Nashoga
Book 1 of The Redstone Series
by R.Weinstein
Published by
Summertime Publishing Company
on Smashwords
Copyright © R. Weinstein, 2011
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Chapter One
The Intruder
ONE
I stared down at my best friend as my jaws gripped his neck. The fur on the back of mine bristled. I shut my eyes and started to squeeze my jaws shut. A gurgle from my friend and my eyes flew open. His eyes said ‘don't’. but his mouth said, “Please, just do it. Kill me. Let me go.” I looked into those eyes, deep cisterns full of fear, and yet he encouraged me to dispatch him. I couldn't do it.
“I'm sorry.” I released him; he started to sob. I lay down next to his shivering body, so cold against the heat of the warm spring day, trying instead to share my warmth. “I can't kill you.”
“I'm going to die anyway,” Buck said.
“You don't know that.” He continued to sob, and I placed my muzzle over the area I had only moments before been inclined to crush. Buck stopped shivering, and I thought that maybe he had died after all, but he was still very much alive, and the fear had returned to his eyes. As I lifted my head I saw what he saw; a new threat, an alpha wolf come to claim his life the way I couldn't.
“Finally it ends,” Buck sighed.
A snarl escaped my lips only seconds before I was on my feet. The alpha returned the snarl and held his ground at the edge of the ravine. He was nearly twice my size with paws as big as boulders and fur the color of coal. I glanced at Buck. He was bleeding profusely from his mangled leg but still hanging on.
Another snarl from the alpha as he advanced a step. “Hand over the deer.”
“He's an elk,” I snarled back. I hunched low to the ground, ready for his strike. “And over my dead body.”
“Choice words,” the alpha growled and rushed at me.
You must be wondering by now how I came to be friends with an elk. I would be. Let me take you back to before we first met and I will enlighten you. It all started with the snarling ball of claws and teeth before you, the alpha of the Redstone Wolves, Farkas. He was not always the alpha. Back then, I was.
TWO
“Nashoga, come play,” Tala said as she nipped my ear playfully and ran away. She stopped at the edge of the clearing and looked back at me, her piercing blue eyes scanning my soul.
“You know I'm on sentry tonight,” I admonished her. The waxing moon high in the sky illuminated her silvery fur like thousands of shooting stars falling to earth. I knew the look in her eyes meant she was not about to walk away without a good fight.
“Can't Caleb watch tonight? Summer has begun. You know I love the summer, and the moon … it's so nearly full, I can't stand it!” She collapsed on the ground and rolled in the grass with her paws to the sky. It was summer, and it was magical. I averted my eyes before I got carried away.
“Tala,” I whispered from atop my enormous boulder vantage point.
“You can't protect the pack every night!” She got to her feet and shook the grass from her coat. “You have to make time for me, you know.”
I fixed her with a reproachful look.
“All I'm saying is that if you're not careful, some big brute is going to come and steal me away before you even have a chance to make me your mate.” She was trying to make me jealous … and it worked. I let out a long howl for Caleb to relieve me.
A few minutes later a skinny brown wolf rushed into the clearing, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. “What's wrong, Nash?”
I jumped down. “I need you to take over for me. Keep an ear out for Mingan. I think he got lost in the birch forest again. See if you can navigate him back here without my help.”
“Only Mingan could get lost in his own forest.” Caleb shook his head and mounted the enormous boulder. He winked at us. “Have fun, you two.”
Tala nipped my ear and took off again. This time I followed.
As I ran between the old oaks I let the sense of duty fall off of me like the leaves plummet when the air turns crisp. I stretched my legs, so longing for a good run, and caught up to Tala. She smiled and ran faster, nodding her head at me, urging me to follow. I did not need the urging.
Tala was not as fast as me, but she was cunning. She would maneuver through obstacles and never ran in a straight line. Our goal was always the same: first one to Mohegan Rock. It was the largest boulder in our territory, set on a rocky ledge that overlooked the valley and the Naransett River. It was there that I had first laid eyes on her late last spring … so young, so fragile, so afraid.
She dodged between two close-set pines and they wiggled in her wake, a well-intentioned snare she left for me. I easily avoided her trap and went around. She ran in a zig-zag through more young pines; I stayed my course on the perimeter of the saplings. She stopped short, and I almost overran her, but then she took off to the east and disappeared over a hill. I knew that if I continued on my course, I would beat her. So I did the only logical thing. I followed her over the hill.
I panted hard when I reached Mohegan Rock. “You beat me again.”
The moon had started its descent toward the horizon, but it still threw the rocky ledge beneath the Rock into shadows. The owls had returned to their roosts, and the crickets had gone to sleep, but we were still very much awake.
Tala nuzzled under my chin and licked the jagged scar on my chest. “You always let me win.”
“I don't,” I protested. I nipped her nose playfully and collapsed on the Rock.
Tala lay down next to me with her head on her forelegs and sighed. “Tell me a story.”
“How about the Ghost Wolf?”
Tala shook her head. “No, that one is too sad. Besides, you told me that one yesterday.”
“Okay, how about Brother Wolf, Mother Earth?”
Tala thought about it for a moment. “I don't think I have ever heard that one before. Okay, then. Brother Wolf, Mother Earth it is.”
I took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. Brother Wolf, Mother Earth was one of my favorite stories that Onai always told, so I could only hope that I would be able to tell it right and do it justice. “In the time when the stars were born, Mother Earth created the first wolf pack. There were four wolves in the pack: Brother Mohegan, Sister Onai, Brother Mingan, and Brother Naransett.”
Tala interrupted me. “You're making this up.”
“No, I'm not.”
“Their names were those names?” Tala looked at me doubtfully and frowned.
I nodded. “They were. This is how Onai tells this story after every council. Ask her.”
“Fine. Continue.”
“So Mother Earth created the three Brothers and Sister and created all of the other animals of the earth. Before she left to tend the great gardens on the earth, she gave the pack a warning. Mother Earth said, 'Run, play, and lay down with all the animals of the earth, great and small, and be happy. When you eat, you must eat of the leaves, the grass, and the plants. Eat as much as you want every day and be satisfied. Live in peace forever. For as long as everyone lives in peace and eats the grass, they will live forever.' Brother Mohegan asked Mother Earth why they couldn't eat the other packs. Mother Earth said to them, 'If you eat the other packs you will never have peace again, and you will grow old and die.'
“So the wolves stayed true to Mother Earth and ate only the leaves, plants, and grasses. They lived in peace with the other packs of rabbits, squirrels, deer, and elk. All of the animals ate the same food, and every one lived together happily.
“One day, Brother Mingan was eating his grass, and his stomach rumbled quite loudly. A rabbit was eating its grass nearby. The rabbit smelled so good to Brother Mingan that he killed it and ate it. He went back to his Brothers and Sister and they saw the blood on his muzzle. They asked him, 'Brother Mingan, did you hurt yourself?' He said, 'No, I did not.' They said, 'Brother Mingan, what have you done?' He replied woefully, 'I was hungry and ate a rabbit.'
“The pack was so upset with what Brother Mingan had done that they became very angry with him. He had ruined their chance to live in peace. Brother Mohegan demoted Mingan to the bottom of the pack. From that day forward Brother Mingan was always the last in line to eat. That was how the role of omega came about.”
Tala shivered. “Is there more?”
“Yes. Now, the pack did not tell Mother Earth what had happened for fear that she would punish them as they had punished Brother Mingan. So when Mother Earth called to them, they hid Brother Mingan. 'Brothers, Sister, where are you?' Mother Earth would call. 'We're playing peacefully,' they replied. 'A rabbit has gone missing. Do you know where he is?' Mother Earth asked. Brother Mohegan stood firm. 'No, Mother Earth,' he said. They all knew where he was, of course, but no one would tell.
“Then one day Brother Naransett was eating his grass, and his stomach rumbled something terrible. Brother Naransett saw a baby deer eating nearby. He was so hungry that he left his wits behind him and ate the baby deer.
“He went back to his brothers and sister and they saw the blood on his muzzle. They asked him, 'Brother Naransett, did you hurt yourself?' He said, 'No, I did not.' They said, 'Brother Naransett, what have you done?' He replied woefully, 'I was hungry and ate a deer.'
“The pack did not know how they would hide this from Mother Earth. Surely she would figure it out, so they ran. They continued running until they were exhausted. The pack found a quiet place to sleep, but Brother Naransett kept running. During the night, Mother Earth came to them. 'Children, do you know what happened to the baby deer?' The pack said nothing because they were afraid. Mother Earth repeated her question. Brother Mohegan came forward and said, 'Mother Earth, Brother Naransett was hungry. He ate the baby deer. I'm sorry.'
“Mother Earth grew angry with the pack. 'Did he also eat the rabbit?' 'No,' Sister Onai said. 'Mingan ate the rabbit. We punished him. He will forever be the last to eat.' Mother Earth grew angrier still. 'You punish Brother Mingan, but Brother Naransett is left unpunished? This is unfair. He too shall be punished.'
“Mother Earth started to work her magic on the wolves, but Brother Mohegan stepped forward again. 'Mother Earth, please do not punish them. I am the leader, I am supposed to be strong for them. It is my fault. Punish me instead.' Mother Earth considered this before working her magic on them again. First she turned to Mingan. 'You shall forever be the omega, bound in service to the rest of the pack, never to eat first.' Then she turned to Mohegan. 'You will forever be strong for the pack.'”
Tala gasped. “He didn't do anything! What happened to him?”
“Mother Earth turned him into a rock. Then she hunted down Naransett and cursed him to run forever. She turned him into a river. Then she returned for Onai. She transformed Onai, giving her elongated teeth for ripping and tearing meat, long, sharp claws for running and hunting, and a sharp sense of smell to seek out prey. Mother Earth said, 'You and your descendents will never be able to eat grass or live in peace again. You are bound to chase the rabbit and deer of the earth, and they are bound to elude and fight you. There will be times when you will not eat for days or weeks. The hunger in your empty bellies will drive you. Now, you will also die. And when you die, you will become the fodder for my grass. My grass will become the food for the animals you hunt, and thus you and they will be intertwined forever.'
“And so it was that wolves began to hunt rabbit, hare, deer and elk. Sometimes they would not catch their meal for days and they would go hungry. Sometimes they had too much to eat. And when they died, they became the fodder for the grass, and then the rabbit, hare, deer and elk ate the wolves in return.”
“Good story. And that's how Naransett River and Mohegan Rock were created, too.” Tala put her muzzle down on her paws. “Do you ever worry about the future?”
“No. Do you?”
Tala didn't respond, but I knew she did worry about the future. When I had found her at this spot last year, she had covered a great distance in her travels, and she bore the scars of an omega. Omegas are generally the playful scapegoat of the pack. They are always the last in line for everything: attention, food, duties. Omegas generally get pushed around and blamed for everything that goes wrong, and they will usually wind up being cub-sitters during The Hunt instead of out hunting with the big boys. This is the way of pack life; its intricate social web that keeps the pack strong, but not all packs are as kind to their Omegas as the Redstones are to Mingan. Many of Tala's scars were unseen.
“Do you worry about the future?” I nudged Tala with my nose. She did not like to talk about her past, and I did not like to push her. “Please don't. I will protect you.”
“I'm not sure if you can.” She let out a low whimper and I knew her thoughts had returned to a bad place. I crept closer to her, finally resting my head atop her neck, trying to comfort her and keep her close.
“I will do my best to protect you, and so will the rest of the pack. Always.” Little did I know that those words were about to be put to the test.
THREE
A howl pierced the pre-dawn peace. I jolted awake and lifted my head. I rotated my ears, trying desperately to pinpoint the source.
Tala stirred beside me. “What is it?”
“It's Caleb,” I said. Another urgent howl reached my twitching ears. I jumped to my feet. “He would not howl unless something was wrong. We'd better get back.”
Tala got to her feet, her eyes never leaving mine. She was searching me for assurance I just couldn't give. I trotted ahead of her into the woods and stopped when I realized she was not following. I peered over my shoulder at her. She was looking over the valley in that empty, far-off gaze she would get when she thought about her past. I growled from deep in my throat. It was a gentle growl, a verbal nudge. Her trance broken, Tala looked at me with sad, haunted eyes and then followed. It was a look I would not soon forget.
We ran swiftly and silently along our back trail. I knew not whether the howl had been a warning or a cry for help, but I knew that whatever it was, it wasn't good. I glanced behind me. Tala was losing ground, so I slowed. She flattened her ears and forced herself to run faster. We rushed past the two saplings she had only a short time ago tried to trap me between.
We slowed at the last grove of oaks before the clearing at the top of the hill. My nose twitched. I could smell Caleb, but there was something else … an intruder. The intruder's scent was new, but there was something familiar about it too. I couldn't place it. I stopped abruptly.
Tala almost ran into me. “What's –”
“Quiet,” I hissed. She pulled up next to me, her nose twitching, too. Suddenly, the fur on the back of her neck stood up. She flattened her ears against her head and dropped to a crouch with a low growl.
I glanced at her sideways and crept forward toward the clearing. Their scent was still fresh, but the clearing was empty. I stepped cautiously into the clearing. The boulder was slick with spilled blood. Its earthy aroma filled my nostrils. Panic set in as I realized that Caleb was the one who was hurt. My stomach flipped over at the thought. I quickly mounted the boulder to get a better look at the surrounding area. I turned in the direction of the den and listened. I heard another howl, and then a yelp that was cut short. Faintly I could hear what sounded like a scuffle.
I jumped down from the boulder. “They are at the den. Let's go.”
Tala still crouched at the edge of the clearing. She let out a tiny whine and put her head down. “I don't want to go.”
“What? They need our help!”
She looked at me and seemed pained. I didn't understand. She had been acting strangely since we awoke at The Rock. What was wrong with Tala?
“Let's GO.” I growled at her, and this time it was not a gentle prod. It was a commanding alpha growl. It meant business. Tala got up and followed me down the hill toward the den.
The den was dug at the base of a massive oak at the center edge of a clearing in a grove of oak and fir trees. The den had been there for many generations, from the time of my grandfather's grandfather, and from the time when the oak was little more than a sapling. It was there that I slept, and it was there that one day Tala and I would raise our pups. Next to the great oak was a boulder, much like the one on the hill from which I kept my nightly watch. It was from this boulder that we would hold our pack council. Around the clearing were other smaller sleeping holes that the rest of the pack had dug for themselves. These holes were not as large or as comfortable as the den, but they provided some protection from the wind, rain and snow.
I stopped at the edge of the clearing, concealed in the shadow of a young, budding oak. Tala stopped behind me and dropped into a crouch again. I sniffed the air and smelled more blood. It was not just Caleb's spilled blood, but Mingan's. I perked my ears up, trying to hear everything and yet hearing nothing but the echo of that last yelp. All the possible scenarios flooded my mind: Mingan had wandered into the wrong pack's territory and was chased back to ours, and a fight ensued … an intruder attacked Caleb and killed him … the whole pack was under attack … the whole pack was dead …
I shook my head to clear it of all the dread and listened again. The air was still. Not a single night creature stirred. Nothing. But … something. Someone was breathing shallowly. I cautiously stepped into the clearing, my ears still perked, my nose twitching at the scent of blood, my heart beating faster than a hummingbird's wings, the fur on the back of my neck standing at attention. I listened harder still. Someone was breathing shallowly and that someone was inside the den.
I crept toward the den, knowing that what little wind there was, now was blowing in their direction. Friend or foe, I couldn't scent them out. I had to rely on all of my other senses. Halfway through the clearing, I heard a little whimper. It was Mingan. He was the one in the den, but why? What had happened to him? I started to trot, when suddenly the brush to my left began shaking. Startled, I skidded to a halt and readied myself for an attack. My ears laid flat against my head, I uttered a growl.
Out of the brush limped Caleb. He was badly beaten. “Nash … don't! It's a –”
Before Caleb could finish a great black wolf jumped from behind the den's oak and grabbed Caleb by the scruff of the neck and flung him to the dirt. “I thought I told you to secure this scrawny cur!” he shouted toward the woods behind him.
Out of the woods bounded four more wolves I did not recognize. Two grabbed Caleb and dragged him back to the woods. I turned on the great black wolf and his companions. A snarl escaped my lips, stretched back to expose my sharp teeth. The great wolf bared his teeth and growled in turn. His companions fanned out on either side of him, sharing his expression.
“Who are you and what do you think you're doing? This is Redstone territory.” I looked the wolves over. The two on either side of the black one were sable-colored, about Caleb's size, and young. I could easily take them both. The black one, on the other hand, he would be a challenge. The black one started toward me, the other two flanked me and drew up almost behind me. All three of them together? I would be lucky if I got out of this alive.
“You have something of mine,” the black wolf said.
“I'm not sure what you're talking about,” I said. I inched my way toward the den. Mingan's breathing was growing more shallow, irregular even, and I was growing more worried.
The black wolf saw what I was doing and repositioned himself in front of me again. We were nose to nose. “You have my mate. I want her back.”
“Your mate? What are you talking about? We don't have –”
“Tala! She belongs to me!” he bellowed. Spittle flew in my face and his rank breath was nauseating.
I held my ground. “Tala will be my mate.” I readied myself for the impending attack. There was none.
He laughed in my face. “You? You really think Tala will be your mate? You're so … puny! You can't seriously think that you're wolf enough for her … ”
I took a step toward him; we were forehead to forehead now. I pushed him in a show of strength. As big as he was, he stumbled backward. A little. “Excuse me? Puny? I may not be as big as you, but I'm not puny! I'm alpha of the Redstone Pack, and Tala will be my mate. Leave now and my pack and I will not have to kill you.”
The black wolf rammed me with his forehead and threw me backward. “Not a chance. You had your fun, now it's my turn. Tala is mine, this land is now mine, and your pack is now mine. It is you who should leave before there is any killing. And it will be your blood that is shed.”
“I'm not going anywhere.” I snarled again. This was NOT happening. I couldn't lose Tala and my pack. This was my home. I was raised here; my ancestors were raised here. I was not about to just leave. I dug my feet into the earth, ready for his attack.
“Farkas, don't.” Tala stepped out of the shadows and into the clearing.
I turned to look at her. “You know him?”
“Yes.” Tala dropped her eyes. “Farkas, let us be.”
The black wolf must have been from her past. This must have been why she did not want to go back to the den. She did not want to see Farkas. But why?
“You're my mate. I have come for you.” Farkas took a few steps toward her, but Tala cowered and stepped back.
“Tala, is he from your past?” She said nothing, but looked at me with those haunted eyes again. I moved closer to her, to put myself between her and Farkas. My voice dropped to a whisper. “Has he hurt you?”
“What are you whispering to my mate?” Farkas shouted, and the next thing I knew, he was on top of me, pinning me to the ground. I looked up at him with a snarl. Farkas was full growl himself and ready to lunge at my throat. I tried to roll him off of me but couldn't. He was just too big and too heavy.
“Please, Farkas, don't hurt him.” Tala had come up next to us and placed her head over mine. If he was going to kill me, he would have to go through Tala first.
Farkas got off me. Tala licked my cheek, and I got back to my feet.
“Leave before I kill you, puny weakling,” Farkas said. He turned back toward the den. I looked at Tala and then at the den where Mingan surely was. Tala would be able to handle herself with Farkas. She had before. My pack, on the other hand, would not. I ran to the opening of the den to check on Mingan.
His lifeless body lay in my sleeping spot. I nudged him with my nose, a useless gesture I know, but one of love all the same. I knew he would not get up. Oh, Mingan, how did you get caught up in this mess? A mournful howl developed deep in my throat. I leaned back, threw back my head and let it escape. It was taken up by the rest of the pack, scattered around the forest as they had been by Farkas and his forces.
Mingan had been the omega of the Redstone pack since before my time as alpha. He was older than me, but not as old as Onai or Tamaska. He was from my parents' generation, and although my parents had already gone to the end of the rainbow path, Mingan had continued to be our silly sidekick. Mingan always found a way to add levity to our lives, lighten our moods and make us laugh with his antics. To lose such a valuable member of our pack was unimaginable.
My mourning was cut short when Farkas shoved his way into the den with the two sables. “Take him outside,” he said to the two pups. Then he turned to me. “Nashoga, leave now. You've had your mourning. Go.” This last word was uttered with an alpha growl, the emphasis that I know all too well because it had always come from myself. Always the one to issue it and never one to follow, I was thrown off guard. I'm the alpha. I don't follow orders. Farkas issuing an order to me was incomprehensible. I stood there staring at him. And then he came after me.
I retreated from the den and saw Tala standing looking forlorn in the clearing. I did not have time to talk to her; Farkas was right behind me. He rushed at me with a growl and I took off. I knew I couldn't leave Caleb. He was hurt, and who knows what Farkas and his pack would do to him or any of the other wolves in the Redstone pack. I circled around the perimeter of the clearing, Farkas at my heels.
Caleb was just on the other side of the den's oak, guarded by the two other wolves Farkas had brought with him. He lay in a brush pile licking his wounds. The two wolves stood off to the side talking but rushed to Caleb's side when I approached. They lowered their heads, lay back their ears and issued threatening growls at me. I ignored them and went to Caleb's side. I only had a few minutes before Farkas figured out where I was.
I leaned down close to Caleb. “What happened?”
Caleb prostrated himself and licked under my chin furiously. “I was watching for Mingan, and then I caught this curious scent in the air. It was someone I had never met before, but it was also strangely familiar. I let out that warning howl for you, but before I knew it, these ones here were on me. They tackled me and dragged me from the lookout rock and back here. The big black one had already throttled Mingan within an inch of his life back here at the den. Where is he? Is Mingan all right?”
“He's dead. Where's the rest of the pack?”
Caleb looked pained. “I'm so sorry Nash. It is all my fault! You left me on guard duty, and I couldn't even protect the pack –”
“Don't apologize. It is not your fault. Where's the rest of the pack?”
Caleb looked over my shoulder. He knew as well as I did that Farkas was coming. “They scattered when Mingan was attacked. That black one, he's so big … ”
“He's claiming the pack … and Tala. They're running me off.” I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Take care of yourself, and Tala. I will be back.”
Caleb looked at me for reassurance. “When?”
I couldn't give him any. “I don't know.”
Farkas came crashing into the woods just as I darted off into the birch forest. I heard a yelp and then an alpha growl.
“Run him out of the forest!” Farkas shouted. The two wolves came crashing through the brush behind me. I already had a head start, and I knew these woods better than anyone. It would be easy to lose them, especially if I took them past Grizzly Falls in the mouth of the valley. I eased my pace long enough so that my pursuers were only a few lengths behind me. Predawn dew dampened my paws and made the grass slick. Good. I quickly changed direction. My pursuers slipped on the wet grass. One went down for a moment, regained his footing and then resumed the chase.
I spotted a pair of young firs and used Tala's trick that she had tried on me just hours before. Now it seemed like forever ago. I darted between the two trees, leaving them wagging in my wake. One of the wolves followed me, got caught between the trees and yelped. The other looked at his companion stuck between the two trees, attempted to assist his escape, and then thought better of it and returned to the pursuit.
I knew I could easily outrun both of Farkas' pups, but I needed to send a message. The crashing of Grizzly Falls filled my ears as I rounded the hilltop closest to the Falls. I slowed my pace to a trot; I needed him to catch up. This place, it was a wondrous place. So beautiful, so powerful. The water from Naransett River came crashing over the pilings of rocks that framed the Falls. As beautiful as it was, it was also treacherous. Many wolves have lost their lives to Grizzly Falls, and it was not always the slick rocks or the pounding water that did it.
My ears twitched; Farkas' pup was catching up to me. The second was not far behind. Good, let them come. They won't know what hit them. Quickly I mounted the rocks in front of me, gripping them as best I could with my claws. Steadily I climbed toward the ledge I knew was just behind the falling water. I could hear the scratching of claws on rocks behind me and knew they had finally caught up. Now I just had to hope that I could catch them off-guard.
I reached the narrow, slippery ledge behind the waterfall and started my way across. There was a gaping hole in the rock behind the waterfall, large enough to span ten wolves, and I skirted this hole with due diligence. I ventured a quick glance behind me; they were almost to the ledge. I let out a loud howl. They stopped and looked at me, their ears perked up, listening. They could probably only hear the roar of the waterfall, but I could hear something else. I had awoken the beast. And he was coming.
Quickly I reached the far edge of the ledge on the opposite side of the waterfall and jumped down. I had only moments to spare before –-
A great auburn grizzly, the guardian of the Falls, emerged from the hole behind the waterfall. He bellowed his deafening roar at the two wolves now trapped between him and the water. I watched as the grizzly's shadow swiped its enormous paws at the wolves, and then charged them. Farkas' pups turned and ran-but mostly slid-their way back down the rocks, the grizzly on their tails. I smiled to myself, but the victory was bittersweet.
My pack and Tala were under siege by a stranger; I was exhausted and I had been run out of my own territory. I bounded down the last of the slippery rocks and entered the pine forest that opened onto the valley. I needed to find a place to rest and regroup, somewhere that I could figure out how to reclaim my pack. I knew just the place.
The pond in the center of the valley was still within my territory, at the farthest edge, but whether Farkas knew that or not, I couldn't say. It was far enough from the den that it took me until sunset that day to reach it. When I finally did, I could barely stand. Exhausted, I collapsed onto the damp grass next to the pond. I put my head on my paws and slept.
FOUR
I was a young pup playing with the other cubs near the den. It was a warm, summer day. Butterflies fluttered around us, landing on our tails or noses, playing with us and taking off when we snapped at them. From the trees around us came the constant chattering buzz from the cicadas, a gentle warning that it was going to be a hot day indeed.
I pinned a butterfly with my paw and Mingan loped over to me. He adopted a serious tone, unusual for him. “Let it go, Nashoga.”
I groaned and lifted my paw. “I want to keep one.”
“You know you that it is good luck for butterflies to play with us. Let it go so it may play with us another day,” he said. Then he was back to his playful self. “Want to race to Mohegan Rock? You can have a head start.”
My heart pounded as I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me between the pine saplings and toward Mohegan Rock. It was my favorite place to look out over the whole valley, and Mingan knew it. We raced to the Rock almost every day. It was cool in the shadow of the tall trees as I raced to the Rock.
I reached the Rock, jumped atop it, and turned around, waiting for Mingan. I heard a yelp, and then nothing. I waited and waited, but Mingan never came to the Rock.
I turned and looked out over the valley, my valley, and I was an adult again. A feeling arose in me, a deep feeling, I was so sure … Tala was in trouble, I could sense it. I ran to the den, certain that something was amiss. I had been on sentry duty, on my boulder overlooking the den, and although I couldn't see anything wrong, I sensed it.
I reached the glen that housed the den. There was no one there. I called for Tala by name. No one answered. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement. I turned to see someone emerge from my den. It should have been Tala, as she was the only one allowed in my den, but it was not. It was a great, big, black wolf with sharp yellow teeth and horrible claws. His lips curled back in a snarl. He was a nightmare. I tried to scream for Tala, but my lips would not move. I tried to run to find her, but my feet were riveted to the spot. I couldn't do anything but watch this nightmare of a wolf bear down on me, snarling and growling, ready to rip my head off, all the while repeating, “Puny weakling … ”
FIVE
I awoke just after dawn. The sun was rising steadily over the foothills, birds were singing their love songs and all of the creatures of the night had retired for the day. The pond was so familiar to me, I had spent many summer days laying in the sun next to it. It was a quiet, restful place. A place where I needn't worry about responsibilities, a place where I could just relax. It was a place where I could get away from everything, the pack, being the leader, just get away from everything and not have to worry about anything for a short while.
Wildflowers grew in abundance next to the pond. The pond teemed with little fish; tadpoles and frogs and lily pads adorned the pond's tranquil surface. It was situated in a small clearing ringed with willow and wisteria, with long purple and green tendrils that would weep and dip down, trying with all of their might to touch the sparkling water.
You would never know it from the outside that inside this grove of tightly knit trees was an oasis of such beauty. In fact, you could walk within a few yards of the oasis without even knowing it was there, so well hidden was it. It was only by chance that I had come to find it one day when I was young. Caleb and I had been out for an adventure, and we had split up by accident. While searching for Caleb, I became lost in the woods and stumbled upon the oasis.
I had entered the oasis and lay by the pond for some time before setting off to find Caleb again. When I finally found him, the sun had nearly set, and Caleb said that I was missing for hours. I hadn't thought I had been gone that long, but the sun had been straight overhead when I had entered the oasis. It was such a peaceful, relaxing place, I hadn't realized the time had slipped away so fast.
My nose and ears twitched. Someone was watching me, I could feel it. I blinked against the sun as I opened my eyes and raised my head. Across the pond was my voyeur: a large buck drinking warily from the pond. My stomach growled loudly. He noticed and stopped drinking. I casually got to my feet and lowered my head to drink from the pond too. He resumed drinking, but not without a watchful eye on me the whole time. I lifted my head and licked my lips. The cool pond water was refreshing, but not half as satisfying as that deer would be. He stopped drinking again and lifted his head, staring me down. I casually made my way to the other side of the pond and he watched me all the way.
As I reached his side of the pond, the deer turned to face me, his head down, his ears flat against his head. He snorted. “Don't even think about it.”
“I already did,” I said and licked my lips again.
Chapter Two
Buck
ONE
Waking up in a crumpled pile next to the base of a sticky pine tree is not exactly where I had hoped to be next. I also did not count on having a tangle of antlers in my face either.
“You off your game or something?” the deer asked me.
I sighed. “I guess I am.” I struggled to my feet, his antlers still in my face. He was an odd deer, I will give him that. Most deer would have taken off while I was unconscious. “What the hell happened?”
The deer kept a keen eye on me. “You rushed me, I countered and flung you against the tree, knocking you out. I would have expected more of a struggle from you. Where's your pack?”
He would have expected more from me? What did that mean? I frowned and limped back to the pond where I collapsed with a wince. I put my head on my paws again. The deer followed me back. He kept his distance but seemed to relax a little. He was large, but I should have been able to take him on my own. He stared at me, expecting an answer. I sighed. “I was run off.”
“By whom?” He looked at me incredulously.
“Long, confusing story. You wouldn't be interested.”
And then the deer surprised me. He actually lay down a short distance from me, his legs curled under his body. “Try me.”
I gaped at him. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A deer so relaxed and so confident in his defenses that he was willing to lay down, his legs curled underneath him, in complete relaxation, with a wolf nearby. “What's your story? Where's your herd? And why aren't you scared out of your wits by me?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Why should I be scared by you? you're all by yourself. You can't take me down. I could put my antlers right through you before you got off the ground.”
“Still. Why are you all alone?”
“You don't recognize me, do you?” I did not. I shook my head. The deer sighed. “Your pack has been hunting my herd for years. This is not the first time you and I have tangled. I gave you that scar on your chest –”
“Last summer!”
“Yes. You were a little scrawny then.”
I actually laughed to hear a deer talk like this to me. “Hey! you're a giant compared to me. I'm always lean in the summer.”
The deer laughed too. “True, but even though you were little, you were fierce.” We both fell into an awkward silence, looking at each other. I never would have thought that I could be sitting here, talking to a deer and not eating it. The deer was the first to break the silence. “I'm Buck, by the way.”
“What an original name for a deer,” I said.
Buck snorted and frowned at me. “Elk. I'm an elk.”
“Elk, deer, whatever.”
Buck got to his feet and again snorted indignantly. “I'm not a deer. I'm an elk.” He turned and walked away.
Seeing an opportunity, I jumped to my feet and rushed after him. In two quick strides I was upon him; I pounced, flying straight for his neck. Instantly he turned, caught me with his antlers and flung me against another tree. I blacked out again.
I awoke to a tangle of antlers in my face yet again.
“Getting tired of that yet?” He snorted angrily. “I'm an elk. Say it.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. This was ridiculous, but it meant a lot to this deer for some reason. It was a real sore spot, a point of contention with him. Fine. It would not take much to just agree with him to get him off of my back. “You're an elk. I get it. Elk.”
He left me in my crumpled pile at the base of the tree. My body was aching all over. Again I limped back to the pond and collapsed. I watched as Buck left the little oasis, and I was left alone with nothing but my thoughts to console me. I was so tired, so hurt. I closed my eyes and my thoughts strayed to Tala. Was Farkas the reason she had stumbled into our territory, so badly beaten that she was barely alive? Why had he come for her? What was he going to do to her and the rest of the Redstone wolves? I slowly drifted into an uneasy sleep.
TWO
I dreamed again of the big, black intruder named Farkas. He had found the oasis and stormed it with his pack. They destroyed everything in their path; they ripped the trees up by their roots, an impossible feat for a normal wolf, but somehow every wolf in his pack including Farkas had grown to an impossible size nearly five times what they should have been. They threw boulders as if they were pebbles. They uprooted all of the wisteria trees and left nothing but a few purple vines that floated to the ground. Farkas drank up the pond, fish, tadpoles and all. Then they all laughed at me, because I had stood there and watched and was unable to do anything to stop them.
THREE
The tantalizing scent of fresh meat hit my nose and roused me from my sleep. I raised my head. It was nearly dark. A deer leg lay next to me. I got up and sniffed it. It smelled wonderful. My stomach growled hungrily. I looked around the pond to see where the leg had come from. Across the pond from me lay Buck, watching me. The setting sun set his tan coat ablaze in shades of crimson and bathed the oasis in warm golds. Buck looked away from me. “You're welcome,” he said.
I looked down at the leg, and then back at him. “You did this?”
He nodded. “I found some vultures scavenging a carcass. I managed to chase them off and bring some for you.”
I looked at him incredulously. “Why would you do that for me?”
He regarded me sincerely. “Why not?”
“We're bitter enemies,” I said through a mouthful of food.
“Says who?”
I swallowed, and thought for a second. “Well, I eat de –”
“Don't even.” Buck flattened his ears and narrowed his eyes at me.
“Elk. I meant elk.” Buck relaxed again. He really didn't like to be called a deer. Strange. But still, a deer's a deer. Whatever. They all taste the same. This one, though, was a weird one. He seemed to have a different take on the world. I wonder if he would taste strange. Seeming to read my thoughts, Buck snorted again. I quickly polished off the rest of the leg and crunched the bone in half. Buck grimaced. “Sorry.” Why was this guy sticking around so long?
“Feel better?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” I took a long drink from the cool pond.
“So. Tell me this long story about where your pack is that I wouldn't be interested in hearing,” Buck said. “I've got all the time in the world.”
What did I have to lose? I needed to rest to regain my strength, and it would pass the time. So I recounted to Buck how Tala and I had been resting on the Rock when we heard Caleb howl. He was rapt the whole story and really got into the part about Grizzly Falls.
“Wow, I can't believe you did that. That's pretty brave.” He seemed to have found a new respect for me.
“Thanks. I just hope I can go back and fight this Farkas guy and reclaim my pack.” I stretched and yawned. “You never told me what happened to your herd, by the way.”
Buck's expression darkened. “I'm the last.”
“The last?”
He stared me down with hard, cold eyes. “Your pack hunted my herd and our numbers dwindled. Now I'm the last.”
I looked away. “Oh.”
Buck said nothing. We shared that uncomfortable silence again for what seemed like forever. This time it was I that broke the silence. “I'm sorry about your herd. My name's Nashoga. My friends call me Nash.”
“Can I call you Nash?”
“Are you calling yourself my friend?” I asked incredulously.
Buck shifted uncomfortably. “No.”
“Then it is Nashoga to you.” I stretched again, stood, and shook out my coat. I took one last, long look at the little oasis, the purple leaves of the wisteria in full bloom, the tiny fish swimming in the pond. Then I loped off to who knows where. I needed time to think, to figure out how I was going to reclaim my pack, and most important, how I was going to win back Tala.
Twigs snapped behind me. I looked over my shoulder. Buck was fallowing me. He stopped when I looked back. I smirked and continued on my way. Now how was I going to fight Farkas? More importantly, how was I going to win? He was so much bigger and stronger than me. I did not think my pack would fight against me when it came right down to it, but he did have his own wolves to fight with. Would I be able to rally my pack to fight against them? Again twigs snapped behind me.
“Why are you following me?” I asked him without looking. It was a few minutes more of silence broken only by snapping twigs behind me before he answered.
“Why not?”
I laughed at him. “Is that your answer for everything? Why not?”
Buck came up next to me. “Well, why shouldn't I go with you? Maybe we can help each other.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Help each other? Why would you want to help me? Or me you?” This was one strange deer. I mean elk.
Chapter Three
Madness
ONE
It was early morning. and the sun was trying to peek through the last of the wintry clouds on the horizon. The breeze was cool and crisp, but summer was coming soon. I could smell it. Tiny buttercups emerged from the earth and wilted under my step as I neared Mohegan Rock. Someone was lying atop the Rock. Someone new. Her scent filled my nostrils; she smelled of juniper and holly, two things not found in our territory.
She looked at me and I could see fear deep in her brown eyes, but I also saw the emotional dirt of many miles traveled … and something more. I knew she must have come a long way, but there was something else. My instinct would have been to attack first and ask questions later, but something held me back. I gave a low growl, not wholeheartedly. She did not get up. She just looked back out over the valley and whimpered.
I approached the Rock. “You're in Redstone territory.”