Chapter V

On the Snow Mountain's

Dawn broke to the sound of the doors to Brutus’ house opening up as the huge man walked through the threshold to see Dmitri leaning up against one of the wooden beams, loading his gun and looking mildly sick. Not in the illness sense, just at the enormity of the task they had to do, in the little amount of time they had to do it.

“Nervous boy?” Brutus said, taking Dmitri off guard, he had not seen the wear-bear enter, wondering whether or not he was losing his skills. “My sources report that the black riders are on their way.” Brutus continued. But that wasn’t the reason that the wear-bear had come to him specifically. That news he could have given to anyone of them, both Codsworth and Vernon were awake, but Brutus had specifically sought him out. Dmitri waited, waited for the reason. And he didn’t have to wait long. “I have also heard strange reports.”

“Stranger than black riders?” Dmitri asked, if that was the case, then they really were buggered.

“Yes. Reports of people going missing.” Brutus said, it had been certainly odd, when he had received word of it. “It seems the enemy are taking prisoners from the resistance cells they attack.” Brutus stated.

“That doesn’t seem likely. Why?” Dmitri asked, the enemy after all, had taken no prisoners when they had attacked the manor. Every soldier that had fought to defend the now ruined house, had been shown no mercy.

“My reports say that it is children. That is why I have come to you. Dmitri, Codsworth told me you have first-hand experience with this.” Brutus said. a feeling of dread past over Dmitri, if this was true, then they hadn’t been as successful of destroying The Answer as he had thought, they had crippled them but as Eugene still lived, it may have had a chance to have been restarted.

“Let’s keep this to ourselves, best not to panic the group.” Dmitri said, he would tell them in time, but he would wait until they had crossed the mountains before telling them, that news would most likely panic the rest of the group, especially Vernon, in truth, the news that the group that had changed his life terrified him. Whilst thanking the gods that he had had the sense to take his notes on the secretive group with him.

“Aye. That would be best, but I would keep my eyes on your own.” Brutus replied as he looked to where the Wolfrick brothers were still sleeping and Dmitri nodded as the wear-bear walked away, leaving Dmitri alone in his thoughts.

An hour later, the group stand before the gates of the pass in winter clothes, some of which had been brought from the manor, others leant to them by Brutus and modified for their own size. As it had been almost comical to see Martin and Nick in cloths that looked about four sizes too big for them. In front of the group stood two old marble pillars next to each other, and between them a single old, paved road that had deaerated to the point it resembled nothing more than a track. Mainly due to the lack of use that the road had had for the past millennium.

“You'll have three days to cross the pass before the weather sets in. This journey will be perilous. If the gods have a purpose for you, they'll keep you safe.” Brutus said hollowly, it was well known that the gods obliviously didn’t have a purpose for the travellers on this particular route, not that many people until now tried to take it. But the main road between the south and the north at the Iron Tooth had been shut after the imperial city had fallen.

“And if they don't?” Bruce asked, having come from this country, he too had heard the tales of this mountain, and how many had fallen to its wroth in the centuries since the road had become neglected.

“Then I'll be seeing you on the other side.” Brutus said, smiling slightly. As he spoke however, there was a clap of thunder and the wear-bear turned to face the eastern horizon, where storm clouds had already begun to gather in the distance. He turned to the group now with more urgency. “Go now, whilst you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind.” Brutus finished as he turned back into his bear firm and heads towards the gathering clouds. For a moment the group did nothing, only watched the creature run into the east, before returning their gaze to the ominous looking mountain pass.

“This mountain doesn't look good. Is there no way around?” Nick asked.

“Not unless we head three hundred miles west. Or twice that distance… East.” Codsworth replied, he got what the kid meant, if there were a list of the scariest places in this world, then this pass would certainly be up near the top. He too gazes towards the east, and sighs, knowing what those clouds meant, and what they brought with them. He looks back to the mountain pass before taking the lead and heading though the gates, a few moments later the group move through the same gates, unbeknownst of the horrors that waited for them, both on the mountains and beyond.

“This way.” Dmitri said, as he walked down a mountain pass, he had taken lead after Codsworth had given him command at the end of the first day on the mountains. Why he had, he wasn’t entirely sure, he had little knowledge of this path, but the commander had insisted. Behind him Dave was getting restless, both he and Codsworth had decided that they wouldn’t let the lad go out and scout for them alone, although they both had different reasons. This had gone down about as well as they would have expected.

As they continued down their chosen mountain path, it was becoming hard to stop Dave from taking the lead, the lad would however continue to try and move ahead of Dmitri every few minutes, however. This continued until they reached a dead end in the form of a shear drop where he guessed there had once been a bridge.

“Fuck.” Dmitri said to himself as Codsworth and the eager Dave arrived.

“I knew it.” Dave said looking at the gaping chasm. Stretching far to the west, but to the east lay the path that they should have been on, a single file track that cut deep into the mountain.

“How did you know?” Dmitri asked.

“The ground.” Dave said indicating the track that they had just come down. “It’s not been touched, even if this pass hasn’t been widely used in ages. There would still be signs that people have walked on it from before.” Dave said looking up at Dmitri and Codsworth.

“Fine kid.” Dmitri said, already guessing what the twelve-year-old’s next remark was going to be, something along the lines of. ‘I told you so.’ which wouldn’t have gone down to well with him if Dave had uttered those words. “You want to lead, fine. But you stay directly in front of me understand.” Dmitri finished and Dave nodded eagerly, as he headed off, Codsworth turned to the captain.

“What about the wolves?” Codsworth asked. Thinking that they needed a soldier in the lead, not a kid.

“Wolves won’t matter if we starve or freeze to death on these mountains.” Dmitri replied and followed Dave to the head of the group. Whilst he had given in on letting Dave to lead them, he wasn’t going to let the kid out of his sight.

This proved to be more difficult than he originally realised, now that Dave was out in front, it was now much harder to stop him from running ahead, many times he had to keep his hand on the boy’s shoulder to stop him from doing just that. But he realised that it was a small price to pay for the lad’s knowledge of navigating the many mountain pass, despite never having been here before. But although they were now on the right track, they weren’t out of danger just yet, as they still had to fend of the cold and exhaustion. On multiple occasion, Dmitri had turned round to see either Martin or even Nick having to be carried by Jack for periods of time, due to them being exhausted. It wasn’t helped by the cramped sleeping places they had had to make do with. Because no one was mad enough to sleep outdoors, they had to stop when it was still hours away from sunset when they came across a large enough cave to hold up in, as they couldn’t be sure if they would find another one in time. Which meant that on the fourth night since they had first embarked onto the mountains as Codsworth, and Vernon stand outside a small cave keeping watch whilst the rest of the group sleep inside. A strong wind blows, and the first snows have started to fall, light at first, before it starts to come down more heavily. Normally something that was so rare in the imperial city, that it was seen in a good thing. Up here however, it meant only meant one thing. Death.

“This isn't good, we have less time than I thought.” Codsworth said, as a snowflake fell onto his face, he was now starting to doubt that they could even make it, and whether or not they had taken on too much, and if they should have waited for winter to pass at Brutus’ home. Even with the threat of the Raven’s looming over them whilst they were there.

“Aye, at this rate we'll only have a week before we freeze. And we're still two days from the other side of the mountains.” Vernon said, it hadn’t been a good start for them, several wrong turns and dead ends, had left them way behind schedule, at this rate they would be lucky to reach the end of the mountain range, let alone the mountain. Codsworth turns around to look inside the cave, where the rest of the group slept, albeit not peacefully.

“We'll give 'em a few more hours rest. Then head out.” Codsworth said, he didn’t feel that waking them up now would produce the best results, but all the same, he wanted to cross these mountains as soon as possible.

As the group head out for their fifth day on the snow mountains, it was becoming apparent that they had woefully underestimated the size of the pass, lading the group was Dave followed by Dmitri, Charlie, Codsworth, Abi, Jack, Martin, Nick, Vernon, Jimmy, Barca and then Bruce bringing up the rear. They move in silence for a while before a small screech causes the group to halt. The sound had come from the rocky ledge above them, originally, they had decided not to take the upward path as t had not been wide enough for even Martin to get through, but that now looked like a mistake, as they were on the low ground and could not see what was above them.

“What was that?” Jimmy asked raising his gun, with the exception of the youngest in the group, he was the least experienced of the world outside the imperial city, having spent all of his life there, he had little experience of the people, or in this case, the creatures outside of its broken walls.

“Probably just the wind. Keep moving.” Dmitri said, he too had also heard the noise, and scanned the area, but couldn’t see anything. However, as the group kept moving, Dave stopped right in front of him. Looking towards the cliff edge above them.

“Wait, I thought I saw something. There's something up ahead.” Dave said, looking around for what he had seen, it had looked like a wolf, but bigger. He couldn’t be sure however as Dmitri raises his gun and takes the lead. He takes a few steps forward, something was definitely off about the place, as if something was watching their advance. That was when he sensed it rather than sees, raising the gun, although it was too late as he was at that moment set upon by a mountain wolf. The beast was five feet long, covered in fur and with two rows of teeth, one for biting and the other was unknown along with two long claws on its front paws. The wolf's teeth sink into Dmitri's right leg and beings to rip away the flesh off, as if it was searching for something in Dmitri’s leg.

Codsworth opens fire at the beast, which screeches at him, both rows of teeth bared until it is runs away, not that the commander thought that was the end of the attack, most like the creature had just gone to get the rest of the pack. As Charlie rushes over to the fallen Dmitri and examines his leg, which has been mangled beyond recognition, the skin had been ripped open from the ankle to halfway between the knee and the hip, most of the leg bones were now showing as well as much of the muscle.

“Not good.” Charlie said examining the leg, or what had been a leg about a minute ago, calling it that now seemed dishonest.

“I'm fine.” Dmitri said grimacing as he tries to get up, but Charlie pushes him back down hurriedly as more blood comes out of the savaged leg.

“If you move you could potentially bleed out.” Charlie said continuing to examine the ruined leg. As Vernon came to the front of the group and saw the devastation, he retched to himself. He was no stranger to guts and blood, he had been present when Alan’s leg was amputated, but this was something else entirely. He put that to one side however, before managing to pull himself together.

“Can you fix it?” Vernon asked Charlie who continued to perform her examination as Dmitri face began to lose its colour.

“If I was in my lab, then yes. But out here, I don't know.” Charlie said, she had treated similar types of injuries before, but she had had professional equipment and more importantly a skilled surgeon nearby, or able to call. But up here, she had neither. Only the basic medical supplies she had brought with her.

“If we stay here any longer, we will freeze to death.” Codsworth said, conscious that if they stayed out here any longer, then they would be in real trouble, even without the threat of the wolves.

“Ok. Codsworth you continue on with everyone other than Barca. I'll stay here and try to operate.” Charlie said as she opened the rucksack that she had at the exact moment that Dmitri’s loses all of its colour. Whilst Codsworth and the others head out leaving Dmitri, Charlie and Barca, who took up his position along the faded track and looked back up towards the ledge, wondering if he would be able to stop any future attacks from the wolves. Codsworth had only managed to drive off one, the beast hadn’t been killed, and he doubted that the wolf would take that lying down. It would be back, he was sure of that, most likely with the rest of its pack to boot, and then they would be fucked. As he continued his watch Charlie reaches into the medical kit and takes out a syringe and injects it into Dmitri, in order to knock the captain out, before starting to examine the wound.