Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

The sound of leaves had ceased and whatever was behind that bush was now stationary in front of him, intent on looking in that direction.

"I don't believe it..." Dag said, thinking out loud, drawing the attention of some soldiers, who were stopped to attend the scene, wondering why their Master's strange behavior.

*grrr* 

The growl of the animal that was hiding behind the bush followed a heavy breath.

Very slowly, a large black and shiny nose sprang up among the leaves, along with a hairy snout with large protruding canines.

"Thalos! Buddy, is that you?!" 

As Soon as Dag said these words, the wolf sprang out of his hiding place and jumped on him, knocking him to the ground and beginning to lick his face and neck, crying with emotion.

The soldiers behind him did not know how to react, but luckily Reidar, after realizing that it was a domesticated wolf, stopped them before they could hurt him.

"Hahahah! What are you doing here? How did you find me?! From Mount Torden Farmhouse to Runar… the road is very long! Hahaha I'm so happy, you've arrived just in time! Good boy!" Dag continued, kneeling and cuddling the huge gray wolf, imagining that perhaps the reason for his hiding was the fear of going out into the open in front of all those heavily armed soldiers.

When Dag got up and approached Aslan, the horse made a strange verse, as if to disapprove his friendship with the wolf.

"Quiet Aslan, Thalos will follow us from afar... is it true, my friend?" he asked.

The wolf confirmed with a bark, leaving speechless all the people who witnessed the scene, who had never seen anyone communicate with the animals like that.

The Warchief and his soldiers continued to head for Gurn and Thalos followed them from afar, from bush to bush, not being accustomed to walking in the woods of that new region. 

When they finally arrived at the harbor, the excitement of the united troops of the three Clans was skyrocketing.

Sander, Kjell, and Egill were waiting for their arrival so they could finally leave Runar and head to discover new places to explore.

Dag, his sister, and his companions entered Gurn, followed by the soldiers. 

He tied the horse in the stable, stroking his snout, making him realize that, this time, the journey would be longer than usual.

Then he came out of the harbor again and saw Thalos standing by a bush.

"So? Did you come all the way here to see me leave? Let's go!" he said, making a gesture with his hand, which the wolf was able to interpret thanks to his keen intelligence, responding with a small twist of the head. 

Walking slowly and circumspectly, the big gray wolf entered with Dag in Gurn's Harbour and stayed less than a meter from him all the way, looking intently at the crowds around him.

"That's a wolf!" 

"I didn't know Master Dag had a pet!" 

"Unbelievable, look at that teeth! It must be a very fierce beast!" 

Amid comments from sailors and citizens who flocked to witness the glorious departure, Dag continued to reassure his furry friend and approached the other four Masters with him.

Egill wore a kind of linen tunic of the colors of the Clan, tied at the waist and with the final part of the pants tucked into the thin leather boots.

The long white beard moved in the wind as he looked proudly at Dag, noticing late the wolf, which he had once heard of.

"Dag! You have a company! Hahahah!" Sander exclaimed, who lowered himself toward Thalos, that immediately began to growl until the master stroked his head.

Master Sander wore very heavy armor, consisting of several steel plates, which in addition to his chest, back and shoulders, also covered much of his pelvis and lower limbs. 

A large tower shield hung behind his back and a one-handed axe was tied to his belt. 

On his face, he too, like Gridd, had decided to paint simple patterns under his eyes, consisting of two large horizontal lines on the cheekbones, so thick that Dag sensed that they had been made by himself, with his huge fingers.

Even his beard had undergone changes and was collected in two huge black braids, tied at the end by two gold rings. 

"Yes, he's an old friend!" Dag answered, explaining to his interlocutors what a wild beast was doing next to him and looking at Kjell, who as usual did not say a word.

Like Sander, he wore the same colors, black and red, which were perfectly in tune with his tomahawk hair.

On his face, he had no war drawings and his leather armor covered only the lower part of his body, while the torso was covered only by a kind of linen shirt, with a wide neck, from which the sculpted pecs and dry physique could be glimpsed.

The two long chains were tied to the hips as if they were whips.

"His wild senses can be very helpful when we get to our destination" Egill said, smiling and lowering toward Thalos, who began to growl again, while the Master took something out of his pocket.

As soon as the wolf noticed the piece of dried meat, his gaze changed and he stopped showing his teeth, excited to receive that exquisite morsel.

"In the place where we are going there are people who more than once tried to kill us... we want to know why. Will you help us find them?" Egill asked, continuing to smile and handing the piece of meat to the wolf, who after devouring it in a few seconds licked his hand, in appreciation.

Dag looked at his Master, astonished that he had so much empathy with the animals.

"Well then! We are complete! Looks like the big moment has come, Master Dag! The citizens of Runar who have come here deserve greetings from the Warchief of the Iron Alliance's army!" Sander exclaimed.