Promise Of The Wolves (23 page)

Then it was again the old Greatwolf’s turn.

Sky, blower of wind,

Holder of all that is.

First Father, First Mother

All that is, is yours

Bringing light, darkness

Life and death

To Earth, Sun, and Moon.

The old human lowered her blade and leaned against the ancient Greatwolf’s broad back. He pressed up against her, and for just a moment, they seemed as if they were one creature.

“Guardian wolves,” the old woman called. “We renew our promise, made to you by our ancestors’ ancestors. The promise to keep our people from pride, from destroying, from taking too much and killing too often. We take what we learn from you this night and share it with our people.”

The old Greatwolf dipped his head and spoke.

“And we meet your promise with our own, remembering the promise made by our first father, Indru. We promise to keep our people from harming yours. We pledge to act as teachers to your people, and to help you keep the Balance. In the name of Indru, we promise this.”

Then each human lay down with a Greatwolf pair. The air was taut with the energy of the Speaking and the moon shone brighter than it should. A faint light seemed to come both from the old woman and the eldest Greatwolf, the one who had spoken. The light grew to encompass all of the Greatwolves and humans. I could almost hear the air thickening and trembling with power.

Come away. It is time for me to go.

I placed my paw firmly on TaLi’s chest to let her know she was to stay put. Then I scrambled out of the crevice and, watching carefully lest any of the Greatwolves should notice me, I crawled backward down the far side of the rock. It was steeper on the back side than on the front, and I landed hard on my rear end as I slid down.

Trying to reclaim my dignity, I touched noses with the spiritwolf.

I must go now,
she said,
or I’ll be missed. But things move more quickly than I expected. I hoped you would have at least a year under your fur before this happened. That you’d be old enough to fend for yourself.

“What’s supposed to happen?”

Quiet
, she ordered.
They cannot hear me but they can hear you. You know that wolves must be with humans, and that otherwise humans will destroy too much?

“That’s what the old human told us,” I whispered. “She told us that we must be with humans but cannot be, since every time we come together, we fight. But that’s not what the legends say!”

Your legends lie
, the spiritwolf said.
The human krianan speaks the truth.

My breath caught somewhere between my throat and my lungs. As much as I wanted it to be right for me to be with TaLi, I hadn’t really believed it. I didn’t see how everything I’d been taught could be false, how Ruuqo and Rissa and wise Trevegg could be so wrong. Yet even from where I stood with the spiritwolf, I could still hear the Greatwolves speaking with the humans. I couldn’t deny my own ears.

I did not know this when my pack ran with the humans. I was like you—I found a human and hunted with him. My pack grew strong on the meat we hunted with the humans. But there was a war—a war between the humans and the wolves. The Guardian wolves said it was my fault—that I had tampered with the humans without knowing what I was doing, and that the Ancients would punish us for the war. They said they knew how to deal with the humans and that the only way I could save my pack was to leave. They sent me from my home.
Her voice grew bitter.
For many years their way has worked, and I thought they were right, that I had caused the rift, that I was at fault for the war between humans and the wolves. But now they fail, and I think I was not right to listen to Guardian wolves. That is why I come to you.

I just looked at her. I couldn’t imagine what she expected me to do.

Soon humans and wolves will fight again, and this time there will be no second chances.

“Why would wolves fight?” I whispered. “It’s against our rules.”

Rules can be broken. Legends can be forgotten. And peace in the valley has always been fragile. The Guardian wolves have kept too much secret from our kind, and secrets are what have led to trouble.

Suddenly angry, I raised my chin to the spiritwolf. Who was she to speak of secrets? All this time I had worried over what I thought were unnatural and dangerous feelings for TaLi. And time and again the spiritwolf had come to me. She’d known about the lies and hadn’t told me.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I demanded. “Why did you just keep coming to me and then disappearing? Why didn’t you just tell me instead?”

She pulled her lips back in a snarl.
You have no idea what it costs me “just to come,” as you say. I cannot tell you what is learned in the spirit world. All I can do is show you the way to find out for yourself. You know more than I did. I knew nothing!

The spiritwolf looked over her shoulder.
I have stayed too long already—and told you too much. You must listen to what the Greatwolves say tonight. You must find out how close humans and wolves are to war, and then you must find a way to stop it.

“How am I supposed to do that?”

You and your human girl must make it right. You must find the solution I did not. Before the humans and wolves fight. If the humans and wolves battle, then all is lost.

I couldn’t believe she expected me to have an answer.

“But how?” I demanded. “How am I supposed to know what to do?”

I
must
go. You know what I did not. Use that knowledge well!

Before I could ask the spiritwolf any of the questions buzzing in my mind, she was gone, slipping silently into the forest. I wanted to curl up right then and there and sleep, and to forget everything I had heard and seen. But I had left TaLi waiting for me and, if the spiritwolf was right and war was coming to the valley, I needed to hear what else the Greatwolves might say.

Shaking, I climbed back into the rock crevice, and leaned against TaLi. I wished more than ever that I could communicate better with her. I wanted to tell her what the spiritwolf had said. Instead, I pressed close against her and she pulled me to her chest.

The humans and wolves had risen to their feet. We watched as two of the humans helped the old woman climb upon a tall boulder. Steady in spite of her age, she turned to the Greatwolves. She held her arms up, standing silently until every wolf and human in the circle looked at her.

“Most of you know,” she said, “that our Speaking is no longer enough. There is discord in the valley. We must know what you have been hearing.”

The ancient Greatwolf stepped forward. He did not climb upon a rock, but nonetheless every eye was upon him.

“We have heard this as well,” he said, in his voice of dried-out twigs. “With each Speaking it seems to grow worse. We know that some wolves no longer believe the legends. And that many humans wish to destroy all wolves. We understand, NiaLi,” he said to the old woman, “that your people no longer respect krianans as they should. That you no longer have the power to influence them.”

“It is true, Zorindru.” There was an edge to her voice when she addressed the ancient Greatwolf. “We are losing influence. But it is also true that you can no longer control your wolves.”

A woman stepped forward. She was much younger than TaLi’s grandmother, but considerably older than TaLi. If she were a wolf, she would be the right age to lead a pack—young enough to be strong but old enough to be sure of herself. If she had back fur, it would have been bristling. She spoke angrily.

“NiaLi is right. I’m told that wolves have killed two humans. A young man from Lin tribe and a child from Aln. The people of Aln look to me as their krianan and demand that I bring them the body of the wolf. They wish to retaliate and kill all wolves. So far I have been able to dissuade them. But if you cannot control your wolves, I cannot answer for what my people will do.”

“I agree,” Zorindru said. “If it is truly a wolf who killed the humans, and not some bear or long-fang, and if the attacks were unprovoked, we will discover who this wolf is and destroy it and its pack.”

My heart caught in my throat. To hear that a wolf might actually have killed humans and that the terrible punishment for doing so would be carried out was horrifying. TaLi gripped my fur hard. I wondered how much of the Oldspeak she could understand.

“There is more.” The human male who spoke was young, not much older than TaLi, and spoke awkwardly, as if he were not used to Oldspeak. “HaWen is the new leader of the Wen tribe and he has sworn to rid the valley of all wolves. His mate lost the last child she carried in her belly, and he says it is because she saw a wolf when she was out gathering seeds.”

TaLi’s grandmother nodded. “JiLin also claims that his smallest son broke his leg because he stepped onto a path that wolves had used,” she said. “He says we are wrong to pay heed to the needs of the Earth and the sky. He says that the food of the valley, of all the Earth, is meant for humans, and that creatures that take it should be killed. Have others heard such things?”

“Yes,” the young male said quickly, then lowered his eyes as the older krianans all looked at him. He swallowed rapidly several times, but continued. “HaWen said the only way our tribes will thrive is if we kill all the wolves, all of the knife-toothed lions.”

“It is the same with my tribe,” said another female, her voice soft, but clear. She placed a hand on the young male’s shoulder. “I have done my best to dissuade the others, but to no avail.”

“We have all been doing our best to keep our people from believing such nonsense,” TaLi’s grandmother said. “But if there is any more talk of wolf attacks against humans, I fear that we will not be able to stop my people from killing all the wolves they see.”

There was silence for a few moments. I could feel TaLi’s heart beating quickly against my side. My heart raced, too. The spiritwolf had been right. War was coming. And I had no idea what to do about it.

“We hear you,” Zorindru said, “and we understand. We will destroy the bloodline of any wolves that attack humans unprovoked. And we will remind those who follow us of their responsibilities. Go in peace,” he said, nodding to the humans.

I thought the old woman would say something else. She certainly seemed to expect more from the old Greatwolf, and her shoulders were set in anger. But she merely held her arms out to be helped down from the rock.

“Go in peace, Watcher Wolves.”

The old krianan left the rock circle, followed by the other humans.

“I must help grandmother home,” TaLi whispered.

Before I could stop her, she scrambled down the rock and into the woods. I started to follow her, but saw Frandra and Jandru looking in my direction. I couldn’t take the chance of them seeing me there. I slid down the back of the rock, and started to make my way home, thinking hard about what I had learned, and wondering what in the name of the moon I was supposed to do.

Trevegg was waiting for me when I returned to the gathering place.

“You missed the antelope hunt,” he said. “Ruuqo is displeased.”

“I was hunting small prey,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “Did you catch anything?”

Ázzuen walked up to stand with me.

“No,” Trevegg said. He watched me a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft.

“I have not said anything about your time with the humans.” I jumped and looked up at him. Ázzuen squeaked in surprise.

“When I saw you and your friends going to them, perhaps I should have stopped it right away. But there is something wrong, something we have not been told by the Greatwolves. I hoped that perhaps you might find it. I knew from the moment you faced Ruuqo, ready to fight when you were barely a full moon old, that you would be different.”

“I’m not that different,” I said. “And I don’t want to change things. I just want to be near the humans.”

“That is changing things,” Trevegg said gently. “You know the legends. Did you know that Ruuqo’s brother was sent away for being with the humans?”

“Yes,” I admitted.

“Good. My brother was leaderwolf of Swift River then. Hiiln was to be his successor. He and Rissa had chosen each other and I could not think of a better pair to carry on the Swift River line.” Sadness crept into his voice. “But when Hiiln refused to stop going to the humans, I knew I had to do my duty by the valley. I advised my brother to send him away, and he did so, though it broke his heart. Looking back, I wonder if I did the right thing. So I have looked away when you have gone to the humans.

“There is a legend told only to leaderwolves,” he said slowly. “I was told when it was thought I might lead Swift River. It is why Ruuqo fears you so much, Kaala. I should have told you of it after he would not let you hunt. It’s said that a wolf will be born who will shatter the covenant. That wolf will bring an end to wolfkind as we know it. It’s said that the wolf will bear the mark of the crescent moon and will cause great disruption that will either save or destroy its pack. Your mother would tell no one who your father was, but if he was one who was drawn to humans, you could be this wolf.”