Otto sat down on the wet ground surrounded by his mates, gazing at the vast expanse of green he called home. They had left their houses at dawn and had finished at dusk, but the job wasn't done yet. Otto was of course the de-facto leader of his merry band of 12, even if he didn't possess the natural leadership he did he would still have been the son of the baron; even so, the group operated on his suggestion rather than his order, he was still one of them after all. Otto was rather tall for his age, sporting ear length reddish-brown hair and wearing clothing that was visibly, if slightly, superior to all of his compatriots.
"Well, men, time is of the essence!"
He had to speak loudly over the chorus of crickets and frogs, treating them as an accompanying orchestra to his grand speech. His friends listened intently.
"As you all know, on the account of my mother being preoccupied by the baby, we finally have a chance to put the plan into action!"
The speech's tone and syntax was almost definitely based on one of the books he spent his weekly allowance on, whether it was history or fiction not even Otto knew.
Upon finishing the sentence, the twelve boys who stood below him erupted into cheer. Otto ran into woods in the horizon, knowing that they'd follow. The boys stood up, brandished their wooden swords, and began a sort of hunting call as they followed their leader.
The woods were as moist and damp as the bog, but with considerably more danger. Each one of the boys had heard stories about boys — ancient by their year, that had gotten lost in these very woods and never returned, if they weren't in such a large group the boys would be terrified. Suddenly Otto halted, and so did the rest of them. Large paw prints indented into the muddy ground led directly to a dark cave, which probably would be best described as less of a cave and more like a large hole in the side of a hill.
"Ay… ain't that the old hermit's hovel?"
The smallest boy in the group chimed, making Ottos and the rest of the group's heads turn. The hermit, whose name they'd never learned and who their parents had probably forgot, had been living sequestered from society for almost thirty years. Some claimed he went mad after catching his adulterous wife, others said it was from the war, but nobody knew for certain; most didn't care at all.
Otto continued walking with his host shortly behind. As they approached, a heavy metallic smell filled the air. The most squeamish among the boys gagged and covered their noses. Otto wanted to cover his nose, but he learned from his uncle that a good leader never shows fear in the presence of his troops. As he got eye to eye with the makeshift wooden door, enough to peek into the hole the hermit had carved out to create a peephole, he immediately jumped back and vomited. The boys had never seen their brave leader in such a state, it was so shocking to them that nobody but one, the biggest of the group, a boy by the name of Jedidiah, had the courage to walk again towards the door. Mustering his courage, he yanked the door open.
Inside the small "home", laid two creatures spread out across the floor. It was that of a bloody, groaning wolf and the clearly dead body of an old man.
"The wolf must've…."
The boy, even with his immense size, backed away. They had all seen their fair shares of animal carcasses — it was to be expected where they lived, but this was their first human.
Otto was still reeling, about 5 feet away from the rest of the group. Now that the door had been opened, he could hear the labored breaths and cries of the wolf. He thought of his social standing — which formerly relied on his courage and bravery. He knew he had to do something to gain the boys' admiration once more. He gathered himself, walked towards the wolf, and bludgeoned it to death with his wooden sword, to the shock and awe of his friends.
"It was dying. I put it out of its misery".
The boys were understandably shocked, but nobody could speak against his logic. The most humane move in the situation was to put the animal out of its misery, but to do it in such a bloody way sent shivers down their young spines. There was a light scent of ammonia in the air as they began their silent walk home.The boys got back to the bog and dispersed until it was just Otto and Jedidiah left; As they said their goodbyes, Jedidiah noticed a faint wet spot on Otto's trousers. He said nothing and departed.