Following the Skywolf

[SoF]

The Watchtower

That night in the sky we have seen ominous lights blinking over the castle. Far enough that we couldn't make out anything of them, neither our scanners could show any vessel readings. I asked the old man Abdul about them and he replied, "they are the ancient gods, Anunnaki, watching over us and saying that they are still here,". I wondered if the Skywolf had anything to do with them. The lights flashed one last time and disappeared. Couldn't find them no matter how hard we looked in the starry ocean over our heads.

The nights on Samarra are long, and shivery cold. But the cliff just under the mighty castle protected our tents from the sand storms. Heavy coats and pit-fire kept us warm. We were listening to the stories Abdul would tell us every-night to pass time. He told us many of them, from the Skywolf, to the Anunnaki and the founder of the Temple who brought order to our lives.

While we were spending time near the fire, three dark figures approached us. I couldn't see them very clearly.

"We really scared the poor guy, heh-heh" spoke merrily the big silhouette with a deep voice. "Did you see how the guards trembled?"
"Maybe they were like that because it is so damn cold... My balls are frozen," the one in the middle replied calmly.
The slim figure on the left probably realized that we could hear them "I apologize for my overgrown brother. He's a bit... stupid," he said towards the fire, putting emphasis to the last word.

As they got closer to us I could make out their faces. The big one had a long, rough beard and his eyes were like large, flaming coals, fiercely staring at the slim figure who kept his cool and just ignored him. Which was a great feat, I thought. He was in total contrast to the beast in every manner, thin and refined. The one in the middle kept a bored stare towards the fire while he announced, he was confident of himself and his voice was clear.

"My brothers and I had no caste until recently, but our Sheik Darius graciously accepted us and made us raiders... like you," he paused for a moment to scan his surroundings, "We were told to set up our tents here,".

I realized now that they were dragging some equipment with them. No one said a word to them or got up to welcome them. The big one was annoyed by the treatment they received, he was breathing angrily as he threw us dangerous looks one by one. The one in the middle kept his calm appearance, and the slim figure was completely uninterested. They started to make their tents a bit further from the rest of the camp.