Promise Of The Wolves (7 page)

“It’s not a very big bear,” Minn muttered. When Ruuqo glared at him, he lowered his head again. “I’ll follow, leaderwolf,” he said meekly. Yllin just narrowed her eyes, watching the bear intently.

The bear looked big enough to me. She hunched over the dead horse, but when she stood to look uneasily over the plain, she stood nearly as tall as four wolves. I couldn’t believe Ruuqo and Rissa were thinking of challenging her.

Rissa led the attack. She lowered herself to the ground and crept forward to the very edge of the trees, followed by the rest of the adults. “Werrna,” she whispered to the secondwolf, “take Minn and Yllin and go around behind the clumsy bear. Wait for my signal and then join the fight. Remember, we are one wolf short.”

My mother’s the missing wolf.
A wave of sadness overwhelmed me. The other pups took family for granted. They had their mother and father. Rissa took care of me as her own, but Ruuqo did not, and I had no one that was really mine. I wondered how long it would be before I was able to look for my mother. How could I possibly find her? I didn’t even know where to start. I swallowed a whine of sorrow and frustration. I looked out at the bear and my packmates surrounding her. This was going to be my first time taking part in a packhunt, and my mother should be there with me.

I thought I hid my feelings well, but Ázzuen licked the side of my face, and I turned to see his eyes full of sympathy.

“Yllin says your mother was the fastest wolf in the pack,” he said awkwardly. “She gave you her quickness.”

My heart hurt in my chest, and I knew that if I spoke, my voice would tremble. I did not want to show Ázzuen my weakness and I could not think of any way to thank him for his sympathy, so I just lowered my face to my paws and watched the attack.

Werrna took the youngwolves along the outer edge of the trees, reappearing on the plain, a good thirty wolflengths on the bear’s right side. They ran quickly past the bear far enough away to keep her from feeling threatened. She looked up, decided they were not a danger, and returned to her feast. Werrna stopped just beyond the bear, to its right, and said something to Yllin. Yllin sank to the earth in a patch of heather as Trevegg and Minn ran on. They circled the bear, stopping directly behind her, and Minn lowered himself to the ground as Werrna continued in a circle, stopping on a small hill at the bear’s left flank. They had surrounded the bear on three sides, and she hadn’t seen a thing. Rissa and the rest of us closed the circle, completing the trap.

“Are you sure six wolves are enough?” Trevegg asked. “I am not as fleet as I once was.” He looked down, ashamed.

“You are our wisdom and our strength, fatherwolf,” Rissa said, licking Trevegg’s cheek. “How many bears have you fought in your time? If anyone knows how to trick a bear, it is you. Your grandniece and grandnephew are fleet and strong. The pack is powerful. And,” she said, grinning toothily, “as Minn said, it is not a very large bear.”

An impatient screech made us all jump.

“Are you going to wait until the sun burns a hole in the prairie?” Sleekwing shouted. We had not heard or smelled him come up behind us to land in the branches above. “There will be no horse left by the time you are done yapping.”

He leapt in the air with a loud caw, followed by Tlitoo and half a flock of ravens.

“So much for having the advantage of surprise,” Ruuqo sighed, as the bear looked up at the loud birds.

“Well, then, no reason to wait until the moon rises,” Rissa said. She made a soft, low sound, almost like a moan, deep in her throat. Werrna’s gruff voice answered her from across the field. In that instant Minn charged the bear from behind. At the same time Yllin ran at the bear from its right side, and Werrna left her hillock and sprinted toward the bear.

The bear stood on her hind legs. Her paws were almost as big as a wolf’s head, her teeth huge. When she saw three wolves running at her through the grass, she turned and roared in arrogant rage. I did not need to understand her language to know she was saying that no puny wolves were going to take her meal. Yllin, Minn, and Werrna darted in and out, just beyond the bear’s deadly paws. Then all three wolves leapt at once and, while the bear was distracted by the attack, Rissa, Ruuqo, and Trevegg charged down the hill. For all his concern, Trevegg kept pace with the younger wolves, and the three of them leapt at the same time, sending the bear stumbling back in confusion. The wolves were no longer silent, and growled fiercely at the bear.

Next to me, Ázzuen yipped in fear. The bear was so angry, so ferocious, I could not believe our packmates would escape unscathed. But they darted in and out quickly and with great agility, turning this way and that. Above their heads, ravens shouted encouragement. I understood raven play better now. It had seemed a little like a waste of energy for adult wolves, but now I realized that wolves must keep their skills sharp if they are to fight bears. Yllin’s graceful turns and Minn’s leaps were just a variation of their games with Sleekwing and his family. I also understood why a weak wolf hurts the pack. If any one wolf did not do his or her share, the bear could easily kill or injure a packmate.

Foxes and hyenas, who had been hoping for scraps left by the bear, watched intently. A lone eagle flew overhead, only to be chased away by Sleekwing’s clan. Ruthlessly the wolves attacked the bear, driving her away. She came back again, hoping to reclaim her kill, but six determined wolves were too much for her. I saw now that she was a young bear, not much older than Yllin or Minn, and she could not best a pack of clever wolves. Roaring her rage, she lumbered off across to the far side of the plain, over a small rise and out of sight. Werrna’s team ran after her to make sure she would not return, while Rissa, Trevegg, and Ruuqo guarded the carcass, keeping the foxes and hyenas away.

Werrna and the young wolves came trotting back, tails and ears high. Growling fiercely at the foxes and greedy hyenas, they approached the kill. The pack danced around Ruuqo and Rissa, celebrating their success. Ruuqo settled on his belly to take the first bite of horse, and the rest of the pack arranged themselves around him, feeding on every part of the prey.

“Pups, come!” Rissa shouted.

We pelted down the hill to the horse carcass. As we neared it, Werrna called a warning.

“Watch your backs,” she said gruffly, pointing her now bloody muzzle at the scavengers. “If the scroungers can’t have our horse, they’d just as soon have a pup. Wait until the adults have fed, and then join in.”

Keeping their eyes on the foxes, hyenas, and the lone eagle, the pack tore at the carcass. We pups waited as instructed. After the adults fed for what seemed like forever, we crept closer. We all hesitated. My mouth watered and my belly ached, but I was a little intimidated by the ferocity with which the pack was eating. Sleekwing and his flock ate beside them, unconcerned with the jaws and teeth tearing at the horse, but I feared the adults might bite us if we drew near. The bear had not had a chance to eat much of the horse, and the pack feasted. After what seemed like an eternity, Rissa called to us again.

“What are you waiting for, pups? You must get your own meat now. You are too old for us to bring you food in our bellies.”

We crept toward the dead prey, stopping every few paces to check with Ruuqo and Rissa, who were feeding at the horse’s middle, to make sure we would not get in trouble for approaching. We whined and begged, making ourselves small, ensuring the adults knew we came only at their sufferance. Minn and Yllin were at the front end of the horse, Trevegg and Werrna at the rear. As we approached, Minn and Yllin growled at us. Rissa growled back.

“Let the pups feed,” she ordered. “You have had enough.” Minn and Yllin, as the least senior of the adults, reluctantly stepped aside, still growling at us. Meekly, we took their place. I was a little hurt that Yllin had growled at me, but soon the fresh meat distracted me from any other thoughts.

I tore at the body of the mare. After the first bite, I couldn’t stop myself from gorging. The taste of fresh meat consumed me, almost choked me. Determined to get as much of the meat as possible, I bit and growled and snarled at the other pups. My blood pounded in my veins and my heart felt as if it would burst through my chest. Suddenly I understood why Yllin had growled at us. Unnan tried to push me out of the way, but I bit him on the muzzle. He yelped and rolled away. When Marra accidentally bumped me, I growled at her, too, and she backed away from the prey. I even snarled at the head raven, Sleekwing, who responded by pecking me hard on the head. I winced in pain, but kept eating.

I was still tearing at the good meat when Minn’s rumbling growl gave me scant warning as he swatted me from my meal. Yllin and Werrna pushed Borlla and Unnan away. We whined and tried to return to our meal, but the adult wolves chased us off, leaving us to watch them eat. It was then that I noticed that Ázzuen, Marra, and Reel had already been shoved aside. I dimly remembered biting all of them as they tried to feed. I felt a little sorry for them, but couldn’t help thinking that if they didn’t want to fight for their meal, they could just wait until I was done. I dropped to the ground and watched the adults. Borlla and Reel sat next to each other, and Unnan settled sleepily beside them. Tiredly, I got up and walked over to rest my head on Ázzuen’s soft back, but he stalked away from me, settling down with Marra.

Yllin, who had been shoved away from the kill by Werrna, walked over to me, her belly thick with meat.

“It is good to be strong, little sister,” she said, “but don’t become a bully.” She looked contemptuously at Borlla and Unnan, and snorted. “A leaderwolf must fight for what’s hers, but must also look out for her pack, and use her strength carefully. A leaderwolf can’t let anger and greed overcome her.”

Yllin’s argument would have been more convincing if she had not growled so ferociously at me earlier, and if she did not immediately trot over to the carcass, bite Minn on the leg, and take his place. But I saw what she meant when Marra shied away from me, and when Ázzuen, who had been so kind to me earlier in the day, turned up his little nose and refused to sleep beside me. Even Tlitoo just hovered above me. I looked up to see what he was doing, and he dropped a large pebble on my back.

“Greedy babywolf,” he said, and flew away.

Shame washed over me. I should’ve known better. It was not long ago that I was the weakest wolf in the pack. I did not want to be a bully like Borlla and Unnan. I would have to remember to keep my temper in check, or I would be alone. I wanted to make it up to Ázzuen and Marra, but the meat weighed heavily in my belly and I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to think of what to do.

A cool breeze awoke me and I looked up to see the adult wolves napping around us. It was the sleeping time, the hot part of the day that was no good for hunting or running. The rich smell of meat floated on the breeze, and my mouth watered. Werrna and Rissa slept next to the prey, guarding it. Several ravens hopped on what was left of the horse, eating as the wolves rested. They would also, I realized, give warning if any scroungers moved in. But they might not raise the alarm if I came near. Low on my belly, I crept back to the kill. I was as silent as I could be. I slipped between Werrna and Rissa, but just when I got a chewy piece of ligament in my mouth, Rissa lifted her head, growling as she came fully awake. When she saw it was only me, she relaxed, but nonetheless pushed me away from the kill.

“Enough, pup,” she said. “No more for you now.” She smiled. “You will burst if you eat more, and then we will have to pick the pieces up off the plain.” She rested her head in her paws and closed her eyes.

I walked back to the other pups. I was bored with waiting for the rest of the pack to wake up, and I looked restlessly about the plain. I thought of waking Ázzuen, but didn’t know if he was still mad at me. It was too hot to play, and the moon shape on my chest ached and itched in a way it never had before.

It was because of this aching that I was the one who saw the strange creatures first. There were two of them, and they watched us from across the plain, where the grasses ended and a new stand of trees began. The wind blew toward them, and none of us had picked up their scent. They stood on two legs, like the bear when it challenged us, but they were not as tall and were much more slender. Their forelegs hung straight down, and in them they held long sticks. I could not tell if they had only a little fur, or if some of their fur was very short. The wind changed, and I could smell them. Like the horses on the field, their skin was damp and gave off a strong, wet scent. It was an odd, juniper-acrid odor that I found familiar. Startled, I gave a warning bark.

The other wolves looked up at me annoyed. Then they caught the odd scent and saw what I was looking at.

The adult wolves rose at once, growling and surrounding the kill. The ravens took to the air, screeching. The strange creatures lowered their sticks to point them at us, and I saw that the ends of the sticks were sharp, like very large thorns. The creatures took several steps forward. They were still at least forty wolflengths away, but I had no idea how fast they could run. A long-fang could cover that distance in a breath.

Ruuqo growled deep in his throat and the fur on his back rose menacingly, making him look twice his normal size. He pulled his lips all the way back, showing every one of his forty-two sharp teeth. All around him the wolves of the Swift River pack growled and showed their fierceness. The two long-limbed creatures began to walk backward, sharpened sticks lowered, until they disappeared into the woods. The pack remained, growling and protecting the kill, for several moments.