Promise Of The Wolves (13 page)

“Stone Peaks,” she snarled, “on our side of the river.”

I looked up to see that two large wolves, a male and a female, had stepped out onto our path. I couldn’t help staring at the male. I had thought Werrna’s face was scarred, but this wolf had more scar than face. The left side of his mouth was torn half away and his left eye was nearly completely closed by the flap of skin that fell down over it. He smelled wrong, too. Sour and decayed, like sickness. He smelled like he should not even have been able to stand on his feet, much less be as strong and powerful as he appeared to be. But there was no doubt he was a strong wolf, a leaderwolf. Both wolves were larger even than Ruuqo and heavily muscled. They did not seem concerned to be facing three rival wolves.

“Torell, Ceela,” Rissa acknowledged the two wolves. She stood stiff-legged and stiff-tailed, her white fur standing straight up on her back.

Werrna and Yllin flanked her, their tails held a little lower than Rissa’s but just as rigid.

“This is not the first time you have trespassed on Swift River lands.” Rissa’s voice was mild, but fury seemed to rise from her like mist.

“Rissa,” Torell, the male wolf, said with the barest dip of his head. “Werrna.” He did not acknowledge Yllin or any of us pups. “I do not think you should be so quick to accuse. You have been in our territory this night.”

“In shared territory, Torell. You know that there is free passage to the humans’ homesite. We needed to show our pups what they are. All packs acknowledge this.”

“I never agreed,” he said, his voice as mild as Rissa’s. “The decision about my territory was made without my consent. But I will let it pass, in spite of the fact that you have taken meat from my lands.”

“You’d better,” Werrna snorted, “since we outnumber you.”

Torell ignored her. “These are your pups for the year?”

“All of the ones that lived through their first moon,” Rissa said proudly.

“How many of yours live?” Yllin asked, raising her tail a little higher. “Last year it was only two, wasn’t it? And they both left the valley.”

“Quiet,” Rissa ordered.

Ceela lifted one side of her lip, speaking for the first time. She was slightly smaller than Torell, and had a yellow-brown pelt. “Perhaps you will teach this year’s litter better manners. Though I see some that I don’t expect to last through the winter.” Her eyes rested on Reel and Ázzuen.

“No need for you to worry about that,” Rissa said. “Pups, this is Ceela and this is Torell, leaders of the Stone Peak pack. There is no need for you to greet them.”

“As if any of us would move,” Ázzuen whispered.

“You will leave Swift River lands, now,” Rissa said, stepping slightly aside. “We will allow you to pass without injury.”

Ceela gave what in any other wolf would be considered a smile. From her, it seemed more of a snarl.

“We will go for now. But hear this, Rissa. Our territories are compromised. The humans take our prey. Already the long-fangs in our territory are dying. We will not let our pack suffer because we had the bad luck to have the humans on our side of the river.” Ceela’s eyes swept over us. “The Swift River lands are among the richest in the valley. We will have our share of prey.”

Rissa growled again. This time Werrna and Yllin joined her. We could feel the ground shake under our paws.

“I think it’s time for you to go,” Werrna said.

Torell met Ceela’s eyes and gave the slightest of nods. The two of them began to walk past us. The path was narrow and they had to pass close by or else they would have to walk through the woods, which would make it hard for them to move quickly if we attacked.

Torell let his gaze linger over us pups as he walked by. When he saw me, he stopped.

“What is this?” he hissed, staring at me. “She bears the mark of the cursed, and smells of Outsider wolf.”

“Move,” Yllin said, coming to stand beside me. But I could not.

“I have told you before that the affairs of Swift River are none of yours,” Rissa snapped. Werrna spun to face Ceela, trapping the Stone Peak wolves between herself and Yllin on one side and Rissa on the other.

“We don’t like repeating ourselves,” she said. “Will you leave our territory freely, or will we need to escort you?”

Torell narrowed his eyes.

“We will leave for now,” he said. But his eyes lingered on me, and only when Werrna and Rissa began to move toward him did he and Ceela step onto the crossing tree. They ran easily across it and stared at us from the other side.

“Come, pups,” Rissa said. “They will not come into our territory again tonight.”

She picked up the piece of firemeat she had let drop and allowed her fur to rest again along her back. Soon we began moving again, more quickly this time. I couldn’t stop shaking. Something about Torell’s gaze, the hatred in his voice, chilled me. But there had been too much strangeness for one night, and I pushed it from my mind. I had enough to worry about if anyone told Ruuqo I’d tried to go to the humans. I could worry about Torell and the Stone Peaks later.

B
y the time we reached the Tall Grass field, the sun was up well over the eastern mountains. We were all tired from the night’s adventures. The rest of the pack waited for us at Wood’s Edge, gnawing lazily at the pieces of leftover horse we’d managed to save. Rissa told Ruuqo of our confrontation with the Stone Peaks. He listened carefully and licked her muzzle, speaking quietly to her. He didn’t seem concerned. Conflict between packs was as common as rain, and this one had not ended in a fight. Ruuqo was pleased with the extra meat, and if he was upset that Rissa had allowed Yllin and the others to venture into the human gathering place, he said nothing about it. He ignored the firemeat scent he must have been able to smell on the breath of the wolves that were lucky enough to get some of it. Rissa slipped the piece she had saved to Trevegg. The oldwolf rumbled his thanks, devouring the meat in one gulp.

To my relief, Rissa did not tell Ruuqo that I had tried to go to the humans, and she had ordered the others not to tell him. Still, every time Borlla or Unnan went near Ruuqo, my stomach clenched in fear. If he thought my father was an Outsider wolf, and if he was looking for reasons to get rid of me, my attempt to go to the humans would give him the excuse he needed. But they said nothing. Rissa did tell him that Borlla had helped Reel across the river and that she had successfully stolen meat.

“You have done well, youngwolf,” Ruuqo said. “You will do good things for Swift River pack.”

It was the first time he had called any of us anything other than “pup.” A youngwolf was a wolf who had made the transition from pup, who is completely dependent upon others, to a contributing member of the pack. Borlla almost burst out of her fur with pride. Ruuqo praised Unnan, too, and Marra, which I shouldn’t have minded, but I couldn’t help myself. But Borlla got the most praise, both for her skill in meat-stealing, and her courage at the river. Yllin, Trevegg, and even gruff Werrna made a big fuss over her.

When Borlla caught me watching her, she strutted over to where I stood and breathed in my face, sending the crisp, sweet scent of burnt meat over my nose. Then she turned and raised her tail at me. I felt fury rising up in me, but I just walked away. Then I heard the whoosh of wings from above, and a cry of disgust from Borlla. I looked back to see her jumping up to try to catch Tlitoo as he hovered just above her head. A large splotch of bird dung had hit her on top of her head, splattering her face and eyes. Tlitoo kept dipping down within range and then flying above her head, cackling as she tried to catch him.

Yllin was the first to start laughing, followed by Minn and the rest of the pack.

“You’d better learn to move faster than that, Borlla,” Rissa said, snorting dust from her nose as she dipped her head to the ground. Trevegg laughed so hard he rolled to the ground, legs waving in the air. Ruuqo joined in, pouncing on the oldwolf as he rolled in the dirt. Yllin tumbled Borlla onto her back, and when Borlla growled at her, she laughed all the harder.

“That will teach you to be so proud, pup!” she said, snorting. She let Borlla up, and then dove out of the way as Tlitoo let loose another stream of droppings. He missed both wolves. Disappointed, the raven flew over Borlla again, and she ran for cover under Rissa’s belly. Rissa collapsed in laughter as Tlitoo, apparently at the end of his supply, flew to a nearby rock.

Borlla’s face was tight with anger, but she couldn’t challenge Rissa or any of the other adults. Ears down and shoulders hunched, she stalked off into the trees. Feeling much better, I helped bury the rest of the stolen meat near the pieces of horse we had hidden earlier. I took a small piece of old horse in my mouth, thinking that if I couldn’t have the firemeat, I at least could have that scrap. But Werrna knocked me over and took it from me.

“You did not earn that food, pup,” she said.

I appealed to Rissa, but she turned her face away from mine. Now it was my turn to stalk away, growling softly to myself as Ruuqo gave the order to rest until the cooling time. The adults settled in the shade, and Rissa lifted her head.

“Pups,” she said, “you may explore nearby if you do not wish to sleep. But do not go far.”

I walked away from the others. I did not like that my status in the pack was so low. I should be as important to the pack as Borlla or Unnan. Hadn’t I been holding my own, getting more meat than any of the others at the horse carcass, and swimming as strongly as anyone? I was afraid the pack would hold it against me that I had tried to go to the humans. I walked until I reached the edge of the Tall Grass plain. Ázzuen followed behind me. Then Borlla emerged from the woods. She’d managed to clean much of the bird dung from her head, and sniffed at the edge of the trees, several wolflengths to my left, keeping a wary eye out for Tlitoo. Unnan and Reel cautiously joined her. Marra poked at tangy berry bushes near where we’d buried the stolen meat, and chewed at their sticky leaves. I nosed an empty gopher hole, and pawed the loose earth, looking for something interesting. Then I heard Borlla’s voice, pitched to carry.

“You know they won’t be able to hunt when the time comes,” she said to Unnan. Ruuqo raised his head, woken from his nap by Borlla’s voice.

It annoyed me that she was so obviously trying to prejudice Ruuqo against us, to make him think of us as weak hunters.

“She could at least be a bit more subtle,” Ázzuen grumbled.

“They couldn’t even cross the river, or steal food,” Borlla continued. “How are they going to hunt anything?”

Reel winced. I thought it was pretty mean of her since she was supposed to be watching out for the smaller pup. Ruuqo gave Borlla, and then me and Ázzuen, a long look before stretching out in the soft-sage and falling back asleep.

But Borlla had given me an idea. I smelled living horse nearby. After tracking the scent for several wolflengths, I spotted the tall, heavy-bodied shapes of horses feeding on the dry grass of the open plain.

“We’ll see who’s a hunter,” I said, mostly to myself.

“What are you going to do?” Ázzuen said, alarmed.

I settled down on my haunches and watched the herd. Before long, we would be expected to hunt with the pack. If I were the first pup to touch live prey, Borlla’s words would be made meaningless. And maybe no one would care that my father might have been an Outsider wolf. Maybe, I thought, I could even catch a prey myself. My heart beat fast as I realized what I was going to do. Looking over my shoulder at Ázzuen, I set off toward the herd, stopping after a few paces. Ázzuen followed reluctantly. I caught Marra’s eye, and she left her exploration of the berry bushes to join us.

“You know we aren’t supposed to wander so far away,” she said, eyeing the horses. She didn’t sound particularly concerned. She was just letting me know how insane she thought I was.

“I know,” I said, “but I want to see them up close, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” she said with a grin. “Just don’t get caught. I am not so fond of trouble as you are. You take too many risks.”

I snorted. Marra was the most likely of us to take chances. I took a few more steps to the horses and then broke into a fast walk-run. Ázzuen and Marra followed.

We were halfway to the horses when I heard a sound behind me. Borlla, Unnan, and Reel ran to catch up to us. Anticipating a fight, the three of us turned to face them. But they did not attack. Instead, they ran past us. I knew then that they were planning to get to the horses first and get all the credit for the idea. Ruuqo and Rissa would once again praise Borlla and ignore me.

Determined not to let Borlla and Unnan reach the horses first, I raced after them. I passed Reel easily and caught up with Unnan and Borlla when they stopped a good ten wolflengths from the horses. Marra was right behind me, and a determined, panting Ázzuen brought up the rear. I leaned close to Borlla’s dirty white ear.

“I’ll bet you’re afraid to go right up to a horse. I bet you don’t really have the courage to be a hunter. This prey isn’t lying on the ground, waiting for you to pick it up.”

Borlla didn’t answer, but looked at me and then at the herd. She turned her nose up and away. I heard Ázzuen snicker behind me. Borlla took a step forward to the prey, but stopped when Reel whined and pressed into her with his shoulder. He looked at her beseechingly, and whispered to her. Her eyes softened, and she nosed him gently. Once more I felt a stab of jealousy at their closeness.

“Thought so,” I said. I should have just left it at that, but I wanted to make sure that Unnan and Borlla—and especially Ruuqo—knew I belonged in the pack. Before long our winter coats would grow in; we pups would need to sort out our positions in the pack before then.

“Come on,” I said to Ázzuen and Marra. On shaking legs, I walked a few steps closer to the horses. They looked a lot bigger close up, and a lot more dangerous than the one the bear had already killed. They smelled of prey—an aroma of sweat and warm flesh. Their breath was scented with chewed grass and dirt. I looked back to see both Marra and Ázzuen watching me nervously. I didn’t want to do this alone. I gave them a pleading look and, after a moment, they followed me. I wasn’t the only one who knew this could determine the status of us pups from now on. Still, I was grateful that they backed me up.

As I knew they would, Borlla and Unnan moved, too, eager to be the first ones to the prey. Reel, after a brief hesitation, followed along. I felt a little sorry for him. He wasn’t a bully like Unnan and Borlla. On his own, he seemed to be a decent wolf. But I didn’t have time to think about him. When I heard Borlla and Unnan coming up behind me, I broke into a run, racing them to get to the horses first.

And then we were among the sturdy beasts, inhaling the scent of their flesh and the grassy smell of their dung. Their breath was warm—I hadn’t expected that—and they began to breathe more shallowly as we darted around their legs. From a distance I heard Ruuqo’s warning bark, but ignored it. I didn’t have the patience to wait to hear what he was saying. I felt the hunter heart beat within me as I moved among the horses.

“They’re just dumb prey!” I shouted giddily to Ázzuen. “No wolf need be afraid of dumb prey!” I laughed. My heart beat with excitement. The blood quickened in my veins. My nostrils flared to take in every drop of scent and my ears lifted to capture every sound. I’d had no idea that this was what the hunt would be like. This was nothing like stalking mice or tracking rabbits. I had never felt so alive, so eager. The dim-witted horses just stood there like rocks. They were meant to be killed, meant to be prey. I understood now that we were the cleverest hunters because we were meant to take the stupid and the slow.

It was then that I remembered that we were supposed to be finding the sick ones, the slow ones. I could not. I could not concentrate on anything but the smell, the feel, the sound of prey around me. I grew light-headed and my stomach turned flips. My head felt distant from my body, and I breathed hard. What was this frenzy? The others were captured by it, too. We grew bold and restless, chasing one another between the horses’ legs. A thrill rushed through me as I imagined myself leading a hunt and biting into the soft flesh of a horse’s belly.

Suddenly the temper of the herd shifted. The horse nearest Reel lowered its head and blew out air with an angry snort. It stamped its feet, shook its head, and reared up on its back legs. The horse beside it screamed in anger and lunged toward Marra, snapping its teeth together. She dodged out of its way with a frightened squeal. All around us, horses stamped and reared and began to run, their hooves striking at our heads. I turned and looked for a way to run, but seeing nothing but moving legs, and crashing hooves, I crouched low in fear. I looked up to see a mass of horses rushing around us, faster than any creature should be able to move.

“
Run!
” Trevegg shouted. “Run or you will be crushed!” Through the throng of horses, I saw the adults racing toward us. Trevegg’s voice cut through my terror, and I was able to get my legs to stand and support me. Struggling to stay on my feet, I bent to shove Ázzuen out of his terrified stupor. He looked at me in confusion, still crouched low.

“Stand up!” I yelled. “Get out of the way!”

I could smell Ázzuen’s fear and confusion. We were surrounded by pounding feet and swirling dust. Now that the first wave of terror had washed over me, I felt all of my senses sharpen. I pushed the fear to a distant corner of my mind.

“We have to avoid their feet until the adults get to us,” I shouted to make myself heard. “We have to keep moving.” A snatch of memory from one of our hunting lessons came back to me.

“If you are much smaller than your prey,” Rissa had said, “there is no point in trying to use your weight to knock the prey over. You will end up fallen in the dirt. You must use your wits, for wits are what make us good hunters. Run in and run out. Use strategy, not force.”

I saw Borlla standing, glaring at a horse and growling, trying to protect Reel, who crouched behind her. Brave, I thought, but stupid. They were too far away for me to reach. Marra was already moving, dodging agilely among the horses, her face fierce with concentration. Ázzuen stood motionless beside me, staring up at the horses in fear. Unnan crouched low, a wolflength away. I shoved Ázzuen hard, pushing him out of the way of moving hooves. Each time he stopped, I shoved him again. The adult wolves reached us then, growling at the horses to keep them away from us. Werrna jumped straight at a horse that was about to crush Unnan, knocking the surprised beast off balance. Even in my fearful state I was impressed by her courage. Ruuqo and Rissa were trying to gather the other wolves in a circle around us, between us and the horses. Marra dove into the circle, and watched, panting, from the relative safety of the protection of the larger wolves. My stumblings had brought me close to Unnan, and I shoved him toward the adults. Yllin grabbed him and dumped him in the middle of the circle. I picked Ázzuen up by his scruff and all but threw him in the direction of the adults, pulling a muscle in my neck so hard it made me yelp, before a horse’s head swung at me, knocking me back. I dodged and ran, then dodged again. Borlla, too, stood outside the protective circle, still growling frantically at the horses as Reel crouched low, whimpering a little.