The shepherd

 Chapter One

Titan pass was located along the Titan mountain range and overlooked the Valley of Aphrodite - a place known for love. Typhon was the tallest mountain in the world and towered above the pass at 9000 feet it greeted the clouds at its top and was always dusted with snow. Giant and solid it could be viewed from the horizon in every direction 360• around even in poor weather its presence could be felt everywhere it could be seen. Named after the Titan Typhon(father of monsters) it radiated strength and power and was extremely difficult to reach at its peak. 

Those who lived in the Pass had a simple life they lived of the land mostly and had very little but what they did have they cherished. Everyday they woke up to the sheep baaing and birds singing in a morning chorus of delight that filled the heart with beauty that the mountain provides. The pure alpine air smells so refreshing at the start of the day and offers comfort that cities can’t . Life on the mountain is peaceful and full of joy and wonder that cannot be bought. From their altitude they can view the valley and mountain together as they went about their daily duties. Rivers flowed from their sources found under the mountain both were cool and refreshing with schools of fresh water fish swimming in their depths. The air could be crisp or boiling depending on the weather that day but it was always pleasant to the people who enjoyed the randomness of life from their mountain home and enjoyed being exposed to the variety that the sky offered. 

Clay was a young male shepherd who looked after his flock in the pass and who was in charge of their security. Daily he roamed the mountains with the sheep and counted them in and out of the fields he owned and had separated from the public through the use of a little wooden  enclosure he’d built round each of them. Carefully he cared and nurtured the flock to make sure they had a good life with good food and fresh water to drink. Keeping track of them was not too difficult as they tended to roam the pens that had been created to ensure a sustainable feeding ground was at their disposal. 

Often the first to rise with the sun Clay would wash in the river and then get dressed for the day. He rarely spoke to anyone in the morning as his duties were outside the village in the pass and on land he called Artemis - named after the goddess of the hunt. Once with his charges he would pray to Artemis for their protection and safety for the day as well as good nourishment for them to enjoy. After he prayed to Artemis he would make burnt offerings at a shrine he’d constructed to worship the gods and give thanks to them. 

Clay was tall and muscly and had long wavy brown hair that matched his eyebrows and a beautiful bronzed skin tone that made him glow on bright days. Giving the appearance of a god with his perfect complexion and blemish free skin he used his land as well as he could to ensure he kept the provision manageable at all times. Kind and caring he would use his talents to sing or play his pipe to them and watch as they danced and grazed the fields all day. 

Today he had counted ninety nine sheep and was perplexed that he was missing two so he shut them all in one pen and went to search the rest of his property for them. An hour later he still had not found the two sheep and so he began to search beyond his fields for the animals. Looking everywhere he could think of he searched high and low for them and eventually he found one dead in the woods its body having been mauled by some larger and more dangerous animal. Its throat had been torn out and it lay in a pool of blood that seeped into the ground. Carefully he hunted for signs of his other sheep and noticed a trail of blood leading west of where he was and deeper into the woods.

Knowing it was too late to do anything now he buried the sleep in an unmarked grave in hopes it would remove further treat from predators that lurked in the wood. After he had buried the sheep he walked to the river and washed his hands before returning to his flock. Tonight he would stay in the mountain to make sure no more of his sheep were taken. Returning home briefly he grabbed his hunting knife and headed back to keep watch on the sheep. 

Staying awake wouldn’t be too difficult as it was a cold night and the freshness of it made him shiver ever so slightly as he observed the scene. Straining his ear the whole time he listened for any sign of the culprit ensuring he was alert to everything around him. 

Cautiously he got up from where he’d been resting and walked round the pen luckily the moon was bright and cast it glow on the ground around him so he could see clearly what lay in front of his eyes. Nothing drew his attention but he felt uneasy about the night as it was too quiet. His sheep lay sleeping on the cold and soft grass that covered the field they were in. Silence was unnatural up in the mountains there was always something making a noise except for tonight where it was silent as the dead. 

Stalking through the nearby woods was a foul and loathsome creature searching for fresh prey to tear apart for the night. Its previous kill had disappeared and it was hungry for more to eat. 

Staying low in a crouch it crawled long the forest floor heading toward the fields where it had found its first victim the previous day. Alive and awake it searched the air for the scent of fresh sheep and was drawn to the fields just beyond the trees. It could sense its prey with its noise but something else was out here and it smelled delicious to him. Ducking lower it continued to move through the grass heading closer to whatever it was he could smell. 

Suddenly, the forest opened on fields that were gated and crawled into the open space where he was visible to anyone looking for him. He stayed low and crept towards the sleeping sheep when he spotted something tall pacing around its prey. A snarl escaped his mouth and the thing turned to stare at it with fear on its face. Having been caught the animal readied itself to attack and pounced on the thing that stood before it.

Clay held up his hand and the knife to counter the attack and managed to duck beneath the beast and carve a line in its tummy as it soared above him in an arc.  Blood sprayed everywhere as the knife found its mark and he was bathed in splatters of blood as he lay underneath the foul beast. 

It landed in a heap on the floor a few feet away from Clay and it remained still after it did. The animal was large and covered in grey fur and had big sharp deadly paws that would have shredded him into pieces had they landed a blow on him. Still breathing it lay there silently as if it were asleep until it opened its amber eyes and stared at Clay. It went to stand but as it did it began to yelp in agony and fell to the ground whimpering from the pain. It tried to lick its wound but it was a mess and was creating a pool of blood under it which spread out across the ground and soaked it in its red liquid. 

Feeling brave Clay stood up and walked a bit closer to the beast to get a better look in the dark. Moonlight shone down on the scene bathing it in an iridescent light that made its fur shine brighter. He stared at it in the eye as it stared back its snout a snarl and it began to growl at him. Clay stopped moving as he was scared at what the animal might do and he crouched down low. “I’m sorry,” he said to the beast as he knelt on the floor before beginning to move again. 

The wolf stood and again yelped in pain falling to the floor as it did and began to whimper once more. 

Edging closer Clay reached out a hand and he thought only of helping the poor animal by administering aid if he could to it. Slowly he crept round the back of the beast and began to stroke its fur gently as though he were one of his sheep. Flinching the wolf tried to stand and face him but couldn’t and in fear it began to shake and convulse.

“Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you I want to help you!” He said bravely. 

Stroking the wolves fur cautiously he began to soothe the beast and gain his confidence.  Determinedly he continued to move closer to it and when he was close enough he tore his shirt and used it to press down on the wound. It instantly filled with blood and he knew it would be difficult to stop the bleeding without sewing it up. He held the coth to the beasts belly and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. 

After a while he removed his hand and found that he had slowed the bleeding to a drip and was able to inspect the wound as the wolf was asleep from the pain. Clay checked the wolf over and was pleased to find that the beast was doing well and he knew it would recover in a few weeks. He turned around and headed back to his flock where he kept his eye on the wolf for the duration of the night. 

When it eventually woke it lay and licked its wound while staring at Clay with its amber discs. Slowly it tried to stand but stopped when the pain returned and it began to bleed a little more. He lay on the floor and stared at Clay who began to talk to it again. “I see you’re still in pain. I mended the  wound as best I could while you slept.”

The wolf just stared and Clay went into his ration bag and pulled out some meat and threw it to the wolf who began eating it pretty fast. Laying there eating the meat the beast looked quite docile and its eyes stopped looking at Clay focussing on the meal instead. 

When it was done the wolf curled up and began to sleep again and Clay was glad it had survived his attack. Killing an animal was not in his nature and he was loathe to do it unless it was necessary. Watching the wolf sleep Clay began to count his sheep and was pleased to find them all present and correct. 

Saying goodbye to the wolf he began to heard the sheep away from it to new pastures when the wolf began howling. Looking around at it Clay could see confusion on the wolves face and he began to walk towards it without thinking. When he reached the wolf he knelt by it and began to scratch its shaggy mane as it welcomed the touch of affection from Clay. The two spent the next few hours forming a bond that would grow into a friendship unlike any other. 

The wolf was at peace with him and it began to playfully lick his hand as it became tamer. After that the wolf became a guard dog for the sheep and Clay and would keep him company as he did his job without harming him.