Looking at the Knight beneath a hairy brow pouring with sweat the Chief sharply asked, “And what in Niffleheim am I supposed to do, keep pushing this rolling anchor while those ugly curs bite off my ass?” Unable to suppress a wicked grin the Knight snapped back, “They’ll be better to go for one of your legs than gnaw on that boney backside of yours!” The Aesir Chief couldn’t help but laugh as he retorted, “I know there’s a drinking song in that!” Looking from the ever weakening Oboae to the two obviously insane men Qatula snapped, “How can you two laugh at a time like this?”
No answer was given as time seemed to drag slower than the two men laboring under the weight of the cart as they pushed it up the path towards an embankment. Meanwhile time after time, the hyenas tried the strange creature exuding with the delicious scents of dead tree, warthog and impending death. The dominant female and her large troop dogged the heels of this very odd creature for among the scents was the one she detected on her dead rival. Over and over, she cackled for her subordinates to try the creature. When one got too close, a long limb with a shining claw lashed out to stab any hyena too careless not get out of the way. She had seen enough.
His legs and lungs burning from hours of pushing this accursed cart, the Aesir Chief saw they had reached the top of the embankment. “We’ve done it!” Before them lay the steep slope leading out of the forest and down a grassy knoll into the calm waters of the lake. There was one major concern with their planned descent. At the lakeshore edge was a narrow gap between the rocks and on either side were both rounded and razor sharp rocks of a size to rend the pushcart to flinders. Looking at the Knight the Chief gasped, “Well, what will it be? A man’s death fighting a horde of ravenous curs or a short ride to a man’s death torn to shreds upon yonder rocks?” Raising his head high enough to see over his shield, the Knight saw the hyena horde charge en masse towards them. Throwing his shoulder against the heavily laden cart the Knight replied, “There better be a third choice on that list!” Following suit, the Chief shoved the cart forward with all his remaining might.
With a small burst of soft dark sod, the cart broke over the embankment’s lip. No sooner done, the pushcart plunged over the edge amidst the wails of its surprised occupants. Both men stumbled as the cart took off and with hyenas now snapping at their heels, a fall meant certain death. Flailing their arms to keep their balance, the men bolted downhill to catch the cart before it picked up speed. Leaping forward, the Knight landed hard upon the cart next to Oboe in an ungainly belly flop. The Chief knew right away he couldn’t perform the same feat as the younger man. Just then the youth Qatula screamed, “Here!” Suddenly, the Chief’s spear flew from the youth’s hands sideways to land in his outstretched hand. In a flash he knew what the boy intended and the Chief quickly turned the shaft end to ground. Jamming the shaft into the soft soil, he followed the action with a mighty bound and the Chief was launched high into the air. Too high to be exact!
The Chief landed wide-eyed and feet-first on the bouncing forward lip of the cart. Feeling himself falling forward with no way to stop himself, the Chief grit his teeth in a fearful grin. His forward pitch was abruptly halted by two pairs of hands snagging his tunic belt. As the wind whooshed out of him, the cart hit a bump that tossed them all backward in an ungraceful pile. Looking behind them, the Knight saw hyenas pour over the embankment after them in numbers resembling a rat plague. There was no time to worry about them for ahead were the treacherous rocks lining the shoreline. Right away the Knight could see their descent would not take them through the gap. Rolling over the now screaming Oboe the Knight yelled, “LEAN!”
The Dominant Female had overtaken the pack in the chase and prepared to leap upon the strange creature’s unprotected back. Just as she made her move, the creature leaped into the air towards the water. That wouldn’t save the creature for she was in perfect position to.... Suddenly, the waters of the lake exploded beneath the creature and mid-air the Dominant Female stared into the maw of death itself!
With all aboard the cart leaning to the same side at once, the makeshift craft lumbered to one side of the rocks just enough to pass through the gap. As they were about to hit the water, all aboard suddenly realized those weren’t rocks lining the shore. The cart wheels struck something hard just below the surface and was again launched into the air. Right behind them, the lead hyena was in a mid-air pounce which would land it squarely in the cart. Before that happened, the calm lake water exploded as the jaws of a monstrous crocodile burst from beneath the mud to engulf the hyena!
The cart crashed squarely upon the water ejecting all but the stricken Oboe. Fortunately, the crocodile was much too busy snacking on the scrambling hyenas to be concerned with them. With everyone back aboard the cart, the Knight looked to the sun getting dangerously low in the sky. Still holding his wife’s spear, he probed for the lake bottom and found it. “All right Chief, we can still make the dam in time but we’ll have to put our backs into it!” Still shocked from their sudden rescue from the hyenas the Chief stammered, “W-was that a dragon?” Chuckling, the Knight replied, “No. I believe that was the Lake Goddess.” The Chief immediately started to pole the cart towards the dam in the hope of getting there before the Lake Goddess decided she was still hungry.
By the time they struck the rocks upon the backside of the dam, the sun was plunging below the horizon. No longer could the feeble wails of old Oboe be heard over the howl of the freezing wind. Too cold and tired to bail water any longer, Qatula watched as the lake poured into the cart and over the dying old man. The Knight too was haggard from his exertions and recognized the Old Father's weight was dragging the cart down. At this point, old Oboae was far too heavy for them to lift out of the cart let alone carry him up the treacherous boulders comprising the natural dam. As the cart sank the Knight said wearily, “You two get onto the dam. We have to get onto the other side before the wind picks up any more.” Placing his chilled hand upon Oboe’s dark weatherworn face the Knight said, “Old Father, you have come home. Rest.” The old man’s eyes opened and a slight smile creased his face as he slipped below the water.
The Chief stood upon a great boulder and hauled the youth up and then hugged his chest against the unwelcome cold. “Damn! I didn’t think the North Wind could reach this inferno!” Moving past the Knight remarked, “It can’t. We must find my wife. Having failed in retrieving the traveler, some ill force is moving upon the Valley.” Shaking his head the Chief spat, “Shit! I can’t believe we dragged that graybeard’s heavy carcass all this way for him to die when we reach the dam!”
© 2011 H. Wolfgang Porter. All Rights Reserved.
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