Spirit of the Wolves (3 page)

I took a deep breath. I was only ten moons old. For most of my life, older wolves had made decisions and led the way. That time was past. TaLi shifted her pack on her shoulders. Ázzuen and Marra watched me expectantly.

I yipped once, and led my packmates from the aspen grove. We had no time to waste.

A
s we neared the banks of the river that marked the edge of Swift River lands, Ázzuen, Marra, and I kept the humans between us. The riverbank was exposed and a good place for an ambush. But the only one waiting for us there was a friend, a tall, broad-chested wolf with fur the color of summer grass.

“So Ruuqo and Rissa wouldn't come?” Pell didn't bother to hide his disdain. He was larger than the wolves of Swift River and well-muscled. At nearly three years old, he was supposed to be the next leaderwolf of the Stone Peak pack, a rival to Swift River. Instead, he had chosen to come with us, though he had no fondness for humans. Marra said it was because he wanted me for his mate. I thought he just craved adventure, as many youngwolves did. I was glad to have such a strong wolf with us on our journey.

“No,” I said. “They think the Greatwolves will protect them.”

I told Pell and Marra what had happened with Milsindra in the aspen grove. I was afraid that Pell would say something contemptuous about my birthpack. He'd always thought them weak. Instead, he licked the top of my head and nipped me lightly on the ear.

“You already knew that Milsindra wanted to kill you, Kaala,” he said. “We just have to get to your mother quickly.”

Marra yipped in agreement and splashed into the river. Ázzuen and Pell charged in after her and began to paddle across. MikLan waded in until he was up to his chest, then swam.

I looked at TaLi in concern. She couldn't swim. She had grown taller since I'd found her clinging to a rock in the rain-swollen river and she'd crossed the river many times since. Still, it made me nervous every time she did so. She was tired and injured, weaker than I'd seen her in a long time. The river was as wide across as thirty wolves standing nose to tail, and fast-moving after the end of winter rains. I wished I was strong enough to carry her across.

“I'll be fine, Silvermoon,” she said.

She stepped onto a rock in the river and then leapt to another. I swam as close to her as I could. To my relief, Ázzuen, who had reached the far side of the river, waded back in so that he was standing at the spot right before it got too deep for a wolf of his size to do so. The water pulled at his chest, but he kept his footing. I remembered him as a smallpup, struggling the first time we crossed the river. He had been the weakest wolf in the Swift River pack. Now he stood as strong and steady as the most dominant youngwolf.

When Pell saw Ázzuen standing in the river, he looked at
me and then splashed in, too. TaLi was more than halfway across.

“I don't need your help,” Ázzuen said to him.

Pell ignored him. He was taller than Ázzuen and could wade a full wolflength farther into the river. Ázzuen, trying to follow him, lost his footing and fell into the water.

TaLi, watching them, fell, too, just before she reached a rock two leaps away from the riverbank. She splashed face-first into the water and, for a terrifying moment, disappeared. Ázzuen, Pell, and I all lunged for her. Right as Ázzuen and Pell reached her, she sat up in what I could now see was a shallow part of the river. Unable to halt their momentum, Pell and Ázzuen crashed into her and she almost went under again. She shoved both of them away, struggled to her feet, and staggered toward the riverbank. Ázzuen took the preyskin clothing the humans called a
tunic
in his jaws and tried to pull her to shore. She fell once more. Crawling on her hands and knees, she reached the riverbank just as Ázzuen and I did.

“Please don't help me across the river again,” she said to Ázzuen and Pell, wringing out the dried preyskins she wore as clothing. She was beginning to smell like wet deer.

I pressed against TaLi to try to warm her, only to realize that my fur was as wet as her clothing.

Adjusting her pack on her back, TaLi glared at all of us and stomped into the woods.

It was darkfall when we reached the low hills that abutted the eastern mountains at the valley's edge. While the humans built a small fire and laid out preyskins to sleep on, I ranged
up the nearest hill. It would take the humans at least half the next day to climb it, and I wanted to see what awaited us. Ázzuen, Marra, and Pell explored other paths, looking for the best way up the hill. I soon found a trail that rose gently enough to make for easy walking. Faded scents of humans and the more recent aroma of deer told me who had used the path before us. The human scent was old enough that it didn't concern me. Satisfied, I trotted back to our humans.

They had allowed their fire to go out. I was glad. Smoke in the night would have made it easier for anyone—human or wolf—to track us. MikLan was curled up around both packs as if guarding them. I looked for TaLi next to him. She wasn't there.

I lowered my nose to track her, following her trail away from the embers of the humans' fire to a birch grove nearby. Her scent was there, along with one I knew all too well.

Churned earth and human footprints scrambled one upon the other beneath my paws. One of TaLi's foot-coverings, her
boots
, as the humans called them, lay crumpled in the dirt. The human male DavRian's scent of sweat and dream-sage was all over it. My lips pulled back from my teeth in a snarl as I barked sharply three times to call my packmates.

DavRian had taken her. She was gone.

I couldn't believe I'd been so careless. I shouldn't have left her unguarded. DavRian had stolen her once before, after striking her so hard she'd fallen unconscious. He was violent and dangerous and TaLi was alone with him. Panic weakened my legs.
TaLi had blunt teeth and weak jaws and was almost as helpless as a pup. I forced myself to move on unsteady legs. I'd sooner place my own throat in Milsindra's jaws than leave TaLi with DavRian.

Deep in the birch forest, I heard a shout and then a scuffle. I ran toward the sound.

DavRian had left a trail like a rampaging elkryn and I easily followed the broken branches and trampled earth he'd left behind. In a small clearing among the birches and spruce, I caught up with him, then slowed so I could approach unseen.

DavRian knelt, gripping TaLi and clamping his hand over her mouth. I crouched down, forcing myself to control my fury at DavRian and my fear for TaLi and trying to think of the best attack. Then something in DavRian's expression caught my attention. I expected to see anger or hatred in his face, but he looked down at TaLi with tenderness. DavRian had wanted TaLi enough to leave his own village to try to win her. He had been devastated when she'd chosen BreLan over him. I knew that a wolf without a pack could act strangely, could feel so alone in the world that he did foolish things, and DavRian was a lonely human. He was whispering something to TaLi, and it looked like he was telling her his deepest secrets. For a moment, I pitied him. I had been rejected by my pack when I was a smallpup and knew what it was like to be shunned by those I wanted most to care about me. Then I saw the bruises and cuts on TaLi's face and the fear and fury in her eyes, and I snarled. DavRian was alone because he was malicious and weak, not the other way around. I watched him, trying to decide how to free TaLi from his grasp.

He had set his sharpstick within grabbing distance. It was
made of alder wood, and looked like a long, thin branch. Unlike an ordinary branch, it was almost completely straight and smooth. On the end of it was one of the stone blades that the humans could make as sharp as any fang. The humans called them
spears
and they were among their favorite hunting and fighting tools. At his waist DavRian had another blade, this one fastened to a smaller piece of wood. He must have thought I was foolish enough to run after him without making sure it was safe to do so. He'd told other humans over and over that we wolves were lesser creatures and that we were savage and stupid. It was my good luck that he actually believed it.

Ázzuen padded up behind me. He touched his nose to my face. His familiar scent of Swift River Pack, moist earth, and juniper calmed me. I found myself wanting to return his touch by curling up beside him and letting our breath mingle in sleep. I shook myself, wondering how I could think of resting while TaLi was in trouble.

“You know it's a trap?” he whispered.

I dipped my head in acknowledgment.

“Like we hunted the aurochs,” he said, then circled around so he was crouching on the other side of the two humans, hidden by thick grouse bushes. DavRian was shifting uneasily from knee to knee, turning his head sharply back and forth as he waited for me. Ázzuen and I didn't even have to look at each other. When we had killed an auroch—a huge, evil-tempered beast—just a few days before, we had brought it down by angering it and then pouncing. Considering DavRian's disposition, Ázzuen must have figured it should work just as well with him.

Ázzuen rustled the leaves of the bush where he hid. DavRian stood and, still clutching TaLi, whirled toward the sound. I stalked up behind the human and took the edge of his tunic in my teeth and pulled. He squealed like a forest pig and spun back around. TaLi stomped hard on his foot and drove her elbow into his stomach just as Ázzuen darted from his hiding place to jump at DavRian. DavRian released TaLi and dropped his sharpstick. TaLi fell to her hands and knees, snatched up DavRian's sharpstick, and darted into the woods. Ázzuen butted DavRian once more and I slammed into the back of his legs, toppling him to the ground.

Ázzuen bolted into the woods after TaLi, but I stood over DavRian. My anger drew my lips back from my teeth and made my fur stand up along my spine. Saliva dripped onto his chest. He had killed TaLi's grandmother and would have killed me and all of my packmates. He'd hurt TaLi. And I knew he'd come after us; he'd try to steal TaLi from me again.

Never kill a human unprovoked
. It was one of the most important parts of the Promise. If wolves killed humans, then the humans would attack us more often than they already did, so we never harmed them unless it was in defense of our lives. Some creatures break promises as easily as a raven snaps a twig. We do not, for trust is everything in a wolf pack.

I stepped away from DavRian.

“Silvermoon!” TaLi called. “Come on!”

I snarled one more time at DavRian and ran to find TaLi. I caught up with her as she loped, with Ázzuen at her side, through the woods and back toward the humans' resting spot. When we reached MikLan, I fetched TaLi's foot-covering for her.

MikLan scrambled to his feet.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“DavRian found us,” TaLi answered, taking the boot from me. I expected her to be frightened, but she just sounded determined. I nosed her hand, wondering if she was all right. She smiled down at me, her eyes fierce in the moonlight.

“I knew he would,” she said, “so I let him take me.” She balanced on one foot and pulled on the boot. “When he asked where we were going, I lied. I told him we were going to the Rellin village in the southern hills.”

It was a smart thing to do, and brave, but I hated it when TaLi took risks. I pawed her leg.

She grinned. “By the time he figures out that's not where I went, he won't be able to follow our trail.” MikLan frowned at her. He was worried, too.

“I do know what I'm doing,” she said to us. I had protected TaLi since the first day I met her, and I couldn't help but think of her as a pup. But when I looked at the firm set of her jaw, I knew I could no more keep her from facing danger than I could keep Ázzuen or Marra from hunting vicious prey.

She squatted next to the preyskin she had slept upon and began gathering the humans' belongings into their packs.

“Let's move camp,” she said.

I sat next to her as she worked, looking out beyond the clearing and listening for the sound of DavRian's footsteps, guarding her as best I could against the darkness of the night.