by Sarah Thomie
“Did your Clan give you those scars?” he growled. “What kind of Clan would harm one of their people like that? You must have centuries of them all over you-”
“Where is she?!” I shrank as Howling Wolf’s voice boomed over the low rumble of the Star Clan talking. “Where is our City Elf?!”
Ursus looked to my reaction, then to where the voice was coming from. He stood up, using his anger to help him stand and stomp.
Cristata helped me stand up to get between them as Ursus yelled at Howling Wolf, the First Son, and the other warriors.
“How dare you come into our village and demand anything!” Ursus pushed Howling Wolf back. “What makes you think we are going to return her to people who tortured her body enough to have those kinds of scars?!”
I slid between them, stopping Ursus from pushing Wolf again. Then I shook my head at him, trying to stop the misunderstanding from becoming worse. I saw the Elder, flanked with his other warriors.
“You think we caused those?” First Son aske.
“Where else would she have gotten them? She has centuries worth, and since she is a part of your Clan, then you must have caused them!” Ursus yelled, as the Star Clan’s warriors moved closer.
Howling Wolf pushed me to the side. “She was a slave for the humans for twenty-seven hundred years before she came to us! We would never harm one of our own like that! And who are you to keep our Clanswoman away from us?”
“How could you send her to be the challenger?” Ursus shot back. “She could have died, and you sent her instead of another warrior.”
“We did not send her anywhere. She poisoned us with sleep poison, then took the letter and ran. We just now were able to catch up to her.” Howling Wolf glared at me. “Since you are still alive, I have to assume that you are a hostage here.”
I punched him in the arm, shaking my head. I hand-signed that I had won and in return for sparing their warrior, we would have an alliance with them. My hands flew quickly, only Howling Wolf and First Son understanding them.
First Son looked to the other Clan’s Elder and asked, “Is it true?”
“You can understand that?” the Elder sounded surprised and a little impressed.
“Usually, she does not go that fast, but I got the gist of it.” I pushed First Son closer to the Elder. “She won, and now we have an alliance?” First Son asked the Elder.
“Yes, that would be correct.” The Elder looked at me, before the First Son. “I am assuming since she pushed you forward, you are the emissary for the Moon Clan?”
“I am the First Son of our Elder,” First Son explained. “I am not an emissary, but she believes I could represent the Clan.” He looked back to me then Howling Wolf. “He wants to yell at you.”
I looked at Howling Wolf, watching him grind his teeth. I nodded to First Son, then made my way to the angry male.
He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into a random building. “What in the Sevens Hells is wrong with you?” he started. I tried to explain, but he stopped me. “You poisoned your own Clansmen! You poisoned me! What would make you do such a thing? Why can you not see that your life is just as precious as the rest of the Clans’? You came here to die, did you not?” He growled, “Answer me, Silent Snow!”
I just stood there, not sure which question to answer first. Although I knew that I was in the right if he could not see it, then this thing was not going to work out. I tried to tell him that I was his Second, and if I was not willing to step forward into a fight, and if he would try to stop me every time, then what was the point of having me become an Enforcer? I stood up straighter before signing that I came here because I truly believed that my Clansmen were worth saving. If I had any thought that doing this would not solve anything, then I would not have come. We both knew that someone had to be sacrificed, and he was more important to the Clan than I was.
“You are just as important, Snow. That is what I am trying to get you to see. You risk your life because the humans made you think that you are worthless. I have spent the past few years trying to show you that you are greater than you believe yourself to be. If you cannot see that, then I failed.” He turned toward the door. “I made you my Second because I truly believed that you would do what you could to defend the Clan. You need to understand that you are a part of the Clan as well. Sometimes, we need to protect you from yourself.” He left, leaving me in the random building on formerly-enemy soil.
I walked out of the building as he talked to the other warriors. I looked to First Son who was heading into the large building with the Elder and Grandmother.
Ursus and Cristata were walking back to the dining area, Ursus limping as he moved.
I just stood there, knowing that I created the rift between Howling Wolf and me. I wondered to myself if there would be any way to fix it. Add in that I poisoned the Elder and Grandfather… Maybe I should not go back to the Moon Clan’s village. After that, I looked at the sky, letting the tears fall down my face. This time, I do not know if I could fix the trouble I caused.
I walked past the Moon Clan’s warriors, though none of them stopped me. Anger painted their faces, so I did not stop near them. I went closer to the center of the village, finding a tree that I could climb. I hoisted myself up, getting as far up as I could. I saw the other Clan’s warriors walk to the Moon Clan’s warriors, inviting them to eat with them. Howling Wolf looked at me in the tree, but I turned away from him. The warriors agreed to eat with them, a sign of a budding friendship. I leaned against the trunk, listening to the gentle roar of their voices and the wind. I held the sheaths in my hands, rubbing my thumbs across the embroidered Wolf and Snow Cat.
Ursus asked Howling Wolf, “Cristata says that Silent Snow told her that she was not the strongest. Who is?”
Howling Wolf answered, “I am. She was my Second.”
My chest ached when he said ‘was.’
“How was that decided? You have plenty of other warriors that I would think could beat her,” the Star Clan’s Champion asked them.
“In order to become my Second, she had to fight them all, then fight me. She beat them,” Howling Wolf said .
First Son and the Elder shook hands after stepping outside of the building they were in. The Elder came over to where everyone was eating and announced, “We welcome the Moon Clan as allies. We will aid them in their times of need, and we will return the favor when they need us.”
First Son looked around. “Where is Snow?”
Howling Wolf gestured to the tree where I was sitting. “Take a guess.”
First Son looked over to me then to Howling Wolf. “I am going over there.”
“Suit yourself.” The angry Enforcer took a drink of water. “Maybe you can talk sense into her.”
First Son came over to the base of the tree I was in. “Snow? Can we talk?”
I looked down at him, before helping him up into the tree. I sat back, still rubbing the embroidery.
“Snow? Are you all right?”
I looked at him and asked if he meant physically or something else.
“We will start with physically.”
I answered with a yawn.
“Then how about emotionally?”
I shook my head, eyeing the warriors enjoying their meal together.
He grabbed the sheaths from my hands. “Howling Wolf made this? He said that he gave it to you after you became his Second.”
I told First Son that Howling Wolf used ‘was’ in his description.
“He is just angry at you.”
I told him that I figured that, but I could not see why, beyond poisoning them to keep them safe.
“You poisoned us, so you would be the one killed if it came down to it?” I nodded to him again, grateful that he understood that. “If you did not come, who do you think would have?”
I pointed to Howling Wolf, because First Son was the heir to the Elder, not the Enforcer.
“What would have you done if he poisoned you and ran off to die in a figh
t without you?”
I looked at him, feeling the pain in my chest. I pointed to my heart and mimed breaking.
“Exactly. We spent the entire time coming here wondering if we were walking into a trap, or if you had already been killed. What do you think he would have done if you were dead?”
I thought about it, before giving him the symbol for war.
He chuckled. “You understand so much, yet so little.”
My head tilted to the side as he laughed. “Snow, you cannot see it? You have spent a few years with him, pulling his cold heart from its barrier of ice. If something happened to you, I do not know if we would ever get the warm Wolf back.” He looked over to the warriors. “He made you his Second, before he realized what a force you are for him. He is still trying to come to grips with those emotions for a woman who throws herself at the world, not caring if she survived or not.”
I asked him how I could do my job as an Enforcer if he hinders me due to his emotions.
“The only thing you need to do is work with him. You two are the Enforcers, so you need to follow his lead, even if that means he will be in danger as well. He has been an Enforcer for a long time and has survived this long. He can take care of himself.” He leaned forward, closer to me. “You, on the other hand, need to stop trying to prove to us that you are worthy of your name and Clan. We already know that you are.” He sat back, before climbing down. “Just some things to think about. I will grab you some food before we leave, if you do not decide to join us.”
I debated whether to follow him but decided against it. I was sure Howling Wolf needed some time away from me, since I caused him so many problems. I waited until the warriors were ready to part ways and jumped down at the last possible second. Howling Wolf grabbed me, keeping me next to him, to make sure I did not run off like he was sure I was going to do. The other warriors gave us space as they escorted me back to the village. We did not talk the entire time back, silence filling the forest around us.
Chapter 13
“You are going to be punished for what you did, Silent Snow,” the Elder spoke, his voice edging on angry. “You do not poison your Elder or your Enforcer. What would have happened to the village if we were attacked while we were out?”
I shrank down. I did not think about something like that happening, so it never occurred to me.
He looked over to Howling Wolf and said, “I am putting you in charge of her punishment. I assume that you will make her understand how wrong she was in doing this.”
“Yes, Honorable Elder,” Howling Wolf replied. He glared at me. “Get up.” I did as he said, standing up, following him out the door. He walked us over to where we had trained before the Enforcer test. “Give me your daggers.”
I handed the daggers to him but kept the sheaths on.
“Sit.” He pushed me down onto the ground. “Stay. If you move, I’ll make sure you wish you never caused all of this damage.”
I stayed where he pushed me, trying to figure out what his game was. While he planned, I stared into the trees, waiting to see what would happen. Twilight came over me, followed by the night, and Howling Wolf was still not back. I yawned and stretched to keep myself awake.
After some time, he came back, carrying two sparring sticks. “Since you seem to think that you can handle anything, come at me. If you beat me, I will stop your punishment. If not, we will continue it.”
He tossed one of the sticks to me. Since I did not know how to use it except as a spear, I was not ready when he attacked. He kept knocking me back, using the stick to push me. I just kept blocking each of his hits, falling into the rhythm of the fight. I do not know how long he had been on the offensive, but my arms were weak, and my body ached from lack of sleep or rest. He slammed me into the ground, and I could not get my body to stand back up.
He took the stick away from me. “Stay.”
He walked away, leaving me where I fell. I bit my tongue to stay awake, not wanting to see what would happen if he came back, and I was asleep. Too soon, exhaustion and pain from my muscles overtook me. I slid to the ground, unable to keep my eyes open any longer.
For three days, Howling Wolf would come back to spar with me using the sticks. Every time, he would push me down, and I was told not to move. My stomach grumbled from lack of food; my mouth dry from lack of water. My eyes burned from staying awake.
One of the times that he came for me, I dropped my guard to let him hit me down. I just wanted him to knock me out, so that I could get some rest. He stood over me. “You think that I am going to help you rest? Not happening.” He took the sticks and walked away.
On the fourth day, Sparrow came and gave me some water, and a little bit of food, though my stomach rebelled. I tried to keep it down, but I could not. On the fifth day, Sparrow gave me more food and water. First Son saw what Howling Wolf was putting me through. He took my dagger from Howling Wolf’s belt, throwing it into the ground. “Since you’re not taking care of her, I challenge you to a test of taking.”
I was confused, my mind fuzzy from the lack of rest.
“You want her? You can have her. She is weak and will never be good enough,” Howling Wolf spat to his friend.
First Son looked at Howling Wolf. “What has gotten into you?”
Sparrow helped me stand, getting me away from the two of them. She took me into the forest, where I heard other voices. I pointed for her to get into the tree. She climbed it, while I looked in on the Wood Elves who were not a part of the Moon Clan. There were three of them, but another popped up behind me and put a knife to my throat.
“Looks like I found us a prize.” He pushed me forward, where the other Wood Elves were. I was so weak from the punishment Howling Wolf was putting me through, I could not see straight enough to fight back.
Another of them said, “Look at that hair! I think the Seller would like this one.” He gave me an evil grin.
There was a sharp pain in my temple before darkness clouded my vision.
Chapter 14
I woke up, pain coming from my head as light danced through the covered cage. I reached for my daggers but remembered that Howling Wolf still had them. I looked around; my arms bound behind me.
“She woke up, finally,” one of my captors said. One was driving the cage, the other three were in the back with me. The one who spoke grabbed my chin in his hand, forcing me to look at him. “She has got some pretty green eyes. I wonder if that is normal for City Elves.”
“Well, the Seller will know for sure. Maybe he will give us a large bounty for her,” another remarked.
“She is easy on the eyes, so I think he should be able to fetch a good price for her.”
I stiffened, realizing that they were going to sell me back into slavery.
The covered cage stopped, and I could hear more voices outside. They picked me up, pushing me onto my face outside of the cage. “Do not damage the merchandise.” The driver came around and picked me up. He licked his thumb and wiped the dirt from my cheek and said, “We need her to look perfect to get the best price.” He led me to a large tent, one I recognized at the edge of my memories. I tried to plant my feet, but they forced me forward.
The tent doors opened, revealing the Seller, a City Elf that I knew, who sold me into slavery the first time. “What is this?” he asked over his half-moon glasses.
“We found her in the forest. Isn’t she a beaute?” The driver pushed me closer to the Seller.
The Seller stood up and circled around me. “She looks familiar.” He grabbed my hair between his fingers, looking at the bright silver strands. “I knew I recognized her!” He grabbed my wrist and saw the brand. “This is 13-87-22! She escaped her last master after setting the wooden town on fire.” He looked gleeful, as he handed gold pieces to my captors. They left me with him. “Oh, 13-87-22… you’ve grown into a fine woman.”
He went to his desk, where he pulled the silver ball with my voice in it. My eyes widened at it, amazed that he still had it. “You want your
voice back?” He sat in his chair, pulling me closer to him. “I know that you have been taught how to be a good girl.” He caressed my cheek with his hand, but I turned my head and bit him. He slapped me across the face. “Maybe some time relearning what you are would remind you of your place!” He threw me onto the floor, but I did not fall back completely. He kicked me onto the ground, his foot on my chest. “Do not think you can be above your place, slave.”
I hissed at him, but the Snow Cat was locked in her den from exhaustion.
He pressed his foot into my throat. “Keep digging a hole for yourself.” After a battle of wills, I looked away first. He took his foot from my neck. “Stay down, unless you want to taste the leather of the whip.”
He went back to his work, tallying up and balancing his books. After what felt like forever, he stretched and stood up. He grabbed me off the ground and pressed me into the bars that held the other slaves. The City Elves moved farther away from me, making signs to ward off evil towards me.
“The Cursed One.”
“Kinkiller.”
“Murderer.”
The Seller laughed. “Even they do not want you near them.” He pulled me away from the bars, dragging me out of his office. He pushed me toward a covered caravan, but I threw myself at the ground instead. He tried to grab me, but I kept kicking him away. He struck me hard in the stomach with his boot, knocking the wind from me, while causing more pain. “Now, look what you made me do. Get up.”
I shook my head, refusing.
“Get up, or I will make you get up.”
I shook my head again.
“I heard about the silver-haired slave who rebelled constantly. I guess that bitch was you.”
He grabbed me by the hair and yanked me up. He shoved me into a pole, attached the chains to my upper arms, then removed the ropes that bound my wrists. “This is for thinking that you are above your lot in this life.”
The whip whistled before it hit my back. I screamed silently in pain, my muscles still aching from the fight, punishment, and now the whip.
He stepped around to my front. “Are you going to keep fighting me?”