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Sky Eyes hefted her bow, squinted
at her target, and let the arrow fly. It hit the tree with a satisfying thud.
The tree was riddled with arrows poking out of the bark like porcupine quills,
and the most recent addition nearly split another down the center as it hit.
Sky Eyes turned, a satisfied tight-lipped smile playing on her mouth. “Look,
Volt. You cannot say I’m not ready.”
The large white wolf basking in the
sunshine opened his yellow eyes. He gave the tree a cursory glance,
unimpressed. “I do not see how this skill applies.”
Sky Eyes wrinkled her nose, folding
her arms across her chest. “Ataliks says I’m ready.” Ataliks was human, like
Sky Eyes, and he visited her as often as he could, teaching her all about the
human world and their ways. Sky Eyes was not much interested in humans other
than Ataliks, but she listened and learned because it seemed important to him.
“Ataliks is human,” Volt said. “He
knows nothing of the wolf’s way.”
“I have been hunting squirrels and rabbits for
years.” Sky Eyes knew Volt could not argue with this fact, for she had begun
hunting small prey as soon as she was big enough to carry a bow. “And I have
been following the pack on hunts for months,” she continued. “I’m ready for
bigger prey. When will you let me truly hunt?”
“You are yet a pup.”
“I’m not,” Sky Eyes protested. A
small growl built at the back of her throat, but she was careful not to let it
slip out.
Volt’s ears twitched as if he
caught the sound despite her efforts, but he did not comment. Instead, he
sighed. “You may join the hunt tonight.”
Sky Eyes yipped with delight.
Lowering herself to her hands and knees she crawled toward Volt, the One Male,
or leader of the pack. Her whole body wiggled with joy as she bumped under his
chin with her nose, expressing her respect and love for him. Volt tolerated her
affection for a few ticks, and then turned his face away, teeth flashing
briefly. Immediately the girl backed off, returning to the arrow peppered tree.
Another pack mate, a gray female
called Loper, passed close by Sky Eyes. With a playful growl Sky Eyes pounced.
Loper jumped out of the way, turned quickly, and tackled the child. They
rolled, growling and tussling until Loper bit down on the girl’s bare arm. As
Sky Eyes cried in pain the she wolf retreated, ears flattening in apology. Sky
Eyes rubbed her arm where a fresh, red scratch trailed down her forearm,
joining the myriad other scabs and scars crisscrossing her tender flesh. Sky
Eyes dragged her tongue along the raw scratch once, then, blue eyes dancing,
she turned back to Loper, ready for round two. Loper play bowed, and led the
girl on a merry chase. Eventually they collapsed in the shade of a bush, Loper
panting heavily. Sky Eyes stuck out her tongue, mimicking the wolf.
Sky Eyes yawned. Perhaps I can earn a new name on the hunt
tonight, she said, using her magical gift to speak mind to mind with Loper.
Loper snorted. It may take years for you to earn a new name.
I
have been stuck with this pup name for ages, Sky Eyes complained.
Loper’s lips pulled back in a wolf
grin. Patience, pup.
Loper had graduated from pup level
status in the pack months ago, and she enjoyed flaunting her achievement. Sky
Eyes rumbled, and shoved the wolf’s shoulder. I remember when you were called Graceless.
Loper’s lip lifted at the reminder
of the name she had received for her clumsy, lumbering walk as pup. Now one of
the fastest members of the pack, she had left her pup name far behind.
Sky Eyes tried not to be jealous,
but she had seen many pups grow up in her eight years and she struggled hard
not to feel left behind each time. When she was adopted by the wolves she came
with the name Sky, from her birth mother, but the wolves had immediately
changed her name to Sky Eyes because of the dark blue, sky-like color of her eyes;
a unique feature no wolf could claim. The name was distinctive, but Sky Eyes
was eager to shed it for something more admirable. Something to say she was a
valuable member of the pack, no longer a troublesome pup.
Sky Eyes sighed, and curled her
body around Loper, her injured arm under the wolf’s nose. The shish-shish sound
of Loper’s tongue on her skin lulled her to sleep.
* *
*
That evening, as the moon hovered
above the trees, the pack gathered. They crowded around Volt and his mate, One
Ear. They jostled and fought for position, body’s lithe and eager, their
tongues darting out to lick the chins of the Ones. Sky Eyes scuttled about on
her knees, whining with excitement.
Volt lifted his nose and sniffed,
then set off. One Ear followed in his tracks and one by one, the rest of the
pack fell in line behind them. Sky Eyes trotted behind Loper, her quiver and
bow strapped across her back. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her skin
practically thrummed with anticipation. She been on hunts before but she had
never been allowed to do more than watch. Now she had a chance to prove her
worth as hunter, and she was determined to succeed.
The wolves traveled for several
miles, until they caught the scent of a deer herd, or Sharp Hooves as the
wolves called them. Volt led them in a circular route, down wind of the herd.
The pack spread out, hiding in the brush. They watched the herd with keen eyes,
seeking the perfect target. They kept attuned to each other, waiting for
someone to find the right Sharp Hoof and signal the start of the hunt.
Sky Eyes felt as if her eyes were
boring holes into the Sharp Hooves as she stared at them. Her gaze strayed to
their legs, thin and weak looking, she knew they could kick hard enough to
bruise and slice if provoked. She watched the Sharp Hooves as they walked,
looking for a limp, or a wobbling knee, anything to suggest an easy kill.
One of the Sharp Hooves, an older
female, coughed. Instantly, all wolf eyes, ears and noses trained on her. The
pack seemed to link minds as their muscles bunched, and bodies lowered, ready
to run. As one, they burst from the brush.
The Sharp Hooves responded
instantly, bounding away, nimble hooves leaving the earth for a few ticks as if
they would fly. The wolf pack chased the herd, keeping along the outside. Sky
Eyes raced alongside Loper, but was soon left behind, not quite quick enough on
her human legs. She kept running, watching the pack’s movements, trying to
foresee the best way for her to help.
Sky Eyes veered off to the right.
The Sharp Hooves had been grazing in a sheltered hollow that narrowed to a
ravine up ahead. Sky Eyes raced along the lip of the ravine. The herd had
slowed a little as the wolves drove them into the ravine and the wolves began
darting in among them, nipping, trying to separate their quarry from center of
the herd. Loper dove in, jaws snapping, and received a kick on the nose. Sky Eyes
forced herself to run faster. When she was satisfied with her position she
knelt and drew an arrow from her quiver. With silent proficiency born of years
of practice, she nocked an arrow drew back the string. She looked for the sick
Sharp Hoof and found her at the back of the herd. She must be tiring, Sky Eyes thought.
Loper sped to the front of the
herd, forcing the Sharp Hooves to split around her. Two other pack mates joined
Loper, cutting the sick Sharp Hoof from the rest of the herd. The Sharp Hoof
turned and headed back the way she had come, only to found Volt and One Ear
waiting. The Sharp Hoof spun in a circle, panicked, as Volt and One Ear stalked
closer. Sky Eyes squinted down the arrow shaft, but she could not take the shot
with the wolves in the way. She watched, barely breathing.
With one last burst of energy the
Sharp Hoof hurtled over Volt just as he lunged, teeth bared. Forelegs tucked to
her chest, the Sharp Hoof sailed over him and Sky Eyes bow twanged. The Sharp
Hoof twisted in mid air, bellowing in surprise and pain as the arrow lodged in
her hindquarters. Sky Eyes winced. In her excitement she had forgotten to close
off her magic, leaving her mind wide open to the Sharp Hoof. Time seemed to
slow as Sky Eyes watched her hit the ground. The Sharp Hoof fell on her knees,
and the wolves were upon her.
The Sharp Hoof’s terror and agony
swept through Sky Eyes, paralyzing her. She could not move, could not even
think to shut off the connection. Her vision went blurry and for a moment she
thought she would pass out. The Sharp Hoof’s consciousness abruptly vanished from
her mind.
It was over. The Sharp Hoof was
dead.
Sky Eyes collapsed onto her hands
and knees, retching. Tears ran down her cheeks. She felt the wolves’ hunger and
pleasure as they feasted. Bile rose in her throat, and for the first time since
she had learned how to use her magical gift, she closed off her connection with
the pack.
Instantly she felt bereft. Alone.
One of the wolves was calling her;
she could feel the presence knocking on her conscience like a woodpecker
drilling on a tree. Cautiously, she opened a crack, allowing the voice inside
her head. It was Loper.
What
are you waiting for? Loper asked. Come
eat.
Sky Eyes fisted her shaking hands,
and glared at the pool of vomit at her feet. Her nose wrinkled, and she
growled, frustrated. She was acting entirely unwolf-like. She scrubbed at her
face, removing the trace of tears, and ate a handful of grass to disguise her
breath. Then she trotted down to join the pack, quiver and bow rattling as she
went.
Her feet slowed as she drew close. Finally,
she stopped moving altogether. She could not bring herself to join the pack.
Not after she had shared in the Sharp Hoof’s valiant effort to survive, and had
suffered through her moment of death. Not after Sky Eyes realized she had used
her magic to read the Sharp Hoof’s actions. She felt like she had used her
magic unfairly. Sky Eyes walked away, and curled up in the grass, her back on
the wolves. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. Time passed and she dozed.
Sky
Eyes.
She sat up, and looked over her
shoulder. Volt stood there, gazing at her with his warm, yellow eyes. His
stomach was distended, engorged with all the good meat he had eaten. He padded
closer, lying down beside her, his shoulder pressed against her hip.
Are
you unwell?
No.
Why
did you not join us? I thought you would be strutting like a proud jaybird
after helping to make this kill.
Sky Eyes grimaced, insulted. I do not strut, she grumbled.
Volt snorted in amusement, then asked, what is truly bothering you?
Sky Eyes looked down at her hands. I used my magic to help kill the Sharp Hoof.
It feels wrong. Like…like it was too easy.
Without
your help the pack would not eat. I do not see how this is wrong.
Sky Eyes shrugged. I do not know if it is, but it feels wrong.
So
learn from it.
What?
Volt sighed. Do not be a daft pup, Sky Eyes. Learn from your mistake. If you feel it
is wrong to use your magic in this way, then-
Do
not do it again.
Volt licked her hand, then sighed
again and rested his head on her knee. Sky Eyes stroked the top of his head.
She tried but could not dislodge the memory of the Sharp Hoof’s death. It
echoed through her as if it were imprinted on her soul. She sniffed, fighting
back tears.
Volt shifted. What is it?
I
forgot to close off my magic before…before the Sharp Hoof died.
All things must die, Sky Eyes.
I know, but…why does it have to be
so horrible?
Volt’s brow furrowed, and Sky
Eyes knew he did not understand. We kill
to live.
I know.
If we did not hunt, we would die. Is
that what you want?
No! I just…I wish I did not know
what it felt like to die.
Volt was silent for a few ticks,
as if he needed time to digest what she was saying. At last he said, perhaps it is a good thing.
Sky Eyes
did not see how this could be so, and said as much.
Will you forget this experience?
Sky Eyes shook her head, and
spoke out loud. “No.”
Volt
followed her lead, switching to the human tongue. “Then perhaps it will serve
as a reminder. There is an order to life, Sky Eyes. Wolves do not kill for fun,
but to survive. We know the order of these things from the time we are born.”
“Adapt or
die,” Sky Eyes said, quoting an old wolf saying.
The corners
of Volt’s lips pulled back in a grin. Indeed.
The rest of
the pack joined them, gathering around with full bellies and contented sighs.
Did you see how true Sky Eyes fang flew?
Loper asked, referring to the arrow as a fang, as most of the wolves did.
It did not fly, said One Ear, pausing to lick Sky Eyes’ cheek as she passed. It sang.
Sky Eyes
felt a pleased blush creeping up her neck.
Volt lifted his nose from the
grass. He looked at Sky Eyes. Fang Song, he
said.
Anticipation bubbled in Sky Eye’s
gut. Her lips parted in awe. Are you…are
you giving me a new name?
All the wolves were at attention
now, waiting for Volt’s answer.
You
proved yourself an able hunter today, and many times over in the past. All
those squirrels and rabbits.
Sky Eyes blue eyes were round with
surprise. She may have bragged to Loper about earning a new name, but she had
not truly expected it would happen so soon.
Volt rose. Welcome to the pack, Fang Song.
Fang
Song, thought Sky Eyes, her mouth a wide, toothless grin. It is beautiful.
And
strong, said Loper.
A
good name, agreed One Ear.
Volt’s muzzle tipped up, and he
howled, announcing the newest pack member to all wolves within range. The rest
of the pack joined in, their voices starting out low, and then rising in pitch.
Sky Eyes, now Fang Song, opened her
mouth and added her voice. I am Fang
Song, she howled. I am wolf.
Beneath these words another truth echoed, its meaning clear to those who knew
how to listen.
I
belong.
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