by Forest Wells
No argument.
I moved as slow as the sun, while my heart raced enough for three sprints. The image of the stone popping up to catch me had my insides rolling around like a pebble in the river. I tried to focus on not trembling, hoping it might push everything else out of my mind. When that didn’t work, all I could do was concentrate on moving back, nice and slow, placing my other paws where they’d been a moment ago. I put my forepaw down away from the rat, then retreated the rest of the way at the same pace.
I breathed great relief when nothing jumped to bite me after a couple of steps. My breath disturbed some of the leaves, nearly stopping my heart again. There, in the ground, sat more stone teeth sitting upward, ready to bite. Somehow certain of safety, my fear weakened in the face of curiosity. I wonder if that would work again. I stood stone still and blew. More leaves moved, showing the teeth made a circle around the rat. The line of connected stones lay under it, no doubt rooted like the others.
Relief was compounded by a sense of pride. Just by accident—thank you, Wolfor—I had discovered the secret of the stone teeth. The dead rats somehow caused them to jump up and latch onto their prey. While I couldn’t understand why they never did more, the fact that I’d found out that much had me almost giddy. That, or it was the fact that I’d been that close to being caught myself.
“At least we know how it works,” I said almost laughing.
“At too high a cost,” Toltan said. He stared at Rolin’s body a long time before giving a sigh of his own. “Everyone, back to the den.”
My joy faded when I too looked after my brother. If only I’d found the secret first. “But what about Rolin?"
"We can do nothing for him. We'll mourn when we are safe. Come on.”
We grabbed the few kills from before and left, never to travel in that part of the forest again.
Chapter 3
“I SWEAR, MY HEART STOPPED for a moment.”
All of the pups, younger and older, were gathered around me. Though all were listening, some ears were more perked than others. All four of the younger pups sat still, transfixed by every word, while most of the older ones did little more than pay attention. Lonate stood over us, at times ruffing in amusement for some reason. I certainly didn’t find any of my tale funny. Rajor, of course, glared and rolled his eyes every sentence or two. For once, though, he was outdone. Calon had a glare worthy of Toltan’s death stance.
“So the grand Luna escapes death by a claw’s width,” Calon said. “I can’t believe you’re listening to this.”
“Shhhh, quiet!” Estrella said. “Luna is talking, not you.”
Calon pretended to cower as if submitting, but sarcasm laced every word. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. Please forgive me.”
Estrella growled at him, though it sounded closer to a raspy whimper than a growl. Did we really sound like that at her age? I looked at Lonate, who ticked his ears forward to answer my silent question. I panted a short laugh, rather embarrassed at the idea of ever sounding so... harmless.
I flicked an ear as if I could toss the feeling away, then returned to my tale.
“Wolfor was watching over me, I’m sure of it. He kept me safe, and he showed me the secret. I blew away the leaves by accident, and I saw the stone teeth all around the dead rat. That’s when I understood it. If you touch the dead rat, the stone teeth will jump up and bite you. If they catch you, they won’t let go, ever.”
“Ooooooo,” the younger litter said.
“Runts,” Calon said. He trotted off, continuing to grumble.
Lonate ruffed at him before turning his attention on the younger ones. “All right, that’s enough for one day. Your parents want you back near the den, now.”
“But Lonate,” Estrella said. “I want to—”
“Now.”
Her ears fell with a small growl more pitiful than the last. I turned my ears back at her as Lonate led Estrella and her siblings to their den. Tell me we weren’t like that.
Rajor, for once, didn’t say a word. That left me with Calon, who had somehow gotten to the edge of the meeting area without anyone stopping hm. Even at a distance, I could see he was still muttering. No doubt the same rantings I’d heard before. With Lonate preoccupied, and Toltan in deep conversation with Martol and others, I felt I had to deal with Calon myself.
Calon kept going, and I followed him. The only adults nearby were too busy listening to Toltan to notice either of us. Calon ignored them, while I slipped past, staying a few steps behind him. I only hesitated when a strange sensation tried to overwhelm me. It was as if a wave of panic swept over me, forcing my ears back. Yet at the same time, I didn’t feel any real fear. It almost felt like there was a voice inside me, trying to tell me something.
Without any more than the sensation to go on, I pressed forward. I knew I could handle this alone. If I could pin Rajor over and over again, dealing with Calon shouldn’t be an issue. Besides, I wasn’t about to have another Rajor in my pack. One was more than enough. I saw Calon approach the river, and I had to push down another wave of that strange feeling before moving forward. I needed to keep my head clear if I was going to handle this the right way.
As Calon leaned down for a drink, I stepped forward, calm and steady. I didn’t want a fight, I wanted answers. I kept my tail level to avoid any air of dominance. I hoped it would be enough.
It wasn’t.
“What do you want?” Calon said.
For a moment, I couldn’t tell which was rushing faster: the river, or the blood in my ears. The latter I didn’t understand and thus ignored.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.
Calon’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong with me? Do you really want an answer?”
“I asked, didn’t I?”
“You are.” My head tilted in confusion. Calon went on. “For moons, all Toltan and Martol and Lonate talk about is you. ‘Luna did this. Luna did that. Luna will be a great alpha someday. You could learn a lot from Luna. Luna is your example; match him.’ They talk like you’re Wolfor’s chosen leader or something. You and your ‘silver sheen.’”
“And you blame me for that.” It was more a statement than a question.
“Why not? You won’t keep helping when we don’t need it. You won’t let us fight our own battles. You won’t let us get the preferred teachings. You won’t let us be the top wolves we should be.”
“Calon, I’m in charge. It’s my pack, or at least the litter is. It’s my job to enforce order.”
“Says who?! Who decided you get to lead when everyone knows I was firstborn? I’m bigger, stronger, and faster. I’m better than you in every way, but you won’t let me prove it!”
I huffed and turned my ears back. So much for no argument. Once I realized he wasn’t going to listen, I let my tail rise to show dominance. If talking wouldn’t work, then I had to make sure I ended Calon’s challenge before it got anywhere.
“Now you’re sounding like Rajor. I suggest you remember what I’ve done to him before you talk about taking over my pack.”
Of all the things Calon said, he was right about one thing.
He was faster.
Calon clamped his teeth on my shoulder before I even realized he was moving. Instinct alone had my jaws snapping at him to retaliate. I missed, but my quick twisting and the near misses shook Calon free without a pant. Speed seemed to be his only advantage, though it was more than enough to be a threat. Calon snarled and continued to lunge at me, landing only glancing blows, sometimes not even drawing blood. I countered as much as possible, too off-balance to retreat or call for help. The best I could do was keep him from getting to my neck or underbelly. What few bites I landed did more surface damage than true injury, effecting a stalemate.
That is, until Calon charged. I blocked his jaws, but not the rest of him. Both of us rolled, legs entangled, into the river. I pushed off to get away from him, only to regret the success of my choice. The current took hold, drawing me away from my
pack and the shore. I whimpered in panic, more so when I saw Calon still fighting and kicking to catch up with me. The look in his eyes was the worst. This wasn’t just anger. I could see my blood in those eyes. Even above the rush of the river, I could hear a true, fierce growl in his throat. And I thought Rajor was bad.
I swam as hard as I could toward the shore. My paws kicked with all they had while my head twisted around in search of something, anything, that could save me. The best chance appeared to be some rocks near the edge of the river that might be low enough to climb onto. I fought with every kick to get there, even wagging my tail in the hopes it too might offer some help.
I managed to fight the current just enough to get my paws on the rocks. My claws dug in, finding enough hold to keep me in place. My hind paws found traction soon after. I heaved myself out of the water, panting in terror and exhaustion.
“No!” Calon said. “Get back here. I’m not done with you.”
Calon still hadn’t given up. He was fighting hard to get to me. He wasn’t able to achieve as much movement as I had. I could tell the river would take him past the rocks, but too far out to get as much traction as I did.
The panic returned, but this time, it rushed up from my heart. The rush gave me a burst of energy, which I used to plant my paws at the edge of the rocks, take aim, and reach for Calon. I tried to get my fangs on the scruff of Calon’s neck, or onto a paw if I could. Either would have been enough to pull him to safety.
Instead, I jerked back when Calon bit at me. He had come so close, I could feel his nose brush the fur on my throat. But once again, it was his eyes that haunted me. I saw it there, in those eyes, in Calon’s raised hackles despite being soaked. A cold hatred. One that had only one goal on its mind: my death. I watched him pass by, horrified that my own brother would hate me so much... would... I couldn’t even think it.
Calon kept fighting, but because he was trying to get to me instead of the shore, the river continued to take him downstream. Despite Calon’s hatred, the panic remained. No. No, I can’t lose another brother.
I turned for the bank, careful not to slip and fall back into the river. Once I was on dirt, I followed the shore, trying to find Calon. I let out short howls, or rather long, loud whimpers, as I ran. All the while, I was praying. I begged Wolfor to help me. I asked him to keep Calon alive until Lonate could save him.
My legs burned from running, swimming, and minor wounds. My tongue flapped in the air with each bound. My chest demanded I stop, but I ignored them all. I couldn’t stop. Not yet. I had to find him. I had to...
Near a fallen tree in the water, I saw a figure. A shadow I didn’t want to believe. I sprinted to the edge, climbed on the trunk, and found Calon stuck under the surface. Ignoring the burn and throb in my limbs, I reached in with my jaws in the hopes of helping him get out of the river. I got a firm hold on Calon’s scruff and pulled as hard as I could. Calon never moved.
At least he’s not biting at me anymore. It was a lie I barely registered. Not only had he not budged, he hadn’t moved at all. Even his eyes were closed. Must be really stuck. Come on, Calon. Budge! I tossed my head side to side, at last feeling Calon’s body move. Another hard pull to the side, and I almost fell in again when Calon came free all at once.
I dragged him all the way to shore, then shook myself dry, nearly fainting from exhaustion. Calon still hadn’t moved or opened his eyes, and nothing I did would stir him. I nudged him, pawed at him, even bit his muzzle and ears. None of it worked. Try as I might, I could not change what my nose was already telling me.
“No,” I said. “No, Calon. Calon, come on. Come on, wake up. By Wolfor, wake up!”
My ears fell. I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. Calon was dead. Killed when he hit the tree, drowned when he couldn’t get free... it didn’t matter. I’d lost another brother.
I heard the pack arrive, but I barely processed it. My heart was too heavy.
Martol was at the head of the pack.
“Luna? Luna, what... no. No, not another one.”
As much pain as I felt, I could only imagine how much she was hurting. It felt like the howls for Rolin were still in my ears, and now here was Calon, also dead. I watched her try everything I had tried to wake him up. She got the same reply, but she kept trying. She tried so hard she drew blood, but Calon didn’t bleed. His body just seeped what blood lay under the surface of his skin. Seeing her so frantic... I didn’t know pain could have its own pain, but that’s what it felt like.
When Toltan appeared beside her, Martol rubbed against him so hard, she almost knocked him down. Toltan returned it before he saw Calon.
Somehow, his eyes had never looked so heavy. “Martol. Is... is there...”
“No,” Martol said. “No sign. He’s gone.”
“What happened?”
Martol panted, heaved hysterics. When her eyes found me, I almost wished Calon had killed me. It would have been better than seeing the layers of anguish in my mother’s eyes.
Toltan bounced his eyes between us before settling on me. “Luna? What happened?” I couldn’t form an answer. What would I say? Calon died trying to kill me? I couldn’t get my own mind to accept it. How could I explain it to them?
“Luna! What happened?”
I tried to say something. I tried to make sense of it. Words never came.
So Rajor found his own. “I saw it all. Luna attacked him. They rolled into the river. When Calon tried to get out, Luna kept him down.”
Jinta gave a growl that was low and rumbled, nothing like the usual puppy scratch. “Oh, come on, Rajor. You couldn’t have seen it. You were with the rest of us.”
“I saw it happen further upriver. None of you were there, only me. Luna killed Calon. I swear it in the name of Wolfor himself. He killed him like he tried to kill me. You remember, when he held me under the water? He did it to Calon!”
Toltan entered the death stance. Rajor, for the first time ever, stared back without fear. Toltan’s ear turned my way, his eyes following soon after.
He brought his nose close to mine. “Luna. Luna, please. Say something. Wolfor’s name, Luna, please speak to me!”
No words would form. I found nothing within while finding too much without. Toltan’s pleading eyes, the stunned pack watching, Rajor’s smug look, Martol still nuzzling the body of her pup... my brother’s body. The same one that had tried to kill me. I didn’t know where I was, much less where to begin.
“You see?” Rajor said. “He’s so guilty, he can’t even admit it. What’s more, just look at Calon. Luna scratched him good before he killed him. You know it’s true. Wolfor knows it’s true. You can’t deny it. He killed Calon to protect his place among the litter. Luna is a pup killer!”
At last, I found something. I glared at Rajor as if I could set him on fire. I’d warned him about harassing someone again, least of all me. Hair by hair, my fur rose, as did my lips.
My body shook from fighting the rage, and words finally came.
“Shut up, Rajor. You don’t know anything. You have no idea what happened.”
Rajor stood tall. “I saw everything, Luna. Your lies won’t hold anymore. You killed Calon, just like you tried to kill me. You know I’m right.”
That smug look, that arrogant stance, I’d had it. It was time to put Rajor in his place once and for all! I sprang toward him in full snarl. My fangs yearned to pin him under the ground. I had visions of him in great pain, and of him begging for forgiveness.
None of them had me doing either.
Before I got to Rajor, Toltan pinned me to the ground by the neck. I hadn’t seen him coming, which meant my head was spinning. My sides hurt from landing, and my neck ached from the bite, but my insides were too hot to stop now.
“Let me go!” I said. “I need to do this. He has to learn his place!”
“Like Calon did?” Toltan said.
Anger turned to cold fear. “Toltan? Wha... what are you saying? You don’t believe him. You can’t.”
&
nbsp; Toltan’s ears fell as his eyes closed. He looked back at the pack a moment, who looked at him like they expected something of him. When one of them raised his hackles, Toltan ticked his ears forward, then came back to me. When I looked into his eyes again, another, much older wolf, stared back.
“You’ve left me no choice, Luna. You have nothing to defend yourself with. Rajor invoked Wolfor’s name. There’s no other answer I can draw.” Toltan turned to the pack. Silence fell like rain. “For... for this griev... grievous crime, there is only one punishment. Luna... Luna... is... hereby banished from the pack. He may not be allowed to run with us, or hunt with us, or to live within our borders. He is... he is... to live the remainder of his life... as... as a lone wolf. No wolf shall run with him again... ever.”
Rajor stood smug as he’d ever been. The pack stood still. Every ear erect, every tail limp, including mine.
This isn’t happening. Surely Toltan didn’t mean it. It had to be a test, or some trick to mess with Rajor. He wouldn’t do this. He couldn’t exile me for defending myself.
Toltan turned back to me, looking no younger. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. Even my heart had stopped moving. It had to be a mistake, or a dream, or something other than what my ears had heard. I looked at each member of the pack, trying to find some sign, some shred of hope. The best I got was a pained falling of ears. The rest were merely blank. Wolfor, please, tell me this isn’t happening. He can’t do this to me.
“Luna,” Toltan said, “you heard the sentence. Go. Be gone from here. Let us find neither scent nor hair... or face our fangs for the final time.”
My heart stopped. It couldn’t process any more pain. It couldn’t understand how I could be among my pack and be totally alone.
“Toltan. Please. There has to be—”
“Go! Now. Before I am forced to end the life of another of my pups.”
He meant it. Wolfor’s fang, he really meant it.
I stood on legs I couldn’t feel. My paws were so heavy, they may as well have been stones. I stared at my father like he was a stranger, but I didn’t hesitate. I knew if I did, I’d watch his fangs tear into me. While I might have taken that over what I was walking toward, I couldn’t do that to Martol. So I walked, and Toltan only watched. He would say nothing more.