The sun burst through the trees. The branches and leaves started to thin, and soon Morgan found himself at the edge of a large clearing.

The trees just dropped away in all directions. To left and right the tree line stopped, making way for meadow of short grass with flower mixed in for good measure. It was a perfect scene, like one of the foothill near the vineyards of Tuerleroi.

His gaze swept across the landscape. It was untouched by the forest, and with the recent rains many of the flowers were now blooming. It brought a calming feeling over Morgan and his crew.

He walked out into the meadow, turning to look at the way the forest just stopped, and then turned his gaze upwards. The cliff rose into the sky on the far edge of the meadow, a few hundred yards away. It was almost vertical and worn by the years of rains washing over its face.

He looked to the left and right, where the mountain ranges that marked the edges of this section of the land came to meet the cliff. They were high at this point, but the cliff still stood far above them, towering over the landscape.

Originally he had thought it might be an ancient volcano, but the sheer side of this cliff said otherwise. It would be sloped if it was a volcano, from years of molten rock spewing forth from his peak. But these sides were almost cut sheer.

Clouds roamed around the top, just off its edge, making it difficult to tell what was up there. He needed to find out. Something was pushing him towards the cliff, but he had no idea why. A strange sensation had started between his shoulders when they first saw the island, but he could not scratch it. So he pushed onwards, and the closer he got to the centre of the island the less the sensation affected him.

He walked towards the base of the cliff; the few men he had brought with him came cautiously. They kept a wary eye out on all sides, never knowing what might happen.

Noises had followed them the whole time they had trekked through the forest. Dashing past on one side, then the other. A few times they had glimpsed luminescent yellow eyes from within the undergrowth. The creatures were still out there, they were just biding their time.

As he was reaching the base of the cliff one of his men let out a shout.

“Something coming from the trees sir!”

Morgan turned to look where they were all pointing their muskets. He walked over to stand between them and listened to the hurried rustling that was coming from the forest. He raised his hand before him and put it in front of the person who made the call.

“All men hold. Only shoot on my word.”

He spoke calmly and looked across to make sure they all understood. It could only be a deer, or it could be something worse.

The rustling grew ever closer. The men readied their muskets, preparing to fire at a word from Morgan, all depending on what came from the trees.

A shadow flew from the trees. It was definitely not one of the creatures they were hunting, or that was hunting them. Nor was it a deer or such. Morgan’s hand came down on the musket the man held and pushed it to point at the ground. The other men followed, pointing their muskets into the grass.

Morgan stepped forward a few paces as the shadow pulled itself from where it had fallen onto the ground. He could see now it was a man. By the look of it he was sure who it was as well.

The dark red coat, even covered in twigs and leaves, still gave the owner away.

“Bailey!” Morgan called to the man, “Good to see someone alive!”

The man looked around as if a little stunned. He dusted himself off, and then started to stagger over to where they were waiting a short distance from the base of the cliff. He walked as a man who had been running for most of the night and day, exhausted to the bone.

When he reached Morgan and the rest he collapsed onto the ground, crossing his legs underneath him. Morgan’s eyebrows lowered as he studied the man. He didn’t look half as exhausted as he pretended to be. His breathing was coming normally, and his limbs were far to steady.

“Where are the rest of your group?”

Morgan asked the question simply, but he already knew the answer. There was only one thing he was expecting Bailey to say.

“We were ambushed by the creatures.”

Morgan nodded. He knew the other two groups were likely to be attacked. Not because he was anything special, or because they weren’t. Just because the night had been one for ambushes. He had known this, and it was why he had split them into three groups.

“How is it you managed to survive Bailey? And what happened to the weapons we sent with your group?”

Bailey shrugged.

“I got lucky,” his voice was steady, almost rehearsed, “I managed to scramble into a tree when we were first attacked. They couldn’t reach me, and soon gave up on me. When they left I made my way to the ground and then started on here. The weapons I had to leave with the bodies.”

“Why didn’t you head back to the camp?”

“I really wasn’t in much of a thinking mood. I had just watched the group I had been sent with slaughtered relentlessly by the creatures. Throats were torn out. Men were dragged away. It was brutal. The only thing on my mind was getting to the meeting point.”

Morgan knelt down and patted the man on the back. It must have been a sight to watch. He remembered when he had seen for himself for the first time what these creatures were capable of. It had made his stomach turn.

“Rest here then. We’ll wait here to see whether the others show up. If they don’t show by nightfall, then we head back to the beach.”

Morgan stood and waved his arms around, motioning for everyone to sit. They were wary still though, and most kept their muskets at the ready and pointed at the forest. It was good. If they got too complacent now, then they could all be dead.

While the men were sitting and relaxing, Morgan took the time to walk along the base of the cliff. He stayed a little away from it, giving him the best view to see as far along it as he could. But as he walked both sides he realised he could see no entrance.

The bottom of the wall was solid. He had hoped for an easy way in to centre, but knew he would not find it. Nothing was ever easy on an expedition like this. But that was what made it so exciting. The adrenalin was still pumping through his veins from the night. He just hid it better than the others did.

He made his way back to the group. They were few in number, because he had sent half of his men back to the beach with the cage. Just in case something happened to the creatures along the way. But it made the decisions now harder.

He looked them over. A couple stood out for what he had planned. Bailey looked fit and strong. And he seemed to have the endurance of a wild horse.

Conrad was also a going to be a good choice. He was a rigger on Francis’ ship. His arms were strong from the climbing and his body was used to being buffeted by the high winds and strong waves created in a storm.

One of the mercenaries also had a strong look about him, as if he could lift a horse above his head. He wouldn’t need to do that though. But that strength might be just what was needed to see this through.

“Ok boys. Stand up and get ready. You,” he pointed at the mercenary, “and you,” then at Bailey, “and finally you,” lastly he pointed at Conrad, “I have a special task for the three of you. Come over here with me.”

The three called all made their way over to the bottom of the cliff with Morgan. Conrad and the mercenary both raised their heads to look up, but Bailey’s eyes stayed firmly on Morgan. The rest of the men just kept an eye on the forest around them.

Morgan came between the two men staring up at the top of the cliff and threw his arms around their shoulders.

“Beaut isn’t she?”

The both nodded as their eyes continued to scan the top of the cliff.

“Have you figured out what I want yet?”

Conrad and the mercenary both looked at Morgan and then across Morgan at each other. They gulped.

“Ah,” Morgan said, sounding very pleased with himself, “So you have figured it out.”

He looked over at Bailey. The man hadn’t once looked at the cliff aside from a cursory glance when they had first got there.

“Well then. You three are going to scale this cliff for me. I had a look; there is no direct way through. So that means we have to go over the top. And you three look like the most likely to succeed at that.”

Bailey looked across at the other two, seeming weigh them up in his mind. He nodded and then looked at the cliff properly for the first time.

Conrad started to limber up; doing some stretches at the base of the walls, while the mercenary headed over to the other men and grabbed any spare water skins they were carrying. The climb would be long and hard.

“I should be there by nightfall.”

Morgan looked sharply at Bailey. The comment had come from nowhere and was so matter of fact it was as if Bailey had such faith in himself he was just stating a fact. The other two also threw looks at him. They didn’t see how such a thing was possible. Especially without proper climbing equipment.

Bailey moved over to the mercenary and grabbed a few of the water bottles off him. He strapped them across his back and made his way to the wall. The two watched him, and then moved over beside him. The all stared up and looked for hand and foot holds that would be their highway to the top.

Then they all leapt up and grabbed a hold of a low ledge. Soon they were pulling themselves up the weathered face of the cliff, climbing high and fast. But there was no way they could keep that kind of speed up for long. Soon enough though, they were out of earshot.

Morgan made his way over to where the others were standing around. Some watched as the men made their way up the wall, others watched the forest. He turned and put his hand above his eyes to block the sun. He then looked up at where the three dots were rapidly getting smaller.

“Well men. We have some time to wait then. These guys will be climbing that wall for some time. I just hope they don’t get too tired on the way up.”

He sat down and pulled his pistols from his coat. He checked the powder, realised it was a bit damp and emptied it. He cleaned the barrel out with a stiff brush, then grabbed a little wax parcel his coat. He broke the end and dropped it into the barrel whole. He then grabbed one of his bullets and put it into the barrel, tapping it down with the wire brush.

All he could do now was wait, and hope Bailey was right. Because when nightfall comes, they will have more problems.

* * *

Koga came up beside Sugano on the edge of the forest.

“What are they doing Sugano?”

“Nothing at all Koga.”

Sugano looked across at Koga, tilting his head slightly to one side.

“It seems strange. I was expecting a little more than this. Ohenoki seemed so concerned about these creatures.”

“I, to, find this strange. After everything I have seen of them so far this is not what I expected.”

Koga shook his head low.

“I am sure something will come to light Koga. I am a little at odds about those creatures climbing the cliff. It is sacred ground that lies beyond. No wolf has ever set foot in there.”

“But there is nothing we can do about that. Climbing the wall is out of the question. And I know of no way up to the top.”

They both looked up at the top of the cliff and the clouds. Shaking their heads in unison they turned away from the creatures gathered at the base of the cliff. Other wolves were stationed along the tree edge, keeping an eye on the creatures. There was no direct need for them to be watching.

They both jumped backwards as they saw Ohenoki standing behind them. A black wolf was with him, and both Koga and Sugano were both on edge. Sugano growled at the two of them, a little on edge.

“Ohenoki, how many times have I asked you to stop doing that?”

Neither of the wolves before Koga and Sugano had a scent, and they had made no sound as they had come up behind the pair. Koga looked behind them; there was no sign of paw prints.

Ohenoki smiled a little and bowed his head down to Sugano.

“Apologies, Sugano. I keep forgetting you don’t like that.”

“I don’t mean to be rude Longtooth. I just think one of these days I will jump from my skin.”

Ohenoki and the black wolf laughed. This drew Koga and Sugano’s attention to the black wolf again. They looked at the wolf, then at Ohenoki, and sniffed the air. Ohenoki looked at the black wolf briefly then back at the other two.

“Do not be concerned. This is another Longtooth. I cannot get into it right now, but his name is Seichi. He is from the other side of the mountains.”

They looked at the black wolf again, this Seichi.

“From across the mountains?”

“Sugano, I think the more important matter here is what to do about the creatures. Most of them are at the bottom of the cliff. But three started climbing up it. They are moving fast.”

“That is troubling Koga. They cannot be allowed up there.”

“But there is nothing we can do about that.”

“I can do something about it Koga. But I will have to do it alone.”

Ohenoki looked downcast. Koga could only imagine what might be going through his mind right now. He spoke again though, but directed towards Seichi this time.

“My oldest of friends, my fifth time draws near. This time I fear I may not come back, but I will do my best. When my spirit comes back to this world it may or may not be me. I will be going now to face my time. I ask if you could go to Kabian. Make sure Innic doesn’t get to him before the time is right.”

“Do not fear. I will go find him. If needed; I will stand watch over him for however long you need.”

Ohenoki and Seichi nodded at each other, and then Seichi turned away from them and vanished into the forest. Koga and Sugano watched him go, confused at the conversation they had just heard.

“Ohenoki?”

Ohenoki’s attention was brought back to the two wolves.

“This may be a surprise for you. But I do not understand what is going on. Who is this Innic? Fifth time? What does this all have to do with Kabian?”

“Koga, I am not surprised by that. There is much that you and the others do not know. Things that if known may cause problems within the Clans. And right now I don’t have time to go in to everything. Though I see you took my advice to the extreme before. I can smell Kabian over you. And I could hear the howls of Blood Mist. He chose the name wisely.

What I can tell you though is that soon I will die. It is not my choice, but I can feel the time rushing toward me. I do not know how yet, but I am sure it will become clear very soon. I think I will find out when I reach the top of the wall.”

Koga looked back up at the cliff. Things weren’t making too much sense now. But ever since these creatures had arrived things had taken a turn for the confusing.

“You talk very grim Ohenoki. Be careful. One of the creatures climbing up the wall has claws on his paws sharper than any I have seen before.”

“I do not know of any creature with claws sharper than what I have seen. But I guess I will find out soon enough.”

“Before you leave, wherever it is you are going, tell us what we must do.”

Ohenoki looked between the two of them and turned away. Sugano had a confused look on his face, but he would never doubt what his Longtooth had to say. A sigh escaped Ohenoki’s jaw. While facing away from them he spoke.

“It seems, Koga, that you have done more than enough already. I will not ask you to do anymore. But Sugano, I need you to follow Koga’s lead. Kabian needs the backing of the strongest he can find. Poi is going to make trouble, and he will need trustworthy wolves around him. For right now though? Stay here and keep a watch on the humans.”

Ohenoki took a few steps when he heard a cough behind him.

“Um, humans?”

Ohenoki turned his head and looked at Koga. He laughed at himself at Koga’s dismay.

“I am very sorry. I should have remembered I had not told you yet. These creatures. The pale ones that stand on only two legs. They are called humans, much as we are called wolves. They have their role to play much as we have ours as well. I think whatever their role is will become apparent soon. Just be careful around them. They are quick to anger and even quicker to jump to conclusions. I have no time now. It is going to take me some time to get to the top.”

“I am just as confused now. But you are…” Koga watched Ohenoki walk off into the trees, “…already gone.”

“Koga, there is no need for that. He told us what he thinks we need to know. That should be more than enough for you. Now, he said to watch the … humans. Then that is what we will do.”

Sugano came back to the edge of the trees and laid himself down, resting his head on his front paws. Koga walked over and lay beside him.

“I suppose you are right Sugano. I am a little worried about that black wolf Seichi. But if Ohenoki trusts him, we have no other choice.”

* * *

Arman looked up above him. He was so sure he could climb faster than the other two, but they were slowly making their way further ahead of him. The climb was getting tough, but they still seemed to be going strong.

Ever since he laid down the challenge of being at the top by nightfall it seemed to have become a race. The ship rat Conrad was sailing high above them, his light frame and wiry muscles allowing himself to fly up the cliff.

The mercenary wasn’t too far ahead of Arman though. His big frame made it a little difficult. But he was strong, and he just kept going up and up. Arman would need to do something about the two of them. Something was telling him that whatever was up there was really what the governor wanted to know about. And it wouldn’t pay to have these two other see it too.

He looked down and his eyes took a movement to focus. He couldn’t see where everyone was at the bottom of the cliff. The time was now right. He had needed to be far enough away from Morgan before he released his climbing tools.

He let his right arm hang free from the cliff face and flicked his wrist. The claw shot forward and he twisted his hand into the hold. He brought his arm above his head and hooked the end of the claws around the rocks.

Hanging by the end of the claws he freed his left arm and drew the claws on that arm too. He shifted his shoulders, making sure he was limber enough, they threw he left arm above him.

He started pulling himself up using the claws, almost leaping up the wall. One claw in front of the other. His feet just dangled as he arms did all the work. But they were made for it. He had trained himself for this kind of thing. Not at heights like this, but the height was irrelevant. He would have been just as dead had he fallen from the training heights.

He was quickly gaining ground on the others. The mercenary was now only just above him. He threw his arm up and dug the claws into the calf of the mercenary.

The mercenary screamed and kicked out his legs. But he held on firmly to the rocks above him.

Arman cursed and brought himself up a little higher. He swung his other arm and dragged the claws from the mercenaries shoulder partway down his back.

This got the desired reaction as the mercenary screamed again and released his hold on the cliff face. He started falling towards the ground. Arman watched as he fell. He vanished from view in next to no time.

He looked up then and saw Conrad looking down at the falling man. Arman took the chance to make his way upward again. But Conrad looked directly at him and his eyes narrowed.

Arman realised Conrad knew. Conrad picked up his pace and it was a race between the two of them to reach the top.

As the sun shifted through the sky they made their way up, neither making any ground on the other. But soon enough, just as the sun was starting to set, Conrad’s hands reached over the top of the cliff.

Arman watched as Conrad pulled himself up and stood along the top of the cliff. Conrad walked forward, then with a startled cry he was back at the edge, his arms held high into the air.

“I don’t care what you did to that mercenary,” he called down from the wall, yelling so Arman could hear, “But this is the most amazing sight I have ever seen.”

Arman claws pulled him higher until he reached the top. His claws gripped the edge and he pulled himself up.

* * *

Morgan was grateful for the sun to be setting. The heat was radiating from the wall. He wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. The rain from the previous days was now rising from the grass and making the heat turn into a sticky mass around them.

He looked over towards the trees; the creatures were out there for sure. But his eyes didn’t rest on the forest, and his mind wasn’t thinking about the creatures. Instead he looked at the lump that bordered the forest. The lump that was the mercenary that had started up the wall. He couldn’t remember the man's name; he hadn’t really taken the time to learn it.

What he did remember though was the sound. The screaming had started above them. All had turned to watch, ignoring the danger that seemed to be coming from the forest. From out of sight the mercenary had come down, the screaming getting louder. His body was thrashed into the cliff as he came, making the noise stop briefly.

They had all stood, moving back from the wall and keeping their eyes on the falling man. Gasps of air happened all around Morgan, and he could hear a few fall to their knees. Morgan almost raised his hands to cover his eyes as the man came closer to the ground. But he forced his hands by his sides. He brought the men out here, he had forced them to climb the wall, the least he could do was watch.

The mercenary neared the ground and everyone braced themselves. He landed head first, his bones crunched as the rest of body caught up. The sound of the breaking bones caused one of the men to bring up his lunch.

Once the sound had stopped Morgan stepped toward the body. It was wrecked and mangled, limbs pointing at strange angles, blood pooling on the ground around it. The sight was horrific. He dry retched as he looked at it.

“Gimmie a hand. We gotta get this out of here.”

He turned his head away from the sight and watched to see if any of the men getting ready to give him a hand. Most had turned away from the dead man. But one stood, if shaky. He came over.

Between the two of them they managed to drag the body over to the edge of the woods. They had forgotten about the creatures hiding in the forest. But this was more important than that now.

That had been much earlier. But it was still fresh in every ones mind. They hoped the other two would not suffer the same fate. And with the sun going down they must be nearly to the top. Bailey had said he would be there by nightfall. They had no reason to doubt him. The men had been flying up the cliff face.

Morgan looked at the forest again, drawing his eyes away from the lump. Then, just as night was falling, the sound came.

It drew their eyes upward again. It sounded like a man screaming. But it was loud. So loud. It echoed from all around them. It continued on for some moments, and then slowly started dying down, as the echoes bounced back and forth.

They were all looking around, trying to discover the source of the sounds. They all shivered, and many looked across at the lump.

Morgan agreed with them, it felt like the mercenary’s ghost was falling again.

* * *

Arman clap his hands on the top of the wall after pushing Conrad forward. He listened as the fell, the sound echoed from something on the other side of the cliff. He pushed hard on the cliff top now, and lifted himself up on his arms.

He pulled himself up onto the top and stood, facing the wall he had just climbed.

Conrad’s word had been strong before, but he needed be sure he was the only one seeing whatever it was. He looked down the wall. He couldn’t see much on the side he had climbed, mist was surrounding the wall not too far away. He shrugged, not too worried about what was going on down that side. He had climbed to see what was on the inside.

He turned and fell backwards. The shock of what he saw nearly pushed him over the edge of the cliff. Now he understood what Conrad had been going on about.

The inside of the walls was what could be called smooth. Or maybe man made was a better way of putting it. They weren’t rough like the outside of the cliff, but carved with symbols and pictures.

They weren’t familiar for him. They drew his eyes though, and it was hard to tear them away. His gaze was dragged into them, like a maze. He raised his hands and covered his eyes for a moment, rubbing them a little. He took them down and looked again.

His jaw dropped and nearly hit the ground. He stammered for a bit, and even though there was no one around to hear him he still spoke aloud.

“The governor will want to see this.”

He shook his head, rubbed his eyes again. Was he seeing things?

The floor below the walls was flat. And void except for one thing. Right in the middle of the floor was the most amazing sight he had ever seen.

A huge skeleton, looking much like the creatures he had killed the previous night, covered much of the floor. He looked closely at it. The top of his head wasn’t likely to come up to the creature’s knee. Its teeth were longer than his legs.

From the ribs of the skeleton was a huge spear. Too large to be lifted by any human. The wood had not rotted, and the tassels near the head of the spear hung limply in the still air.

The most amazing thing about this whole sight was that the entire skeleton seemed to be made of pure silver.