Wizard's Heir (A Bard Without a Star, Book 1) by Michael A. Hooten Page B

danger. He had to
stop and shake his head, trying to clear the confusion. Long Claw looked at
him curiously, but said nothing, and simply waited for Gwydion’s fit to pass.
After a few moments, Gwydion was able to think again as a wolf, and the smell
of the deer, stronger now, made his stomach grumble.
    Long Claw evidently heard it,
because he nodded once and continued leading them towards the deer. The scent
permeated the air, sharpening both Moon Howl’s hunger and his canine
instincts. With a barely audible yip, Long Claw signaled that they should
separate. Moon Howl went left, looking for a break in the brush to see the
herd. He knew it was a herd by the myriad of subtle differences in the smells,
indicating many individual deer.
    He went up a small ridge, and
found a vantage point under a bush. He could see six deer in a dell below,
grazing contentedly. Across the way, he could see Long Claw, also partly
concealed. With a few ear flicks, the pack leader told him which deer he was
interested in, an older one near the center of the group. Moon Howl
understood, and began moving a bit further up wind.
    The deer caught his scent and
began to look about in alarm. Gwydion reversed course and came out into the
open just below them; seeing him there, the herd began moving back towards Long
Claw’s hiding spot. Gwydion saw him tense as the herd shifted the older deer
towards the rear. With a great leap, he landed on the old deer’s back.
    The herd panicked at the
surprise; some began fleeing into the woods, while some turned to fight Long Claw.
Gwydion rushed in to nip at the legs of the fighters, distracting them. Long
Claw clung tenaciously to his prey, trying to get a good bite in. The old deer
spun and jerked, lowing pitifully. Long Claw slid down and ripped at the deer’s
haunches. Gwydion saw an opening and rushed in, jumping up to rip at the neck
from the bottom.
    Warm blood sprayed out, and the
deer fell to its knees. The other deer, sensing the end was near, began
backing away. Gwydion licked his chops and stared at them until they turned
and melted into the woods. Long Claw had torn the deer’s legs, hobbling it,
although it still tried to drag itself away. Long Claw moved up and bit into
its neck. Gwydion heard the bone crunching, and soon the deer was still.
    Long Claw let go, and let out a
great howl. Gwydion joined him, altering his tone to a wild harmony. Soon
they heard the answering calls from the pack. Within twenty minutes, all the
males had arrived, and the females came a few minutes after that.
    There were four of them, and
they stopped when they saw Gwydion. They looked from him to the deer, where
the males were already feeding. Long Claw came up and said, “This is Moon
Howl. He has joined the pack, and defeated all but me.”
    There was much sniffing to get
acquainted, and then two of the females joined the feast, while the other two
sat back on their haunches and looked at him expectantly. Moon Howl wasn’t
sure what they wanted at first, but then he realized that they were both near
to going into heat. He sniffed them over again, closely, and one especially
intrigued him. He gave her a gentle nip on the shoulder, and led her to the
carcass. They ate together, and then as the pack laid down to rest, she led
him a little ways away.
    “I am Smooth Nose,” she said. “Are
you bound to another female?”
    “I am not,” Moon Howl replied.
“But I might be interested in being bound to you.”
    “You are new to the pack,” she
replied. “Will you fight for me?”
    “None other will have you but
me,” he said. “Is this agreeable to you?”
    “It is,” she said with a deep
sigh. “My time has passed twice already, and none of the others was able to
mate me. But you…”
    “I didn’t know I was waiting
for you until I smelled you,” he said.
    “And I, you.” She barked a
laugh. “Brown Pads may be jealous, but I think she will go into heat first.
And once she has a mate, you will no