by Abby Tyson
For a second Savi's tired mind thought she meant that Glenn would say something about Amber, which was obviously not a concern, but then she understood Nissa's question.
"He knows where we're meeting Ren and Marley."
"I wouldn't be able to find it," Nissa said after a yawn.
"Could your wolf?"
Nissa's head snapped up with accusing eyes, but she seemed to realize Savi was asking in earnest, because she lay her head back.
"Yes. She could have."
"Then so will Glenn."
Savi stared into the night and the empty road, willing it to be true.
Chapter Eleven
Marley awoke under a tangled veil of green, cold stone pressing against his back. He covered his ears as a thunderous rumble roared past. The leaves around him waved good morning in the gust of wind from the train.
Obviously he wasn't where he was supposed to be. He and Ren weren't away from home often, except for the full moon cycle; the few times they were, they usually woke up in the same place they altered. That's what he had expected to happen this morning. Perhaps since they were so far away, and the area was so foreign, he'd gotten lost.
He evaluated where he was before leaving his cover. Directly across from him, about ten feet away from the curtain of leafy vines that hid him, was a dirt incline littered with loose rocks that led up to the train tracks. The stone wall behind him went upward and joined with a slab of concrete at the base of the incline, walling this small piece of land off.
Now that the train had passed, he could hear the soft but steady trickle of water nearby, but he didn't hear any voices, which was a good sign. Once he'd woken up in the bushes on the outskirts of a Saturday morning baseball game. He'd had to wait until everyone left before running stark naked across the field to the woods on the other side.
The stench of urine, mixed with the acrid smell of the hot metal tracks, made him gag. Anxious to get away, he risked a soft call for his brother.
"Ren?" he whispered.
No answer.
The sky was gray, although the morning sun was hidden behind clouds, so it could have mid-morning just as easily as dawn. He didn't often sleep late, but it did happen.
Cautiously, he began to extricate himself from his hiding place, clenching his teeth as every movement exposed his bare skin to the cool air. Parting the thick green ropes in front of him, he crept out of his hideaway.
Crouching on the dirt and rubbing warmth into his body, he saw that someone had used the tall U-shaped wall to form a three-sided house, with cardboard for a floor and a tarp as a roof. Other than a set of neatly folded clothes -- which were the source of the stench Marley had smelled -- and a pair of flip-flops worn thin, there was no sign of the hovel's resident. Holding his breath, Marley picked up the topmost clothing item, a man's flannel button-down long-sleeve shirt. It would fit him, but he dropped it back in the pile and peered into the distance to see if there were any other options.
On the other side of a thick line of trees, he could barely make out a running track. There could be houses nearby, but the chances that anyone was hanging their clothes outside to dry in this ominous weather weren't good. Besides, there was at least one person already jogging on the track, so making a break for it across the wide open field was not an option. Even though he could run faster than a human, he'd still be spotted easily.
Again he eyed the small pile of clothes. It was too cold not to wear anything, and he could smell the rain moving in his direction. If he was going to be wandering the streets hunting for the rendezvous point, he needed to wear something. But not only did these clothes smell terrible, Marley felt guilty taking what was probably one of the only sets of clothes that the owner of this place had.
According to what Ren had told him, most coywolves lived like this: alone, on the outskirts of society, not partaking in what humans had to offer for fear of exposure. Marley became incensed every time he thought about it. If they weren't so vulnerable at night and during the Eye, there would be no reason to keep their true selves a secret.
Not even you are that naive.
His brother's words from a few days ago resounded in his ears. Sure, humans had a poor record for dealing with the unknown, but there were also plenty of humans who dedicated their lives to safeguarding the rights of those living in the margins of society. If coywolves made their presence known to those types of humans first, that was bound to improve their chances of a smooth transition into society. Was that naiveté? Or was it good old-fashioned hope?
With a sigh, he picked up the shirt again and checked it for bugs or stains; seeing neither he started to put it on. He heard the rain slapping the tree leaves before he felt it, and was glad that at least the clothes would get washed a little. Reluctantly he put on the jeans, trying not to think about what he was stepping into, but left the flip-flops because they were too small.
Marley walked up the hill to see what was on the other side of the tracks. Across the stream and through a thin line of trees were two empty baseball fields and some row houses. None of it looked familiar.
Then, far off in the distance, through the sprinkling rain, Marley thought he heard a beeping sound, like a truck backing up. He leapt across the railroad tracks and scurried down to the outskirts of the baseball fields. There, on the other side of another line of trees was an industrial building.
Grinning, Marley raced toward the parking lot.
As soon as he saw his backpack beneath the leafy tree where he and Ren had left them, Marley ripped the putrid clothing off his body and -- with a whispered apology to their anonymous owner -- left them in a pile of shredded fabric on the damp ground. Ren's clothes were nowhere to be seen, so Marley dashed toward Savi's van, which he'd seen as he made his way around the parking lot.
The rain was coming down in large drops, but they only reached him every now and then, with the trees serving as a relatively effective umbrella. Savi's van became visible through the woods and he made his way for it, eager to be with her. As he was about to burst through the tree line, the interior light came on, revealing the occupants inside. Marley nearly stumbled at what he saw.
Ren was indeed in the van already. He was shirtless, kneeling between the front seats but facing the windshield. Savi had her hands on his back, as if she was giving him a massage.
With the falling rain too loud for him to hear any words they might be saying, Marley just stared, unable to fathom what he was seeing. The most disconcerting aspect wasn't even that Savi was touching his brother, it was that Ren was allowing her to touch him. Marley knew Ren didn't have a problem with Savi specifically -- what he disapproved of was her humanity. But opening himself up to such an intimate physical connection with her was something Marley had never dreamed Ren capable of.
It felt like hours passed, but his shirt only had a handful of drops on his shoulders when Savi stopped and Ren got into the driver's seat. The light in the van turned off at the same time an 18-wheeler truck drove past, heading for the back of the industrial building. Although he could still make out Savi's shape, the clarity was gone, and he couldn't see Ren at all. The need to be in the van was suddenly urgent and overwhelming. He darted over and yanked open the passenger's door and jumped in, spurring sounds of surprise from Savi.
"I didn't see you come up," she said with a smile.
I saw you, he thought, surprised at the sudden surge of anger rising within him.
Nissa was lying down in the back seat. Marley turned to his brother, taking in his dry hair and clothes. "How long have you been here?"
"He woke us up about ten minutes ago," said Savi. "Can you come over here and take off your shirt?"
The anger instantly disappeared, his stomach flipping with an equally intense joy. "Why?" he asked, smiling for the first time since he'd arrived.
Savi turned an adorable shade of red. "Don't get any ideas. Take your shirt off and kneel here." Addressing Ren, she asked, "Can you turn the light on again?"
Marley did as she
asked, already forgetting whatever grim thoughts had begun to form in his mind. Her hands were warm on his damp skin as she ran them gently back and forth over the span of his back between his shoulder blades, as if checking for ticks.
"I went for a run last night and encountered some scientists." Her heart was beating a bit more quickly than usual, which, despite her serious tone, Marley interpreted as the same excitement that was running through his body at her touch. "The woman told me all about the work they were doing. They're zoologists, traveling down the East Coast to study how a particular animal is adapting to successfully live in close proximity to humans." She lifted her hands from his skin, saying, "You're all set, thank goodness."
"Okay," he said, leaving his shirt off and sitting next to her on the middle seat. "So what does that have to do with my back?"
Her face was anxious as she glanced at Ren. Marley realized that her uneven heartbeat was actually nerves, and not pleasure. He put on his shirt.
"They're studying coywolves."
Marley stopped being concerned with Savi's fear and focused on tamping down his own. "Studying us?"
"They didn't seem to know anything about you being half human. She said they tag coywolves with some sort of tracker between the shoulder blades and monitor where they go. They had one last night. I thought it might have been one of you two, but neither of you have any evidence of an injection or implant."
Another freight truck went past, its metallic rumble mixing with the roar of the rain. "Well I guess we better get out of here then," said Marley, hopping into the front seat. Ren reached out his left hand for their morning handshake, and Marley reciprocated.
"What was that?" Savi asked with a smile.
Marley shrugged. "Just our way of saying good morning."
"That's cute," she said. Her widening smile made her usually grave eyes radiant, and Marley felt himself drawn to them, like a flower stretching for the sun.
"What time is it?" asked Nissa.
Ren turned the key in the ignition just enough to get the clock to turn on. "7:30."
"We can't leave yet!" Savi cried.
"Why not?"
"We need to wait for Glenn."
"Where is he? Why isn't he with you?" asked Marley.
"He left the motel last night," she said, the shadow in her eyes returning, "and never came back."
Something about her statement didn't ring true, and Marley waited for the scent of the lie to reach him. But at the sound of a bark outside, Savi's face lit up in a wide grin of relief. "Glenn!" she cried.
Why wasn't she that excited to see me? he couldn't help but wonder.
She opened the sliding door and the wolf jumped in, bringing the overpowering stench of wet dog with him. Savi leaned down to hug him -- again, a warmer reception than Marley had gotten -- but as soon as it was inside the wolf shook his body as all dogs do when they get wet.
The brothers were protected from the spray by their seats, getting only a few drops. Savi, on the other hand, was drenched, her dripping face frozen in shock. Only Glenn dared to make a sound: a sad, whimpering whine.
Then, from the back seat, came a quiet, stifled giggle.
Marley couldn't believe what he was hearing, and almost asked Nissa if she was okay, when the giggle became louder, turning into full-throated, hysterical laughter.
Savi began chuckling as well, and Marley's heart swelled as he heard the low sound bubbling up from her chest, although she kept her mouth closed.
I've never heard her laugh for real before.
The thought struck him as odd, and a little sad, but then even Ren joined in, and soon Marley was laughing with the rest of them.
"How much longer?" whined Nissa.
Marley groaned. "Asking every twenty minutes isn't going to get us there any faster. Besides," he turned back to give Savi a mischievous look, "I thought you were too old to get impatient."
Savi smirked. He couldn't see Nissa without making more of an effort to turn around, but when she replied she made her irritation clear.
"I told you, I'm a child."
"You've only been a kid for two years," Marley said, happy to rile her up. In her impatience to get to North Carolina and a big rock called Nyuri's Crown, Nissa had ruined the nice moment they'd shared that morning by throwing a tantrum when Marley insisted on stopping to take a shower. Then she wrecked his secret plans for having a quiet lunch with Savi separate from everyone else, by having a fit when Ren pulled off the highway. They'd ended up merely taking a bathroom break at a gas station and getting right back on the highway, eating sandwiches Savi made in the back of the van.
So pissing her off seemed like the perfect pastime.
"Don't the other thousand years you've been alive balance that out?" he asked.
"How old are you?" asked Savi.
Marley shifted in his seat to see Nissa roll her eyes and say, "You humans and your numbers."
"Silly humans," said Savi, "always so impatient and consumed by the passage of time." Her smirk made Marley want to dig his hands in Savi's hair and lock themselves in a room in the next motel.
"So?" Savi asked. "Are you a hundred? A thousand? What?"
"I'm eight and a half," said Nissa with a sigh.
Savi wrinkled her nose in skepticism. "You are not eight years old."
Nissa returned Savi's stare. "That's not what I said."
"So... what? Eight centuries?"
When Nissa didn't respond, Marley ventured a guess. "Eight decades?"
"And a half."
"You're 85 years old?" asked Savi in astonishment.
"What about your mate?" he asked. "Is she the same age?"
"Must we spend the entire ride subjecting me to an inquisition?" Nissa grumbled.
"Would you rather ask Marley how much longer?" asked Savi.
Nissa glared at her, but she just laughed. "Come on, Nissa, loosen up. We're curious. You can ask us questions too."
A laugh popped out of Nissa's mouth, but she quickly clamped down on it, turning to the window. "As if your lives are of any interest to me. All I care about right now is getting to Nyuri's Crown."
"To find help to rescue your mate," said Marley, "who's... how old, again?"
Nissa groaned and gestured to her child's body. "Do I look old enough to mate? Karis is my soulmate."
"What's the difference?" asked Savi. Marley thought he caught her glance in his direction, but it was too quick to be sure.
"Mates are common," said Nissa. "Kutar -- soulmates," she added with a sideways glance at Marley, "-- are rare: two torra born on the same day who share a special bond. Karis and I have been able to speak to each other without words since we were infants. Our parents say that if they made one of us laugh, the other would laugh too, even far apart."
She turned back to the window, her voice softening and becoming wistful as she spoke of her soulmate.
"Silent speech is common among torra, but it's usually a skill that must be learned, and cannot be done without looking into another's eyes. Two kutar can speak with each other as soon as the bond is formed, and across great distances. Even after she was brought to the Alters in Florida, we could hear each other, until eventually we were parted with our other halves for so long we lost even that connection."
There were no tears in Nissa's eyes, but her sorrow was evident. Marley was surprised when Savi spoke, breaking the silence.
"So Karis is your soulmate," she said gently, "but that's different from Ara, who was the... other half of... your soul? I'm not super clear on the difference." Although she was the one who said it, Savi winced at the name of Nissa's wolf half, clearly anticipating an outburst.
The elderly child, however, remained surprisingly calm. Too soft for Savi to hear, Nissa muttered, "Your minds are so closed." Then with a sigh, she said, "Ara was me. I was Ara. Two in one. Karis and I, we share a bond, not a soul. Soulmate is your limited human word, not ours. She is her own spirit, I am my own, but we are joined in a way few experience. S
upposedly every torra has a kutar, but rarely do two find each other these days. There are legends of torra going mad at the loss of their kutar."
Nissa's fear, making her words tremble and the air grow musty, was so obvious to Marley, that he was shocked when Savi said, "Doesn't seem like it should be that big a deal."
He was sure she didn't mean to sound so flippant, but he shot her a look of disbelief nonetheless. Nissa, he noticed, did the same.
"What?" asked Savi, glancing back and forth between the two of them. "Communicating telepathically from far away is cool, but it doesn't seem like enough to warrant the label soulmate."
"There are bound to be more benefits than that," Marley said, looking to Nissa for help, "intangibles like a heightened sense of self, or an inner peace knowing that someone else understands you as well as you understand yourself."
Savi's intense stare made him worry he'd said too much. He looked back at Nissa, pushing down the heat climbing into his face. "Right?" he asked.
Nissa turned away from them both. "It's beyond your comprehension." Her tone implied that the conversation was over.
Savi was lost in thought staring at Nissa, so Marley turned around in his seat and watched the road, wondering what Savi was thinking. It was obvious to him that the two of them were soulmates, but did she recognize it?
Nissa's impatient voice cut through his ruminations. "How much longer?"
Chapter Twelve
They passed the brown sign that read "Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge" about an hour and two more impatient inquiries from Nissa later. The Visitor Center, a sprawling two-story building with black solar panels atop green metal roofs, was dwarfed by the surrounding trees reaching for the bright blue sky.
The lot was nearly empty, enabling Ren to park directly in front of the main entrance. Without the wind from the moving van, the air was so hot and humid that Savi's tank top was already sticking to her by the time she stepped on the pavement. She went around back and took a jug of cranberry juice from the cooler, drinking the cold liquid straight from the bottle.