FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Original story by: Courgus

Translated by: Erazaa

A few hours had passed during which Varshgar had enjoyed the presence of his utensils and weapons. He continued his training and Adriana helped him.

Through a lot of movement he tried to prepare himself again for everything he needed to be able to master any battle. He always had the encounter with the baron's henchmen in mind, which he had narrowly escaped. Not the least thanks to the help of Adriana and her brother.

He secretly wondered what the baron and his henchmen might be up to now.

Baron Ragoht sat in his chair, which looked more like a king's throne than a baron's, and awaited the arrival of his subordinate Galrond. Galrond was still Ragoht's torturer, even though he was still more than angry at his failure to execute the wolf.

Finally, the door opened and Galrond entered, knowing that his master was still angry.

The door slowly swung shut behind Galrond and fell into the lock. When it closed completely, Ragoht looked up from his book and into Galrond's face.

His look was grim and angry. Galrond knew that look all too well. It was not a good moment to tell him that they still hadn't found the wolf's trail, let alone that they hadn't been able to track down the remaining men - the clan brothers and sisters.

But Ragoht wanted to hear results and not particularly badly polished lies. He hated this even more than having to deal with the incompetence of his subordinates.

>>So Galrond... tell me. So have you found the wolf? Where is he hiding?<<

Galrond looked first at the baron and then at the ground.

Baron Ragoht rolled his eyes, knowing only too well what that look meant. He paused for a moment, imagining what he would like to do to him. But it was hard to find a good and unscrupulous torturer. Galrond was not particularly intelligent, but he did his work with devotion.

>>I see...<< he said sullenly.

>>Well Galrond... Your services as my torturer are always very welcome. And I don't want to lose you.<< said the baron and rose.

Slowly his steps led him to Galrond who was still standing in front of the closed door. The closer the baron came to him, the more uneasy he felt.

He swallowed hard when the baron stood in front of him. But the baron made no effort to stop in front of him. Instead, he walked a round around Galrond and placed himself behind him at his back.

>>You know that I do not accept failure.<< said Ragoht.

Galrond nodded excitedly.

>>Good. Then you also know that you have failed, right?<< he asked his torturer insistently.

Galrond nodded again, but this time more vigorously than before.

He prayed in his mind that the baron would spare him. But Galrond feared that he would soon lose the favor of his lord if he did not hurry to achieve a corresponding success.

Then Ragoht followed up and asked even more insistently:

>>Have you then found the remaining clan of the wolf?<<

Galrond swallowed and then said softly:

>>Unfortunately not... my lord.<<

Galrond simply could not bring himself to say more, and as he said these words to Ragoht he could feel the baron's breath on the back of his neck.

>>And why not?<< he asked in an icy voice, cool and calculating.

>>Because we couldn't find a trail.<<

Ragoht paused for a moment and then walked around Galrond. Now he stood before him face to face, looking his torturer in the eye. Galrond would have preferred to look away, but he knew that he could not do so, no matter how unpleasant it might become.

Meanwhile, the baron already had a blade in his right hand. It was a dagger that was beautifully decorated and drawn with fine engravings.

His look was even darker than before, and then he addressed Galrond again:

>>It is beyond me why you cannot manage these two simple tasks. Or maybe you don't want to do them?`Are you possibly in league with the wolf?<< he asked and Galrond began to shake his head very violently while he fell on his knees in front of Ragoht.

>>No my lord. Please!<< he said and stretched out his left arm towards him.

Without hesitation, Ragoht plunged the dagger into his palm.

A sharp pain shot through Galrond's body as the blade pierced his palm.

He cried out, but tried to control himself.

>>This is your punishment for the meager bit of backbone you should have used. I demand results! Is that clear!<< the baron now roared in such a way that the whole room was shaken.

Galrond held his hand in which the dagger was still stuck and whimpered. The pain he had suffered still ran through his nerves and scourged him in the worst way.

>>Good... Then rise and finally do your work for which I pay you! And if you fail again, you will pay for it with your life!<< the baron spat and Galrond hurriedly left the room. Blood was still dripping from the wound made by the dagger.

Even though he tried to pull himself together, he could hardly stop himself and some tears ran down his cheeks due to the shock of the injury he had suffered.

On his way to the dungeon where he had tortured Varshgar, he dripped all over the corridors. Small bloodstains were everywhere and one could follow the trail almost effortlessly.

When he reached his small private room, he pushed open the door and rushed inside. Immediately he went around a wall and to a small bedside table that stood next to his bed. He reached out his right, bloodied, hand to the handle of the drawer and pulled it out. The blood now clung to the handle of the drawer, but he had eyes only for the bandage that lay inside.

The dagger was still in Galrond's palm, but he had to remove it before he could bandage the hand.

So he put his right hand to the hilt of the blade. Just touching the hilt of the blade caused him pain.

"Just a tug. Once short, hard, pull." he thought to himself, trying to calm himself down and prepare for it, as it were.

Then Galrond yanked the dagger out of his palm. He cried out and his scream could be heard all over the corridor. Some maids and other guards were startled by this scream but were too afraid to ask what had happened.

Everyone in the manor knew that Ragoht liked to lose control over himself and his actions. Not infrequently, such moments ended badly for the person concerned.

Galrond held his hand for a moment and pressed a cloth on the wound until he had wrapped it around it. Quickly he put the bandage around it so that the wound could not bleed further. When he had done that, he sank down in front of the bed. His back was now leaning against the bed and his feet reached up to the wall that was parallel to the bed.

A deep sigh ran through him before he drifted off.

The hours passed and Galrond still sat leaning against his bed. However, he did not make any movement. Finally, one of the guards Galrond knew well passed by and saw the open door. He also followed the bloodstains on the floor into the room and around the small wall.

"Oh my!" he thought to himself. He saw Galrond's bloodied hands and the bandage he had wrapped around his left hand.

He picked Galrond up and carefully laid him down on the bed. Immediately his eyes fell on the dagger lying on the floor. It lay in a pool of Galrond's blood. He took the blade and placed it on the small nightstand. When he had done so, he just shook his head and walked back out of the room.

"At least he can sleep now." the guard thought to himself and went into the kitchen.

>>Hey, Irana.<< he said curtly.

The young woman looked up and looked into the guard's eyes.

Now he looked into the eyes of the she-wolf who worked as a slave for the baron. The guard was glad that he had not vented his anger on her, but that could all still come, he feared.

She still looked at the guard who had not yet given any further reaction.

>>Roidros?<< she asked him softly.

>>Yes... I... Can you clean up the blood that Galrond lost?<< he asked her.

She looked at him and nodded.

>>Yeah... Sure. I will.<< Irana replied.

She had no other choice since she had been a slave of Ragoht for several years. Also, she feared his outbursts if even a small thing did not go according to his will.

>>Thank you. And...<< Roidros said to her and walked a bit towards her.

He slowly approached her ear and then whispered:

>>Watch out, please. The baron will surely be back...you know...<<

Irana knew all too well what Roidros was trying to tell her. So she finally nodded and thanked him for his warning. It was always good for her when she was warned before he showed up at her place.

"Not again... I can't take it anymore..." she thought to herself and grabbed the water bucket and a cleaning rag.

With these two things she disappeared from the room and Roidros watched her go.

Roidros wasn't sure if he should have let her go alone, but on the other hand he wouldn't have been able to do much. He thought of his wife and his two children waiting for him at home when he was at work. So it was hard for him to stand up for Irana.

He let his head sink down and wallowed in his own cowardice and inability to act according to his training.