The Spineback Wolf--The Deal

In the earlier days of what would be known as the Land of the Death Splinter life as normal humans and animals could coexist and life was divided among the humans that wanted to settle and animals that wish to be wild and free. Among these were wolves that often roamed in search of prey and whatever they could eat to survive. This also lead to run ins with the area villagers making them a dreaded scourge that plagued the countryside with pack attacks that decimated the domesticated herds and also attacked villagers from time to time.

This lead to the freedom of villagers in the land to be in serious question, allowing them roam free far less often and only in carefully choreographed hunts with proper weapons not only to hunt the game but to fend off "the wolf problem." As the escalation of violence grew back and forth, and as the wild animals began to creep closer and closer to villagers the people of the land felt no choice but exterminate them.

Over time this battle went on for generations and as each side grew stronger from within the battles intensified. Either side of was looking for some kind of blow to subdue the other side. The humans gathered villagers together in parties to hunt them and chase them away, as the wolves also formed their packs, and eventually formed one, master pack of wolves. This gave rise to King Gray Wolf, the ruthlessly efficient dictator of the wolves formed in the tightly knit pack.

While amazingly economical and at times horrific in their efficiency the wolf pack led by King Gray Wolf did great things for the sustainability and survival of the wolves. Food was almost always in good supply and the pack became mightier and mightier over time. But there were also an unspoken understanding among the wolves. At a certain age newborn wolves are forced to prove their value to the pack so as youngsters adults were constantly teaching them and molding their minds to better serve their more aggressive tendencies and to forget everything else disregarding it as meaningless detail. Those that were found inferior by these tests were banished to mandatory exile from the pack (among other worse tactics to ensure they never come back to try to contaminate the pack again).

To those unfortunate that were born vastly different to the pack, those were hidden or cut loose immediately. The wolves' giving birth to "different or inferior offspring" did not want to reflect and hint of inferiority among themselves so they would quite often send these wolves to an unfortunate exile or demise right after birth. This consequence immediately led to the banishment of one wolf born with an elevated back so pronounced it would surely be exiled when the pack was wise to it. So the parents of the doomed wolf cut it loose the night it was born leaving it with little chance to survive.

But the wolf beat the odds over time, it ran among the open areas avoiding the other wolves at every turn to not be found and possibly exterminated at the will of the King Gray Wolf's clan. The animal became one with the nature of the area finding every way possible to survive using the fortune and blessings of the bountiful land eek out a living in the wilderness and learned to gather whatever food and water he could and finding the upside in every single resource available to him. Over time the resourcefulness and strength built in the more harsh environment actually made him a force to be reckoned with. When wolves would stray from the pack of King Gray wolf they would disappear forever and no one was the wiser of how and why. The ruthlessly efficient wolf pack even began to be superstitious in the odd happenings as they continued. But the force that was plaguing them was not supernatural but one of their own that they cast away as being inferior and the wolf was mowing down the "Master Wolves" at a pandemic rate.

Over generations the humans living off the land had tried everything they could imagine in keeping the wolves away from their village but nothing was working. No matter how sound and well engineered the structure the wolves found a way to get in and terrorize the villagers thanks to the ruthlessness of the hunting tactics of Gray Wolf. Until finally out of desperation they went to seek out the help of an eccentric reclusive that had made his home the furthest into the dark wilderness, Zintar. This person was maybe even more feared by the village more so than the wolves because they knew the wolves existed...but Zintar was part cryptic fairy tale character but also part monster to the people, and nobody of right "conventional wisdom" dared venture that far from the village anywhere near the seemingly ageless wonder's mystic dwelling. But eventually that came down to a desperate last resort to remedy the village's wolf problem and they eventually agreed it need to be done.

But there was also danger in the expedition to meet with Zintar. He was long rumored to have mysterious powers and was a horror story in the people's folklore for generations. Only the bravest and best heeled possessors of weapons in the village would be able to go on the most dangerous expedition in the village's recorded traditions. The expedition was underway and amazingly enough, Gray Wolf, Spineback, Zintar and the brave villagers would join in a chance meeting of destiny that would change the land forever.

After following folklore and legend in the direction of the house of Zintar, and days of searching the villagers found a stone dwelling that they feared was a wolf's lair but later determined there were no wolf tracks, even the wolves were terrified of being anywhere near this place. "If Zintar is real, here he lives," a grizzled warrior veteran villager commented. The villagers drew nearer the place to realize it was a cozy home but several years old just by the weathering of stone almost no wood, all stone that had seen its better days through decades, maybe centuries of weathering. Off in the distance totally unknown even by the keen instincts of the most formidable hunter warriors of the village Gray Wolf was monitoring the area by himself in an attempt to silence the fear that he felt building within his wolf nation of the "Ghost" that was disposing of his pack members.

As Gray Wolf encroached sneakily walking seemingly off the ground in a prowl to avoid the tiniest bit of noise and intruder was about to join to the terror of the villagers. Spineback had always been stalking Gray Wolf, he could never find him alone to face him in a battle but every bit of his instinct compelled him to take this wolf down, much more than ever before. After years on the hunt, he finally found his prize game and he was going to end Gray Wolf or meet his end in this battle. The villagers were of no concern as he feared them not at all and could easily elude them due his ability to understand them, just scaring them but never attacking-and likewise he was never attacked in retaliation.

Gray Wolf's eyes scanned the area like a technical instrument that was almost supernatural. His keen instincts and senses were so polished everyone standing at the doorstep trying to get Zintar to come out and address the people were in the most dangerous place they had ever been. Suddenly the door opens and Zintar walks out, and old man with an odd wolf's skull hat and the villagers hushed collectively so terrified to not make a sound. "I know why you are here," Zintar says. And then suddenly before he could answer more Gray wolf appears like a gray lighting bolt from the nearby trees. So fast and cunning the villagers try to scatter but are not nearly fast enough. Suddenly all of them rush the old eccentric Zintar, seeking shelter inside his man made stone fortress. The door was so heavy to manually move and in the rush the "Magic Ghost of the Woods" was left all alone in front of his home with the most dangerous animal in the woods. In a panic, his ability to conduct any type of mystic powers eluded him, as he was actually a coward that lacked confidence and was actually afraid to come out of his home, always casting spells on wolves that ever traveled near his home that made fall asleep and made them weak as newborn puppies, and very sick after waking up not remembering anything, but the fear of feeling inferior was never acknowledged by these wolves over generations so it was never known why the wolves never went near his home, they just had it built in instinct.

As Zintar's life is flashing before his eyes the old man has an amazing miracle happen in an instant flicker of light. A bigger, heavier, more muscular wolf, driven by a blue glow of purpose like Zintar had never seen before chased the King Wolf from right behind the brush it entered, and this animal also seemed possessed like Zintar had never seen in his countless years hiding from such curiosities. Spineback was in a full scale fight with Gray Wolf in an all in match for survival. As Zintar looked on to the fight which lasted seconds but felt like years to him, he again gained his composure and began coming up with a solution. He was going to change the second wolf that appeared as he was unexpectedly caught by its presence it's spirit of the nature in life and death struggles as the intuition of Zintar had always been so amazing that he scared the villagers years ago by having the ability to look at living things and read them instantly like a book. This book in front of him was the most interesting he had ever read to this point. As Spineback fought furiously Zintar noticed that he was launching his body at Gray Wolf and the King had no answer to the tactic. So with all of the inner magic and connection with the wilderness he wished that the Spineback would have spikes coming from it to damage mortally the the overwhelming instinctive enemy presence in front of him.

In an instant, as though communicating in a conversation, Spineback also very in tune with the same forces that gave Zintar these supernatural abilities to manipulate the living in his presence and there began in instant mental dialog among the two different creatures. Spineback had an instant serious of conversations and agreements with Zintar in his mind, though their communication would be in tongues normally this was the most clear 'conversation' he had every had with anything in nature to this point. Running immediately through his mind a question, "Do you wish to slay this beast, at all costs, making me your master and to perform my will without question?" Instantly the Spineback replied simply "Yes." "Do you also want my changes in all things with you within mind and body to execute all deeds I see essential." Shockingly the independent minded self reliant wolf said instantly "Yes." "It's done." Before Spineback knew it the very living, but dying Gray Wolf lie on the ground trying to run away. Usually Spineback could channel the thoughts, expressions, mannerisms into what the animal was thinking but this time he could not. All he could remember is seeing the dying very normal looking wolf at that moment, then being at the heels of Zintar the next moment, and Gray Wolf gone as though he never existed.

The magic act of Zintar woke him to a confidence level and overall spiritual fulfillment like he had never felt before or could remember. He actually felt human, and not a like a coward pathetic soul that he had always felt he was destined to be. His confidence and feeling of overwhelming rush that he felt was swiftly turned to delusion and grandeur of what Zintar could now dominate with his trusty Spineback Wolf as his new minion. Instantly his extreme cowardice of his environment made him feel as though he could be master of all land he could occupy and rule with a feeling a megalomania hitting his brain like an electric shock. No longer having a dominion of just a tiny perimeter around his tiny stone hovel but all lands he cared to control with his trusty beast and future beast he could employ as minions to rule and submit to his will. After short contemplation and losing this emotional high as quickly as it arrived, claiming ultimate power among those that are living as a foregone conclusion he then wondered with building confidence and psychotic levels of empowerment, "Can I do this also with the non-living? And what shall become of these wretched animated human prisoners trapped inside my home as I stand here as they thrust me to the wolves to die?"

The following was a submission to the @steemmonsters common card fantasy story contest, if you liked this there are also more of them linked in the comments section, thanks for reading comments are of course welcome!
https://steemit.com/steemmonsters/@steemmonsters/steem-monsters-common-card-fantasy-story-contest-week-15