by Unknown
“Why?”
“Makes the pups stronger. Makes the alliances with other packs stronger.”
“I notice yer mate is human.”
“Yes. But she’s my true mate. A lot of the young wolves in my pack are mated to humans. We had a shortage of females at Elk Mountain and mating with humans meant survival. Some of the pups are full lycan. Some aren’t.” Grey’s gaze pinned Liulf as he said pointedly, “We love them all.”
“Of course. I meant no disrespect. I have nothin’ against humans so long as they’re no’ shootin’ at me.”
“Agreed.” Stalkson Grey slapped Liulf on the back. “If you’re interested in becoming my neighbor, we need to go talk to Silver Ruff out of respect, since her people settled here first.”
Liulf turned in a circle slowly, then nodded. “’Tis… perfect.”
Stalkson Grey seemed pleased. “How many do you think we’re talking about?”
“I do no’ know how many will be choosin’ to come, but there be a few more than five hundred Mahdrah Ahlee in the Highlands.”
Stalkson whistled and looked at Liulf with new admiration. “Had no idea. You know… I’ve been an alpha for a long time. If you ever need to talk, come see me. There are things that… well, that others won’t really understand.”
“Thank ye, Uncle. I will.” Liulf tilted his chin up then shifted to wolf form.
A little less than three hours later, they reached the edge of New Gaul, the original lycan colony. Stalkson shifted and entered a small outbuilding. Liulf shifted and followed him inside.
Stalkson handed Liulf a breech cloth. “I keep a change of clothes here since I visit often. I’d offer a pair of doeskin pants, but they would never make it up your fat thighs.”
Liulf was indignant. “My thighs are no’ fat. They’re muscular.”
Stalkson raised his eyebrows, snorted softly and shook his head. “If you say so.” He smiled to himself, thinking maybe he’d spent too much time with Deliverance. He didn’t know his nephew well enough to know if Liulf had the kind of sense of humor that allowed for teasing.
Liulf tied the breech cloth to his waist and stepped outside. He bent forward pretending to make an adjustment while surreptitiously glancing at his thighs. When a slight breeze rushed past, he concluded that he liked having extra air circulating when weather allowed.
As the two walked toward the center of the settlement, Liulf was able to get a firsthand look at the business of everyday affairs within a mature colony on Lunark. Like stepping into a time machine, it was life much like what he remembered two hundred years in the past. He paid close attention to two things. Having fully recovered from the shock of interdimensional travel, his mind was actively engaged in a fantasy construction of New Scotia. As they had approached the settlement, he’d mentally catalogued the livestock and made a point of noting the expressions people wore on their faces.
The New Gaul wolf people looked at Grey and Liulf with curiosity, but without alarm as they passed. No one stopped or slowed the task at hand to regard them more closely.
It was obvious to Liulf that Stalkson Grey knew where he was headed and it seemed to be the building on the rise at the head of the clearing, but before they reached their destination, they encountered Silver Ruff standing outside the blacksmith’s work shed talking to a small group. She looked over and gave Grey a warm smile of recognition and acknowledgement.
“What brings you, Alpha?” She nodded at the people she’d been talking to and stepped toward Grey. “And who’s this?” She swept her eyes over Liulf. He watched her nostrils flare slightly as she evaluated his scent without being overly impolite.
“This is my nephew, Liulf. He’s alpha of a pack from our world of origin. Would you have time to speak with us today?”
“I always have time for you, Old Dog.” As they started walking toward the building on the rise, she turned her head toward Liulf. “Has Grey shown you around?”
“Aye, madam. ‘Tis a place so beautiful I’ll be pressed to find words to describe it when I return home.”
She nodded as if she was pleased with his answer. “I haven’t heard your way of speaking before. You’re not from, ah, Elk Mountain.”
“No, madam. My mother was sister to Stalkson Grey’s first mate, but I live on the other side of the world from Elk Mountain. My people speak the same language, but better, with a flair for perfection.”
Silver Ruff gave a hearty laugh that made Liulf instantly warm to her. “So tell me, Stalkson Grey. What would you like to talk about?” Of course she knew the purpose of the visit perfectly well, but wanted Grey to name it.
“For much the same reason that my people migrated here, Liulf would like to discuss the possibility of a similar arrangement.”
“I see.”
She said no more until after they entered the lodge-type building that was, apparently, both her home and the headquarters for the New Gaul pack. It was built with a combination of logs and stone that Liulf thought was very attractive in an organic sort of way. She motioned them inside and then yelled at someone.
“New Day! Bring some of that broth for my guests.”
She waved toward some rough-out leather ottomans set around a table made from an enormous tree trunk. When Liulf sat down, he decided that kilts were better than breech cloths after all.
“So, Liulf, is it?”
“Aye, madam.”
“I have two questions. Why do you want to come here? And, what value will you bring?”
Liulf met Silver Ruff’s clear-eyed gaze evenly and without hesitation, which she admired. “My uncle on my father’s side was alpha until very recently. He was shot by a PowerBow…”
Stalkson put his hand up to indicate that he would interrupt. “A PowerBow is a bow that has an advanced mechanism – a tightly coiled automatic spring that operates by trigger. It doesn’t take strength to send arrows great distances at great speed.”
Silver Ruff’s brows knitted as she apparently considered the implications of that.
Liulf continued. “He lived for a short while, but unfortunately, died of the wound. He is no’ the first to fall to… humans and their weapons. I fear that, if we stay where we are, we will either have to try to live without shiftin’, or war with humans. Life would no’ be worth the livin’ if we did the first. And we would no’ survive the second. There are too many.
”My uncle’s last words were an instruction to bring our people here.”
“I can understand that being a powerful motive, much like that of my ancestors who first settled this world. So tell me, if I gave permission for you to occupy a free territory, what could you offer us?”
“Good breedin’.”
“Did I understand you correctly? Did you say good breeding?”
“Aye. I did.”
Silver Ruff’s eyes sparked as she looked at Grey. “Does your nephew insult us? What does he mean, ‘good breeding’?”
Stalkson Grey opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t imagine what could have gotten into Liulf, what he might be thinking, but he was beginning to regret bringing his nephew for an audience with Silver Ruff without knowing him better.
Undaunted by the shift of energy in the room, Liulf forged ahead. “I’m prepared to offer good breedin’ on two counts. First, comin’ into yer village, I noticed ye’re raisin’ a variety of short haired sheep that, forgive me for sayin’ so, look dumb as rocks. In the Highlands where I’m from, we have a sturdy, strong breed of sheep that grow fine wool. It feels like silk, reachin’ almost to the ground when they walk, and weaves into a cloth that cools in summer, heats in winter, and feels beautiful to touch. They also have curly horns and will defend themselves when necessary.”
Liulf paused, but noting that Silver Ruff seemed both placated and interested, he continued. “We also have a lovely breed of chicken. Gray in color. Larger than the ones I saw here, with great talon roosters who would take out a predator’s eyes before allowin’ it near one
of his hens.
“If I’m understandin’ the transport process correctly, I believe we could bring enough of these animals with us to propagate for ourselves and other packs as well. Eventually.”
“Interesting proposition. And one I haven’t heard before. What about the second count?”
Liulf glanced at Grey. “My uncle tells me that ye’re encouragin’ marryin’ between packs. We, the Mahdrah Ahlee, would be bringin’ a hale and hardy bunch of randy unmated wolves, both male and female.”
Silver Ruff stared for a few beats and then laughed out loud. Looking at Grey, she said, “I like him, Grey. He’s an original. Not bad looking either.” To Liulf she said, “Do these young singles you speak of resemble you?”
Liulf took on the indecipherable expression of a seasoned politician. “No. Most are ever so much more comely than I. Between myself and two brothers, I’m rumored to be the ugly one.”
Silver Ruff laughed louder, then stopped abruptly to yell, “Day! Where’s that broth?”
After another hour of talk about the problems of alphas on Lunark, Grey and Liulf stepped outside, saying goodbyes and readying to depart. Liulf felt the barest whisper of cloth on his arm as someone passed. That small contact left a scent that had his nostrils flaring and his cock attempting to lift the heavy leather of his breech cloth.
He turned to see who it was just as Silver Ruff was catching her daughter’s arm to stop her from hurrying by without speaking.
“Slow down,” she said. “I want you to meet the head of our next colony. Liulf, this is my daughter, Rain Falling.”
After several failed attempts to get his mouth to open and cooperate with his brain, he found the best he could manage was a single jerk of a nod.
“Hello,” she said, giving him just as little attention as was possible without being so rude that she’d be scolded by her mother, or father, or both. She looked him over quickly, obviously didn’t like what she saw, and with a tiny smile toward her mother, disappeared inside the building from which they’d just come.
Sensing Liulf’s interest, Silver Ruff’s gaze swung to him. “So. You’re unmated yourself, I take it?”
Liulf pulled his attention back to Silver Ruff. “I have no’ had the pleasure of findin’ my true mate.”
“True mate, is it?” Silver Ruff barely contained a smirk. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a romantic, Liulf. Surprising. And quite charming.”
Grey and Liulf deposited the temporary garments in the little building at the edge of the settlement, and shifted. On the journey back to New Elk Mountain all Liulf could think about was Rain Falling. All the lycans in the Highlands had eyes that were either light or caramel-colored like Conn’s. Liulf had never seen anyone with such exotic, nearly black, eyes. She had long hair that looked like richly polished mahogany and lips almost as red as the shift she’d been wearing over her shin-high sheepskin boots.
He ran with his tongue hanging out, partly because of the exertion and partly because of the euphoric excitement of finding her.
CHAPTER 3
Liulf took his second ride through the passes a little better. It still made him dizzy, but at least he didn’t feel nauseous. That night at supper, he sat in front of the winter fire with his brothers around a roughhewn table that had not moved from the small room off the kitchen for centuries.
Ken frowned through most of the meal while Conn looked more and more curious.
“A breech cloth?” Conn smirked.
“Aye. And all the native wolves raised their lip when I passed by because the lasses’ eyes glazed over on seein’ my fine form.”
“Ye know, Liulf, ye’ve always been bossy, but bein’ alpha is makin’ ye a liar as well.”
“If ye want to disprove it, ye’ll have to agree to come to Lunark and see the lands that would be our new home. New Scotia.”
“New Scotia?” Ken asked.
“Have to admit I like the sound of it,” said Conn. “Ye’re serious about this?”
“Aye, little brother. The climate is moderate. The game is plenty. The air and water are clear like they were when we were pups. ‘Tis gorgeous to behold. And ye should see the faces of the people. They’re content.” Liulf paused. “They also have a different way of doin’ thin’s.”
“What do ye mean?” Conn and Ken asked at the same time.
“They have a Council meetin’ between pack leaders every new moon to talk about what’s best for all the wolves. Ye’d both be goin’ with me. And they have Gatherin’s on the Solstices. ‘Tis like a big party, all the packs interact for three days.”
“Interact?” Conn asked as if the concept was inconceivable.
Liulf looked at Conn. “One of the reasons for it is so the unmated wolves can meet each other. They encourage intermarrryin’ between packs. And the numbers of fetchin’ young bitches who’ve ne’er had the pleasure of lickin’ your cock? Well, t’would keep you busy a long time.”
Conn seemed to lapse into a state of fugue with a faraway look in his eyes, like he was living out a fantasy only he could imagine. When his eyes cleared, he surged forward toward his younger brother with a sudden and intense passion. “We’re goin’.”
“Wait a minute.” Ken wasn’t convinced. “What if we go’ there and find we do no’ like it at all?”
Liulf huffed out a breath. If he couldn’t convince his brothers, he stood no chance with the pack. “Maybe ye would no’ like it, Ken. Maybe. But I guarantee that if ye stay here the day will come when ye’ll no’ like it any longer. And it will be soon. What happened to Dunegan, ‘tis goin’ to be happenin’ more and more. Until we’re all gone.”
The room grew so quiet that no sound was heard except for an occasional soft pop or crackle of the fire.
“Aye,” Conn said slowly, looking at Ken. “Liulf is right. ‘Tis no’ just the best choice. ‘Tis the only smart choice. Tell him you’re with him, Ken. He needs believers and we have to be first to raise our hands.”
Ken looked at Liulf. “Aye, Liulf. The Clan Cu Ahlee stick together.”
So with his brothers’ backing, Liulf called a meeting to put his proposal before the pack. There would be one such meeting for the wolves at the outpost of Castle Girnigoe and another for the wolves who resided near Loch Maree. The task was twofold. First, the wolf people had to trust their alpha enough to accept that there was, indeed, another version of reality that was heretofore unknown to them. And that it was better.
Second, was the actual question of who would go and who would stay.
Some spirits are naturally adventuresome. Some are overly cautious. Liulf had managed his own expectations regarding the outcome of his proposition.
The Loch Maree wolves were harder to convince simply because life wasn’t nearly so hard there and, even though there had been several deaths and a recent change of leadership because of being hunted in wolf form, many thought death by humans was an inconsequential risk, too improbable to take too seriously. So it wasn’t a surprise when almost half chose to stay.
The first problem presented by that was that those left behind would need an alpha. The second was that many of those going had been on guard rotation of the eastern coastline. They’d have to be replaced with retirees and some young ones pressed into service for the first time. Unhappiness about that caused some tense moments between the emerging factions of those going and those staying.
Many of those who chose to stay viewed those leaving as disloyal betrayers of the pack. Many of those who chose to leave viewed those staying as disloyal traitors who were violating their duty to follow the lead of their alpha.
Liulf solved the first problem by using his authority to order his father to take up the mantle of alpha that he had passed off centuries earlier, but in doing so he also gave his father permission to appoint a successor if, and only if, someone proved to have attributes of alpha, both innate and practiced.
That settled, the brothers Cu Ahlee undertook coordination of a massive exodus to New Scotia.
Many of the wolf people who were over a hundred years old had acquired preindustrial skills. Their memories negated the pitfalls of trying to reconstruct from research, since critical details are often lost in that process.
Liulf wasted no time putting Ken in charge of the organizing. Stalkson had helped prepare a list that was precious because it included everything Grey wished he had known before his pack migrated. They were going to need builders, masons, weavers, blacksmiths, furniture craftsmen, and people who knew how to cook over an open fire. They would need fishermen, cobblers, tailors, candle makers and soap makers. They would need horticulturists and farmers, people who knew how to grow grains and how to mill flour or cornmeal.
The young, particularly the males, were immediately caught up by the call of adventure and were not afraid of hardship, partly because of their inexperience. Liulf proclaimed that he would take any younger wolf who wanted to go provided that they pledged to learn a needed skill, be a productive part of the community in the new world and not make trouble for their elders.
The older wolves were attracted by the prospect because they could see that they would be valued for their contribution, knowing useful preindustrial skills and remembering the old ways of living.
Liulf inwardly winced when he saw Mave’s name on the manifest of those going. He was tempted to strike her from the list, but knew that it would be an abuse of his power. And that was something Liulf had vowed would never happen, even though he was certain that separating himself from Mave would have provided a welcome resolution, for both of them.