Chapter 24
Despite his thick pelt, Vordri shivered as another sharp blast of wind hit him. He’d just finished his rounds and was glad of it. If he hurried, he might beat Mishar and Korash back to the den. He could use some time to thaw out and enjoy the comforting touch of their pretty mate. He was climbing a slope when he caught a movement. He relaxed and smile when he recognized the Ragoru triad moving down from a hillside where they undoubtedly chose to wait out the worst of the storms—and the Withering Days—in seclusion and safety. His smile turned into a frown when he noticed that the triad was moving toward his territory rather than continuing east. Hastening his step, he met them midway.
The triad looked gaunt and a bit worse for wear for likely the same reasons that drove his own triad to replenish their supplies. Even working quickly to add a surplus of game would not have helped when the storms lasted longer than usual. The cave at the eastern border didn’t have much in the way of game nearby either. He winced in sympathy as he extended his hand in a greeting.
“What brings you back to my territory? I was certain that you would be far east by now!”
The gray triad lead shook his head. “We emerged some days ago and saw a strange human lurking around your territory. Although we were ready to leave, we’ve been waiting until you emerged from your den so that we could warn you. I don’t think she arrived alone, though whoever accompanied her left her by herself. She set up a small shelter downwind of your territory and has been watching it. It concerned us.”
His fur stood on end from the fear that flooded his system. He dropped to all six limbs for greater speed and ran. He was aware of the triad racing after him and felt a momentary flash of irritation. He hadn’t invited them into his territory. With a shake of his head, he dismissed the thought. The triad had warned him twice and could be useful if the enemy waited for them.
He didn’t know what sort of danger he was running toward; all he cared about was getting to Emala.
A long howl rattled from his chest. Howling was the best way to reach his triad through the territory. The sound would carry, alerting his brothers, and they would make their way to their den.
It didn’t take long for Mishar to come into view. The male was a white blur as he crossed the snow on all six limbs, his ears flattened against his head. He bared his teeth at the other males following close behind Vordri but he didn’t offer to attack. His brother would trust his judgment, allowing the males into their territory, even if he wasn’t above giving them a visible warning.
His chest heaving with every breath, Vordri hoped that Korash had heard the calls and arrived at their den. He was the closest to their Emala and was supposed to be safeguarding her, but if a stranger snuck up from downwind... They could only hope that he arrived in time to protect her and destroy the threat. Running as they were, it took them little time to cross their territory, but worry fueled his limbs with speed that could only be brought on by the rush of panic.
Just as the rocky slope of their den came into view, a feminine scream pierced the air. He thought it was Emala crying for her mates until he remembered that the one lurking around their territory was also female. The lean figure of a female burst from the bushes, her coverings billowing around her as she ran. Korash burst through the trees right behind her, his face a mask of fury. She didn’t have a chance of evading them. They growled and sprinted forward even as Korash snarled and snatched her out of the snow. The female kicked as she struggled in his grasp as the male’s hand squeezed her throat, cutting off all air. He shook her a time or two as she gasped. She was still conscious when they arrived, and with vengeance burning behind his eyes, he tossed her into the snow between them as the two triads circled her.
They growled, low and menacing, as the female pushed herself onto unsteady legs, one hand clutching at her throat as she labored for breath. She glared at them as she pulled a blade out of her cloak as she faced them.
“The Order and its master will see all of you wiped from this earth...! There is no escaping his will,” she croaked, her voice ravaged from Korash’s crushing grip.
Vordri bared his fangs at her, fully cognizant of the other males doing the same. This female huntsman wouldn’t escape the judgment of their triad. They descended upon her, fangs and claws ripping at her amid the screams that tore from her throat. Hot blood gushed and those screams died away until only the ruined remains of a female lay in the snow between them.
They left her there. She could rot there as food for the carrion eaters as far as Vordri was concerned.
The sight that greeted them inside the den was one of immeasurable sorrow. Emala lay on a pelt, her eyes closed, her lips blue against her colorless flesh. Vordri couldn’t see any signs of life. He stared at their mate, unable to move, feeling every hope and dream that had built up over the last few weeks turn to ash. He felt as if he lost a significant part of himself at that moment that he had no hope of recovering. Korash slipped by to curl his body around their mate, his hands stroking her face, arms, and belly as if his touch might somehow rouse her. Mishar wheezed at Vordri’s side before he dropped to the stone floor of the den, his entire body vibrating with grief.
“You have a human mate?” one of the other males asked in surprise.
“Our mate was human, yes,” Vordri managed to answer around the emotion choking him. “Not that it saved her from the huntsmen. They stole her from us all the same for daring to love her triad.”
The males dipped their heads in sympathy, and no one spoke. There was no sound but the soft cries of mourning.
“What is this?” a silver male asked. He bent over and picked something up from under the edge of the fur where Emala lay.
He held it up. It was an apple.
An apple? Vordri frowned in confusion. An apple wouldn’t grow this time of the year in the forests. It must have been brought by the human. He took it from the silver male and turned it carefully in his hands. It didn’t look right. It was far too red for his liking. He’d seen red apples but there was something unnatural about it. He brought it up and sniffed it and a bitter tang assaulted his nostrils. Poison!
He threw the apple into the fire and stormed over to the lifeless body of their mate. Furious, he snatched her up from Korash’s arms, ignoring the male’s startled growl. All four of his hands gripping his mate, he shook her, her head snapping back and forth. He ignored Korash’s order to stop and brushed off Mishar’s hands when he attempted to take her away. He wasn’t letting her go! Her mouth was lax as if she were sleeping. Some desperate part of him wanted to believe that is all it was.
“Why did you eat it?” he demanded of his mate. “I told you not to trust anyone!” With one last shake, he held her close to him, face nestled against her. Somehow, she still smelled so good to him.
He stood there holding her for a long time before he finally put her down. Once he arranged her peacefully on the furs again, he looked up and met Korash’s stricken gaze.
“Once again, I have lost a female and a rog to the huntsmen,” his triad lead murmured, his voice filled with untold pain.
Sorrow bit deeper. Vordri had suspected that their mate carried their rog but hadn’t been certain until Korash confirmed it. Mishar still hadn’t gotten up from the floor but had crawled over to where their mate lay and stretched out beside her as if he too lost his will to live.
“We can mate and breed with humans...” the gray lead muttered thoughtfully. His eyes were sharp as he lifted his head to meet their gaze. “The huntsmen have always taken from the Ragoru, but now they would purposely strike to take mates from us? I for one will take my mate from them. I will enter their lofty citadel and take a female right from beneath their noses, and I shall encourage my brethren whom I meet to do likewise. What might we do to ease your sorrow, brothers?”
Korash’s face hardened as he returned the other male’s regard. “When you are in the citadel, find the Master Huntsman—and kill him. Make sure that he looks into your face when y
ou do so and tell him that it is Emala who sends him to meet his ancestors beyond.”
The males nodded, their hackles raised, and their eyes shone with anticipation. Vordri only hoped that any female that they took would favor them and that they might in turn be gentle with her. Moreover, he hoped for a painful death for the master at their hand.
“Do you wish for our help to remove her from the den?” a silver male queried gently.
Vordri shook his head. “We need some time first. We will take care of it and sing her the burial songs of our ancestors before we can let her go.”
“Understood,” the male replied.
They were still clustered around Emala’s prone form when the triad left their den. Not one of them bothered to leave to escort them from their territory. It meant nothing without Emala. Vordri settled behind her head, stroking her hair away from her face as she’d liked. Her head moved slightly with his hand and he noticed a red glimmer between her lips. Ears flattening, he hooked a claw into her mouth and dug out the offensive bit of apple. He refused to have any part of it taint her a second longer. It must have come loose from her throat when he was shaking her. He was glad. He flicked that fragment into the fire too before laying down and burrowing his face in her hair.
None of them moved from her side. Day faded into night and into morning again, and they all stayed clustered around her, not one of them seemingly possessing the will to live. Vordri opened his eyes when daylight streamed in from around the door, the threads of light hitting him in the face. He groaned as he tucked his muzzle against her neck—and froze. He felt her heartbeat. Lifting his head, he looked down at her face. Her lips were no longer blue and if he was not mistaken, her face seemed to have some color again.
Why had none of them checked? She looked so dead that they’d just assumed. Had the poison not been enough to finish the job before he removed the apple? Questions flooded his mind as his hands skated over her. He shoved Mishar’s face aside from where it lay on one breast. His brother jerked back with an offended glower.
“She’s alive!” he snapped. “Now move!”
The male’s eyes widened, and he moved back. Korash, who’d been awakened by their argument, crept forward from where he’d collapsed at some point beside the wall. Laying his head on her chest, Vordri heard her heart beating. It didn’t sound strong, and her breath sounded weak—but it was there.
She was alive... at least for now.
“Well?” Korash growled.
Vordri looked up at his lead. “She is breathing, and her heart is beating. I don’t know why none of us checked, but as weak as her life signs are, we might have had a harder time detecting them. By the grace of the gods, she’s been clinging to life and none of us knew. Now I guess we just wait...”
Emala was fighting to survive, and all Vordri knew was that he felt completely helpless. He couldn’t fight to protect her from this. All he could do was remain by her side and hope that she woke up.
Chapter 25
Emala didn’t feel well. She groaned and tried to sit up, but her body felt weak and tired. Not only that but a dull pain lingered in her belly. Instead, she opened her eyes and looked around the room. Small lamps were lit on the shelves carved into the stone walls, their lights casting a soft glow on everything. She frowned. How had she gotten back to their room? She was in the room experimenting with bloodroot dye, and then...
Her breath came out in a painful hiss. The huntswoman! Her fingers scrambled against the furs. She had to get to her mates and let them know... she had to...
“Emala, rya! You are safe,” Korash’s voice washed over her.
At the sound of his voice, the fight leached out of her. Relief rushed through her as he gently picked her up and cradled her against the white fur of his chest. Tears spilled over her cheeks and she pressed her face into his fur, breathing in his scent as she trembled.
“Shh,” he crooned. Above her, he turned his head and called out sharply, “Mishar, Vordri, she is awake.”
She heard the scramble of claws on stone seconds before her other two mates pushed their muzzles into her face, sniffing and nuzzling. Emala wanted to hug them to her, but her arms weren’t cooperating. Instead, she cried harder and their tongues swept out to bathe her cheeks and neck, and every bit of bare skin they could get to.
Swallowing, she tried her voice. “How long was I out for?”
Korash looked away, his expression strained. “Five days,” he admitted. “We took turns placing ice under your tongue so that you would have water, but you didn’t wake, and giving you a little cooked down broth when we could... on the third day, your body...” he shuddered and met her eyes with great sadness. “The rog didn’t survive,” he finished.
Emala’s face crumpled, the heartache almost too much to bear. Her mates crowded closer, sharing in her grief, yet each of them expressing through their touches just how grateful they were to have her still alive. She cried herself to sleep in their arms.
It took her several weeks to regain her strength. Her males attentively hovered around her to the point of smothering, but she didn’t blame them. Once she was well enough, she did receive a tongue lashing from Vordri for scaring the life out of him, but all was forgiven and put behind them.
As the weeks passed into months, life began to return to normal, and she even got outside more during the warmer months. Her strength returned quicker than she’d expected, but it took her longer to once more feel comfortable in her own body. Her mates were kind and patient as she healed. She recognized that they were healing too. They took their time, consoling and comforting each other so that by the time they were ready to come together again intimately, they were able to find joy in it. Grief still lurked in recesses of their hearts, but they had managed to work through it together. What was harder was the worry that weighed on them of potentially losing another rog. It affected Emala the worst. Despite her struggles with her loss, she hoped that the future would bring her many more to love.
Emala breathed the sweet spring air in, her bare feet on the tender green shoots. She could hardly believe that their second winter together was finally over. The winter had seemed to stretch on forever in their little valley. Now it was finally spring—her favorite season. She’d been unable to appreciate it the year before, but now she breathed it in. Everything seemed washed clean after the winter ended. If winter brought with it hope, then spring brought that hope manifested in new beginnings. Her hand stroked over her still-flat belly thoughtfully as she watched the sun rising through the trees. She’d begun to suspect she was pregnant before the winter let up, but none of them spoke of it. She’d been afraid to until she was a little further along. Until then, it dwelled in the back of her mind, and she worried about it. She still worried, but as her pregnancy progressed, that worry eased as the days passed.
“Emala, what are you doing out here?” Korash asked as he slipped a fur around her. She reached back and smoothed her hand over his where it lingered on her shoulder on top of the fur.
“Just thinking of the future,” she answered. “I know you want to leave and find another place for us, but I would like to stay.”
“Emala, it’s not safe. The huntsmen know where we are.”
They had the same conversation many times in recent months. She was surprised that they stayed for as long as they had, but she suspected that they delayed most for her sake—and to see what the huntsmen would do. In the fall, the males began to pick up signs of the humans coming too close to their valley. Regardless of whether it was huntsmen or random humans traveling near their territory, her mates decided then that they were prepared to spend one more winter in their den before moving on.
Now that time had come.
“I know. I just hate leaving our home. I wanted our rogs to grow up in the place where we became a family.”
“It matters more that our rogs, when they come, are safe,” he said quietly. She couldn’t argue with that. Emala sighed and leaned into him.
&n
bsp; “I know. You are right. When will we be leaving?”
“Tomorrow,” he said. “Mishar and Vordri are busy sorting through our home and packing the essential things that we will need. Mishar and Vordri know of an abandoned den that we can expand and repair. It will be a good home, rya.”
“It is a shame we don’t have a horse and wagon,” she muttered. “If we ever move again, one way or another I’m going to have a horse and a wagon we can load.”
Korash let out one of his deep chuckles. “I will be certain to make note of that.”
She sighed and played with her skirt a bit. Vordri had been busy over the past year making her dresses. Now she had almost a full wardrobe. At some point, he began teaching her how to cut and sew the leather, and she’d enjoyed teaching him about dyes. It was something they did often together now, whether dying plants for his baskets or new fibers and leathers, or sewing in front of the fire. They were always experimenting.
“How long will it take to get our home ready?” she asked conversationally.
Korash shrugged. “The den for the most part is whole, last they recall. It should be comfortable enough before summer... Why do you ask?”
“I want to make sure we are settled before our rog comes. I am certainly not of a mind to be trying to repair things with a newborn,” she teased.
She laughed as his eyes glistened with joy.
“We have all suspected, but we were uncertain. We were waiting for confirmation from you so that we can share our joy together.”
“Ah, whispering among each other without me knowing again?”
“Never, rya. We only plan on how best to keep you safe and happy.” He nuzzled her quickly and then turned away to rush back into the den, his voice audible though she couldn’t catch the words as he called for his triad. She giggled when she heard Vordri’s howl of jubilation, but she wasn’t prepared for Mishar to rush out of the den and sweep her up into his arms. Her giggles turned into shrieks of laughter as her other males barreled out when they realized that Mishar was keeping her all to himself.
White: Emala's Story (Ragoru Beginnings Book 1) Page 15