| Space Wolves - Heroes |
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The setting sun bathed the sky red, casting strangely-shaped shadows across the valley. Grimjaw paused in mid-stride and raised his left fist up, halting the movement of the five men trailing him. He tilted his chin up and sniffed the air. It smelled of blood. The smell was faint and Grimjaw estimated it to be from the direction of a town about five miles from his location. Lowering his left hand, Grimjaw glanced back and gave another hand gesture to indicate his intentions. Without waiting for any reply, Grimjaw moved to the rock formation on his right and climbed it swiftly. The five men spread out in all directions, blending in with the landscape. The rock formation cleared the treetops and afforded a view over the valley. Grimjaw slowed his ascent as he neared the treetops. Though Grimjaw could see across the valley from the top of the rock formation, he could also be spotted from miles around. Slowly but fluidly, Grimjaw continues his climb until he just cleared the treetops. Pressing himself close to the rocks, Grimjaw seemed almost to blend in with the rocks. In the distance, a column of black smoke climbed lazily up the sky. The town was on fire. Grimjaw lowered himself cautiously until he was among the trees before bounding down to rejoin his squad. He landed on the soft ground noiselessly, coming to rest in a crouching position, eyes scanning the trees for any sign of danger. Even with his squad keeping on guard around, it was best to still be alert. Complacency is the quickest way to death. Grimjaw raise his left hand and gestured. Instantly, his squad appeared to materialize from among the trees, so silent and sudden where their appearance. Grimjaw rose and advanced swiftly, his footing sure and silent. The six men covered ground at an amazingly swift pace with never a dry twig cracking beneath their feet. They were dressed similarly. Each man wore pale grey armour which covered him from neck to foot, but not the arms. Their footwear was a high-cut, thick leather boots, a shade of grey darker than their armour. Armour pads protected their shoulders but did not extend down the arms. Some wore fur pelts around the arms, others only around the wrist. Leather pelts adorned some of their armour, usually on the shoulders all around the waist. Pistol hanged from pistol holders around their hips. Each man had either a sword strapped to his back or an axe hanging from the hip. They were packed to travel, various pouches hanged from their waists, containing supplies, medication and ammunition. Gray clocks hanged from their shoulders, ending just below the knees. In the lead was Grimjaw. He was nearly eight foot tall and broad at the shoulders, though that was the general build of all the men. His skin was leathery and tanned, covered with numerous scars. Thick black hair, graying at the temples, were braided into locks and hung down Grimjaw�s back, just below his shoulders. A pair of thick mustache and beard covered Grimjaw�s lower jaw. His nose was sharp and his eyes were a pale grey. They were hard as stones, eyes that had seen too much to be frightened by anything else. An axe slung from the belt loop on his left hip. Following just behind Grimjaw was Akgav. Like Grimjaw, his was well tanned and marked with scars. His brown hair was worn in a similar pattern to Grimjaw. A beard and mustached covered his jaw as well. His nose was sharp and his blue eyes piercing. He had the sharpest vision among the team. A short sword was strapped to his back under the cloak. A pair of soft white feathers decorated his left shoulder pad, a symbol of his totem animal, the snow eagle. After Akgav was Hrak who carried a meltagun in his hands as he moved. His reddish haired was tied at this nape and hung behind his back. His beard and mustached though long were singed at the ends by the heat generated from the meltagun when fired. His skin was the most tanned among the six men. His grey eyes scanned the surrounding constantly as he advanced. Next in line was Ragv whose hair was more brownish than red and was tied at the nape behind his back. His mustache and beard were woven into locks and swayed whenever he turned his head. Having been broken multiple times in various fights, his nose wasn�t as sharp as it used to be. His eyes were a pale ice blue and looked just as cold as ice, if not harder and colder. His shoulder pads were covered in a white fur pelt, a trophy he had claimed from a snow jaguar back on his home world of Fenris. Snow jaguars were common on the ice encrusted planet, commonly feeding on the giant elks. They were ferocious hunters and their fur camouflaged them perfectly, allowing them to remain invisible until they pounced for the kill. That particular snow jaguar had the misfortune of mistaking Ragv as prey instead of predator. Fifth in the line was Kragg. He was the oldest among the six and his grey hair was and long canines were proof of his age and wisdom. His mustache and beard though thick could not conceal the two long canines were extended over his lower lip. A pair of grey eyes un-dulled by the effects of the years shone with focus and wisdom. A scar ran across Kragg�s left eye. It was during one of the battles against the Orks countless decades earlier that Kragg obtained that injury. He was fighting in close combat against a handful of Orks, and after having dispatch of one, he turned to parry the attack of another. The force of the overhead blow numbed his hand and sent shivers up his arm. As Kragg staggered back a step, the Ork advanced with a vicious back hand with his axe. Kragg�s reflexes saved him as he managed to jump back in time, though not fast enough and the axe sliced across his eye. Fortunately, the injury was superficial and did not claim his eye. The offending Ork was blasted in the face by Kragg with his bolt pistol and put to rest. Bringing up the rear was Erikk. Unlike the rest, his hair was the colour of flax which he wore in braids while his mustache and beard were left unadorned. His blue eyes moved from left to right as he scanned the trees, occasionally turning around to check the rear. He has a pair of throwing daggers tucked away in each fur covered leather braces. Erikk was skilled in their use, able to throw them with unerring accuracy at a distance of up to a hundred feet. To the ignorant, the six men seem like armoured barbarians possessed of supernatural grace and speed. The more knowledgeable will recognize them as Space Wolves, one of the Chapters of Space Marines, genetically modified super-humans, sworn protectors of the Imperium, by their pale grey armour and distinct long canines. In an age when the Imperium is beset by enemies within and without, by traitors and aliens, the Space Marines are the finest of humanity, warriors without peers. They were once ordinary men who were selected for their tenacity, skill and courage, to be accepted into the ranks of the Space Marines and be transformed by genetic manipulation techniques passed down through the millenniums. The Space Wolves are numbered among the thousands of Space Marine Chapters, each comprising of about a thousand Space Marines. Due to some unknown fault in the process of genetic manipulation, Space Wolves are slightly different from the other Space Marines. Their canines grow throughout the years and those who have seen centuries of battle have such long canines that they are referred to as Long Fang and respected for their age and wisdom. Beside the visible difference, Space Wolves have even better eyesight than other Space Marines, able to see further and sharper and even in the dark. Their sense of smell is without parallel and they are able to catch the scent of an enemy and trek across miles till they run down their query. As their name suggests, they are like the giant Wolves of Fenris, their native home world, predators without peers, possessing of both cunning and might. Although the Space Wolves are a typically gregarious lot, there are some among their numbers who are solitary creatures and find the confines of the Chapter stifling and unbearable. These men are singled out by Wolf Priest, mighty men respected for their wisdom by all the other Space Wolves, and channeled into the wolf scouts. As a wolf scout and away from the confines of civilization, even the rough form of that of the Space Wolves, they excel and can perform to the best of their potential. They hunt in small packs of about six men each and they frequently operate far from the main body of the Space Wolves. Capable of surviving for months without being returning to the Space Wolves Strike Cruisers, the Chapter�s primary fast speed attack space craft, they do not receive concise assignments from their Wolf Lord, the highest in command of each Space Wolf Great Company of which the Chapter is comprised of twelve. Wolf scouts are thus opportunistic hunters, seizing upon any chance to increase mayhem among the enemy lines, cutting their supply lines and burning their ammunition stores, and hence aiding their battle brethren at the front line of battle. The Ravening Jaw, the Great Company commanded by Wolf Lord Bjern Broodmaw, to which the wolf scouts hold allegiance to, was currently deployed on the world of Plenther VII. Plenther VII has recently come under the attack of the Orks and a few of the major cities have already been overrun. The Orks were continuing their rampage and extending their influence and control, destroying towns and erecting their foul dwellings and workshops. Along with the Iron Wolf, Thunder Wolf and Fire Breather Great Companies, the Ravening Jaw has come to put a stop to the expansion of the Orks and wipe them off the face of Plenther VII. The wolf scouts pack led by Grimjaw has been issued the command to create as much disruption as possible in the enemy lines in preparation for the assault by the main force. For weeks, Grimjaw and his pack have been running a guerilla war against the Orks, striking swiftly and retreating before any counter attack was launched. Just the night prior, they have spotted a mob of Orks racing on their ramshackle trukks across the plains towards the west where an Imperial settlement was known to exist. Grimjaw immediately gave the command to pursue, and to avoid detection, they traveled through the valley amidst the trees. Throughout the night and the best part of the day, they had traveled unceasingly, needing neither rest nor feeling fatigued. Now that the query has been sighted, the pack has picked up the pace in preparation for a raid under the cover of night. For their act of wanton destruction, and for their mere existence, righteous retribution has come this night. |
Introduction
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