The Unseeing Eye: Shaila’s Story

          Shaila measured the anger behind her sister’s eyes. Remus was glaring swords and daggers at the leaders of Alaska’s wolf packs. They did likewise, glowering back with all the anger and anxiety and impatience simmering beneath the surface ever since the foreboding news of the nearby hunter. Rage and tension filled the cavern in a hot bubble that Shaila feared would burst into a brawl.

          All things considered, the meeting was going rather well.

          As Remus’s advisor, Shaila could have warned Remus of the inevitable outcome of this meeting. But Remus rarely listened unless it was an answer to a question she herself had asked, and so for the sake of peace and her own dignity, Shaila didn’t speak. But she still thought. And right now she was thinking this meeting could come to no good end.

          “The moon is completing its circle in a few days,” Swift was growling, “How long will it take for the humans to put away their guns and stop hunting us?”

          “Like I told you, it’ll take time,” Remus said hotly.

          “Well, it had better not take too much longer,” Everest snorted, “All my hunting game is disappearing from the valley!”

          “Well, it’s not technically yours anymore,” Silver Arrow added quietly.

          Everest bared his teeth in a forced smile. “Wonderful! Someone who finally sees my point!” He whirled on Remus. “And it shall never be mine again unless something is done about it!”

          “Oh, yeah? And what do you think I should do?” Remus cried, “Oh, that’s right. I can’t ask you because I’m the head of this whole operation, and the only one who ever makes any decisions around here!”

          “Well, if you need to kick someone out, the first ones to go should be Cyan and his little family,” Jaydor told Everest, “You can see Luna’s ready to pop out a litter any second! That’s more wolves, and more food to feed them. Besides, how can you even call that a pack?”

          “One more crack like that, and you’ll get a crack right over the head,” Cyan said in a low voice.

          Jaydor raised his lip in a snarl, but Silver Arrow pushed between them. “Seriously, what are we going to do?”

          “You all seemed to go along with Remus’s plan before,” Flint interjected, “Why don’t you agree with it now?”

          “ENOUGH!”

          Everyone turned to see Iceberg glaring around at them all. His paw crept up to his head, and he rubbed his temple. “Congratulations. You have once again succeeded in giving me a headache with your worthless arguing.” His paw dropped to the ground, and he looked at them with complete seriousness. “I’ve heard enough to conclude that there is nothing to do but wait, as Remus told you when we first agreed on this plan.”

          Remus nodded with a quick jerk of her head.

          “However,” Iceberg continued, “We can be ready for when the end of this comes. Remus, do we have anyone posted to watch the hunter that attacked your brother and Kestra?”

          “…Yes,” Remus said, “We have two scouts posted on the mountain.”

          “And are there any more packs that are still not here?”

          “The last third of the White Storm pack,” Remus told him, “They should be arriving today. Shade is watching for them.”

          Iceberg slapped the cave floor. “So there you have it. All we have to do is learn how to live with each other until this is finished. Good, done, dismissed.”

          A gray female wolf came running into the cave. “Cyan!” she gasped.

          “Crystal!” Jaydor said indignantly.

          “Crystal!” Cyan cried. He padded over to her. “Easy, easy. What’s the matter?”

          “It’s Destiny!” she panted, “Something’s wrong!”

          Cyan froze. “No,” he mumbled, “It’s too soon.” He was off like a shot, with Crystal right at his heels.

          Jaydor threw Everest a what-did-I-tell-you? look. Everest sighed heavily, and followed Crystal.

          Shaila’s head buzzed, and she clutched it in pain. Geez, what a riot. Now she knew why the pack leaders hadn’t come together for a few hundred years. Anyone listening to them had to wait a few generations to work up the courage to bring them together again.

          Flint came up beside Remus. “Well, that went as well as it could have gone.” He kissed Shaila on the head, and she gratefully leaned onto his strong frame.

          “Shut up, Dad,” Remus said wearily. Her tired eyes flicked to her sister, and Shaila braced herself for more orders. “Shaila, how long has Shade been on watch?”

          Shaila cleared her throat. She hadn’t had the chance to speak for at least an hour now. “Since dawn.”

          Remus smiled. “Go switch with him. He needs a break.”

          Shaila couldn’t stop herself from raising her eyebrows. He needed a break? They were the ones who needed a break, from his attitude and dark jokes. But she hugged Flint one last time, and he bumped his nose against her cheek and said, “Go on. And tell him I need to talk with him.”

          Shaila nodded, and padded out of the chamber. She dreaded talking to Shade, if he even talked to her at all. The brother who had gone out on the tundra alone with his girlfriend was not the same brother who had come back. He was sullen and moody, and his mind was filled with darkness. Full with pain.

          “Oh, and Shaila?”

          Shaila backpedaled and poked her head into the cave.

          Remus’s grin was both mournful and lecherous. “Good luck.”

          Shaila found Shade sitting at the mouth of the Eagle Pass pack cave. He was staring dejectedly off into the distance, his face saddened and his eyes misted. Shaila crept forward softly so he wouldn’t be startled.

          He was anyway, whirling around with sharp teeth bared.

          Shaila took one quick step back and held up a paw defensively. “It’s only me.”

          “Oh. Yeah.” He turned back around and sat down. “So? What are you doing here?”

          Shaila settled herself next to him. “Remus says I can take over your duties now.”

          Shade snorted. “Remus. Does she ever stop telling everyone what to do?”

          Shaila decided to proceed delicately. “So you don’t want to stop working?”

          He shrugged angrily. “It gives me something to do. And gets me away from wolves asking annoying questions…like you.”

          Shaila forced herself to brush that comment aside. “Dad wants to talk to you.”

          Shade pretended to scan the empty horizon. “Your point?”

          Shaila finally decided this was going nowhere. “Fine.” She glanced at the scenery that Shade seemed so intent on studying, and then leaned back to study him. The mellow afternoon light shining around him made his profile seem like a solid black silhouette from which only his golden eyes glowed, pinched into a piercing glare.

          Shaila had been told she had a special talent of being able to see past emotional defenses to the real reason behind wolves’ distress. Some had pointed to the red spot of fur on her white forehead and called it her third eye, saying she used it to do this seeing. Shaila wasn’t so sure about the stories, but she did