13 Another stream feeds into the river

I couldn't tell you how many months we spent in that part of the forest but it seems like we had settled for a while.

The wolves have become used to us, and sometimes the youngsters would hunt with us. We learned from them as they us.

Xin had become a major part in my world. It was as if two streams had entered the river of life and slowly as time passed you could no longer discern the difference between the two waters. 

She taught me how to feel, how to see things through an emotional perspective, and I taught her how to see things with natural intent,  relying on instinct not emotions.

 I showed her how the world turned, how each day was a fresh gift given to us to explore. How each experience blossomed forth into a new teaching. She loved this life and kept telling me that she couldn't imagine going back to the world she used to live in.

"Can we stay together forever?" She said, "I don't want to go back. I never want to go back. This is my world now too," her voice trailed off. She looked around and smiled. There was an inner conversation behind those eyes.  She had indeed integrated into the big river of life.

"I can't see any reason why you can't stay with me.We get on well.We work well and we have fun.You've taught me a great deal. I've taught you a great deal. I'm sure we can start learning together as we flow through life." I grinned at her, with genuine affection in my heart.

"Thank you," she said reaching out, "you have been the best, the best thing that has happened to me in my life. You've changed things, and I wouldn't want to live any other way."

She turned and looked into the fire, gently prodding it with her stick.

She turned a skewer that cooked a strip of meat. 

We'd managed a kill today and taking the skewer from the fire she held it gingerly to her mouth and tested it with her teeth.

"The meat's ready. Shall we start?"

I was hungry. We'd not eaten well these last few days. I don't know why but the kills just weren't happening as they should at this time of year.

The wolves were, shall we say, uneasy? They were hungry too and the small kills didn't fill all the bellies.

Something was going on but we didn't know what it was.

"Yes, let's eat. Let's eat then out and explore. Find out what is going on. There's something disturbing the fabric of this forest. I don't know what it is. I can't sense anything which might mean its outside my experience, but there is something and we need to find out what is causing us distress as well as the forest itself."

We settled down and ate our meal. Slept, tied it up, cleared the camp site making sure no marks were left behind and gathering our belongings, we started walking.

There was little meat to catch, so we ate the wild vegetables, stopping only to sleep, make a pot of vegetable soup and then move on. 

Fruits were plentiful at the moment and that really helped. We ate them as we walked, but we were tired,  hungry and concerned. I sensed the wolf pack was following and I did my best to leave out food for them too. I knew it wasn't much but I wanted to give them the opportunity to eat something the alpha provided; it was good for cohesion.

But what was actually going on? 

Why was the forest reacting in the way that it was?

Then we heard it, the bangs, the clanging of metal, the noises coming from men as they fought.

"Get down, get down,"  Xin said quietly, placing a hand on my arm.

I dropped to the floor and we both instinctively opened our senses to what was going on around.  

Then we heard it, the screams, the shouts and in the air the smell of blood started to drift upwards. 

"There's a fight somewhere," Xin said. "Shall we avoid it or go down and see what's going on?"

"Let's check. Let's see. If it's only a small fight, let's leave them to it. But if it's a big one,"  my voice trailed off. 

I really didn't know what was going to happen and I really didn't know what I should do. 

We started forward, carefully moving through the undergrowth as if on a hunt, like two stalking predators watching, waiting, sizing up its prey.

We came across a wide road with two groups of men fighting to the death. 

I dropped right down. 

"Oh my God, shhhh," Xin said touching my arm, "stay there. Let me move closer. Let me see what's going on."  

"Be careful," I growled, as she slinked forward, low to the ground, without making a sound. 

Not that they would have noticed. They were too engrossed in fighting each other, killing each other with blood flowing everywhere. 

The commotion had really cleared the forests. No this isn't enough. There was more than this. I knew it. This was just a very small skirmish on the outside of a much much bigger one.  Xin looked at the two groups.

"Oh my god," she said and slowly but surely she scurried backwards towards me.

"It looks like it's the House of Chen fighting off some group from up North I think, I'm not really sure but I know those colors.That's the House of Chen," she said pointing at the red flags, "we're on Chen land. I wonder what's happening? Haiyang said he was going to join up and he was heading towards them," pointing at the Chen flag. 

To me it was like two wolf packs fighting for territory. I watched as they took lumps out of each other.

Xin looked at me and grinned, "a lot like the wolf packs then?" She smirked at me, she could sense my thinking.  

As they fought I ran the scenario of the last wolf fight I had seen. This was less ferocious but no less bloody. There seemed a type of etiquette,  set moves, swings, routines, each taking turns to out maneuver their opponent. No spontaneity. As I watched I realise we could out maneuver them easily.

 As they fought, I saw one man being completely surrounded by his opponents. He was being targeted, "Is he the alpha?" 

 "Yes," she said, "he's the alpha. He's the troop leader and if he is killed the men under his command will be lost. It's the same as killing the alpha dog. We've got to save him. We've gotta stop this." She looked really worried and I knew we had do something even if it was for Xin's sake.

"If it's Chen land then we fight for the Chen people," I said looking into her eyes, "and I know one group who can come to their aid." Without a second thought I called to the pack to come forward. 

I saw them creeping in the shrubbery. Like most mammals they had a distrust of humans and hung back, but I could see them, that's all I needed.

I would frighten the life out of those men. 

I looked at Xin and she smiled and howled. It was the alpha calling its troops? They heard the call and replied, lifting their heads to the sky and howling a call to the hunt. I told them to drop and they did. They smelled the blood and their jowls salivated as they pictured their meal.

The targeted man was getting tired. 

"What do we do?" Xin asked.

 "Tell me, where is the weakest point on their coat?" I said pointing at the men's armour.

"It's the back. When they attack they usually attack face to face. If someone aproached from behind, their chests are covered too, but the backs of their legs aren't, so that's the weak point. Attack them there and they collapse."

"So it's the backs of the knees?" I looked at her expectantly.

"Yes, that's the weakest point."

"Then that's the point we go for." 

Xin nodded, moving slightly away from me. 

They didn't realise but two preditors circled them, positioning themselves behind ready to strike. We had hunted together many times so knew each others moves and intentions. With a sudden flash we both lunged forward and sliced into the backs of the men's knees. With their tendons cut, they fell to the floor. 

Two down, three to go.

The wolves could see our actions and howled distracting the men. Again we shot in, slashed another two men and retreated before they even realised they had fallen to the ground. Four men down.

I looked over at Xin. She held up one finger and pointed to a lone soldier. Then she pointed at herself. I nodded and targetted another. Six down, the wolves would eat tonight.

The man in charge realised he had support from somewhere and with renewed strength went back to the fight, finishing off those who had isolated him. The rest of the men looked wary. They had heard the wolves and now they saw them.

They came to the edge of the clearing with teeth bared, hackles up. Frightening, but the men didn't realise it was just for show. They retreated just enough to be out of reach, but close enough to create a sense of menace. Just what I needed.

Xin looked towards me. I shook my head. I knew the game of surprise was up. 

It was now art and strategy. We'd move to a different stage of the fight. She looked at me. I held up 2 fingers. She knew what that meant; now it was stealth. 

She looked around and I noticed she picked up a sword.  I wonder if she could use it.

I took the opportunity to reach out from the underground gently pulling one back. I held it in my hand and felt its weight, its balance. I tested the edge. It was sharp and I wondered how successful it would be in a hunt. 

It's funny, but when we're out for the kill we don't think about survival or anything like that?  We're hunting and we have one thought in your mind; hunt. 

She had learnt the same and we were probably two very dangerous people because of it. Our aim was to kill and not be killed. There was no emotion, just instinct and an open mind so as to read the signs. Death came quickly and as quietly as possible not wishing to draw attention to our prey, which after all was our dinner that night.

It was different with the soldiers, they appeared to decend into a fighting frenzy. Filled with anger and aggression they fought to a regime through the lens of the need to win. It was noisy,  messy and the smell of adrenaline and testosterone filled the arena.

Xin remained low, holding the sword to one side of her, back from her body. Silently she approached a soldier and as before, she lunged forward, severed his tendons and retreated.

The sword certainly had its advantages; keeping your distance being one of them. I nodded my approval.

The trapped man looked quite relieved. It was now a fair fight, one on one and he was by far the better swordsman. He drove his sword straight forward, penetrating right through the armour and into the man's chest.

The man stared at his hand covered in blood and couldn't quite grasp how the tables had turned so quickly? His eyes went milky and he died.

"Take prisoners," the alpha man called, "don't kill them, we have questions we need answers to!" 

There were few of them left, most had died at the blade. Those still alive would never walk again, we'd made certain of that.

"Leave their dead, let someone collect them." I smiled, that meant food for the pack. They would drag some off and bury them for later. I had acted as a good alpha dog.

The men gathered everyone together. 

I watched as they reported to this young man. The injuries, the deaths....

He barked out orders and sent it out a runner for back up and safe passage home. 

He then turned toward the bushes. 

He knew roughly where I was but didn't know the whereabouts of Xin.

"Thank you," he said, "whoever you are, whatever you are, spirits of the night, spirits of the forest, whatever you are, I thank you." 

Placing his hands on his knees, he respectfully bowed towards me.  It was the first time I'd ever experienced someone thank me for what I've done. It felt quite unusual. Strangley odd.

Xin was back at my side, "I was good?" she whispered. "How do we do?"

I smiled at her and mouthed, "good."

I with drew from the road and she followed. The wolves waited, they had a larder to fill and they were going to hang around until all living men had left.

I was drawn to this young man. I was intrigued by him. What could he teach me? How much more could I learn? I was fascinated.

Xin looked at me, "What next?"

"Let's follow them, see what happens. We'll keep a safe distance, but let's follow them.Where's your bundle?"

It's here." 

"OK, let's just track them, when they stop we can stop and make camp keeping them in sight. They'll be moving slowly with that many injured. We'll be living off small stuff I suspect."

Little did I know what tracking them would bring, but it lead us to the entrance gates of the House of Chen.