Deeds of Their Past - 13. Chapter Thirteen

The next morning greeted them with grey skies and a chill wind. Brohm sat nearby, idly poking the ashes of the long dead fire with a stick. He hadn’t changed into his warmer clothing, but had donned a fur cloak with the hood up.

“Morning,” Nathan said.

The big man looked over and offered a nod. “You sleep okay?”

“Fine. It really cooled down though. You sure you aren’t cold?”

“Nah, this cloak’ll be fine for now.”

Nathan donned his own cloak, flipping up the hood to cover his frozen ears. The wind, while not blowing hard, was relentless. They ate a quick breakfast, mounted their horses, and made their way onward up the narrow mountain path. The steep rock face continued on both sides as before, channelling the wind to blow at their backs, pushing them forward. Nathan was thankful it wasn’t blowing the other way.

Once reaching the end of the narrow pass, they found themselves surrounded by a vast mountain range. Without the sun, the passing of time was difficult to judge, but he assumed three or four hours had passed. Peaks of all sizes reached out to the sky. Most were snow-covered, and those tall enough pierced through the clouds. The unspoken, stark beauty took Nathan by surprise.

Outside the protection of the towering stone walls, the wind whipped around in all directions. Hoods drawn forward and heads down, they continued their way along the gravel path. Just before sunset, the clouds finally broke, offering them an extra hour of light before having to stop for the night.

“I guess it was foolhardy to think we’d find anything to burn out here,” Nathan said while caring for the horses.

The harsh environment was barren, only allowing for sparse hardgrass to sprout from cracks in the rock. Nearby, Brohm sat inside an alcove in a small outcropping of rock they’d found.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. Hurry up and come eat,” he said, beckoning.

Nathan finished his work and sat opposite him inside the alcove. Brohm, sweat rolling down his brow, passed some jerky with a shaky hand.

“Are you okay?” Nathan asked, touching his forehead. “Are you coming down with fever?”

Brohm avoided his gaze. “No, it’s just . . .”

“What’s wrong?” Nathan asked.

“I’m trying to . . . what do they call it when you want to get used to something?”

“Acclimatize?”

“Yuh yuh, I wanna ’climatize myself to caves and stuff.”

Nathan glanced about the small alcove. It didn’t go any farther than five metres into the rock. “This is hardly a cave,” he said, chuckling.

Brohm looked hurt. “Don’t laugh.”

“Sorry.”

“After what happened back at the farm, I knew I had to fight this thing. This stupid fear!”

“What can I do to help?”

Brohm simply shrugged his shoulders. Nathan scooted over beside him, having to duck his head from hitting the low ceiling, and leaned against his large frame.

“You just need to be rational about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, why are you afraid of enclosed spaces? Did something happen to you when you were a kid?”

Brohm pondered a moment. “I don’t reckon so—”

“Wait a minute. When we met, you were in that underground cell. You seemed fine, all things considered.”

“Yuh, but that’s different than this.”

Nathan shook his head in confusion. “What exactly are you afraid of?”

“It’s hard to explain.”

It was obvious he was hiding something. “Okay. What’s stopping you from crawling to the end there?”

“N-no. I don’t want to,” Brohm said, an edge of panic in his voice.

“Just do it. Fight this fear head-on and maybe it’ll just go away.”

Brohm was unconvinced, glancing at the darkening hole from the corner of his eye. Nathan, growing frustrated, clambered to the back of the cave.

“No, no. Don’t!” Brohm cried, grasping at his legs.

He fought the big man’s attempt to grab him, leaving him sprawled and twisted on his side.

“You see? There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Nathan said, smacking the wall with a fist. “Just come here.”

Brohm remained frozen in terror, arms outstretched from his attempt to hold Nathan back. Mouth moving, he tried to speak, but no words came out.

“Come to me,” Nathan said.

Closing his eyes and drawing a deep breath, Brohm slowly crawled toward him. After a few torturous moments of advancement, he peered back at the cave’s entrance.

“No! Look at me, not out there.”

They locked eyes. Brohm froze again, and Nathan held his hands out, gesturing for him to keep on. After another focused breath, he made his way deeper on shaky hands. Nathan managed to grab him once he was in range, helping to pull him up. They sat side by side, backs to the wall, staring out at the entrance. Had Nathan not known better, he would’ve assumed Brohm was suffering from hypothermia due to his trembling. The radiant heat emanating from the big man told him otherwise.

“You see? Nothing to be afraid of,” Nathan said quietly, wrapping a comforting arm around him.

Brohm simply nodded and pulled him close. With Nathan’s ear mashed against his chest, he could clearly hear Brohm’s heart beating madly. His own heart raced now, but for entirely different reasons, and he tentatively wrapped his free arm across Brohm’s belly. They remained still, watching the last of the light fade from burnt orange to deep purple.

“You okay?” Nathan asked.

“Mmhm . . .” His deep voice rumbled in his chest.

“I don’t think we’ll need to stand watch tonight. We should get some sleep.”

“Yuh.”

“I’ll get the blankets.”

Nathan unwrapped himself, feeling the sudden cold air on his skin that was protected against Brohm’s warm body. Quickly retrieving the blankets, he settled himself beside the big man, and lay down, attempting to find a comfortable spot where rocks didn’t jut into his back. Brohm remained sitting, staring out into the black night. Nathan had nearly drifted off to sleep when Brohm’s low, rumbling voice broke the silence.

“Thanks for being such a good friend to me.”

Nathan stirred, glancing over in the dark. “Likewise, big guy.”

“When you’re with me, things don’t seem so bad.”

Nathan didn’t know what to say. Instead, he found Brohm’s hand in the dark and they interlocked fingers. Actions spoke clearer than words ever could.

* * *

They hit the trail well before sunrise. The winds had died down overnight and the sky had completely cleared up. Nathan drew in the crisp air deeply, exciting his senses and waking his tired body. He hadn’t slept much. Most of the night, his mind raced thinking of Brohm, and his loins ached from the lack of release he craved.

Over the course of the day, the trail wormed its way around huge boulders and through deep, narrow chasms. All the while, the towering mountains acted as silent guardians, allowing them passage through their lands.

As late afternoon approached, a gully filled with brush and windblown trees came into view, and they decided to set up camp. Gathering wood was an easy affair, and the two quickly amassed a sizable pile that would last the entire night.

The sun had already dipped out of view behind the looming mountain to the west, creating a false dusk, but Nathan knew it would be many hours before the sun would truly set. Regardless, with nothing else to do, he decided to start the fire. Brohm sat nearby, watching him work.

“You know, things were looking a little grim before, but don’t seem so hopeless now,” Brohm mused.

“I feel the same way. Too bad we couldn’t just hide out here forever.”

“Well, why couldn’t we?”

Nathan looked over in astonishment. “I’m as resourceful as the next man, but this is unforgiving territory. I don’t think we’d last too long once our rations ran out.”

“I guess.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get out of this mess one way or another,” Nathan said.

Brohm gave him his crooked smile, and a warm rush passed across Nathan’s skin. “Gods, I love that smile,” he mumbled.

“What?” Brohm asked.

“Nothing.”

Night fell, but the raging fire kept them warm. Light flickered among the trees, projecting dancing shadows on the gully walls. A lone wolf howled, but so far distant that it was of no concern. Brohm had been doing most of the talking that evening, recounting more stories from his time in the army.

“This one time, the squad played a joke on our sergeant while in the field. When he was sleeping, we put crushed sumac in his skivvies,” he said, chuckling.

“What? Why would you do that?” Nathan asked.

“No reason. The fellows in my squad, we were a bad influence on each other. Anyway, it wasn’t worth the laughs. We had latrine duty for a straight fortnight.”

“Serves you right.”

They laughed.

“Those eight years seemed like a waste of time,” Brohm continued, “but thinking back now, we had a lot of fun. Good memories.”

“You miss your squadmates?”

Brohm nodded. “Lost touch with them after I left. Anyway, given the work I got myself into, I reckon it was for the best.”

Howling, closer this time, broke their conversation. They exchanged glances while the horses stomped their hooves in disapproval. Brohm went to soothe them while Nathan peered into the darkness in a futile attempt to see anything.

“As long as we keep this fire roaring, they’ll leave us be,” Nathan said, tossing another log into the flames, causing sparks to fly up into the sky.

Brohm returned and they sat quietly, anticipating more howling, but only silence filled the air.

“I’m beat,” Nathan said. “Can you take watch first?”

“Yuh, you sleep, l’il buddy.”

Pulling up a blanket, he lay down and closed his eyes. Only a moment passed until a hand roughly shook his shoulder.

“Nathan, wake up. We’ve got company.”

Judging by the fire, he was surprised to see a fair amount of time had actually passed. Rising up to survey the situation, he found Brohm with sword in hand. The horses were skittish, frightened. Opposite them, a pack of wolves emerged from the black. Those still too far out to be lit by the fire could be seen as glowing eyes. Nathan counted a dozen, but there could easily be more unseen.

“I thought wolves didn’t like fire,” Brohm said.

Nathan pulled his dagger. “They must be ravenous, rabid, or both.”

In an attempt to make the fire larger, Brohm threw another log in. Sparks flew, causing the wolves to stop their advance for a moment. Unfortunately, it was short-lived and they continued their prowl, attempting to flank them.

“Protect the horses,” Nathan said, moving parallel to keep himself between them and the wolves.

Brohm followed his lead, yet kept his distance from Nathan in an attempt to cover the wide line of wolves stalking toward them.

“Come on then!” Brohm yelled out, raising his arms out to frighten them.

A few of the wolves barked and growled in challenge of Brohm’s display. Reaching the spooked horses, Nathan pulled his bow and quiver free. Brohm continued his show, keeping the attention of the snarling animals while Nathan nocked and aimed at the closest wolf.

“Ready?” Nathan asked.

Brohm stole a glance to Nathan’s position and tightened the grip on his sword. “Do it!”

The arrow whistled its short journey, piercing the wolf in the eye, and the others jumped back in surprise as it dropped dead. Nocking another arrow, he aimed and shot at the next nearest wolf. It found its target, lodging itself deep into the wolf’s neck. It didn’t take long for the animals to judge where the true threat was coming from, and charged Nathan with gnashing teeth. A third arrow, hastily shot, hit another wolf in its flank. The damage was negligible, and only seemed to fuel its mad pursuit.

Brohm rushed to intercept the advancing pack, giving Nathan time to drop the bow and free his dagger. Once again, the ensuing direct battle had Nathan feel out of his element, and he stood defensively as best he could verses a pack of wolves.

Taking the blunt of the attack, Brohm clashed with them and swung his sword wildly, however a few dodged aside and ran past toward Nathan. The nearest wolf knocked Nathan down onto his back and lunged for his throat, falling onto his unseen dagger. He wrenched the blade, trying to inflict as much damage as possible. All the while, teeth repeatedly snapped just out of range.

Pushing hard, he managed to free himself from the bulk of the bleeding animal as another came at him from behind. With the dagger free, he twisted around and collided with it, stabbing into its neck.

Brohm held his ground, his stance low and wide. Swinging was keeping them at bay, but Nathan could tell he was tiring, and knew they would soon overpower the big man. He caught of glimpse of a long branch resting in the fire. Scrambling to his feet, he pulled the thick branch from the flames, and as he hoped, the end was burning brightly.

Holding it out like a lance, he charged the wolves, bellowing out to get their attention. Brohm sidestepped out of the way while Nathan swung at the pack. They reluctantly retreated, leaving one brazen wolf behind. The smell of singed fur quickly changed its mind, and it withdrew back into the dark.

Nathan stood there, waving the flaming stick to deter any possible return. Nearby, Brohm rested on one knee, leaning against his sword and panting heavily.

“I guess they are still afraid of fire,” Brohm said between breaths.

After clearing the area of carcasses and checking on the horses, they returned to their camp. Nathan’s mind was exhausted, but his body was shaking from the encounter.

“I guess it’s going to be a long night,” Nathan said.

Brohm nodded. In the distance, howling broke through the darkness. They exchanged glances.

“Yuh, I reckon neither of us is getting much sleep tonight.”