（外文电子版资料）07 Soldiers of Ice.docVIP

Soldiers of Ice Forgotten Realms - Harpers Series 07 by David Cook Prologue It was a bad day for hunting. Old Wolf Ear knew it would be fruitless. The sun was already too bright and too high, and the pack was too far from the ragged darkness of the woods. There wouldnt be any game in this flat snowfield between the forest and the icefall at the glaciers base. The hunter knew all this even before it wrinkled back its muzzle to sniff the cold, sterile scent of pine and ice. The air carried none of the tingling warmth of deer musk or rabbit scat, only a suggestion of newborn mice buried deep beneath the snow Me grizzled stalker toyed with the idea of digging them out, but the tiny morsels werent worth the effort. Besides, Wolf-Ear was with a pack and had to uphold the old gnolls reputation as a hunter. So instead of digging, Wolf-Ear growlingly spat into the snow to cleanse out the lingering scent. No more hunting. Back to village, Wolf-Ear barked, glaring at the three whelps accompanying it, keeping its one strong eye on them. Two of the three younglings properly lowered their heads in submission to the old curs judgment. The third, though, glared back defiantly. This one stood slightly taller than the old hunter, the older gnoll being stooped and bent. I go back to camp with a kill. The challenger sneered in disgust, the blackish lips of its wolfish muzzle curling back to show dirty yellow fangs that hung over the lower gums. The younger gnoll shifted its rag-wrapped feet slightly forward in the churned snow to assert its challenge. Old Wolf-Ears neck hairs bristled at the move, and its good ear twitched under the coarse, greasy rags that wrapped its head. The old gnoll caught the warning snarl building in the back of its throat. As it kept its good eye unerringly fixed on the upstart whelp, Wolf-Ear unexpectedly lashed out with its spear to lay on a blow like a schoolmaster caning a boy. The suddenness of the vicious roundhouse swing left the younger gnoll