Although Rainer had hoped that he would not have to sharpen his weapon all indications were that jarl Otto had left him no choice.
"Another corpse. This time, it's the last one. "
You see, jarl Otto had obliged to inform Rainer if jarl Magnar tried to contact Otto in any way. Otto did not do so. What's more, Otto took the Jarl Magnar under his roof and they were probably already feasting and drinking alcoholic beverages based on honey when they struck a bargain. An agreement as to the conditions under which Otto would betray and hand Rainer over to Magnar.
Rainer rested his heavy, massive and muscular wolf hands on his huge, two-handed axe, which was decorated with numerous ancient runes. The man used only this weapon. He knew that by wielding this weapon in his hands, he would put his opponent in fear and powerlessness. This was due to the fact that Rainer was famous for his unheard of strength, and combined with the impact of his axe, he could easily shatter the shields of his opponents into tiny splinters. It was also often the case that the moment the axe struck, the opponent's sword would fall to the ground at once with his entire arm. This brown-skinned wolf, with numerous scars on his chest and face, was a terror to all enemies he encountered. It was not only his undeniable strength that led to this. For everyone within a hundred miles knew of Rainer, whose lust for vengeance and determination to exact it was a man who would stop at nothing. The urge to murder Magnar.
The tall wolf drew cold winter air into his lungs and then stretched his broad shoulders a bit. It was just beginning to get cold, but the thick brown fur covering his entire body meant that Rainer was not afraid of the cold and winter wind. The man was always resistant to unfavorable conditions. In recent years, he had become even more accustomed to the cold, because he did not often get to sleep under a covered roof. But Rainer knew that the final hour of his banishment had come. Revenge on the murderer of his only loved ones was about to be exacted.
- Quite the wait Rainer. - Said his companion as he approached the lone wolf watching the area. - Magnar, Otto, and the rest of that damn bunch are sure to be completely drunk by now.
- Let's wait another hour, Thorstein. - Answered Rainer looking down from the hill at the small settlement located between the trees covered with a layer of white and fluffy snow.
- You don't have to convince me, Rainer. - Said Thorstein the lynx, who at that moment reflexively put a toothpick between his teeth. - Tell that to the rest of the company who are freezing.
- Tell them that this is the last hour of their wait. After splitting some heads, they will drink and eat to their heart's content at Magnar and Otto's expense.
- Many of them will not live to see this feast. - A worried lynx remarked.
- We may not live to see it, either. - Rainer replied in a dispassionate tone of voice.
- I hope you're wrong. You yourself know what you promised me, and yet as a corpse you will not become a jarl, and nothing to me of your promises then. - Laughed aloud his friend, who then put his hand on Rainer's shoulder.
- Mead and a pack of whores. - Laughed the wolf quietly under his breath. - I know Thorstein. But first I must kill Magnar, you know that. Until I drink the dark, bitter ale from his skull, there is nothing I can do for you. Besides, you know I don't care about being a Jarl. Whoever becomes lord will do what you want. - He continued in a joking tone of voice.
- You know I'm just kidding. That's not why I fight by your side and you know that too. - Said his companion and friend from his youth. After that he looked at the small settlement owned by Jarl Otto and looked carefully at its pale lights from the burning torches and candles in the windows before casting a lazy glance to the wolf. - This must be a solemn moment for you. I will leave you to contemplate it in solitude.
- Thanks Thorstein. - Said Rainer smiling slightly.
Lynx patted his friend affectionately on the shoulder and then walked off in the direction of the hidden encampment of men who had fought for Rainer's cause. It was a company of brave and valiant warriors who, side by side with Rainer, had been notoriously hunting for the lives of Magnar and his ilk for several years now. Today, not only was Rainer's dream about to come true, but so were all those who followed him. For some, it was a fight against tyranny and injustice. For others, it was a fight for a life of dignity and freedom from the yoke of slave labor for Magnar and his allies. For Rainer himself, however, it was a war to avenge his family. A family that had paid the highest possible price for Magnar's paranoid fear of maintaining the dignity of the Jarl.
The man wondered what death would be appropriate for his former sovereign. The prospect of a direct skirmish with Magnar worried him. Not because he feared defeat. He knew that if he struck his enemy too hard a blow, he would drop dead instantly, and Rainer did not want that. He imagined his death in agony. One of his ideas was to break Magnar of all his bones, slowly skinning the tips of his fingers or gouging out his eyes. The wolf planned to keep the Jarl's tongue whole, intact so that he could listen to his cries and pleas for mercy.
"Maybe I should let each of my men knock out one tooth, or cut off one finger each Magnar? I think they would like that idea." - Smiled the wolf to himself.
Rainer had been waiting for this moment for several years. When it was all going to be over, he wanted it to last as long as possible. However, he knew that before they could get to their former sovereign they would first have to fight a battle with its defenders. Thorstein, who was the top scout in Rainer's company estimated that Magnar had taken about thirty men with him to Jarl Otto. The wolf knew, however, that his friend Lynx must have been mistaken, for his enemy usually took three times as many guards with him. Perhaps the jarl wanted to remain unnoticed during the journey. The small number of flanking warriors marching in the fresh snow did not leave many tracks. Rainer also knew that the warriors belonging to Otto would quickly drop their weapons once they realized they were surrounded. It was no wonder. The people living in this region are humble farmers, not warriors.
Rainer looked at the moon, which was already high in the night sky, and decided it was time. He took his two-handed axe in his hand and turned toward the dense forest where his warriors were. With a quick step, he made his way towards them, making his way through the bushes and branches of the trees. It did not take him long, for he was not too far from the encampment either. As soon as the glow of the campfire illuminated his face, his comrades-in-arms immediately stopped their conversations and looked at the wolf's muscular form. Rainer put on a serious face and took a cursory look at the faces of all those gathered. Among them, of course, was Thorstein, who, seeing his friend, smiled at him and nodded.
- Warriors, comrades and friends. - Rainer began loudly speaking to his men. - You know I'm not the best speaker, so I'll keep this short. After all, I'm not the only one who can't wait to drain the blood from these nits. - The wolf's words were received by his companions with vigorous laughter which made Rainer couldn't stop the smile on his face. Then he continued. - Today marks the end of the era of lawlessness and tyrannical rule. Once Magnar is killed, the rest of his allies will fall quickly or surrender in fear for their lives. I won't rant about what comes next. We all know that already. We will choose a new Jarl...
- We will choose you as our Jarl, Rainer! - Shouted one of the warriors. - You are our leader! You have done the most for our fight and you started it! You deserve to be our lord!
The man's words were backed up by the other warriors with loud shouts and raising their axes and swords upwards. Rainer then stopped smiling, however. He looked investigatively at the man he had known for a long time. The wolf put down his axe, leaning it against a tree, and walked over to his comrade in arms. He then grabbed him firmly by the shoulder and said:
- Ranger, I am not worth more than you or anyone else who fights side by side with us. Nor am I worth more than the women who dress our wounds, cook and care for us. I, the whole company and all our comrades are equal. I don't want to talk about who will be jarl. We will all choose him together like the brothers we are and will always be.
Rainer's words were met with more cheers and shouts of approval. The wolf walked away from his comrade-in-arms while patting him on the shoulder, then returned to where he had been standing before.
- I told you I'm not good at speeches. Otherwise you wouldn't have interrupted me, you would have listened. - Said Rainer sarcastically, which was met with a wave of laughter. However, the man was pleased with this turn of events. He knew that he had succeeded in raising the morale of the people who followed him into battle. This was very important if they wanted to win the upcoming skirmish. - And if you don't want to listen anymore, that's very good, because I don't want to talk. Everyone knows what to do, so let's go ahead and crack some heads!
Then everyone grabbed their weapons including Thorstein who armed himself with a short bow and sword. The people split into groups and began to surround the settlement belonging to the treacherous Jarl Otto. Rainer expected that Otto could not be trusted, but he did not think he would be so foolish as to invite Magnar to negotiate with him. That was the last decision the man made.
After a few dozen minutes of positioning themselves around the settlement, the warriors snuck as close as possible so that the defenders would have less time to react. Contrary to Rainer's expectations, they realized they were being attacked much later than planned. The warriors burst into the houses of the settlement and began to effortlessly slaughter the first defenders who stood in their way to Otto's estate, which was located in the middle of the small town. The first opponents the wolf met didn't even manage to strike a single blow. They all fell dead on the snow, dyeing its color from white to dark red. They were people belonging to Otto. Rainer knew that Magnar's warriors would be much more tenacious, and would certainly not drop their weapons before the wolf's companions. It wasn't long before the local defenders were fighting. Those quickly began to scatter to different sides in a panic to save their lives. Others, however, joined the warriors of Jarl Magnar, who had set up a curtain of shields in the market square of the settlement, defending access to the house of Jarl Otto. It was not difficult to recognize them. All of these warriors wore shields of red and white, the hallmark of the forces of Rainer's greatest enemy.
The man shouted commands to his warriors to line up by their sides and move with momentum towards the defenders. As axes and swords came into contact with each other, the reverberation of loud shouts of the clash between the two hostile forces began to rise above the square. Rainer struck a blow with his huge axe at one of the soldiers shielding himself. As expected, the piece of wood shattered into dozens of pieces and the owner of the destroyed shield fell to the ground. Before Rainer could stab him in the skull with his axe, the man screamed in terror at the prospect of death. In the chaos of battle, out of the corner of his eye, the wolf saw his comrade-in-arms, Ranger, the same warrior who had moments before hailed Rainer as the future Jarl, fall to the ground dead. With fury and a shout on his lips, Rainer raised his axe high and launched himself straight at the enemy who had killed his friend. The man didn't even have time to raise his shield to defend himself from the massive wolf's attack. His head snapped off from his neck and fell to the snow right next to the feet of Rainer's next opponent.
The wolf was covered in the blood of his enemies. His axe was dripping with the red liquid and so were the weapons of his companions. The fight continued, but the entrance to Jar Otto's house was already clear of guards. Rainer took advantage of this and immediately ran to the door, breaking it down with a blow of his foot. The man didn't even have time to look around inside the main room, as he was immediately rushed by four defenders waiting inside. Suddenly, Thorstein the lynx appeared at Rainer's side and quickly threw to his friend:
- You're coming to the party without me? How could you? - He said with a smile on his blood smeared face.
Rainer did not have time to answer, because the guards were already attacking the two friends. The fight was very short indeed, as only a few blows with sword and axe were enough to defeat the enemies. With no way to defend themselves or escape, they were quickly defeated and their dead bodies lay on the wooden floor of the large room, staining it with the dark colors of blood flowing from their severed arteries. Rainer looked nervously but carefully around the room filled with chairs and tables. Food was indeed scarce, there were only two goblets on the tables, but other than that there was no sign of anyone here.
"Something's not right here." - He thought while looking around the assembly hall of jarl Otto.
- Come out, traitor! Come out and fight! - Shouted the angry Rainer in a thick and low voice.
Then two brown hands rose from behind one table, signifying a gesture of surrender. Immediately after that, the round head of Otto the bear slid out, who, with a rather panicky smile on his face, looked as if he wanted to explain the whole situation to Rainer.
- Rainer! - Otto shouted nervously. - It's not what you think, I wanted to tell you everything! I swear on my mother's life!
- Your mother is dead. - Thorstein remarked, smiling mockingly at the jarl.
- Right. - Agreed the bear, who froze in place with his hands still extended upward. -Then, I swear on my wife's life!
- Do you mean the former or the latter? - Thorstein continued.
- Oh right, I have two wives after all. - He said in a still frightened voice. - In that case, I swear on my life!
- I don't care about your life. - Rainer hissed as his men had already begun to make their way inside the assembly hall. - Where is Magnar?
- He's not here! - Shouted Otto in a panic-stricken voice. - That's what I wanted to tell you, that's right!
- You lie! - Shouted Rainer, who clutched his axe in both hands and started to move towards the treacherous Jarl. - That was your last betrayal, you bastard.
Jarl, seeing this, began to back away. His eyes were filled with madness and uncontrollable panic. Otto began to beg Rainer for his life, but Rainer was deaf to his pleas. With one swing of the axe, he cut Otto's abdomen and his guts began to flow out. The wolf was completely unconcerned by this fact and began to look nervously around the room. It seemed that Magnar had to hide somewhere, but did he manage to escape? Rainer couldn't bear the thought that this murderer might have escaped his axe once again. Then with a very aggressive tone of voice he ordered a search of the entire estate belonging to the jarl Otto who had just died. He also ordered a search of every house in the village in case Magnar was hiding in any of the houses.
All the companions scattered in different directions and began meticulously searching the rooms of the houses. Rainer, all flustered, angry, and bitter, grabbed the cup on Jarl Otto's table and drank the wine inside. If Ranger and several others had died in this battle for nothing, only to find that Magnar was not here, Rainer knew that he had made a mistake in attacking this place. But how was he to know? After all, even Torhstein had reported seeing soldiers escorting Magnar to a settlement belonging to Otto. Lynx was not even wrong about the number of enemy soldiers as it turned out, so Magnar had to be here.
After a while, however, all doubts were to be dispelled. Here came one of the warriors fighting for Rainer, leading by the neck a figure. This man wore red and white robes, which made the wolf's heart almost freeze. He saw immediately that it was a fox, which could only mean one thing.
"Magnar. I got you, you villain."
The warrior threw the man straight to the floor and immediately afterwards proudly announced:
- Rainer, I found someone like that.
When the person lying on the floor merely lifted his head, Rainer turned pale. The man seemed to look as if he had seen a ghost. A phantom from the past that he could not and would not break free from. The man dropped his two-handed axe to the floor with a bang, took a few steps back and said in disbelief:
- What... for Odin... what the hell is this all about?
The man lying on the floor was actually a young boy. He was about eighteen years old and did not have the physique one would expect a Viking of his age to have. He had fluffy, heavily orange fur that shimmered in all shades of fire with the white spots characteristic of foxes. The boy looked confused, scared but ready to fight. When his gaze met Rainer's yellow eyes, the wolf nearly lost his balance. For the man saw something in the kid's eyes that he had not seen in years. He saw emeralds. The beautiful, familiar look of emerald eyes. His pointed ears were raised very high completely as one would when seeing danger. The wolf did the exact same thing and was literally stunned, for this fox looked literally like the person Rainer had already lost years ago.
- Rainer, calm down. - Said an equally frightened Thorstein. - I knew him... it's... it's not him... we buried him together....
The man, however, did not seem to hear his friend's words, and instead of answering him, he spoke directly to the fox:
- Ethelwulf? - He uttered his dead son's name in disbelief.
The fox looked even more confused but now also surprised by the wolf's reaction. He swallowed his saliva loudly and, looking into Rainer's yellow eyes, replied in a trembling voice:
- My name is...my name is Colin. - Howled the teenager in a sonorous and velvety voice. - I.... I am the son of Jarl Magnar... so... so if I am to die then let me draw my sword and...
Rainer at this point was already completely deaf. Hearing the boy's voice, he was reminded of his conversations with his own son. The happy years in which they worked, ate and played together. Seeing his eyes, he saw in them all the lost and happy years of his life alongside his child and wife. His beloved Olga, who possessed a sapphire gaze. His son Ethelwulf, who had inherited those same eyes from his mother. Rainer was sure he had buried his own son. The grave mound he had made stood in the same place it always had. He visited the burial place of his family regularly and was sure that the bodies of his loved ones were still there.
"Have I gone mad?" - He thought.