501 DI. Stand Guard

"That's exactly what he said... no wonder. If they're wolves, they reason in terms of the pack. Wolves, unlike what can be imagined, are not solitary animals, but always act on behalf of their herd. The strongest or the oldest is the one in charge until someone stronger than him takes over. Besides, the pack leader can choose to breed with as many females as he wants and no one can object" Dag said, explaining to Freydis and others some of his knowledge on the subject.

"Speaking about wolves... where's Thalos? Ever since we entered the first gate I can't see him" Freydis asked again, who until then had not noticed that detail, being focused and afraid at the same time.

"No worries, though you can't see him, he's behind us, hidden among some of those buildings. He doesn't like to walk among so many people, he prefers to follow us on his own. Thalos is like that, this is his nature" Dag continued, who thanks to his senses was able to perceive the presence of his four-legged friend, who was about thirty meters away from them, having escaped from the eyes of the guards and citizens.

Dag and Thalos were connected by an ethereal and mysterious bond and although they were not physically in front of each other, somehow they both always knew their mutual position.

Although it was easy to guess that the citizens of that city were normal people, who had nothing to do with their Clan and its cruel warriors, Kranus, Atran, and Kron felt a deep hatred for them and looked at everyone from top to bottom.

"You should stop staring at people like that. Believe me, they can sense your hostile aura... people perceive it" Dag said, riding forward at a slow pace and pretending nothing, as a group of men standing in front of a blacksmith continued to look at them insistently.

Kranus snorted, knowing that Dag was right, but unable to walk without pretending nothing.

After walking entirely through several streets that passed through various neighborhoods of the city, they found themselves in front of a huge door guarded by other guards, intent on talking to each other.

On the door, a huge metal ring hung from the jaws of a wolf's head etched into the wood. 

Dag got off his horse and approached the guards, under the gaze of his companions, who often wondered how he could do those things so casually, going so far as to envy his courage.

"Hi, we have a message from the Giants Of Ymir to report to your Packmaster" he said, drawing the attention of the guards, who had never heard his voice and turned to him suspiciously.

"You are not the only ones who have to talk to him, there is a line of people inside the palace, you will have to wait" one of the guards said, noticing their equipment and immediately realizing that they did not belong to the Clan.

"At last a concrete answer!" Dag thought, before answering.

"No problem, we'll wait for our turn" he said.

"And where can we leave them? There doesn't seem to be a suitable stable" Kranus said, explicitly asking the guard.

"On the right side of the palace, there is a fence. You can tie them there, otherwise, you will be forced to move away" the guard continued, in a cold and detached tone, looking elsewhere and not paying too much attention to the words of the magician.

Dag, before his companion could answer, put two fingers of his hand on his tongue and blew a loud whistle, attracting the attention of everyone around him.

"Thalos!" he yelled, continuing to whistle.

Suddenly, from behind one of the houses built near the castle, the big gray wolf sprang out, walking casually towards him, looking around and sniffing the new smells.

When the two guards saw him, their looks changed completely, taking on a friendly appearance.

"He's a beautiful specimen! Does he really obey your orders?" one of them asked, lowering himself to the wolf, who as usual stood still next to Dag not giving confidence to those unknown men.

"As you can see, he obeys me without constraint... we've been friends for a long time. He will look after our horses while we are inside the palace" the young Master said, knowing that for those men, wolves were sacred beasts, reincarnations of the great wolf Fenrir.

"Permission granted. If his instincts push him to trust you, it means that your heart is good and your soul is fearless" the second guard added, giving Dag and the others permission to leave the horses tied.

All of them descended from their steeds and, following the square walls of the palace, identified the fence to which the guard was referring.

They tied the horses and looked around, hoping that during their absence no one would try to steal them.

"Don't worry, our horses will be safe if Thalos stays beside them. These people would never dare to disobey the will of a wild wolf" Dag said, who had also thought about that detail.

Soon after, he knelt before Thalos and stroked his neck, telling him: "my friend, now I have to get away for a short time and you have to watch the horses. You must stay here, still and never walk away. Without horses we can't go home anymore... do you understand?" he asked, gesticulating in front of his four-legged friend and pointing at him the fence, making sure he understood his mission.

Thalos looked at the horses, then again his master. 

To make him realize that in his mind his instructions were clear, he licked his hand and emitted a slight groan, as if he really wanted to talk to him.

"Good boy! See you soon and remember... stay still here and don't move!" Dag said again.

After his words, the wolf sat next to his horse and began to look around, so as not to miss any details.