by P. C. Cast
“What’s a shadow dance?” Jaxom said.
“That’s what we’re all asking,” Mari said.
“I could explain, but it’s easier to show you,” Nik said.
“We need music,” said Davis.
“We have musicians,” Sora said.
“Drums are a must,” Nik explained. “Any other instruments are a plus.”
Sora stood and cupped her hands around her mouth to shout, “Drum circle! We need you!”
The Pack was scattered all along the beach, working on projects, unloading supplies, or simply resting, but when they heard Sora’s call several Earth Walkers stopped what they were doing, unpacked their drums, and joined the growing group around the campfire.
Nik and the other ex-Tribers were clearing an area close by, removing large rocks, washed-up branches, and any big pieces of river debris. When they seemed satisfied, Nik approached the Earth Walkers, who waited patiently with their drums.
“It would be good if you sat here.” He pointed to a spot in front of the campfire within the area of beach he and the others had just cleared. “We’re going to dance there.” Nik gestured to the cleared area. “The rhythm of your drumbeats really doesn’t matter, as long as it’s consistent, but a four- or eight-count beat is best.”
“They should start with a four count,” Wilkes said, and Mari thought that even that gnarled old Warrior looked eager to dance. “That’s easiest to learn.”
“You’re right,” said Nik. “How about something with a four-count beat, about at this speed.” Nik clapped his hands in a rhythm that was brisk, but not difficult to follow.
“Like this?” asked one of the Earth Walkers, repeating Nik’s rhythm on her drum.
“That’s perfect! Okay, keep that up.” Nik turned to Davis, Wilkes, Claudia, Sheena, and Rose. “Ready?”
“Yes!” they shouted, and their canines barked eagerly.
“Take your places. I’ll do some explaining and then we’ll start.” Nik faced the Pack. By now the entire Pack had gathered, even Mason and Davis, who had finished fishing and were cleaning their catch riverside, but also watching the proceedings closely. “The shadow dance is a way canines and Companions practice silently using the bond between them. When it works well, our canines can read our minds as well as our bodies. When we dance together we give no verbal cues to our canines.” Nik paused and nodded at Bast. “Or our felines.” Bast chirped at Nik as if to thank him, causing the Pack to chuckle. “The goal is to move as one with the beat of the drums.”
“Are there rules we have to follow?” asked Jaxom nervously.
“None except not speaking, but you can communicate mentally with Fortina—and you will. It’s something our canines do naturally. Just relax and open yourself to her, and don’t forget to have fun. We’ll start, and then when you feel comfortable, please join us. You, too, Sora and Mari.”
“Rose? Is Chloe too little?” Sora called to Rose, who had already taken her position with Fala.
Rose considered for a moment, and then shrugged. “I’ve never known a pup so young to join the shadow dance, but that’s because I don’t believe a pup so young has ever Chosen her Companion before. Chloe is special. Fala and I agree that you should try the dance with her.”
“I’ll stir the stew so you and Chloe can move closer and watch,” said Spencer.
Mari made a mental note to give the girl more responsibility. She seemed to always be willing to help, and she liked her bright, happy eyes.
“Thank you, Spence.” Sora picked up Chloe and moved to a place where she and the pup could see more clearly.
Mari and Rigel, with Jaxom and Fortina beside them, followed her.
Nik and Laru took a place in the center of the others. He shot a grin at Mari and then nodded to the drummers. “We’re ready!”
The drumming began—a sonorous beat that was to the count of four. The drumbeats echoed off the river, which turned the sound liquid and lovely.
Mari forgot about the drums and the river and everything but the Companion pairs before her as they began to move together. Her breath caught at the grace of the canines as they easily mimicked the movements of their Companions. Nik’s feet tapped out a pretty pattern in time with the beats of the drums, and Laru shadowed him so closely and completely that it seemed the two were one. The group moved in a circle, slowly at first, using easy steps, and then Claudia lifted her hands, clapping in counter time to the drumbeats as she turned in quick, graceful circles. Mariah’s gaze was locked on her Companion as the Shepherd mirrored each of Claudia’s movements.
Then Rose did the same thing, clapping with Claudia and twirling around—even faster—as Fala agilely stayed with her, little black paws blurring with speed.
Davis whooped and began a series of jumps and side steps that Cammy copied perfectly as he grinned a tongue-lolling canine smile.
Nik broke from the group, sprinting to Mari and taking her hand. His face was flushed and he was breathing fast—and joy radiated from him. “Come on! You and Rigel will be great!”
Mari wasn’t so sure they’d be “great,” but she was eager to try. As she and Rigel joined the shadow dancers, Mari saw Rose gesturing to Sora to join her. For a moment Jaxom and Fortina were left standing by themselves, looking lost. Then Claudia rushed to him, taking the young Earth Walker’s hand and pulling him into the circle with her as Fortina barked with happiness.
“How do I start?” Mari asked Nik.
“Just let the beat of the drums guide your feet. Think about Rigel. He’ll be watching you and he’ll also be inside your mind.” Then Nik began moving with the drumbeat, and Laru fell into step beside him, dancing with a light-footedness that belied his size.
“Let’s do this, sweet boy,” Mari said to Rigel. She stared down at the half-grown pup and felt him there, joined in her mind. She began dancing, and Rigel matched her every step. As they moved around the circle with the others, Mari realized the Pack had joined in—they were clapping with the drumbeats. Then there was the lilting sound of a flute trilling with the drums and, finally, women’s voices, singing wordlessly with the rhythm that filled the air, creating a lilting melody.
Mari felt as if she and Rigel were flying! She spared a quick glance at Sora and Chloe. Sora was moving more slowly than the other dancers, but the tiny pup was keeping up with her—and Sora’s face was radiant with joy.
She looked quickly to find Jaxom and Fortina dancing nimbly between Claudia and Sheena—and her heart swelled at the smile that blazed from Jaxom’s face.
Mari had forgotten that Danita had agreed to dance, but the gasp from the Pack pulled her attention to the very center of their circle. Danita danced there with Bast. Unlike the canines, the Lynx wasn’t beside the girl, pressed to her side. Instead the feline stood in front of Danita, facing her, and every step Danita took, Bast mirrored. Danita moved with a beauty that reminded Mari of willow boughs swaying with impossible grace, especially when her long, dark hair floated around her like a halo. Bast was every bit as exquisite—her preternaturally sharp yellow eyes never leaving Danita.
Then Nik and Laru were beside her again. “I know you can communicate with Laru. Do you think the four of us—you, me, Laru, and Rigel—can dance together?”
“Let’s try!”
They did more than try—they succeeded in a graceful joining that filled Mari with an indescribable lightness. Soon Mari threw out her arms and laughed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d known such a sense of completeness and hope for the future. It wasn’t just the dance—it was the joining the dance signified, as well as the voices and instruments of her Pack as they all celebrated their togetherness.
This feeling is almost like the one I get when I Wash our people, Mari thought as she danced. And then she realized how dark the sky had grown and her feet faltered, understanding before her mind that soon the Earth Walkers would be suffering with Moon Fever, and her Pack would, once again, need to be Washed.
She was near the d
rummers and could see that even though the women kept beating out the basis of the melody, their expressions had gone from happy and open to strained and serious. And Mari could see the sickly gray tint begin to creep over their skin.
Her gaze sought out Sora, who had picked up the panting, happy Chloe and was kissing her and continuing to dance with the pup in her arms. Mari caught her eye, and pointed up at the darkening sky.
Sora’s eyes widened in surprise, and she nodded, dancing her way out of the circle.
“Nik, I have to get ready to Wash the Pack with Sora,” Mari said. He and Laru and Rigel paused with her. “No, you and Laru keep dancing. There’s still a little while until sunset.”
Nik kissed her cheek, and then he and Laru danced away together.
Mari met Sora by the campfire. As she’d made her way through the Pack, people murmured compliments, and several people reached out to stroke Rigel affectionately. It’s happening. It’s really happening! Our Pack is becoming one. Even Lily and Dove weren’t being ostracized. They were sitting beside Spencer, who was adding hunks of fish to the stew from a basket Mason and Davis had given her—as well as sneaking small scraps of meat to the puppies that were contentedly sprawled on Lily’s and Dove’s laps. Everywhere Mari looked, she saw her people integrated with those who used to be called enemies. Maybe we’ve left the darkness behind us.
“Great Mother Goddess, that was fun!” Sora said, wiping sweat from her flushed face as she tucked Chloe back into her sling. “I hope we can dance more after we Wash the Pack.”
“I’m sorry I let us dance for so long. I lost track of time,” Mari said.
“So did I,” Sora said. “Gloriously!”
Mari smiled. “I love that you were having so much fun that not even Moon Fever could spoil it.”
“Moon Fever? It can’t be that late. I’m not feeling anything.” Sora looked up at the sky, and her brow furrowed. “Mari, the sun is setting.”
“I know. That’s why I pulled you out of the dance.” Then realization hit her, and her gaze flew to Jaxom. Oh, Goddess! He’s out there close to Danita! Mari wasn’t worried that Jaxom would suddenly attack Danita or anyone. When male Earth Walkers came under the effect of Moon Fever their anger increased, but that anger was rarely directed at anyone but themselves. The moon acted on female Earth Walkers in a slightly different way. Un-Washed by a Moon Woman, they would fall into dark depression and would, eventually, succumb to it, to either waste away in a catatonic state or take their own life.
Mari was the only Earth Walker not affected by Moon Fever—thanks to her father’s Tribal blood and the fact that he had made sure Mari was swaddled in the Tribe’s magickal Mother Plant—a sacrifice that had cost him his life.
“I have to get Jaxom before he frightens Danita,” Mari said, beginning to move toward the dancing circle.
Sora held her wrist, stopping her. “Mari, wait. Something is happening—or rather, something is not happening.”
Mari turned to her friend. “Sora, we can’t let Jaxom—”
“Moon Woman, we need you,” Davis’s tremulous voice interrupted. Mari and Sora turned to see that Davis had his arm around Mason, supporting the young Earth Walker, whose skin had taken on the gray tinge that signaled the beginnings of Moon Fever. “Mason started acting strange—angry—and he went really quiet. Then I remembered it’s a Third Night, and I brought him to you.”
“You did the right thing, Davis. But know that Mason isn’t dangerous. Help him sit over there and we’ll get Jaxom and begin Washing the Pack,” Mari said.
Sora, who still had hold of Mari’s wrist, pulled her so that she had a better view of the dancing circle. “Look at Jaxom.”
Mari did. The Earth Walker was still dancing. Joyously. With absolutely no sign of Moon Fever.
“But, I don’t understand,” Mari said.
“I think I do!” Sora was so filled with excitement that her body was trembling. “Look at me. Look at my arms.”
Mari studied Sora, and as she began to understand what she was seeing, she lifted her friend’s arm, studying her for signs of Moon Fever—and finding none.
“How do you feel?” Mari asked.
“Fantastic. Incredible. Normal.”
“But, how can that be?” Mari asked.
Tears spilled down Sora’s cheeks as she answered. “I believe it’s Chloe. Something happened this morning when we greeted the sun. I—I felt it: the power of it—the beauty of it. I’ve never felt anything like it—not before Chloe—never until this morning.”
“And this morning was the first time you greeted the sun with her!” Mari was catching Sora’s excitement.
“Yes! Jaxom was there, too. And Jaxom is now a Companion. He’s not showing any sign of Moon Fever either. Mari, it’s our canines. They can keep us from getting Moon Fever!”
CHAPTER 12
“Still the drums, please!” Mari called to the drummers, and they fell silent, followed by the women playing the flutes and singing. As Mari strode to the center of her Pack, with Sora by her side, she noted how exhausted the Earth Walker women looked. Mason, the only Earth Walker male besides Jaxom, was sitting a little apart from the others, head bowed and shoulders slumped. Davis remained by his side, hand on his shoulder, talking soothingly to him.
The dancers were much more animated—jubilant even—but the only Earth Walker among them was Jaxom, who appeared like Sora—totally untouched by Moon Fever.
“Ready to Wash your Pack, Moon Women?” Nik’s face was shiny with sweat and he was smiling happily.
“Almost,” Mari said. “First, we need to understand something. Jaxom, could you please come here?”
Jaxom had been crouched by Fortina, petting his Companion, but he quickly approached the two Moon Women, Fortina by his side.
“How are you feeling?” Mari asked as the Pack watched with openly curious expressions.
“Great!” He grinned, then the smile slid from his face as he noted the solemnity of the way she and Sora were studying him. “Is something wrong? The disease isn’t returning, is it? I haven’t felt it—not at all.” Fortina began to whine fretfully and press against his side, and Jaxom bent to comfort her.
“No! It’s nothing like that,” Mari said quickly. “I should have been more specific. Are you feeling any signs of Moon Fever?”
“Well, no, but as soon as the sun sets I’m sure I—” Jaxom’s words broke off as his gaze found the dark sky. Confused, he shook his head back and forth, back and forth. “I don’t understand.” He lifted his arm, pushing up the sleeves of his shirt to expose his skin—his brownish-colored skin that was completely absent of any of the signs of Moon Fever. “Wait, this doesn’t make any sense. Mason? Where’s Mason?”
Mari touched Jaxom’s arm gently. “Mason is with Davis. He’ll be fine as soon as we Wash him.”
“Why isn’t he getting angry?” Nik asked, moving closer to Jaxom to stare at him. Nik gestured to the Earth Walkers surrounding them. “I can see the tint of their skin changing. I can see sadness taking them over. Why isn’t it happening to Jaxom?” Nik’s gaze went to Sora, and his eyes widened. “And Sora, too?”
“Sora, too.” Then Mari raised her voice. “Earth Walkers, if any of you are not feeling the symptoms of Moon Fever, please step forward immediately.”
There was some shuffling around as people looked at one another, but no one stepped forward.
“Isabel, Danita, Jenna, all of you are feeling the effects of Moon Fever?” Sora asked.
“Yes, of course.” Danita was closest, as she had been dancing with Bast. She and the feline came to Mari.
“My skin is gray and I feel awful,” said Jenna.
“Me, too, as always,” answered Isabel as she and Jenna joined Danita.
“Do you know what’s happening?” Nik asked Mari.
“I think we do,” Mari answered, sharing a look with Sora.
“Jaxom, this morning when you were greeting the sun with Fortina, what did you feel?” ask
ed Sora.
“I felt good! Really good. Fortina and I liked it a lot.” He paused and looked as if he would like to say more, but pressed his lips closed instead.
“No, don’t keep quiet about it. This is important. Tell us everything,” Sora encouraged.
“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything because I thought I was just imagining it, or maybe feeling what Fortina felt and not actually what I felt, but my body got warm in a strange way. Like the heat of the sun was actually pumping through me.”
“With your heartbeat!” Sora said, nodding in agreement. “Like your blood had turned into sunlight and was spreading that light all over your body!”
“Yes! Exactly!” Jaxom said.
“That’s how it feels when Rigel and I greet the sun,” Mari said.
“Bloody beetle balls! Neither of you have Moon Fever!” Nik blurted, and the Pack gasped.
Sora spread her arms wide, showing her untainted skin. “I do not have Moon Fever!”
O’Bryan, Wilkes, Claudia, and the rest of the people who used to belong to the Tribe of the Trees pressed closer as the Pack stared, gaping, at Sora and Jaxom.
“It’s their Companions,” O’Bryan said. “It has to be.”
Nik nodded vigorously in agreement, raising his voice so that all the Pack members could hear him. “That must be it! Through our connection to our Companions, we share the power of the sun. Our ancient stories say that long ago, before the world changed, canines lived much shorter lives, but after the miracle of the Choosing happened between canines and humans, their lives extended to what they are today.” Nik was speaking directly to the Earth Walkers in the Pack. “We’ve always believed that is because of the power of the sun—that through us we share it with our canines—but maybe that isn’t completely accurate. Maybe it’s the other way around—our canines channel the strengthening power of the sun through them to us.” He turned to Jaxom and Sora. “And now, because you’ve become Companions, bonded body and spirit to your canines, they are sharing the power of the sun with you.”
“And it somehow prevents Moon Fever,” Mari finished for Nik. She faced the Earth Walkers. “You know what that means? You could all be free of Moon Fever!”