Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (31 page)

  
              The minutes stretched out and it was quickly becoming too much for him to remain standing. Giving in to his exhaustion, he watched the wolf closely as he finally eased himself back to the ground with his feet curled under him ready to spring should the wolf decide to attack. But it didn’t move. It had finished cleaning its paws and now just sat contentedly watching him.

  
              Thane couldn’t help but notice what an extraordinarily beautiful creature it was. Its coat was completely white without a single blemish, unlike those that had raided the village. Its eyes were the clearest blue giving them the appearance of being almost white and held within them a spark of great intelligence that was difficult to discount. Peering into those eyes, he almost felt as if the giant wolf could talk to him. Thane’s eyes broke from his stare and fell upon its open mouth and the rows of razor-sharp teeth. He shuddered and unconsciously put his hand to his throat at the thought of how those teeth might rip into someone’s flesh and tear it to shreds without the least bit of effort. Its body was lean and Thane automatically judged it to possess extreme agility and tremendous quickness.

The terrible thought suddenly broke through his racing mind that should the wolf choose to, he would not be fast enough to keep it from shredding him into tiny pieces. Why hadn’t it attacked? Why was it just sitting there watching him?

                 Thane’s gaze moved back to the wolf’s face and he found himself staring into its eyes once again. Soon, he felt himself begin to relax. His body slowly released its tension and he found himself beginning to feel almost comfortable with the animal. It continued to sit motionless peering back into his green eyes with a look that was almost inviting. Gradually, Thane felt like he was being drawn in by the wolf’s stare. It was as if its gaze were pulling at his soul, inviting him to let go and be one with it. At first he resisted, pulling back with some effort while at the same time trying to release the stare that appeared to now be locked in between them. But an unseen force seemed to have grasped hold of his mind as if pulling his very thoughts out of his skull. Thane felt he was losing ground; that control was being taken away. He tried to resist but it was too late. He was no longer himself and his mind was now a rush of jumbled thoughts that made no sense.

Suddenly, the wolf was gone and Thane found he was staring at an image of himself. His senses sharpened incredibly to the point that he could distinctively smell every scent in the cave as if each one was the only smell around him. His ears where aware of every movement including the slightest shifting being made behind the chests and somehow he knew they came from a small mouse trying to hide.

                 He focused on the image sitting before him and he suddenly realized that the room had turned itself around and he was looking at the back wall where he should have been sitting. But he
was
sitting there, or at least his image was.
But how can that be?
Then, like a wall of rock crashing down, it hit him. It wasn’t an image that he was looking at but was, in fact, him. His thoughts had become part of the wolf’s. He could now sense the instinctive desires and needs of the animal. The urge to hunt and track and kill were strong but just as fierce was a concern for a hairless two-legged one and a desire to protect him. Thane thought at first that the concern he was feeling was for him but he quickly realized that the scent was different than his own. He could smell himself! Taking another quick sniff he decided that he needed a bath. He also found the he could differentiate his own scent from the memory of the other who smelled strangely like an animal skin.

Without warning, his mind was abruptly flooded with flashes of memories that were not his own but that were quickly becoming his. The smell of wet and cold stuck to his nose and the sounds of the wind were all around. With the wind came the sent of something foreign mixed with the scent of blood. It wasn’t the stench of the large ones but more like the odor of the hairless two-legged one when he was without his animal skin covering. He remembered running and following a scent that became stronger as he went until, at last, he found its source prostrate in the snow. It was him. He saw two large hands reach down and pick him up and then he felt a sudden warm feeling as someone stroked his head.

                 The smell of the hairless two-legged one was beginning to increase and the sights, sounds, and smells of memories were quickly shut out. Thane could hear the shuffling of feet coming up the passageway to the cave and he wanted to tense up to defend himself but instead was washed over with a feeling of joy by the approach of this newcomer. His scent was familiar. It was the scent of animal hides.

  
              Thane’s mind whipped back with the speed of a flying arrow and suddenly he found himself staring back at the wolf again. His senses felt fuzzy for a moment but sharpened quickly when what appeared to be a small troll appeared in the doorway.

  
              He tensed, coming to his feet with lightning quickness as the troll-like creature stepped to the side of the giant wolf. With Thane’s sudden movement, the wolf also shot to its feet and now stared at him menacingly, a low growl emitting from its throat.

  
              “Easy now Erl,” the newcomer said. “Our guest is just a little unsure of us.”

             
Thane watched the troll-like creature as he put a hand on the wolf and then extended the other and dropped the bow he carried. Then, he slowly moved his hand to his belt and undid it, dropping it as well along with the sheathed knife that was fastened to it. Thane recognized the gesture for what it was but was still not convinced that the troll-man would not send the wolf after him the second he let down his guard. He had heard the strange sounds that had come from his mouth and though he couldn’t understand them it was obvious that the wolf did. He had to stay alert but at the same time his body was screaming for relief and he knew he couldn’t hold himself up much longer.

  
              Thane glared at the troll-man. He was quite a bit larger than Thane but not quite the size of a troll. His face was covered with white fur and he wore a type of clothing that was wrapped tightly all over his body. Actually, except for the fur on his face and the curved ears, he looked quite similar to a fat Chufa male.

It was then that Thane remembered the stories of the HuMans the Kinpa had told him and how they helped the evil one almost destroy the Chufa. It couldn’t be! The blood suddenly drained from his head almost stealing his consciousness.
A HuMan? Even though the Kinpa had mixed them in with the stories about the evil one, everyone still thought them to be myths; tales to tell young Chufa to make them scared of upsetting the Kinpa.

  
              “Come on now friend. I’m glad to see you finally up but let’s put that knife away before someone, namely me, gets hurt.”

  
              The HuMan spoke again; the sound of it was like tiny rocks being moved around in his mouth but it didn’t sound angry or threatening. Thane knew he couldn’t hold himself up for very much longer so he attempted to communicate hoping the HuMan would understand. “Chee Shi Lo? Ku No Ney Chee Ni?”

  
              The HuMan shook his head and raised his shoulders and hands. The darkness was threatening Thane’s vision again and he quickly became desperate. Soon, he knew he would black out and then he would be left defenseless. “Chee Shi Ee Oonteedi So Ee Nonax?”

  
              “I can’t understand what you’re saying, but I can see by the way you’re moving that you’re about to be sleeping like a baby.”

  
              The grunts and rumbles left the HuMan’s mouth again and all Thane could think of was how ugly a language it was, if in fact he was intelligent enough to even speak a language. His legs suddenly buckled dropping him to the ground. He looked up, expecting the HuMan to be on him with his wolf and his knife but instead found that he still stood by the entrance merely watching him. The grip on his dagger was quickly loosening until he could no longer hold it in his hand and it dropped harmlessly to the ground. All of his energy was now being spent on trying to stay conscious.

  
              Suddenly, he felt someone sitting him up against the cave wall and holding him there. He opened his eyes and found them looking directly into the HuMan’s face.
How did he get there so fast?
Thane tensed his muscles and tried to react but found that his body would not respond. He was beat. He was left to the whims of the HuMan and his wolf.

  
              He watched as the HuMan grabbed another animal skin and then covered him with it. The large wolf dropped to the ground by the entrance blocking it completely and closed its eyes as if to sleep. The HuMan turned and picked up the dagger Thane had dropped and then turned back around to face him. Thane stiffened but kept his features placid trying to show his enemy that he was not afraid. Was the HuMan going to use his own knife to kill him? Knowing he didn’t have the strength to fight him off, Thane waited for the killing blow knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it. Quieting his mind, he pushed away the myriad of thoughts that tried to crowd in with the realization that death was only moments away. But then the HuMan did something totally unexpected. He lifted the fur that covered Thane’s body and, instead of stabbing him, he replaced the dagger into its sheath. Then, turning his back, he busied himself by the fire.

  
              Thane watched in awe not quite understanding what was happening. Was he too hungry or tired to kill him right then? Why hadn’t he done it earlier when he was asleep? That would be cowardice and by his actions so far, and the way he carried himself, Thane was certain that he was not a coward but a noble person. If he wanted Thane dead, wouldn’t he have just left him in the snow instead of going to the trouble of bringing him here and reviving him? Maybe he wasn’t an enemy after all. But, what of the stories?

The questions that raced through his mind were becoming a cacophony of noise that was giving him a headache. He quickly determined that he would have to just wait and watch to see how things unfolded. He was in no condition to dictate anything, even his own life.

                 The smell of cooking food wafted over and swam about his nostrils in a mocking dance. He felt saliva building up in his mouth and his stomach rumbled as if begging for something to eat. The cramping from the onions had finally ceased leaving an empty space that now demanded it be filled. He needed food soon or he felt he might just slip away and die. Maybe he was being starved to death. He cast the thought away almost immediately. It didn’t fit with what he had heard about HuMans. They were bloodthirsty killers. They enjoyed the sight of blood being spilt.

  
              Suddenly, the HuMan stood up and turned back to him. At first he was worried that maybe he had somehow read his thoughts but the HuMan showed no malice in his expression. Instead, he emptied some brown liquid into a bowl and placed it in front of Thane. Both men stared at each other for a long moment before the HuMan grunted, “Are you hungry?”

Thane looked at him curiously, obviously not understanding a single word. The HuMan rubbed his stomach and then motioned his hand to his mouth as if eating something.

                 “Ney Chee Ni Donakir Kono?” Thane asked and then shook his head slightly.

  
              “Don’t trust me, eh? Well, I guess I don’t blame you.”

  
              Thane stared at the HuMan helplessly wishing he could, in some way, communicate. The HuMan picked up the bowl and placed it to his mouth and took a sip. Smiling, he then passed it to Thane and motioned again for him to eat. This time, Thane reached out a weak hand and took the bowl; his mind now set at ease since the HuMan drank first. To the Chufa, the sharing of food in such a manner was a sign of friendship and trust.

  
              Thane sniffed at the liquid. It didn’t smell like anything he had ever smelled before but his stomach didn’t seem to care. It cried out with another loud rumble eliciting a slight smile from the HuMan. Thane shrugged and then took a small drink. It was warm and felt good in his stomach but the taste was something he had never known. It wasn’t a bad taste, just different. Throwing all caution aside, he quickly finished it and then pushed it forward. “Eelo Wahkano Wananir Nik? Eelo Sho No Po Hieyir.”

  
              The HuMan’s smile widened. He took the bowl as if fully understanding what was just said, and quickly refilled it. Thane drained it and four more bowls full before finally shaking his head no at the offer of more. The man took the bowl and filled it for himself and then sat down in front of Thane. After a few sips he looked at Thane and said, placing his hand on his chest, “I am Jack.” Then patting his chest again repeated, “Jack.”

  
              Thane tried to say the word but it felt so strange in his mouth. “Jhahk.”

  
              The HuMan shook his head and smiled. “No, no. Not Jhahk.” Patting his chest again he said it more slowly. “Jaaaack.”

  
              Thane tried again understanding this must be the HuMan’s name. “Jhak.”

  
              Jack laughed. “Well, close enough. I’ve been called worse in my day I’m sure.” Then pointing to Thane he said, “What’s your name?”