540 DXL. The Wolf Leader

"Wait till you see what it's like inside" Freydis replied, knowing that her archer friend would be amazed by the internal organization of the massif, with all the settlements lining the main road to the Rock Prison.

The guards at the south entrance stepped forward, approaching Kranus and his men's horses and making them sign to stop.

Kranus raised his hand and closed his fist.

All the soldiers stopped suddenly and remained in strict silence.

"The Packmaster has been notified of your presence and our army is ready to march with you. Enter neatly in line and stop a few meters from the front door. He will be there waiting for you" the same guard who had interacted with them during the diplomatic mission said, in a slightly annoyed tone, not approving the plan and looking at the men in front of him with an air of defiance.

"All right, thank you!" Kranus replied politely, who soon afterward rotated his torso and turned his head towards his men, holding his horse still. 

"Did you hear that?!" he yelled.

"Yes, sir! At your command, sir!" all the soldiers replied in unison, confirming that they understood the guard's orders and knowing that they were in still hostile territory, in which it was better not to tease anyone so as not to get in trouble.

"Let's go then! Follow your Masters consistently and walk through the door three at a time!" Kranus yelled again, who without getting off the horse and flanked by Kron and Atran opened the line.

The warriors of the Claws Of Fenrir moved and let everyone through, standing still on the sides of the door and verifying that everything was fine. 

After Kranus, it was Dag, Freydis, and Reidar's turn, followed by Gunnar and Wrage.

The Outposts soldiers entered without making too much noise and holding their heads high, sometimes looking with constipation at the guards to protect the entrance, knowing that they could do nothing against all those men.

The recruits closed the line along with the warrior carrying the drum, suitably tied behind his back with a sturdy rope waiting to be played again.

As soon as the entire army was inside the Randt Mastiff, the doors closed violently and the guards who welcomed them remained outside to continue their surveillance.

That moment was followed by a few seconds of silence, during which all the soldiers and Masters admired what was in those mountains, not expecting to find such a thing.

"Wow... this is incredible... did they really build all this stuff?" Kron asked, looking up and not knowing where to look, fascinated by the view.

"Yes, it seems, after being driven out of their home town, they managed to settle here and build another city, which is the one before your eyes... look, the entrance is down there" Dag replied, behaving like a veteran warrior.

Trying to position in an orderly manner, siding in a half-moon formation, Kranus's men looked to the farthest mountain, hearing that a sound of drums, similar to the one that had guided their march, came from the cave leading underground.

The settlements that lined the street were deserted: surely all the Clan warriors would participate in the war and those who intended to stay at home, would remain inside the Rock Prison, which was impenetrable and much easier to defend, having only one, narrow entrance.

*boom*boom*bo-boom*

*boom*boom*bo-boom*

The sound of the drums became even louder, amplified by the effect of the mountains surrounding the area, which behaved like an echo chamber.

A man came out walking at a decisive pace, climbing the stairs and then heading towards the army in front of him.

A few feet later, two more followed him and opened the line to all the rest of the simple soldiers, who looked a little less numerous than the Giants Of Ymir army.

Kranus, as soon as he caught a glimpse of Bloodfang, got off his horse, entrusting the reins to a soldier, who promptly grabbed them and moved the white horse away, stroking his muzzle.

"Dag, Kron... with me" the ice mage said, walking forward and calling his two best men to report, now that the real Atran had returned and knew nothing of everything that had been decided, other than through the explanation of his colleague.

Kron and Dag got off their horse and followed the Commander without saying a word and without looking away from Bloodfang, who along with his bodyguards was continuing to walk. 

*boom*boom*bo-boom*

*boom*boom*bo-boom*

When the two Clans leaders who had been mortal enemies for years stopped a few feet from each other, the sound of drums immediately ceased, setting off the beginning of the peaceful meeting, during which the plan of action would be discussed.

"Heheh... look who's back... I didn't think you'd answer my call so quickly..." Thyrius began, opening his arms outwards and bowing mockingly towards his three guests, continuing to look on them with his piercing red eyes, which in the morning light looked orange.

Dag and Kron's gaze inevitably fell on what was behind him: when Bloodfang lowered his back, they noticed that on the huge columns on the entrance side of the underground city, two bodies hung, evidently rotting.

Two ropes were hooked to the beam at the top of the hole in the wall and their corpses were weathered, and local wildlife, such as a large black crow, was eagerly pecking into the inside of the eye of one of the two victims, feeding on the few fluids left inside his skull.