Something else was heading their way.
His hopes plunged.
Cenferth’s eyes were looking off to the left, where the prior group of enemy scouts had just gone. It was fortunate, as he was looking right in the direction of Aethelstan when the thane abruptly held up his hand, and signaled forcefully towards Cenferth to get back down and take cover immediately.
The two men hastily sank back into low crouches, their forms once again masked by the large tree trunks.
Aethelstan’s ears had not tricked him. Barely a moment later, two more of the rat-men accompanied by cat-beasts emerged into view from the right. If he had not heard the faint sounds of their movements, he and Cenferth would have been caught in the open, as the oncoming pairs walked with even softer steps than had the preceding group of scouts.
The thane’s keen instincts had proven true once again. Cenferth had lowered himself just in time, and had adjusted his position wisely, as the path being taken by the scouts brought them a little closer to the tree where he was hiding. Had he not been in his full crouch, the approaching creatures would have easily noticed him.
No commotion or outcry arose, much to their relief, and they waited silently until the two enemy scouts were past them. The scouts did not pause, continuing steadily forward in the same general path that their brethren had taken. The two men lingered for several long and agonizing moments, with nothing but the lonely stillness of the forest surrounding them.
Aethelstan finally decided to risk movement once again. Signaling to Cenferth, he slowly backed away from the tree, while keeping his eyes looking both left and right. His ears strained to hear the slightest crack of a twig, or singular crunch of a leaf, his muscles poised to react swiftly.
With methodical, cautious steps, they painstakingly moved away from their hiding spots. After covering a short distance, they turned fully, and continued more rapidly on their way back to the rest of their group. They kept their silence assiduously, and were extremely deliberate in their footing until they were far away from where they had encountered the rat-men and the cat-beasts.
Though desiring to break out into a loping run, Aethelstan maintained the orderly pace. It required tremendous discipline, as eager as he was to gain distance and bring the valuable word of the enemy back. Reason prevailed, as there was no way of telling how many scouts there were in the vicinity, or even if the few that they had sighted might be part of a larger war-band.
After what seemed like an eon had passed, they reached the location where their horses were tethered. Their arrival surprised their own men, who whirled about with swords in hand.
“It is us, we have returned,” Aethelstan quickly said, as they came into sight. The anxiety-ridden faces of the men around them relaxed, relief flooding their countenances, as Aethelstan turned back to Cenferth.
“It is as we feared,” he continued, finally able to speak aloud to his companion. He raised his voice enough so that he could relate the essence of their discovery to the others who were gathering around, pressing in close. “There can be little doubt that the enemy army will come right through this area. They are scouting and patrolling our borders. That is the act of a significant force. Some may say that it was foolhardy to take the risk that we did, yet I am glad that we did so. But I do not know what kind of creatures those were, back there. Our enemy is full of surprises indeed.”
Looks of puzzlement arose upon the others’ faces.
“Rat-men, handling great predatory cats, of a like that I have never before seen,” Aethelstan added gravely, as several eyes widened. “It is not just a human army that we will face. We must make sure that all are alerted, and prepared for this reality.”
Cenferth replied heavily, “Then we must return with haste.”
“Yes, we must,” Aethelstan agreed, though one last favor remained left for him to accomplish. It was a point of honor that he intended to fulfill by himself, now that their aims had been achieved. “But I must warn the Woodsman. This army will march right through these lands, and will find him… and I consider him a true friend. I cannot leave a friend so exposed.”
“My lord, forgive me, but should we not return to our forces?” Cenferth asked, plaintively. “We need you there.”
“Go and take most of the others with you, but I must now keep my word to a good man,” Aethelstan instructed Cenferth, while moving over to his horse. He began to unroll the mail shirt, donning it before retrieving his helm and shield. Putting on his helm, and slinging the shield across his back again, he remounted his steed. “Just remember this. If I did not keep my word, I would not be any kind of man that you would find need of.”
Cenferth’s morose expression showed that he did not fully agree with Aethelstan, but the warrior knew better than to question or argue with the man that he had pledged himself to.
Aethelstan gripped the reins of Wind Runner. It felt reassuring to feel the saddle under him once again, even though he knew that the massive cats could easily run down a horse in the narrow confines of the thick woodlands.
All of his men volunteered to accompany him, but he was not about to take a large escort. He designated a very select few of his household guard to accompany him, bidding the others to go with Cenferth back to the Saxan camp.
The men assigned to go with Cenferth, having heard Aethelstan’s tidings, accepted their charge well enough and did not voice objection. The sooner that they returned, the sooner that their fellow Saxans could brace themselves, and prepare for what was to come.
Aethelstan gently patted the neck of the gray stallion, and said consolingly, “Wind Runner, it is not yet time for us to go back. We must keep a promise.”
As if understanding him, the horse started to trot back along the trail at the first nudge from Aethelstan. Its own unease spurred it forward more quickly than Aethelstan wanted, causing him to rein the steed in a little.
Aethelstan’s selected warriors fell in behind him on their mounts, as they settled into a steady pace. The light of day had already reached its apex, and the sun was now beginning its long and slow descent through the later afternoon towards night. Soon the growing shadows would begin to permeate the woods, lowering the already dim ambience under the trees even further.
Seeing what he had seen, Aethelstan wanted to be back in the camp when night settled in full. He doubted that any of his men thought any differently, even if they had not beheld the sharp, long daggers coming down from the upper jaws of the massive cats. The raw, frightening image was emblazoned upon his mind, and he did not think that it would fade anytime soon.
Aethelstan and his men rode in disciplined silence among the trees, proceeding towards the demesne of the reclusive woodsman Gunther. Left to his thoughts, the thane simply hoped that Cenferth and the others made it safely back to the main encampment. Both of their groups had important warnings that needed to be conveyed.
JANUS
Janus sat idly, long after the mysterious youth had disappeared. The peaceful scene around him had continued unabated, with no sight or sound of anyone else.
Were it not for the great shadow that snapped his consciousness to a full, wary alertness, he might well have opted to fall asleep underneath the sparkling night sky. The vast form that crossed overhead was like a complete blotting out of the bright moonlight, thrusting Janus into the icy chill of a deep darkness that settled over his heart. He shivered as he stared up into the sky, the sense of serenity that he had been enjoying now shattered.
It looked as if a solid black cloud was spread wide above him, but then some light crept around the edges of the great shape. Outlined in moonlight, the form looked to be a winged body, with an elongated tail. It moved too swiftly in the light breeze of the night, and Janus knew without a doubt that what he gazed upon was no cloud.