I took in a sharp breath as I looked out at the land below me, the wind blowing through the beard I’d been growing in the eight years since I’d joined the Arctic Wolves, and the cold air tingling my throat and lungs as I sucked it in, before slowly exhaling in a soft whistle. Instantly a dark shadow fell across me, and I whirled around, my hammer sliding out of the rough leather scabbard on my back as I turned to face my foe.
Even as I swung the hammer through the air, I could see my foe tensing to move, and knew that by the time I got to within striking distance, it would be all over. Finally my hubris had got the better of me as I was pinned to the floor, the beasts huge maw opening wide to reveal rows and rows of sharp white fangs.
“Bardolf! Get off!” I roared in between laughs as the wolf began to lick my face, soaking my fur in an instant, before I finally managed to roll over and pin the larger wolf beneath me, glaring down at my pet. “You almost got the drop on me boy, well done.”
“Are you finished yet?” Gale asked, landing in front of the pair of us and kicking up a flurry of snow and ice as she flapped her wings, before folding them by her side and throwing her cloak back over them to keep the worst of the chill out.
“Yes mother,” I rolled my eyes sarcastically, before pushing Bardolf off me and getting to my hooves, the giant arctic wolf sitting beside me with its tongue hanging out the side of its mouth, small strings of drool dripping onto the snow.
“If I was your mother I’d kill myself,” Gale shot back.
“That’s not nice Gale, you should be ashamed of yourself, talking to me of all ponies that way.”
“If I can’t talk to my husband how I want then what’s the point of anything anymore?” Gale replied, moving closer to me and nuzzling my neck as I returned the gesture, a smile spreading across my face.
Husband. Even after seven years the word still brought me happiness when she spoke it, and I knew she felt the same way when I spoke to her, the years doing little to dampen the strength of our relationship. It had taken me a few months after I had first confessed my love to her on the battlefield to finally work up the courage to actually ask her to marry me, and even longer to find a time to complete the ceremony in between battles, but we had eventually found the time.
My heart fluttered slightly in tandem with my body shivering, the cloak on my back not keeping out the cold as well as it did when paired with my armour, but the cold was the least of my worries right about now as I looked out at the small room I was in.
We were hundreds of leagues from the Aesir, deep within the Minotaur lands, but had finally found somewhere we could stop and complete the ceremony. It was a tiny affair, only a hoofful of ponies occupying the room and looking up at me or softly talking amongst themselves. Summit was there of course, sitting in the front row with a stupid grin on his face, shooting me occasional glances as he conversed with his Blood Hoofs now that he was a Grey Hunter. My own Hoof was present as well, the various ponies chatting and laughing, before being silenced by Frozen, who then returned to his own conversation.
The hall suddenly fell silent as the door was opened, and two ponies began to slowly make their way towards the front of the room, both of whom I recognised instantly. The first, obviously, was my future wife to be, and my eyes lingered on Gale as she walked towards me, her bare body shivering in the cold, causing her wings to flutter slightly.
The other pony was Wolf Priest Aegis, the fully armoured pony keeping step beside Gale as he escorted her up the aisle. It had been a great honour when he had come to the pair of them and asked if he could give Gale away in the absence of her father, and to turn him down would not only have been foolish, but it would have been a grave insult to both him and the company, not that either of us had entertained the thought of turning him down in the first place.
“Aroo?” Bardolf looked up from beside me, cocking his head to the side, before I softly scratched his head, setting the growing wolfs tail wagging as Gale and Aegis finally reached me.
“Well done,” he murmured softly, nodding his approval, before turning to face the ponies who were entering the room, four of them taking up positions along the aisle, whilst my father strod down the middle, his axe sheathed across the back of his armour as he smiled at the occupants of the room, before finally reaching Aegis, Gale and I.
He didn’t address me instantly, instead turning to face the room, quieting them with a wave of his hoof, before looking at Gale and I, Aegis bowing as he walked backwards, shrinking into the shadows and leaving the two of us alone before the Wolf Lord.
“These two ponies are about to say the words, to bind themselves together in the light of the God Empress Celestia, and the encroaching night of Warmistress Luna. I can think of no stronger bond than that of love forged in the fires of years and tempered on the battlefield. As the Wolf Lord of the Ninth Company, I give my blessings to this union, and as the father of Hoarfrost, I give him my personal blessings. They will become one, one heart beating in two ponies, one mind working towards the same goal. They came here today as comrades in arms, but they will leave as husband and wife.”
The ponies before us let out a roar of approval, hammering their hooves into the floor, as even the small number of ponies threatened to shake the teeth from my jaw. Eventually Aegis walked forwards once more, standing beside the Wolf Lord as he looked out at the crowd, before back to Gale and I.
“You know the words you must speak, and what you must do to officiate this union. Do so now, or forever regret your inaction.”
Nodding, the pair of us turned to each other, offering our right forehoof out as we spoke in perfect unison.
“I am yours, and you are mine. From this day, until my last day. I will love no other than you, sire no children outside of your bed. I will cherish you, love you, fight for you, and lay down my life for you if I am so called. This I swear, by the God Empress of the Sun and her sister of the Moon.”
As I finished speaking, I picked up a metal band which had been resting upon Bardolfs back, the unmoving wolf bearing the precious gifts with dignity, before sliding it over Gale’s fetlock, seating it securely over her canon as she did the same as me. Finally I removed my cloak, the headset I wore on my forehead glowing brightly as it easily bore the mass of fur, before I secured it onto Gales back. The cold was biting into me now, but the fact that I had cloaked Gale was taking up the majority of my mind.
“This stallion has cloaked his mare,” Aegis proclaimed to the assembled ponies. “Let it be known from this day forward that Hoarfrost of Fitjar, Grey Hunter of the ninth company and Gale, a Pegasus of Fitjar and a Grey Hunter of the ninth company, are as one, mare and stallion, from this day forward.”
Smiling at the memory, I looked back at Gale, before breaking the hug and resting on the pommel of my hammer, the weapons head sinking into the snow. “I believe that mistreating your husband is frowned upon.”
“Perhaps,” she nodded, before trotting to stand by my side as I turned back to the cliff, looking down and across the vast expanse of snow and ice towards the mountain range in the distance, my eyes lingering on the tallest peak and the citadel that I knew lay within it, before my eyes moved on to the land between here and there.
“It’s an impressive sight isn’t it?” Gale nudged my side as she spoke, smiling as she looked at the mass of specks far below us. “Hard to believe that a few years ago this all belonged to the Minotaur tribes.”
I nodded, my eyes scanning the horizon as the specks continued to move closer. I had been sent up here to ensure that the approaching convoy wasn’t approached by anything between the safety of the mountains and the south and the dangers of the frontier. Even with the best will in the world some of our enemies still managed to slip behind our advancing forces and setting upon supply convoys and the new villages that were springing up. For once though the flat ice plains was working for us, rather than against us, and for once I’d be able to see our enemies before they attacked us, rather than then seeing us first and taking away the element of surprise. Hundreds of good ponies had died because of our inability to hide up here, but it hadn’t save the Minotaur’s yet, and it wouldn’t save them from their inevitable extinction.
“We have come a long way,” I mused. “This campaign has expanded Equestria’s boarder more than any other in the crusade, but we’re not done yet. The Minotaur’s still draw breath and occupy the lands north of here, and until they are vanquished, we’ll keep going. It won’t be easy either.”
“And after that?” Gale asked softly.
“Then we’ll go south,” I shrugged. “From what I’ve heard the Diamond Dogs are still active down there, no surprise that the other Legions haven’t wiped them out yet. The Arctic Wolves will push them back, same as the Minotaur’s, and one day, hopefully soon, Equestria will stretch all around the world, bringing civilisation and the light of the God Empress to even the farthest corner. When it does, it will be our Legion that bears the torch.”
“We haven’t done it all ourselves,” Gale pointed out. “The seventh company of the Drakeguard helped in the beginning of the campaign, even if they had to be recalled for a while, and Captain Scorpan is leading his company of Black Ravens beside our Great Companies even as we speak, same with Captain Salamander of the Drakeguard.”
“Pah,” I scoffed. “The other legions are presenting crumbs to match the feast that the Great Wolf has put on. Over half our Legion is fighting in this campaign, the victory will be ours alone, and you know it.”
“If you say so dear,” Gale rolled her eyes exasperatedly. I knew that look, and that roll of the eyes, and let out a soft sigh, putting a hoof around her neck. She had always been more sceptical out of the pair of us, preferring to plan for the worst rather than hope for the best. In many way I was like her, but in this regard we were still two different ponies. She saw the merit of the lesser legions, while I saw the glory of the Arctic Wolves for what it was; the pinnacle of ponykind, and what all others should strive to emulate.
It was this belief and conviction that had led to me ascending beyond the rank of Grey Hunter, reaching the rank of Wolf Guard, protector of the Wolf Lord. Many of the older ponies in the Legion believed that my ascension was too fast, and that it was only made possible due to the position of my father, but I constantly proved them wrong when I fought in battle, and would continue to do so until I was called upon by the Great Wolf to do otherwise.
“Are they close enough to be considered safe yet? It’s going to get dark soon, and we should get back to the rest of the company, I don’t want to be caught out on leave without permission.”
“Mostly because I’m the one who’s supposed to be in charge of punishment detail,” I muttered.
“We best get back quickly then, I’d rather not get a flogging,” Gale nodded, before flicking her tail across my face. “That’s more your thing isn’t it darling?”
Blushing hard I looked down at my hooves, following after Gale, before grabbing hold of the massive crossbow that she had dropped off in the snow and handing it to her. The weapon was far larger than my own hoof sized crossbow, and fired spear sized bolts at incredible ranges. The only reason the weapon wasn’t standard issue across all the Legions was the extra training that it took to use it, and the modifications that had to be made to the bearers armour to allow it to be mounted on their backs. Consequently only the Long Manes in the Legion used them, providing fire support from further away than most unicorns could ever hope to cast.
“Thanks,” Gale nodded as I attached the ballistae to her back, ensuring the bolts were tight and the bolts were secured beside it, before the pair of us began to trot through the deep snow, Bardolf easily keeping pace with us, Gale smiling at him as he bounded past. “I remember when you first brought him back to the Aesir, barely bigger than a foal.”
“Yeah, now look at him,” I smirked. “Bigger than his mum that’s for sure, and far bigger than any pony.”
“Except for the Goddesses,” Gale pointed out.
“Well yeah, except for them,” I nodded in agreement.
The rest of the journey passed quickly as we fought to get back before the encroaching night hit, making small talk before we finally came into view of the built up wall of snow, heading towards one of the gaps in it that served as a gateway. Four ponies guarded the entrance, two Arctic Wolves, a Black Raven and a Drakeguard, marking the three Legions that were participating in the campaign, and ensuring the no one Legion was solely responsible for the safety of the others.
While the two Arctic Wolves looked at home in the icy snow, their thick fur cloaks protecting them from the worst of the hill, the Drakeguard and the Black Raven looked far removed from their natural element, pulling their much thinner cloaks tighter against their bodies and squinting out from within their hoods and muzzle coverings, only revealing their eyes to the world.
“Halt, who goes there,” the Black Raven called out, his voice slightly muffled by the fabric in front of his mouth as he took a step forward, bringing his crossbow up as the other three guards brought their own weapons to bear.
“Hoarfrost Wolfhammer, ninth Company, Arctic Wolves,” I replied, not blinking as the floating crossbow aimed directly between my eyes.
“Gale Fargaze, also the ninth Arctic Wolves,” Gale replied, her resolve staying the same as mine had.
“Pass friends,” the Black Raven nodded, slipping his crossbow back into its holster and stepping back into line as Gale and I walked past them.
“Wolfguard,” the Drakeguard called out as I past, “You still owe me that contest.”
“Sit down colt, you wouldn’t pose a challenge worthy of a Blood Hoof, let alone me,” I chuckled darkly, turning to face the armoured Pegasus.
“Say that again,” the Drakeguard urged, baring his teeth as he moved closer to me.
“If you want to embarrass yourself then fine,” I rolled my eyes, before looking around and shaking my head. “Not here though. Sparring cages, one hour.”
“Don’t be late Wolf,” the Drakeguard smirked, before returning his gaze to the snow beyond the camp, lazily swinging his head from left to right as Gale, Bardolf and I walked further into the camp.
Once we were safely out of the view of the guards, Gale lightly smacked me over the head with a wing, shooting me a disapproving glare as Bardolf growled, moving next to me and returning Gales glare.
“Easy boy,” I whispered softly, placing my hoof between him and Gale, before looking at the Pegasus. “You can’t exactly blame me for this, I did not start that.”
“No, but you didn’t exactly stop if either,” Gale sighed, shaking her head exasperatedly.
“It’s only a bit of fun,” I reasoned as we continued to walk towards the ninth company quarters. “You know, blowing off steam and all that.”
“Fun is reading a book. Fun is having a hobby.”
“Does cracking skulls not count as a hobby?” I asked innocently.
“No Hoarfrost, no it doesn’t,” she shot back as I shrunk slightly under her gaze. “Cracking skulls is our job as Legionnaires, not a hobby.”
“Got to stay in practice.”
“I don’t know why I bother,” she sighed. “Were you always this bone headed?”
“No, but I think all the blows to my head over the years probably haven’t helped,” I shrugged with a smile. “Probably got a bit thicker after all of those.”
“You’re impossible, you know that?”
“I’m improbable,” I corrected. “If I was impossible I wouldn’t be here.”
“I give up with you sometimes,” she groaned, before spreading her wings. “I should get back to my own Hoof and make my report. I’ll find you later Hoarfrost, and I won’t forget about this either.”
I gulped slightly as she took to the air, before turning to Bardolf. “I may have stepped on a line here. What do you think?”
“Woof,” the wolf nodded, before licking my face once.
“Eew, stop it,” I chuckled, pushing the wolf away as I finally reached the longhouse of the Wolf Lord and made my way inside, the two Grey Hunters nodding as I passed.
“Hoarfrost, it’s good to see you again,” Aegis smiled as I walked into the otherwise empty hall. “You’ve done as you were asked?”
“The convoy has passed the final mark with nothing in sight approaching them,” I nodded to the Wolf Priest. “Unless they’re really slow and any enemy are really fast, they’ll get here unscathed.”
“Good, it wouldn’t do to have our enemies set upon our ponies in our own territory now would it?”
“No sir,” I shook my head, looking around. “Where is the Wolf Lord? I was told I was to give my report to him as well.”
“Our lord is otherwise indisposed, and left me here to receive your message. You will be called when the ponies get here and are ready to relay their message to us.”
“Still would have been quicker to send Pegasi,” I pointed out.
“What can you expect?” Aegis snorted. “Southerners aren’t as hardy as our own airborne Legionnaires, they can’t fly for long in these temperatures.”
“We should have sent our own then, not stalled the entire campaign because of a messenger.”
“Come now Hoarfrost, you know that without intelligence things can get very unfavourable to us,” Aegis warned. “If the Warmistress wishes us to receive a message in person rather than by telepathy or by our own Pegasi then we must obey, it could be something important afterall.”
“Of course, my apologies,” I bowed my head slightly, before glancing towards the door.
“You have somewhere to be?”
“In a bit yes,” I nodded, “plus some of the Blood Hoofs need their heads bashing together if they’re going to survive to become Hunters.”
“I seem to remember another Blood Hoof could have done with that before his first battle as well,” Aegis shot a meaningful look at me, sending a tingle through the knotted scar tissue beneath my chestplate. “I would go as far as saying he could still use that now, even if he has advanced quickly.”
“Not that far, I still fight alongside the Blood Hoofs,” I pointed out.
“The Wolf Lord does enjoy pairing like with like,” Aegis nodded, before turning around to insect his weapons that were on a table behind him. “You are dismissed Hoarfrost, I will send a messenger for you when you are needed once more.”
Supressing a small snarl, I settled instead for grinding my teeth a little as I walked back out into the snow, Bardolf barking happily as I returned to him and made my way towards the edge of the ninth company quarters where the Blood Hoofs were stabled. Aegis was wise and offered valid council to my father and the other Wolf Lords on many occasions and I respected him for that, but he was also one of the loudest voices when it came to my current rank, and was the main reason that I was still only placed in charge of a Blood Hoof squad, rather than fighting alongside my father as a true Wolf Guard should. Still, while it may not have been the most glamourous of callings, it allowed me to stay on the front lines and to get to know some of the more rowdy and laid back younger members of the company, plus they always appreciated a good brawl, which suited me nicely.
I grunted as I skidded across the floor, coming to a halt at the hooves of the ring of cheering and jeering ponies. Shaking my head I felt a pair of hooves hauling me up, and turned to look as I saw Summit holding me.
“Come on, I have twenty bits on you,” I shouted over the roar of the crowd.
“Well why don’t you come and fight him?” I laughed, before swaying out of the way of another punch from the Drakeguard, the hoof impacting with Summits jaw instead and knocking the Grey Hunter to the floor.
“That wasn’t nice,” I commented, springing backwards as I avoided another wild blow.
“Stand still and fight me Wolf Guard,” my opponent scowled. “Or are all Arctic Wolves afraid of a fight?”
“Afraid?” I laughed blocking a blow with my forehoof. “Me? Never, and certainly not of a lesser Legion, and I right lads?”
A roar went up from the assembled Arctic Wolves, most of whom were Blood Hoofs or some of the younger Grey Hunters, while the Drakeguard hissed in disapproval. The two Legions made up the majority of the ring of ponies watching the pair of us, but there were a few Black Ravens here and there, some supporting me while others supported the Drakeguard. I had noticed early on that Gale had failed to show up, but that wasn’t that much of a surprise considering her distaste for such brawls.
“Lesser Legion?!” the Drakeguard roared, bull rushing me and catching me by surprise, picking me up off my hooves before slamming me into the snow and diving on top of me.
“Alright, fun times over,” I grunted, panting heavily as the surprisingly heavy Pegasus rained down blows on my unarmoured body.
Bringing my rear hoof up, I caught him in his stomach, forcing him to stop his assault and defend himself, and allowing me to get in another blow in between his legs. The crowd let out a collective groan as the stallion roared in pain, his voice having risen several octaves as he staggered away from me. I didn’t intend to let up however, and I galloped towards him, slamming my head into his and causing him to stagger even more. He was swaying heavily now, his eyes struggling to focus on me as he took a shaky step forward, before I turned and delivered a swift buck to his chest with both of my rear hooves, sending him sprawling across the floor as his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Lesser, Legion,” I smirked as I looked down at him, before turning back to face the assembled Blood Hoofs, spreading my hooves wide as they cheered and whooped in victory.
I was suddenly thrown from my hooves as I pony dived on me, sending me skidding to the floor as the Drakeguard atop me snarled in annoyance. In an instant, the floodgates opened as almost everypony present dived forward, Drakeguards and Arctic Wolves clashing as they lt out a wordless roar. Getting back to my hooves I lashed out at a Drakeguard who got to close, laughing as I joined in with a howl of my own, before I was once again driven to the floor by a series of ponies from all three Legions, each of us struggling to fight of the others as we roared and swore, trying to force the others off us.
“What is the meaning of this?!” a voice cut through the roar, the sound slowly dying as ponies struggled to get back to their hooves, the fighting dying down as a pony from the Everfree Sentinels marched forward with his nose in the air, his armour bearing the marking of a captain. “Who is in charge here?!” As he spoke his eyes fell upon the pile of ponies, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You there, Grey Hunter, stand up.”
“Oh shit, Sentinels. You best stay down,” a voice whispered in my ear, and I twisted my head to see Summit struggling to untangle himself from the pile, getting to his hooves and walking forward as I began to wriggle free as well. “Coming Captain.”
Summit panted hard as he walked towards the captain, pausing only to spit some blood out onto the snow before standing before the captain. “Here I am. How you doing sir?”
“Archmage of the Red," the pony corrected, his face staying impassive as he glared at Summit. "Name, rank, company."
“Grey Hunter Summit, ninth Arctic Wolves, captain,” Summit put a tiny bit of extra emphasis on the word, but the pony either pretended not to hear or decided it wasn't worth his time correcting Summit a second time.
“I heard you swearing Grey Hunter,” the captain snapped. “How dare you swear in front of an officer.”
I rolled my eyes as I finally disentangled myself from the other ponies, getting to my hooves and watching the pair.
“Oh I’m very very sorry sir,” Summit replied, biting his lip slightly as he struggled not to smirk or laugh. “It must have just slipped out is all.”
The captain glared at Summit, his eyes narrowing, before he looked over the rest of us, his eyes lingering on me for a split second before he moved on to the others. “Who are all these, scruffy looking ponies, and why are they fighting amongst each other?”
“Oh this, it was just a friendly little brawl,” Summit replied, looking round at the rest of us. “Right lads?”
A myriad of agreements went around the group, before Summit turned back to the captain. “See sir, all under control.”
“Under control? I very much doubt that, just as I doubt that you’ll be parading around like this much longer. As soon as I speak to Commander Icewind, I plan on having you all placed on a charge for disorderly conduct.”
“For god sake,” I muttered softly, before walking towards the pair, swishing my tail in annoyance. “Begging your pardon 'Archmage of the Red', but these ponies are acting under my orders, sir.”
Summit glanced round at me, before I nodded my head and he moved back slightly, allowing me to stand directly in front of the captain.
“Your orders?” the captain turned to look at me, his eyes slowly scanning over me before he let out a soft snort. “And who are you to be giving orders out?”
“Wolf Guard Hoarfrost Wolfhammer,” I replied simply, not breaking eye contact, refusing to even blink. “Ninth Arctic Wolf company.”
“Hoarfrost? Yes, I have heard of you, and your quick rise through the ranks,” the captain nodded, blinking and averting his gaze ever so slightly. “I was warned when I was sent to look for you that you still hadn’t quite mastered the art of being an officer, now I have proof.”
“To look for me?” I asked, before I nodded. “I assume you were part of the message convoy that was sent up here?”
“I am.”
“Well well, a full blown Archmage of the mighty Everfree Sentinels personally bringing a message to us lowly wolves, how interesting. Was your fancy magic having a break, or did it just not like the cold?”
“How dare you speak to an officer like that,” the captain sounded horrified as I snickered slightly.
“Blow it out your ass sir,” I reiterated. “What do you want?”
“A war council is being convened Wolf Guard. Your lord has ordered all Wolf Guard to also be present, although why is quite beyond me.”
“I’ll be there,” I nodded, turning away from the captain.
“It would be wise for you to wash before you do,” the captain sniffed, before wrinkling his nose. “Some of us do have manners.”
Flicking my tail slightly at the comment, I turned to watch him as he turned and left, a soft hiss coming from a few of the Blood Hoofs, before I silenced them with a glare. “Alright, show’s over everypony, clear out and get back to wherever you’re supposed to be.”
The crowd began to disperse as I walked forward, pushing anypony out of my way before stopping at the pile-up in the middle and beginning to help the tangled ponies free, finally offering a hoof to the Drakeguard I had initially been fighting, letting out a soft chuckle.
“You have a good buck on you Wolf Guard,” he snorted, glaring at me.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I nodded. “Never did catch your name.”
“Drake,” the pony replied, ruffling his wings slightly. “Third company.”
“Drake huh? How convenient,” I chuckled, before extending my hoof and bumping it against his, albeit slightly reluctantly on his part. “You’re good Drake, but you’re not as good as you think you are. Just remember that. Now get, I’ve got to go play politic.”
Drake sneered at my crestfallen expression and discomfort over the thought, before nodding and leaving with a few other members of his Legion. I turned as I heard two ponies coming up behind me, finding myself looking at Summit and Bardolf, the wolf panting slightly, a bit of blood on one of his paws.
“I hope that was just from a scratch,” I warned, pointing at the blood, causing Bardolf to whine slightly, his ears pressing against his head.
“The pony was fine,” Summit assured me, wrapping his hoof around my neck. “Nice one, knew betting on you was a good choice.”
“Was there ever any doubt?” I laughed, scratching Bardolf’s head. “Come on, I need to go ‘freshen up’ and get dressed again before captain anal writes me up on some sort of report or something.”
The pair of us shared a laugh as we walked back towards the ninth company section of the camp, Bardolf happily bounding along behind us, occasionally barking or growling at some of the ponies we passed, many of whom had grins on their face, as well as fresh blood and sweat on their armour.