Please don't kill me

Erik, one of Alpha Hrolf's warriors who patrolled the border at night, squinted his eyes in the dark. Something was different because the atmosphere had changed. 

He couldn't place his hand on what it was but he was sure something was wrong. He closed his eyes and zoned out the chattering of the other warriors so he could concentrate. After some seconds, he flipped it open.

"I think we need to check the border. Something is different around there." He pointed in Ashina's direction while talking to his partner, Bjorn.

"Alright, you both can go. Give us the whistle alert if you can't handle it alone." Ragnar the head of the warriors nodded in approval and watched them leave.

"Every other man, go around the border once more before we eat. We must ensure there is no infiltration." He roared and all the ten warriors remaining moved to do their duties immediately.

He remained by their tents watching over them while waiting for their reports. Erik waved a torch in the air as he approached the area. He knew something was different but didn't know what it was.

Ashina sniffed when the aroma of chicken stew hit her nose. She wrapped her arms around herself and sniffed more in.

Her stomach growled in hunger while she remained at the spot shivering and hoping help came as soon as possible. The cold wind chilled her to the bones and it didn't help that she was just coming out of the water.

He and Bjorn exchanged glances when they heard someone sniffing. They darted their eyes back to the dark.

Ashina swallowed when she saw the hefty-looking guards who were coming her way. All it would take was one of them to finish her off. What if her guess was wrong? What if these men were worse than Zeeb? 

"Who is there?" Erik asked.

Silence.

She was afraid. When she heard the deep voice of the first guard, a tremor passed through her weak body. What would she say? She was terrified.

She had heard the news of how other Packs preyed on lone wolves. They turned them into slaves and worked them out until they were exhausted. Then they killed them.

Would that be her end too?

"Show yourself." Bjorn added in a thick brave voice while reaching to draw out his sword.

Ashina's tongue was stuck in her throat and she couldn't reply. Goosebumps arose on her pale skin while she watched them cover the distance between them.

Erik saw the white gown fluttering from a distance. He had a good sense of sight. He patted Bjorn's shoulder and tilted his head in her direction. 

Bjorn understood the sign and followed him. They trudged towards the edge of the border and in some minutes came face to face with Ashina.

"I knew it." Erik exclaimed when he saw Ashina at the border.

"I knew that something was different. I sensed it in the air and it's an intruder." Erik scoffed.

Ashina clasped her hands together in a pleading form when she heard his steely voice.

"Please, I am not an intruder." She begged with more tears blurring her vision.

It would have been much better to have been taken away by Zeeb than for her to be captured by these strangers. What would they do to her? What if they killed her? 

Erik and Bjorn exchanged glances. Again. It was a knowing look and with that, they took four steps backward. They were used to seeing intruders in their territory but never had they come across this - a woman on their border.

"Please hear me out." Ashina begged them.

She saw suspicion flicker in their eyeballs and the result would be her death by either of the swords each of them wielded. 

The first thing that came to their minds was that she was either a spy or a trap.

"Why are you here?" Erik questioned her.

"I need your help. I need food and water, please. I have been on the road for days but first please, help me with this." She pointed her index finger to the landmine beneath her left foot.

"I think we need to call Ragnar's attention to this." Bjorn said.

Erik ignored him and studied her carefully. They could call Ragnar, their leader. But what use was it if he couldn't first check if she was a trap?  

"Are you listening to me, Erik?" Bjorn asked.

"I'm trying to think." Erik said curtly.

"We have no time. We need to tell Ragnar or he'll come himself." Bjorn added.

"She doesn't look harmful." Erik said after some seconds of silence.

"You can't know that yet. She could be a trap or a spy. Which would you prefer? You either mindlink Ragnar to inform him ahead or you get your head chopped off by the Alpha because you put the whole Pack in danger?" Bjorn asked.

Ashina darted her eyes between them. Who was their Alpha? Was he a cruel one? 

"What would Alpha Hrolf do in this situation?" Erik questioned his partner suddenly.

Ashina let out a soft gasp from her lips. Did they really say Alpha Hrolf? 

"I think he would have us capture her for questioning." Bjorn whispered out of Ashina's earshot.

"Then let's do that." He said.

Bjorn nodded in approval. It made sense to him.

"Put your hands over your head. If you try anything funny, you will have to pay." He threatened.

She knew better than to try anything that would endanger her life. She couldn't risk that. She raised her hands and laced them together behind her head.

 They moved towards her. Bjorn picked a stone and knelt to place it on it while she removed her leg slowly. Then they stepped back and assessed her.

Even though she felt awkward as they stared at her she couldn't say it. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her body as a protective cover.

"What do we do now?" Bjorn whispered.

Erik was silent for some minutes as he considered her.

"Watch me." He said and walked towards Ashina.

He hit her by the side of her neck and she fell into his arms immediately. Ashina closed her eyes and blacked out with the words on her lips.

"Please don't kill me."