PROLOGUE:

  The hounds sniffed and snarled as they tracked through the forest of Broxen, they were out for blood and tracking. Argylle Storm, the huntsman of near forty, made a mad dash through the forest as he tried to escape the hellish hounds. Their snarls could be heard for miles, putting fear into the heart of youths in Broxen. The hounds hunted through the snowy woods as they surrounded Argylle. The Huntsman's own Storm-like fury not being able to save him from the hounds, perhaps the story of all orphans and nobodies being like a true Storm was just that, a story.

  Argylle was a strapping and hulking man, hairy like a bear and with a big bushy beard to match. His feet made thunderous cps as he prodded through the snows of this damned eversting forest, he did not realise it was so big or perhaps he had gone in a circle. The howls of the hellish hounds were able to darken his morale, Argylle had fought men more fierce than dogs but these weren’t dogs. The jagged scar on his cheek glistened wetly as snow fell upon it.

  Why Titans, why? Why me, for Lothor’s sake?

  Argylle thought and pleaded, He hoped that Lothor would give him strength to strike down his foes or come down from the Beyond and do it himself. No, not even the God of War could save him now. Argylle’s prays then went to the Titans, nameless and old as time, being the air that filled his lungs and the soil and snow he ran upon. Argylle panted and puffed as he continued running. His feet trying so hard to get away, to save him.

  The Man of Storm had been hunting for bears in these woods with his greatsword, hoping to sy a beast and use its pelt for a rug. Lenna loved the pelts, Argylle remembered. He and her could roll around on them for hours, as naked as the day as they came into the world, he missed her in this moment, and all moments. The Chill had taken Lenna st winter, he buried Lenna in her favourite pelt. Argylle wished the Chill had taken him too, or that he could fight through Malek’s undead to return his love from the Frozen Pins, the pce where all eventually went to freeze away.

  When Argylle had been hunting in these woods, the hounds found him. They were greater than any dog he’d seen, perhaps the size of a grey wolf. That put the fear of the Frozen Pins in him, enough to make him drop his sword to flee. Argylle was never a good runner, he couldn’t move fast but he could hit with the force of ten men. He was the brute of the alehouse, the most feared man in the street of Broxxy.

  His heart was pounding and his head was throbbing, but he couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop. There was nothing alive in this realm that could make him stop, except for maybe those damned hounds. They were the most fearsome thing he’d seen, Argylle couldn’t imagine what kind of monstrous mama they came from, he didn’t want to imagine.

  Leave me be for Lothor’s sake! I ain’t no harm, I’m just … nobody. Dear Alia please, for the love of you, save me. What kind of cruel punishment is this?

  The Hounds eventually surrounded him as he slowed, being unable to run faster. Seeing no point to keep running, Argylle stood his ground and regained his breath. He was surrounded by six hounds, their eyes gleaming a sanguine colour and their jaws dripping with red. Their coats were an ashen color, screaming of death.

  They were no normal beasts, something only darkness and shadow could conjure. The demon-like hounds stood near as tall as Argylle, being six-foot seven or slightly shorter.

  Argylle took a breath of the bitter cold, feeling his nostrils be sliced by chill in the air. His fear had risen up and up whilst he ran, he was terrified of death and meeting his Lovely Lenna, but now he was face to face with the thing he feared.

  Argylle stared the beasts down, filled with confidence but being scared to death. He was afraid, afraid of everything, afraid of losing, afraid of being humiliated or mutited, but confident facing the jaws of a merchant of death. The closer the hounds padded, the more confident he got. All during the fleeing, he was afraid of this, he thought these monsters might be capable of beating syer of bears, He thought of them mauling him. Now he was facing the beasts, his knuckles clenched.

  And they stared back at him, they had no fear, no emotion, nothing behind those demonic eyes. What kind of beast were they? Argylle was in no hurry to figure it out.

  “Be gone, dog!”

  Argylle snarled at the beasts. The smallest one jumped at him first, dancing across the air like a beast with wings, it's bloody jaws snapping onto Argylle’s meaty forearm. It hurt like mad, burning and stinging, he felt flesh tear from bone. He knew he wasn’t going to stand for this, he could kill this beast! His fist cracked the hound in the face with a loud thud, causing it to be sent back to the ground with a chunk of flesh still in its mouth. Argylle thought he must have killed it with that punch, most men didn’t even survive a punch from him. He hoped it atleast shattered it’s razor teeth.

  They’re going easy with me, fucking toying with me. Is this some game to them?

  Argylle’s forearm was maimed and bloodied but he didn’t feel it now, he felt unstoppable.The hubris of defeating one beast gave him thoughts of beating this almighty challenge, even if the beasts were going easy on him.

  The art of delivering a beating was all he’d ever known, that’s why he was so feared to man and beast alike, he was a destroyer, that’s all he was ever born for. But now these days are empty, nothing left of that strength. Ever since Lenna had died, that beast had left him but not the rage.

  “Nrgh! Fuckin’ animal, is that all? I’ve faced children with more fury! I’ll beat you fuckin’ bloody!”

  Argylle goaded the beast with his shouts, old habits dying hard for him. That beast of a man cwing at the walls of Argylle’s grief, begging to be let out and hurt people the way the hurt hurt him. These dogs were as good as any.

  Another hound jumped at him, but he was quicker as he cracked it across the face with his forearm and sent it back. But it didn’t stop it. In an instant two more tched onto Argylle, one gnawing on his leg and another on his shoulder. He let out a scream of pain, it blinded him and made him feel nothing but mencholy. The pain was cold, chilling.

  Lenna, Len.

  That’s all that came to mind as the hounds brought him down to the ground. Salty tears crept down his cheek as he smashed into the snow, he tried to kick and thrash but it was no use. He managed to thrash onto his back, regaining some blurry vision of the snowy night sky. The hounds' teeth had turned his leg into no more than loose skin falling off bone. He let out a scream of horror, his throat raw at the shouts. His fist went to destroy something, cracking at the air in futile attempts to survive. His legs went numb, coldly numb.

  Not like this, please Titans not like this.

  A hound tried to rip out his throat but Argylle’s hand grabbed the beast by it’s throat. He tried to choke it but it was no luck. He cked the strength in his hands to do anything. The hound simply tore off more flesh from his forearm until Argylle’s hand went limp. But the beast wasn't done, they revelled in the pain they were causing. One of the beasts tore off Argylle’s fingers on his right hand, one by one. Argylle didn’t have the energy to scream anymore, the pain was dull now, terrifyingly dull.

  The hounds were done toying when the biggest one’s jaws cmped on Argylle’s throat, tearing it out with ease. His screams became nothing but wind, nothing but pain, nothing. It gave him a sniff before prodding on, not even finishing him off quickly. The hounds spat out the flesh that they tore off, not desiring it to eat.

  Why? Dear Titans, why?!

  Argylle tried to scream but it came out as nothing but thoughts bouncing around in the echo chamber of his own mind. They had hunted for sport, to cause mankind suffering.

  Cold, too cold.

  His fleeting thoughts went to his darling Lenna, his only love. Her beautiful auburn hair and brilliant smile, it made his cold body feel the heat of love for a brief second. Argylle knew he was going to see his wife soon, that brought soce to the otherwise grim moment.

  Why bother trying to crawl or get up, why bother getting help? The snow was comfy for him, a soft bed of white, like a cloud.

  A cloud, yes, a cloud just for me. Lucky me.

  Tears trickled down his face as he got so tired, he couldn’t even feel the pain anymore. Alia gave him the blessing of love and now the blessing to bring it back to him in the form of meeting his darling in the frozen nds, thank the gods, and the Titans too. His eyes closed , letting out a final ragged breath.