Half-Breed

by Anna L. Walls

  Unfortunately, it couldn’t be so easy. Canis had never hunted a herd of this type. With a closely-knit herd such as this one, when one member changes direction, it’s likely others will follow it. First one, then other buffalo turned in the wake of the one Ggrrawrr and Canis had been able to turn aside, and Canis suddenly found himself in more trouble than he anticipated. Within seconds, Canis was immersed in the bulk of the herd and those small curved horns looked dangerous enough when bobbing so close to his legs and his horse’s shoulders or ribs. He looped his reins around his saddle horn. Midnight would need no help running with the herd; its members had them trapped.

  The four Wulfen were now running along side; all thoughts of taking a single young bull were gone. Canis looked across the sea of curly-haired humps to the edge of the herd. He stood up in the stirrups and drew his bow. Its length was unwieldy from horseback when the targets were this close.

  He began to carve himself a path to the edge of the herd. With each buffalo that dropped, a small gap was created. He learned quickly that if he didn’t take advantage of the gap, it closed up fast. As soon as one of the hulking creatures dropped, Canis leaned Midnight over into the space while he took aim at the next heavy neck.

  Eight arrows later, Canis managed to carve his way to the edge of the herd and reunite with the Wulfen. He reined away from the herd and pulled up to look back. The caravan was out of sight. Though he regretted having to kill so much more than he could use, the hunt had been exhilarating. The danger was a distant thing now that it was past.

  “We are watched,” said Ggrrawrr and Canis pulled his eyes away from the thundering herd. Standing about five hundred yards away, on top of a small rise, was a cluster of men and a few women dressed in shreds of furs and tattered material that hardly resembled clothing. Even at this distance, Canis could see that there were only a few crude bows among them. He looked back at the herd, then at the people again. Were they herd followers? Had he just killed members of their herd?

  He dismounted and started toward the people. If he had broken one of their laws, he needed to make amends somehow. “Stay here, I will be fine,” he said to the Wulfen. Rrusharr stayed close to his side. The others stayed with Midnight.

  When they saw him walking toward them alone, the grandfather of their family stepped out to meet him. When they were about ten paces apart, the old man sank to his knees.

  At this display, Canis froze. He didn’t know what to do. This isn’t what he expected.

  “Never, in all my days, have I seen such a thing. I thank the Mother for letting me live long enough to witness it,” said the old man. He held his gnarled hands high and was shaking to the point that Canis thought he might fall on his face.

  “Please, sir, let me help you to your feet. The ground is too cold for this,” said Canis as he covered the remaining distance and took an arm to pull him to his feet. His grip on the old man’s arm told him what the wind had not until Canis had stepped close. This old man was about as close to starving as he had ever seen. He looked at the rest of the group and saw that they could well be as bad as the man standing before him. “Have I damaged your herd?” he asked.

  “Our herd?” said the old man in surprise. “This is not our herd. We follow it in hopes that one or two would die of old age or perhaps the cold. Sometimes, in the spring, we find one having problems calving.”

  “I only intended to take one.” Then something the man said floated to the surface of his memory. “The Mother must have caused me to take several more so close to where you can find them. May you find some use for her gift.”

  The old man threatened to fall to his knees again, but Canis retained his grip on the unsteady old man. “Bless you, bless you for this gift,” gushed the old man. “With this, we will be fat and healthy by spring.”

  A younger bull of a man from the group on the hill saw the old man’s near collapse and he couldn’t stand to watch him in the grip of the tall stranger so closely shadowed by such a large wolf. He sprinted up to them intent on breaking them apart, but he wasn’t quite brave enough to contest a snarling black wolf that stood as high as his waist and blocked his less than amiable approach.

  “Ready everyone,” said the old man. “The Mother has given us a great gift this day.” The old man waved his hand over to the churned landscape left behind by the passing of the herd. “We have meat to gather before it freezes. Also, someone will need to help the Mother’s hunter with his choice kill.”

  The younger man was shocked. He took in the dotted field and turned back to the others. While he was organizing the butchering party, Canis went back to his horse and the other Wulfen. As he collected his reins, he said, “Nnarr, head back to the caravan. Tell Cepheid we will be following soon.”

  The white Wulfen sprinted off already telling her companion all the news of her adventure.

  Canis made his way from carcass to carcass retrieving his arrows and cutting out the arrowheads if the shaft was broken. Two men from the family caught up to him as he was straightening from the second carcass. He was already toying with the idea of leaving half the one kill he had intended to take to these people. A buffalo was very large when you had to move its dead carcass.

  The younger man from before, who named himself Bill, and the other, Riley, brought him a sturdy rope tied into a crude harness. When he saw Canis’s glance at the rope, he said, “You got a good strong horse there, but there’s no way he’ll carry all of this. We’ll make camp here close by and drag the carcasses in close. We have a few horses. We usually use two per carcass, but your horse should be able to manage one alone for a short distance.”

  Just as Canis was about to move on, Bill bent over the buffalo and opened its throat. He pulled its nose far back and steaming blood immediately began to seep out into the grass melting the snow it touched.

  Two kills later, Canis asked, “Tell me something, if you can. Why do you and your people lead this kind of life? Why do you not move into the city? There must be something you can do so you do not have to live on the edge of starvation in this way.”

  Bill and Riley looked at each other. “We do well enough like this,” said Bill.

  “Your people are freezing and starving. You should build warm shelters and learn to…”

  “You’re a stranger. What makes you think you can tell us how we should live?” said Bill.

  Canis bent to cut his arrowhead from the next carcass and Bill slit its throat with an unusually harsh move. “I am a stranger, but living off the hunt is something my clan has done for generations. Find a place where these buffalo go every year. Build warm homes there. Hunt what you need to get you through to the next hunt. In the summer, gather all the grains and roots in the same manner. Learn to store it so there are no starvation months. You will hunt all the time and gather all summer. If you never let up, the rest will be easy and then you will have family and friends, people who will share your fortune.”

  “You make it sound so easy, but we are outlaws. We cannot settle in such a manner. We are hunted more than they are.” said Bill. He waved at where the herd had vanished and his shoulders hunched with resentment.

  “There are many places where you can settle and not be touched. Keep your settlements small and scattered far apart. Keep your people away from roads and towns and no one will notice you. Do not forget your crimes, though. Being outlawed does not make you outside of the law. Laws are for the protection of everyone and should not be taken lightly.”

  Bill flew into a rage and leapt at Canis brandishing his bloody knife. “Who do you think you are?”

  Canis caught him and held his knife at arm’s reach easily. “Is this your crime? Can you not control your temper? Remember what it bought you and teach that to your son.” Canis released him and he deflated just as quickly as he had flared up.

  “How did you know I had a son?”

  “I did not, but I think most men wish for one.”

  They finished with the rest of the buffalo in silence.
It was past midday by the time Canis, Bill, and Riley reached the first buffalo Canis had killed. All of the arrows Canis had fired were broken – he had expected nothing less – but most of the fletchings were still good so he kept them for that. All but one of the arrowheads was still good. They had been deep enough in the flesh to be protected from breaking in the fall. The broken one was accompanied by a smashed shaft. The hapless creature had likely been trampled after it fell.

  Between Canis, Bill, and Riley they gutted and bled the buffalo, and tied it by its horns to Midnight’s new harness. Canis handed the liver into Bill’s hands. “I want the old man I spoke to, to have this. It will make him strong. Tell him it is a gift from the Mother. Tell him whatever he wants to hear, but see to it that he eats all of this within the next two or three days. Do the same for everyone. Have a grand celebration to honor the success of the hunt and make the livers the prize.”

  “We have always discarded the innards,” said Riley, his voice was soft and quiet. He was not used to speaking.

  Canis looked at the man, he was scruffy and unwashed like all the others; he didn’t seem to fit among them. Something was different about him. He went to the gut pile. He pulled out the heart. “This is a little tough, but it has good flavor and makes a hearty stew that few will turn their noses up to.” He pulled out the smaller intestines and pointed to below the stomachs and above the larger intestines. “Cut and tie this off here and here, then tie knots about every hand span, so each section can be separated. Fry it in the fat you can find under the skin around the neck and inside along the spine. The taste takes some getting used to, but it is the greens you all need in order to stay healthy until you can gather your own. You will find none better this time of year.” He pointed to the stomachs. “You can clean these out and use them to carry water. If every person has one, they can fill it with snow every day and carry it under their coats to melt. Drinking enough water is always important.” He took the time to open his coat and show them the one he carried slung under his arm.

  “That doesn’t leave much behind,” said Bill.

  “To waste is an insult to the gift,” said Canis, then he pointed to the hooves. “Boil these and they make a sturdy glue.” He indicated the horns. “These could be cleaned out and used for drinking water. Even the bones can be useful.” He let them take a closer look at the arrowheads Auriga had made for him from bone.

  “I think we could learn a lot from you. Stay with us,” said soft-spoken Riley.

  “I have other obligations. Remember what I have told you and you will do well. Never be so proud that you cannot learn from a stranger, and never allow yourself to take what a stranger is unwilling to give.” Canis turned to his horse and started to lead him back to the caravan dragging the buffalo. He was unwilling to let them see how the last sentence had unsettled him. He had no idea where it came from. It didn’t fit with the rest of their conversation.

  “We will remember you, and what you have taught us here,” said Riley calling after Canis as he was heading away. “We will remember.”

  Lincoln

  When they pulled into Lincoln four days later, much of the buffalo had been consumed. After the wagons had been delivered to the warehouse, Kolar handed Canis four gold coins and ten silvers.

  Canis attempted to hand one of the golds back. “You have already given me eleven silvers.”

  Kolar pulled Canis aside. “Listen kid, never in all of my years of driving that route – three times a year by the way – never have we been able to make the trip without some loss. Never have we pulled in here with the cargo utterly untouched, and never have we reached this point with a good deal of our supplies still intact. The horses are healthy. The drivers are also healthy and in good humor. You have saved the company much more than eleven silvers by your actions, so I know no one will protest the extra money in your pocket. The boss might even give you another gold or two if he manages to find you. I know you’re leaving us and I truly regret it. I, for one, wish you would remain.”

  Canis extended his hand to shake – an action he showed few people. “There are things I have learned from you as well. Travel safe; perhaps we will meet again one day.”

  Canis went to collect his sled and the rest of his belongings. He was considering them when Kolar came back inside. “That won’t be much use to you here. I’ll take it off your hands, if you’re willing.”

  “You are right. It is good for pulling behind when on foot, but much too small for behind a horse. Star can carry all we need. I gift the sled to you, if you think you can find some use for it. Perhaps you can get some coin for it back in Cheyenne,” said Canis.

  “Just what I was thinking, but I’ll pay you for it,” said Kolar.

  “No, I will not take more of your coin. You have given me many things both large and small on this trip, it is only right I give you a gift in return. My sled and our snowshoes are the only thing I can give without depleting what I need, and I like knowing that something I have made goes to someone I like.”

  Kolar raised his palms to Canis. “All right, all right, it’s a gift. I’ve learned that arguing with you seldom does any good. Thank you; I plan to give the sled to my brother, and he’ll appreciate the snowshoes too. He runs a trap line with his son and I think they could use them.”

  It was impossible for Canis to find lodging in the city that would accommodate six giant wolves, but it didn’t stop him from visiting the different inns in search of more work that would take them to Omaha city. It would only take them six or seven days to make the trip, but if work could be found, so much the better.

  Over the next two days, news of Canis’s skill as a guard made the rounds too, so, as he was making his way through the market square, he was approached by a graying man in a uniform.

  “Word has it you are a very skilled guard,” said the man. “The wild people have been reported in the area and Lord Lincoln must send his daughter to Omaha for her wedding ceremony. The job pays fifty gold coins if Lord Lincoln chooses to hire you. If you’re interested, I will escort you to the manor to meet with him.”

  Fifty gold, just to escort a woman, was impressive wages. “Can you tell me more about the job? It seems a little much to escort only one woman.”

  “The lady Enid will be traveling with an entourage that may encompass three or four wagons. Aside from the lady and her maids, there will be wedding gifts of high value.”

  “I see,” said Canis. “I will speak with your lord.”

  When they started walking across the square, Cepheid and the six Wulfen joined them. As always, Rrusharr enjoyed the reaction from the man who was guiding them.

  His eyes darted from wolf to wolf, four of which were almost big enough to saddle and the other two, though they might be considered a more normal size, they had feet big enough to trip over. His eyes then darted to the tall man who walked beside him and took in his white eyes as well as the stone between his brows and the long cable of red hair that hung down his back. Then he eyed Cepheid’s young face topped with its short mop of course gray hair and its incongruous black blotch at her right temple. Few of the clan had hair that was a single color, and none of them had red hair, but both were highly uncommon here.

  This man’s attention on Cepheid also directed Canis’s attention to her as he tried to see her through a plainsman’s eyes. He noticed another thing too. Her scent had changed; she was pregnant. He would have to find a place for her to shelter and raise her children in safety. Her children…his children…he was going to have children. He almost missed a step when the man led them up to the gate flanked by two more men dressed in the same uniform.

  At first, the house manager balked at letting even one wolf into the house let alone six, but when Canis offered to meet the lord in the courtyard, his escort would hear none of it. He overrode the manager and brought Canis and all of his companions into the main room of the manor, then he went to find Lincoln.

  While he was gone, three little girls skipped into t
he room. With the fearlessness of small children, they went right up to the puppies and started playing with them. The puppies hadn’t had much human interaction, but children were children and it wasn’t but moments before they were all rolling on the floor. The girls were giggling and laughing and the puppies were bouncing and rolling around acting like big-footed clowns.

  A short, but trim man with a full head of white hair entered the room. He carried himself with a haughtiness that said he was more than just the lord of the house. He was just in time to catch his youngest daughter falling into the side of the black puppy who allowed both of them to flop over sideways in a wriggling, giggling mass that had a lot to do with a long wet tongue. He looked at Canis and Cepheid; the two stood quite close to the playing young, watching over them closely. He also saw four much larger wolves lying around the room in various poses that didn’t detract from their alertness. This was all obviously play, but he was embarrassed that his daughters should act in this manner in front of strangers. “Girls,” he said. “Go. We have business to discuss.”

  The girls reluctantly disentangled themselves from the puppies and left the room less energetically than when they came. When they were gone, the lord turned to Canis. “You must be the Canis I have been hearing about. You look a bit young, but from what I’ve been told, you work miracles. After seeing these, I think I can understand why. Come over here and we’ll go over the logistics of the trip.”

  As they walked over to a table at the side of the room, the black puppy went to the door where the girls had disappeared.

  “No,” said Canis without looking at him. “You two will remain here.”

  Lord Lincoln looked at Canis to see who he had spoken to and saw the black puppy return to her place among the others. “You speak to them? They must understand you very well.”