“Come on Sekh, we need to be productive,” I nagged.

The two of us woke up around noon after last night’s escapade. We had just checked in with the Katepan, who told us ‘we’re gonna take a while to gather information, you two should go on a date or something.’

“But what about a date?” Sekh complained. 

“It’s not like I don’t want to,” I explained. “But if we keep this up, we’re gonna run out of money.”

“We only spent 14 nummi for food the last two days,” Sekh argued.

“The fact that we’re losing money hasn’t changed,” I persisted. “Now let’s go to the Labor Bureau branch.”

I arrived at the small labor office, Sekh reluctantly trudging along behind. 

“Got any work for us?” I asked while raising my identification card.

“Oh perfect,” the woman behind the counter remarked. “We have a request to find some lost cargo and another to hunt a pack of direwolves.”

“How much does each pay?” I inquired.

“21 nummi for finding the cargo and a bounty of 4 denarii per direwolf,” the clerk informed.  

“Does that include the pelt or just a confirmed kill?” I continued.

“”Just the confirmation of a kill,” the lady replied with a smile. “You’re free to keep the materials you acquire.”

“Sekh, I’m leaning towards hunting some direwolves,” I informed.

“Sounds good,” she affirmed. 

“Stay cautious,” the clerk advised. “Direwolves should never be taken lightly, maybe you should get more people to help you.”

I put on a serious face to give the impression of a seasoned veteran. “Don’t worry about us. Both of us are experienced. If things go bad, we’ll pull out.”

“Smooth one,” Sekh remarked after we left the office. “So how are we going to do this?”

“We’ll travel light,” I started. “Our packhorses will only slow us down, so I’m only intending to bring our riding horses. That means we’ll only have a small bedroll and a small amount of food. We’ll probably have to hunt to supplement our meals.”

“Should we bring traps?” Sekh asked.

“If we have room,” I replied.

We did in fact not have room. We ended up bringing only our bedrolls, armaments, rations, and small tools like a firestarter. I didn’t even put on my lamellar cuirass, only opting to wear my mail hauberk because it covers my limbs.

In all honesty, we definitely looked unprepared. The main reason I was so confident was that my virtual immunity to disease would allow me to take a few hits without fear of dying from an infection. The only issue is if our horses or Sekh get injured.

The direwolves were sighted about a day’s ride from Amorium. But with our lightened load, we could make the distance in four-fifths of the time. We made half of that distance on the first day.

“Can’t believe we’re out working already,” Sekh moaned as we ate dinner, which included a few rabbits that I had shot with my bow. “We already busted a cult, so why can’t we just have a day off? We’re getting paid by the Katepan anyways.”

“Hear me out Sekh,” I began. “We work hard now, get some investments, then retire in peace.”

“Pretty sure you’d still be able to find a high paying job as an old man,” Sekh pointed out.

“Fair enough,” I admitted. “But I can work less later if I work more now.”

“Does the net amount of work decrease?” Sekh questioned.

“Probably,” I remarked. “Besides if these direwolves have a bounty, then they’ve most likely become a threat to the people in this area.”

“Well whatever,” Sekh sighed. “Just don’t get hurt.”

“Stole my line,” I said with a smile.

That night, Sekh made me sleep first since I had actually been walking instead of riding. My reasoning was that my poor horse already had to deal with the weight of my armor and other baggage, so dropping a person on him would be too cruel.

“Can I use your bedroll?” Sekh requested after waking me up. “It’s cold and your bedroll should be really warm.”

I pulled myself out of the bedroll and let the night air prickle my skin. Sekh was right, it really is colder than usual. Even if I factor in our lack of a tent, it was still colder than usual.

“Yeah, go ahead,” I told her. “If it’s not enough, you can try using your bedroll as an extra blanket.”

“Can you bring it?” Sekh asked as she dove into my still warm bedroll.

After bringing Sekh her own bedroll, I rubbed her ears then got ready for my shift.

Sekh and I got started early the next day. We traveled off road in hope of finding signs of the direwolves. The area we were searching was a hilly and lightly forested area. The scattering of brilliant orange leaved trees danced in the chilly breeze and the denizens of the hills dashed around under the gentle sun. 

“Sekh you smell anything?” I asked as we searched for our quarry.

“I don’t even know what direwolves smell like,” Sekh pointed out. 

“Like an extra smelly wolf, I guess,” I responded. “Do you at least smell any animal that might be large?”

“Azel, my sense of smell isn’t that good,” Sekh explained. “If you wanted a beast person that had a good sense of smell, you should have got a wolf-kin. Leopard-folk are known for night vision, you idiot.”

“Yeah, but your senses are pretty much all better than mine,” I informed her. “Instead of searching for the direwolves, I think it might be a good idea to kill a medium or large animal, then use the scent of blood to attract them.”

“Makes sense,” Sekh replied. “I’ll tell you if I pick up anything.”

Around an hour later, Sekh found a small herd of deer grazing. I signaled Sekh with my hand, informing her to wait. With my horse acting as a sort of concealment, I slowly crept up on the herd of deer. I nocked a broadhead arrow and took aim at a large stag. 

My eyes widened and my breath began to slow. Carefully, I drew back my bow and loosed. The arrow soared through the air and tore into the stag’s lung. The herd panicked and began to flee in the opposite direction, the stag collapsing to the ground. 

“Alright let’s get to work,” I announced to Sekh after the herd had cleared away. 

It was around noon when we began skinning the stag. We snacked on bits of jerky and buttered bread as we prepared the bait for the direwolves.

“You think the direwolves will come?” Sekh asked.

“They should,” I replied. “Those things have an impressive sense of smell.”

“Have you hunted them before?” Sekh continued.

“Once,” I began to recall. “Back when I was around 16, I was part of a large hunting party in the Marches. The lord I was serving had assembled us to hunt mountain wolves that had been plaguing the peasantry. Little did we know that the peasants mistook a group of direwolves for mountain wolves.”

“How did it go?” Sekh inquired.

“Not well,” I replied glumly. “Some overconfident youths rode off, thinking they could handle the mountain wolves. A quarter of them didn’t come back. In the end, the more experienced hunters cornered the direwolves and we just showered them with arrows.”

“Did you lose someone you knew,” Sekh asked gently.

“I guess you could say I knew them,” I laughed bitterly. “But I was never really friends with them.”

“I see,” Sekh muttered.

After removing the pelt, I removed the rump, loin, and tenderloin. Although I intend to use the stag as bait, I have no intention of sharing the good cuts with the direwolves. We hung the rest of the carcass from a tree, and smeared the blood and organs around the area. 

I took our baggage off the horses to lighten their load as much as possible and set up a makeshift camp a fair distance away from our bait. 

“Sekh,” I began. “Be prepared to flee in case there are too many. Our horses should be able to outrun the direwolves. Compared to normal wolves, direwolves are a fair bit slower.”

After some time waiting, Sekh's ears perked up.“Azel, I think I smell the direwolves. You were right about them having a strong smell.”

“Keep distance from them,” I advised her. “All you should do is throw your spears and make sure the horses don’t panic. Absolutely do not get close.”

I hid myself behind a bush and planted five heavy broadheads into the ground for quick use. My divine arm lay behind me, in the form of a long and heavy hunting spear, with a large triangular spearpoint and pronounced wings. 

Shortly after, five direwolves stepped onto the scene. Three males and two females from the looks of it. Actually I can't really tell, I’m just comparing their size to one another. 

The direwolves were as majestic as a scavenger could be.  Their predominantly grey coats had large splashes of tan and rust. Although their bodies were pretty much that of a normal wolf, their size was closer to that of the lions found in Fars. The most distinct feature of direwolves was their bone-crushing teeth, which combined with their powerful jaws make them highly efficient at disposing of carrion.

Hoping to catch them off guard, I allowed the direwolves to begin feasting on the stag before commencing my attack. The wolves took no caution, arrogantly believing that they could fend off any challengers. 

After they had pulled the deer down from the tree, the two smaller wolves and one of the larger ones began eating first. The other two stood and waited their turn.

I calmly nocked an arrow, drew, and loosed at the closest of the two waiting direwolves. I didn't believe that my shots could consistently go through the skull and destroy the brain, so I instead aimed behind the shoulder to puncture the heart, lungs, or an artery. 

My arrow sunk into the direwolve’s body, causing the monster to slump to the ground. I had already pulled another arrow from the ground and took aim at the other large direwolf that wasn’t eating. 

The pack had already been alerted by the sound of the arrow flying through the air and rushed towards my location. As they began running towards me, I shot an arrow into the lung of one of the larger direwolves. Said wolf didn’t fall down, but continued to chase after me. Because I had placed a reasonable distance between myself and the direwolves, I was able to make one last shot. This shot was more effective than the last and took down one of the smaller direwolves after the arrow punched through it’s windpipe. 

When the direwolves drew close enough, I dropped my bow and ran off with my spear. Instead of fighting them in a more open area, I decided that a spot with more trees might offset my numerical disadvantage. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sekh circling in the distance in order to assist me when the time came. 

I ran about a hundred meters to a cluster of trees and turned face to meet my pursuers. Instead of recklessly chasing after me, the direwolves stuck close to one another in hopes of overwhelming me. 

The large direwolf that took an arrow to the lung looked haggard, clearly doomed to die from blood loss. It was this one that decided to take the lead and serve as a distraction for others. The other two wolves began to encircle me as the injured one suicidally charged me. 

I faced my opponent and slammed my spear into its neck when it lunged. Because of the injuries it had taken, the direwolf either passed out or died. However, the other two wolves made their moves on me.

I jerked my spear out of the first wolf and began to ward off the other two wolves with it while looking for an opportunity to strike. My opportunity came when one of Sekh’s javelins plunged into the back of the smaller direwolf. With a few agile steps, I repositioned myself away from the larger direwolf and stabbed my spear into the chest of the small injured wolf, killing it. 

The remaining direwolf lept at me, simultaneously dodging Sekh’s last javelin. I barely had time to pull my spear out and block the monster with it. The force of the direwolf slammed me into the ground, the jaws clamping down on the haft of the spear. Its front paws swiped furiously at my chest and face. I kept rolling my head around to avoid injury, while the mail that covered my chest prevented any injury. I also retaliated by kneeing the monster in the gut, but my position on the ground prevented my attack from having sufficient force. 

The two of us were stuck in a deadlock, neither able to deal a decisive blow. I doubt I would have the stamina to outlast the more powerful direwolf, so my normal option would be to take a risk and draw a dagger to stab it in the heart. However, this would hinge on my remaining arm being able to hold back the monster long enough. 

But my normal option did not factor in Sekh, who ran to my aid. Sekh threw her short spear, which impaled itself on the side of the large direwolf. The slight respite allowed me to shove the monster off. Because my spear was still in its mouth, I drew my sword in a fluid motion and violently thrust it into the direwolf’s chest. 

“You’re a lifesaver,” I breathed to Sekh when she came to check up on me.

Sekh didn’t respond right away and began to check my body to see for any injuries. “I don’t see any bleeding, but do you feel any bruises?”

“My back hurts a little from being forcefully pushed down,” I remarked. “But apart from that I’m fine. Help me gather the direwolves so we can skin them. Then see if you can find a spot where I can safely set a large fire.”

Before evening I managed to quickly skin the five direwolves, though I still need to scrape the meat off the pelts. I also realized that the one that slammed me to the ground was a bit larger than the rest, most likely the leader of the group. I’m actually thinking about using its pelt as a cloak, instead of selling it. 

I also salvaged the remaining deer meat that wasn’t tainted by direwolf saliva, which I intend to smoke. 

When Sekh had found an area of wet ground by a creek, she began dragging the carcasses to the area. I stood near her as a guard, but also because I was gathering wood to burn the bodies. 

My divine arm was now in its halberd form, which I was using as a makeshift axe. I’m sure that soldiers would be crying at the sight of me using a halberd as a wood chopping axe. The sun began setting as we lit up a pyre for the slain direwolves, the stench of burned flesh floating through the air. 

We made our way back to our camp, which already had a fire pit of stones set up. I took out a frying pan and began to grill the cuts I saved with some salted butter and dried herbs. The other pieces that I harvested after were instead smoked. Luckily I had found a maple tree, so the meat would have good flavor. 

“I’m not complaining or anything,” Sekh started. “But you really did prioritize cooking equipment over traps.”

“Sekh it’s just a frying pan,” I argued. “That would take the spot of one bear trap at best.”

“Yeah but one bear trap would have been real useful,” Sekh pointed out. “If I remember, you were the one pinned down by a direwolf. Don’t you think it was a little reckless.” 

“But you see,” I reasoned. “You were there to help me, so that changes things. Besides, even if I got a few scratches I’d be fine.”

“It bothers me how you manage to be both cautious and reckless,” Sekh said in exasperation.

“Well I don’t really consider myself to be that careful,” I spoke while gripping my chin. “I like taking calculated risks. Even though I believe I’m braver than most people, I just don’t see the point of taking overly disadvantageous risks.”

“Makes sense,” Sekh admitted. “But what if you calculate the risks incorrectly?”

“Then I’d try to make the best of the situation,” I said with a shrug. “But in my experience, I’m right most of the time.”

“That’s the problem,” Sekh complained. “You’re right enough of the time that you’re stubborn about it. But you’re not correct enough for it to be safe.”

“I disagree,” I concluded. “You want your steak rare or medium?”

“Why is well done not an option?” Sekh inquired.

I frowned at her, the disapproval radiating off my face. “Did you really ask that?”

Sekh raised her hands up in a mock surrender. “Personally I want it rare, but I’m just curious why you didn’t give well done as an option.”

“I don’t like wasting food,” I replied stubbornly. “Besides, this deer didn’t show any signs of sickness so it should be safe.”

The two of us had our steaks rare, which we hungrily devoured. Because our lunch was light, we managed to stuff ourselves with a massive amount of meat. Normally this would cause serious digestion issues for most humans. However, my metabolism as a hero makes my digestive system quite impressive. Sekh, on the other hand, is a leopard person so her body is more accustomed to eating large amounts of meat. Despite looking mostly human, apart from a light amount of golden fur on her back and forearms as well as cat-like eyes, ears, and a tail, Sekh’s body differed quite a bit from a standard human or elf.

Before we went to sleep, the two of us thoroughly scraped off the meat from the direwolf pelts in order to preserve the quality of the pelts. During that time, I continued to smoke the load of deer meat which I’ll have to continue into the night. 

Sekh and I set up our bedrolls so that the wind would carry the smell of smoking meat away from us. I was the one that would take the first shift, so I could finish smoking the meat. 

As I waited by the fire, I could smell a musky smell nearby. As the sound of steps came nearer, I took out my winged spear. The fire was too dim for me to confidently shoot my bow, and the smell probably indicated a bear or similar animal. 

Just as expected, a black bear came crawling towards me most likely drawn by the smell of food. 

“I know you can’t understand me but fuck off,” I shouted at the bear while making menacing gestures with my spear.

I didn’t even speak in the Aeolian language but spoke in my native Kartli tongue. My reasoning was that threats in my native language sound a bit more rough, which I hoped would inform the bear to leave. 

Whether my idea worked or not, I’m not sure. But the bear did decide that I was a sufficient threat and promptly walked away.

After packing the meat that finished smoking, I continued my watch for a few hours before waking Sekh up.

“Careful, there might be a bear around,” I advised Sekh when I woke her up. “If anything happens, just wake me up. I’ll even let you shake me if it’s an emergency.”

I was very lucky that nothing happened so I got to enjoy a nice nap. I decided to wake up early so that we could make haste back to Amorium. Despite our additional baggage, we were able to make it back to Amorium in the afternoon. We actually went back at a faster pace, since the light scent of meat and blood from the fresh pelts would give our position away to potential threats. 

“You think they resolved the case yet?” I asked Sekh when we got through the gates of Amorium.

“Maybe,” Sekh replied. “But if not, then we absolutely have to go on a date.”

“For sure,” I answered. “The bounty from these direwolves should be more than enough for us to get drunk.”