For years, the brave and determined wolf Rainer has been preparing to overthrow the rule of the tyrant and murderer of his family, Jarl Magnar. Just when he has the chance to defeat his greatest enemy, a certain someone unexpectedly falls into Raine...
"He hasn't gathered many forces. Either Magnar has sincere intentions or this is actually a ruse." - Thought Rainer distrustfully looking towards the distant enemy camp.
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Both sides had been preparing for several days to prepare for this expected morning. This is not surprising, for in the four years of civil war there has never been a situation where Rainer and Magnar have crossed words. So far, all they have exchanged are blows with axes, bows and spears. Admittedly not in person, for a direct fight between the two enemies had never taken place during the ongoing war. Not so long ago, Rainer could not have expected that when he finally caught up with Magnar, he would not be able to even try to kill him. The man was not happy with this turn of events. The only positive aspect of the situation was Rainer's conviction that Magnar's hands had been tied. At least, that was what he thought. If it were otherwise, would the fox have even offered to meet with the rebel leader? Still, the wolf felt no satisfaction. Not so long ago, the situation seemed to be really good. Now, however, things had become much more complicated.
Rainer stood with his back to the camp of his comrades-in-arms as his gaze fell upon the white and red pennants of Magnar barely moving in the small, cool breeze. The man straightened his chest proudly while resting his hands, which intertwined with each other, on the tip of his two-handed axe, the blade of which was thrust into the golden glittering snow. Small flakes of frozen water fell from the sky, falling onto the man's gray-brown clothing and onto his exposed, massive shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, the wolf could see the settlement of Jarl Knut, from behind which the sun had risen about two hours ago. It was there that Rainer and Magnar would meet to begin negotiations at the same table. The exchange of prisoners, which had not yet taken place, was to be a guarantee for the safety of both warring parties.
Beside Rainer was of course the lynx Thorstein, the she-wolf Thea and the bear Olaf. Alongside them were four warriors equipped with axes and chain mail. These men were to escort the lynx to the middle of "no man's land", hand it over to Magnar's guards and take back Axel, the fox's half-brother. All this was to be done to the accompaniment of the forces of the host of the long-awaited meeting, the Jarl of Knut. As Rainer did not fully trust the intentions of their mediator, numerous brigades of warriors were split up and hidden in the surrounding woods as Thorstein had recommended. They were to provide an element of surprise in case the negotiations did not go as planned.
Rainer knew that negotiations had to be short and to the point. It was winter, and every day lost camping outside in the cold of this season wasted precious resources. There was a growing risk of frostbite among the men, which would make them unfit for future battles. There was also the risk of some of the less well-clad warriors themselves freezing or deserting. About the latter, Rainer only now began to worry. Until recently, morale in his ranks had been really high, but with recent events, he could no longer be sure of his people's faith in the rightness of their leader's actions. Not everyone was yet aware of the incident at the wolf's hideout. The man realized, however, that now that much of his and his allies' forces were combined, rumors of the failed murder on Noa would spread one way or another.
