367 CCCLXVII. More Than A Wild Wolf

"Yes... so what? You can't make rash choices here... we could all die at any moment" Kjell replied, supporting his thesis.

"Look around you... do you see any road or path? I don't see anything, not even trees! Do any of you know where to go to get to a Jotunn camp or any other place where to get some supplies?" the Sons Of Freya's Master Of Offense continued.

No one answered, not even Kjell.

"Well, as I imagined. You all decided to follow my brother here to Krypstorm. You have done so with your own will. Now, I can assure you that every time he says there's a lead, there's no need to ask questions, the Gods have given him much more developed senses than yours and mine. Remember why we're here! You are free men and women, you can go wherever you want. But splitting our forces doesn't help... we would all die, with no chance to fight for our lives" she replied, pausing just before finishing the speech, leaving the Allied troops a few minutes to think about it.

The soldiers, in fact, stood still and watched Dag and Thalos, who was staring at the same point as before, indicating to his master the direction that would perhaps lead them closer to Claire.

Kjell grimaced, not appreciating Gridd's speech in favor of Dag, as usual, and turning the other way, resigned to not being in charge.

"My friends, you have always been free to choose who to follow! We are here, in this timeless land, completely unexplored, that hides who knows how many dangers! Let's stick together! Our only goal, for now, is to look for food and water, but we must all do it together! We'll follow our Masters, the pillars of Okstorm's three most powerful Clans!" Freydis exclaimed, speaking without permission, as if she was a Master, now part of the Iron Alliance elite.

"Long live Master Dag, the Exiled!" Gridd shouted, praising her brother and calling him by the nickname given to him by the warriors of his Clan, who had named him after all he had to endure when he was kicked out of the Temple Of Orn.

"Skäl!" two warriors from the crowd exclaimed, stepping forward and cheering Dag, who noticed that they were Terje and Runa, the two pupils of the Hammers Of Thor.

"Master Dag, the Exiled!" Sander added, who raised his axe up to the sky, pulling it out of his belt and helping to boost the morale of the troops, attracting the attention of Kjell, who still did not expect even his colleague to accept being an underling of such a young boy. 

As the opaque Sun illuminated the desolate and snowy wastelands of Krypstorm, Dag saw in front of him dozens of warriors shouting his name, followed by that strange title, which he had earned unintentionally, never giving up in the face of difficulties he had passed through.

"Arf! Arf! Arf!" Thalos barked again, eager to follow the sniffed track, as if he wanted to attract the attention of all, now hanging from Dag's lips.

"Thalos is more than just a wild wolf. During my exile, he taught me how to survive alone in the middle of the forest... how to hunt, how to identify traces of other animals, how to survive the loneliness and how to retain heat when away from home. I owe him most of the things I've learned. All he asked me in return is my company and some leftover food. You know, wolves usually hunt and live in packs... but he's different. There's something in his eyes... something that other wild animals don't have. On his own free will, following only his instincts and senses, he managed to reach me in Runar, crossing alone two of Okstorm's largest regions. I think we should all learn from him. We must follow our instincts and abandon the canonical schemes for a moment... the glory of exploration awaits us!" Dag shouted, galvanizing the soldiers in front of him, who appreciated the speech and continued to cheer him on, believing they had much to learn from him.

Freydis positioned herself next to him and grabbed his hand, looking into his eyes, ready to follow him everywhere.

Gridd, Egill, and Sander did the same, disposing of a neat row behind him, while Kjell stayed away, ready to follow them, but keeping the distance.

"Let's go then! If we're lucky, this trail will lead us to an enemy camp. Remember, stay ready to fight and keep your muscles warm on the way... enemies can attack us at any moment!" he replied, who after concluding his speech of encouragement began to walk, making a gesture with his hand and telling Thalos to go on.

The wolf, without hesitation, began to walk at a sustained pace in the direction identified just before, with his nose constantly near the snow, ready to sniff out some sudden change of direction. 

The troops of the three Clans walked for more than three hours in the snow, which made the crossing of the valley slightly slower, forcing them to proceed with caution. 

The direction of the path changed two or three times, while the great gray wolf made his way under the watchful eye of Dag, who with the visual qualities of a hawk, constantly tried to peer into far objects.

The Sun rose high in the sky, just above the heads of the warriors, whose determination outweighed the tiredness of the legs when finally, something was visible in the distance.

"Over there! There's something, Captain! It looks like another village, but much bigger than the first camp we encountered!" Reidar said, who paid attention to every particular detail walking next to Dag and Freydis, on the front line.