Sisters of the Wolf

by Patricia Miller-Schroeder

  “It’s too late to look for another shelter.” She takes a trembling breath. “It would be more dangerous to be out of the cave with the night hunters than here with some sleepy snakes.”

  “We can take turns sleeping so we know where the snakes are,” Keena says.

  “We could take the pile apart and kill the serpents, or catch them and throw them outside,” Sabra offers.

  “We’re only here until sunrise, and the snakes need to stay in the cave to survive the snow time,” Shinoni says. “We can share the space for one dark time.”

  “Yes,” Keena agrees. “They’ll only bite if we frighten them or try to harm them. We can all stay here tonight.”

  “All right, but I don’t think I’ll close my eyes,” Kreel says.

  “I’ll stay awake, too,” Shinoni says. “Haken may find us here, and I want to be ready for him. The snakes might be able to help us if he comes.”

  “The wolf could help us if he does, but she’s gone. We’ve lost her protection because of the snakes.” Sabra hoists himself up with a stick and limps to the entrance, staring into the night.

  “Tewa needs to hunt. She doesn’t always sleep with us, but she’s nearby if we need her.” Shinoni settles down by the fire and beckons the others to join her. “Come and sit. I’ll tell you how the serpents can help us.”

  The moon hangs low in the sky when Shinoni and Keena wake, stiff and cold by the dying fire, the hot flames now only glowing embers. The dim light outside grows brighter, but a chill wind blows sleet and snow through the entrance. Shinoni’s breath hangs in the air as she starts to rebuild the fire. Keena, carrying brush from the pile in one hand, clutches her cape tightly around her with the other. The chill in the cave has cooled the snakes’ blood, lulling them back into their winter sleep.

  “It was their turn to keep watch.” Keena looks at Sabra and Kreel sleeping under their furs, restless in their dreams. “We’re lucky not to wake up to a bear or lion attacking us.”

  “Or Haken.” Shinoni lets out a deep sigh as protective flames spring from the embers, burning bright and hot once again.

  “Let them sleep a bit more. They’re exhausted and we have a hard climb ahead.”

  The girls sit down by the hearth. Shinoni looks fondly at her friend, who smiles as she watches Kreel sleep. He snores, then flinches and moans deep in the dream world.

  Shinoni turns to stare at the cave wall. As the flames shoot higher, paintings on the wall begin to dance, wavy lines with forked ends and circles, all drawn in red ochre. My paintings! She painted them during the night, as she and Keena took the first watch.

  Shinoni’s heart swells with pride as she admires her artwork, the first paintings she’s ever done on a cave wall. They won’t be the last. And if Haken does show up, hopefully these painting will help save their lives!

  Keena yawns. “The fire is so warm and I’m so tired, but we don’t dare sleep.”

  Just then, a faint scrabbling on the rocks outside snaps Shinoni and Keena to attention. Shinoni’s nerves jangle a warning and she strains to hear sounds of danger. Keena’s nose quivers as she searches for the intruder’s scent.

  “Perhaps it’s the wolf returning.” Keena grips Shinoni’s arm.

  “It’s not Tewa.” Shinoni rises slowly to her feet, her voice catching in her throat. A formidable shape blocks the faint dawn light at the entrance. The chill wind brings a stink the girls know all too well, and the hairs on Shinoni’s neck prick at the smell of this deadly predator. It’s the stench of Haken.

  Keena leaps to her feet and shakes Kreel and Sabra awake. “Haken’s here!” she says, her voice tight and urgent. “Remember, stay back for now.”

  Shinoni moves in front of the others, facing the entrance. She breathes deeply, focusing on what she must do. The shape moves closer and the flickering flames illuminate a face, terrifying in its hatred. Haken’s broad lips, drawn back in a sneer, emphasize the blood-red scar slashed across his face. His eyes are wild, reflecting the firelight like the eyes of a beast. Wolf and bear teeth clatter in his tangled red hair as he moves around the fire, his spear raised high and ready to thrust.

  “Ah, pups, I have you in your den. I’ll enjoy killing you.” Haken throws back his head and howls, then grins at their startled reaction.

  “Great Haken, you’ve found us.” Shinoni addresses him in the Kula tongue and Keena rapidly translates the words into Krag. “But don’t you want to know the hunting magic before you kill us?”

  “Why should I trust you?” Haken’s lips curl in a snarl.

  “You’re a great hunter and should have the magic.” Shinoni bows her head. “It’s good you didn’t bring your hunters, for only you, the great Haken, are allowed to know the hunting magic.”

  “Yes, my hunters don’t deserve the hunting magic — only I do! Haken is killer of men and beasts.” He points his spear at them. “And killer of insolent pups and tricksters.”

  “You see these marks?” Shinoni points to the wavy lines with forked tips painted on the wall. “Kulas call the great snake spirit to bring the animals to our spears and do our bidding.”

  “How do you call this spirit?” Haken furrows his brow, watching Shinoni closely.

  Shinoni braces herself and moves toward the brush pile.

  “Where are you going, devil girl?” Haken snarls, and he leaps toward her, spear outstretched. “You can’t escape.”

  “Don’t you want to learn how to call the snake spirit?” Shinoni forces a smile. “I can show you what must be done to convince the snake spirit you’re worthy.”

  Haken lowers his spear and Shinoni approaches the brush pile. She forces herself to push aside the top layer of vegetation. There they are. The coiled brown and grey bodies, now starting to move as the air warms. Dread twists her guts into knots as the vipers uncoil beneath her fingers. She struggles with the frantic urge to flee and swallows the terror that chokes her breath, then wills her frozen hands to move.

  “Be brave. The snake is not your enemy.” Shinoni hears her mother’s words in her ears and she breathes deeply.

  “Show me the magic, girl, or I’ll kill you where you stand.” Haken’s growl cuts like a knife, focusing her on her task. It’s clear now. The snake isn’t her enemy. Haken is.

  “Control your fear. Use it to your advantage.” Her mother’s words again fill her mind. Shinoni holds her breath and grasps one of the adders behind its wedge-shaped head, lifting it out of the pile. She exhales slowly and walks over to Haken, who recoils as she holds the serpent out toward him.

  “Take the snake and hold it so the spirit sees you’re brave.” The adder blinks its blood-red eyes, its pupils as black as the night. “You see its eyes are like fire. Move close to the flames so the snake spirit sees you clearly.”

  Haken takes the reptile and holds it clumsily as it begins to wriggle, its blood warming. Keena steps next to Shinoni with another serpent, which Shinoni takes and holds out to Haken. He looks, but does not reach for it.

  “The more snakes the spirit sees you hold, the more hunting magic he’ll give you,” Shinoni says. Keena, still translating, hands her yet another adder. Shinoni stretches her long arms, holding both snakes close to the fire. “You aren’t Kula, so you must hold many snakes to show the spirit you’re worthy of hunting magic.”

  Haken places his spear under his foot and takes the serpents. They coil around his arms and onto his shoulder.

  “Good. Be sure you’re close to the fire so the spirit clearly sees how brave you are.” Shinoni backs away slightly. She raises her hand and waves. “Spirit, come now!”

  Keena twirls Shinoni’s sling over her head and sends a large stone flying through the air, striking Haken’s head. He lurches forward, roaring in anger as he tries to drop the snakes. Kreel and Sabra shout loudly and pelt him with more rocks.

  Feeling threatened, the snakes react with alarm. They tighten their coils around Haken’s arms, then sink their fangs deeply into his face and neck.

&nbs
p; “Arrrgh! Raahhrr!” Haken twirls around wildly, trying to dislodge the snakes. He roars and flails his arms and legs in a grotesque dance around the fire.

  Shinoni, Keena, Kreel, and Sabra stare at the spectacle for a moment, then rush out of the cave entrance. They race along the trail leading out of the ravine and up toward the mountain pass as fast as Sabra’s injured leg allows. Haken’s shouts echo in their ears.

  41

  THE RACE TO LEAVE HAKEN and the snake cave behind them slows as Shinoni, Keena, and the boys climb higher. Giddy laughter rings in the crisp mountain air. They’ve defeated their deadly enemy!

  “Haken rat-kap! As-ni-gip!” Kreel shouts in Krag. Keena laughs and repeats the phrase, and Sabra, who knows some Krag, chuckles, too.

  “What’s so funny? You should share,” Shinoni says.

  Keena puts her arm around Shinoni and translates the insult. “Haken’s a coward! He has no power!”

  Shinoni smiles and nods. “I want to insult the monster in Krag, too!”

  Keena, Kreel, and Sabra all shout the Krag words several times. Shinoni joins in the furious rant that echoes from the rocks all around them. At last they return to speaking Kula.

  “Ho, Haken. Where’s the great hunter, now?” chortles Kreel, slapping Sabra on the back.

  “Sleep well with the snakes, Haken.” Sabra picks up a stick from the trail, shaking it in the air before using it as a crutch.

  “Thank you, Leeswi. Haken didn’t deserve the bear’s power.” Keena throws her arms wide, embracing the wind.

  “You’re too stupid to outwit a Kula, Haken,” Shinoni boasts. She hastily adds to Keena and Kreel, “Of course, not all Krags are stupid.”

  “Come, wise Kula,” Keena grins. “We’d better get going. It’s still a long way through the mountains.”

  The challenge of the journey ahead sobers their mood and turns their attention back to the winding trail. Tewa rejoins them toward the middle of the day. She playfully greets Shinoni and Keena, brushing against them and wagging her tail. She gives Sabra and Kreel a friendly sniff, then bounds ahead. Her tail, coated with ice crystals, waves in the wind, a silver banner leading them ever higher and closer to the glacier.

  “The wolf greets you like her pack members,” Kreel marvels.

  “She thinks she’s the leader,” Sabra says.

  Keena nods. “She comes and goes as she chooses, but she seems happy to see us today. Perhaps she’s sorry she wasn’t there to attack Haken.”

  “If Tewa had attacked him, we couldn’t have tricked him into holding the snakes.” Shinoni laughs with relief. “It’s good to finally be rid of him.”

  “Yes, the great Haken, killer of men and beasts, is no more,” Sabra shouts.

  Keena voices a nagging doubt. “Haken is powerful. He’s survived many things that should’ve killed him. We didn’t see him dead, only fighting off the snakes.”

  “Surely he’s dead. I saw him bitten by three snakes. The bite of just one killed my mother.” Shinoni can’t bear to think Haken might still live.

  “One thing’s sure. If Haken isn’t dead, he’ll be looking for our blood,” Kreel says uneasily.

  Much later the sky has cleared, but the wind still howls. The group climbs to a ridge high above the path, overlooking the mountain pass. The ridge drops off steeply on the far side to a boulder-strewn river valley far below. They climb back down from the precipitous lookout and rest under a rock outcrop near a bend in the trail. They are exhausted after their escape.

  Sabra and Kreel flop down for a nap under the shelter of the rock, but Shinoni and Keena sit with their backs against the stone wall to keep watch. Tewa sits with them, but she’s restless. Before long she growls and jumps to her feet, hackles bristling. Then she disappears into the trees by the trail.

  “Ho, get up. Tewa’s warning us.” Shinoni jumps to her feet. She fits a stone to her sling.

  “Something’s coming.” Keena shakes Kreel, who’s dozed off. “Quickly. Protect yourself.” She scrambles to collect rocks for Shinoni’s sling.

  “Is it a bear?” Sabra winces as he gets up, leaning on his crutch. He steadies himself and hoists the crutch over his shoulder as a club. Kreel brandishes a stout branch. They back up against the rock wall, straining to see what the wolf sensed.

  “Where’s Tewa?” Keena’s eyes are full of fear.

  “She’ll be here for us, Keena. We’ll be all right,” Shinoni says. Shazur’s face smiles in her mind. She hears her father’s words again. You will be a leader of our people, Shinoni. Be strong. Shinoni swallows her fear. She strains to see or hear any trace of Tewa, but only the sound of their anxious breathing mingles with the shrill cry of the wind.

  “Something’s coming,” Keena whispers.

  Shinoni hears the heavy, shuffling footsteps, barely audible. She sniffs the wind and gasps. There it is, the scent of the predator on their trail.

  To their horror and disbelief, Haken rounds the bend in the trail, his face swollen and purple from the snake venom. His steps are unsteady, but he holds his heavy spear flexed and ready. A triumphant grimace spreads across his face when he sees them.

  “Ha, we meet again. This is the last time, I assure you.” Haken’s howl echoes from the rock walls, trailing in the wind.

  “How can this be? I saw the snakes bite you.” Kreel’s words are barely a whisper.

  “You’re a dead man. You can’t hurt us.” Sabra grips his crutch, his voice quavering as Haken advances toward them.

  “I’ve been bitten by snakes before and lived.” Haken lunges toward Shinoni.

  “Leeswi must’ve given him power,” Keena cries. She clutches Shinoni’s arm and they sprint up the slope to the ridge towering above them.

  “No one escapes Haken when he’s on their trail.” Fuelled by his fury, Haken lurches unsteadily after them, slipping on the loose shale in his relentless pursuit.

  “Leeswi wouldn’t give power to one as worthless as Haken,” Kreel shouts. He and Sabra pelt him with a barrage of rocks.

  “Leave them alone, coward.” Sabra forgets his injury and bounds up the slope after Haken, striking him in the back with his crutch.

  Shinoni and Keena hide behind large boulders scattered near the top of the ridge and watch the ensuing battle between Haken and Sabra and Kreel. The boys outnumber Haken two to one, but they’re no match for the powerful hunter, even though he’s half-blinded and unsteady from the venom.

  Haken growls and turns to face them. He swings his spear in a wide arc and seizes Sabra by the arm, flinging him against a tree. His back slams into the trunk with a thud. Sabra gets up bruised and winded. As Kreel runs to help his friend, Haken charges up the slope toward Shinoni and Keena.

  Shinoni holds her breath as Haken moves past her hiding place. His eyes must be foggy but some of his senses must work. Oh no.

  Haken leaps behind another boulder, screaming in triumph. “Eeeyaaaiii!” He drags Keena by her braid from her hiding spot up onto the ridge.

  Kreel races after them in a frantic effort to free Keena. He throws rocks at Haken and pounds the hunter’s massive arm with Sabra’s crutch, but Haken is unfazed. He strikes Kreel with the heavy shaft of his spear, sending him flying backward.

  “Kreel!” Keena screams and buries her teeth in Haken’s hand. Haken shakes her off and holds her at arm’s length.

  “Come out, devil girl, or I’ll throw your worthless friend over the cliff.” Haken places his spear blade against Keena’s throat. “She’ll make good meat for the lions in the valley.”

  Shinoni steps from behind her boulder and shouts at Haken. “Haken rat-kap! As-ni-gip! Coward. You have no power.” With a lightning-fast movement Shinoni sends a stone from her sling smashing into Haken’s arm, causing him to loosen his grip on Keena. She kicks free from his grasp and runs to the fallen Kreel.

  Roaring with rage, Haken lurches unsteadily toward Shinoni. A silver streak of savage fury bursts from the trees. Tewa races toward him. Fangs bared, snarling, the wolf
gains on Haken, and with a leap she strikes him from behind, sinking her teeth into his arm and pulling him down. The force of the impact sends both Haken and Tewa hurtling over the ridge into the steep drop beyond.

  “No. Not Tewa!” Shinoni screams as she races to the edge of the cliff, afraid of what she’ll see. She moans as she searches frantically for a trace of Tewa on the ground far below. A wild tangle of trees and bushes fills the narrow crevice between this mountain ridge and the adjoining one. Broken shrubbery and jagged boulders dot the sheer rock cliff.

  Keena and Kreel rush to Shinoni and peer over the edge. “Look, something’s moving down there.” Keena points to some shrubs growing tenaciously on a small rock outcrop a short distance below them. Tewa’s head and front legs protrude from one of the bushes. The wolf whimpers and slides a bit as she struggles to get free, but she catches herself. “She’s alive.”

  Sabra joins them on the ridge. “She must be a spirit to survive that fall.”

  “Ho, Tewa, stay calm, sister.” Shinoni soothes her as she uncoils her rope.

  “I can go and get her,” Sabra offers.

  “Thank you, Sabra, but your leg is hurt and Tewa trusts me. I’ll get her and you can use your strong muscles to help pull us up.” Shinoni ties the rope around her waist, and Sabra, with help from Kreel, lowers her to the outcrop where Tewa waits precariously, whining. The scent of her fear as she dangles over the abyss mingles with that of Shinoni’s fear of losing her faithful friend and guide.

  “Aiii, aii … ho, ho … aii … hoho … Stay calm, sister … We’ll do this together,” Shinoni chants softly. She reaches around Tewa under her forelegs. The biting wind freezes her hands and stings her eyes, but she keeps her voice low and steady. “It’s me, Tewa. We can do this, sister.”

  The wolf stiffens and growls deep in her throat, then suddenly relaxes and settles into Shinoni’s arms.

  “Pull us up. She’s all right.” Shinoni’s voice is calm as she calls to Sabra.