all these
females…
Chapter Four
As
the sun rose over the Alaskan tundra, Cloud Runner made her way back from the
river. She had been gone the entire night, and wanted very much just to rest,
but she first woke Jacob and Fen.
“Thank
you for opening your clan to us,” Fen said with a slight bow, “We’d have been
caught by now if it weren’t for you.”
“I
couldn’t just turn you away,” Cloud replied, “Especially with the pups. Of all
Aniu’s children, the young ones are perhaps the most precious to her.”
Fen
glanced over at Belle’s pups and nodded understandingly. When he looked back at
Cloud Runner, he noticed with some concern that she seemed tired and weak.
“Is
there something wrong?”
“I
was up all night,” Cloud replied, lying down in her usual spot.
“By
the river?”
“How
did you know that?”
“When
you didn’t come back last night, I asked one of your guards, and he said you
liked to go down by the river alone sometimes.”
“That’s
true,” Cloud replied, laying down her head.
“If
I may ask…?’
“Go
ahead.”
“What
do you do down there?”
“I
talk to Aniu,” Belle replied, “She may not talk back, but I know she listens.”
Nemec
padded slowly up the rocky incline to where his lord waited.
“Nemec,”
Lord Shadow said, “How did our little hunting friends take it?”
“Like
the weaklings they were, my lord,” he replied, “Screaming and crying for their
goddess as they died.”
Lord
Shadow laughed in a cold, pitiless laugh that seemed almost unnatural, but
although Nemec noticed this, he said nothing.
“Well,
Nemec, now that your troops have had their little warm-up with this pathetic
band of wolves, I have one more assignment for you...”
“Yes,
my lord?”
“There
is a small neighboring pack who I’ve heard sends patrols along the border every
so often, but always at the same time as this pack. It seems these two clans
are friends, or were at least. I want them eliminated; every last one.”
“But
did you not say they were a small pack? Could we not just leave them? They pose
no immediate threat.”
“True,
Nemec, but you must look to the future. Were they to discover what we’ve done
and ally themselves with another pack…they would then pose a very serious
threat indeed. As you know, most packs live very separated from each other,
leaving large corridors of ‘free zones’ open for outcasts, but in this area,
there are three clan territories that form a triangle around the human city
Nome; at quite a distance from it, of course, but still. Our prisoners were one
of the clans, the small pack nearby is another, and the last is lead by another
female, Cloud Runner, I think, is her name.”
“And
you want her gone, too?”
“Eventually,
yes, but the other pack must be taken care of first,” Lord Shadow said,
motioning for Nemec to come closer, “This is what I want you to do…”
Balto
and Jenna padded slowly among the trees as a light snow began to fall. Though
the white powder was dry and soft, it melted on contact with their warm fur,
and the water seeped down among their fur to chill them substantially. Even so,
they kept bright spirits and exchanged loving nuzzles. Neither really cared
about the cold.
Just
then, one of the snowdrifts stood up
and the two came face to face with a young white wolf. They stopped immediately
as she stepped toward them.
“What
business do you have in this part of the woods?” she said slowly.
“We’re
visiting old friends…” Balto began hesitantly, “They should be here.” He
studied the wolf’s face more closely. “Laila?”
The
wolf recoiled slightly, and suddenly her eyes lit up.
“Uncle
Balto! Jenna!” she cried, bounding up to them, “Oh, it’s good to see you both
again.”
“Likewise,”
Jenna replied, “My, how you’ve grown.”
“Thank
you,” Laila said, “Well, c’mon, I’ll take you to Cloud Runner.”
She
turned and started off into the woods with Balto and Jenna close behind. Though
the snow was nearly blinding and the towering evergreen trees disorienting,
Laila seemed just as capable of making her way around. In no time at all, the
three reached a clearing nearly surrounded by dens. From one of them emerged a
familiar silver female.
“Balto,
Jenna! What on earth are you doing here?” she exclaimed.
“We
were just coming to pay you a visit,” Jenna replied, “It’s been a while.”
“Indeed
it has,” Cloud Runner replied, “Please, come. I’ll see about finding some food
for you both.”
As
short while later, Balto and Jenna lay side by side across from Cloud and
Desai. Off to the side were the remains of their meal; a pile of bones.
“I
see your pack has grown a bit,” Balto commented, “They all seem quite happy
with you as their leader.”
“Well,
I’m glad for that,” Cloud replied, “For a wise wolf once said: “The power of a
clan is not measured by the strength of its leader, but by the courage and will
of its members.”
“There
are a few I haven’t seen before, though,” Jenna added.
“They
must be Jacob and Fen with Belle’s children.”
“Belle?”
Balto asked.
“Their
leader; Jacob and Fen are from the Ice
Mountain clan,” Cloud
replied. “They were instructed to take Belle’s children away from…danger.
Neither Jacob nor Fen knows what that really means, but I suspect war.”
Thru
the forest, beyond the range of the strongest nose or the keenest ears, a small
band of four wolves moved slowly among the foliage as the sun was just
beginning its decent in the sky above. They stopped abruptly, as one of them, a
light brown wolf with several scars tried to scent the air. Another stepped up
beside him.
“Can
you smell anything, Gail?” he asked.
The
scarred wolf shook his head.
“It’s
always hard after a storm; you should know that by now, Cedar” he replied,
“That’s why we always patrol while it snows.”
“But
weren’t we supposed to meet up with the Ice Mountain
clan today to re-establish our boundaries?”
“Yes,
but it seems they may have forgotten our agreement,” sighed Gail, “I’ll have to
tell Daciana; I’d hate for this to lead to war, but…”
Gail
never finished his sentence.
From
all around, other wolves came at him and his small patrol. Gail charged the
first three, and took them quickly, but two others fell upon him from behind
him. Cedar tried to come to his captain’s aid, but four wolves blocked his way.
The two others of the patrol joined him and they rushed forward and tried to
bash their way thru, but in vain. Though they fought bravely and took many of
their attackers with them in death, the members of the small patrol were out-numbered
nearly seven-to-one, and very soon, only Cedar remained. Bleeding and panting
heavily, he stood protectively over his fallen captain as his eyes scanned the
wolves encircling him. More than twenty still remained, yet they made no move
toward him.
“You’re
monsters, all of you,” he said fiercely. “We’re in neutral territory; you had
no reason to attack us!”
Just
then, one of the wolves stepped forward and addressed him.
“You
are of the Eir clan, are you not?”
Cedar
nodded slowly.
“And
Daciana is your leader?”
Cedar
nodded again.
“Then
take this message back to her: We have set this year’s boundaries already, and
members of your clan have violated them. Any further incursions into our
territory will be considered an act of hostility, and will be responded to
accordingly.”
He
nodded to the rest of the wolves, and they parted to allow him a way out.
“Now
go.”
Cedar
backed away hesitantly. I’m sorry, Gail.
I couldn’t save you, but they’ll pay for this I swear by Aniu’s breath. He
turned and ran, leaving a thin trail of blood behind him.
Meanwhile,
the wolf who had addressed him smirked as more wolves joined him, headed by a
wolf with a scar across his left eye.
“Is
the messenger on his way?” asked the wolf with the scar.
“Yes,
Nemec,” answered the other. “All is going according to plan.”
“Good.
Then it’s time we started out.” He eyed the bloody trail that Cedar had left. “We’ve
got a ways to travel before nightfall.”
Belle
shook her head and lay down again. She’d spent the better part of a hour trying
to hear the conversation in the next den, but finally gave up. The walls were
just thin enough to alert a careful listener to a conversation, but just thick
enough to prevent the listener from overhearing any of it, for security
reasons. Belle sighed and put her head on her paws. Perhaps she had chosen too
perfect a site for her pack. The many passages of the cave network were meant
to create a near unconquerable home den, with their overlooking balconies and
interconnected family dens. Now that they were prisoners in their own
territory, there was little chance of escape.
Just
then, there came the sound of approaching paws, and Belle looked up as Tes was
herded inside.
“Belle!
Are you alright?” he said.
“Well
enough,” she lied.
Tes
lay down beside her.
“What’s
wrong, Belle?”
She
met his eyes and sighed.
“My
face betrays me?”
“Your
eyes, really,” Tes said. “I can always tell what’s on your mind.”
“Then
you made an even better captain than I thought.”
Tes
laughed softly.
“I’m
nervous for the rest of the home guard,” Belle whispered finally. “The invaders
are talking in hushed voices, and I don’t like the sounds of it.”
“Lord
Shadow tried to get us to serve him earlier, but I refused,” Tes added. “I fear
this may be his reprisal…”
Outside
their den, one of the guards slunk away and reported what he’d heard.
“It’s
just as you had planned, my
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