Daughter of the Moon (The Moon People, Book Two) (6 page)

Adel looked over at her, then tugged her apprentice in close. "Spare your concern for the others. I understood my burden when I made the decision to leave Khelt's pack. Whatever trials we may face, I would have them fall upon me first before any of my followers." She gave Netya one of her rare smiles, though it was a thin and strained thing. "You most of all. Never waste your sympathies on me when your attention would be better served elsewhere. Remember that, Netya."

"I do not think sparing my sympathies on you is a waste. You are my
—" She faltered. "My mentor."

"Then heed my counsel. Concentrate on learning to command your wolf, and I will worry over the safety of my pack."

Fern's voice piped up from behind them. "Rokan says he spotted a nook sheltered with fallen trees a ways back. He thought it might make do for a den."

Adel shook her head impatiently. "I saw it too. It might suffice for shelter in the warmer months, but not now."

"We would have fresh water nearby, thanks to the stream," Netya offered.

"We need a cave. Stone walls that can trap the heat of our fires, and vents for the smoke to escape. And those trees Rokan saw were not felled and placed there by the tug of the wind." Adel grimaced. "They were old, but someone put them there with intent. Let us hope whoever it was is long gone from these lands."

"Is it not possible the people who dwell in this forest might lend us their aid?" Netya said. "The North People were kind and generous. Perhaps we were not meant to weather this winter all by ourselves?"

"We are far beyond the lands where your kind may be found, girl. You saw what Turec's hunters were ready to do when they caught trespassers in their territory. From here to the great water, this land belongs to the Moon People. We will find no aid from anyone here."

"Why must it be so? Surely our pack was not the only one to be possessed of kindness and understanding."

Adel sighed, sharing a glance with Fern before she continued. "The kindness they would offer us is not something we should be willing to accept. No, they would not take our lives if we came to them in peace, but they would not allow us to come and go as we pleased either. Status is everything to a wolf pack. You will come to understand that at the gathering this summer, should the winter not claim our lives first. Indulging strangers in one's own territory is a sign of weakness. It invites others to trespass also. So strangers must either be driven out, or they must be made strangers no longer."

"What does that mean?"

"I spoke of kindness. In the eyes of most alphas, it would be a generous and noble thing to take a group of women like us into his pack. Perhaps I and a few others might eventually become senior females through our talents, but our status would always be marked by our origins. The rest would be expected to mate and strengthen the pack with their offspring. In return for the protection, you see, of a strong male clan." A hint of distaste crept into the den mother's voice. "If we had more men among us it might be different. We might be afforded a measure of independence and respect. But a group of females travelling alone? Even the kindest of alphas would see us as lost sheep in need of shepherding. A bounty ripe to be picked and taken into his fold. That is why we must remain hidden."

"We cannot remain hidden forever. What will we do once the other clans learn of us?" Netya said.

"I do not yet know. Until we learn how the other packs have changed since the last gathering, I cannot be certain of how best to find our place among them. Whatever may come of it, we have more urgent concerns right now."

"I will trust in your wisdom, den mother," Netya replied. As soon as the words had left her lips, Adel froze. "What is it?" she said, glancing back as the others slowed their pace behind them.

Adel was staring down at the ground in front of her, eyes locked on the frosty soil. A clear set of pawprints crossed their path, and they were too large to have belonged to any feral wolf.

"Nobody went ahead to scout today, did they?" Netya said under her breath.

The den mother shook her head. "We cannot go any farther this way. Take to the legs of your wolves again and keep your noses close to the ground. If you catch scent of whoever left these tracks, tell me immediately." She turned around and walked back through the group, crossing over the frozen stream and leading them away into the trees. They left their source of fresh water behind them, angling away to the south and east.

They came across no more signs of the wolf whose tracks they had crossed, but Adel's warnings remained fresh in Netya's mind all day. If what her mentor had said was true, she hoped they had avoided straying into another pack's territory unawares.

Hunting became more difficult as the days grew colder. The land they travelled was rich and fertile, birthing many edible plants and fruit-bearing trees, but the onset of winter left branches bare and stems withered. The forest was too dense to house the large herds of animals that had dwelt on the plains, and Netya and the others found themselves having to scout farther and farther afield to find fresh prey.

Not all of the forest's bounties were obvious, however. It was Wren who thought to investigate a large pool—almost a small lake—that they came across one morning while scouring the surrounding woodland for food. The trees had thinned out slightly, the terrain becoming rockier and more difficult to traverse, but there was water in abundance here. The pool was large enough that it had not yet frozen over completely, and Wren led Netya around the edge until they found a safe spot from which they could break through the ice. They waited patiently, watching the silvery glimmer of fish darting back and forth beneath the surface, hoping for one of the larger ones to venture close enough to be snatched up by a pair of quick jaws.

It was less tiring than stalking critters through the undergrowth, but Netya's wolf soon became impatient, and she left her young companion to keep watch on the fish while she explored the circumference of the pool. The water was fresh, easily fishable by those who had the skill, and Netya suspected the area would be quite beautiful in the summer months. The snowy peaks of the mountains they had spent weeks circumventing lined the horizon to the east, and a ridge on the western side of the pool commanded an impressive view of the forest for many leagues in the opposite direction.

At first her wanderings had been absent, but the more Netya began to think, the more purposeful her exploration became. Wrangling her excitable wolf before the beast grew distracted by the idea, she forced herself to revert and stand back up on two legs. An eager smile lit her lips as she discovered the main river that fed the pool, and then two more outlets that carried its water away. Moving water meant more fresh fish, and an easy means of disposing of their waste. Over the past several days they had come across a number of caves in the rocky land, but none of them had been suited to the pack's needs. Thanks to Wren, they had found an ample supply of food and water. Now all they needed was a shelter nearby.

Clambering down the western ridge, Netya began searching the rock face for any crannies that might be repurposed to their needs. The rough stone beneath her feet was brittle and loose, but there were smoother rocks farther below that looked to have been polished smooth by running water at some point in the distant past. Examining a frozen stream that had spilled down the rocks before winter turned it to ice, she came to the conclusion that the pool had once fed a waterfall leading to a third small river, before debris at the top of the ridge had clogged the flow and reduced it to a trickle.

Netya's growing excitement quickened her steps as she made out several dark openings in the rocks below. Once she dropped down into the old riverbed she took the shape of her wolf again, sniffing for the scents of any other animals that might have made their dens nearby. Curiously enough, she found none. Perhaps her untrained nose was missing something, or maybe the chill of winter had masked smells that would have been rich and obvious in the summer. The fur at the back of her neck prickled slightly, but the twinge of apprehension was not enough to quell her eagerness.

The first few nooks she poked her nose into were too small, but they were weathered and sturdy. The riverbed had carved out a small overhang under the rocks on either side, and it was beneath this lip that Netya's sensitive ears picked out the echo of an empty space nearby. It was something she would never have recognised as a woman, but as a wolf it grabbed hold of her and refused to let go. She barked, listening to the way the sound found its way back to her ears, and followed in the direction that seemed to echo with that wide, hollow quality.

A broad opening loomed between the rocks, slanting down into pitch blackness. It was so close to the base of the frozen waterfall that she had missed it on her initial descent. The keen eyes of her wolf penetrated the darkness better than usual, but it was still impossible to tell what lay within. She snuffled her way around the edge of the opening, feeling the prickle of agitation return as her nose once again picked up nothing but the distant traces of water and moss. For a moment she considered climbing back up to find Wren, but the inquisitiveness of her wolf had taken full hold. Ignoring the agitation of her more mindful side, she placed her paws at the entrance of the opening and began to carefully shuffle down into the darkness.

The rock beneath her was smooth with frost, cold and hard and threatening, but it was the potential of a sudden drop that concerned her more. She barked again, hearing her voice echo back from all around. Without understanding how, the quality of the sound seemed to tell her that it was safe to go forward.

Within a few paces her paws touched frozen earth, and the scent of old moss grew stronger. Using her ears and her sense of smell to guide her, she made her way around the chamber until she had followed the cave wall back to where she started. It was not as big as the caves back at the outcrop, but it was large enough to house a few dozen bodies. Once again Netya's tingle of unease returned. Why had no other animals made their dens here? It was sheltered, safe, and fresh water ran within a few paces of the entrance. Had the spirits finally smiled upon them after weeks of fruitless travelling?

After sniffing around the cave one last time, Netya climbed back up the tunnel and scaled the ridge to find Wren. A gift from the spirits or not, it would be Adel's choice to decide whether the den she had found would be suitable for seeing them through the winter.

The rest of the group waited anxiously behind the den mother as she looked over the cave's entrance in silence, weighing their options. She glanced up at the frozen waterfall, then snapped her fingers and beckoned Netya over. "You checked properly? There were no scents of wild animals inside?"

"No, Den Mother. It may be a little damp, and I do not think there are smoke vents, but it seems safe."

"If the roof slopes up to the entrance here we may not need vents," Caspian said, gesturing to the dark opening. "I am sure we can manage to hold our breath when we are coming and going."

Adel grunted and bobbed her head in what Netya could only assume was an expression of approval. "You did well. This may suit our needs for the winter."

"It was Wren who spotted the fish in the pool. If not for her, I would never have thought to look for caves nearby," Netya said.

Adel looked to the young girl, whose eyes immediately fell as the imposing gaze of the den mother settled upon her. Her response reminded Netya of how she herself had felt when she first met her mentor.

"Then you did well also, Wren," Adel said. "You are a keen young woman. Perhaps in the years to come you will prove yourself worthy of a seer's wisdom."

The girl flushed, trying to suppress the obvious swell of pride rising within her. Netya held back a smile of her own. Even though the majority of their number were seers, it was still the greatest status a woman could hope to attain among their people. Most did not dare to presume that it would ever be their calling.

Caspian knelt by the cave's entrance and dug out the small metal tool he often used for wood burning from his travelling bundle. Using a nodule of pyrite against the edge, he struck a few sparks into the darkness, illuminating the tunnel for a brief instant in a flash of orange.

"It looks good," he said, turning to look up the ridge with a sigh of pleasure. "If I can make a line I can fish that pool properly. I didn't know how much I'd missed it."

"Do not grow too attached to those dreams of fishing. We do yet know whether this place is safe." Adel turned to the group. "Fern, Lyucia, take two others and begin scouting the land around this den. Check in every direction, and be thorough. If there are any traces of other wolves nearby, I must know."

Fern responded with a bow of her head. "Yes, Den Mother. It may take some time, perhaps a few days to be sure."

"If the spirits smile on us we will have no cause to leave. Take the time you need, but be back before nightfall."

"Our wolves would be more agreeable to scouting at night," Lyucia said.

"As would the scouts of our enemies. Now is not the time to indulge your need to dance under the moon. We must be careful, and we must be cunning." Adel gestured for them to go before Lyucia could protest further. "Those of you who think you can catch fish, go with Wren and find us tomorrow's meal in that pool. The rest can prepare our camp here."

As the group dispersed to carry out Adel's instructions, Caspian kindled a small fire and began whittling a pine branch to his needs. He split one end directly downwards several times, then searched the nearby trees until he found one that had spilled stiff globs of resin down its trunk. Smearing the split end of his branch with a generous amount of the tacky fluid, he brought it back to the fire and held the tip to the flames until it caught alight. Torch in hand, he slid down into the cave with Adel and Netya following behind him.