taken no more than three steps when I heard the sounds of a quick scuffle, a yelp, and a frantic scrabbling. Startled, I turned to see Ázzuen pelting across the plain, and a very angry Minn staring after him. Minn started to follow, but Ruuqo spoke softly to him and the youngwolf sat down again. I knew what Ruuqo was thinking. It was bad enough to have one wolf charging across the plain. Two of them running full pelt would certainly upset the humans. I looked for Marra and saw that Yllin was now lying completely on top of her as Marra stared resentfully after Ázzuen.
Ázzuen was going to be in a lot of trouble, but I didn’t blame him. If our situations had been reversed, I would have done the same thing. It would have been intolerable to be so close to the humans and not go to them. Still, of all of us pups, Ázzuen was the one who most often followed the rules. Until now.
Ázzuen, barely pausing by the pile of meat, snatched up a good-size hunk of deer belly in his jaws and continued across the plain at a gallop. He had the good sense to slow to a trot and then a walk as he neared us. The humans watched him with varying degrees of interest and fear. By the time he reached us, he had lowered himself all the way to his belly. He crawled pawswidth by pawswidth to HuLin, still clutching the deer meat in his jaws.
When he reached the human leader, he immediately rolled over onto his back, lying perfectly still, and offering his belly and neck as a submissive wolf would do to a leaderwolf. Every muscle in my body tensed. How could he do that? How could he make himself so vulnerable to an unpredictable human? We offered our bellies and necks only when we knew the wolf we so honored was reliable, when we knew that the wolf would not attack us. I couldn’t believe Ázzuen would take such a risk. I heard NiaLi’s sharp intake of breath and knew that she, at least, knew how open to danger Ázzuen was making himself. HuLin did not. He had no idea what Ázzuen was offering. But he did lower his sharpstick a little and smile cautiously, keeping his eyes on Ázzuen’s teeth. Ázzuen began to emit the calming scent that adult wolves use to put pups at ease and let the chunk of deer meat fall from his jaws. HuLin slowly reached for Ázzuen’s meat and for the rib bone Trevegg had set down, as if he expected that one of us would snatch them back. He set the meat behind his legs. BreLan stepped away from TaLi’s side, knelt down, and stroked Ázzuen’s chest. Ázzuen licked the young human’s hand.
At a blink from Trevegg, Ázzuen stood, and the three of us began to back away. I wanted to stay longer, to follow them back to their homesite, but Ruuqo and Rissa had insisted that we stay only long enough to allow the humans to accept our offering. We would leave the extra meat in the pile for them to take.
When we had backed several wolflengths away from the humans, we turned and began to run. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Ruuqo and the others who had been hiding behind the rock were racing to the carcass.
Trevegg hissed angrily at Ázzuen. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. He couldn’t snarl or growl at Ázzuen without upsetting the humans, but he narrowed his eyes in reproach.
“You know I should be here,” Ázzuen said. “You know that Kaala, Marra, and I are the best ones to be with the humans. You know Ruuqo is wrong to leave us out of it.”
“I do, as a matter of fact, know that, youngwolf,” Trevegg said, winning a surprised glance from Ázzuen. “You are not the only wolf in the pack capable of thought. However, there are ways to do things and there is more at stake here than what happens with this one pack of humans. If you are not bright enough to see that, I will see to it that you are let nowhere near those humans.”
Ázzuen started to protest.
“Later!” Trevegg snapped.
We kept running, sprinting past the meat pile and past our packmates, who were dragging what was left of
Ázzuen was going to be in a lot of trouble, but I didn’t blame him. If our situations had been reversed, I would have done the same thing. It would have been intolerable to be so close to the humans and not go to them. Still, of all of us pups, Ázzuen was the one who most often followed the rules. Until now.
Ázzuen, barely pausing by the pile of meat, snatched up a good-size hunk of deer belly in his jaws and continued across the plain at a gallop. He had the good sense to slow to a trot and then a walk as he neared us. The humans watched him with varying degrees of interest and fear. By the time he reached us, he had lowered himself all the way to his belly. He crawled pawswidth by pawswidth to HuLin, still clutching the deer meat in his jaws.
When he reached the human leader, he immediately rolled over onto his back, lying perfectly still, and offering his belly and neck as a submissive wolf would do to a leaderwolf. Every muscle in my body tensed. How could he do that? How could he make himself so vulnerable to an unpredictable human? We offered our bellies and necks only when we knew the wolf we so honored was reliable, when we knew that the wolf would not attack us. I couldn’t believe Ázzuen would take such a risk. I heard NiaLi’s sharp intake of breath and knew that she, at least, knew how open to danger Ázzuen was making himself. HuLin did not. He had no idea what Ázzuen was offering. But he did lower his sharpstick a little and smile cautiously, keeping his eyes on Ázzuen’s teeth. Ázzuen began to emit the calming scent that adult wolves use to put pups at ease and let the chunk of deer meat fall from his jaws. HuLin slowly reached for Ázzuen’s meat and for the rib bone Trevegg had set down, as if he expected that one of us would snatch them back. He set the meat behind his legs. BreLan stepped away from TaLi’s side, knelt down, and stroked Ázzuen’s chest. Ázzuen licked the young human’s hand.
At a blink from Trevegg, Ázzuen stood, and the three of us began to back away. I wanted to stay longer, to follow them back to their homesite, but Ruuqo and Rissa had insisted that we stay only long enough to allow the humans to accept our offering. We would leave the extra meat in the pile for them to take.
When we had backed several wolflengths away from the humans, we turned and began to run. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Ruuqo and the others who had been hiding behind the rock were racing to the carcass.
Trevegg hissed angrily at Ázzuen. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. He couldn’t snarl or growl at Ázzuen without upsetting the humans, but he narrowed his eyes in reproach.
“You know I should be here,” Ázzuen said. “You know that Kaala, Marra, and I are the best ones to be with the humans. You know Ruuqo is wrong to leave us out of it.”
“I do, as a matter of fact, know that, youngwolf,” Trevegg said, winning a surprised glance from Ázzuen. “You are not the only wolf in the pack capable of thought. However, there are ways to do things and there is more at stake here than what happens with this one pack of humans. If you are not bright enough to see that, I will see to it that you are let nowhere near those humans.”
Ázzuen started to protest.
“Later!” Trevegg snapped.
We kept running, sprinting past the meat pile and past our packmates, who were dragging what was left of
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