Rhamin

by Bryce THOMAS

  Raymond helped Yeltsa to her feet and lifted her down to the floor. She stood quite firmly; seemingly stronger than she had been when he lifted her into the station wagon back at the safari park. He coaxed her over to the meat that still lay on the floor. She sniffed at it, looked up at him, then grabbed a piece between her jaws and hobbled out of the open doorway. Rasci looked at Raymond. The farmer smiled and nodded to him. Taking his cue, Rasci took up a second piece of meat and carried it outside and Rhamin followed suit.

  Raymond watched them from the doorway for a short while, and then he called Maria. Together, they walked over to the station wagon and, careful not to wake them, carried their children inside the house.

  Rasci introduced Smokey to Rhamin and Yeltsa. It was a rather strained meeting without Lexa there, but the dog and the wolves were no longer arch enemies. Smokey watched them as they rested, some way away from her. Rasci promised that he would return again soon with Lexa. He knew that Lexa would be waiting for him at the perimeter fence, but he said nothing to Smokey. There would be too many other wolves there, and there would be a better time and place for them to meet again.

  They slept and rested all through the day, occasionally watching the two vultures hovering high on a thermal, looking for some carrion, something to plunder. And, as the sun was falling from its highest point over the tree tops, nearing the end of another day, Raymond and Maria returned to the front door. Rasci thought that perhaps the farmer had been asleep also. Raymond and Maria watched the wolves resting for a while longer, and then watched as Rasci stood up, stretched his legs, and squeaked at the other wolves.

  ‘Time to go. We have family waiting for us,’ he said. Smokey understood. She barked softly and wagged the stump on her bottom. The three wolves turned ready to leave. Rhamin gave Raymond a final look of appreciation, lifting his head and gently woofing a message of thanks. Yeltsa just looked around and gave a final glance at the two people, eager now to get back to her pack and her young cubs. Rasci didn’t look back. He still sensed that the adventure had yet to run its course. Walking steadily beside Yeltsa, they left the farmstead behind and headed to meet Silvah and the others by the boundary fence.

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  Yeltsa’s strength was returning as they walked, but it was going to be a slow journey home. The wolves would not be able to lope along like they usually did.

  As they reached the outer perimeter fence of the farm they all looked around but the company they were to meet were not at the rendezvous point. ‘They’ve probably gone to find some food,’ Rhamin said, as Rasci began to show his annoyance. He couldn’t set off towards the Darin and let the others return to the fence, thinking that he had still not arrived. He put his head in the air and called. They would be within earshot and would return his call. But as Rasci waited, no reply came.

  He called again. Yet once again there was no reply.

  ‘There’s someone coming from the south,’ Rhamin said, straining his eyes to see in the fading daylight. There were two wolves as far as he could make out. ‘And there are some vultures hovering over there,’ he said, facing slightly further west.

  ‘They seem to follow our pack wherever we go nowadays,’ Rasci complained.

  ‘There’s some more of our pack!’ Yeltsa said, excitedly, pointing her nose to the north as she spotted a small rising cloud of dust.

  Feeling happier now, Rhamin and Yeltsa lay down and waited patiently. They were still experiencing the sense of new found freedom, smelling the air and listening to the sounds around them. Even the sky looked better than it had ever looked. The first star could be seen now that the sun had disappeared from sight. It was the first in the canopy that was to cover their homeland instead of the first in the cover over their prison. It was a different sky, a sky of liberty and freedom of will, a freedom that had been given back to them by this miraculous wolf that lay there beside them. And yet Rasci looked no different to them than he had ever looked. Except that, this evening, he was not the usual happy wolf that they knew. Clearly agitated, he got up and paced around them impatiently. ‘We’ll have to go,’ he said suddenly, looking at the movement to the north.

  ‘Settle down, Rasci,’ Rhamin said soothingly. ‘We’re safe again now, thanks to you. We’re not in a hurry.’

  ‘Those are not our friends approaching!’ Rasci’s voice was strong and authoritative.

  Rhamin and Yeltsa lifted their heads and followed Rasci’s gaze. They saw several animals moving towards them but they were not wolves. At first it was hard to make out the figures. But Rasci knew what they were. ‘It’s five mountain lions,’ he stated with a sense of urgency. ‘It looks like two adults with some younger ones.’

  ‘Better see what they want then,’ Rhamin said, wryly. ‘We can’t outrun them. Yeltsa is too badly injured. The lions will not stay when they see us or the other wolves. They don’t attack healthy wolves,’ he insisted.

  ‘Healthy?’ Rasci’s mind was thrown back to the time he had been injured. ‘You’re not healthy, Rhamin. I’ve seen more meat on a dead rabbit. And Yeltsa! She would hardly pass a fitness test if we had to make a run for it.’

  Rhamin sighed. ‘Huh, perhaps you’re right, Rasci,’ he said in a resigned voice. ‘But I still can’t understand what they want.’

  ‘Well, we’re going to find out, that’s a fact,’ Rasci said, shrugging and watching the big cats coming nearer. He could see them clearly now. He recognised the male cat that he and Roxana had fought. It still carried the marks of their last encounter. With it were a female and three cubs. Up above, Rasci heard his friend Corvak shouting loudly. He lifted his head and saw that their raven friend was trying to warn them, but it was already too late.

  Rasci brought his gaze back down to earth. ‘Well, what are we waiting for?’ he called as he set off to meet them.

  Rhamin instructed Yeltsa to stay where she was and bounded after his brother. The mountain lions seemed to be coming at them with a definite intent to attack, for normally, predators take detours to avoid coming face to face with other predators. The two big cats were at the front now, low to the ground, starting to break into a run. Behind them were three younger ones, at least three quarters the size of the female cat. Rasci could see them holding back, clearly not as confident as their parents. He met the male mountain lion, head on. Its right paw swung out to meet him, claws out and flashing at him like a striking snake, but he had seen how cats fight before. He had seen how Roxana had parried similar blows. It crossed his mind that she must have fought mountain lions before, because she was adept at it. He did the same as she had, ramming his front paws into the ground, suddenly slowing in his tracks for a split second and then, with the weight of his body still carrying momentum, he followed through as the cat’s claws swung past his face. Rasci’s teeth hit the mountain lion’s skull as its other paw flashed around, ripping at his thick coat. With the force of Rasci’s solid body still moving forward and the pressure of its own paw hitting Rasci, the big cat was thrown sideways, stunned, blood gushing from a wound above its eye as it skidded away on its side in a cloud of dust.

  The female cat was going for Rhamin, but he simply side stepped as the mountain lion, leaping at him and leaving the ground, was unable to correct its trajectory. He spun around ready to take on the next strike. Now looking southwards along the fence, he could see several wolves approaching.

  With its companion injured, the female cat carefully circled round until she was in front of the male lion. The three younger lions came forward nervously behind them. Rasci made another lunge at the whole group, and they all sprung backwards, the injured male, low, ears back against its skull, hugging the ground and spitting wildly as it backed away.

  ‘We have company,’ Yeltsa’s voice called, as she came up behind Rhamin. With their backs to the fence, he and Rasci looked around. Two hundred yards away, four wolves were loping towards them.

  ‘About time,’ Rhamin said dryly.

  ‘They aren’t ours,’ Yelts
a said, suddenly. The wolves had come well into view. They were coming along the perimeter fence and were approaching them rapidly.

  ‘No, it’s all right,’ Rasci said, reassuringly, ‘I know one of them.’

  As the strangers came towards them, he glanced around. The mountain lions had backed off. He thought it unusual that they should attack like they did. Mountain lions seldom hunt during the day; they usually wait until darkness has engulfed their prey and then spring out of the blackness of the night. And their attack on a group of wolves seemed totally out of character. On top of that, male mountain lions don’t often stay around to look after the family. It was all a bit bizarre. They milled around but maintained their distance. The two adults faced Rasci and Rhamin, and crouched down, tails flicking angrily. Their ears were back and their noses wrinkled as they spat and snarled aggressively. That seemed a good sign to Rasci. If they were going to pounce, then their ears would be forward, their faces pictures of pure concentration.

  Rasci turned back to face the visiting wolves. ‘Gosh,’ he said, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Roxana. ‘Are we glad to see you!’

  But Roxana’s eyes didn’t reflect the same light. Her face was serious; her manner dour. She didn’t speak.

  ‘Have we met before?’ Rhamin said to an older wolf. She was dark grey with a muzzle that was turning white with age. Rasci estimated she was about the same age as Silvah.

  The stranger smiled. ‘Surprised, are you Rhamin?’

  Rhamin studied the wolf for a second or two. ‘Yes,’ he said, slowly. ‘Yes, you could say that.’

  ‘Thought I was dead?’ she asked.

  ‘Well as a matter of fact, I did,’ Rhamin replied. ‘There was a rumour that you had been killed by…’

  ‘A mountain lion?’ she asked, now grinning broadly.

  ‘A mountain lion,’ Rhamin nodded as he turned and watched the pride of mountain lions, sinisterly watching and waiting. It was all becoming clear to him.

  ‘Tell me this is a coincidence,’ Rasci said satirically. He was already aware that there was more movement out to the west. He hoped it was his own pack.

  ‘I doubt there is any coincidence where this wolf is concerned,’ Rhamin said. ‘You know who this is, don’t you?’ he asked turning to both Rasci and Yeltsa.

  ‘Can’t say that I do,’ Rasci admitted.

  ‘You were only young when she left.’

  Yeltsa didn’t speak. ‘When she left?’ Rasci said, more to himself than to Rhamin. Then suddenly he realised who the older wolf was. ‘Rhiana? Is that really you?’ he asked, surprised. She had aged, but now he recognised the wolf that had once dominated the pack and had killed his baby siblings.

  Still grinning, she nodded. ‘And these are my daughters, Caysha and Jyan. Don’t you remember them?’

  Rhamin nodded. ‘You had another son, as well, I recall.’

  ‘Indeed, I have. Brenlin. He’s on his way as we speak.’ She turned her head towards Rasci. ‘You’ve already met Roxana, I believe?’

  ‘So I’ve been told,’ Rhamin said, before Rasci could speak. ‘So, to what do we owe the pleasure?’ he asked, pointedly.

  ‘You don’t remember, do you?’ Rhiana’s smile disappeared. Rhamin said nothing.

  ‘Remember what?’ Rasci asked. ‘What should we remember?’ His mind was racing now. Besides trying to work out what Roxana was doing there, he was struggling to recall what had happened when he was only a year old. As far as he knew, Rhiana had left when Rhamin took over as leader of the pack, and with her she had taken all her cubs except Solin.

  ‘You took what my son should have had,’ she said bitterly to Rhamin.

  ‘Oh, that old song again,’ Rasci put in. ‘When will they ever learn, Rhamin. There is and always will be a better leader than Solin.’

  Rhamin chuckled. He looked at Rasci, who was talking about Rhamin, but could just have easily been talking about himself. As he looked at his younger brother, he saw a magnificent leader.

  Somewhere in the fading daylight, he could hear a vulture squawking from its night perch in some nearby tree; though at what, he didn’t know.

  ‘They sense that there’s a meal in the offing,’ Rhiana remarked.

  ‘Really?’ Rhamin looked back to see where the lions were. They were stalking forward again, slower this time. Yeltsa was facing them, hackles risen, ears back, head low. Rhamin moved across in front of her, keeping her protected against the fence, and then turned back to Rhiana.

  ‘You have your mangy black spy, the raven,’ Rhiana said to him with a sneer that made her yellow teeth look even more pointed. ‘The vultures are my spies,’ she said proudly. ‘I’d introduce you to Kara and Lutz, only they don’t like to come too close to their food until the meal is dead and ready to eat. They’ll be along at first daylight though, to pick your bones.’

  ‘Really?’ Rhamin’s posture didn’t alter. ‘We’ll try not to disappoint them, shall we, Rasci?’ Rasci thought his brother was remaining unusually calm. But that was the thing about Rhamin. He had never seen his brother show any kind of fear. His confidence was entire; no worries, no hang ups, no fear.

  ‘They told me every move your weakling substitute has made,’ Rhiana swanked, looking towards Rasci. ‘He really is pathetic, you know.’

  ‘Really?’ sighed Rhamin. He sounded bored. ‘So where is your other magnificent son? Don’t tell me! Solin’s staying out of harm’s way as usual?’

  ‘Oh, he’ll be here. He’s been carrying out the first part of his plan.’

  ‘His plan?’ Rasci asked, sensing that she was dying to tell them. Keeping her talking gave them time; time to think, time for Silvah and the rest of the pack to arrive.

  ‘The decoy? You know, where Solin attacks the Darin and your stupid pack leave to assist.’

  Rasci’s heart sank.

  ‘Another of his weak plans then,’ Rhamin chided, still unruffled.

  ‘Solin is twice the wolf you are, Rhamin,’ Rhiana bragged.

  ‘I hardly think so,’ Rasci said, his voice becoming grave. Even in his weakened state of health, Rhamin was always going to look magnificent to Rasci. He turned to Roxana. Until now he had hoped there was a way to avoid the question. ‘What are you doing with this wolf?’ he asked. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.

  Roxana’s face was still grim. ‘I tried to tell you but you wouldn’t listen. You had to go on your silly rescue mission, didn’t you? You couldn’t just stay your stupid, silly self and be happy with that, could you?’

  ‘Stupid?’ Rasci’s face saddened. ‘That’s what you thought of me?’

  Roxana grinned bitterly. It was a face Rasci hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t so attractive as the smile she had given him in days gone by. Her eyes showed no pleasure now. ‘We would have killed you the second time I saw you, if we had known for sure,’ she hissed, nodding towards the male mountain lion. ‘You thought we were fighting, didn’t you?’ she laughed. Her voice cracked bitterly. ‘We’d have killed you in your sleep, only you were bleating away like a crazy sheep.’

  ‘Bleating?’ Rasci felt as if he had been hit in the stomach by another of Raymond Rozalski’s rocks. Suddenly his head ache had come back.

  ‘You were dreaming, saying things about Rhamin; that he was alive and how you were waiting for him to return.’

  ‘But you were fighting that stupid cat over there,’ Rasci protested. ‘I helped you send it off.’

  ‘It was an act, you idiot wolf; a complete and utter sham!’ she cackled.

  ‘Why, for goodness sake?’ He turned his head towards the mountain lions who had stopped moving forward and were reconsidering their approach.

  ‘Because, until then, we thought Rhamin was dead and gone. But by talking in your sleep, you warned us that he might still come back. We needed to know for sure. But, it wasn’t until later that we realised he was out of the way for good.’

  ‘I thought you and I… well I thought…’ Rasci didn’t know what he thought any m
ore. At this moment, nothing seemed to be real. His head was spinning.

  ‘I made a mistake,’ Rhiana broke in. ‘It was I who persuaded her to make friends with you instead of killing you.’

  ‘You were there?’ He thought about the morning he had poked his nose out of the hollow into the mist; the morning that Roxana fought the mountain lion; or at least pretended to. ‘I thought I’d seen another wolf!’

  ‘Bravo!’ Rhiana said, her eyes widening with delight. ‘Your survival skills are sorely limited,’ she sniped. ‘I was sure you would have seen me before you crept out of your hole.’

  ‘Yes, it was a mistake,’ Roxana said, bitterly. She looked at Rhiana reproachfully. Somehow, to Rasci, the old wolf didn’t seem so dominant now. ‘Except for your interference,’ she said, turning to Rasci, ‘Rhamin would have remained where he was. But hearing you chuntering to yourself, my grandmother thought there was a chance that he would return. I wasn’t so convinced. I wish we had killed you then, it would have saved me the trouble of having to persuade you not to go in search of your leader.’ She shrugged. ‘And I really thought I’d succeeded until that old wolf, Silvah butted in.’ She tossed her head in the air defiantly. ‘I’m impressed though,’ she added. ‘I really didn’t think you had the brains to be able to find Rhamin let alone help him to escape from that man’s prison.’

  ‘You said “grandmother?”’ Rasci said crinkling his brow as he looked at Rhiana.

  ‘Oh, sorry!’ Roxana said, bitter sarcasm in her voice.

  ‘This is my grandmother, I’m the daughter of Brenlin, the brother of Solin,’ she announced proudly, nodding to the west. From the distance, two more wolves had come much closer. ‘Here comes my father and Solin, now,’ she said, grinning savagely again.

  ‘That’s enough talking,’ Rhiana snapped, ‘Kara and Lutz are waiting for their meal. Solin will take his rightful place as ruler over this territory,’ she announced, no emotion in her voice. ‘We are going to end this, once and for all.’ With that, she looked towards the mountain lions. ‘Kill them!’ she shrieked. ‘Kill them all!’