Cali and Chase headed to the small barn right after breakfast. “Come on, Chase, we are going to finish your collar today!”
Chase happily bounced at her feet. She had oiled the collar yesterday and only needed to finish the sizing holes and fastening the buckle. As she was clamping the buckle onto the leather, Bodric walked up.
“Hey, Cali girl! I brought you a little something before we head off to find our next boar to roast!” Bodric smiled. He handed Cali a small leather pouch with a drawstring.
Excited she opened the pouch and poured the contents into her hand. A shiny tooth, encased in silver on the large end hanging from a thin rawhide string, and a smaller tooth with the same silver, but with no string, just a silver ring.
“One for you, one for your foxy!” Bodric smiled. “Here, let me put that on his collar for ya!”
Cali slipped the necklace around her neck, adjusting the rawhide sting to the right length. Then put Chase’s new collar around his neck.
“Oh, Bodric, I love it! And Chase does too, look!” Chase bounced around in the grass.
“Well, you and wee beastie there helped with the first boar, it was only right that you had a trophy from it!” Bodric replied.
Cali, Chase, Bethal and several farmhands were in the yard near the back garden to see Erwin, Bodric, and the others off on their trip. Bethal had packed plenty of food, dry clothes, ointments, and about anything else she could think of. She was nervous about their trip, but she knew Erwin was right to take the extra time to stop by the other farms.
“Cali, honey, you stay near the house and help out your mother while we’re gone,” Erwin said.
“Sure, Da, I will! If you find another boar, can you bring me the hide?” Cali asked, excited at the prospect.
They all laughed, Cali caught the leatherworker bug ever since selling the plow straps to Jenkins and wanted to try her hand at making more things.
“I sure will, Cali, don’t you worry!” her dad laughed. And with a long look at his wife, they turned and headed up the road toward the east fields.
Before mid-morning, the group reached the spot where Cali had the encounter with the other boar. Dismounting, they looked around next to the road. There was no sign on the road of a large animal.
“She never saw the beast, but I believe we’re looking for another boar, boys. Let’s head into the brush a piece and see what we can find. Stay within eyeshot of each other.” Erwin said.
They spread out and headed into the undergrowth. The brush and thickets in this part of the woods were dense and heavy and made moving around difficult, but it would also make finding evidence of a large boar easy.
“Aye, fellas, come over this way, and step light,” Bodric yelled.
They all met where Bodric was standing. Broken branches and twigs, leaves strewn about, and an obvious path back deeper into the forest. Kneeling down, Bodric ran his hand over the ground, finding prints from what could be a boar, and looking up at Erwin.
“If this path and print are any sign, this boar is bigger than the first.” Erwin rubbed his face, looking around at the thick, shadowed woods around them. “Let’s set up a few traps, and head on up to the Jenkins farm. We’ll stop by here on our way back.”
As they were riding up to Jenkins’ house, Jorah came quickly around the corner of the house and scanned the group. There was a flicker of disappointment on his face that Bodric couldn’t help but smile at.
Jenkins came out on his porch. “Hello, Erwin! What brings you out on this beautiful day?”
“Hi, Jenkins, we are heading around to all the farms to see if anyone’s having any more animals go missing. Have you had any problems here?” Erwin asked as he looked around at the farm.
“No, can’t say as I have. It’s been quiet. Do we have another wild animal around?”
“We believe so, Jenkins. Cali ran into something on her way back from here yesterday on the road and —”
Jorah looked shocked and angry. “Is she okay, sir, it didn’t hurt her right?”
Bodric coughed to keep from chuckling. Erwin smiled. “No, lad, she’s perfectly fine, just had a little scare is all.”
Jenkins gave his son a stern look. “No, Erwin, I appreciate you stopping by, but we haven’t had any animals go missing. I know old man Jossin said he was missing some sheep, but that’s all I’ve heard.”
“Good, good. Jorah, you and Rowan stick close to the house here and make sure you all keep your weapons handy. If we’re right, this boar looks larger than the first,” Erwin said.
“Yes sir, we will, I’ll make sure to tell Rowan as soon as he’s back. We’ll watch for it,” Jorah replied. “Do you want me to ride over to your farm to check on things since you are heading further out?”
“That would be fine, Jorah. But if you do, make sure to take Rowan or a hand with you. No traveling on the road alone until we take this one down.” Erwin smiled.
Rowan may have no interest in his daughter, but it was obvious to anyone with eyes that Jorah certainly did. He was a good boy, strong, tall, he looked young, but he was a capable lad.
As they turned to go, Erwin said, “Thanks, Jenkins, keep a sharp eye out and we’ll let you know what we find.”
The news was the same at both the Calbert farm and Nomarr’s farm. Neither had any missing or dead animals, although Nomarr’s farm had more broken fences than usual. Erwin warned them of the large boar that was roaming, and to keep the girls close to the farm and the hands armed when out in the fields.
They camped over at Nomarr’s, heading out to the farthest farm, old man Jossin’s, the next day. He had the best vineyards and sampled his own wines a bit more often than proper, but he was a good, honest farmer. Making steady time they reached Jossin’s farm with plenty of day left.
Tired and dusty from the ride, Erwin and the group dismounted as Jossin stepped out of his barn.
“Oye there! Erwin Flynn, Bodric, it’s good to see you, boys! What brings you all the way out here?” Jossin said, walking towards the group. He motioned for a farmhand to come take the horses.
“Jossin, it’s good to see you! We think we have another boar roaming around, and got word that you’ve had some missing sheep again?” Erwin said, shaking Jossin’s hand.
“Yeah, yeah, come on inside, all of you, my hands will water your horses. Let’s go inside where it’s cooler and we’ll get you some drink from my latest barrel!” Jossin motioned for them to come in the house.
“I’m glad you came, Erwin. Yes, I’ve had some animals go missing again. But one that didn’t get dragged off I found dead in the fields. But I tell you, I don’t think this was any boar. It wasn’t gored.” Jossin shook his head.
“Oh? What then, a bear?” Bodric asked.
“Oh no, no, I don’t think it was a bear either. I think we have some wolves running around. There weren’t no claw marks, no goring, but plenty of ripping bites. I haven’t found the others yet. I’m a bit too old to go hunting wolves, and I won’t send my son out there alone.”
Erwin rubbed his chin. “No, that’s good, no one needs to be out in the woods alone till we get these animal attacks dealt with. Point us to where you think they are, we’ll go check it out before it gets dark.”
“Jorah, you are seriously going to make me ride over to Cali’s with you?” Rowan complained.
“Erwin is going to be gone until tomorrow sometime. They are there by themselves. And there’s a large boar roaming around. We are going to the Flynn farm.” Jorah wasn’t taking any excuses.
“Brother, you know they have a small village of farmhands, right? I doubt they need our protection.” He punched Jorah’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go check on your sweet girl.”
Jorah’s face turned red as he punched Rowan back. “We’ll be back soon, Father. We’re going to ride over to the Flynn farm,” Jorah called out.
They rode fast, not wanting to stay long. As they galloped up to the house, Bethal came out to greet them.
“Hi, boys! What can I do for you? Everything okay over at the farm?” Bethal asked.
“Yes, ma’am. We knew Erwin and the others would be gone to the other farms, so we wanted to ride over and check in on you,” Rowan replied.
Bethal tried to hide her smile. “That’s kind of you, come on in and take a rest. I’ve got some snacks.”
Jorah and Rowan came in and sat at the kitchen table as Bethal set out a basket of fresh biscuits and different flavors of jam she had been making.
“Is Cali around, ma’am?” Jorah asked. “I know Erwin was telling everyone to stay close to their houses until this boar is caught.”
“Oh, she’s out in the small barn with Chase, working. You say that Erwin said it was a boar?” Bethal asked, looking at the boys.
“Yes. They stopped by yesterday.” Rowan answered.
“Jorah, why don’t you go see about Cali, and tell her to come on back in the house as soon as she’s finished up, would you?” Bethal asked.
Jorah jumped up and headed out of the kitchen in a flash. Both Bethal and Rowan smiled.
“Rowan, I know what your father thinks about Cali… and you. But I have to ask, what do you think?” Bethal looked at Rowan pointedly.
“Ma’am?” Rowan was caught off guard by her direct question. “Cali is a great girl, don’t take me wrong...”
“But?” Bethal prompted him to go on.
“But, she is like a younger sister to me. Please don’t be mad. She is wonderful, and she would make some farmer a perfect wife, better than perfect!” Rowan stammered. “But, well, it’s… it’s not me who is crazy about her.”
Bethal smiled. “That’s what I thought too, Rowan. Thank you for confirming it for me. So, now tell me what my husband said about this boar.”
“Cali?” Jorah called out when he reached the barn. There was no answer. “Cali!” He called a little louder.
Cali stepped out from the corner of the barn, surprised to see Jorah.
“Jorah? What are you doing here?”
“Oh, hi, Cali. I was… well, your dad stopped by and told us about the boar, and that he would be gone until tomorrow, so I, Rowan and I, we came over to check in on you. And your mom.” Jorah answered. “Oh, and your mom said to come in the house if you are done.”
“I’m about finished, come look if you want,” Cali said, turning to go into the barn.
She had cut several large pieces of the boar hide and soaked them. Now they were formed around a thick branch to form the shape of the quiver she was making.
“Cali, you are really good at this. Are you going to start selling the things you make?”
“I think so, Jorah. It’s a lot of fun, and the coins I made from your father made me want to do more!” Cali laughed.
“Hey, what’s that?” Jorah pointed at her necklace.
“Oh, this is one of the boar’s teeth! Look, Chase has a matching one. Bodric made them for us, do you like it?”
“I do, it’s great! Oh, we better get inside before your mom worries.”
Cali turned off the lanterns, leaving them in an almost darkened barn as they headed back to the house.
“Cali, there you are. Rowan was telling me about what your dad found with the boar.” Bethal smiled at them.
“Cali, you and your mom be careful and keep an eye out. Jorah, we need to get back home before it starts getting dark.” Rowan said.
Jorah looked at Cali, “We can ride back over in the morning to check in on you again.”
Rowan glanced sideways at Bethal trying to hide his smile. “That’s a good idea, Jorah. Would that be okay with you, ma’am?” he asked Bethal.
“Why, yes, Rowan, I’d appreciate that very much since Erwin won’t be home until late tomorrow at the soonest. Thank you, boys,” Bethal said.
Erwin and the men rode into the fields with Jossin to the area where he found the dead sheep. “Here’s the place.” Jossin pointed to the repaired fence. “From what Tad and I could tell, they came from the area toward the foot of the mountains.”
“Okay, Jossin. We’ll go in a piece and see what we can find. You and Tad stay here with the horses and wait for us,” Erwin said as he and his men dismounted and headed to the tree line.
It was clear from the smaller area of broken branches and the path disturbed in the underbrush that Jossin was correct and it was likely a wolf. Erwin nodded to Bodric and they set off with their farmhands to see what they could discover.
“Spread out, but not far, keep each other within a few paces distance. We don’t know what we might run into out here.” Erwin told the men softly as they headed into the woods.
A hundred or so paces in, they heard it. A low howl that seemed to come from ahead of them closer to the mountain. The men came back together and decided to go in two pairs to get the wolf from two different angles.
As Bodric and Erwin were the most experienced fighters, they each took one farmhand and headed further in. They quietly closed in on the area, shocked to discover it was not one wolf, but two.
Erwin silently motioned to Bodric for them to take the smaller of the two wolves, while he took out the larger wolf. The wolves caught their scent and started pacing anxiously, and in the second before they could strike, both wolves lunged, running full speed at Bodric.
Bodric and the farmhand took down the smaller wolf as it ran at them, and although Erwin and his man shot the larger wolf twice, it was still going for Bodric. It happened fast. Erwin heard Bodric’s scream as he loosed two more arrows at the wolf fast as lightning.
Running fast, he dropped to his knees beside Bodric. The wolf tore a massive gash in his arm.
“He was a fast monster, eh?” Bodric laughed weakly.
“Hang on Bodric, we’ve got you, that wolf won’t get anyone else. Hang on.” Erwin said calmly as Bodric fell into unconsciousness.
Erwin pulled off his shirt, ripping it in half, tightly wrapping one half around Bodric’s arm.
“You, go back quick as you can and grab my horse, bring it here. Go!” Erwin shouted. “And you, keep your bow ready in case there are others.”
He took the other piece of shirt and tied it tightly around Bodric’s upper arm, slowing the flow of blood coming from the gaping wound. “Come on, Bodric, we’ve got you. Come on.” But Bodric was still unconscious.
The man arrived back with Erwin’s horse, and to the surprise of the men, Erwin lifted Bodric and put him on the horse with ease. He climbed on the horse behind Bodric and let out a yell, spurring the horse into a full run. The farmhands followed, jumped on their horses, and along with Jossin and his son, Tad, followed Erwin back to Jossin’s house.
They put Bodric on the long kitchen table. Jossin brought pillows and blankets to keep him warm. Tad started a fire in the cookstove and placed a large pot of water on the fire to boil.
“Jossin, do you have anything we can rip up and use?” Erwin asked.
“Of course, I’ll get them.” Jossin hurried into the other room.
“Tad, go to my saddlebag. There’s a large jar of green ointment.” Tad ran out the door to Erwin’s horse.
Jossin came back in with a sheet he was already ripping into strips and putting half of them into the boiling pot of water. And then got a large bottle of dark liquor from the cabinet.
Erwin nodded at Jossin. Tad returned with the ointment.
“I need all of you to take a spot and hold him down. He’s unconscious, but he may not be here in a second.” Erwin uncorked the liquor with his teeth, and unwrapped Bodric’s arm, fresh blood started oozing from the wound. He loosened the other piece tied around his upper arm, then poured the liquor over the wound. A shriek like a banshee’s cry brought Bodric back to consciousness, but only for a moment.
“Here. My knife, heat it in the fire.” Erwin handed his knife to Tad as he kept the pressure on the cleaned wound. There was a lot of blood on the floor, on Bodric, on Erwin.
“One more time, hold him down.” Erwin took the heated knife and gently laid it flat along the edges of the jagged cut. Thankfully for him, Bodric remained unconscious as the skin sizzled under the heat of the blade. The blood flow stopped. Erwin had managed to cauterize it successfully.
Jossin took strips of the sheet out of the boiling water, letting them cool slightly and handing them to Erwin. The first one he poured some of the liquor on and gently cleaned Bodric’s arm and around the wound to see if he had missed any other spots. He then slowly loosened the shirt piece that was tied around his upper arm. Loosening it a little at a time to allow normal blood flow back into his arm, Erwin wanted to make sure the wound wouldn’t start bleeding freely.
He liberally applied the green ointment to one side of another strip and wound it around Bodric’s arm tightly enough to hold the wound closed. Erwin finished cleaning the blood from Bodric, then took a strip rinsed in cold water and applied it to Bodric’s forehead.
Bodric’s eyes fluttered open. Looking around in a bit of a daze he said, “Did you give that hellish beastie a sharp arrow for me?”
Erwin laughed a little. “I sure did, my friend. I sure did.” They got him onto the couch in the other room and helped him lay down. Then made him drink some of the strong liquor.
Erwin went back to the kitchen. “Jossin, thank you. All of you, for your help. I think we got it in time.” Erwin looked tired. From the other room, they heard groaning and headed back in to check on Bodric.
“You okay, Bodric?” Jossin asked as he knelt down next to him.
The liquor had started working on Bodric, but he mumbled. “Get the hides. Erwin. Get hides for Cali.” And then he fell asleep.
They all laughed. “The hides. He’s worried about getting the wolf hides for Cali.” Erwin shook his head at his friend.
“Me and the hands will go back out and bring the wolves in,” Tad said. “You and dad stay here and watch over Bodric.”
Erwin stood and shook Tad’s hand. “Thanks, Tad, truly. Watch yourselves out there, I don’t think there were others, but be safe.”
As Tad and the hands headed back out, Erwin took the bottle of liquor and poured himself and Jossin a large cup.
Erwin stayed by Bodric’s side the entire night, taking short naps in the chair next to him and checking on his arm while his friend slept.
It looked like they had gotten it in time, there was no unusual swelling, redness or heat. But he would wait until Bodric woke in the morning to see if he thought he would be okay to travel back home.
The next morning, the smell of frying sausages and coffee woke Erwin. He immediately checked on Bodric, no fever, pulse felt good and strong. He left him to sleep and walked into the kitchen.
“You did good, Erwin. Bodric looks to be doing fine if a little pale.” Jossin said setting a huge pile of sausages on the table beside of an enormous bowl of scrambled eggs. “You should try to wake him and see if we can get him to eat a bit.” He handed a plate of food to Erwin. He went back to Bodric and pulled his chair close.
After Bodric was sound asleep out the night before, Tad had lifted Bodric into a sitting position while Erwin tied Bodric’s arm in a sling against his chest. The sling was still holding Bodric’s arm securely, but Erwin was careful not to jostle him when he tried to wake him up. Bodric squinted opened his eyes and groaned.
“How do you feel?” Erwin asked.
He groaned again, closing his eyes. “Like I went into a giant wolf’s mouth and came out the other end!”
Erwin couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, the wolf didn’t eat your sense of humor, I see.”
Bodric opened one eye and then promptly shut it again. “By the Mother, did the foul beastie bite my head too? It’s splitting!”
Erwin, trying not to laugh more said, “No, my friend, that would be the liquor we gave you last night for the pain and to help you sleep. Besides, your head is too hard for even a giant wolf!”
Bodric sat up with a little help from Erwin, as the other men came in to check on him. He ate some of the eggs and devoured several sausages. “Did you get the hides for Cali?”
“Yes, don’t worry, we are taking the biggest one, and the smaller one stays here,” Erwin said.
“I want to head home this morning, we still need to check on the boar traps,” Bodric said, feeling stronger now that he’d eaten.
“I don’t know, you may want to give it another day. That was a nasty attack,” Tad said. “What do you think, Erwin, Dad?”
“He’s not fevered, there’s no swelling, and he’s not incoherent, if Erwin thinks he’s strong enough, then I’d say it’s okay,” Jossin replied.
“Jossin, do you think we could use your large wagon? I can put Bodric in the back with the hide, and then I can have one of my hands bring it back over to you.” Erwin asked.
“Nonsense. You take the wagon, I’ll send a couple of my hands along with you to bring it back themselves. Send a couple jars of Bethal’s jams back with them, eh?” Jossin smiled.
“Thanks, Jossin, that sounds great.” Erwin shook his hand and headed out to pack the wagon. They placed the large wolf hide flat on the wagon, Tad added more salt to the hide for the trip. Jossin came out and had Tad load up two barrels of wine and two more of whiskey to take back.
They helped Bodric onto the back, and Jossin gave him a silver flask full of the liquor for the trip. “This wagon rides a bit rough, you’ll need a few nips of that before you get home.” He smiled at Bodric.
“Jossin, thanks again, and you send word if you run into any more animal problems,” Erwin said. And they headed off on the trip back home.
© 2017–2026. Morigan Shaw. All rights reserved.
This episode and its accompanying text are part of The Idoramin Chronicles and may not be reproduced or distributed without permission, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
