Wolfbeat Chapter 3

Hunter lugged her dead weight under the tiny shelter and checked her temperature with a hand to her brow. She burned fiercely. He muttered a curse and left her, going back to attend the fire. She moaned and stirred but he ignored her. He put water on to heat, and checked that the horses were tethered. The wolves milled around, waiting for a command from him. They whined and butted their noses against his hands, the backs of his legs.

“Go find a rabbit,” he ordered and turned back to his saddlebags. The bulk of the pack left silently, leaving two to wait behind. The rust grey male and dark gray female obediently curled up in what shelter they could find.

The rain started coming down harder. Hunter tugged a bedroll free and ducked under Cael’s tent. The girl was shivering and muttering with her eyes closed, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Hunter peeled her wet outer clothes off, leaving her a tunic beneath. He balled her wet clothes in a corner, wrapped her in the bed roll, and ducked out again. Fetching the steaming water, he pulled out his medical supplies and re-bandaged her back, and the other wounds. He gave her water to drink, which was a feat in itself, since she was quite uncooperative in her delirium. After a few good swallows, she settled down.

He got up, surprisingly exhausted himself after caring for her. The wolves had returned, licking their chops and dutifully bringing him a long eared rodent. Hunter glanced to his fire and saw that the weight of the water on the oil canvas had found a way to circumvent the awning, extinguishing everything. He didn’t feel like rekindling a fire with damp materials. He looked to his own oil cloth tent, at the damp grass inside. His belly growled. Gritting his teeth, he gave a final look back at the feverish girl, cocooned in his bedroll, dry and warm. He steeled himself for an uncomfortable night.

It was only because the rain kept intermittently letting up and coming down harder that Hunter stayed up most of the night. And it was only because the girl’s outcries unsettled the wolves that he got up to see what the trouble was. He found that water calmed her most of the time, and for convenience sake kept a bottle handy throughout the night.

He was catching a few wisps of sleep in the early morning when Cael woke up. He heard her movement and reluctantly moved towards consciousness himself. He noted her sounds of confusion as he scuffed his boot noisily outside her tent, but they sounded lucid enough. “Argh.. what time is it?” she asked groggily as she blinked at the light.

“Later than I want. Get up. We’re moving out.” He walked away.

Cael worked as fast as possible to accommodate his request. However, her limbs felt strangely leaden as she looked for her clothes. Disentangling herself from the bedroll was an adventure in itself. The stiff, cold outer clothes were not fun to wriggle into. She wondered why she had shucked them off last night instead of laying them out to dry. Despite her best efforts, she wasn’t quick enough getting ready, as she realized when Hunter began to take down her tent around her.

She could only look up in mortification as he exposed her trying to writhe into last night’s cold, dirty clothes. In his defense, Hunter blinked. And left.

Cael’ s cheeks bloomed in red, despite wearing her chemise. Soft leather and sturdy weave brushed her cheek as he dropped a spare set of men’s clothing on her head. “You’d better wear that”, he said, “otherwise you’ll get sick again. Hurry up.”

She looked up, nodded quickly, and did as he recommended. Hunter’s clothes were too big, but felt good anyway. She cinched the waist with her old belt, and tucked the wet clothes under her arm. She got up to get on the horse before they all rode away.

Hunter noticed her pale, but alert presence. It seemed to him that her fever had broken, though he never asked her condition. They rode that morning on empty stomachs, because he felt he had to make up time, though he did provide her with a full canteen of fresh water, which she sipped from regularly. And he did not set as hard a pace. At midday he doled out some jerky. If she remembered anything from the previous night, she did not say a word.

Cael spent the ride taking note of the surrounding land, but could not deduce in which direction they were going. She never did have a great sense of direction, and the overcast day didn’t help. She began noticing the wolves instead. They paced easily beside the horses, and the mounts were surprisingly placid as well. Cael suspected Hunter must have trained the animals well, to overcome the predator/prey instinct so completely. By seeing them jump to Hunter’s every command, and from the safer vantage point of horseback, she lost her most of her own initial terror. Cautiously, respectfully, she studied them instead—and kept a healthy dose of fear. She admired the sleek shapes of the wolves, gliding on nearly silent paws, keeping pace with the riders. They detached from the liquid pack every so often, changing places, hunting for themselves, and apparently scouting the area. Cael saw no other travelers on the path.

Her mare stopped once to nibble at some tasty sorrel, but before Cael even noticed or could pull on the reigns, Hunter issued a command and the horse immediately stopped chewing. Cael knew the horse would not cooperate in her escape if Hunter was there to naysay it. Another avenue was cut off, discouragingly.

They made camp in a sheltered place that night, and while it didn’t look like rain, it certainly was cold. Cael was glad for the loan of clothing from Hunter, practical as it was. The sturdy material kept most of the chills out.

She asked permission, and went to relieve herself, wary of the man’s watchful eye as he started a fire. She returned, a little embarrassed, and asked if she could look for a type of moss. He squinted his eyes at her, distrust evident in his expression. She swallowed, and prepared to explain.

“It’s my…uh…moon time. Cycle.” She was surprised to see that his gaze didn’t waver.

“Hmmm,” he said, and went back to working on the fire. Cael felt a mild moment of panic. What did “Hmmm” mean? What did he expect her to do?

“You can come with me, if you’re worried,” she said. “Or send a…wolf.” She regretted saying it. He saw. And had to resist the urge to smile.

“Okay,” he said, and whistled for one of his companions. The black female trotted up. “Go with her,” he directed, indicating Cael. “Not too far. If she runs, bite her.” He was serious; Cael’s eyes widened.

“Twenty minutes,” Hunter said curtly, and turned back to the fire. “No more.” Cael nodded, aware of the large carnivore at her side, and went into the forest.

Following a sound of running water, she found a spring, and all the absorbent moss she needed. She filled her pack quickly, prepared a pad of the moss for herself, and then washed her hands and face in the spring. The black wolf paced nearby, eyeing her. Cael studied her quietly from the streamside, thinking. The wolf seemed curious, and was obviously intelligent. She wondered how Hunter had trained her, and the rest of the wolves. She wondered if the black wolf had a name.

“Is he always such a bastard?” she asked the wolf. The wolf cocked her head, then growled softly. “All right, all right, I was just asking,” she said, putting her hands up. “You’re pretty loyal to him, hunh?” she said, musing. The wolf blinked. “That doesn’t mean we can’t be friends,” she suggested. “C’mere.”

Cael reached into her pocket and pulled out some of the leftover jerky from that day. She laid a strip of it on the ground and crouched down on the balls of her feet a little ways away, waiting. The wolf eyed it suspiciously, and Cael felt sure she wasn’t going to take it. Then, tentatively, reluctantly, the female wolf paced forward and took the food. Cael took another piece of jerky and laid it in front of her, closer this time. She stayed crouched down. The wolf huffed and switched her tail, but again took the offered meat. The last piece of meat Cael took out and laid on the ground within arm’s reach, and stayed absolutely still as the wolf decided what to do. She kept her eyes on the black female, her heart beating faster, as the wolf approached and snatched the jerky, swallowing it. The wolf sniffed the air close by the girl, then paced back to a comfortable distance. Cael breathed out and smiled, satisfied. It was a start, at least. She picked up her pack and made to move out when her eye was caught by a familiar herb. Maybe she could try a different tactic with Hunter too. She picked a small bunch, and made her way back to the camp.

One tent was already expertly assembled by the time they returned. Hunter didn’t lift his gaze from his work as they approached, but he watched his captive carefully out of the corner of his eye. Cael put her pack down, and walked over to the fire. She held out the bundle of herbs to him. “I found this, too,” she offered. “I thought it would make a good …tea.” Her sentence wilted a little when faced with his unblinking yellow eyes. He didn’t move to take the plants. Awkwardly, she placed the plants down by the firestones, in the dirt, and moved to set up her tent to cover up her embarrassment. She was unrolling her bedding inside, and seriously considering just crawling into it now, and skipping dinner (and another face to face encounter with Hunter), when he called to her from the fire, using her name. Refusal crossed her mind, but the slight change in tone when he called again canceled that idea. She got up.

He had a bowl of steaming water next to him, and a fresh roll of bandages out and ready. He saw the disappointed and slightly fearful look cross her features. The annoyed scowl he was wearing dissolved at her expression and he smiled smugly. “Sit down,” he suggested, almost cheery in comparison. Now she scowled. She sat on the log he had pulled up, sharing it with him. “Drink this,” he ordered, handing her a mug. She peered at it. “What’s in it?” she demanded. He didn’t answer, only stared at her with those unblinking golden eyes when she looked up at him. “Okay,” she conceded, and downed the stuff. Almost immediately she wanted to retch. Watching her, Hunter’s eyes crinkled slightly, his way of laughing, unbeknownst to her. After a moment, he handed her another cup, which she fended off. He shrugged and set it down on the ground. Still grimacing from the brew, she winced as he dabbed at the scratch on her temple. She clenched her teeth until he was through, staring into the fire. “Turn around,” he commanded. She sighed, and swung her leg over the log, straddling it. Hunter was by now only working with firelight. She shrugged out of her jacket, and tugged her tunic off. Bandages circled her torso, which Hunter started unraveling. She hadn’t been conscious yet, when he had done this, she realized all of a sudden. She looked around nervously, and saw the rejected drink by her foot. She leaned over and picked it up as a distraction. She sniffed and realized it was tea, brewed from the plant she had collected. She cradled the mug in her hands, strangely touched and comforted at the same time. Then he started on her back.

The nasty herbal medicine Hunter had given her earlier was meant to take the edge off the pain he had to inflict to attend the wounds, though she didn’t know it. As it was, she barely kept her outcries muffled. Her hands clenched white while gripping the log, her tea forgotten. Her breathing intensified to heavy panting, and all her muscles stiffened. Hunter started humming under his breath. Then he added words. He sang.

Seven horses I once had

Three were lass and four were lad

Spotted, dotted, striped and plaid

Seven horses I once had

-

Jet was black as midnight twice

Tough as nails and cold as ice

He was never really nice

Jet was black as midnight twice

-

Opal had the lightest hair

Being the albino mare

No other horse was quite as fair

Opal had the lightest hair

-

Emerald was the darkest bay

Meaner than the darkest day

Jealousy became his way

Emerald was the darkest bay

-

Pearl was gray with dappled lights

Beautiful on moonlit nights

Always in the midst of fights

Pearl was gray with dappled lights

-

Sapphire was a blue roan tall

Liked by most and kind to all

Listened when I gave a call

Sapphire was a blue roan tall

-

Ruby’s eyes were deep and dark

She sang in horse just like a lark

Chestnut was her reddish mark

Ruby’s eyes were deep and dark

-

Amber’s fur was pure as gold

Palomino as it’s told

He was brave and strong and bold

Amber’s fur was pure as gold

-

Seven horses I once had

Some were good and some were bad

Three were lass and four were lad

Seven horses I once had..

He was putting the finishing touches on her dressings and wrapping them up at the end of the ballad. Unconsciously, Cael had been glad for the distraction. She realized after a while that his healing skills probably extended into herbal medicines, which would explain the nasty brew. She felt self conscious about offering him the little bunch of fresh herbs, since he obviously knew his way around plants. In a minute she grew angry, as she realized that he probably also knew why the moss she requested was used—and he still made her explain! Simmering, and shaking from exhaustion, she let him finish the bandages, asked if she could go to bed, and stalked off with as much dignity as she could muster. She didn’t thank him for the tea, his skill, or his song. He didn’t expect her to, but wasn’t sure why she got angry so abruptly.

He checked on the roasting rabbit, wondering why she didn’t want dinner, either. He would have given her food, had she asked. He wanted to make sure she knew she had to ask. He resisted the urge to bring her food anyway. With her fever gone, she’d get hungry eventually. She’d just have to let her pride go first.