Blood for Wolves (6 page)

“You smell lovely.”

“I need a shower.”

“And spoil all that natural
goodness with water?” He pouted.

“Can you get off me please? We need
to go look for Marianne. And yes, by the way, I would rather spoil whatever
smell I have with water rather than be gross.”

He stood and hauled me to my feet.
I was glad he’d had enough sense to sleep apart from me last night, but now I
almost wished he hadn’t. The man was downright toasty.

“By the by Caroline, how’s your
head?”

I touched the spot where the injury
was and discovered that the leaf had fallen off during our brief tussle. A tiny
scar was in place of the cut, and my head felt just fine.

“Wow. That stuff really worked.”

“Lavawort and gum leaf—a wolf’s cure-all.
Mind you though, you may crave really red meat for a few days.”

I gave him a stiff nod. “Right.”

“Come.” He started
through the trees. “Let’s go.”

“Why am I calling you Wolf,
anyway?” I asked. “Don’t you have a name?”

We’d walked for most of the
morning. My stomach was grumbling even though I’d fed it a candy bar barely an
hour ago to add to my early morning breakfast of power bar. For once I was glad
I over-packed snacks when I went to wolf-watch. I hadn’t known how long it
would take for Isabeau to emerge with the pups or if she would show them to the
pack that day, so I’d planned for an entire day’s worth of snacky food. Except
now all I had left was a bag of goldfish and one more candy bar. I resolved to
give the goldfish to Marianne when we found her.

“That is my name,” he said.

I ducked under a tree branch. “You
can’t just be called Wolf. That’s what every wolf is called.”

“Exactly.”

I grinned and shook my head. “So
you’re telling me that every half-wolf is called Wolf?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Doesn’t it get confusing?”

“Not when you don’t have anyone to
confuse it.”

“Right.” I bobbed my head in
understanding. “No pack, no humans.” I paused, unsure whether or not it was
safe to bring up last night. “Then…what was with the pack last night?”

“They were passing by and thought
it strange you were with me, so I told them about you.”

“I see.” That meant he could
communicate with real wolves. That was actually pretty amazing. I nudged an
acorn off the path with my foot. “Do you have any family?”

A sad look flashed over his face. “Gone.”

I wondered what happened to them,
but it didn’t feel right to ask. Instead I touched him on the shoulder and
said, “I’m sorry.”

He surprised me by kissing my
fingers. “Thank you.”

We continued on, hopping over the
occasional gully stream, skirting thick growths of thistle bushes. The forest
seemed endless. After seeing Wolf’s map, I understood why Marianne claimed that
the forest went on forever. Aside from the few farms and villages, the Kingdom
of Red was nothing but forest. How long did she wander around in it? How long
did she wander through the forest in Wyoming? I shook my head. The poor thing. Alone
and scared in a dark forest. I’d been in that position before. And now she was
stuck with slave traders. What where they like? I hoped they weren’t mean. I
really didn’t want to go through three near-death experiences in two days. Or
maybe just two. Wolf’s was still up for debate.

“What do we do when we find them?”
I walked down a set of thick tree roots like stairs. “How do we get Marianne
away from them?”

“Simple. We buy her.”

I scoffed. “With what? They gave those
giants six cows for her.”

“How many of those fire sticks do
you have?”

“You mean matches? Assuming you
didn’t get overzealous and use a bunch, I’d say at least twenty.”

“Then give them six matches. Six
nights of easy fire making is well worth a slave.”

“Really?” It didn’t seem like much
to me, but then again, I’d never thought much about making fires either. “What
are slaves used for around here anyway? Shouldn’t that sort of thing be
outlawed?”

“Oh it is. But they still do it and
try not to be seen. Slaves usually sell to witches who need young girls and boys
to do their bidding.”

I stopped walking for a second. “You
have
witches
here?”

“Of course.”

“They’re not all bad, are they?”

“No. Many of them keep to
themselves.”

Suddenly the ground vibrated. I
grabbed Wolf’s arm to stay upright. He used the moment to slip an arm around my
waist. The tremor died away.

“What the hell was that?”

“Giant, probably,” he said, smiling
down at my hand on his arm.

I stepped away from him, trying to
figure out why my heart was beating so fast. “Giant?”

“Falling down. They do that from
time to time. They’re quite clumsy.”

The sun arose slowly, its rays cut
into wedges by the trees. I’d been so preoccupied before, I hadn’t noticed that
it was springtime here, not fall. Little flowers with white teacup blossoms
emerged from the carpet of dead leaves here and there. Occasionally a few birds
flitted by, chirping to one another. I didn’t see any small animals like I
usually did though. No chipmunks bouncing along branches lying on the forest
floor. No squirrels rustling in the underbrush on the hunt for fallen nuts. No
rabbits munching on the green shoots sprouting up. I suspected it had something
to do with Wolf being nearby.

Wolf looked at me out of the corner
of his eye. “Last night you said you protect wolves. How?”

I shrugged. “I just tell people
about them. I explain how without wolves, the deer and other animals would
overpopulate and cause problems. That wolves aren’t the kind of threat everyone
thinks they are and how they’re really quite afraid of people. I talk to a lot
of kids too. I go to schools and tell them about wolves and how they should be
protected. A lot of farmers get angry when a wolf kills a cow. They think the
entire pack is going to eat their herd. Bunch of idiots.” I kicked a rock.

He stared at me, awestruck. “Does
that work?”

“It’s taken time, but yes. Wolves
were almost completely wiped out at one time where I come from. Killed by
farmers and hunters and ranchers. People who thought wolves were dangerous and
would kill all their livestock and attack people. But a few people realized the
opposite was actually true and campaigned to have wolves protected and given
the chance to come back. Our,” I paused, unsure if he would know the word
government
,
“rulers made it illegal to kill wolves for a very long time. It worked. Now I
just look after them and keep people aware of their importance.”

I shrugged again, like it wasn’t a
big deal. But it was. At least to me. I loved wolves. I thought they were
intelligent, powerful, beautiful creatures. Another reason it was so disconcerting
to be in a world where wolves were so…different.

I realized Wolf was staring at me,
an avid expression on his face.

“You are a champion for wolves.”

I laughed. “Yeah, well, I don’t
know if I would say that. It certainly doesn’t pay very much.” Not like I cared
what it paid.

“You would be revered among wolves
here. Hated by humans, yes,” he added as an afterthought, “but still revered.”

I cleared my throat. I wasn’t used
to this sort of praise. I changed the subject. “So how did you become a half-wolf?”

He looked at me as if to say,
“Isn’t it obvious?” That very same look also said in a very devilish manner,
“Would you like to find out?”

“Hah. Okay.” I tightened the straps
on my pack. “But one of your parents. I mean, they couldn’t have been a full
wolf, right? Or can full wolves take, um, human form?” I stumbled over the
question, unable to believe that I’d even asked it.

“Oh yes. If he or she chooses, a
full wolf can become human. Or at least, they look human. But both my parents
were half-wolves.”

I did the science in my head. Made
sense. “Could you have been born full human?”

“Oh that’s rare, very rare indeed. Just
as rare would be full wolf.”

“I see.” At least basic biology
still worked here.

We’d only gone a few more steps
when Wolf froze. He held out a hand.

“Shh.” He cocked his head from one
side to another, sniffing. “We’re close.”

“Close to what? The slave traders?”

“Yes. They’re in a town. Probably
pretending to be something other than slavers, though I doubt anyone would
care. Well, maybe someone might, but I doubt it.”

We hurried through the trees,
hoping to get to the town in time to buy Marianne back. I wondered where her
village was and if she’d be able to take us back to it. Maybe Wolf could pick
up the scent, using Marianne as a start and then following the smell back to
where she lived. I hoped she didn’t freak out when she saw Wolf. The thought
gave me pause.

“Wolf, wait!”

He skidded to a stop. “What?”

“Am I okay? Will anyone think I’m
strange dressed like this?” I gestured to my green t-shirt and khaki shorts.

“No. They’ll think you’re visiting
from a neighboring kingdom. Everyone dresses different no matter where you go.”

I eyed him. “And where do you think
I’m from?”

A sly grin appeared on his face. “Oh,
I
know
you’re not from anywhere I know of. You smell too different. I
like it.”

I shivered. He had that hungry look
on his face again, and it wasn’t for food. I switched subjects. “Is it safe for
you to go into a town? You know, with people?”

He scratched at his neck, confused.
“Yes. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Because you’re, well…” I shrugged
as if to say, “A wolf that everyone hates, remember?”

“Oh. Yes, well.” He took a deep
breath and smoothed back his hair, standing up straighter. “I haven’t been to
one in a while, but if I conduct myself with serenity and decorum, there won’t
be any need to worry, will there?”

“And can you?”

“Of course I can,” he said,
insulted.

“People can’t tell you’re a wolf?”

“Not unless I show them.”

“Show them?”

“Like the giants wanted you to
prove you were a she-wolf.”

I wasn’t sure what all that meant. Wolf
sensed my confusion and came up close to me, staring straight into my eyes. Suddenly
his flashed from hazel to a glowing gold-red.

“Oh my God!” I yelped, putting my
hands to my mouth. I hadn’t been seeing things. His eyes really did change
color. The red disturbed me the most though. Wolves did
not
have red
eyes. Ever. There was something very, very wrong about that.

“You all right, my sweet Caroline?”
he asked innocently. He trailed a few fingers over my jaw line as if to make
sure.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Yes.” I
nibbled on my thumbnail. “I’ve just…never seen that before. Ever.”

He shrugged. “Perfectly normal for
a wolf.”

Not where I’m from it’s not.
I controlled myself.
You’re not at home, things are different here, just go
with it.

“So that’s it?” I asked.

“No, there are more things. That’s
just one of the easiest.”

The teeth
, I thought. I’d
noticed his abnormally sharp canines pretty early on. I guessed if he didn’t go
around grinning at anyone or they were too stupid to tell the difference…

“Marianne knew you were a wolf,” I
said, taking a few steps away from him and then continuing forward toward the
town Wolf claimed was ahead of us. “So I was just worried others might be able
pick you out too.”

Wolf frowned. “She knew? I never
showed her.”

I just shrugged again. “You must
have done something, babe, because she knew.”

He didn’t look at all pleased with
that information, falling deep into thought as we traveled.

Soon I was able to hear the sounds
of a village. The hustle and bustle of a marketplace, people calling out the
goodness and benefits of their wares, haggling prices, shouting at the
occasional person that they’d touched it, now they had to buy it. Animals
brayed, trinkets jingled, and in a few more minutes we emerged from the forest
edge to a long line of buildings made of wood with thatched roofs. Many of the
buildings had people in front of them with carts piled high with goods. Vendors
shouted at passersby in the street, holding out necklaces, live birds with
vibrant plumage, or foreign fruit or squash. Far down the street there were
more houses, but I suspected those were living quarters, and down here was the
business district.

Wolf nestled his chin on my
shoulder and inhaled. I started, but didn’t shift away.
Act normal
, I
told myself, though I wasn’t entirely sure what normal was.

“Markets always smell so good,” he said.
“All the fresh meats just cut or still clucking or crying, so juicy and tender.”

“Get a hold of yourself before you
start drooling on me.” I patted his cheek and he took that as a sign to slip
his hands around my waist. My mind skipped back to our kiss in the cave and I
had to stamp down the tiny thrill that tried to flutter around. Now was not the
time for that sort of thing. And why was I even thinking that anyway?

“So where are the slave traders
at?” I gazed around the market. No one seemed to be selling people—at least not
outright anyway. If they didn’t want to be seen, they’d have to do it
undercover. Was there some kind of code? “Come buy a fresh, young kid!” when
kid actually meant a person and not a baby goat?

“Are you sure you don’t want
anything?” Wolf whispered, his breath tickling my ear. Excitement gleamed in
his eyes. He flipped open his jacket and plucked out a small leather bag. It
jingled when he shook it. “I have plenty of money here to get you something
nice.”

“I
want
to find Marianne,” I
told him, my voice stern.

He rolled his head around and
half-growled, but put the moneybag away. We slowly walked down the street,
merchants calling out to us, waving around their wares. More than once I had to
smack Wolf on the shoulder to get him to focus. He didn’t seem to mind. In
fact, he looked rather pleased that I was touching him. We finally stopped at a
large tent, striped in worn orange and yellow. A cart driven by a pair of oxen
sat behind it. I spotted a single chain running along the planks in the cart. One
man, tall and burly, stood at the entrance to the tent. He looked like he could
be the genie inside the magic lamp with his elaborately decorated vest,
piercings along his mouth, eyes, and ears, baggy pants with a bit of shine to
them, and his arms folded over his chest. He was like a bouncer and a genie all
rolled up into one. I turned to Wolf and pretended to adjust his coat.