FLAMES part 4

Chapter 41

*She no longer felt like a wolf cub. She was a wolf.- Racing between the trees in the swift wolf-lope that goes on forever. She revelled in the strength in her legs and the stretch of her back; in the suppleness that let her turn at full speed on a single paw. She stopped to howl at the moon. It was nearing midday but the eclipse meant the moon was clearly visible as a shadow. She settled back into her stride, climbing higher towards the field she had run through as a child. She smelt the flowers and freshly cut grass  that she’d only ever smelt in her dreams. Suddenly she began to tire. She felt each pad strike the rocks as never before. She felt an ache run up her legs and she began to hurt.*2

I opened my eyes. The pain kept me going a little further. Until I had to rest. I had been sleep walking again. Except I had been running. Rob was with me. My golden gaze met his. I whimpered to him and he slowed. His eyes were no longer the empty obsidian black of before but a steady golden glow. Sunlight. Just as mine were the darker golden with a brown tinge, moonlight. I turned to the clouds and saw the sun was setting. We had been running for a long time and were hungry. We stopped at a tree bent by the wind. I climbed up to where the tree split into two main branches. I sat with my back to one branch, and rob with his back to the other. We faced each other and he opened his backpack. We had gone to his house and said we would be out for a few nights camping with Laura. I had managed to keep a straight face through talking to her mother and didn’t give anything away. 3

Rob got down with 2 water botttles in his hands and went to fill them from the stream.4

“Happy Easter Hallow.” I said to Rob. “Happy Easter Torment” I whispered to the wind as he went, hoping Laura might understand.5

A wolf howled from across the ridge. At first I thought it was Hallow. But as I listened closer I realised it was a true wolf cub. Howling misery. Hallow came round the corner looking extremely alert and I could see he was getting ready to run. 6

“No.” I growled to him. Out here we spoke in wolf and used our chosen pack names. We were talking not to each other, but to each other’s souls. I did not feel like a human with a wolf soul anymore. Not a girl, Not Katy, not daughter of the she-wolf or even my own human mother. Not a member of a wolf clan.- or not ONLY those things... But a pack creature. I was Kenaz. Just as Rob was Hallow.7

The wind whispered to me:8

’The strength of the wolf is the pack, and the strength of the pack is the wolf.’9

I threw back my head and howled. Howling so loudly that the emotion coursed through my veins. I could no longer hear my heart beat but FEEL it in my head. I loped slowly towards the sound. I couldn’t see through the fog that was settling around the clearing but I could sense. I sensed loneliness and uncertainty and pain.10

I carefully moved over the ridge and heard running water. A stream. I nudged Hallow and yipped for him to get our equipment together. He yowled a warning to be careful and I cautiously walked forwards. I was on two feet for now in case it attacked. I knew wolves could move stealthily but being human I could not do this well. I concentrated on being as quiet as I could. I reached the stream with a splash as my foot sunk into mud and felt pebbles beneath. I closed my eyes. Had it heard me?11

I could see its eyes in the gloom. I knew it was rude to stare at the cub in the eyes but I couldn’t help it. She reminded me of myself so much. The pain in her eyes was clear to me. I could just about make out the outline of it’s bedraggled fur. I could feel the feeling of my chest tightening as I found it difficult to breathe. Seeing this cub brought tears to my eyes and broke my heart. Just like when I saw my best friend Laura cry. The cub’s fur was wet and it was shivering violently. The eyes looking at me were silver-grey and full of light: the eyes of a wolf. Light that came from within. From the spirit. I ran over and dropped to all fours about a metre from the cubs nose. Tears were streaming down my face but it was raining lightly and I barely noticed. My tears mingled with the drizzle and Rob’s words repeated in my head.12

‘ I’ll wipe away your tears, that mingle with my own, to end your despair.’ 13

I smiled to myself and the wolf cub yipped happily. I was sure she recognised me as a wolf and not danger. She ran toward me yapping and climbed onto my shoulder, for it was only a couple of moons old. Hallow ran down the slope almost silently yet both the wolf and I sensed him near by. The little cub mewed hungrily. He obviously thought Hallow was bringing food. He looked at the cub on my shoulder and smiled. The cub mewed a question that only I could hear, for Hallow was a few metres away. 14

I repeated the cub’s question. “Who are you?”15

“I am your brother yet your cub. I am your younger brother who stops you from forgetting the cub inside of you. Your inner child. I am Hallowed Midnight.” He replied. At this I smiled and he sat beside me. 16

~*~_*_~*~^*^~*~_*_~*~17

I watched the cub playing by the stream. It was innocent and pure. It was not tainted with the human worry, and maintained its sovereignty. I could see it’s mental strength and prayed that the goddess would grant this upon me again. I hoped when I found my identity again I would be able to maintain the supremacy and inner strength. Hallow sat next to me and entered my thoughts.18

“We should ask it for its name.” He said.19

“I agree.”20

I walked over to where the cub was attempting to hunt a dragonfly. I waited for it to pounce and miss before scooping it up in my arm. It was scared for a second as it hadn’t noticed my approach but then I placed it on my shoulder and it relaxed.21

“What’s your name?” I asked it in a serious of yips and grunts.22

It struggled for a second before yipping a few unknown characters to me.23

“What did it say?” asked Hallow. He walked over and carefully stroked the cub’s fur behind his ears.24

“Either whispered nightshade or whispered illusions.” I replied, still unsure.25

“Try it out Hallow.” I told him. I placed the wolf cub on the ground and she looked at me with his alert eyes glowing in the moonlight. 26

Hallow walked to the top of the ridge so softly that the cub didn’t notice. 27

“Whisper!” called Hallow in Wolf talk. The cub instantly turned her head. She ran over to him and stood at his feet expectantly. I called her back. 28

“Whisper.” My voice gentle and human-like. Whisper hesitated but then ran towards me at a steady pace. I bend down and picked her up. She lay in my arms for a few minutes before drifting off to sleep.29

Hallow and I set up a small fire and got out our blankets. We rested next to a fallen tree trunk and made sure we were safe. The river on our left, the fire  in front of us, slightly to the right, and the log behind us blocking a path leading up to some boulders if we needed to escape. In front of us lay Whisper. I could see she was not deep in sleep and was alert even though she seemed unconscious. 30

“I’ll keep watch and wake you at 3am okay?” Hallow spoke to me softly so as not to disturb Whisper.31

“What time is it at the moment?” I asked. Hallow looked at his watch.” 7.13pm he said.”32

“That’s fine. Hey look!” The clouds were moving swiftly and I caught a glimpse of the moon between the trees of the forest that lay a few hundred yards in front of us. “The moon! The goddess is with us.” I smiled to myself and knew for the second time that day that everything would be okay. The she-wolf was watching over me.33

“Yes. So big and yellow. True beauty.” Hallow replied. “ I would say it will be full moon tomorrow.”34

Whisper stirred a bit.  Hallow looked worriedly at me.35

“It’s okay. They sleep during the day and wake at night.” He looked shocked.36

“No I think I just heard a human. Crying. “ I looked at Whisper. She was extremely alert. She kept running to the nearest tree in the forest and back to me excitedly.37

She could smell prey. And that meant hunting.38

Rob and I packed up our stuff except for our blankets and followed the little cub. 39

After 10- 15 minutes travelling Whisper got tired and loped slower. We followed until I could hear something. A muffled cry. I walked toward the sound and then realised Whisper was not with me. I turned back and saw her and Hallow. He was crouched by her yipping comforting words to her in her language. He was learning Wolf fast. I ran over, trying to be light on my feet, and picked her. She lay on my shoulder.40

“She’s just worn out.” I told Hallow. We followed the sound of the crying until I saw her. I was a few paces ahead of Hallow and gasped when I saw the girl crying.41

It was Laura.42

Hallow came up behind me and saw Laura crouched by the rock crying. He turned me around by placing his hands on my shoulders, and hugged me.43

"I'm sorry Kenaz." he said. I had no idea what he was talking about. I was not paying attention. I had just see something move in the wood. It was over 7 foot tall, and I knew it was hunting.......44