When Death Smiles

When Death Smiles by SheaRyhai © 2010

Prologue:

In the beginning we knew man to be a frail, inexperienced, and vacant existence. But man was given the ability to learn and a natural desire to seek what they did not know. What we first took as a sign of potential turned quickly into the steps of destruction. Like parents we walked after them, repairing what we could hoping a lesson had been learned.

Patience has a way of crumbling when the same mistakes are repeated. That the consequences came at the cost of our own did little to dull the disappointment. Forgive them we were told, and forgive we did. But in our hearts something grew, dark, angry, and frightening.

We should have given up on them. We could have wiped the slate clean over and over until perfection was reached. 'Perfection is not love' we were told. So we tried again, burying our resentments as deeply as we could.

For a moment there was one. One we loved above all others. Our hopes rose with his enlightenment, humility, and the purity of his soul. Then even he was lost in the pages of time. Our grief created another darkness.

How were they to learn when their existence was so short, the span of a candle compared to ours? Questions we asked, doubt we battled, and when another came that could hear us and understand we gave to him what man had always been denied; and damned ourselves with the first mistake.

Chapter 1: Cold Enemy

Frozen tears drifted through the forest's white arms onto the hardened road below. Echoing in the distance came faint hoots of an owl. Ice clung to the lower branches of a berry bush where a small gray field mouse hid nervously. It's tiny dark eyes lit up by the lanterns of a quickly approaching carriage.

Four strong work horses moved together beneath a swirling cloud of labored breath. The rhythm of their hooves against the crunching ice mingled with the rattle of iron and wood of the carriage. Clamped crudely to its bed an iron cage of shackled young slaves jostled behind. Unlike the carriage driver, wrapped warmly in furs and leather they huddled together in paper thin garments torn and dirtied. Matted hair above empty eyes and purple noses and fingers. Beneath their silent acceptance they welcomed the cold and the escape it would bring.

A snow white owl with black talons settled on a branch crossing over the road, watching the passing carriage with amber eyes. Head twisting, it eyed the four guards on horse back escorting their miserable merchandise, armed with muskets and short steel swords.

Led by a rope tied to the last guard's horse, a girl barely more then a child, stumbled barefoot through the snow and ice, kept moving by the tight knots around her bruised wrists. A jerk from the impatient guard unbalanced her and she slipped down onto the frozen ground. The man halted with a sharp curse half raising the whip from his saddle, but she was already struggling back up fearing to be dragged to her death more than the sting of his whip. With a wad of spit in her direction the guard urged his horse forward at a faster pace to catch the carriage. Gritting shaking teeth, the girl forced herself to keep up.

An older heavier guard, whose uniform marked him as their leader, pulled the chestnut mare beneath him back to watch them. “Filthy witch,” he sneered through stained yellow teeth, spitting in their direction before urging the mare closer to the carriage.

Onward the sorry company continued until the rumbling of the carriage and dull sound of the horses faded. The field mouse emerged again to move hastily across the road. It's tiny red heart pulsing blood through small thread like veins. Watching from above the owl preened his feathers then took flight. Not towards the small morsel, but the carriage and its far bigger prey.

Dipping and diving through the webbed branches of the forest two crows flew alongside the carriage, beady red eyes glinting out of the blackness lit only by lonely moonlight. In their wake, an almost playful laugh echoed and faded into the breeze. On the other side of the carriage and road, racing silent across the frozen snow, a black wolf the size of a bull kept pace.

The carriage team became uneasy, snorting fearfully as the smell of wolf reached them. Ignoring the experienced hold of the driver they pushed forward frantically trying to out run the hidden predator. Dropping his pipe down at his feet their handler stood up trying to reign them in. Behind the carriage, alerted guards urged their way towards the front of the team to regain control. A single howl echoed through the forest around them and the men's attention shifted quickly to the dark, moving shadows.

The second howl brought muskets and rifles free from belts and saddles as the driver fought to keep the team calm. “Wolf,” the large man muttered trying to regain his pipe.

Gold eyes flickered down at them before disappearing and a heavy silence returned. With a cautious look around the driver clicked his tongue and the horses moved forward. The owl flew soundlessly in a circle above, eyes on the last guard still dragging the quickly weakening girl forward. The man cursed lashing out with his whip only to have her stumble back down into the snow, this time she did not try to get back up.

“Fine, be food for the wolves,” the man snapped with impatient disgust. "Nothing but trouble," he muttered cutting the rope free from his saddle before riding quickly after the disappearing carriage. Breathing heavily the girl curled into a ball pulling her frozen hands into her chest, whimpering as she grew still.

Climbing up above the trees the two crows circled once, silhouetted by the moon before they dove down with increasing speed at the carriage. Their image grew larger as they neared their prey, striking the mounted men holding the team's head with enough force to drag both horse and man to the ground. Fangs glinted and muffled screams emerged beneath the panicked hooves of the carriage horses who burst forward with no control.

The driver swore at them, clearly at a loss as he dropped his pipe yet again and watched it bounce off the seat into the snow. His last words of profanity were cut off completely as the wolf jumped in front of the racing carriage, snatching the mans head in its massive jaws, then disappearing into the forest on the other side.

Shaking in his saddle, unable to control the panicking mare beneath him the elder guard tried to focus in on what seemed to him mere shadows moving across the road, zig-zagging in his direction with sickening speed. One of the crows whipped out snapping his neck, while the second seized the mares right front leg and ripped it away. Both went tumbling down into the bloody snow, the mares screams ripping through the forest. Free from their dead riders the other two horses tore off down the road in the opposite direction from the run away team and its frightened cargo.

The wolf reappeared his fangs crimson, he glanced once in the direction of the two horses then turned to race after the escaping carriage and its frozen meal. A howl from him brought the two crow shadows close behind. The sound of gun fire behind the three brought the black wolf skidding to a halt, with a sniff he moved off the road and doubled back for the last guard.

Fearful and confused the man gripped his reins, shocked at the site of his companions torn and scattered across the road. Dropping the whip he reloaded the gun backing his mount up, eyes moving frantically along the forest edge.

From the shadows the wolf growled, the guard quickly turned towards the sound musket firing loudly. “Demons! Devils!” he shouted, eyes squinting trying to follow the wolf's movements. In that moment of distraction the owl dived, disappearing behind the guard's back.

“More than a devil,” came a sweet child like voice against the man's ear. Jerking around he found a small boy, no older then ten, kneeling behind him on the horse. Blue eyes stood out against a pale white face and black hair as the boy laughed, sharp fangs revealing themselves between his pink lips.

The wolf sat back, his howl barely covering the guard's scream as the man swung his empty gun around. Small hands jerked the man's head savagely, silencing him. Twisting the guard's neck the boy pressed his hungry mouth against the blood pulsing through his preys jugular.

Forgotten in the cold mud and snow the girl's blue eyes blinked open. A thin layer of white powder already coated her skin, hair, and garments. Numbly she felt distant vibrations in the road beneath her, lazily watching her breath rise up against the falling sky. The vibrations became louder pounding against her ear. Two panicked horses raced past, narrowly missing her small body with their dangerous hooves. For a few moments she could only gaze around herself confused, then the crippled mares last scream filled numb limbs with fear and she pushed herself up.

Hands and feet both failed as she tried standing only to collapse. Her body seemed drained of everything but the desire to sleep. Fighting against the certain death that waited in that escape the girl raised her still bound hands to her lips, whispering words into them. Faint and soft the blue glow appeared around her blackening fingers, warming and healing them. She quickly wrapped her hands around her ankles and feet applying the same method. Moments later all sign of frost bite was gone and she was on her feet.

Tittering exhausted, she made her way off the road. 'Get out of sight' reason told her. Trying to put as little pressure in each step she balanced her way across the hardened snow into the forest.

Glowing from it's cold throne, the moon watched through bare branches as she struggled forward moving from one tree to the next, her strength quickly fading. Gradually clouds returned to darken the forest, providing more snow to cover the blood drained bodies on the road. Distant caws of crows echoed numbly in the girl's frozen ears as she pressed thin arms to her aching chest for warmth.

Finally nearing her limit, she pushed herself in the direction of a large towering tree within a small clearing. Resting against its wide base she shook and shivered eying the dark woods around her. Slowly her eyes stopped moving, and her shaking limbs stilled. The wind pushed matted dirtied curls against her closed eye lashes where a single tear fell and quickly froze against pale skin.

“What does the moon represent?” Slowly the face and voice of her elder brother emerged, with it the comforting warmth of home.

“The moon gives light in darkness. It is an example of our responsibility.” She had answered as expected, clinging tightly to the strap of her travel bag. How warm those furs had been, and the boots her brother had spent a month making for her journey.

“Now like the moon you must travel and share your light,” Seth nodded studying her intently with blue eyes that mirrored her own. “Remember to keep your ears and heart open. Listen for the call.”

“I will find them, and I'll come back as soon as I do,” Sarah* had claimed proudly.

Foolish, so foolish.

She slipped without protest into the blissful arms of sleep, unaware of the wolf following her tracks.