He and the pack feinted and charged, trying to find a breakthrough for what seemed like a long time. The wolves worked together with unusual precision, like men who had fought side by side for years; every time they rushed toward him, Ankerix was surrounded by three.
The boys screamed again, Ann a
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Okles glanced over and saw that the fifth wolf had grabbed Flower through the blanket and started dragging him away, leaving Pepper huddled in the empty dirt. The flowers were hidden by the blanket, and Ankerex didn't know what part of his body the wolf had bitten, but he hoped it wasn't the boy's neck. Flower was still thrashing, so he was at least alive.
For a moment, Anchorex felt a sense of panic. If he ran to save Flower, the others would drag Pepper away or attack him from behind. Feeling unfocused, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Then he remembered the dogs chasing their prey; as long as his back was turned, they would not disturb Pepper. Or, he hoped that was the case. He turned around and ran towards the flower as fast as he could.
The wolves chased him, but Androx had just enough time to swing at the man holding Flower before they caught him. When the wolf saw him coming, he let go and tried to retreat, but Androx was too fast. A
d
The okles swung hard, splitting its skull open. He kept aiming for its neck, but succeeded. He turned around, pumped his fist, and grabbed the other wolf by the chin, knocking it down, but the three remaining wolves grabbed him and tried to pull him down. One grabbed his ankle and the other two miraculously grabbed his skirt.
They pulled him in three different directions, leaving him barely able to maintain his balance. Thinking quickly, he reached behind him and tugged at the knot of his skirt. It fell and the wolves scrambled over it, shaking it this way and that with their teeth. Androcles stabbed the man holding his ankle, then kicked forward to free himself. His skin tore, but he didn't have time to stop. A scream came from deep in his chest and he sprang forward, swinging his sword wildly. He scratched and scratched several times, but couldn't get it deep. They are too cunning to face at the same time.
A ridiculous thought entered his mind, and he turned away from them and started running again. But this time, he listened carefully for their approach, and when he thought they were close, he whirled with his sword. He succeeded in disemboweling one wolf and burying the tip between the other's ribs, and then the third wolf jumped up and bit him in the chest.
The buck instinctively bent down and the wolf could not open his mouth wide enough to get his teeth in. A
d
Okles grabbed it by the neck, cut out its belly, and tossed it aside, gasping in relief.
Seeing that both boys were still there, Ankerex paced back and forth, looking around for anything he thought might be hiding another wolf, but soon discovered that not a single wolf was left. It was only then that he put down his sword and began to take care of the children.
Flower lay motionless where the wolf had left him, paralyzed with fear. Androx picked him up gently, wrapped in blankets, and moved him back to the fire. He rearranged the blankets, miraculously avoiding the bleeding, and laid the children back on them. Judging by the bruising, Flower had been grabbed by the shoulder, and after examining the movement of the joint, Androcks determined there was no damage.
He stood there, watching them tremble, unable to shake off the fear and stress. That's not okay. He sighed and sat down, lifting them into his lap and hugging them gently.
"Children, as long as I live, nothing can defeat you. Nothing. It doesn't matter," he said, repeating it again, soothing them in a soft voice. They sat there with their heads buried in his beard, holding on to him tightly, and after a while they seemed to be back to normal again.
The wolves were too thin to bother killing, so he picked them up and threw them where the sick wolf had been thrown yesterday, to be buried later. He walked back with a frown on his face, wondering if this was going to be a daily occurrence. Do wolves migrate? He doesn't think so, but there have been a lot of them lately. Maybe those soldiers were right and he really wasn't safe here. He paused and listened carefully for any sounds of howling; at the moment, he heard nothing. There was almost no sound, not even wind. Just a few birds and a creek.
The rest of the day was pretty boring. Androx spent a lot of time burying the wolf and covering up the blood, just in case. As night fell, he told the children some stories from the army, talking about some of his old friends and their virtues. Apparently, being frightened at any time of day is exhausting, as both boys fell asleep during the story. He made a fire, prepared to spend the night, and lay down beside them. However, falling asleep is not easy. He heard no sound of the wolf until late into the night.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next morning, the children waited for him to wake up before making water so that they could make water together, but this time they did not need his help. Flower, in particular, was starting to act more or less like a boy, joking and jumping around and stuff like that, even though he tired easily and had to take a break every few minutes. Pepper sits up effortlessly most of the time. His swollen belly gradually flattened, the rest of his body became fuller, and the swelling in his feet disappeared. Although he hadn't created the earth yet, so there was still danger, Ankerex had a feeling the boy would be fine. If they're lucky, they might even be ready to go soon. The gods knew he was in a hurry to get on the road.
When the weather warmed up, Androcles took them to bathe in the stream. It was too cold for the boys to jump because they were all so thin, so they could only stand in the shallowest place and wash clothes with rags, shaking and laughing at the same time. Later, he made new bandages for himself and Pepper; Flower no longer needed them as his bruises were fading and the scratches on his body were almost gone. The Wolf Heart Pill wound on Ankerex had turned dark purple, the bruise was bigger than his head, and the torn wound was still bleeding, although not as much as before. The wound under his ribs was basically healed, with only a little redness. The bite wound on his thigh was healing and somehow didn't seem to be abscessing like he thought it would. Red ointment is indeed the best. The wound on Pepper's ankle has mostly healed, but it's still swollen and painful.
The children's breakfast was changed to sweet wine again, but this time An a
d
Okles gave Hua a biscuit and asked her to soak it and eat it slowly. He managed to get his voice under control, and later that day, he got another one. A
d
Okles gave both boys half as much food as they had the day before so they could start gaining weight, and plenty of water.
After tending to the kids, Androcles did one more exercise while Flower tried to figure out how the sling worked. He eventually succeeded, although it was too long for him and it kept rubbing on the ground when he tried to swing it vertically. Of course, the little boy's swing was neither powerful nor accurate, but when he finally hit a tree with a rock, Little Skybolt cheered with unabashed pride. Pepper cheered for him too, impressed, obviously jealous that he couldn't attend because Androx wouldn't let him.
In the afternoon Androcles made one last attempt to find the silverware. Unable to leave, Flower had to go through each bag after Anjax left to see what was inside. He started trying to pick up the pots and shake them, but they were too heavy for him. "If you drop one, I'm going to let you taste the back of my hand, got it?" Toolkit made no further attempts, Androidox warned.
But this gave Androx an idea he had never considered before. He tested the weight of each jar in turn and found that one was heavier than the others, so he opened the jar. Unfortunately, there was only olive oil in it, and if he left it in the sun, he could even see the bottom of the jar. Flower climbed onto the wheel, peeked over his shoulder, and looked too. Since there was nothing to see, Androcles showed it to him. The flower looked inside for a while and then said, "Why are the bottoms different colors?"
"It's not a different color. It's just the oil," replied Androx briskly. He was going to put it aside, but decided to take another look. The bottom seems lighter. and uneven. A
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Okles took out his sword and wiped it clean, then stuck it into the oil and poked the bottom of the pot. It is soft. It's just clay with silver underneath.
He smiled evilly, then grabbed a few remaining squares of cloth and placed the silverware on them, counting them as he did so. He sat down by the fire, tore up the soft clay, threw it aside, and began to pull out the silver by the handful. The oil on the coins makes them slippery, causing it to take longer than it should. Since pouring it out would be too wasteful, he decided to leave the oil in the pan and made a mess. The boys stood on his shoulders, trying to make sure they had the best view. Flower was particularly happy, hopping around, a bit like a squirrel. At least a few minutes. He soon became exhausted and sat down, looking exhausted.
Each one contains silver, copper, and sometimes gold. A
d
Okles separated them and after taking them all out of the pot, he began to count the copper coins. Forty-eight five-piece pieces, one hundred and fourteen copper pieces, two hundred silver pieces, six gold pieces, and two four-piece gold pieces. There are almost six hundred silver coins in total. It's an impressive haul. One-tenth of the talent. This money is enough to buy the items in the shopping cart several times. It was almost two years' salary for a soldier, and the soldiers made a lot of money.
"So much money!" cried Flower, childish greed evident in his expression. "What are you going to do with it?"
A
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Okles said: "First of all, I won't give you anything."
Both little penguins tried to hide their disappointment, but failed.
"I swore an oath to Arcos and I will keep it and this will all be over. You will be allowed to live if necessary."
"A
kos? Who are you? Pepper interjected.
Androcles began by putting the coins back in the jar for safekeeping, but then he decided to immediately change his quartet of gold coins into change, put it in the jar, and keep the hundred silver coins in his coin purse inside. "A
kos Oathfathe
. That is my patron saint, from my hometown city of Dikaya. He is the Lord of just transactions and the ruler of the gods. He said everyone should be given the treatment they deserve. But don't worry now. Just know that we have to be very, very careful, or bandits like Theodoric and Pansy will chase us like hungry dogs after mutton chops. A skinny little thing like you..."
What he wants to say is "will be cut down and left for the crows," which is true, but maybe the boys don't need to hear it. "A skinny little thing like you stays with me and I'll keep you safe. But you have to do what I say. Got it?"
"Yes, Master Androx." They agreed in unison.
"I'm not kidding, kids. Look at me," Androx said in a serious voice. They sat down and looked at him. "We don't know who's going to be next. It could be anyone. The thing is, everyone who sees this car is going to suspect there's silver here, but they don't know how much. Most people are probably harmless, but You never know which ones aren't. Some people look nice, but they're robbers anyway, like Theodoric. If a guy like him came here with his friends, they found the jar over there With a few hundred pieces of silver, they'd kill us for it. I may be the toughest veteran alive, but you're not. When I'm asleep, or when my back is turned, I'm not strong. Got it. Already? You can't tell anyone about this. You can't say a word. If anyone asks, just say you've never heard of silver. Even if they threaten to harm you. And if the bad guys find out, then There will be a lot of blood spilled on the ground, and some of it may be yours."
"Yes, Master Androx," they repeated, more convincingly this time. Pepper's head was lowered and his bony shoulders were sticking out, making him look like a puzzle with all the pieces jumbled together. It curled its tail around its legs as if it wanted to give itself a hug. Somehow Flower looked paler than usual, and she looked toward the end of the road with obvious concern, all her previous excitement gone.
A
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Okles sighed and stood up. "But if you do as I say, there's nothing to worry about. You're much safer than a rock in the ground." They didn't seem convinced. A
d
Okles checked the wine and found that it was getting less and less, so he added some more and a little more honey. He began to feel a little guilty for teaching them such a lesson and ruining their fragile spirits.
After thinking for a while, he knew what to do. He concluded that the children had had enough of fear. They need a little happiness. He would have done the same thing if his old mentor Diocles were still alive.
"Come here, Flower. Stir it up."
Flower agreed, grabbing the spoon anxiously with both hands. "Why me? Are you going somewhere?" Toolkit asked, tail twitching behind him.
"No. I'm going to make two boy-sized slings." A
d
Okles replied, taking out the remaining hemp rope.
At the news, the children cheered visibly, ears perked up and tails wagging. Flower stirred as hard as she could, and Pepper's dull demeanor disappeared. "We?" he asked boldly.
"Of course it's for you. Who else can it be given to?" A
d
Okles said.
"Thank you, Master Androx." Pepper said excitedly.
"Thank you," the flower echoed. As he stirred, he kept banging on the side of the pot, as if more energy would help complete the task.
"Stand up," Androx said to Pepper, who immediately obeyed. A
d
okles measure from the top of the kit's shoulders to mid-thigh, which is the appropriate sling length. "That's good. You can sit back. Now it's your turn," he told Flowers. Once they were exactly the same length, he sat down and started knitting the suspenders. As he did so, he supervised Flower filling cups for him and Pepper, and gave Flower a cookie to soak in.
As the afternoon wore on, a group of armored soldiers rode by as before, but when they saw that Androcles was alive and well, they continued on without stopping. Before he could finish the sling, the children mysteriously dozed off, despite their enthusiasm. He appreciates the rare peace. Watching them, he couldn't help but be impressed by how deeply they slept, how seriously they seemed to take it. When a soldier is asleep, he looks like a man with his eyes closed. However, the two boys slept so intently that they seemed to be in another world. Are all 9 year olds like this, or just these? Or is it just Skytha?
de
S?Dela is like this sometimes. Later in the morning, the sun shines through the window onto her hair, illuminating her hair like part of the glory of the sun god Theulos was stuck there. Watching the children sleep, he could see how a man falls in love with his children and begins to feel a father's love.
With the sling ready, he stood up and tried to throw a stone at a tree. There was a loud bang that scared the children so much that they almost jumped off their blankets, but when they woke up, they were happy to see their new weapons. Of course, they had to test it immediately. The flowers can more or less handle themselves, and the little angel also lets the little pepper try it. He did well, although he was a little dizzy and fell over once or twice. However, he was not defeated, and at last he succeeded in throwing a stone near a tree, and Androcles made him lie down. Flower managed to land a few hits before he looked unsteady and was told to lie down for a while.
A
d
Okles prepared some broth of cabbage, garlic and onions and made a decent bowl of soup, only omitting the salt because salt would kill a hungry man and pepper was still a problem. He cut it as small as possible and added a little wheat flour to make it thicker. The kids ate the rest of the night.
As dusk approaches, a cold wind picks up and begins to shake the yellow leaves on the white-bark trees, blowing like ocean waves across the dirt road. The children huddled together under blankets and sat in front of the fire to keep warm, and Androcles threw a traveling blanket over them to keep out the wind. When he noticed that they were always clutching the tips of their ears to keep warm, he adjusted the second blanket so that it covered their heads.
Night falls and the chill sets in. They could see their own breath, and Ankerix wondered if a storm was coming, or perhaps just some northern ice spirit passing by. If a storm does come, it could mean serious trouble because the pups are still too thin to keep warm on their own, and Pepper is still in danger. Even simply sitting in a carriage, the rigors of travel may have been too much for him.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, Androx realized that no matter how the next few days played out, he might have to pull the cart himself. cute.
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