The Dark Ages of the Synakoy; The Past Forgotten, Wolfheart [top ebook reader .txt] 📗

needed all of you up anyway, so don’t look at me like that. Viper made her own decision, but it’s a useful one.”
The dog barked happily to hear the praise. The three looked down at her a little strangely.
“Enough of that.” Ky said quietly. “I need Kai to hunt with Viper; try exercising your new abilities a little, if you can” Kai looked away, mumbling something Kiyoshi was sure she didn’t care to hear. So she ignored the girl and continued. “Levin needs to help me hitch the team of Garixes up. And Ivory needs to take Bell and get firewood. The mare is strong enough to pull a sled. Ask the stable hand to tend you the proper gear – even if it’s just a rope and a damn plank of wood. I’m sure you saw the ax on the far wall.”
She nodded.
“We need to store up food, wood and fur for the trip. Any herbs you see, or plants you think may be edible, need to be put in a bag and brought back here, too. Understood?”
None of them answered, so she assumed that meant yes. When they didn’t go anywhere, the druid sighed.
“Levin can make breakfast. Get ready to go; you two will head out as soon as we’ve eaten and the horses are fed, groomed and saddled. I’m teaching Yuki how to care for animals the proper way.”
Kai and Ivory rolled their eyes and returned to the wagon cubby, Viper at their heels. Levin turned to the pile of firewood and started to build a fire as Ky returned to the horses, which were happily munching on their food.
“Excellent job, Yuki. Did you introduce yourself to the other horses?”
He nodded, watching them eat.
“Can I meet Zenic now?”
She looked over to see him watching her with amusement. “Alright. But be respectful.”
She led the boy over to the huge white lion. She bowed to him, winking. Yuki looked at her strange, and then mimicked her with a shrug.
“I am Yuki, Zenic.” He introduced himself shakily. “You’re a handsome lion.”
Zenic stood and snarled.
The boy screamed and hid behind him.
“What was that for?”
“Why does he fear me?” Zenic sounded confused. “Get him away…he’ll hurt you or I.”
“What do you mean? He’s afraid of lions because one killed his mother – and nearly him.”
He blinked, looking ashamed. “Humans fear animals they intend to harm. I apologize. If they fear them, they will injure and even kill them. If you are sure he will not…”
“I am sure.”
“Then when he does not fear me, we will speak again.” He sat on his haunches. Ky could feel his anxiety with her being so close to him.
She turned to the quivering child. “You’re scared of him, Yuki.”
“He’s so big! Look at those teeth!” He was holding back tears. “And he just snarled at me.”
“He’s a lion. People attack him when they’re scared. That’s the only way he knows how to react when he’s frightened.”
“I scare him?” He didn’t sound or look convinced. In fact, he was looking at her like she was insane.
Why do I get that reaction around here so often?

“Because when people are afraid of a predator, they kill them. Wouldn’t your daddy attack a wild lion in fear of being killed?”
He nodded.
“That’s why lions kill people; they’re afraid of being killed themselves.”
Then she stood. “And besides…what man cries? Are you going to be afraid forever? Are you going to stand there shaking and crying, instead of doing something meaningful?”
He looked at the ground, still shaking but holding the tears back a little better.
Levin called. “It’s time to eat. I’ve made something different than soup.”
Kai sighed and shook her head. The two of them joined Levin around a small fire. He handed everybody a bowl of chopped, greasy meat with sliced veggies. He gave them cups of hot tea.
“Tea?” Kai asked, making a face at the stuff.
“They must be traders as well; they have tea leaves from somewhere. It’s not green tea, but it should give you energy and balance as much as any other tea leaf.”
Ivory joined them. “That smells good.”
The four of them ate while Yuki groomed the Garixes, still looking shaken. Ky watched him carefully, not really paying attention to the food going in her mouth. As soon as everybody was finished, Ivory took Bell and left toward the stable. Kai stood at the edge of camp, looking angrier and angrier before she began to change shapes. Ky looked away, feeling sick at looking at it.
When she heard a howl of rage, Ky looked over to see a werewolf in Kai’s place. The animal stood in a rage for a moment, and then slowly calmed down. When she was calm, Viper joined her, and the two ran up the mountains and into the pine.
Then Ky turned back to Levin. He was standing with Yuki by the Garixes.
“Thanks. Keep them there while I put them into harness.”
“Why are we doing this?” Levin sounded irritated. “I thought we weren’t leaving today.”
He’s never been a morning person.

“We need to get used to it ourselves and to get them used to us.”
They figured out how to harness the horses with Yuki’s amused help. Ky asked Yuki to show her how to command them by taking them – with the colt and Champion on their tail – around the camp. The first time was all Yuki. Then Yuki helped Levin and Kiyoshi with it. It took two rounds for them both to understand and master the reigns. But once both Levin and she were sure of their handling, they pulled them back to the original place to remove the harnesses.
Kai was standing there, looking around, human again. Viper stood very proudly near the girl. On Kai’s shoulders, strapped to her as if it were a feather, was a large animal with long, thick white fur, four hooved, long legs and the basic look of a deer. But it had a longer tail than she was accustomed to seeing, and the shape of both its head and antlers were off. The muzzle was too short. The ears were pointed instead of curved and there was a horn on its nose that was at least ten bone-like antlers.
“What the….?” Levin’s mouth hung open.
Kai sighed with relief as they stopped the team.
“There you are! Look what Viper tracked down!” She bragged. “I got it with one hit to the eye. Ivory was amazed, but all of the scouts looked amused when I was so excited.” She frowned. “One of them said ‘Kids! They think every kill is the greatest in the world!’ like this was an every friggin’ day cache.”
“Maybe it is for them…” Ivory commented, bringing Bell up with a log-weighted sleigh. They all looked exhausted. Kiyoshi felt lazy.
“What have you three been doing all morning?” Kai inquired.
“We more or less learned how to drive the wagon.” Levin answered with a challenge to his tone, as if he were waiting to be harassed.
“Really? That must have been dull as hell.” Ivory sighed. “I’d rather chop wood than go through that frustration.”
So…they don’t care that we didn’t work our bodies to exhaustion?

“Anyway, we’re fine on wood for a while. This is my second load.” She pointed to the edge of where their camp place was. Two good-sized stacks were piled up in pyramids. “Could Levin unload these before he cooks?”
“S-sure.” He got down and offered Ky a hand. Just before she took it, however, she glimpsed Yuki watching them curiously. Not wanting to seem weak or rude, she got down herself and nodded toward Yuki slightly. He got down himself, looking at Levin with a side glance.
“Unhitch the horses and get them fed and scrubbed. I’ll handle the others.”
“I can help.” Kai suggested.
“You’ll be helping more if you skin that…uh…thing.”
Yuki looked confused. “It’s just a stag. Haven’t you guys ever seen them? We eat them all the time. Levin cooked some this morning.”
“So that’s what that was…”
He shook his head and went into the wagon to fetch the horse gear. Levin went over to haul wood with Ivory as Kai pulled out her bone knife to begin dressing the stag. Ky took the grain bags and began to fill them with feed. Yuki returned to hand out picks and brushes before turning to the team and releasing them.
It was nearly dark before supper and the chores were done. Ky was exhausted, mentally and physically. She sent Yuki home after they ate; the boy was dead on his feet. Ivory retired without being told right after eating. Levin sat there half asleep, having a difficult time shoving the bread and meat supper he’d hastily whipped up into his mouth. Kai had retired without eating at all, grumbling about how her stag had been put on a smoking fire instead of into a pot for tonight’s meal; she’d wanted stag stew.
Kiyoshi finished eating and retired to her own cot. She fell asleep the moment she hit the feather pillow. When she dreamed, she dreamed of the day her father left.
 

Chapter Five
A Test of Skill

Ivory woke to the sound of activity; voices calling to one another, horses neighing, wagon wheels crunching ice and snow and the unmistakable sound of the scouts readying their own foxy mounts. Sitting up and stretching, Ivory smelled Levin’s cooking; stag meat, bread and lots of spices. She heard Kiyoshi and Yuki talking, and Kai’s protests about her colt being tied to Bella.
I’m the last one out of bed? This is embarrassing…

Putting her filthy clothes back on and wishing she could bathe, wash her cloths and find some deodorant, the girl climbed out of the wagon. Blinking from the glare of dawn’s light on the snow, she understood why everybody was up and around. Half of the camp was already in position to leave the valley, lined up near the pass’s entrance.
“Finally!” Kiyoshi’s voice called to her. “You’ve slept longer than Yuki, Ivory! Load the wood while we finish up with the horses and Garix! Zenic will meet us at the pass when he’s finished hunting and eating!”
Finish up?

Then she noticed the team was already in the harness, the colt was tied, the other horses were saddled and Kai was in the wagon seat, though she didn’t hold the reigns.
“Why can’t I just trot by Viper? I can make myself a wolf!”
Ky glared at her. “You’re kidding me, right? You did it once. And Viper couldn’t come near you for at least ten minutes because you would have shredded anything within reach.”
Kai grumbled, but didn’t resist.
“I’m sorry, Ky.” Ivory stepped in.
“Just you guys never mind it. We’re all sleep-deprived. Just load the wood. We’re leaving soon.”
A little irked that Kiyoshi was ordering her again, she went over and grabbed an armful of wood.
Where do I put this?

“Put it in the cubby!” Kiyoshi directed as if she'd read her mind. “And load the grain and oats once you’re done. Nobody could put it anywhere with you asleep, and there was no way for us to wake you up.”
Whatever.

She climbed into the wagon and found a place to put the