Sisters of the Wolf

by Patricia Miller-Schroeder

  SISTERS OF THE WOLF

  PATRICIA MILLER-SCHROEDER

  SISTERS OF THE WOLF

  Copyright © Patricia Miller-Schroeder, 2021

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purpose of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

  All characters in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Publisher: Scott Fraser | Acquiring editor: Kathryn Lane | Editor: Susan Fitzgerald

  Cover designer: Laura Boyle

  Cover images: wolf and moon: istock.com/cirodelia; mammoths: istock.com/Daniel Eskridge

  Printer: Marquis Book Printing Inc.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Title: Sisters of the wolf / Patricia Miller-Schroeder.

  Names: Miller-Schroeder, Patricia, author.

  Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20200368168 | Canadiana (ebook) 20200368214 | ISBN 9781459747524 (softcover) | ISBN 9781459747531 (PDF) | ISBN 9781459747548 (EPUB)

  Subjects: LCGFT: Novels.

  Classification: LCC PS8626.I45 S57 2021 | DDC jC813/.6—dc23

  We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit and Ontario Creates, and the Government of Canada.

  Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites or their content unless they are owned by the publisher.

  Dundurn Press

  1382 Queen Street East

  Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4L 1C9

  dundurn.com, @dundurnpress

  I wrote Sisters of the Wolf to introduce young people everywhere to our fascinating prehistoric past. This story is fiction but all the people and animals in the fossil record have their own tales to tell.

  I dedicate this book to my grandchildren: Aurelia, Leona, Owen, and Anneke. May you always follow your hearts, your interests, and your own path, no matter what age you are or where you go.

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Shinoni: A thirteen-year-old Kula girl, the daughter of a shaman and granddaughter of a healer. She resents the growing restrictions placed on her as a girl that boys don’t have. Most of all, she longs to hunt and paint animals in the sacred cave.

  Keena: A thirteen-year-old Krag girl. Her life changes one day when she’s caring for the young children and a lion kills a young boy. Then her uncle, Haken, comes visiting with a nasty proposal.

  Tewa: A large silver-grey female wolf with mesmerizing green eyes. She might be Shinoni’s spirit guide, but is also a real wolf.

  Haken: A fierce Krag hunter and warrior who spreads fear and destruction wherever he goes. He hates Kulas with a passion, but at the same time covets what he believes is the magic they have used to become superior hunters.

  Kreel: A good-natured Krag youth who has been close friends with Keena from early childhood.

  Sabra: An arrogant young Kula hunter who lived with Keena’s family one winter when he was lost from his people. He taught the Krags to speak some of his language and has learned theirs.

  Atuk: Keena’s aging father and the leader of their band of Krags for years. Keena idolizes him, but even he thinks it might be time for a new leader.

  Ubra: Keena’s mother and Haken’s sister. She is the reason Haken visits Keena’s group.

  Shazur: Shinoni’s father, a powerful shaman of their band of Kulas. He paints animals and symbols in the sacred cave and speaks to the spirits.

  Reza: Shinoni’s grandmother, a healer, and the most powerful woman in their band of Kulas. She is teaching Shinoni to be a healer.

  Leeswi: The Krags’ Earth Mother. A spirit whose voice is the wind, who often causes bad things to happen, and can decide to give breath or take it away.

  Teenoni: Shinoni’s mother, who is in the spirit world after being killed by a snake while protecting Shinoni as a baby.

  Tat: A four-year-old Krag boy who Keena watches.

  Teal: Tat’s mother.

  Esel: A young Krag woman in Keena’s band who has lost her mate.

  Caster and Bardak: Two Kula hunters.

  Gorda: A Krag girl.

  Dakur: Keena’s uncle, who had his arm ripped off by hyenas.

  Shad: A Krag hunter who was gored by a woolly rhinoceros.

  Sate: Kreel’s father, a bad-tempered and lazy Krag hunter.

  Wenzel: A Kula girl.

  Etak: A young Kula woman in Shinoni’s band, pregnant with her first child.

  Najka: An older Kula woman in Shinoni’s band.

  Sakat and Berdat: Two Kula boys. They are Shazur’s helpers and are learning the secrets of painting in the sacred cave.

  Gandar: A Krag hunter.

  Ardak, Rena, Tark, and Bril: A Kula family outcast from their band.

  Dak: A young Denisovan hunter.

  Deka: A young Denisovan woman and Dak’s mate.

  Fadin and Seezel: Two grey-haired elder Kula women abandoned by their band.

  Ruppa: The leader of a Kula band of mammoth hunters.

  Grey-Haired Crone: The leader of a group of Krag women fishers.

  Luka: Sabra’s father and leader of their Kula band.

  40,000 YEARS AGO, ICE AGE EUROPE, PYRENEES

  CONTENTS

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  1

  NEANDERTHAL (KRAG)

  MOUNTAIN CAMP

  “STAY AWAY FROM THE BUSHES!” Keena’s warning echoes across the clearing.

  The children jerk their heads up, eyes wide like startled deer, before returning to their task of gathering wood. Keena clutches her father’s spear in one hand and scans the forest edge. Atuk gave her the weapon this morning before he left camp with the other hunters to kill the beast terrorizing their band. Father trusts her to protect the young ones. She’ll do her best, but she wishes he were here with her now. Her legs tremble as she sniffs for danger. Only the children’s familiar scent and the smell of pine needles reach her nostrils.

  “Keena, let go.” Tat tugs at her other hand, struggling to break free of her grip. “I’m big and strong. I can help.” His chubby body wriggles with excitement.

  “You’re growing up, Tat.” Keena smiles at his toothy grin and big brown eyes. “You can help pick up firewood, but you have to stay close.” She releases his hand.

  “Whoohee!” Tat races tow
ard the others, his tangled curls barely visible above the swaying grasses.

  Keena tracks his movement until he reaches the group. A queasy feeling settles in her gut as she returns to her vigil. Tat has only lived through four snow times. He shouldn’t be here. Not today, when she’s the only one watching the children. She told that to his mother, but Teal was giving breath to a new small one and the women were helping her. Tat’s a handful, but everyone says Keena can handle him.

  Clouds cover the sun and a breeze stirs the trees. Keena pulls her furs tight against the biting wind. There’s a movement in the shadows. A flash of gold in the greenery? She blinks and strains her ears, but hears only the rustle of leaves. Then a sudden shift in the wind from the forest slaps Keena’s face. Her nostrils flare. There it is. The smell of death.

  Caw, caw. Crows take flight, their bodies black against the sky.

  “Run! Drop your wood. Run to the cave.” Keena rushes to gather the children. Where’s Tat? He’s not among them. “Tat!” Her scream mingles with the cries of the crows and the children’s shrieks. Then she sees Tat, following a hare into the tall grass at the forest’s edge.

  The bushes explode as a giant tawny shape bursts from the undergrowth and seizes Tat. The pungent odour of lion mixes with the scent of terror heavy in the air.

  “No, no! Not Tat.” Tears stream down Keena’s face. This can’t be happening. She can’t let this happen. “Eeeyaaa. Drop him!” She advances on the cat with her spear raised. “Let him go!” What would Tat’s mother do? What would Atuk do? Her father trusted her to keep the children safe.

  Keena scoops rocks from the ground and hurls them at the beast. The lion snarls and backs away, shaking Tat’s lifeless body, sending his blood splattering over her. She sinks to her knees, spear pointing at the lion, waiting for the fatal spring.

  “Eee-yii-yi!” The children have reached their mothers. Teal’s screams rise above the rest, mingling with the wails of her newborn. “My boy! Tat, Tat!”

  The big cat’s fierce amber eyes glare at Keena, mocking her, before it disappears into the bushes with its prey.

  That evening, in the high country near the glacier, a silver moon shines in the sky. Ice crystals ride the breeze, stirring the trees that blanket the slope near the Krag cave. The deep, throaty cough of a lion echoes in the valley, wakening Keena from the most troubled sleep of her thirteen snow times. She hugs herself, trying to shake the blood-filled nightmare from her mind. Ominous figures cast by the firelight loom on the stone walls all around her.

  Keena pushes back the bison-hide cover and rises from her bed of dry grasses. She’s careful not to wake her parents sprawled on one side and her aunt and cousin on the other. All around are shadowy lumps and muffled snores. She picks her way to the entrance, where a row of fires protects her people from the night hunters outside.

  Keena stares beyond the flames. Two pairs of orbs glint in the dark outer camp. She throws more brush onto the fires, and sparks shoot high into the night.

  “They’re only foxes.” Ubra emerges from the dimness behind her.

  “I know, Mother, but they’re not the only ones out there,” Keena whispers. The distant call of the lion floats on the wind. She shivers. Even the heat of the flames can’t warm her. “I was there when the lion took Tat.” Keena squeezes her eyes shut to block the horror from her mind.

  “It wasn’t your fault, child.” Ubra hugs her. “No one could’ve saved Tat.”

  Mother’s right. Little Tat wasn’t the first of their band to be taken by the great cat. Uncle Orak, already crippled by a charging muskox, was killed at the stream several suns ago. Keena’s friend Morda was taken three suns ago while gathering plants in the forest. And now sweet, playful Tat is gone. Keena shudders. None of their bodies or bones have been found. The hunters searched for the lion, but it was like a spirit and left no trace. Perhaps Leeswi, the Earth Mother, had sent it. If she had, nothing could stop it.

  2

  CRO-MAGNON (KULA)

  SPIRIT QUEST CAVE IN THE VALLEY BELOW

  IN A CAVE IN THE VALLEY, under the same silver moon, Shinoni of the Kula people trembles in her sleep. She teeters on the edge of a jagged cliff, unable to move, as a mighty eagle with flaming wings swoops overhead. Below her, a silver-furred wolf leaps over a twisting stream that turns into a coiling serpent with blood-red eyes. Screams, snarls, howls, and hisses combine in a swirl of sounds until the clear keening wail of the wolf rises above the others.

  The rock surface of the floor is hard and cold against Shinoni’s cheek as she forces her eyes open. Total blackness bears down on her, sharpening her hearing. The howl of the wolf still echoes, soon answered by another, and another. These aren’t the calls of wolves in the dream world. These are real wolves, a hunting pack, and she’s prey. She’s stayed in the dream world too long. The night, with its predators and swift death for the careless, surrounds her. Shinoni’s survival depends on fire, and she gropes blindly, searching for her firestones.

  An icy wind shakes the treetops at the forest edge, where a large silver she-wolf sits, watching the cave at the foot of a hill. Movement and the scent of human coming from the crevice promise an easy meal. The other wolves of the pack crowd behind her, brushing against each other, whining in anticipation of the kill. She starts down the hill and the others glide out of the shadows, following her lead. A sudden spark of firelight flashes in the cave. The alpha female skids to a stop and paces back and forth in front of her pack. Hunger gnaws at her gut as she studies the scent. Her nose tells her this human is young and alone. Still, she’s cautious of these creatures. Her mate died under their spears in the last snow time, and she bore no pups after the snow melt. She flashes her teeth, warning the pack to stay, then turns and lopes silently toward the cave, alone.

  Shinoni, now wide awake, sits cross-legged on a deer-hide mat. Her bronze skin glows in the warmth of the flames as she adds more branches to the fire. On the cave floor, a puddle of water from a spilled water bag reflects her muddy image: thick black hair pulled back with a hide thong, and long arms and legs covered by a deerskin tunic and leggings. Drawings of animals are scratched into the earth all around her.

  Shinoni shakes her head to clear her thoughts. The sun has risen twice since she broke the taboo and entered this place where no Kula girl should set foot. Her stomach rumbles in the stillness. She’s remained here without eating, only taking sips of water from a skin bag, drifting into and out of the dream world several times. She’s never been this late starting her fire.

  Shinoni’s heart pounds against her breast bone like a hunter hitting a drum. The howling has stopped. Is the pack coming for her? She picks up a stick and sketches the outline of a face with pointed ears and snout and slanting eyes in the dirt beside her. A low growl reverberates from the other side of the fire.

  She springs to her feet and clutches the stick like a club. Something’s moving on the other side of the flame.

  “Who’s there? Have you come for me, wolf?”

  Shining green eyes peer through the smoke, closer than any wild creature should come to a fire. Shinoni blinks. Perhaps she’s still in the dream world and this is a vision. No, the sharp scent of wolf floats in the air, and she hears panting as the creature moves slowly back and forth in front of the entrance.

  With her free hand, Shinoni grips the pouch of animal bones and dried plants she wears at her hip. Grandmother Reza made the medicine bag for Shinoni’s mother and gave it to Shinoni for protection when her mother died, many snow melts ago. She moves her hand to clutch the amulet hanging round her neck. It’s carved from antler in the shape of an eagle, the powerful totem of her father’s clan.

  The wolf stops pacing now and sits across from her. Flickering flames reflect in wolf eyes and girl eyes, locking the two together.

  “Shinoni!” A distant shout breaks the spell. The wolf turns and snarls, then leaves as silently as she appeared. Lights move in the darkness beyond the fire. Shinoni recognizes them as torches. T
he voice rings out again, closer now. “Shinoni, are you there?”

  “Yes, Father, I’m here.” Shinoni scrambles to erase the animal images in the dirt. Shazur will be angry she’s broken the rules once again. Will he punish her for seeking visions like a Kula boy who’s becoming a hunter?

  “We’ve been searching for you since last sun time, girl.” Shazur’s large frame fills the entrance. “You could’ve been killed. There are fresh wolf prints out here.” The fierce tattoos of a Kula shaman can’t hide her father’s relieved smile. He moves inside, followed by two hunters, Caster and Bardak. The men squat by the fire to warm up.

  “We saw the Strange Ones hunting not far away,” Shazur says. “Who knows what would happen if they caught you. Some say they eat children. What are you doing here alone, girl?”

  “I’m on a spirit quest, Father. I’ve seen a wolf through the fire.” Shinoni clamps her lips shut, but it’s too late. The words hang in the air as the three men stare at her.

  “You’ll find your spirit guide at the women’s celebration. Not now,” Shazur says.

  Shinoni knows that after the snow time the grandmothers reveal the women’s secrets to the girls, who then find spirit guides to help them become strong Kula women. But Shinoni wants to be a strong hunter.

  “I’m not a child. I’ve seen spirit animals.” Shinoni lowers her gaze but her words are clear. She’s seen thirteen snow times. Father knows if she were a boy she’d be on a spirit quest.

  “Eat now,” Shazur says. “We have a long walk back to our camp when the sun rises.” He offers dried deer meat from his pouch to her and the hunters.

  “Why is she doing the quest a boy does after he’s been initiated in the sacred cave?” Caster scowls and points to remnants of Shinoni’s animal drawings still visible in the firelight. He traces the outline of a deer antler with his spear tip.

  “Do you want to anger the spirits, girl, and ruin the hunting?” Bardak spits into the fire. “Shazur, what’ll you do about this?”