[Alkanoonion]

Racing back to the Whitfurrows Carl hoped that he could find signs of Giles and Autumn. If not he would find the rest of the party and continue the journey with them, after all Giles and Autumn where skilled trackers and could take care of themselves.

Carl was feeling pensive; the events of the day had been a shocking reminder to Carl that life was short and always surprising. Looking about his surroundings Carl kept his bow nocked with an arrow, ready for any Wargs or game that crossed his path. Looking about Carl saw some new tracs in the snow. They were fresh. As fresh as the still falling snow. Dismounting his pony Carl tied her to a tree branch and proceeded to investigate.

The tracks looked to be only minutes old and looked canine in origin but the snow had partially covered them up so Carl was unsure. Gripping his bow Carl looked around studying his surrounding. Immediately in front was the road to Whitfurrow, Still partially covered with snow and debris from the storm that swept through the night before. There was no sign of life. To his right was the dense frozen nightmare forest, which he had passed before on his way north. To his left the trees looked more inviting, offering Carl and his pony shelter for the night if they needed. He wished he could take advantage of the inviting spot, but he still had much to do. Forcing his wiry body to rise from the stiff crouch he had used to examine the snow Carl commenced with a thorough examination of the surrounding area.

Following the tracks Carl could see that it was a lone beast perhaps the Wolfs mate who he had humanly dispatched with before. He tried to follow the tracks but the soft falling crystals soon swallowed them up. As the tracks slowly disappeared so did the suspicion that Carls was mistaken. Those tracks were leading Carl southward, towards Whitfurrow. This could only mean bad news. Running back to his pony Carl gathered up his belongings and quickly made for Whitfurrow. If it was as the tracks had suggested a wolf, it was being draw towards the settlement. In these hard times only one thing would attract a wolf towards an inhabited settlement. Wolves did not go towards settlements unless drawn by great need or food, and even then only at night. It was still daylight, too early for a wild creature to risk discovery. It had to be something powerful to draw a fully-grown and experience wolf into the town. There was only one force strong enough, that Carl knew of which would do this. Fresh blood.

Racing back Carl could no longer find traces of the tracks, now fully concealed by the cold snow. He did not need them. He now knew were he must go, and he prayed that he was wrong in what he expected to find once he got there.

…………………………………………….

He had been wrong! The wolf had bypassed Whitefurrow. Carl continued on travelling back to rejoin the party of hobbits. Despite the hour and the snow falling around them, Carl Spurring his pony on to greater speed. It was getting late. Carl hoped he would find them soon.

Fatigue was setting in; Carl had spent the night searching for the party. As dawn chased away the last lingering affects of the snow and of the darkness an erri calm settled over the land.

Dismounting his pony Carl fell to the ground as fatigue finally overcame his resolve to continue. Forcing himself to raise Carl noticed under his nose a fresh set of Wolf tracks; in his stupor he had stumbled across the tracks of the same wolf he had tried to track the previous evening. Although tired, Carl felt a thrill of excitement run through his feeble body, energising him. He needed to continue tracking the wolf.

Carl could see him. A gaunt starving beast that looked to be on its last legs, relying only on instinct to kept it going. The wolf looked to be circling something but not stopping to find out Carl Drew his Bow and let fly with a shaft striking the Wolf cleanly and dropping it. Carl ran up to the dropped Wolf and finished it off with his dagger. He would have left the carcass but his need for food was just as great so picking up the carcass Carl laid it over his pony’s back. Cal could now see what the Wolf was after. The ground was littered with the blood of a wild Dog. Its carcasses lay nearby half frozen in the snow.

Rising Carl investigated the area. From the look of it their had been a battle. This battel looked to have been a fierce one. The snow was littered with more evidence of blood. Carl suspected that the blood was not just that of the dog’s. There was just too much of it. Reading the evidence upon the snow Carl could distinguish that more than one dog, and many Hobbit prints were all jumbled together, as if each being had competed with the other to destroy each other’s foot print. The only word that came to mind as Carl explored this jumble was ‘chaos’.

‘What has happen here?’

Leading away from the scene were cart tracks. Curious and fearful of what he might find Carl continued to track the snow, but now it was the marks of a cart he followed and not that of a wild animal.

It was early morning when Carl was about 4 miles from Whitfurrows. In the distance Carl could hear the sound of hobbits crying and he could see a temporary shelter.

[ December 07, 2002: Message edited by: Alkanoonion ]

[ February 14, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]