Wolf Lord
04.09.10
She has been walking since dusk in order to get to the wolf-lord by midnight and has now reached the final hill. Up and up she climbs, heavy-hearted but swift of foot. Up she goes, though she knows she will not be coming down again. In her place the wolf-lord will send the rain, and her people will see their crops grow again. They will once again have plenty, and more girlchildren shall be born so that the wolf-lord can carry on his own existence and fuel theirs. She tells herself that she is not afraid; it is an honour to be chosen as the wolf-lord’s feastmaiden. But as the top of the hill draws nearer and the howls get louder, her heart can’t help but skip a beat or two.
She has been selected to go to the wolf-lord as the most buxom of the maidens; she lets her glance drop to her thin body and sneers. The chieftain’s daughter is considerably more buxom than her, but her father has chosen to join her with a mate rather than bestow such an honour as this upon his own kin. She senses a bitterness about to pervade her and shakes her head as if to clear it of such thoughts. She quickens her pace; if she is to give her life to save her people, she will do so honourably and with her head held high.
She reaches the top of the hill as a small cloud passes and takes away the light from the moon and the stars. As she squints to try and adjust her eyes to this new darkness, she is startled by snarls and growls coming at her from all directions. She stops dead in her tracks and feels warm breath against her bare legs. As the cloud cover clears she sees she is surrounded by a pack of wolves, their eyes glinting at her in the moonlight, their teeth bared.
“I am here for Him”, she says, trying to keep the fear out of her voice although she has no doubt they have been able to smell it since she started climbing the hill.
The dynamic of the pack changes at this; they all turn to face uphill and she understands that they are to be her escort to the wolf-lord. She picks up the pace again and walks with them as they pad silently all around her, ears pricked, hackles up. Despite her apprehension, she experiences a sudden wave of elation and a strong urge to sink her hands into the thick grey fur of one of the wolves. At last they come to the entrance of the cave where the wolf-lord is sitting, and the wolves fall back as her mind empties of all but the blue glow of his eyes.
She takes a bow as the Elders taught her to do, and waits for his permission to speak. He rises from his seat in front of his cave and waves his hand at her, and she launches into the prepared speech about the drought, the poor harvest and the need for rain; about her people offering herself, most buxom of all the maidens, for his services as mediator between them and the gods.
“Most buxom?” he says with half a sneer, and grabs with one hand a flat breast, with the other a bony hip. “A poor harvest indeed.”
Her courage leaves her now; her lower lip trembles, and by the time he has torn her clothes from her and thrown her onto the cave’s floor she is screaming at the top of her voice. Her cries for help and mercy are not answered, as her predecessors’ weren’t. Instead, in one swift move the wolf-lord digs his teeth into her neck and rips open her windpipe; she continues to scream silently until no more blood pumps through her heart. The wolf-lord takes a few more bites of her flesh, tearing off sinew and muscle, then stops.
“I have no appetite for this bag of bones”, he says in disgust, to no one. He hoists the girl’s body onto his shoulder and throws it out of the cave to the slavering creatures outside. A scuffle ensues and the wolves snarl and snap at each other as they vie for the girl’s flesh. The wolf-lord watches his beloved pack and calm returns to his countenance.
“Well, they have paid their dues as best they could. I shall honour my side of the deal.”
He walks into the cave and summons the raingods. In the distance, a stormcloud starts to form and the girl’s mother cries as the wolves howl across their message that the deal is completed.
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Tags: Fantasy, Flash Fiction, fridayflash, Horror, Wolf, Wolves, Writing
always a great read mazz!
Oooh, very spooky Maria. I love the suspense, which you captured well, even though the ending is inevitable. I still had hopes for her, poor girl.
It pays to be promiscuous sometimes…heh.
Nice pacing to this. I felt like I was on the walk with her…of course I left before the throat-tearing part. 🙂
Oh, I did hope that the wolf-lord would be young and handsome and fall madly in love with her and they would so happy forev…
No, wait, that’s a schmaltzy romance novel.
This, however, is an excellent tale of horror.
Oh. The mother crying at the end. 🙁
So freakin’ awesome. It’s all I can say!
Jim
I was so hoping she’d make out better than that, and then I was afraid wolfy wouldn’t honor the deal because she wasn’t ‘buxom’ enough. At least he kept his end of the deal. Bastards.
Good writing.
Maybe the next harvest will produce women of even-greater-buxom. I suspected the wolf was honorable and uphold the bargain. Tasty story.
I kinda hoped she’d find a way out of it too, but no, our hopes were dashed upon the rocks. Just like the less buxom one…
Oh crap.
I didn’t want him to EAT her.
Just goes to show you, if you haven’t got big boobs, ya ain’t worth a thing.
*looking at flat chest and sighing*
He’s used to eight nipples. Of course chests are important to him.
That was a merciless little story- just like wolves and nature spirits tend to be.
Great work as always.
Great atmosphere in this Mazz. Part of me was hoping she’d be the first one to change the Wolf Lord’s mind, then I remembered who the author was! 🙂
I agree with Sam, there’s great atmosphere here. I felt let down that she was just eaten and pushed aside. I don’t know if that was the intention but I wanted some kind of redemption for her.
‘feastmaiden’ – I love that.
A very honourable wolflord. I trust the rain he sent them was that annoying fine spray type, where you can feel it against your skin, but it almost evaporates on contact and the rain only hangs in the air rather than wets the ground. Seems only fair given the lean pickings he was offered up.
marc nash
Thanks all, as ever!
Jen – yes, that was the intention.
I didn’t like killing her either, I might have to invent an alternate universe where she lives a long life of rich harvests!
I’d like to offer my services if anyone requires a judge for a buxom contest. Giving back to the community is what I’m all about.
Dripping with atmosphere. I liked that there was no mercy for her. The ending made such an impact, more so than if she had lived (although I probably wouldn’t have complained about that either).
You have such a gift for atmosphere.
Very well done, love the story.
Thought for a moment that the wolf-lord had something else in mind when the maiden arrived, but nope.
Strong tone and great job with the descriptions. There is a lot of prose and normally I’d expect to feel bogged down when reading it, but the descriptions are precise without over doing it.
I liked this very much. Trying to be equal opportunity didn’t please the Wolf Lord though. Wow. You’re good.
I liked the sensory details, the breath on her legs, the desire to plunge her hands into the wolf fur….the whole piece just dripped with imagery.
Great read.
Karen :0)
Brilliant. That is all. But really, brilliant.
I also kind of wished for a happy ending but this one feels more real. And of course, it would be nice of there were some comeuppance for the village chief, but such is life.
The flat-chested girls have the most honor.
Creepy, sad, inevitable. Another winner mazz.
Remind me to strap my buxom bosoms down next time I step out after dark! I love the dark spin you put on the age old bargain between man and nature; many civilisations throughout the ages have believed in making sacrifices to higher beings but you put an enjoyably originally spin on your story. The wolf lord and his pack really captured my imagination – creepy and exciting at the same time, always a great combination!
Aw, damn. Can’t he send the pack down for the buxom one? You captured my interest and held it from the beginning. Great job!
CD
I’m with Marc and Cecilia on this one. How dare they give him the skinny one? They keep that up and there will be drought for sure.
I like the ending of this one; the storm clouds, the wailing mother, and the howling wolves. Gives a sense of backing out of the picture. Knowaddamean? Thanks.
You paint such a clear picture. Shivery goodness and the ending is exquisite.
Take care,
Jess
Wow! That was great! Such suspense in this mystical realm. I never know what way you will go so you always surprise me.
I was actually eating lunch when I read this – not a good idea.
Yikes! I wasn’t expecting that ending. This piece was so descriptive I could see it the whole way. Excellent writing.
Good story! This delivers what it promises, and does so in an entertaining and horrific way. It was nice to see the wolf-lord honor his end of the bargain even though he wasn’t pleased with his offering.
Oh my goodness, I feel so bad for this girl. I do not like this mean wolflord.
However, I love, love, this sentence:
“In her place the wolf-lord will send the rain, and her people will see their crops grow again.”
Beautiful.
Nasty old wolf lord. And nasty old chieftain for not sending his own daughter…
Even down to the last line, I was hoping the girl would be saved somehow. Resurrected, or immortal, or a vampire, something.
But she wasn’t.
Poor kid.
Very well written, Maria. I really got wrapped up in this.
I liked the melancholy ending, and how the coming of the rain ties in with the mother’s tears.
I always enter INTO your stories–they’re not just a stories, but entire worlds–expertly crafted. Another great one here. Sad–didn’t want her EATEN, even though I knew it was coming…
I had hoped, by some twist, there would be a happy ending. Not so. loved the story none the less