Kingdoms Away 1: Jorian Cluster Archives (19 page)

She was hoping to be included in the warmer
season lookouts that monitored the movements of the Terasian
masters and their beasts in the outer regions. It was a vital job
and not allocated lightly. She suspected that a team might accept
her as an assistant leader. This would mean grave responsibility
but she wouldn’t have to carry anything heavy. On a positive note,
the Master Clothiers had been able to develop some clothing for
her, light and warm.

Fin woke refreshed to Thon’s rough shaking
and grumbled at him. It was almost time for them to arrive at the
main cave. All their family would be there, including the white
wolves with Sheca, the young female who had first approached her.
Sheca had given birth to five healthy puppies two months ago much
to Fin’s horror - because she had watched the birth. When she heard
the word “birth”, she had an instant flashback of the horrific day
when her mother’s friend had given birth on board the cruise ship.
This was the same reason she avoided any Heikave women in labor.
Thon had been to every family birth giving assistance.

He knew her horror but never spoke of it.

They entered the main cave escorted by their
maturas. A total of six were part of the ceremony. They stood,
listened, and relaxed as entertainment began. Finally, the time had
arrived for the announcements. Each candidate received his or her
approvals to professional training. Thon received Herbal Law and
Medicine and Fin, holding her breath, received Navigation. There
was a slight pause before the Ellri glanced under heavy eyelids
toward Joppullarran who yelled out not to make the little thing
wait. She received Expedire and was told she could join a Salvus
team.

Amid the laughter came congratulations.
Thonnurran became Thonnurranna and Fina became A’fina.

Fin didn’t think things could be much better,
but a moment came when absolute silence filled the cave. The white
wolves surrounded the candidates and in unison howled. Fin had
bumps all over her arms and shivered at the way it made her feel.
She wanted to join them in their howl, as she often had in the
past, but didn’t feel the time was right. They were beautiful on
their own. What happened next was amazing; Sheca presented each
candidate with a pup. She picked them up one at a time by their
scruff. The pups proceeded to bond with each Heikave receiving a
name extension.

Fin, who was sitting next to Thon and another
student, petted each pup with pleasure and was happy for them. She
hid her disappointment that she was not bonded, and tried to
console herself with the fact that she always had animals around
her. This was now an extraordinary occasion, for the bonding of
Heikave and white wolf had not happened for some time. She was not
sure why they chose this time to begin the tradition again or why
it happened to be this particular group of Heikaves. What she did
know was that all those receiving name extensions and wolf bonding
were in Thon’s journey group. Her astute mind could make no other
connection and decided to wait for more information.

The Ellri and maturas were amazed and
grateful for the experience. Many had tears in their eyes. It had
been hundreds of years since wolves had bonded with the Heikaves.
It had been a sad time when the Heikaves realized that the decision
not to fight the Terasians regardless of what they did to them or
their land had irreparable consequences.

The Heikaves had been some distance away from
their mountainous region on a simple research journey, close to the
coast, when they had stumbled upon a group of Terasians hacking
away at some old growth trees. The Heikaves had not stood and
fought as they had in the past, they had run. Later that night,
they saw a fire in the direction the Terasians had been destroying
the trees. The Heikaves and wolves had returned the next day and
witnessed the damage and dead animal bodies.

The wolves had stopped bonding after that
episode.

The wiser ones now studied the young Heikaves
more closely wondering at why the wolves were bonding now.

Fin watched the Ellri reactions, and her own
curiosity was heightened. She was determined to find out one day
why the wolves chose to bond after such a long time. It was then of
great surprise to her when Sheca and her mate Sheba came up to her,
licked her face and plonked themselves down at her legs. She
started to cry and Thon hugged her and his puppy, now named Tuley,
jumped all over her and Sheba. It was a great honor for Fin and she
was glad she made her bivouac tent wide, for the two rascals often
joined her inside her personal inner cave within her family’s
caves.

Thon breathed a sigh of relief; the bonding
did not look quite so unusual now that the two adult wolves bonded
with Fin. It was something he and his group had not considered when
taking action against the Terasians.

As Fin lay in her personal cave with the two
wolves and other assorted menagerie, she listened as they all
settled in. While the two often slept in her cave, tonight had a
special feeling of permanence. The other animals, arctic foxes,
large pronghorns, brown and black bears and smaller wild and
domesticated animals, rotated around and she wondered at their
seemingly organized roster system knowing it was probably just her
imagination. She had no idea they were responding to her…