, and the diligence his daughter took in unfolding the shawl suggested it was her only one. She reached into the box for one another, which she quickly hid in her hand. Otto suddenly realised that the log shed was her sleeping area. She had been treated like an unwanted dog for all these years, and he didn’t know whether to cry or indiscriminately start to smash things, starting with the wooden shed.

Deciding that his daughter’s experience was something to be shared later on, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, safely tucking her into his chest. She leaned back, thankful that her ordeal was finally over.

“You lazy little b***h, you had best get up that ladder before my reeds reach your legs!” A gravelly, harsh voice called out, her sandals flapping on the courtyard cobbles in her rush to find her wayward slave.

Anna flinched at the voice, burying her face into her father’s ribs, dreading being caught by her mistress.

“Are you in bed, you worthless wolf?” I know a brutal pleasure house who will take you if you don’t appear before me,” She taunted her slave gleefully, as her reeds scratched against the floor.

Following the curve of the barrel, she raised the reeds, hoping to thwack the back of Anna’s thighs. This was often the punishment she inflicted. She preferred to do it when she was midway up the ladder. Sometimes the young wolf would fall back and hit her head on the ground. This only made the punishment all the sweeter for the vindictive mistress. Her authoritative pontifications were paused, when, instead of facing one lonely, teenage girl, she faced four well-built soldiers and a young man.

“Forgive me soldiers, I didn’t know you had arrived. Usually, collections are made via the front door. Have you come for the cloaks your general ordered? They are ready,” She smiled, leaning forward provocatively.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Conri praised the foul woman for knowing what they wanted before they asked. Once she had retrieved the parcels, she noticed that her slave was wrapped under the arm of a much older soldier.

“I must insist that you release my slave. She seems older than she is. In the future, when she is an adult, you’re welcome to borrow her for an hour, as long as you pay me first. Now, get back to work, wolf!” She shamelessly misread the situation.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t misread the collective growl that alerted her to the fact that they were all wolves, not soldiers. Her scream was incredibly high pitched, filled with panic and outrage. Moving towards the exit, knowing the real soldiers would respond to her cries, the woman was abruptly pushed to the ground by Adal. Instantly, the screaming stopped as shock stilled her. Reaching down, Adal picked up the reeds and snapped them in half, throwing the fragments at the woman’s face. He stared at her with loathing, until Anna pulled his arm towards the alleyway she always saw her brother come through, but she could never leave by. Otto didn’t know the entire events that had happened at the fuller’s shop, but he knew the hurt ran deeper than his eyes could assess.

“Tip over the tripod!” Amos demanded.

“Help him”, Einar encouraged Conri.

Supporting each other, the team pushed with all their might to knock the boiling water and the structure that held it towards the shop. It wasn’t fair, but it balanced the scales a little. Otto would have to rebuild and heal his daughter. The vile mistress could rebuild her business. When it toppled, the red water poured over the building and across the cobbles, like blood oozing from a festering wound. Jerrick clutched onto the parcels of red cloaks, and they left the textile district in chaos.

Clambering up to the flat roof tops, the group watched with trepidation as the squares, passageways and streets were submerged with the soldiers’ red cloaks responding to their demonstration. Carefully, negotiating the upper levels of the town, Adal expertly navigated them to the city wall.

“We will have to shift, race to the trees and hope we can widen the distance before the soldiers arrive. If they do start flying their arrows zig zag to avoid being hit,” Conri ordered.

Rufus’ wolf ran next to Adal’s wolf, determined to be his shield if it was required. Amos carried his daughter. Jerrick ran ahead, as he was the fastest of the group. Conri ran behind them all, ensuring that his pack members would be safe. They had all but made it to the forest, when Conri heard a spear pierce the ground with a thud more than a meter behind him. Knowing he was out of range, he turned around and saw the general scowling at him. Einar gave a triumphant and foreboding roar. Shifting back into his human form, Conri appraised the livid General, dressed in such finery it appeared his white armour had never tasted blood. Amused by the nemesis that had been sent by the capital to end him, Conri gave him the worst insult. He heartily laughed at the man they had thought could be his downfall, before turning his back and running into the depths of the woods. It was a mistake. The blatant disrespect, sunk Tarquin into a deeper level of vindictiveness.