Secrets of the Wolves (14 page)

Milsindra watched, waiting for a lie. Through the aroma of forest that disguised her wolfscent, I caught a whiff of something. An eagerness. The smell of a wolf before the hunt. I took a step back.

“You weren’t so quiet the last time I saw you,” she said, licking a paw. “Are you not brought up well enough to answer a krianan wolf when she addresses you?”

That made me whuff in surprise. I’d never before heard a Greatwolf refer to herself as a krianan—it was the term the humans used for their spiritual leaders and for the wolves that met with them.

“I must speak to Rissa about the way she raises her pups,” Milsindra said.

I at last managed to find my voice.

“It’s only been a quarter moon since we started bringing meat to the humans,” I said, pleased that I was able to speak calmly and respectfully. “We have more than two moons left to complete our task.”
And only two moons to get outside the valley if I’m going to find my mother
, I thought. The thought of my mother waiting for me while I was stuck in the valley stole my words away once again, and I blinked stupidly at Milsindra. She waited. For me to lie, for me to admit failure. I didn’t know what to say. Then I remembered how Marra could answer a question without really answering it, saying just enough to be respectful without actually giving up any information.

“It isn’t easy,” I said, averting my gaze. “There are challenges, but we still have time to figure it out.”

“Challenges?” Milsindra scoffed, dropping her polite demeanor. “You can barely keep from killing one another. One hunt. One hunt and you almost bit one of them and they almost skewered you like firemeat.” She laughed, then seemed to remember that she was trying to be nice to me. “It is not your fault, Kaala. You cannot help what you are.” She lowered her head to meet my eyes. “Do you know why I permitted that decrepit oldwolf to convince the council to grant you the challenge of living with the humans?”

“Because you had to,” I blurted. “You don’t have enough support on the council to stop it. Zorindru made you.”

Milsindra laughed.

“Zorindru can make me do nothing
. I
allowed it because I know that you are too much a wolf to allow the humans to bully you, to treat you like a curl-tail. Not like your mother and Ruuqo’s brother.” My ears rose at the mention of my mother. Milsindra’s arrogant gaze stopped me from interrupting her. “Hiiln and Neesa were the humans’
strecks.
” I winced at the insult. A streck was the lowliest form of prey. “They rolled over and offered their bellies to the humans, and they lost what made them wolf. They put us all at risk of becoming no more than curl-tails to the humans. But I knew you would not do so.” Her ears flattened in amusement. “I am always right.”

“What do you mean about my mother?” I finally managed to say. I knew that Hiiln, Ruuqo’s brother, had been exiled from the valley for consorting with the humans long before I was born, but no one had told me my mother had done so, too. My heart quickened. Milsindra had to know where my mother was, what she wanted from me. “What does my mother have to do with the humans?”

Milsindra ignored my question. “I allowed the test to go forth because I knew you would fail. And the sooner you fail, the sooner I prove that I am right and that you are an affront to the Ancients, that Frandra and Jandru should never have saved your life. The sooner you and your humans are dead, the safer we all will be.”

A fanatical gleam came into her eyes, and I stepped back. She followed me. I realized that fleeing would be a bad idea. Like any wolf, she would chase the prey that ran. I gripped the earth with my paws, forcing myself to stay where I was. Milsindra regarded me.

“You have courage, youngwolf. You have spirit. You are a wolf that others follow. But you are not the savior of wolfkind. Only a Greatwolf can be that. Any wolf who truly follows the Ancients knows that Indru chose the Greatwolves to lead wolfkind because we are closest to the Ancients in the Balance. We are the ones chosen to control the humans. We are the ones with the strength to do what must be done
.”

Hearing the fervor in her voice shocked me. I found that I was panting hard, trying to get enough air into my lungs. I had thought Milsindra only wanted power, but it was more than that. Ruuqo and Rissa followed the Ancients, as we all did, but I’d never heard any wolf speak as Milsindra spoke, as if the Ancients were her leaderwolves, as if they told her what to do as one wolf would tell another. I wondered if it could be true, if the Ancients themselves thought I was unlucky. Milsindra certainly believed it.

I heard Ázzuen howl that he was coming. The knowledge steadied me. “Zorindru doesn’t think it’s the will of the Ancients that I should fail.” My voice was quiet, but Milsindra heard me.

“And that is why I must take the council from him.” The amusement left her face. “The Ancients entrusted us with the task of controlling the humans, and when Zorindru allowed you to consort with them he put us all in jeopardy. Those on the council who support him are as dangerous as he is, and the Ancients will punish them. Those who do not know whom to follow are weak and will be easily swayed when you fail.”

“And if I don’t fail?” I said, still not meeting Milsindra’s eyes.

“You will,” she said, carelessly chewing at the fur of her shoulder. “And if you don’t, I will find a way to make your success a failure. Even if you do get to your humans”—she laughed—“which you won’t, not after you growled at them. Even if you do manage it, I will find another way to make the council doubt you. It’s not difficult, you know. All I have to do is tell my followers it was luck that you succeeded, and that we need more proof. That we need to see humans living with you, too. Or that we need to see that when you live with humans your own hunts improve. That we need a wolf to lead a human pack. It doesn’t matter what. Fear is a powerful force. All I need to do is make enough of the council and enough packs in the valley afraid of you and what you represent and I will win.”

I said nothing. I felt slow and stupid and couldn’t think of anything that would contradict Milsindra.

She took two more steps toward me. There was nowhere left for me to back up.

“Where is your raven friend?” she asked, almost nonchalantly, lowering her head until her nose pressed against the top of my muzzle. I again caught the pungent scent, the smell of a wolf waiting to attack.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I haven’t seen him.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Milsindra said, allowing a threat to enter her voice. She took my muzzle between her teeth, then released it. “I can smell a lie as well as I can smell your fear. What did he say to you when you met with him at the river? What did he say to you today? Has he asked you to go on a journey with him?”

I watched her, trying to figure out how much she knew—why she was interested in Tlitoo.

“He just said he was busy,” I lied. “That’s all.”

“You know, Kaala,” Milsindra said, almost gently, “that I would kill you now if I could. But Zorindru still holds too much power. I will take word of what happened with the humans today to the council. It may be enough. But if not, when you fail, and fail you will, I will have all the proof I need that I am right and Zorindru, Jandru, and Frandra are wrong. I will stop you from destroying wolfkind and will lead the krianan wolves to new strengths. Once we rid the valley of these humans and you streck wolves, we will succeed. We will fulfill Indru’s promise.”

The promise you lied about
, I thought.
The promise you almost killed us over.

All at once, fury rushed through me. Ever since Zorindru had told us of the task the Greatwolves had invented for us, other wolves had been telling me what I must and must not do. I had all of the responsibility for keeping humans and wolves from fighting but no power to do so, and now Milsindra was telling me that she would thwart me even if, in spite of this, I succeeded.

It was all I could do not to growl at the Greatwolf. There was no way I could challenge her, no way I could stop her. I stared at the ground beneath my paws, keeping myself from looking into Milsindra’s eyes, trying to hide my emotions from her.

She whuffed a small laugh and took a few steps back. Then cocked her head. “You are not the only Swift River wolf who is troublesome, are you?” she said.

A moment later I caught Yllin’s scent and heard her steady pawsteps. She walked calmly into the copse and greeted Milsindra. Then she walked over and stood by my side.

“Lordwolf,” she said to Milsindra, her ears and tail lowered and her voice the very model of respect. “Our pack would like Kaala to join our snow deer hunt, if you don’t need her anymore.”

Yllin was standing with ease. Although her ears and tail were lowered and her legs slightly bent to show respect to Milsindra, her bearing was confident. If she had actually said so, it could not have been clearer that although she honored the Greatwolf’s dominance, she was a strong wolf in her own right. I watched her in admiration and envy. I would never be that confident.

Milsindra looked Yllin over, her gaze considering. She could certainly kill both of us, but it wouldn’t be an easy fight. Just then Ázzuen’s bark sounded through the trees.

Milsindra planted her huge paws in the dirt and stretched, her lean muscles rippling under her fur. “Of course, if she is needed for a hunt, she must go.” She kept her gaze on Yllin, then smiled her narrow smile once more. She turned her tail to us and bounded from the copse, as light of heart as any pup.

A moment later, Ázzuen dashed into the spruce and juniper grove, just as I released my anger and frustration in a low, fierce growl. Ázzuen stopped, startled. He greeted Yllin and then touched my face with his nose. My fury abated, just a little.

“Ruuqo wants us to come to the snow deer hunt?” I asked Yllin.

“No”—she grinned—“but when you left for Oldwoods, I thought you might need some help, so I’ve been following you. The humans are sensitive, aren’t they?” She slammed her head into my shoulder, knocking me to the side.

I laughed in spite of my concerns, and felt warmth and gratitude wash over me. Nothing bothered Yllin. She always seemed to be able to find a way to rise above anything that happened.

“How did you do that? With Milsindra?”

“She wasn’t going to hurt either one of us,” she said. “I could tell. And even Greatwolves respect a wolf who seems assertive; it’s instinctive.” She thought for a moment. “There are ways to get around those in power without actually challenging them. You have to follow the rules so you don’t get in trouble, but still get what you want. You just have to find new ways of doing things.”

“I’ll never be as strong as you are,” I said to her.

“Why? Because you couldn’t stand up to a Greatwolf when you’re not even a year old?” she said. “You’ll be fine, Kaala. You’re strong and smart and have packmates who stand with you. Just don’t get stuck thinking about what you can’t do.” She licked my muzzle. “I have to get back to the snow deer hunt. I told Ruuqo I was following a forest deer trail.” She poked Ázzuen in the ribs, picked up a pinecone in her jaws, and ran from the copse.

I took a breath, controlling the anger and frustration that still roiled in me, allowing them to feed me rather than overwhelm me, trying to be as calm and confident as Yllin was.

“Trevegg sent you to bring me back?” I asked Ázzuen.

“Yes,” he answered, his gaze intent upon my face. “He said that he thinks we can still get HuLin to trust us. HuLin laughed at DavRian after you left. But we have to get back to Oldwoods before the humans leave.”

“We’ll go back,” I said, “but not quite yet.” An idea was forming at the edges of my mind, a way to thwart Milsindra in her attempts to undermine me. Her own words had given me the idea. And Yllin’s encouragement made me think it was possible. If Yllin could stand fearlessly, face-to-face with a Greatwolf, I could try something different. First, however, I needed to know about my mother—if she had really called to me. And I knew who could tell me.

I raised my nose to the light breeze, trying to catch any nearby raven-scent. Tlitoo had told me that he would be gathering with other ravens. My guess was that they would be at Rock Crest, a steep, rugged hill not far from Fallen Tree Gathering Place. It was a favorite meeting place for the ravens, since its sharp rocks and craggy cliffs provided plenty of hiding places and perches. Sure enough, I could smell raven not far to the south of us. Rock Crest was in that direction. Keeping my nose lifted to the breeze, I began to track the scent.

“Where are you going?” Ázzuen demanded, scrabbling to follow me.

“To find Tlitoo. I’m going to make him go outside the valley to find out if Demmen was telling the truth.”

“You’re going to
make
him?”

Ignoring his dubious tone, I set off for Rock Crest. Ázzuen, huffing in protest, followed. As we ran, I told him what Milsindra had said. About the council, about me, about Tli-too. Ázzuen listened, his ears twitching. He asked me several questions as we ran, most of which seemed pointless to me. I was just getting annoyed enough to tell him to shut up when raven-scents grew strong all around us. We were nearing Rock Crest, and soon we heard belligerent raven voices. Suddenly uneasy, I stopped. This was not the normal strident raven conversation. The birds were angry; they sounded like they did when they attacked something.

Ázzuen and I crept cautiously up the hill until we could peer down into a round rocky depression where the ravens had gathered. They were indeed surrounding something, attacking it with sharp jabs of their beaks. I had an impression of black feathers and furious, clacking beaks. I had seen the ravens attack a weasel that way once. Ravens despise weasels, who steal and eat raven eggs. They kill any weasels they find and attack anything that gets between them and their quarry.

I began to back away.

Then I heard a familiar krawk, distorted by fear and pain. I met Ázzuen’s wide eyes, and we began to run down the hill as we realized at the same moment: it wasn’t a weasel the ravens were attacking. It was Tlitoo.