Keeper of the Wolves

by Cheree Alsop

  I realized through the thick darkness clouding my thoughts that I was in human form. Callused fingers picked up my hand and pain burned down my arm. A scent of windswept hills and steel touched my nose. I tried to remember where I knew the smell, but couldn’t place it in the blur of disjointed memories. “The wolves are howling again,” the voice said.

  A call of despair touched my ears. I tried to turn toward the howl, but when I rolled to my side my shoulder gave a piercing pain and a moan escaped my lips. Gentle hands eased me back.

  “Careful, son. Easy does it,” he spoke softly. “I don’t remember these bruises last time he turned human.”

  “He got them pulling down Father’s stallion before it could trample Koya and I this morning,” Joven replied quietly.

  The first speaker let out a low whistle. My memory shifted and I pictured the face of Rasmus, the tattooed man from the tent. “He brought Triton down in this shape?”

  A faint whisper replied followed by a soft hiccup of air as though the one who answered was trying not to cry. A scent of meadow gold and vanilla came to my nose and made my heart race. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t obey. I let out a sigh of frustration and gave in to the darkness once more.

  ***

  I ran through a stream after the pack. The wolves nipped and bumped each other, trying to throw the others off so they could win the race. I usually took the lead, but my bones ached and I couldn’t keep up. The scent of a rabbit close by turned my head, but my belly was full and the spring hunt had been plentiful. I didn’t need to gorge out of fear of missing the next meal. Winter would come soon enough and instinct would demand such actions, but for now I chose to let the rabbit lay safely amid the rushes.

  I shook on the other side of the stream and sent water flying from my fur. The thick undercoat kept me warm despite the slight chill in the air, so I didn’t mind being wet. I loped through the trees after the others. They raced through a meadow lit by the white wash of the full moon. I galloped after them, but my legs gave out when I reached the moonlight and I sprawled in a heap on the soft long grass. A spasm shook my body followed quickly by another. My bones twisted and stretched.

  I let out a howl of agony that turned into a scream I didn’t recognize. My fur disappeared, leaving my skin pink and bare. My ears shrunk and muzzle faded into my face. My teeth dulled and paws elongated into awkward appendages. I curled in a ball in the meadow, my lanky arms and legs wrapped around me. Salty water leaked from my eyes and I tried to keep quiet, but sobs shook my unfamiliar frame.

  The wolves returned; the cubs I had grown up with were long-legged youth trying to fit into their clumsy limbs. At first they stayed at the edge of the meadow, uncertain about my new form, but my wolf scent mixed heavily with the strange sandy smell of my other body. The familiarity drew them in. A wolf in danger was never abandoned. They nosed my hair and sniffed my limbs, then howled distressed cries to the others.

  Our alpha appeared with his mate close behind. She had no fear of what I had become. While the others walked in wary circles around me, she licked my face and nuzzled my neck until I fell into a restless, exhausted sleep against her fur. When I awoke, I was a wolf again and told myself it was only a dream. The fact I was trying to convince myself not to worry was my first reminder that something was wrong.

  ***

  A gentle hand shook my shoulder urgently. “Boy, wake up. You must wake up.”

  The touch sent surges of pain and cold through my body. My limbs shook and I tried to curl in on myself to get him to leave me alone.

  “Are you sure that’s necessary?” Koya asked. Her fingers brushed tangled hair from my sweating face. “Shouldn’t he sleep?”

  “His wolves are pacing the walls,” Joven replied. “It looks like they plan to attack if he doesn’t reassure them he’s safe.”

  “The men are talking of demons,” Rasmus agreed. “Either his wolves are going to get killed or our men. The animals sound out for blood.”

  As if in answer, a piercing howl thick with threat reverberated through the air. Four other voices mingled with it, calling questions laced with worry and frustration. As soon as the sound died away, more howls rose from further away. Men shouted and the crash of metal and wood answered as weapons were readied.

  The sound pierced the fog in my mind. I opened my eyes and found the others watching me. Firelight played with shadows behind Koya’s concerned face. Her mouth turned up in a smile that didn’t touch the worry in her eyes. “Are you awake?” she asked.

  I nodded and the motion sent waves of nausea through my body. I lifted my hands to still the spinning in my head and found my left hand wrapped heavily in bandages. It throbbed with the movement. “Rasmus was able to contain the infection, but your body’s having a hard time fighting it off,” Koya explained. “He said you might not be healthy enough to survive the effects of the fever.” Her words caught in her throat and she swallowed. She took my hand gently in hers and set it back down to rest on my chest.

  I lifted my eyes to where Joven and Rasmus stood close by. All three looked exhausted. I felt guilty at the thought that they had stayed up with me for who knew how many days and nights. Between the fevered dreams and the pain of the change each night I had lost track.

  Another howl penetrated the room. It was louder this time and filled with threat and anger. Shadow Runner, the alpha, was tired of waiting. They would attack and both my pack and the inhabitants of Vielkeep would pay if I couldn’t find the strength to answer and calm their fears. I tried to push up to a sitting position, but my limbs were weak. Joven and Rasmus knelt quickly and helped me rise. When I finally sat up, the room swam in circles around me. I ducked my head against my knees and tried to focus on the danger my wolves brought to the duchy.

  Eight howls rose as one in a cry of battle and attack. Before their notes faded away, I took a deep breath and let out a howl of answer. It carried my pack’s tones that set us apart from the others, and I let the agony of the last few days fill my voice so they would know I was sick but still alive. The sound resounded through the room loud and full, telling them of my location and my safety. With the howl I asked them for patience and reassured them I was safe.

  I howled until I ran out of breath and my head pounded with every heartbeat. The importance of their response kept me sitting up when darkness threatened at the edges of my vision. I refused to give in without hearing their answer. If they felt foolhardy and desperate, they might attack anyway. I didn’t want anyone hurt on my account.

  “I don’t hear-”

  Joven’s words fell quiet when I lifted a hand weakly for silence. He nodded and his pale blue eyes turned to the windows. I counted my breaths, willing the air to keep filling my lungs. Koya’s hand touched the side of my face. I turned my head toward her palm and breathed in her calming scent. Herbs for healing mixed with the meadow gold and vanilla scent. I closed my eyes and took another shallow breath.

  “What if-” Joven began when he couldn’t help himself any longer. His words were cut off by a lone answering howl lifting above the clamor of alarm that had risen in the courtyard.

  Relief filled my chest at the notes of the howl. Shadow Runner’s deep tones of joy and relief combined with the notes of our pack. It told of their worry and fear at my lack of response, and their determination to see me safely home. They were the same tones the wolves and I had exchanged every night since my capture. It filled me with strength to hear the same notes now.

  “Are they leaving?” Rasmus asked.

  I nodded and heard audible breaths of relief in answer. As my strength left, Joven and Rasmus lowered me back down to the banterskin rug. “Well done,” Rasmus said before the darkness took over again.

  ***

  The next time I awoke I felt stronger. It was strange to be a wolf again. I couldn’t decide if it was the lingering effects of the fever or being in a building surrounded by people that made me feel like a stranger in my wolf fur. I opened my eyes, but cl
osed them again at the piercing pain the sunlight streaming into the windows sent through my skull.

  “It is a bit bright in here,” Joven said in a happy tone.

  I opened my eyes a crack and shifted them sideways to look at him. He sat on the floor with his back against a green armchair with polished cherry wood armrests. He wore a tan jerkin, dark red pants, and a matching maroon cravat along with doeskin boots detailed in golden lace. His clothing looked as though he had them on for the first time; no wrinkle marred the pressed seams and dirt looked as though it was kept away from the clothing by the mere aura of cleanliness that surrounded it. I wondered how someone could keep attire in such shape while sitting on the floor.

  “Glad to see you’re awake,” he continued with a heartfelt smile. At my glance around the room, he shook his head. “We’re the only ones here. Everyone else has duties to attend to they’ve put off while you were an invalid struggling to survive.”

  At my silence, he grinned. “You’re wondering if I have duties as well?” he chuckled. “Let’s just say I have a perfectionist’s drive to stay up late at night despite the protests of my servants to finish the obligations required by the heir to the throne. Needless to say, my servants don’t protest out loud, but I see it in their eyes when I’m in the library studying Rala’s history instead of sleeping like a decent human being.”

  He lifted an appreciative eyebrow at me. “You, on the other hand, have slept like a log for almost a week. You’ve got to be famished.”

  The thought of food sent a wave of nausea through my body and I closed my eyes again.

  Joven let out a chuckle. “I guess it’s a bit soon for that. Rasmus said you almost died. I suppose you have some recovering to do.” He shifted on the floor and when I opened my eyes again, he leaned forward. “I appreciate you saving us from the stallion. I’ve never seen anyone do something like that. It was incredible.” I let out a slight breath in a huff and the smile that had faded from his face reappeared. “I’ll take that as a sound of modesty, and reply by saying putting your life at risk for someone else requires a bravery I’m not even sure I possess.”

  I found myself liking his easy manner. His tendency to speak both sides of the conversation was amusing and informative. He pushed his hair back from his forehead. “I need to be frank with you. I’m glad you survived, and my motives are entirely selfish.”

  I waited in silence for him to continue. He looked down at his hands, then glanced at the fire that crackled low in the fireplace. The scent of the cedar and maple embers tickled my nose. Joven let out a sigh and looked at me again. “Your presence here happens to be at a very trying time for this family.” He said the last word as though doubtful it fit the description. After a pause, he shrugged and gave a wry smile. “Our situation isn’t exactly on the level if you know what I mean.”

  I had no idea what he meant, and was glad when he said, “I guess I should assume that as a man who lives as a wolf most of his life, or the other way around, whichever it may be, you don’t know what I mean.” He put his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers together. “My father, the Duke of Vielkeep, died a year ago.” He let out a breath that sounded heavy as though it carried the weight of the world. “Let’s just stay he is missed by almost everyone, Koya and I especially, but by Mother not at all. Theirs was a marriage of necessity to keep Vielkeep at its strongest, but their hearts were never in the matter. Father threw himself into running his kingdom, but a few years ago he began to lock himself in his quarters worried about Viel attacks and things that haven’t happened for almost a decade. He passed away confused and fearful, a shadow of the man he once was.”

  Joven’s fists closed when he said the last words; haunted memories swept through his eyes. He fell silent. After a moment, he glanced at me and continued, “I wasn’t ready to take the throne then, and I’m not ready yet. There are many things Father left out of our education toward the end of his sanity. Koya and I have done the best we can, but our hold on Vielkeep is a tenuous one because we are young. We won’t be safe until we can solidify it through marriage or a show of strength.” He continued in a hushed tone. “We don’t have enough soldiers for a war, and we’ve enough on our minds without worrying about defending our borders. We have the Valley Guardians and our soldiers ready for more than just attacks from the other greedy duchies.”

  His words fell away, his eyes on something I couldn’t see. He blinked. Shaking his head, he turned back to look at me. “Sorry, I haven’t slept much.” He gave an apologetic grin. “Where was I? Ah, yes. Then there’s Mother. Oh, Mother, what can I say?” He looked at the ceiling as if hoping to find the answer written there. When he met my eyes again, a half-smile graced his face. “Mother could care less about Vielkeep, the land, the people, the animals, or the castle. All she cares about are festivities and the finer things of life. Trust me when I say if you travel into her part of the castle, you’ll know it.”

  I didn’t know what to make of that, so I settled for listening quietly. It had worked well so far.

  “My point is,” Joven continued, “Koya and I are left on our own to take care of Vielkeep. The other four duchies are getting anxious. We are still considered in training for the throne until I reach twenty-one. If they find out that our mother is unfit to rule, their armies will attack and Vielkeep will be shredded; whatever’s left will then be divided like scraps of meat between hungry wolves.” He glanced at me with a touch of humor in his eyes. “Sorry for the analogy.” He tried again. “The only way for us to keep Vielkeep from the wol-” he glanced at me, “Dragons, is for Koya and I to marry into duchies that will strengthen our position. That is where you come in.”

  His brow creased and he studied a scar that ran across the back of one of his hands. “There are spies throughout our castle reporting to the other duchies. Mother is fit enough to fool them if she keeps to her quarters, and Vielkeep runs smoothly because our staff is well-trained and overseen by my men; however, I do not doubt there are those who would rather make Koya and I disappear than let us marry and strengthen our hold here.”

  The thought of Koya in trouble sent a surge of strength through my body. I lifted my head and watched his every word. “Until she finds a suitor, or,” he said the words as though they disgusted him, “We each find a match that will strengthen our position despite our distaste for the said match, Koya needs a protector who can be with her every moment and keep her safe.”

  His words of matches and suitors didn’t make sense; wolves chose a mate they cared for and stayed with them throughout their life. I had never heard of a wolf settling for a ‘distasteful’ mate. However, positions of weakness and strength made perfect sense. A pack’s protection lay in its ability to defend its territory. Weaker packs were pushed out and stronger wolves moved in. Also, wolves depended upon pack hierarchy for order and structure. The strongest wolf led the pack until bested by a stronger challenger. This ensured that the fittest wolf was in charge of the others’ safety.

  Joven said their city of Vielkeep was strong, but he and his sister’s position to rule it could be challenged unless they were matched with mates in a position of strength. If they were challenged when they weren’t prepared, the city would fall much like a pack’s territory. I knew well how to defend territory. Having an opportunity to act as a wolf within the confines of the city brought me onto familiar ground. That I could handle.

  Joven saw the spark of understanding in my eyes. “Will you help us? Will you protect my sister with your life?”

  I dipped my head in assent and he reached over and patted my fur before I could react. The gesture was familiar and slightly degrading. I bared my teeth and set my ears back against my skull.

  Joven removed his hand with a look of feigned surprise. “What, too doggish for you? Don’t like pats on the head and walks through Highbridge Park? What kind of a pet are you?” I let out a quiet snarl for good measure and laughter rolled from his chest. “You’re going to have to work on that, you kn
ow. If Rasmus is right and your change into human form is dictated by the moon, you’ll be a wolf when Koya needs you a lot more than you’ll be a human.” He looked up at the sunlight spilling through the windows, then back at me. “Which is probably good, because it seems you’ve had more practice as a wolf.” He reached out to pat my head again and withdrew his fingers with another laugh when I snapped at him, my teeth clicking closed millimeters from his hand. “Good to see you’re feeling better.”

  I was feeling better; instead of being bothered by his jests, a feeling of warm camaraderie rose in my chest. I studied him. His carefully tailored clothes and the seemingly casual but obviously well-rehearsed sweep of his hair back from his forehead indicated that outward appearance mattered very much to Joven, but his humor-filled gaze and the easy relationship he had with his sister showed he was still very much a pup getting accustomed to his position of leadership. I guessed we were close to the same age. I had no idea when I was born, so I couldn’t make any comparisons that way, but I felt a kinship with Joven.

  The fact that I could feel so comfortable around a human who was obviously even more at ease around me confused me. I was a wolf stuck in a castle. I should have been on edge and trying to escape with the opening of every door. Instead, I lounged in front of a fire like some tame hunting cat and enjoyed the presence of a human who had helped put me there.

  Chapter 6

  Footsteps brought me to my feet. I kept my weight off my left paw because it was still healing, but the bandages were gone and only scars would remain to remind me of the Cruel One. My heart gave a strange flutter as though a sparrow was trying to get free of my chest. I recognized the footsteps.

  “Keeper?”

  Rasmus began the name as joke, saying that I kept the wolves from attacking. Joven and Koya took up the name and it stuck for the past two days after Joven opened up to me about their dire situation. I wasn’t at full health, but the wounds had stopped bleeding and the fever was gone. My strength wavered more than I preferred, but I was anxious to get out of the room.