The Bok of Syr Folk Page 4

  Chief Onamingo as Chief Judge of the land, appointed circuit riding judges for the settlements. All three of the tribes have agreed to abide by the promulgated laws brought about by the voice of the people under the Constitution and Laws of the Confederation.

  * * *

  On Sigfrid’s Day, the day after Vali’s Day, the sun shone brightly in a clear blue winter sky. After a hearty breakfast the young bloods gathered before the upper entrance to the caverns. Standing atop a large boulder in front of the young men, with Jackie Doo and Forkbeard at his side, Elf Beard Old Grokking fastened his thick red-brown hair behind his head with a hound’s head hair claw, wiped the sweat from his brow with a scarf, and surveyed those he was to lead into the hunt. All the young men were fully equipped with bows, quivers of arrows, swords, harpoons, spears, and scramasaxs. The members of the senior young blood wolf pack under Arundel were clothed in the red surcoats, carried their elf blades or kukris, as some called them. The wolf pack that Aelfheah led had no kukris, but were likewise outfitted. The experienced pack was for the most part in their older teens and would lead out first as the initial line of attack. Aelfheah’s younger and newly trained wolf pack would follow for cleanup.

  Elf Beard’s dogs were anxious to get started, straining at their leads and barking. The tri-colored hounds were seasoned hunting dogs and very obedient to their handlers, each of whom had two hounds on a divided lead. On the other hand, some of the boys had brought their own hunting dogs, jagd terriers, who would be less predictable, very much like their owners. Old Grokk knew all too well he had to establish and maintain control of these young blood hotheads or things could get very dangerous very fast.

  “They are a fine lot of young men, Jackie, but far too many are untested in battle, in the hunt, or even in life. I’m relying on you, my old comrade, to tell me if you spot any troublemakers or daredevils and to set them straight right off the cuff.”

  Jackie Doo nodded. “You know you can rely on me, Hunt Master. I’m especially concerned about those redheaded sons of Hronn. If I didn’t know better I’d say the Devil himself had a romp in the sack with their mothers, virtuous women that they are. There’s always been a streak of recklessness in that clan, running all the way back to old Hammer Hronn himself, three generations ago.”

  Elf Beard gave a look of agreement, which spoke legions. Finally, when he judged the moment was right, Elf Beard raised his arms to command silence. As the boys slowly quieted, he planted his fists on his hips and waited. When all were finally silent, he said, “The first rule of this hunt is that nobody, but nobody! Noooo...body gets in front of me.” He waited for effect. “Is that clear?”

  The young bloods rigorously schooled by their trainers in proper responses to commands, replied in unison, “So be it, Hunt Master.”

  “These ketten are trolls and far more dangerous than a mere panther. Not only do they have the claws and teeth of a big cat, but also they have the mind of a man. They can strategize, deceive, and even see in the dark. I suspect, like all cats, their hearing is particularly acute. It’s likely they will know we are coming the moment we walk into the cave, and be lying in wait. I suspect their responses are as swift as rattlesnakes.”

  He paused to let that sink in. “Don’t be fooled into thinking you are much smarter than them. They grew up using their weapons of fang and claw every waking hour. At most, you didn’t start using your weapons until you were six or eight years of age. Be careful now! I don’t want to take you back home in two pieces or with an arm or leg dangling. Most of you are pretty-faced boys. Now I know your mothers and fathers have never laid a hand on you because you are children. A couple of you are so hopelessly ugly a couple of cat scratches might be an improvement,” he darted a quick glance at the Hronn boys, “but I’ll guarantee you, there ain’t no cat can scratch as hard as I can backhand. Now that you are in a wolf pack, you are under another law. It is lawful for a heretoga to smack you. So you damned sight better follow my orders. This is serious business and requires you to think like a warrior, which I presume everyone of you hopes to be one day.” Once again he paused to let his words take hold.

  “Now, form up in lines of four exactly as you’ve been trained.” He waited till the boys formed up in ranks which were quite a bit straighter than he had expected, indicating that they took their service serious. The quarter master passed out two unlit torches each to the four in front and the four in back and each had one in reserve.

  “Weapons at the ready! You bowmen make sure your bows are strung and an arrow nocked ready to fire. Ilkchild, get you ready with Elsie and Chalk Dog. Let them slip at my command. Other handlers keep your own dogs close at all times.” He shot a quick look at the Brothers Hronn who stood in the back ranks with their jagd terriers. “You, you Hronn boys, wipe those shit-eating grins off your faces and listen up. Remember your training. Do not allow yourself to get caught off guard. Remember to look up. Those wyrm-kats hunt with stealth and often attack from above. You’ve all seen the scars on Sunchild’s shoulder. In my experience as a hunt master, most animals would chose to flee rather than fight when cornered. I have already determined, and Lord Sur Sceaf agrees, that if the wyrm-kats run from the cavern before the hounds, we shall let them go unmolested. Our mission is to rid them from populated areas, so if they flee before the hounds with the intention of escaping, do not pursue. But if they attempt to attack, the hounds will corner them while you bowmen dispatch them with your arrows. Once the caverns are determined to be free of the danger of their presence, we are going to establish permanent guards to keep them from returning until the caverns can be properly searched, sealed, and permanently doored.”

  Hronnelf raised his hand. Elf Beard and Jackie Doo exchanged looks. “Yes, Hronnelf, what is it?”

  The redheaded youth said, “At least, now we know where they are and have the means to destroy them, and I’d like to have one of their hides hanging on my wall. Maybe even do a little dance with it on my back at the Ghost Moon. Besides, my two terrier bitches aren’t going to stop until whatever they attack is dead.”

  “I will defer to Xelph for a reply.

  Xelph stepped forward and saluted Elf Beard before facing the young bloods. “I have observed their behaviors very closely. The ones that do not live in these caves take to the thick of the jungle to the west and do not appear to be comfortable in the sparse woods to the east of the River Hrus. At least there have been no tracks of them spotted in that area. If we can get these cave trolls to go to the jungles like their woodland counterparts, then I am convinced they shall not molest us, unless attacked first.”

  Hronnool asked, “Why not kill them all while we have the chance? They are only trolls.”

  “It would offend the gods to kill them senselessly even if they are trolls.” He turned to Hronnelf. “If you can’t verbally control your bitches, you’ll have to keep them on leash until we get into the chambers and the heat of the fight. Is that clear? Dammit, I want to make it clear, I will not tolerate unnecessary killing.”

  “It’s quite clear.” Hronnelf said, “But I claim the first hide of any that go down.”

  Elf Beard stepped forward, “Shut your mouth boy. Xelph has expressed the position of the Roufytrof, no troll will be killed senselessly for their hides. If some are slain in a confrontation, we will use a lottery to determine who gets what trophies. It is the Roufytrof’s hope that these trolls, if in fact they do think like men, shall do us no harm once out of our settlements.”

  At a sign from Elf Beard, the quarter master lit the torches, four in the front and four in the back. Elf Beard signed to follow, and led them to the landing in front of the cave entrance. He called a halt. “Remember, stay in your ranks to the right, be alert. Always allow one avenue on the left side of the cavern open as a channel for the wyrm-kats to escape our wrath.”

  Elf Beard drew his scramasax and entered the cave mouth with the four torch-bearers right behind as they had rehearsed. The torches cast their flickering light on
to the far walls. Immediately, the glow of many pairs of moving eyes greeted them. The dogs leapt and strained at their leads, eager to be released. At Elf Beard’s command, Ilkchild released Elsie and Chalk Dog, who bolted for the far end of the cavern, barking furiously which stirred the other hounds and terriers into an eager demand to be loosed. Elf Beard signed to his son, Forkbeard, to release two additional hounds.

  Soon the chamber walls echoed with chopping hounds and horrific cat screams. Once the four torchbearers at the rear entered and were clear of the cave mouth, a lightning quick surge of wyrm-kats made for the daylight, scrambling in a flush like chickens fleeing a fox from a hen house. Elf Beard shouted, “Let those go unless they attack.”

  Once that pounce of wyrm-kats had made their escape, Elf Beard warned, “Rear guard, be alert for ambush. Always cover your asses!”

  Hronn chided, “Just remember Fromer.” They laughed.

  Elf Beard led out. The others followed, while Jackie Doo hung back until the rear torchbearers passed, so he could cover the rear. They crossed the large chamber past the lake and headed into the tube-like tunnel ahead.

  As it got narrower and darker, Elf Beard cautioned. “It was not far from here where we were beset viciously by wyrm-kats. Don’t imagine they’ve all left. Torchbearers hold you torches high. Expect an ambush especially from above. Remember they are seeing us long before we can see them.”

  The tension of the young bloods built. They were alert with darting eyes. The teasing and play had all ceased and now only the baying sounds of hounds, their own heavy breathing, and the hiss of the flickering torches filled the musty tunnel.

  They had only taken a few more steps when the hounds started their chopping bark again, signifying they were engaging another pounce of trolls deeper down the tunnel.

  “This is it boys. Be alert.” Elf Beard grabbed a torch from a bearer and ran out ahead, his torch flickering in the gusts of wind which were being sucked up from the sea chamber below. The eager youth followed hard at his heels.

  Just as they reached the end of the tunnel, wyrm-kats came rushing toward them as though propelled by a catapult.

  “On your guard,” Elf Beard shouted. “Remember your orders! Keep the left side free. Don’t attack unless they attack first.”

  Some did. Hissing and clawing in fury. Many others, seeing the avenue of escape offered, raced toward the open cavern entrance above. The ketten that stayed behind, proved to be relentless fighters. Elf Beard found himself slashing at more than one shadow with both his torch and his elf blade which clanked against the stone walls of the tunnel in one swing and in another bit into the flesh of a nearby kat. Screams went up from behind him as the young bloods stabbed their quota of the aggressive ketten. Because of the close quarters, the bowmen were unable to discharge any arrows safely, so took to using their blades.

  After this wave had either fled or been purged, Elf Beard called for a pause to catch his breath. An eerie silence fell over the caverns broken only by the harsh breathing of the young bloods and the chopping of the dogs. Elf Beard asked if anyone needed attention. There was no response.

  Xelph spoke up, “It strikes me strange that these few kats are so persistent and will not relent.”

  “We don’t know enough about these trolls to know when they mate, but the only time I’ve seen behavior like this is when young are at stake. If that’s the case here, that makes them exponentially more dangerous.” He paused for a moment. “There are nine chambers along the left side of this tunnel run. I believe any of the ketten that were going to leave have already left. From here on, we can count on a fight to the death. So here’s my plan. We will examine one chamber at a time. Xelph you and Ilkchild move to the entrance of that first chamber, weapons ready and then we will release more dogs. Two front torchbearers go with them. The rest of you stand ready to charge. Dispatch any wyrm-kats lying in wait. Their intent from now on can only be malicious. And remember, they only fight to kill.”

  Elf Beard signaled to release the next two dogs, Pepper and Copper. When Xelph and Ilkchild were in position they followed the dogs. The hounds sniffed through the room, but found nothing. The second chamber proved to be the same, spooky, but empty. At the third chamber Xelph called out for another torchbearer. The dogs went into an utter frenzy. Three trolls charged from three different directions, cornering the dogs against the walls as the ketten hissed and clawed at the air.

  Chalk Dog returned to Elf Beard with a gaping wound on his jowl, and his flank had been seriously clawed. Elf Beard yelled to release two more dogs, Puck and Elfie. “Bowmen, if you can get a shot in, now would be the moment. The kats were no match for the hounds and skilled bowmen working in tandem. Once the third chamber was purged, the floor bloody and littered with wyrm-kat carcasses, Crooked Jack led the charge into the fourth, employing the same strategy.

  This time Jackie Doo was in the lead with Yellow Horse at his side. He ordered, “Bring another torch over here now. This cavern seems deeper. I can’t see anything.”

  Elf Beard lit one of the spare torches with his own torch and sent the torchbearer into the fray. As his light was added to the others, it revealed the eyes of the jaguar-men that had taken to the ledges and narrow outcroppings above. As soon as the light hit them, they snarled and attacked, striking out at the chopping dogs with their long claws and sharp teeth. Arrows already nocked, the bowmen shot them one-by-one.

  Elf Beard paused to check for wounded young bloods and to allow the bowmen to nock arrows. There were some scratches and torn coats, but nothing serious. As they approached the fifth chamber, the wyrm-kats stampeded out in such numbers and with such ferocity that the dogs were hard pressed to hold their ground. As Elf Beard slashed out with his kukri, he noted that many of these kats were female and none too few pregnant. Realizing that the young bloods were getting overwhelmed by the ketten, Elf Beard ordered all dogs released.

  Panther screams tore at the air and echoed off the high ceilings and narrow walls. Amidst the chaos of battle, Elf Beard spotted his red hound, Ol Dutch, dead on the floor, legs totally disjointed and throat torn agape. A little further his torch light caught the mangled body of his favorite bitch Copper.

  This is much worse than any panther hunt I’ve ever been on. He thought.

  To his surprise, the two terrier bitches proved to be the most effective at harrowing the trolls. When a wyrm-kat attempted to shake off a terrier from its leg, the other terrier would take it by the neck.

  “It’s tight in here. Use your blades, men,” Elf Beard shouted. His own blade still dripping with blood was held at the ready. Holding his torch high, he sliced through the throats of two kats and plunged his blade into a third.

  One of the dogs in front of him was flung aside striking the wall beside him. A leaping kat was stabbed in the face by a torch and screamed in pain. A young blood named Hafnelf was wrestled to the ground and viciously clawed by two kats, his pants and shirt mere bloody threads. Just as the kat was going for the boy’s jugular, Hronnelf skewered the kat with his blade and booted him off Hafnelf with a stout kick. With Hronnool’s help, he dragged Hafnelf out to safety, before plunging again into the fray.

  Closing ranks as they had been trained, the young bloods worked their way through wave after wave of wyrm-kats and finally entered the chamber that was still particularly well-guarded by a determined pounce of snarling kats within. Elf Beard noted that most of these ketten were female. They fought viciously to defend this chamber, but finally the young bloods, aided by the dogs and the tricky terriers, turned the tide.

  The work of killing was exhausting, and Elf Beard felt it in his efforts to breathe. After the last kat was dispatched, he sat on a nearby rock and panted. The handlers collected their dogs and tended those that were injured. “It seems... like they were all intent on gathering... in here... and keeping us from entering. Makes me wonder what could be so valuable about this particular chamber.”

  Jackie Doo remarked with a frown, “I think you
are right. You know, what you said ‘bout the breeding. This must be a lek of some sort.”

  Elf Beard rose up from the rock. “Xelph, bring your torch over here, and let’s have a gander at what’s so all-fired important to this pounce of ketten. Hronnelf and Hronnool stand guard at the entrance.”

  While most of young bloods under Jackie Doo’s direction moved on down the line to check the other chambers, Elf Beard and Xelph re-entered this one, careful to avoid the bodies strewn over the floor. In the center of the chamber Elf Beard held high his torch and Xelph took a slow careful look around.

  “Look there,” Xelph cried, pointing toward the rear of the chamber. “See that pile of grass and leaves in the corner. It looks like something is squirming in it.”

  Holding his torch like a weapon, with kukri in the other hand, Elf Beard moved forward cautiously. Light flickered off the slick sides of the chamber, making it difficult to see clearly. “Careful there, lad, we don’t know what hidden horrors lie within these chamber walls. We’ve been surprised before. Let’s not allow that to happen again.”

  Nodding, Xelph drew his own kukri blade and cautiously approached the squirming mass of leaves. He stopped, and after a moment’s hesitation, sheathed his blade before going down on his haunches.

  “By the horns of Wodin! I don’t believe this.”

  Elf Beard anxiously demanded, “What have you got there lad?”

  “Kittens, but they look like human children with cat ears, tails, and whiskers.”

  At that several of the young bloods who were tending the hounds rushed in. “Is this a jest?” Hroonool asked.

  Xelph shouted, “Stop! Don’t come any nearer and make sure you don’t let any dogs in here.”

  Jackie Doo entered the chamber at the same time to report, “Hunt Master, we have found no more of them ketten in any of the other chambers. ‘Pears they’ve all gone for cover in the forest.”