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had gnawed the tip of
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Wolf's tail in the Great Gold.
Anxiously Wolf followed his pack-brother, staying out of sight because Tall
Tailless had told him to go away, but watching nevertheless.
Wolf kept level with him now as they followed the Fast Wet toward the Mountains.
As he wove between the trees, Wolf smelled otter and beaver, and a whiff of the
Otherness that hid its true scent. He didn't know what to do about that, so he
chewed a juniper branch, which made him feel better.
Suddenly he smelled wolf.
The scent drove all else from his mind. Yes, fresh wolf scat, and the strong, sweet
scent-markings of the lead wolf.
His heart gave a bound. Heknewthis scent! The Mountain pack!
Wild with joy, Wolf gave two short barks:Where are you?
The wind carried an answering howl--and Wolf flew toward it. Now he could be
among wolves again,andhelp Tall Tailless! This was what Tall Tailless needed: to
be among his own kind, to be among wolves!
It didn't take long to find them, because they'd paused to wash the blood from their
muzzles at a little Fast Wet. As Wolf sped toward them, he took in everything in a
snap. The hunt had been good: he smelled deer blood on their fur, saw their bellies
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sagging with meat they were carrying back to the Den.
The lead pair were the same, but there had been changes, as there always are in a
wolf pack. The old wolf was gone, and the one who loved digging for mice was
lame and had become underwolf, while the cubs who'd played with Wolf on the
Mountain were young full-growns like himself, although smaller. One of these was
a beautiful, dark-furred female who'd been extremely good at hunt-the-lemming.
She caught Wolf's scent and gave an excited twitch of her tail--but she didn't come
to greet him, because it was up to the leaders to decide if he was allowed back.
Skittering to a halt, Wolf approached the lead male in the proper way for a young
full-grown to greet his elder. Sleeking back his ears, Wolf belly-crawled toward
him, apologizing for being gone so long. The leader looked proudly away. With
fearsome speed, he grabbed Wolf's muzzle in his jaws, threw him onto his back,
and stood over him, growling. Wolf thumped his tail and whined. The pack
watched.
The leader released Wolf and raised his head, narrowing his eyes. Wolf took the
hint and licked the leader's muzzle, whining respectfully and waggling his'
hindquarters to thank him for being allowed back.
Now the lead female shouldered her mate aside to
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get her share of the greeting, and after that, everyone followed in a frenzy of
nibble-greeting and rubbing of flanks.
Darkfur playfully pawed Wolf's shoulder but was body-slammed away by a male
with a black ear: the leader of the young full-growns. Blackear tried to muzzle-grab
Wolf, but Wolf wriggled out of Blackear's grip, muzzle-grabbed him back, and
flipped him onto his flank, straddling him and growling till Blackear thumped his
tail in apology. Wolf released him and licked his nose to show that this was
accepted.So. Now I am above you in the pack.And that was decided.
At the same time, Wolf was breathing in the wonderful, sweet smell of cubs on
everyone's fur. The fierce love of wolf cubs flared in his chest. Oh, to race to the
Den and meet them! To snuffle them and let them clamber over him!
Why did you leave? Darkfur asked with a glance and a twitch of her tail. Why did
you leave the Mountain?Wolf replied.
The others crowded around, and he got as many answers as there were
wolves.Thunderer. Great Soft Cold. Cubs. Ancient Den. Big Wet. Wrong Smell.
Needed. Sent...
Suddenly the lead female raised her muzzle and tasted the air. Then she flicked an
ear at Wolf. You hunt with us now. 110 Wolf wagged his tail.I bring my pack-
brother. A ripple of tension ran through her.You are of this pack. No
other. Anxiously Wolf dipped his head.He is my pack-brother. He is--he has no
tail. He runs on hind legs.
He is not-wolf!The lead male gave an irritable twitch.
Wolf whined and dropped his ears to show--as politely as he could--that this wasn't
so.
A glance passed between the lead pair. Darkfur threw Wolf a puzzled look.
The lead male moved off, then turned his grizzled head.A wolf cannot be of two
packs.
Wolf's tail drooped.
The Up darkened, and the Wet began to fall. Wolf stood in the Wet and watched
the Mountain pack trotting away into the trees. 111
THIRTEEN
It was raining, and Torak was chilled to the bone, but he was too scared to wake up
a fire. The rockfall had crushed his shelter. He'd only just escaped.
For half a moon he'd survived in the gulley off the Axehandle. At least, he thoughtit
was half a moon, although he was losing track of time, as he was losing his skill at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]