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Specter of Dammerwald (Second Installment)

SURPRISE BONUS Enjoy the as yet unpublished Second Installment of the prequel fot the Fantasy Plot in Over Over X.

2.

Rotor had listened in fear of being discovered as each of the other Wolfcats passed close by, several times in fact. It would be more than embarrassing for Ela’na and him to be caught in one another’s amorous embrace. The stealth of concealment amongst the deepest shadows of the oldest trees in the great forest was almost perfect, even to the point of having effectively masked Ela’na’s and his scents with the fragrances of wild flowers that erupted from the thatch of twigs and leaves upon which they were laying. He was rather proud of the achievement, especially considering the pressure and duress that he had felt just prior to conceiving the plan.

He looked at Ela’na. He could feel her exhaustion even as his own. It was uncanny how much they were alike and yet there were things that she was that he could never be. His strengths were also her weaknesses. Each was the completion for the other. It made so much sense for them to bond. Even so they were only in the second season and it was far too early for them to have even done what already they had.

As right as everything had felt between the two of them Rotor was still concerned. They had specifically violated the spirit if not exactly the letter of the laws of the Pack. Why did he or she allow it to happen? Why had either of them permitted the wonderful innocence of youth to be smudged with the intrusion of what perhaps was best left for adults? Now he felt fully responsible for Ela’na in a way that he never could have imagined. The thought of her made him ache to touch her. Even though they were lying next to one another, he missed feeling her warmth surround him. He could not clear the recent memories of intense emotion and pleasure. Was this the consummation of love, the physical expression of what love for another was really supposed to be?

His desire for her was limitless. It was not just that he would protect and defend her as he would certainly have done that anyway. It was more so that she was the only one that was of any significance or consequence to him. It was natural for him to feel as he did because he loved her. He had always loved her. Still he understood why Wolf law was as it was. It was a heavy weight on him, even if it were a burden that he was more than willing to bear, the weight robbed him of his youth. He would never be a pup again.

No one needed to ever know what they had done. Ela’na had made him promise to her that it was their secret. Even so he did not want the special moment to ever end. He could hardly bear the idea of being apart from her, even to say good night. He had confessed the extent of his love to her over and over in the throes of their passion. What he had said were not the hollow words of momentary lustful desire but the the attempt to express in words the ineffable sensations of rapture. He had known her for all his life. He was certain that there had been a reason for them to have always been together; even to have shared the tragedy that they had in common that was the woe of their individual births.

Ela’na moaned as she rolled over, and opened an eye, looking up through the dark lace canopy of branches and leaves. Faintly she could see the light of the Wolf Star. For her, it seemed to underscore the importance of the moment. She had wished upon it not so long ago and now her wish was fulfilled. “Did you sleep?” She asked.

“For a little while. I was frightened that the others might find us.”

“Where are the others?” she asked.

“We hid from them pretty well. They passed by us ever so near and many, many times.”

“I was worried too, that they would find us while we were, well, while we were here.”

“I know. I was trying to keep track of them but you kept distracting me.”

Ela’na smiled. “We must never tell anyone,” she reiterated.

Rotor nodded.

Ela’na stretched lazily as she buried her nose into the thick white fur of Rotor’s chest. He smelled so much like Tharr that it was comforting to her. Still there was something different, something strange about his scent. It made Rotor unique.

“We need to get back. It is already getting darker. It will be full night before we reach the cavern.”

“I want to feel like this, like I feel now forever. Do you think that is possible?” Ela’na asked.

“Some c’eun we will be together always,” Rotor said. “I can’t bear the thought of it getting any darker because I won’t be able to see you. I love the way you smell. I love hearing your voice. It is the way you look that is incredibly powerful.”

“I am worried that it will be a very long time before we can be together, always,” Ela’na confessed. “I will be older then and less attractive to you.”

“To me I will always remember how you are now. When I see you that is what you will look like.”

“That is sweet. The words are easy for you to say, though.”

“I’ll just have to make sure that I prove it to you. Maybe I can’t control anything else,” Rotor said. “I think I have control of us being together.”

Ela’na groaned as Rotor stood and stretched. “We have to go,” he said, taking charge of the moment. “I think the others headed back already. They gave up ever finding us.”

“We won!” Ela’na exclaimed as she sprang to her feet, but then stretched a little, complaining that she was a little sore in places that she did not know could even hurt.

For his own part, Rotor ached in some fairly strange places, as well. Still, overall the way that he had felt, the forces of nature had converged to bless them both. He would have endured any pain or danger to have been with Ela’na for the intense moments of pleasure and passion that they had shared. He would have faced Death’s Shadow if need be. He loved her that much. He would always love her. It was as necessary to him as the air that sustained him.

Above the dense green awning of leaves and branches, the first two suns had long ago set and the other one must have been setting just at the horizon. The sky above the trees was already littered with the brighter stars. The shadows beneath the trees had grown long and deep. It always seemed to get dark sooner in the deepest places of the forest, the places where the pups were not supposed to go. Still, Rotor felt that he knew the way back. He had frequented these parts of the forest. He had never known why as it was not a part that was teeming with game. Now he was certain of the purpose behind his youthful explorations.

Walking alongside Rotor, Ela’na felt very safe. Even as the shadows of the old forest became impenetrable for her sight, she trusted him completely. Rotor did not rely on his eyes in lieu of his incredible sense of smell. He would find the way back to the Pack even if they became lost.
She had faith in him.

Suddenly Rotor halted, causing Ela’na to skip as she stepped behind him.

“Do you feel it?”

“What?” Ela’na asked as she peered around him in an attempt to see anything more than a shadow where his face should have been.

“I felt something was watching us. There is something here, living here.”

“You mean like an animal? Do you smell anything?”

“No, no. Even so, I know it is alive. I have felt it a time or two before and it has always been in this place, or very near to it.”

“You know where we are then,” Ela’na felt a wave or relief wash through here.

“I know. Every time I have been here I have been lost.”

“What do you mean lost?”

“I mean lost as in I do not know which direction to go. You know confused and disoriented.”

“You have always found your way.”

“Yes, I have. Eventually I will know the way to go but only after I trust my feelings.”

“Then do what you must. You scared me a little when you said you were lost.”

“Don’t worry,” Rotor said. “I’m here, I’m with you.”

“Don’t ever leave me alone. Not here.”

“How could I do something like that to you?” Rotor asked.

“Look! What is that?” Ela’na was staring directly ahead of them, where the forest appeared to be as dark as the deepest recesses of the cavern of Belkul where much of the Wolf Pack dwelled.

Rotor was already looking. For the moment his attention was transfixed, mesmerized by the motion of an approaching light. It was as red as if it were a reflection of the first dawn’s sun. It seemed to be dancing back and forth, up and down. It was growing with each moment that elapsed.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Ela’na asked as she trembled in fear.

“Of course I am,” Rotor said. “It is just that we can’t go anywhere else.”

“What is it?”

“We will find out, very soon.”

Ela’na ducked behind him again, “You mean you have never seen it before?”

“Never.”

“Hide me.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Neither of them could tear their eyes away from the light. Soon it was all that they could see, the world around them was immersed in a homogenous red tint. The ground beneath their paws trembled, shaking at each unseen, shadowy footfall of whatever was behind the light.

“Why?” the question rumbled low, to the point that neither Ela’na nor Rotor was certain that it was even a voice.

“Are you talking to us?” Rotor responded bravely but toward the end there was a slight quiver in his voice that belied the fear he was trying in vain to suppress.

“You are…here,” the words came but this time as a shrill shriek in the terror of the culmination of all their fears’ foundation.

Ela’na tried to turn away. She could not avert her eyes. She could not raise even a paw from the ground to move. Rotor was her only protection but even he seemed to be in no better position of defense.

“Let us go,” Rotor challenged defiantly.

“You stay!” The air snapped as a discharge of intense light blinded each of them for a few moments. “Sit!” The word carried force, compelling them to immediately obey.

“Y-y-you, a-a-are….Dammerwald,” Ela’na sensed a part of the truth and confessed her understanding, however weakly.

“The heart was profaned,” the voice trailed off. “Your presence impure.” Suddenly a heavily robed figure stood near to where they sat. With outstretched arm, it set down the lantern that continued to bath the immediate area in the red light that it produced.

“We are sorry,” Ela’na said.

“Guilt here is stain. Wishful words not remove,” the figure turned away for a moment. “Wrongful deeds profaned Sacred place. Not cleansed. Great effort weighs other deeds. Might undo curse.”

“What curse?” Rotor asked.

“Service, shed blood and toil. Struggle sweat, battle suffering, then harm undone.”

“I do not like riddles,” Rotor protested.

“Desires insignificant, narrow sight flawed; immediate concern unimportant. Single event good intent not remedy.”

Rotor exchanged a questioning glance to Ela’na, and then asked her, “Do you understand?”

Ela’na did not speak, only nodded her head ever so slightly that Rotor wondered if it was even a response at all.

“Love endures age, youthful lust diminishes energy,” the voice no longer came from the robed figure, but from Ela’na lips. “Understood,” she said in her own voice.

“You understand?” Rotor asked Ela’na.

She nodded, but this time he was certain that it was a nod. Suddenly the red light extinguished, leaving in absence of any light the pungent odor of rotten bird eggs. “We must go now,” she said.

“Go? Go where?”

“This way,” Ela’na said. As she stepped in front of him, his nose tingling in the darkness with the scent of her, passing by. Rotor sniffed to confirm the direction and found it was easy to follow her even into the abject darkness of the nighttime forest.

Rotor was unaccustomed to being led. Only a few times when he was very young his father had led him along but that was as would be expected. In practice hunts he had always led his father. He was old enough to understand pride and ego. His father was fine with his son’s amazing sense for the scent being better than his. Ronin was even proud of his son’s distinction.
There were others in the Pack that would not be so open-minded. They were already jealous.
Letting Ela’na lead was against his nature, but he was devoted to her in a way that his pride could never interfere. In support of her, he scented the way to ensure there were no surprises ahead. He trusted Ela’na but he also knew that even though she was also a Wolfcat his sense of smell was by far superior.

Rotor maintained his focus on Ela’na and the path that was just ahead. It was too dark to see her as anything more but a shadow against a darker shadow but he cherished having even that glimpse. He wanted to shout out to all Wolves that he loved her but it was something that he had promised to her that he would not do. He imagined being the Alpha Male and Ela’na would of course be The Wolfcat of the Pack. It was not always necessarily the case that The Wolfcat of the Pack became the bonded mate of the Alpha Male but there was a tradition. It was in the interest of diversity and for the overall good that the infusion of the Wolfcat blood was held as more important than the permanent mating of one Wolf to another.

Even so The Wolfcat was often bonded with the Alpha Male so that even if she had pups by another member of the Pack, the pups had some status in the succession within the Pack. Such a conception was most often the result of a union at the conclusion of a ritual dance, when The Wolfcat would select a mate for the night from amongst the assemblage of Wolves.

Even though The Wolfcat Mentha had conceived several pups as the result of unions following the ritual ceremonies, she had never given birth of a pup that was strong in the Wolfcat attributes. It was the fear of some that was voiced in rumors that even Ela’na and Rotor had heard that the blood of the Wolfcat Goddess was getting more diluted with each successive generation. Although neither Ela’na nor Rotor had been told, there were some in Council that believed that the remaining Wolfcats should be mated exclusively to others with the strong Wolfcat attributes, forcing the few remaining Male Wolfcats to take female Wolfcat mates. However, most male Wolfcats were well past their mating seasons. Rotor was rare to his generation. If there were ever such a resolution of the Council, Rotor would be very busy indeed.

He thought that he had imagined it at first, but then as he relinquished his dependency on his eyes he saw with another part of his being. There was a faint glow to Ela’na, something that maybe he alone or perhaps only the other Wolfcats could sense. It was less powerful and comforting than the reassuringly close proximity of her scent but he understood that this aura radiated as his means of finding her for even a greater distance than his smell might permit and especially if she was not up wind of him. He doubted the necessity of it, but then in the very next instant he felt a sickness sinking to the bottom of the hollow hunger in his stomach. How could it be true? How was it that he knew?

He wondered if Ela’na knew. How could he know it and she would not? It was a horrible truth, the worst thing that could ever happen.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Rotor said aloud expressing his feelings but then realizing how abrupt it was to break the silence.

“You won’t,” Ela’na said. “I am here.”

“I mean as we get older.”

“We will always be together, just not always in the same place.”

Rotor understood. She did know. How could she know? Then it occurred to him, how could she be so much like him but not know what he knew? Their blood came from the same Wolfcat Goddess and despite the generations that intervened, each of them was strong in the key attributes.

They had arrived at a portion of the forest that was very strong with Wolf scent. It was a great relief to both of them to be so close to home, except that Rotor scented some perimeter guards and brought it immediately to Ela’na attention. They did not need to debate the implications. It would not be well to be seen together, especially outside the established territory. They were still considered pups and after the hunters had already set out, pups were supposed to be home in the cavern or in the town at the edge of Dammerwald or the village to the north of the cavern.
It was certainly dangerous for pups to be out and away from the protected areas that were near to the main body of the Pack but it was also that the scent of other Wolves might frighten the prey away from the area of the hunt. Otherwise what was it that a male and female Wolfcat were doing, out and about in the dark? There would be rumors that neither of them would want to counter. The rumors would carry a stigma that neither of them could shake. So it was imperative that the two of them or at least Ela’na penetrate the perimeter defenses of the Pack.

“We both need to make it through,” Ela’na protested.

“Right or wrong, I can endure the challenges. My being outside the perimeter is easier to explain than our being together.”

“I understand that,” Ela’na flashed a smile.

“Then we have to make sure that you pass the perimeter undetected,” Rotor said.

“How could I do that? The Wolves will surely scent me.”

Rotor smiled, then turned toward the wind, and pointed, “There is the weakness. After that we have only to mask your scent.”

Ela’na grinned. “You need to be a guard. You know how others might violate the security.”

Rotor was impressed even if he did not express it as she was already thinking for the good of the entire Pack and their common security. It was the earmark of a leader and to his chagrin he had been thinking on a much more personal level.

Rotor pointed out a breech in the perimeter security, a gap through which at least Ela’na could make her way back to her home in the cavern of Belkul. For his part Rotor would hang back and defend her intrusion and serve as a distraction for Ela’na to pass undetected. If confronted he could explain his being out and about on an adventurous escapade, seeking to find prey even before the hunters were dispatched. Even though such was frowned upon it was the sort of aggressiveness that a would-be hunter pup needed to display in order to gain the necessary attention to advance in the Pack.

“We need to be very careful, always keeping the secret,” Rotor said.

“We need to be cautious, yes,” Ela’na said. “Still we have always been together, for all our lives. It would seem odd if that changed abruptly. Our fathers are close friends.”

“What if our fathers found out?”

“Who would ever tell them? It is just we two that know.”

“We must not be seen together alone,” Rotor said. “That is all I am saying.”

“Fine,” Ela’na said but he could tell from her tone that she meant something else. It was just that having no better ideas, she was accepting the condition.

Rotor nudged Ela’na forward. Despite her protests that they must return together she knew that he was right. His logic was flawless and convincing. If they were seen coming back into the dens together, there would be talk, always just out of their earshot, rumors would develop and very soon reputations would be ruined. They were far too young for any of that.

He watched her penetrate the perimeter in perfect stealth, staying to the shadows until she was well within the common area outside the entrance to the cavern.

* * * *

Rotor sniffed the path for the scent of their most immediate trail. It was still strong, too strong for his comfort. He needed to assuage his paranoia. He backtracked and as best he could he concealed Ela’na’s scent and brushed away her paw prints with his the long fur of his tail. He then quickly went back and forth, using his own scent to hide hers. He did everything that he could think of that might confuse anyone that might happen upon their trail back into Dammerwald.

He used the skills that he had learned from Elder Wolves but moreover he drew upon his instinct that had so far served him very well. He skirted the shadows just out of the range of scent and sight for the guards that were posted to protect the perimeter. He knew them by name and reputation not that any of them were on close terms.

One of the guards was Jusdan, the father of Stella, a young shewolf of the generation just ahead of Rotor’s. He knew Stella as Ela’na’s aunt Helty had sometimes looked after her whenever Jusdan was posted at guard. She was old enough now that she could look after herself.
Even though Jusdan was fairly young he was well regarded for his devotion to The Wolfcat Mentha and he was part of her person guard at times. Otherwise, Jusdan was a stranger to Rotor. They had never talked and to his recollection they had never even said hello.
Sprigg, the other guard was a season older than Jusdan, a mere four seasons older than Rotor. Sprigg was a very good guard but had always wanted to run with the hunters. As Grrl was busyy traing younger hunters, Red had arranged for Ronin to mentor Sprigg. Rotor remembered overhearing his father telling Red, “Sprigg would starve if he didn’t happen to trip over some prey. He takes orders well and follows instructions exactly.”

“As a hunter then, he sounds like a perfect guard. Which means he is where he needs to be,” Red had finished Ronin’s thought. Then he had added, “Good, we always have need of some Wolves that listen to orders. Everyone wants to be a hunter. Who protects the young and the mothers when all the most aggressive Wolves are away and about their business?”

To that point Rotor had not really respected anyone but a hunter Wolf. His father and Tharr were as well as gods to him. It was the exchange between his father and Red that lingered in his mind ever after: “You were a hunter without equal, you could have been anything, yet you chose to be a guard.”

“Someone has to keep the cavern safe while you and your friends are off. There is hardly any purpose to a hunt if there is no one to feed on the bounty. Besides what if the hunt fails? Someone has to protect the herds and the crops.”

Red had been a great hunter at some point but he chose to train and lead the guard. It was a revelation to Rotor. To guard the Pack was an honorable service to The Wolfcat and the Alpha Male. It also explained why the pups were trained in all the arts before the Pack would accept them as full-fledged Wolves, as some pups were better suited for some tasks but in a pinch any Wolf could fill in. For instance, his father had stood guard for Red and some others when they were ill. Tharr stood guard regularly each cycle of the moons, in order that one of the guards might attend the Wolfcat’s ritual dance. It was not required of Tharr but something that he did in order to give one of the formal guard a rest and a chance to enjoy the show and for the Wolfcat to select a guard as her designated mate for the evening. For his willingness to do this and forego his honored place in the inner circle of the Pack, his giving up a reserved seat to what was very often a much younger Wolf was greatly respected among the guards.

Finally the elapsed time since Ela’na had parted and the distance from that point along the perimeter seemed appropriate. Even if she had been observed and challenged the likelihood that there could be any connection was minimal. Rotor boldly penetrated the perimeter in plain view of the guards, even said hello to them by name.

“What are you doing out this late, and alone?” Jusdan challenged.

“I was practicing the hunt. It is hard to practice the night hunt in the full light of the c’eun,” Rotor floated the point of his argument.

Jusdan shook his head, “Ronin would not want you to be out this late and alone. Hunters never hunt alone.”

“Then don’t tell him. You won’t tell, will you?”

Jusdan laughed, “I have reports to make.”

“Well, do what you have to do, then,” Rotor said as he started to continue on his way.

“Of course, that depends. I mean you could owe me for this, Rotor.”

“What could I ever possibly do for you? I am still a pup.”

Jusdan turned serious. “You are far too sly to be a mere pup. You may be a pup in age alone. I have not considered you a pup for some time. You have advanced too far too fast.”

Rotor did not reply but tried not to reveal his amusement and glanced away in order to avoid Jusdan’s piercing glare.

“It is the Wolfcat blood. Your father has it as does Tharr. I have heard that they were also very strange when they were pups. It is in our training that the Wolfcats are to be treated in a special way, that in some instances what would be unacceptable for a common Wolf would be allowable under some conditions for a Wolfcat.”

“Is this one of those situations?”

Jusdan smiled. “I can be persuaded to make it one.”

“Then I owe you.”

“That is exactly what I needed to hear.”

“Good, then,” Rotor laughed. “Whenever you need something that I can provide then just let me know.” He started to walk away.

“Uh, by the way, your girlfriend must have made it home by now,” Jusdan added.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your girlfriend, Ela’na - Tharr’s daughter?”

“What was she doing out at this time of night?”

“Exactly my point,” Jusdan said.

“I’m certain I would not know.”

“Don’t play that with me. I am a guard for a very good reason.”

“I’m sure you are very good at what you do.”

“Actually in many ways I am better than Red, even.”

“Okay,” Rotor accepted it at face value, not seeing any point in challenging what he suspected was mostly an idle boast.

“You and Ela’na, out past dark, come back together, well trying to conceal that by a considerable interval. I must say that I am impressed, Rotor. For one as young as you, it shows certain craftiness that is an earmark of leadership.”

“There is a point to all this, I hope.”

“Of course there is a point. Always there is a point. I wanted you to know that I knew and that you did not fool me.”

“You won’t say anything?”

“That might require another favor.”

Rotor grinned. “Okay, so now I understand. Whatever it is, you name it in your own good time and I will do it if I am able.”

Jusdan stood and stretched. “You know I could make it all very easy for you. Your lady friend would never bother to notice a simple Wolf like me. I mean I am not an ugly sort but I am not handsome and daring like Damon or you. I only ask that she knows me and says hello to me by name whenever she sees me. I know that in due course she will be The Wolfcat. That would be the honor of a lifetime for me that she just knows my name and that I am one of the guards that protects her.”

Rotor cocked his head to one side, “That is all you want?”

“Yes, can you do that for me?”

“I can’t speak for Ela’na but I think it is probably fine. I mean why would she not want to know you? You are a fine and honorable Wolf. I know that if she is to be The Wolfcat, then it would be her desire to know as many Wolves as she could.”

Jusdan bowed, “I am grateful for your kind words but I want to see the results of your commitment.”

“When?”

“Immediately.”

“Like now?”

“Like next time I see Ela’na.”

“You may see her before I do.”

“I doubt that Rotor.”

“Well, okay. I will ask her. I can do nothing more than that.”

“I am sure you can guarantee it to me. You underestimate your powers of persuasion.”

“I promise to ask her. I really cannot speak for her and I will not force her to do anything. She has a mind of her own, after all.”

“Well, okay. It is good enough as long as you ask her.”

“Great,” Rotor started to walk away.

“Except I would never know especially if she declines.”

“It is like I say; I cannot force her to do anything, Jusdan.”

“I’ll bet you can. You are crafty. She might never even know that you were nudging her along.”
“I suppose so. I mean I don’t know how ‘crafty’ I am. I have already promised though. I will live up to my end of the bargain.”

“I just want her to acknowledge that I exist.”

“She knows that already.”

“How can you be so certain, Rotor. I cannot.”

“I know her. She is kind and sincere.”

Jusdan smiled. “To you.”

“To everyone.”

“She has not said a word to me or even smiled in passing.”

“She treats everyone the same.”

“Only she treats you differently.”

“We grew up together. There had hardly been a c’eun that I haven’t seen her or spent most of my time with her."

“You are a lucky Wolf,” Jusdan sighed.

“I suppose that I am."

“I will expect respect from her then. If not I have secrets that may not be secrets any longer.”

“I will respect you,” Rotor said.

“Well, it is not the same.”

“You deserve respect and should demand it,” Rotor said.

“I am really not that way. In fact if Ela’na never spoke to me, I would revere her all the same.”

“Then what is it you want from me?” Rotor asked.

“Same as I want from Ela’na, I guess. I want respect.”

“You have that already. You are older than I am.”

“It is Ela’na’s respect that I seek.”

“Fine,” Rotor said with a little guarded frustration. “I will have a talk with her. It may be a few c’eun before it comes up. I may not see her again for a while. I will discuss it with her, though. I promise.”

“I trust you Rotor,” Jusdan said. “I hope you trust me. We can be friends and that is all I really want. I want to be friends with Ela’na and you. I know you will be important soon, both of you will. I will never say anything about your little secret tonight.”

“Never?”

“Never!”

“As long as I do what you want me to.”

“It is not like that. As I say, we can all be friends. Friends would not do that to one another.”

Rotor started to walk away again, fully expecting Jusdan to say something else but as silence reigned he suspected that everything that need be had been said.

Rotor hurried along hoping that Jusdan would not call out to him and he did not. He reached the foothills and quickly scurried up the incline through the village and past the fields of Fodder material and the livestock pens where the herds of kuella and orcrises were kept.

To the north of the cavern and around and on up to the thresholds, Rotor approached the hub of the Wolf Pack. The light of two nearly full moons illuminated the clearing as he created a hill and looked down on the Pack’s outdoor commons, the area intended for some of the meetings both formal and informal and of course celebrations for the entire Pack.

It was a larger area for meetings than either the commons at the base inside of the cavern which were used for public and private Council meetings and the clearing in the edge of Dammerwald which was used for more formal and ritualistic functions that almost always involved The Wolfcat. The commons were intended for the ordinary Wolves, the tenders of the Fodder, the keepers of the shops in the town and village, the Laborer Wolves that constructed buildings using the implements and the lore that Magus had provided that made such things a reality but only through the sweat and effort of many Wolves.

There were several younger Wolves that were in training for the guard posted atop the hills and along the ridge that overlooked the town that was nestled between them. It was good training as the post of a guard can be incredibly boring. Guarding the inner sanctum of the Pack, though important served only to reinforce the front line of defense. So the younger guards were training to be elevated in rank with time and experience. As the perimeter was always guarded by the best wolves, any force that penetrated the perimeter would mean that all the Pack would be engaged in a battle anyway. Rotor knew this already. It was logical, of course and in time he might have even arrived at that same conclusion on his own had Ronin not already explained it to him.

There were several guards assigned to protect the central square of the town where several of the Artisan Wolves were carving a monument in honor of Old Tull from the granite taken from the boulder field to the north of the cavern. The smells of exotic herbal potions and strange preparations for the left over food from the previous c’eun’s hunt wafted toward his very sensitive nose, causing him to salivate for want of just a sample. Minstrel Wolves howled to the sounds that their instruments made, creating a rhythm that spoke to his soul in harmony with the beat of Rotor’s heart.

Two Wolves, Sly and Slow hailed his approach almost simultaneously from a rise to either side of the ridge. He crossed over onto the shelf of stone that jutted out from the threshold into the cavern, below that to either side were the commons.

Sly was the younger brother of Trip and was one of Jade’s distant cousins. Slow was the first born of Flynt and Fling. Flint was a very good friend of Ronin and Fling was Ronin’s second cousin. In fact Ronin had introduced them. Rotor was related to Slow even though they barely ever spoke.

Rotor had always been steered toward becoming a hunter. Even though he had done very well in the required fundamental training for other disciplines for becoming a full-fledged Wolf, it was his remarkable sense of smell that demanded guidance in the art of the tracking prey and making the kill. His was a rare gift that could never be ignored. His gifts were of vital necessity for the survival of the entire Pack.

Ronin was sitting outside the entrance to the caverns. Rotor did not need his Wolfcat attributes to sense the displeasure his father was expressing in many other, non-verbal ways.

“You’re home,” Rotor attempted to warm the chill of his father’s glare.

“How could I go out on the hunt when my son is missing?”

“I was not missing, merely tardy.”

“That is how you answer your father’s concern? I have been waiting all this time, not knowing where you are and worried sick. It is not like you to go off unannounced. I had to ask someone else is filling in for me tonight on the hunt.”

“Dad, I am sorry.”

“Do you think that answers it?”

“It is all that I can say,” Rotor met his father’s eyes, and saw the rage in them but also the love that remained behind the anger and disappointment. “I never thought you would worry. I’m nearly a full-fledged Wolf, anyway.”

“You are not yet. You are my responsibility totally. You have no mother.”

“I’m sorry for that too, dad. I know you loved her. I wish I could bring her back for you… I wish I had even known her.”

“It was nothing that you did, Rotor.”

“She died that I might live.”

“She was fine with that,” Ronin said.

“You were not.”

“I agreed to it.”

“Agreeing and accepting is different isn’t it?”

Ronin pursed his lip, and then looked away. Already talking to his son was almost like talking to an adult. Rotor was too advanced for his age. He had seen the signs all along. That was his real concern. He had to broach the subject of his real concern. After all, Tharr was absent from the hunt as well.

“You were with Ela’na?”

“Had I been with Ela’na wouldn’t I have returned with her?”

Ronin cocked his head. Already Rotor had learned how to divert away from the point without lying. Where had he learned that? “That was not the answer I needed for what I asked,” and then Ronin reiterated, “Were you with Ela’na.”

“Earlier I was with her and the other Wolfcats. We were playing hunter and hunted.”

“I thought you were going for a swim.”

“Long story,” Rotor attempted to sidestep the issue.

“Well, now that I missed the hunt I have all night to listen to your version of reality.”

Rotor lowered his eyes. He could not endure his father’s probing stare. “What do you mean by that? Do you think I am lying to you?”

“It means what it means. I am a hunter. I need to be with the hunt, especially since Tharr is also absent. If any want for lack of food, it is my fault. I was not there. Do you even begin to understand that?”

“I understand what it means to be a hunter, father.”

“Then why would you do something like this? I cannot begin to understand. It had better have been important.”

“I wanted to be like you,” Rotor could not even believe that he had played that card so early in the discussion.

“How is this anything like what I would do?”

“I went out on my own. You will not let me go with the hunters so I have to do it on my own.”

Ronin shook his head, “No, no you are not going to divert me, son. Somehow in your mind you think this is my fault now and it is not. You are at fault.”

“I said I am sorry.”

“I said that doesn’t work.”

Rotor shrugged, “Well it is all I can say.”

“You expect me to believe you were late because you went out to hunt?”

“Yes.”

Ronin stared at him until Rotor looked up for see what the silence between them was all about. “What?”

“What?” Ronin stood up on his hind legs, “You really do not want to ever say that to me in that tone!”

Rotor sat back on his haunches, “I did not mean it the way it sounded.”

“You were out in the darkness, alone, hunting?”

“Yes.”

“There is no one was with you?”

This was his father’s second challenge to his story. He dare not reveal the truth. It was a promise that was more important than the blood that he shared with his own father. He had never lied before, not to his father, anyway. He had never thought it would ever be necessary to ever deceive him…until now.

“I returned alone,” Rotor answered.

“That is not what I asked.”

“Father, I am home. I came back. I apologize for your having worried and having had to excuse yourself from the hunt. I wish I could go back in time and tell you not to worry. I can’t. I just wish you would accept my apology as it is sincere. If the kill is insufficient I will stand with the adults and not eat at all. I am more so an adult anyway. That way a pup may feed.”

Ronin turned his head to one side, then after a few moments he grinned slightly. “You have promised something to another, and never to tell. You forget that I am also a Wolfcat.”

“Father, trust me, please. You have always trusted me before. I have never disappointed you.”

“Until now.”

“Was there never a time that you did not disappoint grandfather?”

Ronin thought of telling Rotor that there was never a time but he could think of three times that were better left unmentioned.

“Well?”

“I was not perfect,” Ronin admitted.

Rotor smiled, “This is one time you just forgive me then. There will not be another.”

“Don’t promise that as you might disappoint me again,” Ronin said.

Rotor spoke with eyes widened. “If I ever do, it is unintended.”

“Just as now.”

Rotor lowered his head.

“I am not a fool, Rotor. I know what the likely scenario between you and Ela’na is.”

“Ela’na was not even there all the time.”

“When was the separation, when you had to sneak back home?”

Rotor was silent.

Ronin laughed. “Well tomorrow you go into the hunter training full and without interruption. That is what you want. I have spoken to Old Tull already, actually a few c’eun ago. He thinks the world of you. He will support whatever I decide for you.”

“I have no say?”

“Do you want to be a hunter?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will see to it that you train with the best hunter in the Pack.”

“Who is he?”

Ronin laughed, “You have a lot to learn about the Wolves. The best hunters in all the Pack are always the females, Rotor. It is always that way. Males are always second best. We think that we have more important things to do and are easily distracted.”

“I doubt that,” Rotor countered.

“Rotor never let arrogance blind you. I have made that mistake and been punished for it many times over.”

“How could a female ever be as effective in the hunt as a male?”

“A female with hungry pups to feed is something that anything living would never want to confront,” Ronin said. “As a hunter I live in fear of the pups that are weaned but more so their mothers if I fail to produce.”

“Why would you fear a female? Are you not stronger?”

“Rotor, one day you may learn the power that a female has over a male. If Ela’na has not already taught you, soon enough you will understand.”

Rotor looked away.

“You would die defending her?"

“Of course,” Rotor admitted.

“Then you have begun to know.” Ronin chuckled. “You know there was a time when I was that way about Mentha. I mean she is still beautiful but when I was young and in her presence I could not take my eyes off of her. I have defended her every single c’eun of my adult life and yet I barely know her or Old Tull for that matter. We talk when there is an issue that is all.”

“Mentha knows you,” Rotor spoke from personal experience, “When I met her she said, ‘Oh you are Ronin’s son.'’’

“She never gave me a notice otherwise.”

Suddenly Rotor understood what Ronin was saying. “You had desires for her that were unfulfilled?”

“Not unfulfilled, unacknowledged. I understand though. Who am I but a mere hunter Wolf? She is The Wolfcat and a good deal older. Besides I could never tell even my best friend.”

“Tharr was also in love with Mentha.”

“Yes, and she acknowledged him. He was always the better hunter of the two of us. I have no problem with that as I was second best and sometimes I was better even than he was. Competition is healthy.”

“You are the best there is,” Rotor spoke proudly. “And we are of a noble lineage as well. Our ancestor Hunter was Alpha Male and the best hunter ever.”

“Well until you start to hunt.” Ronin confessed his suspicion.

Rotor stared at his father, in near disbelief. “You, you think I am better than you, better than Tharr too? You think I am as good as Hunter?”

“There has never been a hunter like him, Rotor. I think you have it in you. It is not that you are better than me. I could still out-hunt you but that is an experience thing alone. Your instinct will propel you forward. I am in awe of the abilities you possess that I have already seen. I cannot imagine what you may be able to do when you are more mature, when you are even my age. It is all the more reason for me to be concerned. You are not a normal Wolf. You are even beyond what would be expected of a Wolfcat. I have always been strict with you. That is why.”

“I have always respected you, dad. Even if I didn’t agree with you it generally proved out that you were right. I have learned to trust your advice.”

“Yet you will still not explain where you were this evening.”

“No.”

“No as in I have not asked the question in the right way or ‘no’ as in ‘never’?”

“No as in I have no desire to compromise my integrity.”

Ronin stared at Rotor’s eyes but Rotor could not endure it. “You did it?”

Rotor stood up and began to walk into the Cavern.

“Answer me.”

“I tried,” Rotor said.

“You tried?”

Rotor nodded. It was not a lie so much as not the complete truth still his father accepted it gladly. For him to have tried was understandable. Who could blame him for his desire? If she had spurned his advances, then it was something that might seem more honorable to adults.
Rotor felt guilty but he had no other choice. Ela’na mattered to him more than anything, even the love and respect that he felt for his father.

posted by Unknown @ 10:55 PM