Fire Wolf: CINAED (New Scotia Pack Book 3) (7 page)

“Yes, indeed.”

Brack seemed to be making a show of acquiescence. Ken knew it, but a single incident wasn’t sufficient reason for sending him home. Without solid, irrefutable grounds, he could cause a tricky diplomatic incident with New Gaul. That was why Ken was feeling more regret by the second for having said yes to Grey’s proposal that he lead the team.

Ken had alpha traits in his core personality, but they were dormant since he had an older brother who was king of their tribe. Their middle brother, Conn, was a born beta, a perfect enforcer and second in command. Since the position of alpha was filled, Ken had turned his intellect toward creative and inventive solutions to the problems the wolf people faced in making the new world the best it could be. He hoped he wouldn’t have to prove that his bookish ways cleverly disguised a formidable alpha personality, but he would if it came to that.

He suspected his wily old uncle knew that, which was why he had the dratblasted job of herding a pack of misfit wolves he didn’t pick.

Ken glanced at Starfire when he reentered the dining room followed by a contrite-looking Loper and a smarmy-looking Brack. She thought Ken’s look held blame, but it could have been her imagination. Certainly she couldn’t read Cinaed on any level.

After dinner, Grey summoned the five explorers to a meeting in the living room.

“We’re sending enough supplies for three weeks. If you’re not back here at the end of that time, we’ll take that to mean you found trouble and engage search and rescue. If it comes to that, we’ll track you and bring a lot more than five. I’m not trying to scare you. We have no reason to believe there’s something to fear on the other side of the mountains we can see. But the not knowing is just plain bothersome.”

Cinaed nodded. “Understood.”

“Let there be no misunderstanding. Ken is in charge until you return here and are released from your obligation. Any questions?”

Loper shook his head. Brack looked sullen.

“Yeah,” said Redruff. “I need to make sure my list has been filled. Who’s packing the wagon?”

Grey smiled. “Come an hour before sunrise. You’ll get your chance to inventory as supplies are being loaded. I picked out your oxen myself. Two young steers. Strong and mild-mannered.”

Redruff nodded once. “Perfect. In that case, I’m off to bed.” She looked at Starfire, then the others. “See you tomorrow.”

“Night,” said Cinaed.

“Me, too,” Star said. “Good night.” She didn’t look at anyone in particular, but generically swept her gaze over the room.

Starfire crawled into bed and under the covers. She’d left the window shutters open so she could look out at the stars, which were especially pretty when the sky was dark at the new moon. She wanted to sleep and forget about what she’d be facing the next morning, but sleep wouldn’t come. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she was going to be in close proximity to the very wolf she’d vowed to avoid twenty-four hours a day, for the next three weeks. She cursed the expedition, cursed fate and wished she’d never met Cinaed.

CHAPTER FIVE

Her inner clock told her it was an hour before sunrise. That, and the fact that Redruff and Grey weren’t exactly being quiet about inventory and loading in front of the house. She’d slept fitfully, dreading the moment when she had to join the exploration party downstairs. After forcing herself out of bed and to a standing position, she pulled on the clothes she’d laid out, and pulled the duffel string tight on the bag of personal belongings she was taking.

Everyone on the team left their clothes in the wagon and shifted into wolf form except for Redruff who was driving. Just before he shifted, Ken looked up at Redruff and said, “Do no’ worry if ye do no’ see us. We’ll have ye in sight at all times. Keep a steady pace, but do no’ hurry, especially when ye get to the incline. These are the only oxen we’re goin’ to get.”

Redruff nodded and started the oxen forward.

To the others, he said, “When we reach the foothills, fan out and keep a nose to the ground.”

“What are we looking for?” Loper asked.

“Signs of unexpected visitors. Other shifters. Stay in control of yer wolves and do no’ go chasin’ rabbits.”

Ken noticed that Starfire had already shifted and had trotted off toward the front range. When she’d first shifted in front of him, he’d been mesmerized by her beauty. Her wolf was mostly black with soulful eyes the color of cognac that retained the look of exceptional human intelligence even when she was in animal form. As soon as he shifted he knew he was going to have to exert a lot of willpower to stay focused or else he was going to gravitate to wherever Starfire was. It seemed the wolf part of his personality found her irresistibly appealing.

There were a few spring-fed ponds on the valley floor, enough so that the team stayed hydrated even though the late April sun was starting to feel warm on fur coats that hadn’t yet fully shed. When one of them got hungry, they dropped back to the wagon, shifted to human form and kept Redruff company on the wagon seat long enough to consume some jerky.

When Ken finished his midday snack, he said, “I do no’ mind takin’ the wagon for a bit if ye’d like to stretch yer legs.”

Redruff was delighted by the offer. “Very generous of you. Sure you don’t mind?”

“I do no’. But if I’m to be up here for a while, I’m puttin’ on pants. I’ve ne’er much liked splinters in my bare behind.”

“Get your pants on then.” She laughed.

They managed to dress or undress, as the case may be, and change drivers without ever pulling the oxen to a stop. Ken did, however, stop at one of the ponds with a shore shallow enough so that they could drink without upsetting the wagon or getting the wheels buried in mud.

Knowing she’d be confined to a wagon seat for the rest of the day, Redruff in wolf form took advantage of her break and stretched out at a full run making circles around the wagon a mile in circumference. Watching the joy of a wolf in flight made Ken laugh out loud. After taking six circles, Redruff trotted up to the wagon and traded places with Ken.

“Thank you,” she said. “That felt good.”

“Was my pleasure. By the way, do you know how to whistle? Loud?”

“I do.”

“If ye should have any trouble on the climb up the hill, give a whistle.” She smiled and nodded. “See you up top.”

“See you up top,” she repeated.

Redruff never gave a whistle. Ken was impressed with her skill and ability to get oxen and wagon up the rough terrain without incident or accident. By the time she pulled into the ruins of the dragon shifters’ castle, it was getting dark. The others had gathered wood and built a fire, but were grateful to lay hands on their clothes because the night was getting cold, partly because the sun was almost down and partly because of the higher altitude.

“Did you get here early enough to take a look at what’s on the other side?” Redruff asked, when the oxen were hobbled and fed the hay they’d brought in the wagon.

“Aye,” said Ken. “What’s on the other side, as far as we can see from here is more of the same. Mountains. That means this is as far as the wagon can go.”

Team members looked at Cinaed with shocked expressions.

Loper cleared his throat. “What do you mean? We can’t, ah, just leave the wagon. Can we?”

“Of course not,” said Brack. “It’s the same thing as saying we’re going to turn around and go back.”

Ken shook his head. “’Tis no’ the same. I planned for this.”

“You planned for it?” Redruff asked.

“Aye.” Ken turned to her. “Make us your best meal because we’ll be eatin’ what our wolves can kill from here on.”

Loper cleared his throat again. “How, um…”

“Do no’ worry so much.” Ken smiled at Loper. “All is well.”

While Redruff made a campfire supper with iron skillets, Ken pulled a burlap sack down from the wagon.

“I devised these packs. Four of them. Tested them on some of the young wolves in New Scotia and they work out fine. We’ll divide what we need to get by four ways. A change of clothes, matches, jerky, a canteen. One of us will fit the others with packs before shiftin’. We’ll take turns so that one of us will be without a pack every fifth day.”

Everyone was silent as each processed the fact that the experience they’d expected had just morphed into something altogether different.

“Exploration is no’ meant to be easy,” Ken said. “If ‘twas, someone would’ve already done it. Right?”

“Right,” Redruff said. “What about the oxen?”

“Goin’ to have to let ‘em go. They’ll head back down to the valley and be found by some of us. I told Grey no’ to be alarmed if they turned up in the next couple of days as I suspected this might happen.”

“Seems you have thought this through. You really were prepared and I have to say it’s impressive,” Redruff said.

Though Starfire remained silent she agreed completely. Cinaed was proving to be impressive indeed.

“Impressive!” Brack spat. “Stupid is more like it.”

The look Ken turned on Brack made Star shiver. Brack was either exceptionally stupid himself or he was challenging Ken’s status.

Ken moved so fast he was almost a blur. He jerked Brack up from where he sat on a rock with a left handful of shirt while he used his right fist for a strategic blow to the face.

“Owwwwwwwwwww.” Loper said it in a way that sounded partly like an expression of pain, partly like a howl, and partly like a cheer of encouragement.

Ken spoke slowly and evenly to Brack. “Let’s have this out now. There’s no room for foolishness on a mission such as this. So I’ll ask you once and only once. Do ye submit?”

He pulled back his right hand to deliver another blow, but Brack said, “Yes. I submit.”

When Ken let him go, Brack brought his hands up to his face.

“That’s gonna be some colorful display of pain in a couple days,” Loper said to Brack. “From here it looks like Ken hits hard.”

“Why don’t you shut up?” Brack said.

“Playtime’s over,” said Redruff cheerfully. “Dinner’s up.”

After they accepted plates from Redruff, Loper sat down on a flat boulder next to Starfire. “You’ve been quiet.”

“Nothing to say.”

“Hmmm. Really?
Nothing
to say?”

“Well, an hour ago we were doing one thing. Now we’re doing something else. I think an expedition team needs to be flexible and expect the unexpected.”

“Well said,” Redruff added.

And Ken agreed. Starfire didn’t say much, but what she said was worth hearing.

“It’s getting colder,” Redruff said.

“At least there’s no wind,” added Starfire.

Ken was grateful to have someone add something positive. Morale could be a problem, with early changes and one seriously disgruntled team member.

“Since we can no’ take a lot of clothes, we’re going to need to wear fur most of the time. Redruff will run without a pack tomorrow so she’ll be the last one to shift.”

Without the need for further instructions, they shifted and curled up for sleep.

The next morning they pulled out as many essentials as could be fitted into the packs. Ken showed Redruff how to outfit the wolves with packs. They had to step into a custom harness-type design. The trick was to get them tight enough around the forelegs and chest because wolf skin is extremely loose. The weight of the packs would be constantly shifting in an irritating way that could pull the carrier off balance if not secured just right.

“Think ye have the idea?” Ken said to Redruff when only one pack remained.

“I do. These really are ingenious. I hate going off and leaving a wagon full of supplies though.”

“Most of the contents will no’ spoil. We can come back and retrieve the wagon when the tour is done.”

“True. That makes me feel somewhat better about it.”

“Then trick me out like a beast of burden.”

Ken’s anthropoid form dissolved into canine. Redruff arranged the pack straps on the ground for him to step into. When his rig was tightened down, they were ready to be away.