Changing Fate [Fate series] (11 page)

You get your clothes back
, Akila quipped.
Seriously, I don't know, but I'm afraid we're going to find out.

[Back to Table of Contents]

Once she settled into it, Akila found she rather liked being a full-time wolf. It was much easier to hunt, and she didn't have to take care of the horses—in fact, Briam sternly told her not even to go near them. She didn't have to worry about clothes or take time to dress and braid her hair in the morning. Her fur kept her not only warm but even surprisingly dry; unless it was absolutely pouring rain, the water caught in the outer layers of her coat and could be shaken out. Her paws hardened quickly with all the time she spent on the cliffs and stopped getting sore. Her hands would probably be horribly callused when she changed back, but the thought didn't bother her. The fact that it didn't bother her, however, did bother her—would she want to change back when then time came? Would she even be able to?

As the days passed Akila dimly realized that she was happier than she had ever been in her life—or if not precisely happy, content. Compared to her responsibilities at home, being a wolf was simple. Yes, hunting was hard work, and she got tired, but it was physical weariness, not the sort of exhaustion she used to get from having people depend on her, demand she solve all their problems, criticize her, and gossip about her. And if, as she slept at Briam's side at night, she dreamed of Fire and heard the Maiden calling to her as she slept, the memories faded as soon as she ran out with the pack each morning.

Even when the winter snows came, she remained content. Her body was designed to cope with snow, and she grew more comfortable in her body with each passing day. She and the smaller of the two male wolves became an efficient hunting team, and she became so accustomed to communicating with him that she sometimes wondered if she would still ‘speak’ with whines, growls, head movements and eye contact when she turned human again.

Briam grumbled a bit about the cold and the difficulty of finding forage for the horses, but he never suggested leaving and trying to find other humans. He too seemed content to simply exist, with his activities confined to finding food, keeping the fire going, and playing his lute next to it in the evenings, although he did once comment that he would be glad when spring came and his fingers warmed up a bit more.

They had a mild winter, and soon the snow became rain again. Akila scarcely noticed. Her life was reduced to bare essentials, and calculating the progress of the seasons wasn't part of it anymore. She no longer remembered that at home she would have been working out the schedule for spring planting. She was a wolf, and she was content to be one.

It was pitch dark, and the rain was dripping down at the front of the cave. Akila raised her head and listened again for the sound that had wakened her. There it was, a faint whine. Leaving her position at Briam's side, she crept back to the wolves’ den. It was too dark to see anything, but Akila thought the female was giving birth. This was enough of a departure from the daily routine of hunt, eat, and sleep to make the human, analytical part of Akila's brain start working again.

The female sounded unhappy, but not agonized, and the males were restless, but not howling, so presumably it was all going well enough. Akila didn't have any idea of what to do if something went wrong anyway. She lay there, with the two males crowded in on either side of her and waited for dawn.

When the birth process was over, and there was enough light to count by, Akila discovered that the litter consisted of eight pups—the absolute maximum the mother could feed. Oh well, at least by the time they were old enough to get underfoot the rainy season would be over. If she had to live cooped up in this cave with Briam, three horses, and eleven wolves running around, she really would lose her mind—what little was left of it.

"Akila?” Briam had wakened and missed her. “Where are you?” He crawled to the edge of the den and looked over her shoulder. “Mother of Life! How many of them are there? Eight?” Briam contemplated the puppies. “They're kind of cute—but can she feed all of them?"

Akila laid her head against his leg.
Only if she gets enough to eat. We're going to have to do a
lot
of hunting
.

"I'll help hunt,” Briam said. “It's getting much easier to find food for the horses now, so I have more free time."

As far as Akila was concerned, the puppies were absolutely perfect and adorable. She loved to curl up by the other female and help look after them, even though she couldn't nurse them. Sometimes she wistfully wished she could—and then she sternly reminded herself that she only felt that way because she had the strong maternal instincts of a wolf. When she changed back to human, they'd be merely cute.

Time passed, and the puppies grew. All too soon they were crawling around the cave, and then beginning to venture outside. Fortunately, as Akila had anticipated, this coincided with the end of the rainy season. The sunshine made everyone feel better. Game became more plentiful as more animals came out of their burrows, and hunting was no longer took all available time. Akila and the other wolves took looking after the puppies in shifts; one adult to chase after and round up the babies and three to lie in the sun on the warm rocks and watch.

Forage for the horses was much easier to find as well, but Briam still ranged far with them, usually in the downstream direction. He told Akila that he wanted to explore as much of the area as possible. She and the rest of the pack went with him sometimes, now that the horses and wolves were getting used to each other.

It was late afternoon and they were all far downstream. The puppies were running about, sniffing at everything—they'd never been in this area before. They'd had a good day's hunting, and several extra rabbits hung from Briam's saddle. Akila took a good drink from the river, then flopped limply on the bank, next to the smaller male wolf.

"Akila!” Briam called. “It's late and we should be heading home. Round up the rest of the pack, will you?"

Akila turned her head and looked at him, then stretched into a more comfortable position. She felt no desire to move; the sun was warm, the air was fresh, and she was perfectly happy where she was.

Briam dismounted and come over to touch her so he could carry on the argument.
Come on; we won't get back before dark if we don't hurry.

So take the horses and go ahead. There's plenty of moon these nights for the rest of us—and besides, it's warm enough to sleep out.

Akila?
Briam suddenly seemed to find her behavior strange.
What are you thinking of? We can't sleep out here.

Why not? There's nothing dangerous around here
.

Suddenly, as if to prove her a liar, they could hear screams off in the direction where the puppies and the larger male wolf had disappeared. From the sound of it, the screamer was human and female, not that either Akila or Briam stopped to analyze the sound. Akila took off toward it at her top speed, flanked by the other two wolves. Behind her she could hear the thudding hooves of Briam's horse. She hoped he wouldn't be thrown riding breakneck over uneven ground, but there wasn't much she could do to stop him.

The noise was coming from a girl, about their own age, standing with her back flattened against a tree, while the puppies sniffed at this strange new creature and the male growled. Her screams were subsiding to terrified whimpers until she caught sight of three more wolves, at which point they went back to full volume.

Akila stood and contemplated her dispassionately. She'd probably be quite pretty if she'd stop screaming and close her mouth. Of course, she'd need to be cleaned up a bit. Her long pale hair had come half undone from its braids and was liberally festooned with leaves and twigs, and her eyes were swollen from the tears that were making tracks in the grime on her face. The hem of her dress was in tatters, and the sleeves were almost as ragged. They had fallen back to her elbows when she clasped her hands at her breast, revealing an assortment of scratches and insect bites on both forearms.

A crashing noise behind her announced the arrival of Briam's horse—hopefully still accompanied by Briam. “Get back!” Briam dismounted and pushed between her and the larger male wolf. “Get those puppies away from her!” He reached to grab the nearest one, and the mother sprang on him, knocking him over. The girl screamed even louder, though Akila would have sworn that was impossible. In defense of her own ears, she sprang forward and shoved the female off Briam, who scrambled hastily to his feet and moved to defend the girl. Akila started chasing the puppies back. The puppies thought this was a great game. The other wolves moved to help, and soon the wolves were gathered together several yards from the girl, who was now sobbing hysterically in Briam's arms.

Akila stalked over and leaned against Briam's leg.
Quiet her down, will you,
she thought impatiently.

What do you expect?
Briam thought back indignantly.
She's frightened!

And I'm getting a splitting headache! Shut her up, or I'll really give her something to scream about!

Don't be such a bitch! I really think you've been a wolf too long!
Briam stepped away from her, drawing the girl with him.

Akila stared at him in disbelief.
What does he mean ‘bitch'? I'm his sister—and all my life I've taken care of him! And he's always loved me and listened to me. What is the matter with him? Granted, she's pretty enough, but anybody stupid enough to scream like that at the sight of a few wolves—there'd be some sense in it if screaming were likely to scare us away, but as it is her behavior is idiotic! What does he see in her?

"Hush, now,” Briam murmured soothingly to the girl. “It's all right; they won't hurt you. Most of them are just babies."

"But they're so big! And one of them knocked you down!"

"That's the mother,” Briam explained. “She didn't want me to hurt them. It's all right, really. They're just pets."

Pets!
Akila thought in outrage.
He'd have starved without us! And he dares call us ‘pets'!
Briam couldn't hear her, of course, since he was several feet away, but her internal voice replied.

And ‘pet’ is hardly a proper thing to call one's sister
. It had the gall to sound amused.

I can think of a few things I'd like to call him!

Oh come now, he's always had a romantic streak, and here's the perfect damsel in distress.

Probably due to her own stupidity
. Akila sniffed.
I wonder what he thinks he's going to do with her.

The girl was making a valiant, if rather obvious, effort to control herself. She did manage to get her sobbing under control, but she still clung to Briam as if he was the only thing that could save her from a Horrible Fate. “I'm sorry, truly I am—I know it's silly of me, but I just can't stand wolves. You see, there was this horrible creature—” she shuddered and leaned against Briam's shoulder. “Have you ever heard of were-wolves?"

Briam shook his head. “Try not to be scared,” he said comfortingly. “Truly, they won't hurt you. What is your name, my lady?"

The girl dried her eyes on what remained of her left sleeve and looked up at him, her eyelashes fluttering very slightly. “Druscilla."

"Druscilla.” Briam gallantly kissed her grubby hand. “I'm called Briam."

Druscilla blushed and pulled her hand away. “Thank you for saving me from the wolves.” She looked nervously at the pack, who were sprawled about looking at her.

Briam followed her gaze. “Really, it's all right.” He turned to Akila, and held out a hand. “Here, come say hello to Druscilla."

Akila stalked over, eyeing them warily. Druscilla shrank back, then gulped, reached out and patted her tentatively on the head. “Nice wolf,” she said in a quivering voice.

Akila endured it stiffly for a moment and then leaned on Briam.
Tell her not to try that with the others—wolf instinct says to flinch and snap when someone reaches for the top of your head like that. She should put her hand out low and palm up and let them smell her.

Can't you tell them to behave?
he thought back.

Not the way you can tell her. Come, brother, there are eleven of them and one of her—and I hope she's more intelligent than they are!

Briam reached out and took Druscilla's hand, turning it as Akila had directed. “Here, my lady, like this."

Akila sniffed the outstretched hand reluctantly.
She stinks!

If you think perfume smells worse than damp wolf, you've certainly been a wolf too long!
Briam shot back.

And if you'd rather be with a ninny who can't even take care of herself than the wolf-pack that's been keeping you fed, fine! Go ahead! But you can do your own hunting from now on!
Akila turned and fled blindly into the hills. The rest of the pack followed her.

She ran until she was ready to drop, then she burrowed into the underbrush and curled up in a miserable, whimpering ball of fur.

How could he? I've taken care of him all my life, and he just brushes me off as if I were nothing—as if I were just a ‘pet’ wolf. No, that's not true, he takes better care of his horses; at least for them he feels some responsibility. I'm just in the way all the sudden—coming between him and his lady-love. ‘Be nice to her, Akila; make the rest of the pack be nice to her'—as if I could control the behavior of eleven wolves without even trying!

If she were in human form, she'd be crying. As it was, she was frightening the wolves; all eleven of them were crowded around her trying to comfort her. And I can't even talk to them! She threw back her head and howled in despair. It didn't make her feel any better.

I might just as well go back home and marry Lord Ranulf—he seems to be the only person alive who might still want me, now that Briam thinks I'm a bitch and doesn't love me anymore
. She lay there and thought about home, about sleeping in a bed instead of on rocks and dirt, having the people she'd known all her life around her instead of being out in the woods with no one to talk to, having servants to bring food to the table without her having to turn into a wolf and go catch it herself. At the moment the idea was almost unbearably attractive. She contemplated it for a long time before the sense of duty her father had carefully trained into her ("take good care of your brother, Akila") finally triumphed.