Rhamin

by Bryce THOMAS

  The other adults agreed that fleeing was not an option. The cubs listened intently to the discussion. Lexa and Ramusan, although not fully grown were as big as the rest of the adult wolves in the pack and slightly bigger than the female wolves. They were excited. Play fighting with each other was getting a little boring.

  ‘Let’s do it dad!’ Ramusan barked eagerly. ‘Let’s show them!’

  Lexa barked. ‘We’re not afraid father!’ she said, snarling and showing the razor sharp teeth in her short, thick set jowls.

  Rhamin grinned proudly. It was now that he saw how he was going to approach the matter. For some time he explained his plan to them all and then, taking the lead, he followed a trail up the escarpment back in the direction of the forest. Behind the crest of the slope, Rhamin let his pack rest while he and Yeltsa watched and waited. It wasn’t long before Solin’s renegade pack came into full view. Even then, Rhamin still waited until he was sure that all of Solin’s wolves would be able to see and hear him clearly. Then he stepped over the crest of the escarpment. ‘You misguided wolves down there!’ he howled at the top of his voice.

  All of Solin’s followers stopped dead in their tracks as Rhamin’s voice echoed down to the valley bottom. A few of them barked, startled by the sudden sight and sound of their enemy. They were not sure what to make of his actions and stood there waiting for leadership from Solin. Solin just snarled, arched his back ready to commence a chase. The rest, triggered by Solin’s cue, did the same.

  ‘Before you attack me,’ Rhamin barked, ‘you had better know that I will spare only those wolves that remain where they are now.’ He could see many of them falter in their step. They looked up at the figure of the black wolf against the skyline, his size magnified by the starkness against the clear blue sky. ‘And those that follow Solin,’ Rhamin continued, transfixing all the wolves beneath him, ‘will watch as I dispatch their leader to the next world. Then,’ he continued, deliberately speaking slowly and looking at each of them directly. ‘Then, you will look on as I dispatch each of you in turn.’

  ‘Your time is up!’ Solin howled back as he started to slink forward.

  With that, Rhamin turned and nodded to Natan. Slowly and deliberately he brought the line of wolves up to the crest of the hill so that from down in the valley the skyline seemed to be sprouting wolves. With the light behind them and silhouetted against the skyline, they all, including the cubs, looked enormous. They outnumbered Solin’s pack. Solin had eleven followers. From the hill top, Rhamin was displaying fourteen combatants. The wolves from the northern territory had long ago heard of the giant Black Wolf as they knew him. They had seen the results of his meeting four of their front guard and three others were missing.

  ‘Half of them are babies,’ Solin scoffed as he began to bound forward. But only six wolves, pre-battle adrenalin pumping through their arteries, bounced up along side him.

  ‘Babies, heh?’ Rhamin said with a wide grin. He turned his head and nodded to Lexa. With that signal she let out the loudest bark she could push from the base of her chest. The sound echoed down the valley and rung from hillside to hillside. It was uncanny and unsettling.

  ‘It’s only a dog pup for goodness sake!’ barked Solin, as he noticed his most loyal troops hesitate.

  Lexa barked again. Another ripple of hesitation shook the wolves below. Wolves and dogs are old enemies. Ordinary dogs are often killed by packs of wolves, but some of Solin’s pack had seen wolf hounds, had seen how big they were, and had been chased and hunted by them. They knew that big dogs were dangerous and they only had Solin’s bravado to dispel any fear.

  Rhamin strode forward alone, his posture showing total confidence, his direction straight towards Solin.

  Sensing that the remainder of their pack had faltered, the six loyal followers behind Solin hesitated too, slowing in their stride and leaving Solin bounding forward ahead of them alone. Rhamin strutted steadily down the slope towards them. Now Solin, sensing that the resolve of his pack had withered, began to slow down. Still, Rhamin walked slowly and deliberately down towards him.

  Suddenly, Solin stopped; his ears went back and he turned his head away. ‘You cowards!’ he barked down the hill as he turned and trotted down towards his broken pack. Then to save face, ‘Come on you miserable lot, we’ll wait until we have better odds.’

  Rhamin stopped and smiled. He watched as Solin led his pack away, remaining silent in his bloodless victory. He had no argument with the wolves that Solin had persuaded to follow him. His only argument was against their combined wish to move out of their own territory and take over Rhamin’s homeland on the basis of Solin’s hatred. Rhamin had no doubt, however, that the day would come when Solin would bring his prejudices back to haunt him. But for the moment, he had left them in no doubt that this was and would remain Rhamin’s territory.

  As Solin and his pack turned back towards the forest, Rhamin turned back to the crest of the escarpment. He didn’t have to say anything; the look on the faces of all his pack was that of immense pride in their leader. Silently, and with their heads held up high, they all gathered behind their gallant leader and headed home.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The next day bloomed with a sunrise that Rhamin would never forget. Golden shafts broke from the hub of light sending wide spokes through the distant dark rain clouds. The prize of success had bolstered the whole pack. They were alive, they were happy and they were heading back to their Darin.

  Gradually, but with no sense of urgency they headed south, taking a circular route towards their home. On their way they descended onto the plains where the cubs were able to try their new skills hunting a deer without the help of the adult wolves. The going was easy again, and Zelda wanted to use the time to explain more about men. Recently, the attitude of men had seemingly abated somewhat, often ignoring wolves when they encountered them. She explained, as they travelled, that perhaps, during the drought, the man who shot at and killed two of their pack only did so because he also was in dire straits. He too would have been struggling to keep his tame animals alive, to find food or grazing for them, and struggling to keep his family. Despite the loss of Fayli and Seth, she persuaded Rhamin that he should not consider that particular man a permanent enemy. After all, he had acted no differently to a wolf pack guarding its own territory.

  ‘The man will know,’ Zelda said, once again not making the context of her statement at all clear.

  ‘I’m sure he did know we were all starving,’ Rhamin accepted. ‘But we did invade his den and Solin did threaten to kill his man cubs.’

  ‘Yes, but you stopped that stupid wolf, didn’t you?’ Silvah argued.

  ‘All the same, I can’t see him offering us an easy amnesty.’

  ‘Well believe me, he will,’ Zelda stated bluntly.

  ‘Well, I hope I live to see that!’ Rhamin said, in a manner meant to patronise the old wolf.

  ‘Puhh,’ Zelda replied. ‘When will you ever listen to me before I’m proven right?’

  ‘Just being careful my dear old girl. Just being careful!’

  ‘Well, let me tell you something.’ Zelda stood up and signalled for all the wolves to circle around her. ‘I’m going to tell you a true story,’ she said, speaking to Rhamin as if he were just one of the cubs. ‘So sit down now and listen.’

  Rhamin did as he was told and made sure the rest of the wolves came closer and obeyed the old wolf as well.

  ‘There was once a young female wolf who left her pack in the hope of finding a mate,’ Zelda commenced. ‘Because the wolf pack system only encourages the mating of the two most dominant wolves, the alpha male and female, any young female has to leave the pack if she wants to find a mate.

  ‘She was a strong young female, and when she was travelling across the dry and arid land she saw a man on a horse. He was alone, and was steadily making his way towards the greener land still many miles ahead. This was a time when men had made hard tracks through the land and travelled on the metal creatures wi
th round feet. But men were often seen on horseback between those trails.

  ‘The man spotted the wolf but, whether he was hungry or not, he never so much as gave her a second glance. He had with him one of those long fire sticks, but never once did he point it at the young wolf who, by this time, had crisscrossed his path several times in her exploration of the territory.

  ‘Eventually, he began to follow the wolf, for he knew that the wolf would lead him and his horse to water, and lo and behold, that is exactly what happened. The wolf travelled slowly so that he could follow without exhausting the horse, which was, by this time, beginning to look very tired and very thirsty.

  ‘After that, the wolf drank and went on her way, only to pass, at quite a distance, a group of men on horses riding towards the waterhole. But there was something about them that made the young wolf wary. Every time she spotted them her hackles rose and she had shivers down her spine. The next day, while the sun was at its hottest and she sheltered under a rocky overhang, she fell asleep and dreamt that these men were not friendly like the lone man she had led to water. These men not only killed wolves, they were so evil that they even killed other men. She dreamt that they were so dangerous that, on waking, she never intended to go near them again.

  ‘Well, several days later, as she circled back to the water hole, she saw a number of vultures circling high in the sky. Thinking that there was going to be some easy prey, possibly a fallen buffalo or the like, she headed towards them. They were so far away that, by the time she reached the spot where they were circling, the vultures were very close to the ground and coming to land almost as she got there. But what she found was not a fallen animal. She came upon the first man, only this time, he was not on his horse. He had been tied down with thongs of skin and staked to the ground. He was struggling to free himself, but the bonds were too strong. He was not weak enough for the vultures to start their meal but it wouldn’t have been long before they realised that he was helpless. So the young wolf sent them off, chasing them and snapping at their tails until they took to flight again. Of course, they continued to glide and circle in the sky up above because they, as they usually do, were quite prepared to wait until the wolf had had her fill.’

  Zelda heard some gasps from the listening pack, but only paused long enough for good effect. ‘Well, the man spoke in his language to the wolf and, although the wolf could not translate the words, she could tell by his voice that he was greeting her in a friendly tone. He showed no fear of her and she felt none of him. He continued to talk to her as she went up close and, strangely, she seemed to be able to see what was happening in his mind. He seemed totally surprised when she began to gnaw through the thong that tied one of his hands, not understanding how she knew what he was thinking. It took no time at all to free his arm and then he quickly untied the remaining bands on his other hand and on both his feet.

  ‘The man stood up shakily and stretched and then, talking softly to the wolf, began to walk in the direction of the water hole. Having been robbed of his foot covering, he trod gingerly on the ground. Curious, the wolf trailed along behind him. One night, however, the man, who was by this time looking very weary and suffering from thirst, sat down on the ground to rest, and while he slept, the wolf caught a hare, then left it beside him. ‘When he awoke, he found the hare and managed to eat most of its soft flesh, although he didn’t eat as much as a wolf would have eaten. Feeling refreshed he continued and eventually reached the water hole. There, the wolf brought him more food.

  ‘It was then that the female wolf spotted another wolf approaching. As it came closer, the man watched and he became a little agitated. He didn’t know this wolf and wasn’t sure what it would do. However, the wolf was not interested in the man. It took a wide path around him and barked gently at the female. The female woofed back and then, a certain amount of squeaking and other noises followed the likes of which you will all appreciate between young couples.’

  The attentive audience all giggled. Zelda smiled to herself as she went on with her story. ‘The male wolf was called Romax, and he explained to her that he had seen the same group of men that she had seen, and that he had also seen them attack the single man at night while he slept. They took everything that belonged to the man and left him tied to the ground. However, Romax admitted that he had not trusted the man enough to go to try and help him, and he had no idea how he could do so, for unlike the female wolf, he had no ability to see inside the man’s mind.

  ‘With the female as company, however, Romax was happy to trust her instincts and so he joined her in accompanying the man as he travelled back to his own kind many miles away.

  ‘After a while, the pack of bad men, now travelling in the opposite direction, came upon the lone man’s trail. They had seen the wolf tracks, but had expected the wolves to have killed him or eaten him after he had died in the desert, but at no time did they expect the wolves and the man to have befriended each other. They eventually spotted the man walking on his own, not barefoot any longer but wearing the skins of hares on his feet. This time they did not wait until dark when the man stopped for rest. They were not afraid of him and intended to finish off their murderous act. Now, the female wolf could see clearly in her mind that the men were afraid that he would reach safety and return with other men to hunt them down. They closed in on him in broad daylight, no longer afraid that he might be able to defend himself, but had not taken into account the wolves.’ Zelda’s eyes glistened with excitement as she told this part of the story. ‘As the riders approached the man in a final charge, whooping and shouting like victorious hunters, the wolves emerged from some brush wood and took down the first two of them off their horses. One of the fallen men was the leader and once the others had seen him killed, they fled.

  ‘Eventually, the friendly man having regained some clothes and some hard covering for his feet, gathered up one of the bad men’s horses, and travelled safely back to his own place of abode. The two wolves escorted him to the edge of the inhabited buildings of his camp and left him.

  ‘Over that time in the scrub land, the wolves had hunted for the man and shared their food with him, often eating together as wolves do. They were both rather saddened when they left him. Knowing he was safe, they thought they would never see him again, men being men and wolves being wolves.’

  ‘But did they?’ a voice came from the back of the pack. Silvah was always one for a happy ending.

  ‘Well,’ Zelda said, thinking for a moment as if recalling the facts in a way that she could relate them as a conclusion to her tale. ‘Well, it’s like this,’ she said eventually. ‘That was about the time when men began to stop hunting wolves. I know the wolves never saw the man in person again, but the female wolf had many visions of him, and in those visions she saw him fighting the cause of wolves and telling people his story.

  ‘So there we are,’ Zelda concluded. ‘There are good men and there are bad men, just as there are good wolves and bad wolves. Don’t look at them all with the same eye. See them each for what they are.’

  ‘What a remarkable story,’ Yeltsa said when she was sure Zelda had reached the end of her tale.

  ‘What I don’t understand,’ Lexa said, ‘is that you told us the name of Romax, but what was the female wolf ’s name. You never mentioned that once.’

  Zelda smiled. ‘No I didn’t,’ she said, her mind gliding off into the past. She sighed. ‘I was young once you know,’ she said eventually.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Since the drought, Rhamin’s pack had eaten well, gained weight and, with the escapades of the season, their bonding, emotional and social grouping had become very firm. The cubs, however, although almost having reached their full height, had not yet reached full size and, as all wolves of that age, they were not able, unlike their elders, to gain the necessary weight and store energy reserves. So, as many of the larger animals, upon which the wolves preyed, migrated, Rhamin’s pack now grew closer together, hunting in well formed groups rather than in
dividually or in pairs, and they began to use the Darin as their main rendezvous site more often than using the outlying camps.

  Just as the beginning of the summer had been nothing like a normal year, the winter played its role completely out of character. As the nights became longer and the days shorter, as expected, there were long spells of heavy persistent rain, interspersed with warm, hanging mists carried on warm south easterly winds. But after two full cycles of the moon, and at least a moon before the shortest day, the weather changed again, this time to arctic winds from the north east bringing hard frost that made the ground, even in the forests, as solid as the rock walls of the cave. Now, as each day progressed, the temperatures plummeted far below those of a normal winter. Once again, the extreme weather drew the pack closer together and hunting took every moment of their time.

  Wolves cope well with extremes, especially in cold winter months, but as the weather changed, Rhamin realised that Lexa’s behaviour was beginning to change also. Where she had once been a happy, self confident and sociable pack member, she now began to be withdrawn, spending most of her time in the cave with Zelda. It wasn’t just Rhamin that had noticed the change in Lexa. All the other wolves had commented on how she had begun to drift away from the pack. She was restless and solitary. She didn’t go on long hunting trips and rarely hunted with the pack at all. Instead she travelled on her own near to the Darin, hunting for smaller prey, chasing ground squirrels and foxes. She only hunted during the day when often the rest of the pack had returned with food that they would have gladly shared with her. Rhamin had watched her over the days and weeks as her broad chest began to reveal ridges where her ribs pressed against her smooth coat. That too was changing. Where it had been sleek and shiny; now her coat stood out, all starey and dull. But Rhamin had no answers.