find another way to communicate with each other.â He gripped TaLiâs arm in one hand and MikLanâs in the other. He nodded to us. âCome with me now, all of you. We have little time and much to do. We have a plan in place, and will need your cooperation as soon as possible. I have friends that you must meet.â He turned and strode away, dragging TaLi and MikLan with him.
The wolfscent blew past me again, and my heart began to pound as I realized why I knew it.
It was my motherâs scent.
I tried to catch Ãzzuenâs eye, or Marraâs, but they were following behind the humans, and they wouldnât recognize the scent even if they were paying attention to it. They had only met my mother once, on the day she had been chased from the Wide Valley. They had not suckled at her belly nor slept against her warm fur. They would smell only a wolf passing too far away to be a threat. They followed the humans into one of the mounds.
I was rooted where I stood. The scent blew past me again, a bit closer this time, and with it came memories of warm milk, the soft dirt of the den, and safety. I remembered her giving me my name and defying Ruuqo when he killed mylittermates. As the humans and my packmates crawled into the shelter, I bolted into the woods.
I ran full pelt through thick trees and thicker underbrush, following the scent until I reached the open plain. Tlitoo flew low, just over my head. It was nearly high sun, and the Hill Rock seemed to shimmer in the late morning light. My motherâs scent came from just beyond it. I ran faster.
âWolflet, wait!â Tlitoo said. âYou do not know what awaits you.â
I didnât care what awaited me, except that it was my mother. After all this time, I was within wolflengths of her.
I galloped across the grass and back into the woods, following the scent until I reached a stream. Across it stood a smallish, light gray wolf. She looked up sharply, her nose twitching.
I would have known her anywhere.
I had no words. I just ran to her, stumbling like a smallpup through the stream. I had waited for her for so long. I had wished for her for so long. The one thing I wanted more than anything in the world was to find her. A puplike whimper of happiness escaped my throat.
For just a moment, I thought I saw a flash of joy and welcome in her gaze. Her ears, for an instant, lifted in pleasure.
Then, when I was three wolflengths from her, something changed. She pulled back her lips as far as they could go and flattened her ears. The fur along her back rose, making her look bigger than she was, and a deep, throbbing growl burst forth from her.
Stunned, I tried to skid to a halt but I was running so quickly that I tumbled into her instead. Her scent overwhelmed me, the scent of the den, the scent of the one time in my life I had felt safe. She threw me to the ground and pinned me hard. Then she took my neck in her jaws and bit down, hard enough to hurt.
âYou arenât supposed to be here,â she snarled. âGo and donât come back.â She stepped off me and I staggered to my feet, my legs so weak they could barely take my weight. When I didnât move, she snapped at my face again and again, growling until I stumbled away.
A confusion of scents rose from her. I smelled anger and frustration, but also terror. I couldnât imagine what about me could frighten her. I took a few steps and then looked back at her.
âGo!â she growled.
I couldnât find anything to say. I couldnât think of anything to do. I could only stumble back in the direction Iâd come, my motherâs ferocious growl sounding in my ears.
6
W hen I was just three days out of the den, Ruuqo whispered to me that I would not survive to adulthood. A wolf without mother or father, he said, had no true pack. Iâd lowered my eyes and said nothing, as any pup would, but Iâd told myself he was wrong, and that just because he
The wolfscent blew past me again, and my heart began to pound as I realized why I knew it.
It was my motherâs scent.
I tried to catch Ãzzuenâs eye, or Marraâs, but they were following behind the humans, and they wouldnât recognize the scent even if they were paying attention to it. They had only met my mother once, on the day she had been chased from the Wide Valley. They had not suckled at her belly nor slept against her warm fur. They would smell only a wolf passing too far away to be a threat. They followed the humans into one of the mounds.
I was rooted where I stood. The scent blew past me again, a bit closer this time, and with it came memories of warm milk, the soft dirt of the den, and safety. I remembered her giving me my name and defying Ruuqo when he killed mylittermates. As the humans and my packmates crawled into the shelter, I bolted into the woods.
I ran full pelt through thick trees and thicker underbrush, following the scent until I reached the open plain. Tlitoo flew low, just over my head. It was nearly high sun, and the Hill Rock seemed to shimmer in the late morning light. My motherâs scent came from just beyond it. I ran faster.
âWolflet, wait!â Tlitoo said. âYou do not know what awaits you.â
I didnât care what awaited me, except that it was my mother. After all this time, I was within wolflengths of her.
I galloped across the grass and back into the woods, following the scent until I reached a stream. Across it stood a smallish, light gray wolf. She looked up sharply, her nose twitching.
I would have known her anywhere.
I had no words. I just ran to her, stumbling like a smallpup through the stream. I had waited for her for so long. I had wished for her for so long. The one thing I wanted more than anything in the world was to find her. A puplike whimper of happiness escaped my throat.
For just a moment, I thought I saw a flash of joy and welcome in her gaze. Her ears, for an instant, lifted in pleasure.
Then, when I was three wolflengths from her, something changed. She pulled back her lips as far as they could go and flattened her ears. The fur along her back rose, making her look bigger than she was, and a deep, throbbing growl burst forth from her.
Stunned, I tried to skid to a halt but I was running so quickly that I tumbled into her instead. Her scent overwhelmed me, the scent of the den, the scent of the one time in my life I had felt safe. She threw me to the ground and pinned me hard. Then she took my neck in her jaws and bit down, hard enough to hurt.
âYou arenât supposed to be here,â she snarled. âGo and donât come back.â She stepped off me and I staggered to my feet, my legs so weak they could barely take my weight. When I didnât move, she snapped at my face again and again, growling until I stumbled away.
A confusion of scents rose from her. I smelled anger and frustration, but also terror. I couldnât imagine what about me could frighten her. I took a few steps and then looked back at her.
âGo!â she growled.
I couldnât find anything to say. I couldnât think of anything to do. I could only stumble back in the direction Iâd come, my motherâs ferocious growl sounding in my ears.
6
W hen I was just three days out of the den, Ruuqo whispered to me that I would not survive to adulthood. A wolf without mother or father, he said, had no true pack. Iâd lowered my eyes and said nothing, as any pup would, but Iâd told myself he was wrong, and that just because he