Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

"Well... at least we're going to die with a full belly! Hahah!" Sander chuckled, ready to fight with his shield and axe, trying to dampen the tension of the moment while staying focused.

About thirty seconds after the bell sounded on the village tower, a howl broke the silence.

*awoooo*

"Uhm? What? A wolf?!" 

"What was that?" 

"Are there any other wolves?!" 

The warriors of the allied troops began to agitate, moving awkwardly and trying to keep calm.

"Wolves! How bad can that be?! They would never attack so many armed soldiers, they're not so stupid!" Sander replied, trying to lift the morale of the warriors, who after reflecting for a few seconds on those words returned to combat position.

*awooo*awooo*

Other howls echoed in the valley and among the pointed mountains of Krypstorm's rugged and cold landscape when Dag and Reidar exchanged a glance of understanding.

"In the dwellings! Soon!" Dag shouted, ordering his men to seek shelter.

"Don't listen to him, there's no need to hide! It's just going to be a bunch of hungry wolves! We will kill them and use their furs to warm us up during the colder nights. Stay in position!" Kjell replied, raising his hand and countering Dag's order, looking forward with a chain ready to strike.

During those seconds, a large gray cloud completely covered the Sun, obscuring the village and the plain in front of it.

One by one many small raindrops began to fall on the snow, which partially melted to its surface until the drops gave rise to a real downpour.

"Dag! Why did you give the order to run to safety? What do you think is going on?" Egill asked, who had been a little absent in the last few hours, trying to imagine what had happened to the Jotunn found dead in the hut, having never seen such injuries.

"Claws Of Fenrir! That's where howls come from! They're not just wolves! Look at Thalos! He's terrified! He tried to warn me first, but I didn't listen to him!" Dag exclaimed, screaming and making everyone hear.

"This is ridiculous! No one has ever seen the warriors of the Claws Of Fenrir for decades, they've died from the first to the last! And even if they're alive, history teaches that they can only turn into werewolves at night! We're perfectly safe here, stay still in position!" Kjell yelled again, obstinately speaking out against Dag.

"Hammers Of Thor! Sons Of Freya! Everyone, run for cover! Run to the houses carved into the rock, ready to defend yourself!" Egill yelled, raising his staff upwards and ordering two of the allied Clans to carry out Master Dag's orders, leaving the Crows Of Odin with full freedom to obey Kjell, their Master Of Offense.

The Hammers Of Thor immediately began to run in the rain, while the Sons Of Freya watched Gridd, waiting for her consent.

"Did you hear that?! What are you waiting for! Inside the houses, let's go!" she yelled, following Dag, Freydis, Karl, and Reidar, who along with Egill and the other warriors were already far from the warehouse.

Sander positioned himself next to Kjell, while their warriors stood still behind them.

"Kjell, maybe Dag's right... what if they were really the Claws Of Fenrir? We don't know how many there are, they could be..." 

"Shhh! Silence, Sander! I'm sick of hearing that little boy's voice, who orders like a king! From now on, I will rely only on my five senses and my experience in battle!" he interrupted, quieting him with arrogance.

Before Sander could counter, something began to spill out of the big gap in the rock, several hundred yards from them.

Dag and Gridd positioned themselves in front of the entrance to one of the two large houses, occupied by their soldiers, making sure their comrades were also inside safely.

"Uhm... Dag...!?" Gridd whispered, her voice flickering, looking him in the eye, fearing the worst.

"Get in with the others. I will stay here and protect the two buildings from the outside, preventing the enemies from reaching them!" he replied, pulling out both weapons with his gaze fixed forward.

Gridd swallowed empty and instead of listening to the advice of her brother, ready to sacrifice his life to defend that of others, she positioned herself next to him, in his same position, standing her two swords and taking a deep breath.

Seconds later, Reidar, Karl, and Freydis come out of hiding and stand next to Dag and his sister, holding their weapons, intending not to let them fight alone.

Dag looked at his woman, who smiled at him: "Till the end, Dag. I will follow you wherever you'll go, always remember it!" 

After that sentence that warmed their two hearts in love, they and their companions stood still looking forward, waiting for the moment of the clash.

"AWOOOO"

A howl much louder than before rumbled from the huge underground cave in front of them and was so powerful that it created a slight shockwave, which moved the rainwater droplets, causing them to take an oblique trajectory for a few moments.

"Aaaargh!" Kjell shouted again, trying to convey courage to his men on the front line, who screamed immediately after him, reinforcing their desire for battle.

The intense rain and the large cloud that covered the sky made it impossible to see clearly from that distance.

The snow continued to partially melt, mingling with the ground below and creating a slippery slush, which embellished the Crows Of Odin boots, that unlike the other two Clans, had not run for cover.

Again, the silence.

No other noise other than that of the rain, which slammed overwhelmingly on the weapons and metal armor of the warriors.

Just as Kjell and Sander were looking forward, a huge dark figure flew at great speed over their heads, striking two soldiers, who were in the rear.

"Aaaargh!" 

"Help! Aaaargh! Hel..." 

In less than ten seconds, the bones of the two men were broken like wooden sticks, and their flesh was torn apart, falling into the snow along with the guts and organs pulled out forcefully from inside the rib cage.